One Among The Few

Here's one lighted globe among a few others that caught my attention while having lunch. No idea if it's intended to be like this or the owner didn't bother to change the bulbs for the others.

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation Teaser

Mission: Impossible fans, here's the first teaser for the upcoming movie this July!

The Piano Watch

The competition to make the hottest and most sought after smartwatch has started... even more so after Apple announced the Apple Watch. Here's one that matters. You can play music on it*. The battery lasts forever**. Did I mention that it tells you the time, too?

The fine print:

* if you imagine hard enough.

** relative to typical smartwatch battery life in 2014.

Another glimmer of hope for better public transportation

I've lived in Klang Valley all my life and public transportation disappoints again and again while traffic congestion worsens over the years. Maybe, just maybe the new Selangor Menteri Besar and his team can change all these with their new plan:

The state government is of the opinion the traffic congestions can be overcome by improving the public transportation system instead of constructing highways.

via The Malaysian Insider.

Nintendo to Develop Games for Mobile

View image | gettyimages.com

Isn't that great news or what? One of the computer games greats, both hardware and software wise, has finally relented and acknowledged the future of gaming the mobile way. Nintendo just announced an alliance with Japanese mobile games company DeNA hours ago.

What all these means is yet to be seen but it's good news that Nintendo pledge that there will not be any direct ports but instead will develop software from the ground up to suit the mobile experience. I believe them considering how well they did for the Wii games. It would be interesting to know how they will integrate (yes, I suspect they will to sell more hardware) these together with their range of consoles.

Am looking forward to play Mario on my mobile device soon!

You can read more on Mashable and The Verge.

Why do crackers (and some biscuits) have holes?

Because of this curious question that kept spinning in my mind today, I Googled and found a site called Today I Found Out which gave the answer to this and many more everyday questions that we easily brush off as trivia. I'm impressed with the site and added it to my Feedly RSS feeds.

So, I gather that the holes in biscuits are decorative while the holes in crackers are there for a reason(s) as explained by Today I Found Out:

In actuality, without these holes, crackers wouldn’t bake correctly. These holes allow steam to escape during cooking. This keeps the crackers flat, instead of rising a bit like a normal biscuit as the steam tries to escape; these holes also help to properly crisp the crackers.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Mar 16, 2015 at 6:03am PDT

The one where the Apple logo no longer lights up...

View image | gettyimages.com

That's it. I'm not getting THE new MacBook.

Why?

Because the Apple logo on the lid doesn't light up.

---

I fear this could be the sunset phase for Apple.

Why?

Superstition, of course. When a logo no longer lights up, the only way to go is down, dude.

---

Yeah, right. I don't got no money to buy THE MacBook. That's why I'm not getting it. I think THE MacBook is going to sell well and will probably convert some road warriors over from Windows, too. As to why the logo no longer lights up, I suppose it's got to do with thickness (but don't kill me if that's not the reason). Since iPhones and iPads sell better and their back logos do not light up either, I guess it's quite ok that the new MacBook follows suit.

Spring Forward with Apple

View image | gettyimages.com

Another keynote, another hope for surprises. What interested me were:

• ResearchKit - that's a great thing for medical research. A right step forward indeed. 

• MacBook (from RM4,499) - the long rumoured 12" is finally announced. What a name. It's not a MacBook Air. It's simply called MacBook. Sounds like Apple is calling it THE MacBook. It's fanless, has Retina display, Intel Core M with 8GB RAM, starts with 256GB SSD, re-engineered full size keyboard, Force Touch trackpad and it's super thin. There's also the new USB-C standard where everything goes into this (one and only) port including power, USB 3 and video out. New battery design plus efficient processor brings up to 9 hours of battery life. It comes in silver, space grey and gold. Truly for the mobile user, IMHO. And going around with a gold MacBook? Woooohooooo!

Although the Apple Watch was the main attraction in this keynote, it isn’t really my cup of tea. I'm not going into specifics here because by now you would've read all about the watch. I don't have that feel for having an advance watch on my wrist, because I'm not exercising (uh oh! Maybe I actually need it to remind me to stand up more!). It certainly didn't have that impact on me like what the calculator watch of yesteryears.

It would be great if the third party apps such as WeChat and Instagram will use the same bubbly thing as its home screen to present their emoticons and photos. Heck, it would be great if Apple’s own Photos app did that. I was also hoping that there is some Wii functionality when combined with the Apple TV (now cheaper), will bring a new gaming experience. Perhaps in the future, then. It’s too early to tell how successful the watch will be but pundits seemed very positive. So it’s going to be the next big thing, but I will just wait patiently for the WWDC and iPhone/iPad keynotes for now.

Shaun the Sheep's Shirley

Thought this cute little bubbly toy would be great for The Mini so we got it through McDonald's Happy Meal. I certainly didn't expect it would pique (and this, too, caused me to do a Google search... peak, peek, pique) my curiosity to do an online search for Shaun the Sheep. From Wikipedia:

Shirley is the largest member of the flock. A gentle giant, she is usually seen placidly eating, though she's intimidating enough to have defended Shaun from Pidsley the cat. She's so big that large objects routinely disappear into (or are deliberately hidden in) her fleece, and she quite often gets stuck herself, needing the other sheep to push, pull or even sling-shot her out of trouble. However, her size can also come in very handy when what's needed is a battering ram or similarly immovable object.

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Mar 7, 2015 at 4:00am PST

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2015

Well, Chinese New Year came and about to go so here's a last photo to celebrate the year of the goat. Innovative people do innovative things. No idea how they could produce apples with the Chinese words for "Gong Xi Fa Cai" but whatever way, hope it's done safely and ethically. No harm will come to whoever that consumed these apples.

Have a great Chap Goh Meh!

Nutshell for iOS Quicky Review

It’s not everyday that I get impressed by a video app for the iPhone mainly because… I don’t take videos (not in a million years) but somehow this app that I saw being promoted in the App Store last week made me try. For a totally dumbfounded beginner, this app sure made things possible.

The instructions were simple enough and the interface was as east as 1, 2 and 3. You just take three photos and the app will compile everything into a short video (it’s got slow motion, too!) for you. After that, you can add/delete text and animation for each. You will be amazed at the outcome! It’s worth noting that while you take the 3 photos, the app actually continues to record so be aware of that when you want to frame your subjects. When everything’s completed, you can save your masterpiece into your phone or share it through social media.

The official video below would explain the whole thing better than me so take a look.

My Ratings

Amazingly simple, yet wields impressive results. Truly for the beginner. 4/5

Unfortunately, the video quality could be better but I suspect it’s necessary tradeoff possibly for smaller file sizes. 2/5

Did I tell you that it’s all in square format like Vine and Instagram? So it’s not going to look interesting on your TV or LCD screens. 3/5

Despite all the flaws, it’s important to keep in mind that the app is designed to be simple and the video is for easy sharing so give it a break, ok? 3/5

Hot and Sunny Days Ahead

Rainy days are making way for hot and sunny ones here in Malaysia. Good news, the Selangor government declared that there won't be water rationing for the state. Anyhow, use water wisely, stay in the shades and keep yourselves hydrated, folks!

A photo posted by @ionbuck on Mar 3, 2015 at 4:07pm PST