Monday, December 28, 2009

The Singapore Solution

How did a sleepy little island transform into a high-tech powerhouse in one generation? It was all in the plan.
 
 
By Mark Jacobson
 
If you want to get a Singaporean to look up from a beloved dish of fish-head curry—or make a harried cabdriver slam on his brakes—say you are going to interview the country's "minister mentor," Lee Kuan Yew, and would like an opinion about what to ask him. "The MM?Wah lau! You're going to see the MM? Real?" You might as well have told a resident of the Emerald City that you're late for an appointment with the Wizard of Oz. After all, LKY, as he is known in acronym-mad Singapore, is more than the "father of the country." He is its inventor, as surely as if he had scientifically formulated the place with precise portions of Plato's Republic, Anglophile elitism, unwavering economic pragmatism, and old-fashioned strong-arm repression.
People like to call Singapore the Switzerland of Southeast Asia, and who can argue? Out of a malarial swamp, the tiny island at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula gained independence from Britain in 1963 and, in one generation, transformed itself into a legendarily efficient place, where the per capita income for its 3.7 million citizens exceeds that of many European countries, the education and health systems rival anything in the West, government officials are largely corruption free, 90 percent of households own their own homes, taxes are relatively low and sidewalks are clean, and there are no visible homeless people or slums.
If all that, plus a typical unemployment rate of about 3 percent and a nice stash of money in the bank thanks to the government's enforced savings plan, doesn't sound sweet to you, just travel 600 miles south and try getting by in a Jakarta shantytown.

Read the rest of the article on National Geographic Magazine

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

WBoot, Boot existing installation of Windows Vista+ from USB storage

Hello everybody,

I'm going to release a new project PWBoot today.

So, what is PWBoot project ?
PWBoot stands for Portable Windows Boot project, this project aims to be make your Windows operating system to boot from USB storage media easily.

Supported platforms: Windows version 6.0+ (Vista or higher).

Tested media type: USB HDD (2.5inch; SATA, IDE), USB Flash (Kingston DataTraveler 100 - 8G)
Notes on tested media:
Kingston DataTraveler 100:
FDD very slow, so I tweaked it by:
  1. Install Hitachi Microdrive (Enable multiple partition capability)
  2. Install EWF (Faster boot up)
  3. Use 2 partitions (C: - Windows(EWF protected), D: Data (writable))
  4. Edit registry to make some folder redirect to D: such as - desktop, user's data, etc.


How to use it?
Very easy, just open the program and click on Patch button - everything done.

Screenshots:







Quick tutorial:
Method 1: Virtual machine (OS: Windows Vista, VM: VMware Workstation)

  1. Download Vmware Workstation and install it.
  2. Create a new virtual machine for Windows, choose Custom then pick LSI Logic as SCSI card, use physical DVD-ROM or ISO image as where do you want to install Windows from.
  3. Have your USB drive plugged in. Use physical disk (Advanced) of your USB drive in VMware. Make sure that you choose the correct physical drive (drive 1 usually) or else you might wipe the current OS drive.
  4. Use entire disk.
  5. Click advanced on disk in virtual machine settings. Click on Independent and persistent changes for the disk.
  6. Now, please remove all assigned letters in disk management(diskmgmt.msc) for the USB drive.
  7. Also make sure you format the drive during Vista installation inside VMware. If it is already formatted you still need to format during Vista installation (or else u might get corrupt boot as crcdisk error).
  8. Vmware will show that drive as SCSI disk under LSI Logic controller, this is fine as Vista will install on a SCSI disk.
  9. Boot and go through the Vista install procedure in Vmware.
  10. Let Vista boot into the desktop for the first time in VMware, after that just launch PWBoot program (you need to copy it to your virtual machine first).
  11. Click the Patch button on the main PWBoot program.
  12. Shutdown Windows Vista inside the Vmware.
  13. Close Vmware.
  14. Now reboot your machine and select USB boot drive from BIOS boot. Machine should now boot to Vista desktop.


**Tutorial based on: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/204022-v...hard-drive.html


Method 2:
Physical machine (OS: Windows Vista, HDD: SATA; 2.5 inch)
  1. Plug the Hard disk drive into the physical machine (SATA or IDE).
  2. Insert Windows Vista installation DVD and boot from it.
  3. Install Windows as usual, to your portable HDD.
  4. After installation finished, apply PWBoot Patch.
  5. Shutdown Windows and turn off your machine.
  6. Take out the HDD and then plug it with interface converter: SATA -> USB, IDE -> USB, etc...
  7. Now reboot your machine and select USB boot drive from BIOS boot. Machine should now boot to Vista desktop.


Change Logs:
Version 1.0:
- Initial release.

Version 1.1:
- Core improvement
- Main GUI changes



Download Link:
Version 1.1
http://dhilip89.boot-land.net/files/projec...1.1//PWBoot.exe

Thursday, December 10, 2009

- Photo updates from the studio - The Kooks

THE KOOKS are currently in the studio working on album #3.

The band recently posted some photo updates - check them out at http://twitter.com/thekooksmusic.

There's also a little Christmas present, currently in the making, on it's way too...

Stay tuned.

http://www.THEKOOKS.com/

sspu to join muse on 2010 US tour

Silversun Pickups announced as main support for Muse's 2010 US tour::


February 27, 2010 @ Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA


March 1, 2010 @ Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA


March 5, 2010 @ Madison Square Garden, New York, NY


March 6, 2010 @ TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA


March 13, 2010 @ Palace Of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI


April 5, 2010 @ The E Center, Salt Lake City, UT


Tickets on sale Saturday, December 12th. There will be a muse.mu pre-sale beginning tomorrow (Wed, 12/9) @ 10am. For more information, click below.


*Additional dates to be announced Mon, December 14th. Stay tuned.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Malaysian Health Ministry issues nationwide dengue alert

By Loh Foon Fong & Muguntan Vanar
PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has announced a nationwide dengue alert following an increase of 99 reported dengue cases within a week with two deaths in Malacca and one in Penang.

Deputy health director-general Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said that 819 cases were reported last week (Nov 15 to 21) compared with 720 the week before (Nov 8 to 14).

“We have issued a dengue alert to state health directors and doctors to keep a look out for the cases,” he said.

The total number of reported cases for this year until last week was 36,514 with 78 deaths compared with 41,034 and 90 deaths last year.

Dr Hasan said if the public did not take the necessary action to remove aedes breeding sites, the number of cases could double next month.

Explaning that the drastic increase in dengue cases was due to the rainy season, he said: “Despite our awareness programme, the response from the public has not been encouraging.”

Speaking at a dialogue session on 1Malaysia Fight Against Dengue yesterday, Dr Hasan said the ministry had carried out surveys and found that people were aware of where and how aedes breeds in the house and outside but most of them neglected to check on those areas.

“They tend to think that it’s the Government’s responsibility, but we need cooperation from the people,” he said.

In the last three months, Sarawak recorded the highest number of increase with 331 cases last week, making it a total of 2,847 cases this year.

In total, Selangor recorded the highest number of cases in the country at 16,984.

Dr Hasan said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also placed the country on avian influenza alert following some reported cases in neighbouring countries.

There were no cases recorded in Malaysia and the Veterinary Services Department was monitoring the situation throughout the country while the ministry exchanged information with other countries in Asean as well as with the WHO.

Universiti Malaya medical microbiology department professor Dr S. Shamala Devi, who also spoke at the dialogue, said that people might get both Influenza A(H1N1) and avian influenza at the same time if their immune system was weakened.

In Kota Kinabalu, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said there were 199 cholera cases as of yesterday in the two affected states – Terengganu (185) and Kelantan (14).

She said health officials were now using different antibiotics to treat patients following the detection of a new strain of cholera in Thailand.

“The two states are close to Thailand. We believe that it is due to water contamination,” she said, adding that the 17 cholera cases detected in Sabah earlier this month was due to the “usual” strain found in the country.

Rosnah said that the cholera patients in Terengganu and Kelantan were not from relief centres but other areas.

“Our officers are closely monitoring the health situation at the flood relief centres,” she said.

The first case of cholera was detected in Terengganu earlier this month.

One person has died from it.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Hot Chip - One Life Stand Tracklisting

Hot chip have announced the track listing for new album one life stand as follows...

01 Thieves in the Night
02 Hand Me Down Your Love
03 I Feel Better
04 One Life Stand
05 Brothers
06 Slush
07 Alley Cats
08 We Have Love
09 Keep Quiet
10 Take It In

Album will be released february 8th on Parlophone.

"IT'S BRITNEY!" APP FOR iPHONE and iPOD TOUCH GOES LIVE!

International Icon, Britney Spears, launches her own iPhone and iPod Touch app. The app, exclusive to the artist, is named "It's Britney!" and is currently available worldwide at the iTunes App Store for $1.99 (http://bit.ly/britneyiphoneapp). With the "It's Britney!!" app, fans get to the front of the line with all things officially Britney. After purchasing the app, fans will receive official news first hand, get exclusive messages from Britney herself, be able to create and share images of themselves and friends on stage with Britney, have access to updated photo galleries which include real time photos, exclusive tour images as well as a photo gallery of over 100+ iconic images of Britney over the years. Additionally, the app features a "Shake Shake Shake" feature in which Britney says "It's Britney Bitch!" every time the user shakes their iPhone or iPod Touch.

A detailed explanation of each feature the app has to offer is below:

Be Britney's Dancer: All you need is a photo of yourself and within seconds you'll have a photo of you onstage with Britney. Users are able to upload their newly created photo to be featured on Britney's website, www.Britneyspears.com, and share with their friends or upload on Facebook, Twitter and more.

Messages From Britney: Britney will be communicating directly with users by dropping exclusive messages.

News: Users will be the first to receive official news.

Fresh Updated Photo Galleries: Users will have access to 100+ photos from Britney's archives as well as her recent "Circus" tour which include fans, dancers, behind the scenes and more. The photo galleries will be updates as new Britney images arrive. The photos can be saved to users' iPhoto library and can be used as wallpaper.

Home Screen: The home screen will frequently be updated and will feature the latest photos of Britney plus photos throughout her career and # 1 selling Circus tour.

Twitter: Users will be able to follow Britney directly and receive her latest tweets.

Sparkler: The Sparkler is the ultimate concert companion. Users will be able to hold up the Sparkler at her concert or keep as a souvenir of the closing finale on her Circus Tour.

To see a special message from Britney, fans can go to http://snappyapps.com/itsbritney or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3nPhKH_zrs

* * * * *

BUY THE APP NOW AT: http://bit.ly/britneyiphoneapp

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Ticket prices for Sentosa theme Park

UNIVERSAL Studios on Wednesday announced the long-awaited ticket prices for its theme park on Sentosa.

A one-day pass for weekdays will cost $66 for adults, $48 for children and $32 for senior citizens. For weekends, public holidays and eve of public holidays, a day-pass will cost $72, $52 and $36 respectively.

For those who want to beat the snaking queues which are expected at theme parks, they can buy an express pass, on top of the regular admission charge. The express pass is $30 for weekdays and non-school holidays, $48 for weekday rates during school holidays, and $68 for weekends and black-out dates. This express pass will give the ticket holder priority access to all the attractions and rides within the theme park. The number of such passes are limited daily.

Visitors to the park need pay only one price to get access to 24 attractions, 20 of which will be open when the park is ready for operations, along with 30 themed restaurants and food carts, as well as another 20 retail shops and kiosks.

The theme park is expected to greet its first visitors early next year when the $6.59 billion integrated resort, Resorts World at Sentosa, opens its doors. In the first phase of its opening, it will open the theme park, casino, four hotels, a theatre with a aerial circus show and a half-kilometre strip of restaurants, bars and retail outlets.

Rates for three of its hotels were also revealed on Wednesday, with rates at Festive Hotel starting at $400, Hard Rock Hotel rates going at $450 and Hotel Michael rooms going for at least $500.

Source:http://www.straitstimes.com/

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Hot Chip Live 2010, New Album & Tickets Pre-Order!

As events relentlessly continue to unfold inside the confines of Camp Hot Chip, we can reveal some diverting facts and interesting details of our plans for next year. There will be a new album, set for release in February, to warm the cockles of your soul right in the middle of the bleak mid-winter. We're just completing the finishing touches right now, and we're also gearing up for a return, possibly triumphant, to the live arena, as a UK tour is also in the offing for February.

If any of that information floats your boat, then you can sign up to pre-order the album, get tickets for the tour and receive a new track here...

http://store.digitalstores.co.uk/hotchip/index.html

All our kindest regards and fond wishes to our fans,

More news on the album, U.S. and European tour dates to follow soon...

Paolo Nutini to Perform for Children in Need

Paolo Nutini is proud to announce he'll be lending his support to this year's BBC Children in Need campaign by performing live on the show on Friday November 20th.

The extravaganza kicks-off at 7pm when a whole host of talented performers will step up to do their bit to help raise money for disadvantaged children and young people all across the UK.

For more info on Children in Need 2009, including how you can get involved and help out, click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey

Friday, November 13, 2009

Windows 7 ISO x86 and x64 Official Direct Download Links (Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium)

Many licenses of Windows 7 operating system is now been sold purely online, with the software product delivered entirely via Internet through electronic software distribution (ESD) channel. Customers can digitally download the Windows 7 installation files from online store from which they purchased Windows 7 to clean install on blank PC or upgrade existing installed OS.

Previously, the electronic downloads of Windows 7 setup files are available in a “box” format, which comprised of an starter executable, setup1.box and setup2.box (32-bit Windows 7 installation files and 64-bit Windows 7 installation files), which cannot be burned to DVD disc directly or mount to a virtual DVD-ROM drive. User must first goes through the process to create a bootable Windows 7 DVD ISO image from these downloaded Windows 7 installation files.
Microsoft has been providing Windows 7 ISO (disc image of Windows 7 DVD) to its customers with a time-limited ever-changing dynamic download links. And various online stores such as Amazon and Digital river have started to provide much sought after Windows 7 ISO downloads for their customers. The direct download links provided by various online stores are static, so it becomes the only publicly available official direct download links and sources for Windows 7 ISO which can be used to download by everybody.
Thanks to Ken and REZ, My Digital Life has complete listing of Windows 7 ISO direct download links, as listed below. The Windows 7 ISO image is of RTM build 6.1.7600.16385, and should be the same with leaked Windows 7 ISO image from MSDN/TechNet subscription download.
Hint: It’s recommended to use a download manager to download Windows 7 ISO as the file size typically more than 2GB and some download server terminates connection after a period of time. If you’re a customer, just login to your account to trigger the built-in download manager or file transfer manager.
Windows 7 ISO Direct Download Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate x86 ISO
Amazon.com: http://174.129.85.117/data/Windows7Ultimate32bit.iso
64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate x64 ISO
Amazon.com: http://174.129.85.117/data/Windows7Ultimate64bit.iso
32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium x86 ISO
Digital River: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65732/X15-65732.iso
64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium x64 ISO
Digital River: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65733/X15-65733.iso
32-bit Windows 7 Professional x86 ISO
Digital River: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65804/X15-65804.iso
64-bit Windows 7 Professional x64 ISO
Digital River: http://msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net/msvista/pub/X15-65805/X15-65805.iso
The ISO images above are in English language. Download Windows 7 MUI language packs (x86 or x64 versions) to convert and translate installed Windows 7 to another language.

Download Microsoft Office 2010 Beta 2

Another new build of Microsoft Office 2010 from beta branch has been compiled by Microsoft mid October, and had since leaked to Internet. The Microsoft Office 2010 Beta 2 with build version 14.0.4514.1009. The Office 2010 Beta 2 has changed the installation procedure. User is now required to enter the 25-digit license serial number or product key prior to setup of Office 2010 been started, whereas previously the information is only been asked after installation is initiated.

Office Home and Business 2010
Thus, without a valid product key, user will not be able to even start installing Office 2010 build 14.0.4514.1009, which is marked as beta 2 milestone. Users who are in the Office 2010 Technical Preview program can generate a product key in Microsoft Connect, which can work to start the setup installation of Office 2010 Beta 2 and properly activate the installed Office productivity suite. For user who without the access to Connect’s Office TP program, use the following product keys to install Office 2010 Build 14.0.4514.1009. However, the serial keys cannot be used to activate the product, so most functions are disabled.
x86 Office 2010 Beta 2: 774GJ-X3942-9GTKT-FWYJ9-KM77K
x64 Office 2010 Beta 2: 4F3B6-JTT3F-VDCD6-G7J4Q-74W3R or 2MHJR-V4MR2-V4W2Y-72MQ7-KC6XK or GFBFM-BX4DR-CK6PM-FY8YF-KBXFV
Visio 2010: 9BFP9-3QXV6-G7RHK-6WD2X-Y6G47
The new leaks also saw a new edition of Office Home and Business 2010, which is comprised of Microsoft Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word. The next edition of Office 2010, Office Professional Plus 2010, comprised of Microsoft Access, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher PowerPoint and Word.
Office 2010 Product Key
Download Microsoft Office 2010 Beta 2 Build 14.0.4514.1009
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 Beta 2 Build 14.0.4514.1009
Language: English
Build: 32-bit and 64-bit
File Name: 14.0.4514.1009_SingleImage_retail_ship_combo_en-us_dvd.iso
Size: 1,436,096,512 byte
SHA1: 6BA868B79132790362DF452BBA92BA523A65FCCC
MD5: 2790D513D3EAF54F597A6CEBB47917AE
CRC: CF2D61D1
Torrent: MICROSOFT.OFFICE.2010.BETA.2.BUILD.14.0.4514.1009.X86-64.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent



Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta 2 Build 14.0.4514.1009
Language: English
Build: x86
File Name: 14.0.4514.1009_Professional_retail_ship_x86_en-us_dvd.iso
Size: 677,103,616 byte
SHA1: 649738F89DBA79D5634DFAD4E62CB8D9E76AECD8
MD5: 884F04C61F026CC3515E991D60B16738
CRC: 09491067
Torrent: MICROSOFT.OFFICE.2010.PROFESSIONAL.BETA-2.X86.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent
Language: English
Build: x64
File Name: 14.0.4514.1009_Professional_retail_ship_x64_en-us_dvd.iso
Size: 744,433,664 byte
SHA1: EE663026BA3CB1A33A5EAD7D99D093E668FBEC91
MD5: EF68D5B4AA61EE5605E6339E4845A681
CRC: FEB5E8A5
Torrent: MICROSOFT.OFFICE.2010.PROFESSIONAL.BETA-2.X64.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent


Microsoft Office Project Professional 2010 Beta 2
Language: English
Build: 32-bit
File Name: 14.0.4514.1009_ProjectProfessional_retail_ship_x86_en-us_dvd.iso
Size: 263,786,496 byte
SHA1: F147B8B1968BFA4841F2E5DA54059A2C39CCDB26
MD5: 71A29EFFBB922F7D313466EAEEC8825B
CRC: 68FF7F7A
Torrent: MICROSOFT.OFFICE.PROJECT.PROFESSIONAL.2010.BETA-2.X86.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent
Language: English
Build: 64-bit
File Name: 14.0.4514.1009_ProjectProfessional_retail_ship_x64_en-us_dvd.iso
Size: 307,613,696 byte
SHA1: 1E061D6C1B54CB6F5221493B5A1ADD390311498E
MD5: 9346AE4DC74E276379E6AC150D85A3FB
CRC: 1E5017DF
Torrent: MICROSOFT.OFFICE.PROJECT.PROFESSIONAL.2010.BETA-2.X64.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent


Microsoft Office Visio 2010 Beta 2
Language: English
Build: x86 and x64
File Name: 14.0.4514.1009_VisioSingleImage_retail_ship_combo_en-us_dvd.iso
Size: 707,342,336 byte
SHA1: F81E04CC726B670DCFAC6676A30DF78BFA16D252
MD5: 1463252BD5D91E6AEE03DCA19E8C62E9
CRC: 3D5E566F
Torrent: MICROSOFT.OFFICE.VISIO.2010.BETA-2.X86-64.ENGLISH-WZT.torrent
Microsoft is planning to release a public beta of Microsoft Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, Project 2010 and Visio 2010 in November, which should have a newer build version of 14.0.4622.1000. And, everyone can get Office Web Apps, web-based version of Office suite.

S'pore joins 'white list'




SINGAPORE has been taken off the 'grey list' and joined the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) 'white list' of financial jurisdictions.
This follows the signing of its 12th Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with France on Friday, which incorporates the new internationally agreed standard for the exchange of information for tax purposes upon request.
Singapore already has similar agreements with Belgium, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Denmark, The Netherlands, Australia, Austria, Norway, Qatar, Mexico and Bahrain.
Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam inked the protocol with French Minister for Economy, Industry and Employment Christine Lagarde in Singapore on Friday.
Singapore was earlier put on the grey list which groups jurisdictions that had committed to the globally-agreed standard for the exchange of tax information, but had not substantially implemented it. To be removed from the grey list, a country needs to sign at least 12 agreements that incorporates the new standard.
Singapore endorsed the OECD Standard for the exchange of tax information in March, which requires governments to disclose financial information when specific foreign requests are made to chase tax evaders. Since then, it has renegotiated existing agreements with various countries. Last month, the Singapore Parliament approved the legislative changes to implement the standard.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Get your free download of "Something Else" by The Automatic


Just in case you missed it on the page, you can grab an exclusive track - "Something Else" - from the new album out next year by simply visiting the link below.

Also new single "Interstate" is available from iTunes and everywhere digital from 6th December

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sunday, November 1, 2009

How to cut onions without crying



While we've featured one or two ways to avoid crying while cutting onions in the past, this tip requires absolutely no preparation and should keep your eyes clear next time you're cooking.
Photo by Jennifer Dickert.
Instead of going through a lot of trouble to avoid the waterworks, weblog Daily DIY says you can stop tears by merely putting your tongue on the roof of your mouth while you're cutting. Whatever you do, though, don't breathe through your nose—breathe through your mouth. You may look a little silly, but it barely requires any work on your part, and it's sure to be a conversation starter with your dinner guests.
I couldn't find any definitive information about this one, but a quick Google search shows that quite a few people swear by this solution. If any of you cooks out there get a chance to chop up some onions—or you already do this—give it a try and let us know how it goes in the comments.

Friday, October 30, 2009

SSPU to tour with Placebo: Free Download Bundle

SSPU will join Placebo for their Euro/UK tour in late November/December. To celebrate the launch of the tour Placebo have compiled a FREE download bundle (complete with a printable PDF booklet) featuring exclusive tracks from all of the bands on the tour.

The track listing is as follows:

01 Placebo - Breathe Underwater (Live At Pukkelpop Festival 2009)

02 Expatriate - Get Out, Give In

03 Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch (Recorded Live For KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic)

04 The Horrors - Sea Within A Sea

05 United - For What I Feel (Live At Debaser )

Click below for the download or go to http://www.silversunpickups.com/tour/ to check out the tour dates.

Hot Chip - Harvest Festival Album

Hello,

I have made an album called 'Harvest Festival' which has me singing occasionally but is mostly instrumental dance music that I have made over the last few years. It reminds me of Aphex twin or Brian Eno in terms of some melodies and was made almost entirely on a couple of old drum machines and a modular synthesizer. If you would like to pre-order it from HMV this is the link:

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=276320

It's coming out on Greco-Roman, the label i run with my friends Alex, Dom and Jez. You can find out about us here:

http://www.myspace.com/grecoromanmusic
or join our facebook group here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24886556551

Greco-Roman also just released a single from Drums of Death who toured with us last year. I feature in the video briefly, turning into one of his minions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLSZRSJj0go

... and Greco-Roman like to throw parties too, like this one in London on Hallowe'en:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=175925460154&ref=mf

Hot Chip will be back soon with a new album and we will start touring again early next year. Until then,

love
Joe

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

New mall at Marina Bay



The Marina Bay Link Mall will feature upmarket tenants that will cater to the 62,000 working professionals and affluent residents in the immediate area. -- PHOTO: RAFFLES QUAY ASSET MANAGEMENT

WORKER bees at Raffles Place will have more shops and restaurants to choose from next year, when a new underground mall opens at the upcoming Marina Bay Financial Centre.

The Marina Bay Link Mall will feature upmarket tenants that will cater to the 62,000 working professionals and affluent residents in the immediate area.

It will also connect the future Downtown MRT station to neighbouring buildings such as One Raffles Quay and the integrated resort Marina Bay Sands.

The centre's managing company Raffles Quay Asset Management (RQAM) on Tuesday said the mall will also have some shops above ground, a waterfront plaza, a park for events and a restaurant perched on the 33rd floor.

About 55 per cent of its 176,000 sq ft of retail space has been snapped up already. Some restaurants setting up there include seafood chain Paradise Inn and South Korean frozen yogurt chain Red Mango.

Its stores are likely to be affordable mass-market luxury or 'masstige' brands, said Ms Rose Tong, RQAM's head of marketing (retail). They were unable to disclose any confirmed shop tenants as yet.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

OperaTor 3.4 based on Opera 10

OperaTor is a portable software bundle which allows you to browse the web anonymously. It combines the power of the Opera Browser, Tor and Polipo.
With OperaTor no data will be stored at the computer you plugged your portable memory into.

Changes in the current release

  • Opera 10
  • Tor 0.2.1.19
  • Dance 'n' Shout skin replaced by the standard Opera skin
Subscribe to updates via the OperaTor RSS feed.

Download OperaTor 3.4

OperaTor weights 7 MB and is Windows only

$1.5M Russian SUV Features Diamonds, Whale Penis Leather

Whale penis leather interior. That's all you really need to know about the $1.5 million Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition. Yes, the diamond-encrusted white gold gauges and gold-plated bulletproof windows are impressive, but seriously, whale penis leather interior.
The already bulletproof and wildly over-the-top 8.1 liter GM V8-powered Dartz Kombat T98 is getting a name change to Prombron and along with it will come a complete and brain-maimingly bourgeoisie upgrade with the Monaco Red Diamond Edition. The world's most expensive ultra-luxury SUV will debut at the 2010 Top Marques Monaco show with luxe features crazy enough to make a Maybach blush. For your $1.5 million you get the following features:
1. Ruby Red matte paint
2. Gold-plated bulletproof windows
3. 22" Kremlin Red Star bulletproof wheels
4. Whale Penis Leather interior
5. Tungsten exhaust
6. Tungsten and white gold gauges with diamonds and rubies
7. White gold diamond and ruby encrusted badges - grill, side and dashboard
8. Special edition Vertu mobile phone with "alert" button
9. Additional outside kevlar coating
10. Rogue Acoustic Audio System.
And, of course, of course -
THREE BOTTLES OF World Most Expensive Vodka - RussoBaltique Vodka, drink edition, same as in the RussoBaltique car when it visited Monaco at 1912.
We have a lot of questions about this car, most of them whale penis leather-related, but in the bigger picture, this brazen finger-in-the-eye raises a good point, so to speak. What makes a luxury vehicle? Things we used to think of as luxury - bovine leather, wood trim, high-end audio, etc., have become mainstream. Does it take exceptionally ridiculous material selection and bold ostentatious flair to define new luxury? Is it encapsulating yourself in a vehicle capable of taking a direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade? Does it mean emulating the wild excess of past luxury much like the Red Diamond is doing? Who knows. But we're betting the tzars would roll in one of these babies.
[Dartz via Jameslist]

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Pricey celery in Singapore

Lee Hsien Loong currently earns an annual salary of S$3,870,000 (US$ 2,856,930 ), an increase of 25% from S$3,091,200 (US$2,037,168), making him the highest paid head of government in the world. In comparison, the President of the United States earns a salary of US$400,000. The new salary of S$3.8 million took effect in January 2008. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said in parliament that the head of state of Singapore and his ministers deserve such a high income because Singapore is a small country that lacks a large pool of talented people.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Snake with foot found in China

Snake that grew a foot out of its body: Snake with foot found in China
Snake that grew a foot out of its body Photo: CEN/Europics

Dean Qiongxiu, 66, said she discovered the reptile clinging to the wall of her bedroom with its talons in the middle of the night.

"I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw," said Mrs Duan of Suining, southwest China.

Mrs Duan said she was so scared she grabbed a shoe and beat the snake to death before preserving its body in a bottle of alcohol.

The snake – 16 inches long and the thickness of a little finger – is now being studied at the Life Sciences Department at China's West Normal University in Nanchang.

Snake expert Long Shuai said: "It is truly shocking but we won't know the cause until we've conducted an autopsy."

A more common mutation among snakes is the growth of a second head, which occurs in a similar way to the formation of Siamese twins in humans.

Such animals are often caught and preserved as lucky tokens but have very little chance of surviving in the wild anyway, especially as the heads have a tendency to attack each other.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

New Paint.net 3.5 b1 OUT !

As usual there are two ways to get it:

1. Preferred: Use the built-in updater from within Paint.NET. If you are using version 3.36, go to the Help menu and then Check for Updates. You will need to click on the Options button, and then make sure that ""Also check for pre-release (beta) versions" is enabled. For v3.5 alpha/beta, go to the Utilities menu instead of the Help menu.

2. Download directly: http://www.getpaint.net/files/zip/previ ... nstall.zip . There is no need to uninstall the old version; that will be taken care of automatically.

Changes since version 3.36's release:

    * Refreshed user interface with new icons and visual styling. For Windows 7 and Vista, it is enhanced for Aero and "glass".
    Image
    * Now uses and requires .NET 3.5 SP1, which has many built-in performance improvements.
    * New effect: Blurs -> Surface Blur, by Ed Harvey
    * New effect: Distort -> Dents, by Ed Harvey
    * New effect: Distort -> Crystalize, by Ed Harvey
    * Effect dialog responsiveness has been greatly improved.
    * Images open much faster, especially on single CPU systems.
    * Selection outline is no longer animated. Instead of "dancing ants", an antialiased and stippled "XOR" outline is drawn.
    * Startup performance on most systems will be better by about 20%.
    * Memory usage has been greatly reduced when more than one image is open.
    * The font system for the Text tool has been completely rewritten, and problems with missing fonts and crashes should be a thing of the past.
    * On Windows XP and Vista, the Text tool has improved text rendering quality (it uses GDI instead of GDI+).
    * On Windows 7, the Text tool will use DirectWrite (instead of GDI) which gives even better performance and quality.
    * The toolbar font list has improved usability, rendering quality, and significantly improved performance.
    * The toolbar font list no longer requires an application restart to recognize newly installed fonts.
    * When many fonts are installed, both memory usage and startup performance have been greatly improved.
    * Installation prerequisites are now installed automatically, such as .NET Framework and Windows Installer.
    * Updates can now be downloaded in the background, and installed automatically once you exit the application.
    * General rendering quality has been improved when zoomed in.
    * Added a "Utilities" menu. Updates, Languages, and Plugin Errors have been moved here.
    * Added a "Manage Fonts" command to the Utilities menu.
    * Clicking the middle mouse button on an image thumbnail will now close the image.
    * Improved the Unfocus effect.
    * The DirectDraw Surface (.DDS) file type now allows you to select the resampling algorithm for auto-generated mip-maps.
    * A processor that supports SSE is now required (almost all CPUs purchased this decade satisfy this).
    * Fixed an issue with Gaussian Blur and its treatment of alpha values.
    * Fixed a crash with the "Units" selector in the toolbar.
    * When zoomed in, it is now much easier to resize a very small selection.
    * Now includes a Russian translation.

LOL

Malaysian Tourism minister wants to claim dishes as Malaysian
Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen claims that some dishes have been hijacked by other countries and wants to claim them back. Dishes like laksa, nasi lemak, bak kut teh, and even hainanese chicken rice. So we Singaporeans have been eating pirated dishes ah?
In fact, the Hainanese in China had better watch out. Stop stealing Malaysian dishes, you crooks! Don't you know that all good food originated in MalaysiaTrulyAsia? That's what the slogan means! Only Malaysia is Truly Asia. Everyone else... FAKE!
Coming soon... The Real Nasi Lemak®, The Real Hainanese Chicken Rice®, The Real Bak Kut Teh®: All rights reserved, Malaysia Tourism Ministry.
Read the AFP report here.
Unspun: "Whose Chicken Rice is it anyway?"
Associated Press: "Malaysia crabby over right to 'hijacked' recipes"

Monday, September 7, 2009

S'pore broadband limps

AS EARLY as four years ago in South Korea, Singapore permanent resident Michael Park could download a 1GB file in a matter of minutes on his hotel's broadband network.
But in Singapore, this would have taken a few hours - even with the fastest broadband connection available.
Mr Park, a finance executive working in Singapore, said: 'My Korean colleagues complain about how slow the broadband is here. In Korea, download speeds hit at least three figures. There, you can stream movies on the Internet with no lag time.'
In a report by news agency Agence France-Presse last week, a global broadband-analysis site ranked Singapore's download speed 24th-fastest in the world.
With average speeds of 7.32Mbps, Singapore's speed is almost three times slower than that of South Korea, which is ranked first with 21.17Mbps.
It fared even worse with upload speeds, coming in 51st with its average of 0.75Mbps. That means the average user here would take more than two hours to upload a high-definition video online, compared to about 15 minutes for an average user in Japan, which had the second-fastest upload speed.
Speeds in Singapore are not as fast as in Hong Kong, Japan or South Korea, because the Republic is just starting to roll out the the ultra-fast fibre-optic broadband network that is widely accessible in those countries, said industry analyst Adeel Najam.
In those countries, download speeds of up to 1GB are possible. In Singapore, retail service providers, such as StarHub, SingTel and M1, currently cite maximums of 10Mbps for upload speeds and 100Mbps for download speeds.
Broadband users rarely hit maximum speeds, say experts.That is because speeds also depend on the broadband equipment used, network traffic, destination server and the number of people simultaneously using the Internet in a household.
Speeds here are set to improve with a new broadband network. By next year, some 60 per cent of all homes and offices are expected to be wired with fibre-optic cables that can support speeds of 1Gbps and more.
Its operating company, StarHub subsidiary Nucleus Connect, will sell bandwidth speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps to service providers. Last week, the island's free wireless-broadband network, Wireless@SG, also had its speed doubled from 512kbps to 1Mbps. -- MYPAPER

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Think positive !



The ad is a reflection of the 3 classes in Singapore society: 

1. The monkey represents the low-income, which has no choice but to accept peanuts for wages.

2. The elephant represents the middle-income, which has limited contact with the lower class but cannot connect with their struggle to make ends meet, hence the suggestion that they should think positively.

3. The giraffe represents the upper-class, which is completely oblivious to the struggles of the middle and lower classes. Once in a while, they stick their heads down from the clouds and have a look around, but are not bothered by the economic crisis in any way.

The commercial deserves an award for its deep insights into Singapore society.

Source: MrBrown

Thursday, August 27, 2009

How to Install Snow Leopard on a Hackintosh

Snow Leopard 10.6Snow Leopard is released and all the Hackintosheers are waiting eagerly to run the latest version of Mac OS X 10.6 on their PC a.k.a Hack Pro. This guide is for those who already have a running OSX86. This guide is possible due to following persons in no order SaCleoCheater (For his thread on InfiniteMac), PCWiZ & Hara Taiki (For Awesome Tools), OSX86 Island (For breaking the first install build 10A261), Netkas (No need to Introduction), Chameleon Team (For a great Boot-Loader), TeknoJunkies (For such a great guide) and all the OSX86 community without whom it’s not possible.
In the following tutorial we used  Snow Leopard build 10A432 GM release (now confirmed that retail disc is build 10A432). Snow Leopard needs a Leopard Install so we need to two hard disk one with Leopard already installed and second hard disk for Snow Leopard. Also you need to download some files needed during the installation so download the files given below. We’ll update these files regularly when the new updates will available.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Phase One

____________________________________________________________________________________
Step One). Connect both of your Hard Disk one is blank and one is pre loaded with Leopard (10.5.X) already. Boot in to Leopard and launch Disk Utility to partition your second hard-disk with GUID partition scheme. Name the partition what ever you want in this tutorial we assumed Snow.
1 GUID Partition
Step Two). Mount the Snow Leopard DMG File, an installer window will appear here click on the free space anywhere in windows then press CMD + Shift + G . A little window will appear in the top of existing window in this little window type “Mac OS X Install DVD/System/Installation/Packages/” without quotes as given in image below and press Go.
3 LocateStep Three). In the next window find the OSInstall.mpkg and double click this package file to start your Snow leopard Installation.
Note : Default OSInstall.mpkg works for GUID partitioned drive only, if you need to install on MBR then google for Modified OSInstall.mpkg for MBR, download modified one and replace with default one.
4 Select OSI mpkg Step Four). Follow the On Screen instruction and in Destination Select Choose the Snow Partition which you created on a separate blank hard disk.
5 Installtion ScreenSelect the Partition to Install Step Five). In customization remove the unnecessary languages and Printers. Sit back and have a cup of coffee installation will take 15-25 minutes depending on your hardware. Once Installation finishes don’t reboot and follow the instruction care fully in phase 2.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Phase Two

____________________________________________________________________________________
In the second phase we’ll install Bootloader, some must required Kexts, System Files and Patching the DSDT.
Step One). Open the Chameleon Bootloader Zip you downloaded earlier and install the Chameleon-2-1.0-r431.pkg  and then install the Chameleon v2 Snow Leopard Support.pkg (If Snow Support Package Shows an Error Then Follow Step Two) . Make sure to install the both Chameleon packages to Snow Drive (Where you Installed the Snow Leopard). You can change the install location at the third option while Installation in both packages.
( If Chameleon 2.0 + EFI 10 gives you Kernel Panics then reinstall and try Chameleon 1.0 + EFI 10)
Chameleon Destination SelectStep Two). If you are using PCEFI bootloader on your existing system then Chameleon v2 Snow Leopard Support.pkg will not work for you. In that case you have two options either install the Chameleon-2-1.0-r431.pkg over your current 10.5.X Installation then reboot and do the process again (from Phase One). Or launch the “ShowAllFiles” (included in Tools) and click Show. Then Navigate to the root of your “Snow” Drive and delete the “boot” file you see. and replace it with the boot file included System Downloads (you downloaded earlier). After replacing the boot file again launch the “ShowAllFiles” and click Hide.
Show All Files
Step Three). Now patch your DSDT, launch the DSDT Patcher (Included in Tools) and select Darwin/Mac OS X in Operating System, Select DSDT Patch in options and before hitting the Run DSDT Patcher button make sure to change the destination as Snow Drive (Where you Installed the Snow Leopard).
DSDT PatcherStep Four).  Now put all the “kext file” you downloaded earlier and you can also add yours if you needed into  /Snow/Extra/Extensions, and copy the Extensions folder in Extra to the desktop, and drag it over “Kext Utility” which you downloaded. Kext utility will repair your permission and generate a new Extension.mkext. Move that Extensions folder and the extension.mkext back to /Snow/Extra Picture 1
Step Five). Now launch EFiStudio and look for your Video Card through the drop down menu. Click add device and you will see some alphanumeric numbers, copy these numbers. Add the following code to your com.apple.boot.plist  in /Snow/Extra.







Save and Exit…
Step Six). Final Step put the SMBios.plist into /Snow/Extra. Now reboot and enjoy the Snow Leopard…

Disclaimer : All the credits for this article go to iHackintosh. All the instruction and Files are correct in my information. Use this guide on your own risk, we are not responsible for any kind of damage (If Any). Use this guide for experimental purposes only if you likes the Mac then buy a new one

Friday, August 21, 2009

Singapore ranked second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo

SINGAPORE : Singapore has been ranked the second most expensive city in Asia, after Tokyo, with Hong Kong taking the third position.

In UBS' Prices and Earnings 2009 study released on Thursday, Singapore is ranked 24th globally, in a comparison of living costs in 73 cities around the world. The study was based on data collected between March and April this year.

It found Oslo, Zurich, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and New York to be the world's priciest cities based on a standardised basket of 122 goods and services. Mumbai, Delhi, Manila and Kuala Lumpur are cities with the lowest price levels.

The study said: "Asia is home to some of the world's priciest cities and nowhere is the spread between most expensive and cheapest more pronounced."

Employees in Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva and New York have the highest gross wages, but Zurich and Geneva top the rankings in the international comparison of net wages.

In Asia, employees in Tokyo earn the highest wages, and are ranked 18th globally. Their salaries are about two times higher than those in Singapore, which came in at 40th globally. Manila, Jakarta and Mumbai are at the bottom of the table.

As for working hours, people work the longest hours in Asia and the Middle East, and the shortest in France. People work an average of 1,902 hours a year in the surveyed cities, but those in Asian and Middle Eastern cities work an average of 2,119 and 2,063 hours a year respectively.

Overall, Cairo employees work the longest hours, averaging 2,373 hours a year, followed by Seoul with 2,312 hours. In comparison, people in Lyon and Paris spend the least amount of time at work - putting in about 1,582 and 1,594 hours a year respectively.

- CNA/al

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Shop gives away freebies

MORE than 300 people queued up for free samples at Singapore's first sampling concept store.
Called Fr3B, the shop which is located at Stanford House gives away a range of sample items, from beauty products to health tonics and potato chips.
The catch? You have to be a member of the store.
So far 30,000 people have signed up for the on-line membership.
Registration can be done on-line or at Stanford House, where the store is located.
Founders of the shop Elfaine Tan and Kingsley Peh expect to reap profits within a year.
How does a firm do that without even selling one item?

Monday, August 3, 2009

OUT NOW! Space Oddity 40th Anniversary EP

'Space Oddity' 40th Anniversary EP with the unique opportunity for fans to remix their own version!

40 years ago to the day that Neil Armstrong stepped on to the moon, EMI have created a unique opportunity for David Bowie fans: the chance to download and mix the original multi-tracks of ‘Space Oddity,’ which also celebrates its 40th anniversary this year!

The ‘Space Oddity’ EP consists of four tracks. When the EP is purchased the original eight stems/multi-tracks are also received for free, enabling fans to remix the song through their own software or through iKlax software.

About 'Space Oddity':
Originally released on 11th July 1969 to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landings, ‘Space Oddity’ was a cultural landmark for David Bowie as an artist – it was featured by the BBC in its television coverage of the lunar landing, and the song later won an Ivor Novello award. The song’s mysterious character, Major Tom, has become a recurrent theme throughout Bowie’s work and career, being revisited in the song ‘Ashes To Ashes’.

For all the information on the Space Oddity EP and application visit here:
http://www.iklaxmusic.com/davidbowie/

Paolo's 'Coming Up Easy' - the Making Of

Right now on paolonutini.com you can watch the exclusive 'Coming Up Easy' Making Of video: http://www.paolonutini.com

Follow Paolo and the white rabbit behind-the-scenes as they wander the streets and bars together, searching for the meaning of life.

The full music video for Paolo's next single is currently only available on Muzu.tv ( http://www.muzu.tv/paolonutini ) , but both the regular version and the Making Of will be available webwide from Thursday, so get ready to embed, repost and generally spread the word!

Silversun pickups will join Placebo

sspu will join placebo for the following tour dates:

dec 3 ahoy/rotterdam, holland
dec 4 lanxess arena/cologne, germany
dec 6 sportpalais/antwerp, belgium
dec 8 lg arena/birmingham, uk
dec 9 o2 arena/london, uk
dec 11 bridlington spa/bridlington, uk
dec 12 central/manchester, uk
dec 14 secc hall 3/glasgow, uk
dec 15 olympia/dublin, ireland
dec 16 olympia/dublin, ireland

on sale now!

Moby / Wait for me

Moby "Wait For Me" free track download today - click play, then the download arrow on the right:

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Asia expats losing perks

HONG KONG - FOR most financial market professionals in this city and other hubs across Asia, the days of extravagant expatriate life have ended. For now at least.

 The standard HK$200,000 per month (S$37,200) housing allowance for top bankers is gone or going in most cases.
Paid-for chauffeurs to tote executives and their families around the steep hills of Hong Kong are scarcer, as are free memberships to exclusive country, golf or dinner clubs that may otherwise cost more than HK$2.1 million to join.
Free private school education for the kids, roughly $10,000 (S$14,400) per child at international schools, is getting scaled back too.
And in another sign of lean times, corporate ships for pleasure cruises around Hong Kong's myriad beaches and outlying islands are getting auctioned off, with UBS AG among the financial institutions to recently set plans to part with its junk boat reserved for employees and clients.
Many banking executives from Wall Street and Europe still live a life of luxury in Asia. But for many others, the 'expat' life of perks is a fading phenomenon.
Starting last December, Morgan Stanley, like other Wall Street banks, began rolling housing benefits into salaries. New hires, in most cases, will not be granted housing allowances, sources inside the bank say.
Hong Kong's elite band of property agents, tasked with renting out the territory's most desired addresses including luxury condominiums and grand colonial mansions overlooking the city's iconic harbour, have been rubbing their wounds of late.
'My record was a HK$320,000 (rent per month) mansion that was around 4,000 square feet with a full sea view,' said a property specialist surnamed Lai who's helped senior foreign executives find luxury homes for the past 13 years.
Residential rental prices dropped, by some estimates, more than 30 per cent earlier this year. Prices have stabilised, and may soon rise, but are still nowhere near the levels reached in early 2008.
HSBC sold its junk boats several years ago but still owns bungalows spread throughout the region for off-sites and weekend getaways for employees lucky enough to be on top of the waiting list. -- REUTERS

NdR: I wish these expats could spend the rest of their days sitting on a ceramic bowl...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Singaporean model gets rotan for having a beer


KUANTAN, MALAYSIA - A 32-year-old part-time model from Singapore charged with having a beer in a nightclub last year was ordered by the Syariah High Court yesterday to receive six strokes of the rotan.

Kartika Sari Sewi Shu-karno, who pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol in public when she made her first court appearance in December, was also fined RM5,000 (S$2038.50).

The model, who wore a blue baju kurung and black headscarf, kept her head down and was silent as judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Yunus read out the sentence. He said the accused could face a three-year jail term if she could not pay the fine while the rotan would be carried out by federal prison authorities.

He said the sentence was under Section 136 of the Pahang Islamic and Malay Traditional Practices Enactment 1982 (amendment 1987).

"The court reached the judgment after the accused pleaded guilty. We feel the sentence is fair after going through the prosecution's argument and since the rotan is provided for in the law.

"The rotan is aimed at making the accused repent and serves as a lesson to Muslims."

Kartika committed the offence at a hotel night club in Cherating and was arrested during a raid by a team from the state religious department at 1.20am on July 12, 2007.

Her lawyer Mohd Zuki Che Muhamad Ghani said he would file an application for a stay of execution pending an appeal.

This is the second time the Syariah Court here has imposed whipping on a female. The first was on a waitress and a man who were caught together with Kartika during the same operation in Cherating.

The 38-year-old from Kemaman, Terengganu, and the 22-year-old waitress from Selangor were also fined RM5,000 each and ordered to receive six strokes of the rotan.

However, the whipping has yet to be carried out in these cases which are pending appeal.

The sentence for consuming alcohol was made stiffer when the Islamic Religious Administration and Pahang Malay Tradition Enactment 1982 was amended in 1987.

Under Section 136 of the enactment, those who are found guilty can be fined up to RM5,000 or jailed a maximum of three years, or both, and sentenced to six strokes of the rotan.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Bomb struck JW Marriott & Ritz Carlton Hotels in Jakarta, 6 died so far



July 17 (Bloomberg) -- At least two explosions rocked the Ritz Carlton and the JW Marriott hotels in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, today. Authorities are trying to establish if bombs were the cause of the blast, a police official said.

The Associated Press, citing police, said at least four foreigners were killed in the explosions. Many people have been injured, said M. Halolo, a police officer on duty at the Setiabudi police station. A New Zealander was among two people seriously injured, AP said.

The explosions ripped the façade off the Ritz and glass and debris littered the street outside the neighboring hotels, the news agency said.

Indonesia was hit by bombings annually from 1999 to 2005 that left about 280 people dead and were blamed on Southeast Asian terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah.

The al-Qaeda-linked group is blamed for an attack on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in 2003 that killed 12 people, a bomb explosion outside the Australian Embassy in the Indonesian capital in 2004 that killed at least nine and the 2002 attack on the island of Bali that killed 202 people, 88 of them Australians.

The Indonesian rupiah declined the most in two weeks after the explosions. The rupiah slid 0.8 percent to 10,200 per dollar as of 8:45 a.m. in Jakarta, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The currency reached 10,075 yesterday, the strongest since June 15.

Trading on the Indonesia Stock Exchange will open as normal, said Hilailah Suralaga, a spokeswoman at the bourse.

The Manchester United soccer team was scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on July 18 and was booked to stay at the Ritz Carlton, said Azwan Karim, media officer for the Indonesia Football Association.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Two versions of 'Bruno' to show in Britain

LONDON : "Bruno", the outrageous comedy about a gay Austrian fashion reporter, will become the first film to have two versions showing concurrently in Britain, its makers said.

One minute and 50 seconds of the 18-rated film starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has been cut to make a version which can be seen by cinemagoers aged 15 and under, Universal Pictures announced on Monday.

The re-edited version will be released in cinemas in Britain on July 24.

The 18-certificate version, featuring a sado-masochistic orgy and full frontal nudity, topped the British box office in its first weekend of release.

"Bruno" was also the highest-grossing film on its first weekend in the United States, where it has an adult rating, taking 30.6 million dollars (22 million euros).

The scenes cut from new version feature Bruno and his boyfriend engaged in sexual acts. Another shows Bruno miming sexual activity while visiting a medium, and the third is of couples having sex at a swingers' party.

Universal Pictures has already cut a scene from all versions featuring Michael Jackson's sister La Toya because of fears it was in poor taste following the singer's death.

- AFP/il

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Updates from UNKLE - Heavy Drug Single Release

On 17th August UNKLE will release ‘Heavy Drug (Surrender Sounds Mix)’ as a digital download. The track began life during a late night session when James and his brother Aidan were working on various remix projects resulting in a "happy accident" of ‘Heavy Drug’, an UNKLE club mix with a DFA records influence. Over the last month, James found it quickly become a highlight of his DJ set. ‘Heavy Drug’ was also reworked during the initial recording sessions for the new UNKLE album, due for release in February 2010. Additionally, an exclusive edit of the mix is included on Lavelle's GU37 Bangkok.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Recent video footage + photos of The Kooks

If you haven't checked in to THEKOOKS.com or http://www.facebook.com/thekooksofficial recently, then swing by and catch up on the latest footage + photos, including;

Videos -
The Kooks go Go Karting - http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=101789383637&h=6ZZ4d&u=OH5xG&ref=mf

The Kooks 3rd Album Writing Sessions in Marseilles - http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=90277853694&h=Vwlde&u=rkumj&ref=mf

The Kooks @ Bandwagon clubnight, Liverpool - http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=198357180262&h=quJJg&u=1qyIl&ref=mf

Photos -

Art Rock Festival, France
Papillons De Nuit, France
Pinkpop, The Netherlands
Rockhal // Luxembourg
Ringlokschuppen // Germany
Rock Am Ring // Germany
Rock Im Park // Germany

Stay tuned.
http://www.THEKOOKS.com/

Placebo's OFFICIAL Youtube Channel

Placebo's OFFICIAL Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/officialplacebo

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Armour-clad Bruno halts Sydney traffic

SYDNEY - Gay fashionista Bruno brought traffic to a halt in Sydney when he appeared at the premiere of his new movie dressed as a knight in shining armour and leading a white charger.

"Vassup Sydney, do you like my helmet?" British satirist Sacha Baron Cohen's alter ego, clad in an armour suit complete with full-metal codpiece, yelled at screaming fans as he made his way to the "Bruno" premiere late Monday.

"Ich have been to seven countries in the last 18 days, which is more than any Austrian since 1941," said the comedian, who dressed as a bull and wore a bearskin hat for earlier stops on his promotional tour.

Bruno, who earlier described Prime Minister Kevin Rudd as "uber-cute," said the bespectacled leader had invited him back to Sydney for the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.

"He's invited me back for Mardi Gras, where he says you can wear a mask and run around doing whatever you want without anyone knowing who you are," he said.

Bruno said he hoped the movie, which depicts his efforts to find fame and fortune in the United States, "realises its full global potential and doesn't peter out after a promising start like swine flu."

However, the film received only a lukewarm review from Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper, which said it did not match Baron Cohen's previous effort, "Borat."

"Some running gags - including one involving the adoption of an African baby - fizzle out without any comic spark on display," the newspaper said, adding that some stunts looked "suspiciously staged."

The Sydney Morning Herald questioned why Baron Cohen, at his press conference, banned questions about his Australian fiancee Isla Fisher and the removal of a scene relating to Michael Jackson.

"For someone who has found success putting people on the spot, the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was not so happy to have the roles reversed," it said. - AFP/ar

New Moby's album - 'Wait For Me' out to buy today

The brand new album 'Wait For Me' is out worldwide today (in the USA tomorrow). You can find links to buy at local download stores here:
http://moby.com/wait-for-me

Or from the Moby Store here:
http://moby.com/store

The album is available as a download as well as CD and 12" vinyl.

Post your reviews on the Moby Facebook page:
http://facebook.com/mobymusic

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Faster ferries to Bintan




GETTING to Bintan just got faster and more comfortable. And those willing to pay a bit more will get airline-style business class treatment too.

Two new ferries will cut travelling time between Singapore and the Indonesian resort island by at least 15 minutes, making the trip from the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in 45 minutes.

The two ferries, which cost $31 million, are also equipped with the latest technology to stabilise them, making the ride smoother and more comfortable, even in the choppiest seas.

For passengers, the good news is that the ticket price for the ferry service remains the same. An adult who buys a Singapore-Bintan-Singapore ticket over the counter will pay $63.20 during peak period and $52.20 when it is off-peak.

Passengers who pony up an additional $36 for return will enjoy the ferries' new 'business class', which comes with bigger seats, complimentary drinks and access to an open deck for fresh air and that wind-in-your-hair experience.

'Emerald Class' passengers also get personalised immigration clearance in their own dedicated lounge and fuss-free luggage collection.

Programmes manager Amaranta Lim, 31, who came back here on the new ferry earlier this month, found the new vessel cleaner and more spacious and the ride, definitely smoother.

For $36 extra, she said she would certainly give the new business class a try. 'During school holidays, it can get quite noisy and tiring to queue up for immigration with all the families and kids. So, I don't mind paying a bit more for more comfort.'

The boats have been named Wan Sendari, after the wife of the legendary founder of Singapore Sang Nila Utama, and Wan Seri Beni, after the legendary Queen of the Riau Islands.

The improved ferry service is part of a 10-year masterplan to boost transport links to Bintan and part of the push to turn northern Bintan into a suburb for Singaporeans to live and play.