Southeast Asia's first Universal Studios theme park opens in Singapore

World's tallest duelling roller-coasters, one seated and the other suspended, in Battlestar Galactica CYCLON vs HUMAN ride (2009 Resorts World Sentosa)

SINGAPORE: Southeast Asia's first Universal Studios theme park welcomed its first visitors on Sunday in Singapore.

It is part of the S$6.59-billion Resorts World Sentosa, which also opened Singapore's first casino in the afternoon.

Visitors to the park were transported into a world of Hollywood magic where celebrity culture and movies are celebrated.

Among the many highlights, visitors can travel back in time to the ancient world of Egypt, and the long lost land where dinosaurs come alive.

Fast forward to the future, the theme park features a sci-fi city where visitors can experience inter-galactic battles.

Of course, a theme park would not be complete without replicas of hit animated films. Universal Studios Singapore is also showcasing the fairytale world of Shriek, and the dense, tropical jungle of Madagascar.

First visitors to the park on Sunday created an air of buzz and excitement, with several adults admitting they feel like kids as the theme park worked its magic.

The roller-coaster rides created the most amount of hype, even though they were not operational during this phased-in opening.

"It would be better if we could get on the rides but I think it looks good so far," said a visitor. "We came to take a look first so next time we come, we know what to do."

"I was very amazed because it was quite similar to what I remember when I was in America and it brings back a lot of fond memories," said another visitor.

"We want to have a look and feel of the atmosphere of the place. My husband is quite afraid of the rides so this ticket is a much better buy than buying the full price."

Tickets were priced at S$10, and have been sold out for the eight-day sneak-peek period.

However, visitors can expect the full experience when Universal Studios Singapore re-opens, with all the rides and shows next month.

- CNA/yb

Tg Pagar is next Marina Bay

The Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) has suggested the Government redevelop the port land at Tanjong Pagar, Keppel and Pulau Brani into a new waterfront city. -- PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

EVEN before Singapore's Marina Bay is completed, the next iconic development has been identified by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) - Tanjong Pagar.
Senior Minister of State Grace Fu said on Monday that the port could be transformed 'into a another Marina Bay and it can offer immense opportunities to support future growth'.
This is an example of the 'bold and imaginative urban planning and redevelopment' that the ESC report said is necessary to develop the infrastructure necessary to provide 'the highest quality of life in Asia'.
The port's lease is up in 2027.
'We have to make more efficient use of our land, to maximise optimise its economic value and preserve a sense of space in our residential neighbourhoods,' said the report, released on Monday.
'We must also expand our land bank. by investing in the creation of underground space, especially around our transport nodes,' it added.
The end-goal of such infrastructure development is to position Singapore as a global city.
'Being a global city and a meeting point in Asia for enterprise, talent, cultures and ideas, will be a source of competitiveness and growth in its own right.' said the report.
The ESC report is available on the ESC website at www.esc.gov.sg.

Better quality fake IDs

A 16-YEAR-OLD Secondary 4 student is in a club on a Wednesday night, while her friend, also 16, buys them drinks from the bar.
Her 'identification card' says she is 22 and from Brown University in the United States, while the other has a Norwegian 'driver's licence' which lists him as 25. The pair paid about $30 each for their fake IDs from a printing shop in Bencoolen Street.
Owning - and using - fake IDs has become common practice among teens, a Straits Times survey of 80 teens between 14 and 17 found. Half admitted to having fake IDs which they would use to get around age-restriction rules at clubs, and shops that hawk alcohol and cigarettes.
Even those without such IDs said they want one, and know how to get one. What none of them knew: the penalties for being caught owning or using one.
When The Straits Times reported on the use of fake IDs in 2006, the cards were mostly real IDs with an extra layer bearing a fake age laminated over them. Each cost between $40 and $70.
Now, checks and interviews with teens have turned up more sophisticated, yet cheaper cards. At least two printing shops in Bencoolen Street offer customers a menu of over 20 templates from mostly American and Australian universities, and even international drivers' licences. They can enter any name and date of birth they want, and the ID is theirs in 20 minutes - for just $30.

New features in Easy Peasy 2.0

Work on the blueprint for Easy Peasy 2.0 has started, but before it’s released we’ll release 1.* releases. We’re working to get one out every month. I’m working on a daily-image-server which creates up to date images to keep the development running :) Anyway, here’s what you can expect from Easy Peasy 2.0 released sometime after April.

• Built on Ubuntu 9.04
• Better looking
• More net / netbook features
• New file system which brings faster booting, loading and work flow
• A whole new notification system, as shown in the movie below
  
• A simple new menu which can be used to set preferences for notification icons, such as where they pop up on the taskbar
• File synchronization through Dropbox

MRT line will have 16 new stations over 16km linking suburbs to city

The Paya Lebar interchange station on the CCL will allow commuters to bypass City Hall and Raffles Place interchanges to get to the city and northern parts of Singapore. --PHOTO: LTA

THE next leg of the MRT Circle Line, which connects the suburbs to the downtown area, will open on April 17.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim made the announcement on Tuesday morning at a visit to the line's Stadium and Paya Lebar stations. The 11km stretch from Tai Seng in Paya Lebar to Dhoby Ghaut via the Suntec area consists of 11 stations. They join a 5km, five-station leg linking Marymount to Bartley which opened last year.
Minister Lim said with this half of the Circle Lim opened, commuters will enjoy significant time-savings. The latest stretch of the orbital line offers train commuters a new interchange: Paya Lebar, which links the Circle Line to the East-West Line.
This allows residents living in the north, north-east and east to head to the city and back without having to pass the busy City Hall and Raffles interchanges. Likewise, commuters travelling between satellite towns can bypass the two hubs, opting to change trains at either Dhoby Ghaut or Paya Lebar. Other operational interchanges on the Circle Line the Serangoon and Bishan stations.
Mr Lim said the rest of the 33km Circle Line will open next year. This final stretch links the northern and western parts of Singapore, with stops at notable places such as Botanic Gardens, Holland Village, and HarbourFront.
The Land Transport Authority expects Circle Line ridership to soar from April 17: from an average 30,000 rides per day today to 200,000.

Inner Circle FC vs Royals FC - 1pm Chinese Recreation Club

Last call for Inner Circle tomorrow, Sunday 17th 2010, at Chinese Recreation Club in Balestier Rd.

Intel Chipset Software 9.1.1.1025

Intel Corporation has released a new build of the Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility providing driver support for their motherboard chipsets for Windows operating systems. The Intel Chipset Device Software installs Windows INF files to the target system. These files outline to the operating system how to configure the Intel chipset function properly:

- Core PCI and ISAPNP Services
- PCIe Support
- IDE/ATA33/ATA66/ATA100 Storage Support
- SATA Storage Support
- USB Support
- Identification of Intel Chipset Components in the Device Manager

This software can be installed in three modes: Interactive, Silent and Unattended Preload. Interactive Mode requires user input during installation; Silent Mode and Unattended Preload do not. This software also offers a set of command line flags, which provide additional installation choices. If you're updating, don't forget to add the -OVERALL -OVERIDE command-line.

DOWNLOAD

Apple recruiting talent for iWork's transition to the cloud

A December job posting by Apple could indicate an increased emphasis on cloud-based aspects of applications like iWork.

In a potential signal that Apple plans on introducing a fully collaborative cloud-based version of iWork, a job posting revealed that Apple is looking for a software engineer well versed in browser technology, scalable internet applications and word processing development.

TechCrunch noted that on its CrunchBoard job board, Apple posted the following job description:

The Productivity team (i.e. iWork) is seeking an energetic, highly motivated software engineer in building a scalable rich internet application. The person will be part of the core development team and engage in an area from design to development of the software system.

Besides exceptional programming skills and devotion to creating great software, we look for one or more of the following kinds of expertise or experience:

• JavaScript language and browser technology - understanding from inside-out, or
• Computer graphics - the mathematics, algorithms and programming, or
• Experience developing scalable rich internet application, or
• Experience developing presentation/collaboration or word processing projects

BS or better in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

"What caught our eye on this one is the language around building an application, from design to development. That suggests something different than just joining the existing team. Apple is putting together a whole new team, for a new project, and they need outside expertise," notes TechCrunch.

Apple has already started to incorporate cloud computing concepts into its iWork suite with the introduction of iWork.com in January of 2009. It allowed users to upload iWork '09 documents onto the web for online viewing, comments, and notes.

Apple has also made preparations for a large push into the cloud computing arena. This summer, Apple selected a site for its $1 billion server farm, a project that many believe is intended to power a giant cloud computing operation.

MobileMe was Apple's initial foray into the cloud, delivering push e-mail, contacts, and calendars to handheld devices and computers via the internet.