Sony notebook in your pocket

Publication date: 1/7/2009; 8:13:00 PM GMT.

A woman displays the new notebook computer produced by Japan's leading computer maker Sony in Seoul on January 8, 2009. Sony said the eight-inch product weighing 594 grams could be carried in a pocket. AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN

A great start for Facebook

by Mark Zuckerberg Yesterday at 5:37pm

Today, we reached another milestone: 150 million people around the world are now actively using Facebook and almost half of them are using Facebook every day. This includes people in every continent—even Antarctica. If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.

When we first started Facebook almost five years ago, most of the people using it were college students in the United States. Today, people of all ages—grandparents, parents and children—use Facebook in more than 35 different languages and 170 countries and territories.

The full potential of the web is to make the world more open, so everyone has a voice and can share what is important to them. With 150 million voices and counting, we can't wait for the rest of 2009, and we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most.

10 Lessons Medicine Can Learn from Bears

http://ow.ly/2lE

Kobe & Shaq reunion

By Dave McMenamin, NBA.com
Posted Jan 5 2009 6:44PM

A lot's happened since they played their last game together, way back on June 15, 2004. Since that Finals loss to the Pistons when they were Lakers teammates, Shaquille O'Neal has played for two other teams, winning a ring with Miami in 2006. Kobe Bryant demanded a trade but ultimately stayed in L.A., and won the MVP last season.

On February 15 in Phoenix, O'Neal and Bryant's 56-month long stretch as ex-teammates could come to an end at the NBA's 58th All-Star Game.

Bryant is a lock for his 11th All-Star Game selection. He leads all Western Conference players with 1,280,912 votes through the second balloting. O'Neal won't be selected through fan voting -- Yao Ming has more than double the Diesel's 546,583 votes -- but there is a strong case for him deserving a spot as a reserve.

O'Neal is averaging 17.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. His 59.1 field-goal percentage ranks second in the league. His main competitors for the position are Andris Biedrins of the Warriors, Al Jefferson of the Timberwolves and Marcus Camby of the Clippers, but all of those players play for sub-.500 teams. Shaq's Suns would be the No. 5 seed in the West if the playoffs started today.

The fact that the game is in Phoenix also should help O'Neal, as the host city almost always ends up with a player on the roster. Amar'e Stoudemire is the only other Suns player in contention. He was behind only San Antonio's Tim Duncan for Western Conference forwards in the second returns, holding a slim lead over Denver's Carmelo Anthony for the starting nod.

The exhibition might not be the last time Bryant and O'Neal play together, either. Shaq told the Sacramento Bee in November that he would be open to a return to the Lakers when he becomes a free agent in 2010.

Here it is: iPhone Nano !! WOW SO SMALL !!!

Singapore lowers economic growth forecast to -2.0%

SINGAPORE: The Singapore economy is expected to grow between -2.0 per cent and 1.0 per cent in 2009. The forecast by the Trade and Industry Ministry (MTI) is lower than the -1.0 per cent to 2.0 per cent range forecast in November 2008.

The weaker prognosis for the Singapore economy in 2009 is based on the sharp contraction seen in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Advance estimates show that Singpore's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2008 should come in at 1.5% compared with 7.7 per cent in 2007.

This figure is lower than MTI’s forecast of around 2.5 per cent in November 2008 and is attributed to a fourth quarter contraction of 2.6 per cent in real terms over the same period in 2007. This follows a decline of 0.3 per cent in the preceding quarter.

On a seasonally adjusted, annualised quarter-on-quarter basis, MTI said real GDP fell by 12.5 per cent, compared to a decline of 5.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2008.

-CNA/sf

'No GST' at T3 fails to pull in shoppers

By Nicholas Yong A PROMOTION to attract non-travellers to shop at Terminal 3 has not taken off, say retailers at the airport's newest and largest terminal.

More than eight weeks into the promotion launched by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), retail outlets that The Straits Times spoke to said that shopper numbers remain largely unchanged.

The promotion offered GST-free shopping at 27 of the more than 30 retail outlets for an unlimited period.

'We don't really see customers coming in to make purchases because of the promotion and not many seem to be aware of it,' said regional manager for Sunglass Hut Singapore Alice Lim.

Absorbing the goods and service tax in exchange for a rental discount from CAAS has not been enough to overcome the overall slide in retail sales islandwide due to the economic downturn.

T3 is still some way from being fully utilised. Five airlines currently operate there, one of them being Singapore Airlines, which operates around half of all the flights going out of Changi.

Overall passenger traffic at Changi dipped 6.1 per cent last month, in tandem with the global decline in air travel.

To bring in more shoppers, CAAS is planning a fresh push on the No GST promotion in February/March next year. Details are to be confirmed.

Retailers are hoping this will help as the earlier effort has not made much of a difference in sales, said perfume and cosmetics giant Nuance-Watson.

Shoppers like customer service officer Ms Ng, 33, found out about the No GST scheme only because she happened to be at the airport.

'I have not seen ads about it. If they publicise the promotion more, I think people would come,' she said.

A spokesman for a leading chain of retail outlets, who declined to be named, said T3 is suffering from a lack of the right marketing.

'This is mainly an issue of publicity: What do we want consumers to remember T3 for?' he asked.

'We need publicity from big-scale events that will make people start talking about T3 and come down specially and repeatedly.'

The media campaign for the NoGST promotion has been advertised in the press, magazines and direct mailers, as well as window ads on several MRT trains.

This is in addition to being tagged onto all shopping promotional materials within the airport.

Retail outlets are now planning their own promotions in conjunction with the scheme.

Some are concentrating their efforts on airport employees who have their meals at the terminal and may shop there.
However, the retailers agreed that publicity is the key to the success of the scheme.

Swatch Singapore vice-president Pauline Ong pointed out: 'Up until now, there is still not much awareness. If there is more, the scheme will fly.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Dec 24, 2008.

2009 looks set to be a busy year for Singaporeans

SINGAPORE: From means testing in public hospitals, which kicks off on Thursday, to the opening of Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort at year-end, 2009 looks set to be a busy year.

The economy, which has dominated headlines, will continue to do so in January.

The National Wages Council is expected to come up with new recommendations by mid-month, while Singapore Budget has been brought forward to January 22.

Health-wise, there are major changes too.

HIV testing is going to be an opt-out scheme in all public hospitals and changes to the law to allow living donors to be compensated under the Human Organ Transplant Act are also expected. The sum will be decided this year.

The laws surrounding how criminals will be penalised will also see changes, with the Law Ministry proposing to replace the current Criminal Procedure Code.

In addition to that, the government is expected to give its position later this month on a proposal to repeal the law that bans party political films.

On a day-to-day basis, Singaporeans can look forward to smoother journeys, with part of the MRT Circle Line scheduled to open by mid-year.

Two new cards – a new generation EZ Link card and a NETS transit card – that can do more than just pay public transport fares – are scheduled to be pushed out in January and September, respectively.

Sports-wise, Singapore will host the inaugural Asian Youth Games in June, in the run-up to the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

Another big hosting event in November this year is the APEC summit where world leaders are expected to gather in Singapore.


- CNA/so