hongjun's Blog

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Announcing release of ASP.NET MVC 3, IIS Express, SQL CE 4, Web Farm Framework, Orchard, WebMatrix

Several new Web platform technologies now available in recent weeks. Visit Scott Guthrie's blog post for a good recap.

Or watch a video from the Channel9.

How does NUS Centralised Online Registration System (CORS) modules bidding system work?

How does NUS Centralised Online Registration System (CORS) modules bidding system works? The video below talked about just how confusing the CORS is.

No, your zodiac sign hasn't changed

So, we are wrong with the horoscopes after all. But wait! Some astrologers are saying there is no change to the zodiac signs.

Why no change?

That's because the tropical zodiac – which is fixed to seasons, and which Western astrology adheres to – differs from the sidereal zodiac – which is fixed to constellations and is followed more in the East, ...

Astrology is geocentric. It relates life on Earth to the Earth’s environment, and seasons are the most dramatic effect, which is why we use the tropical zodiac.

Two zodiacs?

Horoscope - New set of date ranges for 13 zodiac signs

New set of date ranges for the 12 13 zodiac signs

Capricorn - Jan 20 to Feb 16
Aquarius - Feb 16 to Mar 11
Pisces - Mar 11 to Apr 18
Aries - Apr 18 to May 13
Taurus - May 13 to Jun 21
Gemini - Jun 21 to Jul 20
Cancer - Jul 20 to Aug 10
Leo - Aug 10 to Sep 16
Virgo - Sep 16 to Oct 30
Libra - Oct 30 to Nov 23
Scorpius - Nov 23 to Nov 29
Ophiuchus - Nov 29 to Dec 17 (new zodiac sign)
Sagittarius - Dec 17 to Jan 20

Why the change? Read more here.

Horoscope - What is your sign?

I woke up to the realisation that a scorpio I was is now no longer true. I am now a Libra! We are also used to knowing just the 12 horoscope signs but now, we have a 13th - Ophiucus. Apparently the Babylonians had an Ophiucus column in their daily horoscopes but it got dropped somewhere between their civilisation and ours. The unlucky 13th?

Robert Roy Britt, author for LiveScience, posted Why Your Horoscope for 2011 Is All Wrong:

Your zodiac sign — Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius or Pisces — was originally based on the constellation the sun was in the day you were born. Thing is, Earth wobbles, a phenomenon called precession.

Over the 2,500 years or so since the zodiac was established, your sign has moved about a month relative to the sun and stars. You're no longer what you think you are, and so if you're an astrology buff, perhaps poised to make a New Year's resolution based on the stars and a reading of your supposed personality, know that you're actually following observations, predictions and advice aimed at another person entirely.

Here's the full truth about your astrological sign.

New set of date ranges for the 12 13 zodiac signs

Capricorn - Jan 20 to Feb 16
Aquarius - Feb 16 to Mar 11
Pisces - Mar 11 to Apr 18
Aries - Apr 18 to May 13
Taurus - May 13 to Jun 21
Gemini - Jun 21 to Jul 20
Cancer - Jul 20 to Aug 10
Leo - Aug 10 to Sep 16
Virgo - Sep 16 to Oct 30
Libra - Oct 30 to Nov 23
Scorpius - Nov 23 to Nov 29
Ophiuchus - Nov 29 to Dec 17 (new zodiac sign)
Sagittarius - Dec 17 to Jan 20

Microsoft releases WebMatrix - integrates with other free, open-source Web development and management tools

Microsoft on Thursday released a new Web development workbench called WebMatrix, which integrates with other free, open-source Web development and management tools, such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Umbraco. The key feature is that WebMatrix houses the Web server, database, and programming framework in one organized space.

The tool reduces the learning curve for beginners to develop and publish webpages, though it still requires some understanding of programming (HTML, XML, CSS, ASP.NET, JavaScript) in order to take advantage of its full potential.

Learn more about WebMatrix here.

How to Remove DRM from Your Kindle Ebooks

Too Smart Guys created the video above (the tutorial portion starting at 2:05), demonstrating how to remove DRM from Kindle ebooks that you legally purchased so it can be used on other readers e.g Nook. To get started, you need the following:

Kindle for PC (Yes, this means you need Windows but it Kindle for PC reportedly works with Wine.)
Python (Anything 2.x should work fine, but if you want to follow instructions exactly you can download 2.6.4.)
The Unswindle Python script
The supporting mobidedrm.py script

Note: the Python scripts are currently down but Too Smart Guys have been kind enough to provide a torrent you can use to download the files instead.

Friday, January 14, 2011

New Starbucks' logo - Do you like it?

Starbucks' 2011 new logo

Starbucks, famously known for its coffee, doesn’t want to be known for selling just coffee anymore. It had yesterday announced dropping the words “Starbucks Coffee” from its famous, circular green logo. In its place will be Starbucks’ mermaid, or “Siren” icon.

I personally do not like the new design for it seems to be missing the attachment with customers. Quoted from a comment posted on Starbucks' blog post, it said, "Who's the bonehead in your marketing department that removed the world-famous name of Starbucks Coffee from your new logo? This gold card user isn't impressed!".

Starbucks’ logo change comes about three months after clothing retailer Gap Inc.’s rebranding fiasco. In that incident, customers were displeased with the new design and a social media storm soon ignited. Gap had little choice but to revert back to the original logo. Will Starbucks' change spark a similar backlash?

Starbucks, at moment, is keeping its cool. The company posted a detailed blog post and video from its CEO, Schultz, communicating the changes yesterday. That video is embedded below.

So you still think the Internet is free

Read on here!

Who is censoring the Internet?
What is being censored on the Internet?
How is the Internet being censored?
Why are they censoring the Internet?

Do you want an internet with more openess and less censorship?

TOC’s letters to the PMO and the MDA

Refer to http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/01/tocs-letters-to-the-pmo-and-the-mda/

InstaFetch - Save complete web pages to your mobile device for offline reading

InstaFetch lets you save complete web pages to your mobile device for offline reading.

It integrates with Instapaper.com — the best service to use, if you don't have time to read an article but want to read it later.

Google Translate for Android with voice recognition

Google Translate's app for Android added a feature that has previously announced by Google: conversation mode. The new option is experimental and it only works for English and Spanish.

Currently, you can only use Conversation Mode when translating between English and Spanish. In conversation mode, simply press the microphone for your language and start speaking. Google Translate will translate your speech and read the translation out loud. Your conversation partner can then respond in their language, and you’ll hear the translation spoken back to you.

A new look for Google Translate for Android [via]

Android Trumps Apple on Mobile Ad Network

According to mobile advertising company Millennial Media, Google Android is growing strength in mobile advertisement, surpassing Apple's iOS to emerge the top operating system on Millennial's mobile ad network.

Android nabbed 46 percent of the impression share for December, compared to Apple's 32 percent. That's an eight percent month-to-month increase for Android and a 12 percent decrease for Apple. BlackBerry maker RIM fell into third place with 16 percent of the impression share, down three percent from November.

Early this year, report by comScore revealed Google Android leapfrogged Apple iOS in U.S. mobile OS market share to become the number two operating system in the U.S since November 2010 for the first time. A different report from the Nielsen Company revealed that Google Android operating system leads sales against Apple's iOS and RIM BlackBerry since July 2010.

HP shall answer to iPad and tablets on Feb 9 with Palm WebOS

In an interview with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo last Friday at CES, HP Executive Vice President Todd Bradley let slip what the coming February 9 HP event will be about. HP shall answer to iPad and tablets that day with Palm WebOS.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Google Transcoder - View webpage in simple mode on mobile phone

If you're trying to load a web page using your mobile phone's browser, but the Internet connection is slow and you can't install Opera Mini, there's always Google Transcoder. Google's service shows a simplified version of the page that hides navigation links, removes scripts and compresses images.

Access Google Transcoder here: http://www.google.com/gwt/n

Google Transcoder's Zooming Feature [via]

Google Science Fair

Google Science Fair
http://www.google.com/events/sciencefair/

Google Goggles Solves Sudoku Puzzles

Google's visual search tool, Google Googles, has a new trick up its sleeve: solving Sudoku puzzles.

Now, Goggles on Android and iPhone can recognize puzzles and provide answers to help make you faster than a Sudoku champ. So if you ever get stuck, take a clear picture of the entire puzzle with Goggles and we'll tell you the correct solution.

Google Goggles gets faster, smarter and solves Sudoku [via]

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

What will happen should TOC be gazetted?

From Kent Ridge Common:

The Government has sent shock waves across Singapore by ordering The Online Citizen, one of the country’s most popular socio-political websites, to be gazetted as a political organization. This gazetting means that The Online Citizen (TOC) will not be able to use any of its new media platforms during the upcoming General Elections to voice its support for any political party or personalities, according to the TOC website.

If successful, The Online Citizen will be the first blog not only in Singapore but perhaps in the world to be classified as a ‘political organization’.

TOC to gazetted; A backfire on Singapore government?

Singapore government move to gazette The Online Citizen (TOC) as a political association has "invited" several opposition parties to finally speak up! Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), National Solidarity Party (NSP) and Reform Party (RP) are all now speaking up!

Wonder if this will result in a backfire on the Singapore incumbent People's Action Party (PAP).

‘Kingmaker’ TOC to be Gazetted [via]