Most habitable Earth-like planet discovered

A team of astronomers that includes the University of Hawaii’s Nader Haghighipour has declared the discovery of a new planet that could have water on its surface.

Discovered using one of the telescopes of the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea, the planet is probably 30 percent larger than

Earth and orbits a relatively small star, Gliese 581 in the constellation Libra the Scales.

“By determining the orbit of this planet, we can deduce that its surface temperature is similar to that of Earth,” said Haghighipour.

This means that at least some of any water on its surface and in its atmosphere will be in liquid form rather than ice or vapour.

The team believes the new planet named Gliese 581g has a mass three to four times that of Earth, and orbits its star in just under 37 Earth days. It’s probably a rocky planet with enough gravity to hold on to its atmosphere.

“As we collect more and more data about how these stars are moving, we expect to find many more planets with potentially Earth-like conditions,” said Haghighipour.

“Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet,” said Steven Vogt, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz and co-leader of the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey.

The team that made the discovery is led by Steven Vogt of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Other team members include UCSC associate research scientist Eugenio Rivera, and Gregory Henry and Michael Williamson of Tennessee State University.

Motorola launches dual sim handset

NEW DELHI: Mobile phone manufacturer on Thursday said it has launched two dual sim handsets in the price range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000.

The Motorola EX115 is a new, dual-SIM QWERTY keypad phone and the Motorola EX128 is a stylish touchscreen dual-SIM phone, the company said in a statement.

The Motorola EX128 is priced at Rs 5,990 (MRP Rs 6,990) and the Motorola EX115 is available at Rs 4,990 (MRP Rs 5,990), the company said.

"One of our key focus segments is the dual-SIM market, a rapidly evolving market in India," Motorola Mobility Country Head of India, Faisal Siddiqui, said.

According to the research firm IDC, multi-SIM capability, which is a common feature offered by the Indian handset makers, constituted nearly 39 per cent of the sales in the June quarter, up significantly from just one per cent in the corresponding quarter the previous year.

It also stated that the Indian mobile market saw a unique trend of multi-SIM phones capturing 38.5 per cent of the market. This could be attributed to several new service providers responding with highly competitive tariff plans to a price sensitive mobile telephony user market.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of (TRAI), telecom operators added 17 million subscribers in July this year and have been adding similar numbers over the last several months.

Study Finds That Apple Dominates Tech News

 

Ramin Talaie/Bloomberg News 

A customer, Evan Wiendczak, spoke after buying the first iPhone 4 on Fifth Avenue in June.

A new study confirms what some in the technology industry have long sensed: that Apple commands an inordinate amount of the media’s attention.
A yearlong look at technology news coverage by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism found that 15.1 percent of tech articles were primarily about Apple; 11.4 percent were about Google; and a meager 3 percent were about Microsoft.
It’s not as if Microsoft lacks for public relations people. But Apple is especially effective at seizing journalists’ attention, said Amy S. Mitchell, the deputy director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, citing the anticipation for new devices and Apple’s “very public way of releasing products.”
Apple software powers only a tiny slice of the world’s computers, an area dominated by Microsoft. But its popular and innovative iPods and iPhones helped Apple exceed Microsoft’s market capitalization earlier this year.
Ms. Mitchell said she was surprised by the extent of Apple’s domination of the media’s diet, “even over Google.”
The Pew study, to be released on Monday, assessed technology coverage by 52 newspapers, broadcast and Web sites from June 2009 through June 2010. The release of a new version of the iPhone was the No. 2 most-talked-about tech story during that time, representing 6.4 percent of all coverage, and the release of the iPad was No. 4, representing 4.6 percent.
Microsoft released a new version of its Windows operating system during that time, too, but it garnered one half of 1 percent of all coverage.
The single biggest story line was texting while driving, accounting for 8.5 percent of all tech articles during that time. The study noted that The New York Times earned a Pulitzer Prize for a series called “Driven to Distraction,” about the dangers of using electronic devices while driving.
A report summarizing the study concluded that the media has “double vision about the digital age,” because the most prevalent message in news coverage is that “technology is making life easier and more productive,” but the second most common message is that there are risks to users’ privacy and safety.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/study-finds-that-apple-dominates-tech-news/

Astro customers get new content ! 3 HD Channels, 6 Commonwealth Games Channels & Clever! Edisi Malaysia

Astro customers will be able to enjoy more new High Definition (HD) and sports content with Astro’s latest launch of additional 3 HD on 1 October 2010 and 6 Commonwealth Games channels on 3 October 2010.



Henry Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Astro said, "In line with our effort to remain as the customer’s No. 1 choice, Astro continues to provide the best of international and local content with excellent audio and visual quality, thus enhancing the viewing experience. We are able to continue offering innovative services like HD, PVR and soon Video on Demand (VOD) and interactivity to our customers through Astro B.yond. Today for RM20 per month, Astro B.yond customers can enjoy up to 12 HD channels, which is one of the most competitive offering in the region. This affirms our commitment to provide a value proposition to our customers.”

The new HD channels are ONE HD (Ch 393), STAR Movies HD (Ch 433) and Astro’s Lifestyle channel on Channel 706 which will air programmes from both Food Network Asia HD and Life Inspired (LI), thus bringing the total number of HD channels on Astro to 12 channels, comprising sports, movies, lifestyle, learning and entertainment genres.

Except STAR Movies HD channel, which is tied to the Movies package, the ONE HD channel and Astro’s Lifestyle channel which encompasses both Food Network Asia HD and Life Inspired (LI) are grouped under the Basic package as preview channels until further notice.

ONE HD (Astro Channel 393) provides the best selection in Asian general entertainment with a focus on Korean content. Lovers of Korean entertainment will be drawn to the first-run and exclusive mega-hit Korean drama series (e.g.My Girlfriend is Gumiho, I’m Legend, My Ex and the Neighbour); variety shows featuring top Korean entertainment hosts (e.g.Star King, Family Comes Here, Star Junior Show); concerts and music shows featuring live performances of chart-topping K-pop artistes like Super Junior, Wonder Girls and Boa (e.g. K-pop Countdown, Kim Jeong-Eun’s Chocolate Concert), and many more.



Viewers get the best of both worlds on Astro’s Lifestyle channel on Channel 706. From 9am – 9pm daily, foodies shall be drawn to the Food Network Asia HD with its travel and culinary getaways programmes. Watch in awe as celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis whip up scrumptious meals fit to make you forget all about diets. And at primetime from 9pm onwards, Life Inspired (LI) will keep you well-run on everything you need to know about the art of living well. Indulge in first-run and exclusive programmes catered specifically for affluent Asians with a cosmopolitan outlook. Savour the best and taste the finest of Food, Home, Wellness, Travel and Style in Yes Chef!, Spa Seekers, Counter Culture, The Doctors and Small Space, Big Style.

Movie lovers will now be able to enjoy STAR Movies in HD which brings you the best Hollywood movies. The channel offers a broad range of movie genres from action to drama and romance, as well as signature events such as the Academy Awards. With Halloween in October, it is the perfect month for movie lovers to catch horror like Drag Me To Hell, Sorority Row and Pandorum in full HD glory.

Astro Brings Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi

Astro as the undisputed leader in sports content with a strong offering of 11 best-in-class sports channels in both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD), is pleased to bring 6 channels showcasing the Delhi Commonwealth Games for its customers on the sports pack.

Tan said, “After Astro’s huge offering for the World Cup in June, once again this October, our customers on the sports package will emerge winners when we, as the only broadcaster providing the most extensive coverage for the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. This year, we will be showcasing adrenaline action of the Commonwealth Games from New Delhi via 6 dedicated channels (Astro Channel 821 - Astro Channel 826) with more than 400 hours of live coverage throughout compared to only 3 channels during the previous Commonwealth Games.”

“In line with our commitment to the development of local sports and more in depth coverage on our Malaysian athletes, our 60-strong production crew from Astro Arena will be in New Delhi, to bring the widest coverage ever on the games focusing on Malaysian athletes. You can follow the triumphs and challenges of our 200 Malaysian athletes at the Commonwealth Games including hot favourites Dato’ Lee Choong Wei, Dato’ Nicol David and Ong Beng Hee. On behalf of Astro, we wish the Malaysian contingent all the best and hope they will raise the Malaysia flag tall in their superb sportsmanship.on these dedicated channels.”

Clever! Edisi Malaysia

Astro continues to reinforce its education proposition by introducing fun learning programmes. On 26th September, Astro TVIQ (Astro Channel 552) will launch Clever! Edisi Malaysia, a brand new locally-produced science show.

Riding on the success of Tutor TV, Malaysia’s first UPSR interactive revision channel which achieved a viewership of 3 million, Clever! Edisi Malaysia, Malaysia’s first ever science game show in Bahasa Malaysia is targeted at primary school students. Educating through entertainment, Clever! aims to transform the way our school children learn science and boasts of popular hosts, Aznil Nawawi and Rafidah Clever! will reach kids through its 360° approach : on-TV, online and on-ground.

Channels’ Renumbering

Astro continues to strengthen its content proposition and go beyond the ordinary to enrich our customers’ lives and understand their needs to meet their preferences. On that note, effective 1 October 2010, KBS World (Astro Channel 303) will be renumbered Channel 391 while NHK World (Astro Channel 963) will be renumbered Channel 398. The renumbering is necessary in order to have similar channels of North Asian content grouped together for easy accessibility and convenience to customers who are fans of these genres.

Regarding That Facebook Phone That Still Isn’t Being Developed

It’s been four days since Facebook denied rumors that a Facebook phone was in development. We still believe that the social networking giant doesn’t currently have a branded mobile device in development, but it’s worth re-examining the situation.
TechCrunch yesterday conducted a thorough interview with Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding the rumor. A crucial part of the discussion occurs when Zuckerberg says:

“…we invest differently in different platforms depending on how big they are, and how many users are there. So, iPhone is the one we’re investing in the most now, and Android increasingly. If Windows Phone 7 takes off, then I’m sure we’ll put resources on that.
And maybe we’ll build specific apps for iPhone and Android. And then, for something that is as important as iPhone or Android, we’ll also build integration into the operating system. So for iPhone, we built in contact syncing, and for Android we integrated and did contact syncing pretty seamlessly. The question is – what could we do if we also started hacking at a deeper level, and that is a lot of the stuff that we’re thinking about.”

The statement is a concise overview of Facebook’s current approach to mobile, especially as it pertains to hardware. It outlines Facebook’s strategy to develop applications for prominent mobile platforms and, when it makes sense, work toward deeper mobile integrations for enhanced social experiences.
The story should have ended there — but, of course, it didn’t. Bloomberg decided to get involved, writing, “Facebook Inc. is working with mobile-handset manufacturer INQ Mobile Ltd. on two smartphones that may be carried by AT&T Inc., according to three people familiar with the matter.”
Bloomberg’s report was enough to make TechCrunch question its own interview with Zuckerberg. The chain reaction has sent everyone back to speculating about the Facebook phone. The thing is, Facebook has been working with INQ for a couple of years now — it’s well-known that the companies share a common investor in Chinese billionaire Li Ka-Shing.
When INQ Mobile released the INQ1 back in December of 2008, the level at which Facebook was integrated led many at the time to describe it as “the Facebook Phone.” Zuckerberg was even quoted in a statement from INQ saying, “We are really happy to be working with INQ to bring its customers a deeply-integrated Facebook experience on the new INQ1 handset.”
In the two years since the INQ1 was released, Facebook has made a major play for mobile audiences. According to Facebook’s stats, Facebook Mobile currently has more than 150 million mobile users accessing the site with at least 200 mobile providers working to deploy and promote Facebook Mobile products. This isn’t a surprise; by all accounts, mobile is the next big digital frontier.
Facebook may very well release a phone some day, but that day isn’t today and now isn’t the time. What we have here is some exaggerated excitement over a relationship that has been around for years. So is Facebook still working with INQ? Yes, most definitely. But Facebook and INQ continuing to work with one another doesn’t mean that they’re preparing to release a Facebook Phone anytime soon.

Research in Motion may launch a 7-inch tablet device as early as Monday that has no 3G connectivity and an entirely new operating system, according to reports. Rumblings about a BlackBerry tablet have been circulating for months, but very few device details have leaked. The information that has leaked has remained surprisingly consistent such as the lack of 3G connectivity and a new OS for the device. The screen size has been up for debate, with some saying the device will have a 7-inch display while others saying 9.7 inches.

Whatever the screen size, the tablet - also known as the BlackPad - may be announced during RIM's Blackberry Developer Conference that starts Monday in San Francisco, according to the Wall Street Journal .

As we get ready for a rumored BlackPad launch here are 5 things I'm wondering about the new device.

To 3G or not to 3G? That is the question.

The so-called BlackPad reportedly won't have a built-in 3G antenna. Instead, you'll have to tether your BlackBerry handset to the tablet for cellular data service. The Journal also says the BlackPad will include Bluetooth connectivity and a "broadband connection," which probably means the tablet will have Wi-Fi.

While adding tethering capability is a nice idea, it seems strange not to include a 3G option for the rumored BlackPad. Apple's iPad has Wi-Fi only and 3G + Wi-Fi options. The forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab will launch as a 3G + Wi-Fi device, with a Wi-Fi only version to follow shortly thereafter. The hassle of having to tether your tablet to your handset may make the rumored BlackPad a nonstarter for many users.

Not running Blackberry 6, OS, really?

A persistent rumor circulating since at least August is that the BlackPad wouldn't be running Blackberry 6. Instead, the device would run a tablet-specific OS based on QNX software. QNX, acquired by RIM in April, makes embedded operating systems for a variety of products such as cars, medical equipment and unmanned aircraft control systems.

It's not clear why RIM would give up on Blackberry 6 after launching the new OS with much hoopla in New York this summer. JavaWorld speculated in August that RIM may have wanted a fresh start with the BlackPad since the BlackBerry OS may contain a lot of legacy code making it less adaptable and stable. The Journal says RIM will eventually be moving its BlackBerry handsets to QNX software as well.

What will the OS do?

A mock-up of what the rumored BlackPad might look like, courtesy of IntoMobile.com. (Click to zoom)Since this is a RIM device, you have to wonder if the BlackPad will be primarily focused on enterprise customers. RIM's main business is all about supporting government and corporate customers that depend on BlackBerrys for secure e-mail and wireless communication.

That being said, RIM has been adding more functionality to attract individual users. The touch-based interface for BlackBerry 6 devices is a huge improvement over RIM's bizarre SurePress technology. BlackBerry 6 also has an improved Web browser based on the WebKit browser engine and an overhauled multimedia player for your music.

But with RIM's focus on business, how many regular consumer options would the BlackPad include? What would the multimedia capabilities be like for video and music playback, and what about purchasing content for your device? The Journal says RIM is working with Amazon to produce a music application for BlackBerry. Would that show up on the BlackPad? What about improvements to the gaming selection at App World, the third-party applications store for BlackBerry devices.

How many cameras?

The Journal says the BlackPad will come with either one or two cameras. Presumably, this means the device will most likely have a rear-facing camera but it's not clear whether it would also get a front-facing camera for video chat. If it had launched a year ago RIM may have been able to get away with not putting a front-facing camera on the rumored BlackPad. But front-facing cameras are quickly becoming standard parts of new mobile devices.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab has two cameras, and there are rumors the iPad 2 will add a front-facing camera. Many new mobile handsets are now sporting front-facing cameras such as the iPhone 4, new iPod Touch, Sprint EVO 4G and the Dell Streak. Hopefully, the BlackPad will include video chat capabilities as well.

How will you buy the thing and for how much?

If there's no 3G connection, and presumably cellular contract, will you be able to buy the BlackPad independent of the cellular carriers? Since it's a BlackBerry companion device, it would make a lot of sense to buy it through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon. But will you be able to buy the BlackPad as a standalone device right next to the iPad at Best Buy? If carriers are selling the device exclusively, will the BlackPad come with any restrictions? For example, will you have to pay extra to tether the rumored BlackPad with your BlackBerry device, as you do to tether the iPhone on AT&T?

Finally, how much will this device cost? Since the BlackPad reportedly comes without a 3G antenna, you would think it would be priced nearer to the Wi-Fi only iPad's $499 price tag. As opposed to the Galaxy Tab's unlocked price that is estimated to be $700 or more. Of course, pricing also depends on how much onboard storage the device will have, whether it would support external memory cards and any other hardware options the device may include.

The rumored BlackPad could be an appealing device, but we'll have to wait until early next week to see what RIM has planned.

REVIEW: HTC Desire Click on the picture for specifications HTC Desire RM2,199 (RRP) Price Updated 27 May 2010 FEATURE-wise, the HTC Desire is a strong contender in the smartphone market, writes EDWIN KEE. THE HTC Desire has been around for a couple of months and, with a price tag of above RM2,000, it´s a smartphone on the higher end of the chain. While we wait for the iPhone 4 to hit the market here, will HTC and its partner carriers be able to ensure that Android gains a stronger foothold in the market? It is interesting to note that the HTC Desire will ship with the Android 2.1 (Eclair) operating system, despite the UK version already having received the Android 2.2 (Froyo) update recently. You can try to update the Desire yourself to Froyo, but doing so might just void your warranty and there is no guarantee that all the functions will be retained - if you trawl through forums and message boards by those who have taken such a route. So far, there is still no official word from our telcos as to when Froyo will be released (if ever) for the HTC Desire, so we´ll just have to keep our fingers crossed. Design The HTC Desire could well be a cousin to the Google Nexus One, except for the presence of an optical trackpad sandwiched by four buttons on either side. The local version ships with an Amoled display instead of LCD that is found in the recently released US version. Measuring at 9.3cm, it is large enough for daily use but some might prefer something larger such as 10.9cm multi-touch gesture support, letting you pinch-and-zoom, and there is a quartet of buttons located right below the display - a signature of Android handsets. Volume buttons are on the left side, while the mini USB port is placed at the bottom with the power button on the opposite end, accompanied by a headphone jack. It is pleasant enough to look at, and the matte surface offers an understated elegance which should work well for both business and casual users. Context Everyone uses a phone differently, so before I proceed, I will need to furnish you with details on how the Desire is used for context. My Facebook account, Microsoft Exchange account and Gmail have been set up on an always-on connection which will definitely use the battery life. Push email was slightly slower than expected compared with receiving emails on my computer directly, but it´s nothing to complain about unless a 10-second gap is important to you. I also use the Desire for around 10-15 minutes a day when it comes to phone calls, with the occasional Wi-Fi connection whenever 3G fails in a particular location. Battery life In the context described earlier, I managed to get a day´s worth of battery life - we´re talking about 24 hours or so. Of course, this included shooting off some 10 emails or so on average, with Live Wallpaper turned on. It is advisable to download any Task Killer/Manager from the Android Market if you want to maximise the Desire´ battery life. After all, that software will zap any other application no longer needed and yet is still running in the background. Of course, expect the Desire´s battery to last longer than a day by turning off your always-on data connection while using Wi-Fi sparingly. It is on par with most other smartphones, but will probably outlast the iPhone 3GS in this aspect as the latter is famous for running out of juice way often. Interface HTC decided to skin the Android operating system with its own Sense UI, where it offers a different experience from the vanilla Android UI. The weather widget is pretty handy as it will visually represent what it is like out there for the day without having you to read words - thunderstorms will see lighting flash across the screen with a wiper wiping away raindrops on your screen. Unfortunately, if you happen to have plenty of applications installed, scrolling through a list of items will be laggy, unlike Apple´ iOS. It will also take some time for you to get used to the virtual keyboard if you have been an avid physical keyboard enthusiast all these years. Being in Malaysia, you will probably have to enter all your commonly used Manglish terms, short forms and abbreviations into the dictionary on-the-fly before gaining speed when typing emails and text messages. GPS Google Maps is accurate enough to get you to common places around town, but when it comes to obscure areas, then you´re out of luck. There is no voice navigation or Street View provided, so if you´re hoping for the HTC Desire to be a GPS navigation device, then you might want to buy software from a third party. I recommend you stick to a dedicated GPS unit. Camera The five-megapixel camera comes with autofocus and a flash. This sounds good on paper, but its actual performance will not replace your compact digital camera as yet. It works great when your subject is still, but if your hands shake when you capture a shot (or if your kid decides to move), you will be disappointed with the results. It seems to be more of a landscape-only camera than a multi-purpose shooter. At least, HTC threw in creative filters that will help enhance photos in certain conditions, and the flash is bright enough to turn any low light condition into a photo opportunity. Multimedia I only listen to MP3s and watch YouTube videos on the Desire, and the display worked well enough for the latter. Reading subtitles on a 9.3cm screen might not be advisable for those who have poor eyesight, as I myself have some trouble doing so already (must be age catching up!). This is a decent enough portable media player, and the 3.5mm headphone jack should let it work with most stock headsets out there without a problem. You might want to watch out for the length of entertainment you do on this, since it can zap battery life pretty quickly. As for games, you can go for classics like Paper Toss with Robo Defence (a Tower Defence style game). Games like the latter depletes the battery before you know it, so it would be best to invest in a portable console like the PSP or DSi if you want quality portable gaming. Sad to say, the Android platform isn´t even close to the iOS when it comes to gaming on a phone, due to the lack of quality titles. Android market It is a pity that we´re in Malaysia, which means we can´t buy full games from the Android Market. Most of the stuff in there are basic without adding any real value to the handset (except for several must haves including the Task Killer, App Manager and perhaps a Note Taker). The games you download are only trial versions. To get the full game, chances are you will need to download the installation file from another site which poses another problem altogether - your computer might be infected with a virus from an unscrupulous wares site in the process, and there is no guarantee the installation file is legit or not. Conclusion So, is the HTC Desire worth getting? If you want an Android-powered smartphone that is able to duke it out with the best of the rest, then the Desire might be considered. Of course, if you want the latest and greatest, then the Samsung Galaxy S will fare better since it has newer hardware. The Desire is good enough to introduce you to the world of Android if you are curious, and it should have enough firepower going for it to last for a couple more years before you look for another phone - assuming that Android 2.2 (Froyo) is released for it between now and then. by EDWIN KEE Published Date : 06 September 2010   Source : New Straits Times

Read more: http://www.mygadgets.my/product.php?id=1152/article/#ixzz10BtxP3Yg

Grown Ups - Review

I'll take a little bit of the blame for Grown Ups, as someone who was juvenile enough at the time to not just laugh uproariously at Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, but take Rob Schneider and David Spade seriously as comedic actors and revere that era of SNL. On behalf of myself and everyone else who was 12 at some point in the 90s, I'm sorry: we empowered these guys enough that they thought they could take a vacation by the lake, crack jokes at each others expense, and slap it together into a movie called Grown Ups.

The movie isn't just unbearably smug, casting Adam Sandler as a Hollywood type struggling with first-world problems and making vicious fun of anyone old, fat, or not as beautiful as Salma Hayek. It's also incredibly lazy, dispensing entirely with plot and assuming that the five lead actors riffing off one another will be enough for 90 minutes of entertainment. That would have been a tough sell even back in the 90s, but now-- with Spade and Schneider as dead weight, Chris Rock looking vaguely embarrassed to be there, and Kevin James flailing mightily to make up the difference-- it's basically intolerable. Whatever jokes aren't utterly predictable or unfunny to begin with are ruined by Dennis Dugan's flatfooted direction, and the film's hard right turn into plot and emotional lessons in the last 10 minutes merely highlights what a waste of time everything that came before it has been.

The flimsy frame for the story is that the five lead buddies all played on a middle school basketball team together in the 70s, and 30 years later have gathered for their coach's funeral and a Fourth of July weekend on the lake with their families. Hotshot Sandler is joined by improbably gorgeous fashion designer wife Hayek and their two snotty kids; James is also married to a hottie (Maria Bello) and comes with one chubby daughter and one four-year-old who still breastfeeds; Rock is roundly mocked early on for being a house-husband and comes with his pregnant wife (Maya Rudolph) and young kids; Schneider is now a vaguely defined New Age vegan type with an Elvis toupee and an older girlfriend (Joyce Van Patten) who is subject to some of the film's cruelest jokes; Spade is a still-single horndog who's mainly there as a catchall for every joke that isn't about fat or old people.

No one is spared from the movie's idiocy, from Schneider's three daughters (two hot, one goofy looking-- hilarious!) to the dog with his vocal cords removed to the farting and trash-talking grandma to Steve Buscemi, who shows up for the length of two or three pratfalls near the end. At least you'll know what you're in for from the movie's

first minutes, when James's character is introduced while falling out of an above-ground pool and we're expected to laugh when Rock's character expresses an interest--ha!-- in cooking and caring for his children. You may still be astonished at how much dumber the movie can get, or how many times it repeats the same fat joke expecting another laugh, but Grown Ups at least does the kindness of telling you from minute one how low to set the bar.

If Grown Ups were a bad movie starring just one of these guys, we might be able to throw it in with each actor's substantial list of clunkers and move on quickly. But presented as this landmark reunion of comedic talents, and deployed into theaters near the Fourth of July holiday as some kind of family outing, all the shoddy and lazy elements of Grown Ups metastasize into unforgivable offenses. It's hard to know what's worse-- that they thought they could get away with something this bad, or that given how loud the audience laughed at my screening, they probably will.

'Piranha 3D' is bloody awesome

Mere words cannot describe how awesomely gnarly "Piranha 3D" is, how hugely entertaining, and how urgently you must get yourself to the theater to see it. Like, now.

This is not a joke, by the way. This movie is a complete blast. To borrow a phrase from the kind of B-horror flicks to which "Piranha 3D" is such a loving and effective homage: Run, don't walk.
Like "Snakes on a Plane," which came out in the dead of summer four years ago, "Piranha 3D" knows exactly what it is and does exactly what it should do. It's about piranhas ... in 3-D. Do you really need to know anything else?

It's cleverly knowing without collapsing into parody. It makes great use of its extremely random cast, including Elisabeth Shue in an unusually bad-ass role as a sheriff, Ving Rhames as her deputy and Jerry O'Connell as a Joe Francis type. Christopher Lloyd has one great scene in full-on, crazed Christopher Lloyd mode as the resident fish expert. The second you see Eli Roth — playing the emcee at a wet T-shirt contest, no less — you know some hideous fate will befall him. And then there's Richard Dreyfuss, who makes a very cute cameo off the top. That's all we'll say.

But the whole point of this kind of movie is the gore, and French director Alexandre Aja finds hilarious and creative ways to kill off his characters. Not a huge surprise, given his previous movies — the suspenseful "High Tension" and a Wes Craven-approved remake of "The Hills Have Eyes" — but here, there's a lightness and a sense of fun about the carnage. If that makes sense.

Besides, partying provides the premise for the film. It's spring break at Lake Victoria, Ariz. — really Lake Havasu — and hordes of drunk, horny college students have arrived to trash their perfect bodies. But there's something swimming in the water that can do that much more efficiently. Actually, there are thousands upon thousands of them. The piranhas have razor-sharp teeth and ferocious eyes, but they almost look as if they're smiling as they prepare to tear into some unsuspecting fool's flesh. A seismic shift beneath the lake created a rift that unleashed these prehistoric creatures. Now they're here, and they're hungry.

In classic horror-movie fashion, the victims get picked off one by one. Sheriff Julie Forester (Shue) and Deputy Fallon (Rhames) discover the first body and call in the scientific experts, led by Adam Scott (cast against type). But containing the fish is as difficult as stopping the partyers from dancing on boats in their bikinis to generic house music. And so when the inevitable bloodbath happens — and oh yes, it does happen — it's vast and horrifying but with some giddy glimmers of absurdity sprinkled throughout.

Stuck in the middle of this are Julie's three kids, the eldest of whom, Jake (Steven R. McQueen), has become an impromptu crew member on a "Girls Gone Wild"-style video shoot. Yes, there is plenty of nudity and girl-on-girl action here, but again, it's used with a wink and a smile. "Piranha 3D" knows it needs to titillate on every level.

Visually, though, it was shot in 2-D and then converted to add a third dimension, but it looks better than other films that have followed the same path, including M. Night Shyamalan's muddled "The Last Airbender." Still, some of the underwater mayhem is a bit hard to make out, especially when the fish are doing their damage in darkened caves.

But Aja mostly employs the 3-D precisely as he should with this genre: in totally gimmicky, gratuitous ways. A guy sprays beer from a keg and it shoots right at you. A girl has too many tequila shots and yacks off the side of the boat and into your lap. And of course there are the fish, zooming right at you to take a bite.
There could be a moral to this story: Don't go to the lake and act like a cheesy, drunk idiot during spring break. But that would be no fun.
"Piranha 3D," a Dimension Films release, is rated R for sequences of strong bloody horror, violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language, and some drug use. Running time: 82 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

Teens networking problems

IN the modern era of technologies nowadays, social network sites are well-known all around the world. The top 10 social network is Facebook, followed by Twitter, myspace, V Kontakte, Linked In, conduit.com, Apple Inc, hi5, CNN Interactive and Orkut. In Malaysia alone, Facebook the most popular social networking site in the world — has 7.3 million users and the number is still growing. Using social networks is quite convenient. However, when the social networking phenomenon began, it also created some issues and problems among teens.

Before we go further into this topic, what is a social network? A social network is a social structure made up of individuals that are tied together by friendship, kinship, common interest, sexual relationship, knowledge or prestige. Why do teens use social networks? Generally, teens use social network to communicate and stay in touch with their friends or make new friends. Teens also use social network to make social plans with friends and maybe to flirt. Teenagers love to express themselves. With the advantages of social networking, they can express themselves worldwide.

Commonly, most social networks offer each user a personal basic profile. They are required to fill in their main data, for example, their user ID, real name, email, password and birthday. When they successfully establish their profile, they will be able to start updating their profile and join the applications offered by the network. Teens like to post latest updates on everything they do in social networks. The issue that concerns the society is, do social networks provide benefits or disadvantages? By using social networks, teens can express their feelings, promote artistic talents, experiment with other forms of content creation and to document school research. On the other hand, teens may also be involved in harassment, bullying or sexual advances through social networking. Cyber-bullying and harrassment are commonly occuring among teens in several forms. For example, posting threatening messages, posting unencouraged photos, publicising private instant messages, text messages or emails and spreading rumours. Although these kind of harassment won’t cause much real world conflicts, but teens would be affected by emotional distress. In addition, serious attention should be taken on some anonymous and unscrupulous people, who target young teens and involve them in harmful conversations. They will pose as teens and lure children into damaging real-world contact. Identity theft too can occur when teens share too much of information about themselves. Though major social network sites have privacy controls in place teens are easily tricked because they are naiive.
How do you prevent these risks from happening? First and foremost, each individual are encouraged to use an alias. You mustn’t give personal information to people you don’t know. Do you know that even a last name and a town are just enough to locate any person? Besides that, do not assume that people are who they claim to be. Furthermore, end any communications immediately if it makes you feel uncomfortable. Most teens like to handle harassment or cyber-bullying by anonymous people on their own. Sometimes, if one deals with this on their own, it will probably bring about worse consequences. In conclusion, we can’t judge whether social networking is suitable or not for teens as we all have our own way of looking at it. But I am certain that staying too long in front of your computer or mobile phone will harm you health, physically. Therefore, we should not be too committed and spend too much time social networking. I myself will not deny that time flies when we are having fun, but always remember our priority and responsibility.


http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Niexter_Teensnetworkingproblems/Article/

DIY Files: How to Build Your Own Bedbug Detector

Here’s an after-school science experiment gone right: researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey created a homemade bedbug trap using a cat-food dish, an insulated jug and some dry ice pellets. According to the lead investigator, Wan-Tien Tsai, who reported her findings last December at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, the dry-ice-and-jug combo lured the blood-sucking critters in an infested apartment just as effectively as, if not better than, equipment used by professional exterminators.

The contraption consisted of an insulated one-third-gallon jug (you can find them in camping stores) filled with about 2.5 lbs. of dry ice pellets. The spout was left open, allowing carbon dioxide — the telltale sign of a breathing, blood-filled meal nearby — to seep out, enticing the nocturnal insects for some 11 hours. The setup, as described in an article on sciencenews.org:

[Tsai] stood the jug in a plastic cat food dish with a piece of paper taped on the outside of the dish as a ramp up to the rim. The bowl’s steep, slippery inside, with an added dusting of talcum powder, kept bugs from crawling out again. … The parts, including the dry ice, cost $15 and don’t require any special skills for assembly. “Everyone can do it,” she said.

The MacGyver-ized bedbug trap can’t replace a proper extermination of an infested home, but it could at least let you know whether or not you’ve got a problem. Bedbugs have made a serious comeback in North America over the past few years, especially in big cities like Toronto, San Francisco and New York, where complaints of infestations in rental apartments have increased many times over. Increasing international travel has also contributed to sharp rises in bedbug activity around the globe. The creatures don’t discriminate in the places they infest — they’ve been found in apartment buildings, hotels, dorms, schools and even subway stations.

For everything you never wanted to know about bedbugs, some further reading: a comprehensive bedbug website written by Michael Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture; a New York Times article about dogs that sniff out bedbugs (update: a more recent and comprehensive Times article here); and an online registry where users report bedbug infestations in apartment buildings and hotels in North America.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2010/01/22/diy-bedbug-detector/#ixzz0zRniaU3W

The American (2010)

Oh, the loneliness of the professional killer. Of all the preposterous cinematic mythologies, this is one I just don’t get. What is it about a ruthless assassin with a heart of gold, struggling with his inner demons, that fascinates? Is it a bit of renegade wish fulfillment, these characters who live outside the law, are their own boss, travel the globe, go to bed with gorgeous foreigners? Do we want our lives to be wrought with danger and intrigue, like a secret agent but with less on-the-job responsibility? Is it our chance to imagine committing an ultimate sin but, thanks to these characters’ inherent goodness, not be a villain?


While I fail to wrap my brain around the allure of the hitman movie, I must certainly confess to enjoying them all the same. And a film like “The American” – technically not a hitman movie but close enough to count – is bursting with a certain kind of appeal: its anti-hero is a glamorous globetrotter lucky enough to be born with the icy, sexy cool of George Clooney; he’s a loner, but in the “dark rebel” mode, not the “socially awkward” one; his good soul and dangerous job place him in a moral grey zone, where great drama thrives.
“The American” is not great drama. But it is good drama, thanks to a smart, restrained performance by Clooney (who has, in the past decade or so, become something of a master in understatement) and subdued direction from Anton Corbijn (“Control”), who lends the picture a dreamy, relaxed quality, the sort of pace that threatens to be boring but fortunately never quite gets there.

The film is a fairly simple character study of a gunsmith (Clooney) who calls himself both Jack and Edward. Neither name is the truth; very few characters give their real names here, which Jack/Edward probably expects. After a run-in with some bad men in Sweden, Jack/Edward flees to a small village in Italy, where he awaits his next job, befriends the local priest (Paolo Bonacelli), falls for a prostitute (Violante Placido), and avoids getting offed by those nasty Swedes.

All of this fills 103 minutes, but it feels much, much longer. Corbijn’s rhythms are relaxed to an almost preposterous degree; in one scene, Jack/Edward sits in a café watching a particularly slow scene from “Once Upon a Time in the West,” and it’s like we’ve fallen into a Möbius strip of unending silent staring at silent staring. And yet it works, getting to the core of Jack/Edward’s desperate solitude, spurred on by a deep-rooted paranoia.

The problem here stems from the screenplay, by Rowan Jaffe (adapting Martin Booth’s novel “A Very Private Gentleman”). Not because of the story’s languid pace, but because of the script’s tendency to be a little too on-the-nose with plot points and overly explanatory with revelations best left to subtext. When Jack/Edward confronts the priest with a secret from the holy man’s past, it’s a nice, delicate touch – everybody’s got a few sins to hide, the film tells us – that gets undone by too much dialogue thrown in long after we’ve picked up on it. Later, his “the wicked comfort each other” romance with a local hooker plays out a little too obvious for its own good, not to mention the manly fantasy about wowing a prostitute with one’s sexual prowess – Jack/Edward tells her she should “get pleasure” through her work, not give it.
(Note: minor spoilers this paragraph.) As an exploration of paranoia, however, “The American” redeems itself nicely. We can feel the world closing in on our leading man; he begins spying on his lover, because maybe she’s in on the whole thing. The film squeezes us, especially once Jack/Edward begins preparing for violence that could spring any moment yet never arrives – until, that is, the violence does indeed arrive, first with a few quick action sequences as Jack/Edward makes chase with the Swedish assassin, then in a finale where the story opens up to allow us to see others’ intentions (a major change from the Jack/Edward’s perspective-only set-up that carries us through the first two acts) and we learn, yes, his life really is in danger. It’s exciting, to be sure, with bursts of cold-hearted bloodshed and a somber pay-off, but did we need it? A sense of open-ended unresolved paranoia, while possibly less satisfactory, would’ve fit in more nicely with the rest of the picture’s moody groove.

It’s a groove that commands attention, though, even as the story stumbles through too-familiar territory. Corbijn allows the film to crawl, preferring the stillness over a more rushed “Bourne”-esque action travelogue, and Clooney delivers a somber turn that draws us into the character. “The American” is the sort of movie we call “meditative” and “introspective” because we’re taken in, not put off, by its hushed demeanor.''

Best-selling comic book team takes on Anne Frank bio

WASHINGTON, July 13 —  A “graphic biography” of Anne Frank by the creators of best-selling 2006 graphic book The 9/11 Report is set to be published internationally, according to an announcement issued July 8 by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The 160-page book, published July 9 in the Netherlands, will begin rolling out internationally in September. Aimed at readers age 14 and above, Anne Frank: The Graphic Biography reportedly covers the complete life story of Anne Frank in words and images, drawing connections between her life and the historical events of the time. The book was created by two comic book veterans: writer Sid Jacobson, who created Richie Rich and served as executive editor of Marvel and Harvey Comics; and artist Ernie Colón, whose drawings credits include Casper and Wonder Woman.

Building on a strong tradition and recently growing trend of graphic non-fiction — comic books focusing on serious events — The Anne Frank House and publisher Hill & Wang reportedly approached Jacobson and Colón, whose widely praised 2006 book The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation used the US government’s 9/11 Commission Report to tell a straightforward story about the events of 9/11.


Other well-known titles in the genre of graphic non-fiction include Art Spiegelman’s Maus, a biography of his father, a Holocaust survivor, which won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize for its portrayal of Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice; Marjane Satrapi’s 2003 graphic memoir Persepolis, about the creator’s childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution; and Spiegelman’s 2004 book In the Shadow of No Towers, a graphic diary of 9/11.
Anne Frank has been released by L Publishers in Netherlands, where it will also be distributed in secondary schools. In the United States and Canada, the book will be published Sept 21. Releases in the UK and Australia (Macmillan), Germany (Carlsen Verlag), France (Les Editions Belin), Italy (Rizzoli/Lizard), and Spain (Norma) are also planned.


Watch an animated preview of the book and a video featuring its creators here. — AFP/Relaxnews

Movie Review: THE ROMANTICS

In THE ROMANTICS, a group of friends who went to college together assemble at a shoreline mansion for the wedding of two of their group, golden boy Tom (Josh Duhamel) and wealthy, adored Lila (Anna Paquin). The maid of honor, Laura (Katie Holmes) is Lila’s former college roommate, best friend – and Tom’s ex. There are a variety of tensions within the group – and then, after a drunken late-night swim, Tom disappears.

Sorry, mystery fans – Tom’s whereabouts are not the grounds for a whodunit, but rather simply the catalyst for intensifying what’s going on with all the characters. There are some funny and charming bits, and we can believe these people still behave as they do, even though adolescence is long behind them, but the movie doesn’t address several central issues.

For one thing, writer/director Galt Niederhoffer, adapting his own novel, makes the mistake a lot of films in this genre do – it informs us that two women are best friends and then shows us little to make us understand how they tolerate one another, much less share a bond that would have Lila invite Laura to be her maid of honor under these circumstances.

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One (who hasn’t read the book) surmises that there are events in the original rendered as full scenes, rather than as remembrances related verbally by the characters, which is what we get in the film. It’s easy to understand this change from a financial standpoint – it’s a lot less expensive to have actors talk about the past than to visually create a ten-years-earlier timeframe, with the attendant additional locations, wardrobe, makeup, etc.

However, we have to take on faith how magnetic, charming, compelling, etc. Tom used to be in college, because in the present, he’s so remarkably spineless that, good looks aside, it’s difficult to understand what Laura or Lila sees in him. Wavering in his desire to get married (and with motives that others understandably question), his reason for ditching Laura in the past is so jaw-droppingly self-serving that it’s hard to reconcile this declaration with her continued desire for him.

Paquin elicits our sympathy for Lila, a woman who is at least able to articulate what she wants and why. Holmes brings a lot of fire to Laura and lets us see what’s driving her. It’s hard to tell if Duhamel is doing a first-rate job of serving the script by playing Tom as someone who does his best to be noncommittal no matter what’s going on around him, or if the character was intended to be more dynamic and we’re seeing an actor’s reticence to commit to playing a jerk. Elijah Wood is puckishly entertaining as Lila’s wistfully drunk cousin.

THE ROMANTICS is visually attractive and worth seeing for Paquin and Holmes. It just won’t fit most people’s notions of romance, friendship or any form of long-term relationship worth fighting for.

Food

Food is any substance or materials^[1] eaten or drunk to provide nutritional support for the body or for pleasure. It usually consists of plant or animal origin, that contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and maintain life.
The right to food is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), recognizing the "right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food", as well as the "fundamental right to be free from hunger."
Historically, people obtained food from hunting and gathering, farming, ranching, and fishing, known as agriculture. Today, most of the food energy consumed by the world population is supplied by the food industry operated by multinational corporations using intensive farming and industrial agriculture methods.
Food safety and food security are monitored by agencies such as the International Association for Food Protection, World Resources Institute, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Food Information Council. They address issues such as sustainability, biological diversity, climate change, nutritional economics, population growth, water supply and access to food

Nutrition: How to Make Healthier Food Choices

Why is healthy eating important?

When combined with exercise, a healthy diet can help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol level and improve the way your body functions on a daily basis.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid divides food into 6 basic food groups, consisting of 1) grains, 2) fruits, 3) vegetables, 4) meats and beans, 5) dairy and 6) fats.

The USDA recommends an adult daily diet include the following:

• 3 ounces of whole grains, and 6 ounces of grains total
• 2 cups of fruit
• 2 1/2 cups of vegetables
• 3 cups fat-free or low-fat dairy

The following are some ways to make healthier food choices and to get the recommended amounts of whole grains, fruits and vegetables and dairy.

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Grains

Whole-grain breads are low in fat; they're also high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which helps you feel fuller longer and prevents overeating. Choose breads whose first ingredient says “whole” in front of the grain, for example, “whole wheat flour” or “whole white flour”; enriched or other types of flour have the important fiber and nutrients removed. Choose whole grain breads for sandwiches and as additions to meals.

Avoid rich bakery foods such as donuts, sweet rolls and muffins. These foods can contain more than 50% fat calories. Snacks such as angel food cake and gingersnap cookies can satisfy your sweet tooth without adding fat to your diet.

Hot and cold cereals are usually low in fat. But instant cereals with cream may contain high-fat oils or butterfat. Granola cereals may also contain high-fat oils and extra sugars. Look for low-sugar options for both instant and granola cereals.

Avoid fried snacks such as potato chips and tortilla chips. Try the low-fat or baked versions instead.