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.

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

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

- 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/