Sony Alpha NEX-5

IN OUR shootout, we went out in the field and tested the Olympus E-PL1, the Panasonic Lumix GF1 and the Sony Alpha NEX-5 in a typical outdoor situation, recording stills and videos.

Each camera was tested by shooting nearly identical images and videos and then the results were eyeballed together on the same colour- calibrated monitor.

Usability

All three cameras performed reasonably well in terms of ease of use, although each takes a different approach to how common settings are accessed.

For example, while the NEX-5 takes a more minimalist approach (which means going through a lot of menus), the Panasonic GF1 has a lot of settings mapped to physical buttons (which results in quick access but may be confusing to some).

The Olympus hits the best balance however - although largely menu-driven, access to important settings requires only one or two button presses to get to and on top of that, the camera's iAuto mode allows even a novice to manipulate advanced settings without having to understand the technical terms.

In terms of usability, the E-PL1 has the best balance, although advanced photographers may appreciate the GF1's multi-button system for quicker access.

Kaya kerana internet

Seorang pengemis di China, Cheng Guorong menjadi kaya dan terkenal selepas gambarnya tersiar di Internet, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Walaupun selekeh, berambut panjang dan berjanggut, lelaki tersebut memiliki wajah kacak yang menarik perhatian ramai peminat sejak gambarnya tersiar pada Januari lalu.

Guorong, 34, digelar pengemis paling seksi di China dan dia turut mengecapi status simbol seks di kalangan pengguna Internet.

Nasibnya berubah selepas gambarnya dirakamkan oleh seorang jurugambar amatur ketika dia berkeliaran di jalan raya di bandar ini untuk meminta makanan pada tahun lalu.

Tidak lagi menyelongkar tong sampah, Guorong kini menerima banyak tawaran iklan dan dia turut bekerja sebagai model peragaan.

Pakaiannya semasa dia menjadi pengemis turut menjadi ikon fesyen.

Para peminat lelaki tersebut turut menderma sebanyak 100,000 yuan (RM49,138) bagi membantunya memulakan hidup baru.

Dia juga ditawarkan berlakon dalam sebuah filem mengenai kisah hidupnya yang diterbitkan oleh penerbit filem tempatan, Deng Jiangguo dan menelan kos sekitar 72 juta yuan (RM34.3 juta).

Filem tersebut akan menjalani penggambaran pada September depan dan ia dijadualkan ditayangkan pada Februari 2011.

Guorong berpindah ke bandar di timur China ini pada 1996 untuk mencari kerja bagi menyara isteri dan dua anaknya tetapi malu untuk menghubungi mereka setelah dia hilang pekerjaan dan wang simpanannya habis.

Saudara-maranya menyangka dia mati sehingga mereka melihat imej-imejnya di Internet.

Guorong tidak dapat menahan kesedihan apabila mendapati bapa dan isterinya terbunuh dalam satu kemalangan kereta setelah dia kembali ke kampung halamannya untuk kali pertama dalam tempoh 14 tahun baru-baru ini. - Agensi

Sony Apologizes for PS3 Vulnerability

Last thursday sony officially apologized for the vulnerability thats was found in their new gaming console the PlayStation 3. Apparently hackers have found a way to access some PSN accounts and have been changing users password, using their credits.

Fortunately they were unable to access users credit card information. A patch will be released soon to fix this error.

How to configure alternative applications / versions to run from same command on Linux

Several programs installed in your system may perform same or similar functions., e.g. different text editors or different versions ofJava may be present in a single computer.

This may give choice to the users of a system, allowing each one of them to use a different program, if they desire. On the other hand, if the user has not specified a particular preference of program it sometimes becomes complicated. Have you ever faced such problems?

We have experienced these type of problems and tried to sort it out. Let us discuss about the commands that may help you out of your problem.

In our example, we are going to create a link called jstack, which will have a generic name ofjstack. This link and generic name are going to be associated with a version of Java, present in our system.

Implementing Our Alternative

Issue the following command to check :-

/usr/sbin/alternatives –config java

In our system there were 2 programs that provide java, like

Selection Command

———————————————–

1 /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.5.0-gcj/bin/java

2 /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.7.0-icedtea-1.7.0.0/bin/java

Step 1

Issue the following command :-

alternatives –install /usr/bin/jstack jstack /usr/java/latest/bin/java 3

It will set the proper alternatives. This command installs a link jstack under/usr/bin directory, links it to a generic name of jstack (in this case), which in turn is linked to the java application.

Step 2

To check whether alternatives has been properly installed or not, issue the command :-

# /usr/sbin/alternatives –config java

Now,

There are 3 programs which provide 'java'.

Selection Command

———————————————–

* 1 /usr/lib/jvm/jre-1.5.0-gcj/bin/java

2 /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.7.0-icedtea-1.7.0.0/bin/java

+ 3 /usr/java/latest/bin/java

Enter to keep the current selection[+], or type selection number: 3

Thus alternatives can be properly set to run from a common command in Linux.

Around two million people were estimated to have shown up to a stretch of the A40 autobahn in the Ruhr area on Sunday for the ‘Still Life’ festival which promised to replace speeding cars with a huge range of cultural events.

The project - part of the Ruhr 2010 European capital of culture season – involved completely closing the 60-kilometre stretch of the motorway between Duisburgand Dortmund, filling it with up to 20,000 tables for people to sit, eat and experience an enormous range of performances. 

Things on offer range from literature readings, local poetry performances and rappers to the Eppendorfer cultural heritage group’s display of 1900s rural life, and the Dortmund Korean association’s display of traditional costumes and music. 

The tables were set up on the Dortmund to Duisburg side of the road – the other side has been left empty for people to ride bikes or skate up and down from performance to performance.

Kota Kinabalu National Park & Mount Kinabalu

 

Kota Kinabalu National Park is Malaysia’s first World Heritage. Designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its ‘outstanding universal values’, the park covers an area of 754 square kilometers and surrounds the majestic Mount Kota Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in Malaysia (and fourth tallest in Southeast Asia). The hiking of Mount Kota Kinabalu up to the Low’s Peak ‘summit’ at 4100 meters is the goal of many trekkers. If climbers wish to go further up, the climb is on bare granite rock. The Rafflesia plant, which has the largest single flower in the world, is also found in the Kota Kinabalu National Park.
This article is taken from the segment, 50+1 Places To Visit from the 50+1 Malaysia book. More detailed explanations on these places or other interesting places to visit in Malaysia, and also more on our truly Malaysian Manglish or celebrities (like Siti & Mawi) are found in the book. As author QuaChee mentions, this book is for everyone… and even Malaysians will be suprise to learn so much more about the country!

 

Satubong Jungle Trek

Introduction
Kuching's popular beach area is about 40 minutes drive or 35 km north of the city. Among the attractions in the area include the Sarawak Cultural Village, Mount Santubong trekking (810m), superb Seafood Restaurants, 18-holes Golf Course (legendary Arnold Palmer design) and luxury Beach & Jungle Resorts. Tours or excursions to nearby Satang island, wildlife resorts. Tours are operated by travel agents based at the resorts.

Sarawak Cultral Village
Described as a unique living museum, Sarawak Cultural Village offers the culture, arts and crafts of the State's many ethnic groups in a 7 hectare site tucked on the foothills of the legendary mount Santubong.

There are 7 authentic replicas of the ethnic houses of the major tribes in Sarawark ie. The Longhouses of the Bidayuh, iban and the Orang Ulu, the Melanau Tall House, the chinese Farm House, the Malay Stilted House and Penan Hut. Visitors will be invited to take part in the various activities at each of the houses. Those who love traditional crafts will enjoy works from the craftsmen on display in each houses such as Pua kumbu (iban textiles), Kain Songket (Malay cloth with gold inner lay), Melanau Terendak (sunhat), Bidayuh Tambok (basket), iban Parang (swords), Orang Ulu wood carving and chinese ceramics. Guests will also be entertained with 45-minute daily cultural performances of songs and dances.

The village also offers a homestay experience called 'berambeh' for those who like to experience moreof the Sarawakian hospitality and its traditions. Please contact their Heritage Resource Centre for arrangement.

Petronas Twin Tower KLCC

Visiting Malaysia is never complete, if one never visits this twin towers…. and that include Malaysians, be it from KL or any other parts of the country. The 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers is one of the world’s tallest buildings in the world, soaring to a height of 452 metres above the city skyline. Designed by Cesar Pelli in 1997 and mostly constructed with steel and glass, the towers were the world’s tallest when completed. Loved By The Cameras
The twin towers is a common feature in the skyline of the city and can be seen in many magazines and books on the country. It is also shown in movies and TV productions, most notably the film Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones.

How to add shopping cart to your blog

The easiest way to add a shopping cart is to use Paypal Merchant Tools. Of course in order to make use of this service, you will need a Paypal account if you don't already have one. Signing up is free and easy. Plus by making use of Paypal Merchant Tools, you can accept credit card payments.

Perhaps the easiest way to describe how to add a shopping cart to your blog is to describe how I set up this demonstration "online shop" at Demonstration shopping cart.

First, you will have to prepare your post. Add photographs, description, prices, etc.

Then, sign into your Paypal account. Then click on the Merchant Tool  tab. Then at the right sidebar, click on "Paypal Shopping Cart", then enter the details like Item Name/Service, Item ID/Number (optional), Price of Item/Service you want to sell, Currency, etc. Then either tick the Paypal "Add to Card"  button or if you have your own button hosted on the web, enter its URL. Click the "Create button now"  button at the bottom of the page and 2 HTML script will be generated - one for the "Add to Shopping Cart" button and another for the "View Cart" button. Copy the HTML scripts and paste them in the appropriate places in your Post Editor Window. Add further buttons if required and when finished, publish the post.

How to put a donation on your blog

If you are only interested in how to make a "Donate" button, skip this and go straight to the actual post. I have made a "Donate" button as a demonstration at the bottom of the left sidebar and have made a statement that while it is actually for demonstration I have I am not averse to accepting donations and have said in absolute sincerity that no amount is too small. If you want to use the that button to donate or to test you are free to do so, but please read the updates in red at the bottom of the post. This update is placed here because I added a link back to this post at the Donate button to alert any potential user of that "Donate" button of the implications after a kind soul donated $0.05 which I can say with absolute sincerity is greatly appreciated, but in my accounts, it says that I have been credited with $0.00 (because Paypal takes a cut from the donation). So the kind donor has lost $0.05 while I have gained $0.00 and Paypal earned $0.05. I remembered contacting Paypal for a schedule of charges but don't remember getting a response. I will contact them again. For a fuller description, read the update at the bottom of the post.

Another note: If you sign up for a Paypal account, you will be asked to pay a verification fee of something like $1.95. This verification fee will be credited back to your account when you make a withdrawal, so it is not really a "fee". Note that you can chose to verify later or not verify at all, in which case the maximum amount you can withdraw from your account will be limited to $1000.

This is in response to someone's question regarding putting a donation button on a blog. The easiest way is to sign up for a Paypal account (to get to their site, type "paypal" into the searchbox at the top of the page, tick the "Web" radio button and click "Search"). Sign into your Paypal account. Once you are signed in, you will see a Merchant Tool  tab. Click that and you will get to a page, on the right side of which you will see a section titled "Key Features".

Click on "Donations" and you will get to a page where you have various fields to fill in. One of them is "Donation Name/Services". I typed "This is for demonstration purpose only ...." thinking it will be added to the top of the button, but it looks like it serve no purpose because I left the other fields empty (except for my country which is already selected in the drop-down menu), left my choice of button as the default "donation" button  ticked, click "Create Button Now" at the bottom of the page. The HTML was generated. I just copied the HTML, got to the LAYOUT of the relevant blog, click Add a Page Element, chose HTML/Javascript, paste the HTML into the box and click "Save to Blog". That Page Element was added to the top of the left sidebar section. I wanted it at the bottom so I dragged it down, then click "Save" at the top of the LAYOUT.

I click "View Blog" and didn't "This is for demonstration..." so I had to edit the Page Element and added that to the Title. I will be writing to Paypal for the purpose of those fields and will update this post when I get a response.

If you want a different button from the Paypal button, you will have to create your own button, perhaps using one of those free button generator sites (use the searchbox at the top of the page. Tick the "Web" radio button). Upload it to the web using either Getting New Blogger to host a picture for the profile photo, sidebar, Header, etc. (click BACK button to get back to this page) or use Photobucket. Get the URL, paste that into the field for the Button Image URL and tick the radio button.
Update: Got an email notification from Paypal saying I received a payment for USD0.05, showing that the "Donate" button is working.

As I have said in the title for the donate button, it is for demonstration purposes and no amount is too small if you really want to donate, and I mean it. I really appreciate the person who made that donation. However, note that Paypal deduct their fees when they pay me, although there is no fee when you make a payment (eg. via a "Donate" button.) and this is what shows in my account:

Click on screenshot to enlarge it, or if you don't want to and can't read the figures, I received $0.00 after deduction.

So while I sincerely appreciate the payment, note that after deduction, I got $0.00, the kind donor lost $0.05 while Paypal got $0.05. I still appreciate the thoughts though, but I will try to get more information about deduction from payment received so that you are better informed if you want to put a similar "Donate" button in your blog and will update this post when I receive a response. For personal experience, read below.

Note: I have made a payment of -$619.00 USD from my balance to a US resident. While there was no charge for making the payment, the recipient told me she only received only $595.00, meaning $23 (3.7%) had been deducted.

Also, if you do not already have a Paypal account and you started one and use your credit card for verification purposes, there will be request for a verification fee of I think is $1.95, which you can chose not to pay. In that case, your payment from Paypal will be limited to USD1000. I have made that verification payment recently, but that payment will be paid back into my account when I next make another payment so I wouldn't really lose anything.

The person who made the donation also requested a payment of $0.01 CAD, probably for a contribution to the verification fee. I appreciate his thought on making that donation and really don't mind making that payment, but I will have to inform him that if I make that payment, after Paypal deduction, he will probably get $0.00 CAD.

Octopus Paul: Germany will win 3rd place

Octopus oracle Paul is predicting Germany will win over Uruguay at the World Cup in the fight for third place. Paul's pick was carried live Friday on TV stations around Europe. The world-famous octopus could be seen choosing a mussel from a glasstank marked with a German flag, after sitting on the Uruguayan tank for a few minutes — indicating a German victory in Saturday's fight for places three and four in the World Cup. Since predicting Spain's victory over Germany, the mollusk has become less popular at home, while Spaniards have offered their newfound mascot protection. Paul correctly predicted Germany's wins over Argentina, England,Australia and Ghana and the country's loss to Serbia. He picks the Spain-Netherlands final later in the day.

Samsung UA55C8000 TV

We peer into the third dimension with the Samsung UA55C8000 TV and like what we see.
IT IS funny that TVs are actually getting thinner these days as 3D technology is becoming more common - what we get here is a situation where the TV itself is gradually becoming closer to a 2D piece of paper while the display is gaining more depth :-)

Anyway, lame jokes aside, regular readers of In.Tech will probably already about know my fanatical interest in all things 3D and when the Samsung UA55C8000 came in complete with 3D glasses I was totally stoked.

Samsung Nx10

The Samsung NX10 is light on the shoulders but pretty heavy in the features department.

MOST photographers would agree that DSLR cameras take better pictures than their compact brethren but unfortunately portability is not a DSLR strong point.

After lugging one around during a holiday, you would probably need another holiday to recover from the inevitable sore shoulder, especially if you have a heavy model.

This is where Samsung intends to step in with its 14.6-megapixel Samsung NX10.

It does away with the conventional mirror technology that is a staple of DSLRs to produce a smaller, slimmer and lighter body.

But don't be fooled by its petite size, this camera can easily rival a full-fledged DSLR when it comes to specifications, which we will discuss in length later.

Moving on, the camera supports the proprietary NX-mount lens system and dedicated flashguns.

To date, Samsung has unveiled three different lenses - namely the 18-55mm OIS, 50-200mm OIS and 30mm pancake lens. "OIS" denotes built-in stabilisation technology.

For the purpose of this review, Samsung was nice enough to loan us a unit with the 18-55mm lens.

Angelina Jolie Salt

Before becoming a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor, and country. She will prove loyal to these when a defector accuses her of being a Russian sleeper spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband, and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA.