Free Desktop Wallpaper Calendar : January 2011

Assalammualaikum dan Salam sejahtera, Tahun baru telah berlalu dan semestinya anda sudah mempunyai kalendar untuk tahun 2011. Kalau belum klik sini. Entri kali ini saya hendak berkongsi dengan anda salah satu projek saya iaitu 'Desktop Wallpaper Calendar 2011'.  

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REC Camera, photo capture full frame

Different people have different hobbies, some like listen MP3, some like book reading or some people like and love photography. There are a lot of cameras available in the market that have good feature for record photo that beautiful and be nearly true. But be believable that haven't which camera at the monitor has large-sized

REC is a delightful camera that gives the subject an equal opportunity to view his pose as the camera clicks the picture. A rotating display at the back of the camera slides out to show what’s being captured in the frame. Biggest features of this camera is that it lets you view the live image which you are going to capture on the available slider space from both side

Designer: Dongyeon Kim

If you liked this camera, you would also be interested in:
www.yankodesign.com

Audiobook Review: Helion Rain by George Mann

On the planet Idos, humanity is under siege from the alien tyranids, and only the superhuman cybernetic soldiers of the Space Marines known as the Raven Guard have any chance of beating them back. Most of the forces of the Raven Guard, under Captain Corrin, are engaged in a front-line holding action – completely against their nature of working covertly behind the lines to take down an enemy.

But one small team led by Sergeant Grayvus, separated from the rest of the battle, are given a mission with very little idea of how it may help improve the situation for their brothers, one that requires them to destroy a power plant. This is a task which would be difficult under normal circumstances, but is made even more impossible by the fact that they have no explosives on them. They have little more than their personal arms to fight with, and creatures who want nothing more than to drain their very DNA from their bodies and absorb them into their own biomass.

Meanwhile, everyone must deal with the constant rock rain falling from the sky, the remnants of the moon Helion, which humanity mistakenly destroyed while trying to defend Idos from the invasion.

The setting is half the fun of this particular story, there are a number of times when the battles are broken up because of the need of both sides to protect themselves from the Helion rain. It’s one of those great ideas that makes for a memorable background to set the rest of the story against, helping it rise above what might otherwise just be another “only one team can save the day behind enemy lines”.

This story was also my first introduction to the tyranids, which also helped set it apart from the other audiobooks I’ve listened to so far from The Black Library. They’re like the organic version of the Borg, they’ll absorb your memories along with your very DNA and make it a part of their collective – and they’re disgusting creatures with large spiked protrusions and tentacles vying for some way to make contact with their prey.

I liked how Grayvus team wasn’t given the information by Captin Corrin on what the purpose of their mission was, just that they were to get it done. Very military-like and ultimately it helps build the suspense for the listener; until they succeed we know what the result will be. At the same time, if I have one issue with this story it’s that none of the characters particularly stood out to me. But, along with the usual high quality of the audio work that The Black Library does on these things, the combination of the other elements of the story help this one rise above its one flaw.

I Knew Casting Seth Rogen as The Green Hornet Was a Bad Idea...

The reviews are starting to come in for The Green Hornet and they are not pretty. As anyone who reads my site knows, I despised this idea from day one. Comic book heroes are not supposed to be slackers-- ever.

Kurt Loder, at Reason.com backs me up on this.

Although Sony denies it, one can imagine the studio’s dismay upon first seeing this mess. The picture was originally scheduled for release last summer; then, in order to (what else?) convert it into 3D, it was rescheduled for December 23. Now, here it finally is, in the depths of January. Where it belongs.

But that's nothing compared to what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say about the film.

The film's insurmountable problem is that Rogen and Goldberg are committed to the comic notion that Britt is an idiot. This becomes a box that the character and the movie can't escape. At no point does Britt's strategy of doing good while pretending to be evil ever reveal itself to be coherent. On the contrary, Rogen's Green Hornet doesn't do anybody any good, not even by accident - he just wreaks havoc. Britt is a joke, a parody of a fatuous rich heir. That provides the occasional laugh, as when Britt comes on to his secretary (the long-suffering Cameron Diaz), who loathes him. But when the violence comes, who cares if this fatuous, ineffectual, trouble-making idiot survives?

It's strange, but even in an action comedy, if the audience doesn't care whether the protagonist gets killed, it's a big problem. Without that one human element, all the carefully orchestrated action becomes mere commotion - and sleep-inducing.

Oh boy.

There are a handful of good reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes, so there may be an audience for this. But, from what I've read, many reviews are backing up my initial assessment that Rogen was never going to be the right guy for this role. But Dana Stevens over at Slate, who has had a chance to actually see the movie, sums up the basic problem.

Seth Rogen must be a master at creating a Rat Pack-like atmosphere of dudely camaraderie on set, because in movie after movie he's given a huge amount of creative control. While he and Goldberg have proven their gift for writing amiable guy-on-guy repartee, they haven't yet been challenged to structure a story, and The Green Hornet doesn't suggest they're about to start challenging themselves. This movie is about a pampered, arrogant young man who rushes to don a crusader mask he's nowhere near ready to fill. Rogen—who's far from untalented, both as an actor and a writer—should take care that the film's story doesn't become his autobiography.

I doubt I'll even rent this one...

Cricket News : India is looking for the top position of rankings

India Team

India Team

HP Pavilion DV7-1450US 17-Inch Entertainment Laptop

HP Pavilion DV7-1450US 17-Inch Entertainment Laptop

Technical Details

* AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-82 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics RS780M with up to 1.9 GB total graphics memory.
* 4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm) (8 GB Max)
* 500GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with LightScribe and Double Layer Support
* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1
* 17 inch Diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1440x900)

From the Manufacturer
Want a notebook PC with a display that delivers excellent picture quality? Buy an HP Pavilion dv7 series Entertainment Notebook PC. Enjoy brilliant color and high-definition video on a large 17.0- or 17.3-inch diagonal widescreen display. It’s perfect for viewing slide shows, watching DVDs and comparing documents side-by-side. Plus, show off your sense of style with the metallic HP Imprint finish.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Processor:
2.20GHz AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra ZM-82 Dual-Core Mobile Processor Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1 Display:
17.0" Diagonal WXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display Hard Drive:
500 GB Memory (RAM):
4 GB Graphics Card:
ATI Radeon™ HD 3200 Graphics RS780M with up to 1918MB total graphics memory Wireless:
Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN Battery:
8-cell Lithium-Ion Battery Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h):
7.75lbs; 15.59" x 11.22" x 1.31"/1.66"

Product Description
UNSURPASSED STYLE: Expanding on the sophisticated elegance of the current line, the new dv series is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes with surprising innovations inside and out. The dv7 series Intersect Imprint features an argyle-like pattern for subtle contrast to the liquid appearance of the etallic finish. And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhancing the clean appearance. HP¿s mobile products have won coveted International Red Dot, iF and CES Innovation design awards and been recognized by other leading design institutions. MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT: Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, karaoke, games, and Internet at the touch of a button.

Built-in demos show you how to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality ¿ and much more. An HDMI port enables you to watch films on an HD TV. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects and transitions a snap! Extras include dual headphone jacks and an HP Mobile Remote Control.What’s in the box: dv7-1450us laptop, 65W AC Adapter, 8-Cell Lithium-Ion battery, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days complimentary live update, Microsoft Works, HP MediaSmart. Muvee Reveal, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Adobe Acrobat Reader and HP Games Powered by Wild Tangent

Giveaway! "King of the Crags" by Stephen Deas

One of the more notable debuts to come out last year was The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas. I never got around to doing a "best-of" list for last year, but I think that book might have made my top five. So when the sequel, The King of the Crags, arrived I knew I had to offer a copy for giveaway. And thanks to Penguin Books I am able to do that...

In his "utterly fascinating" (Book Smuggler) debut, The Adamantine Palace, Stephen Deas "restored [dragons] to all their scaly fire- breathing glory" (Daily Telegraph). Now, as the Realms teeter on the brink of war, the fate of humanity rests in the survival of one majestic white dragon.

Prince Jehal has had his way-now his lover Zafir sits atop the Realms with hundreds of dragons and their riders at her beck and call. But Jehal's plots are far from over, for he isn't content to sit back and watch Zafir command the earth and sky. He wants that glory for himself- no matter who he must sacrifice to get it. The one thing Jehal fears is that the white dragon still lives-and if that is so, then blood will flow, on all sides...

As always, just add your information to the form below to enter (all information is guaranteed confidential and will be discarded once contest ends) and I will randomly pick one winner by Thursday February 10th. No multiple entries-- all multiple entries will be discarded. Open everywhere.

Good luck!

Winner!- "The Lost Gate" by Orson Scott Card

My contest featuring "The Lost Gate" by Orson Scott Card has closed and it's time to announce the randomly selected winner--

Shauna Roberts; Riverside, Ca


Congrats Shauna!

SyoknyerBlogging Komuniti Forum untuk Blogger

Assalammualaikum dan Salam sejahtera,dengan peningkatan aktiviti Blogging di kalangan rakyat Malaysia ini kita perlu mempunyai sebuah komuniti yang boleh menyatukan semua para Blogger. Dimana di komuniti ini boleh para blogger bertukar-tukar pandangan atau cadangan serta boleh juga mempromosi blog masing-masing untuk meningkatkan trafik blog. Salah satu komuniti tersebut ialah Syoknyeblogging.com. 

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What Would We REALLY Tolerate?

I posted a link a couple of days ago on my Facebook page from an article at Cracked.com about the "5 Things TV Writers Apparently Believe About Smart People" (great read if you haven't gotten to it yet) and it got me thinking about the hyper-reality world that exists on-screen and the disconnect between it and the real world. The Cracked.com article specifically speaks to the super-intelligent types we see on shows like "House" and "Fringe," and the bad behavior they can get away with thanks to being smarter than anyone else in the room. But I think the topic can be broadened to encompass all kinds of behavior that we'll accept as normal just because we see it on television. But what would we REALLY tolerate?

Would We REALLY Tolerate a Serial Killer Vigilante?

Batman is the classic vigilante of the geek crowd. We don't just love him because he fights crime, we also love him because he has all the cool gadgets and a cape. But the television show Dexter takes vigilantism to a whole new level. Based on a series of books by Jeff Lindsay, Dexter follows the story of an ordinary seeming guy who has the heart of a serial killer. Trained by his adopted father-- a career cop-- to only target the unpunished dregs of society, Dexter preys on the worst-of-the-worst criminals. On screen we can sympathize with Dexter because the idea of a child-predator getting what they have coming to them isn't hard to root for. But how would we feel if we found this was happening for real? Something tells me this kind of compartmentalization can only happen in a fantasy world and I'd be mighty nervous with Dexter as my neighbor.

Would We REALLY Tolerate Someone Who Turns to a Life of Crime When Things Get Tough?

We already know the answer to this don't we? We hear stories all the time of people who fall on hard times and resort to theft, drug-dealing or other crimes to supplement their income, and our usual fall-back position is one of get a job! But shows like Weeds and Breaking Bad somehow get us to suspend judgement long enough to watch the hair-raising experiences of an average Joe (or JoAnn) try to negotiate a path through the sleazy world of selling drugs. We bite our nails and cringe in sympathy as long as we know it's not real, but if these people ended up the nightly news I doubt we'd think twice about their jail sentence no matter how compelling the sob-story is.

Would We REALLY Tolerate Rudeness if it Was Delivered as Comic Aside?

Suppose for a second that the Transformers story was plausible. I know I'm asking a lot-- but just pretend. And imagine if you were an alien who observed the human race through our entertainment. Just think of the kind of behavior they would think was normal. They'd assume a Vince Vaughn style monologue was a normal means of communication. That Jane Lynch's nasty comments as Sue Sylvester on "Glee" wouldn't get her fired or sued. That, like the Cracked.com article states, you can get away with murder (metaphorically speaking) if you have a high I.Q. Insults fly fast and furiously on our favorite shows and while they might register, briefly, thanks to the laugh-track, the snark goes mostly unrecognized and unpunished if it's delivered in the right way. But supposed this happened in the real world-- how would that go over?

Would We REALLY Tolerate Comedic High-Jinks in Place of Common Sense?

Those of you who are a little bit older, like me, will remember the show Three's Company. It set the standard in my young mind for situation comedies back then. For those who don't know the premise-- it's this: Jack Tripper (John Ritter) is a single guy living with two attractive women (Suzanne Sommers and Joyce Dewitt). In order to keep up his living arrangement (which apparently was the business of the landlord in those days) Jack pretended to be gay (which raised fewer eyebrows in the 70's than co-ed living in this scenario). Every week a new crisis would occur that could "out" Jack and he and his roommates would have to come up with some elaborate scheme to keep their secret. Make sense? Yeah, absurd I know. But this is what situation comedies do. Instead of just telling someone they have bad breath, an unflattering hairstyle or that you don't like their cooking (the normal solution) these shows have our main characters coming up with convoluted plans that often involve dressing up in costume (if you have kids you see this on Hannah Montana all the time) or some other ridiculously unrealistic ordeal. When has this happened in real life? Ever?

Would We REALLY Tolerate Someone Coming to Work Dressed Like a Catholic School-Girl?

I know all the guys are thinking yes-- yes I would. If you watch NCIS then you probably know where I'm going with this one. Abby Sciuto (Pauly Perrette) is the forensic expert on the show who regularly comes to work in very short skirts, dog collars and platform boots. A goth Catholic school-girl really. She's presented as being savant-like smart and therefore oh-so-quirky. But does this happen in real life? I mean, my husband works for a corporation that frowns on male facial hair (I don't know what the policy is on feminine facial hair). It seems like a lot of shows have this fantasy portrayal of science/computer geeks as being so indispensable that company policy never applies and they can be as sloppy, rude or anti-social as they want to be. But I have never actually seen this in real life. What I think this really means is that a lot of geeks end up writing television scripts.

I could go on. When I think of NCIS I also think of Jethro Gibbs and the whole renegade-boss thing. You know, the guy who constantly breaks the rules but get's away with it because he's that good. Or the super-sexy female agent like Ziva David, who fits into the same mold as Sidney Bristow ("Alias"), that can not only kick your butt but speak five languages while doing it.

It's obvious that we like our fantasies. And that's fine. But there does seem to be a line that is invariably crossed that makes it harder and harder to play along when the storyline gets really outrageous. When it 'jumps the shark' as it's commonly now referred to. It's also becoming clear that Hollywood is pretty much always recycling ideas. I mention a few specific shows here, but I'm sure everyone can think of more than one show (or movie) that fits each example above.

What would you REALLY tolerate?

Quick Tips : Create Drop Shadow Using Gradient in Illustrator

Assalammualaikum dan Salam sejahtera,today i want to share with you all, quick tips how to create Drop Shadow Using Gradient in Illustrator. Drop shadow effect is a very good way to present our artwork beautifully. Alternate using Adobe Photoshop to make Drop Shadow effect we can use in Adobe illustrator also. Here the easy way to make drop shadow effect in illustrator.

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Book Review: "Right Hand Magic" by Nancy A. Collins

Right Hand Magic by Nancy Collins
Roc
304 pages

Summary: Like most Manhattanites, aspiring artist Tate can't resist a good rental deal-even if it's in the city's strangest neighborhood, Golgotham, where for centuries werewolves, centaurs, and countless other creatures have roamed the streets.
    Her new landlord is a sorcerer name Hexe, who is determined to build his reputation without using dark, left-hand magic. As Tate is drawn into Hexe's fascinating world, they both find that the right hand does not always know what the left hand is doing-and avoiding darkness is no easy trick...

The Good: The world of Golgotham is great. It's interesting, inventive and has a culture that's entirely believable. It seems very natural to ride in a hansom cab pulled by a centaur or walk into an Irish pub with real leprechauns.

Needs Work: The problem with most paranormal fiction is, in my opinion, the tendency to rely too heavily on the flashier elements of action and magic rather than character and plot development-- and "Right Hand Magic" falls squarely into that category. The city of Golgotham is basically a character in an of itself; and the best developed one at that. But everyone else kind of falls flat. Tate is hard to get a handle on because we're told she's the kind of girl who'll punch a guy (in his most sensitive parts) if he crosses her, but when the actual confrontations appear she'll flee the scene as often as she'll fight and verbal confrontations leave her mortified. Toward the end she grows a spine, but it's hard to know what inherently goes with the character.
    Hexe-- the love interest-- is so perfect he's blandness personified. Not once do these characters bicker or disagree and Tate is welcomed into his world so seamlessly that there's never a sense of tension. Hexe isn't given any moral ambiguousness despite the fact that Golgotham is a world that doesn't seem to have any objections to "left hand" magic-- or spells that curse rather than cure. We're also told that "right hand" magic is supposed to be much more difficult than "left hand" magic, but Hexe doesn't seem to have any undue difficulties when faced with any problem. Basically, everything fits too neatly into place.

Bottom Line: Like most paranormal fiction there is a definite likability to "Right Hand Magic" and fans of the genre will appreciate the setting and the light romance. But there are too many flaws to take this above a middling effort in my opinion. The characters are uneven and though there is some effort to broach the subject of racism, the dialog runs toward hackneyed monologues and never develops a natural flow. I liked the setting and the inventiveness of the world-building but I doubt I'll be picking up any sequels.

iPad 2 Mockup Images: enhance the memory, decrease the thin

Intend to show the modernity of the dock gadget. But, that outstanding and interesting more become Mockup that brings show. Because, the dock that bring to show that specify that do come out support iPad 2. Thus, Mockup at bring show for person in CES 2011 then be that interesting at most, because stick logo "Apple" keep clearly.



For in detail of property that no disclosed, know only that iPad 2 original this have dimension (T x H x W) 9.4 x 240.8 x 85.5 mm. and internal memory 128 GB

If you liked this news, you would also be interested in:
www.engadget.com