TGIF Specials 6: LEGO's Customised Business Cards

LEGO's staff business cards - a LEGO mini figurine modelled after themselves with their contact details. Totally cool.

I am PISSED about my Android Dev Phone

WTF is Google's Problem?

Killing developer phones' access to paid and/or copy-protected applications, while unlocked phones can gleefully access paid applications without paying? WTF!!!!

"The Developer version of the G1 is designed to give developers complete flexibility," Google said in a statement. "These phones give developers of handset software full permissions to all aspects of the device... We aren't distributing copy protected applications to these phones in order to minimize unauthorized copy of the applications."

What a joke. Even developers who upload their paid apps into Android Market cannot access their app.

I paid S$700 plus for my bloody android developer. Totally regretting it. Should have considered what one of the guys in the office is thinking, getting a locked Singtel and hacking it. Gott Demn it!!! Google, was zum Teufel glaubst du?

Top Ten Signs a Girl Likes you

(Disclaimer: I posted this as a joke after reading this at tianya.cn. Now to think about it, I think I am very easily misunderstood, if one can believe this article). If you REALLY want to know the Top Ten Signs a Girl Likes You, please read my version. At least I am a chick.

女人爱上男人的十大表现 (熊猫佳子)
English Translation by Chris from ChinaSmack.com

一、说话暧昧

女人爱上男人一般不会向男人一样主动靠前说“我爱你”那样直抒胸臆，而是很委婉的故作讯息，让你领悟，觉察。比如说，当你们一群青春男女从KTV唱歌回来的路上，这是有一位女孩子突然对你说：“你能帮我把这包牛奶捂热吗？”这时的男的一定很纳闷，心想：为什么叫我给她捂热？再说了，用手能捂热吗？其实这已经是女孩子在有意向你表示暧昧之意了。

1. Subtle speech
When a woman loves has fallen in love with a man, she usually won’t take the initiative in pouring her heart out and saying “I love you,” and will instead send out subtle messages for you to detect. For example, while your group of young friends are on the way back from singing songs at the KTV, a girl suddenly says to you: “Can you help me keep this bag of milk warm?” At this time, men will certainly feel very puzzled, thinking: “Why is she asking me to help her warm [this milk]? And further, can the hands really warm it?” Actually, is already purposefully giving you a subtle message.

二、主动搭讪

一般男孩子向女生主动搭讪，很容易让女生对这位男生产生色狼的反感。因为这就是典型的没话找话说的表现，女人多半会拒绝，或者对此不屑一顾。相反的事情是，当一个女生向男人主动找话说的时候，男人绝对不会说这个女人是色狼之类的话，因为自己高兴还来不及呢？同样的道理，再说女人主动找男人说话，除了工作的需要之外，很大一部分是由于对你的好感，对你有意思。否则女人打死也是不敢冒天下之大不韪而跟你搭讪的。

2. Take initiative to strike up a conversation

In general, boys usually start talking with girls, and this can easily lead the girl to think the boy is a lecher. Since this is a typical way of making conversation, many girls tend to refuse it, or treat the boy with disdain. The opposite situation is when a girl takes the initiative to start talking with a boy, the boy absolutely will not say anything like this girl is lecherous, maybe because he himself is already beside himself with happiness [that a girl is talking to him]?Likewise, a girl taking the initiative to talk with a boy, aside from work situations, is very likely that girl is attracted to you, and is interested in you. Otherwise, a girl would rather be beaten to death than risk the kind of social criticism that goes along with that behavior [talking with a boy].

三、嘘寒问暖

虽然说我们每个人，无论见到了熟人还是一般的朋友，都会嘘寒问暖，寒暄一套为千万年来，千万人所熟悉老掉牙的话来恭敬对方，这一点毋庸置疑。但是一般是大老爷们那样胡子拉楂的浅浮，没有实意。

所以，如果事情向着相反的方向发展变化，那么我们看到是一个女人向男人嘘寒问暖，比如说：“你怎么就穿一件单衣啊？这么冷的天，你怎么这么叫人不省心啊？”这句话，看似是嘘寒问暖，实则是对你无限的关怀与爱护，这样的话只有妻子对丈夫说，她现在对你说了，里面暗含的潜台词，自然不言而喻。

3. Often ask about your well-being
It is without a doubt that all of us, whether meeting an old buddy or just a normal friend, all ask how one another are doing, making the kind of small talk that that has existed for ages that millions of people are familiar with to show our respect for each other. However, most of the time it is old men doing so without sincerity. So, if we see a situation developing in the opposite direction, and we see a girl fussing over a man, for example saying: “Why are you just wearing such little clothing? Such a cold day, how do you expect others not to worry?” may seem like just normal politeness, but in fact is her limitless love and concern for you. This is the kind of thing that only a wife says to her husband and for her to say it to you now, is the implications are naturally self-evident.

四、无中生有

男人喜欢一个女人有时候会紧张的流鼻血，怎么止都止不住，唯有被喜欢的那个女人一句话就把这流血不止的鼻血轻而易举的给止住了。这个世界很稀奇，居然有这等功夫，实在让我们望洋兴叹。

同样的道理，女人喜欢上一个男人，会有许多让你意想不到的事情，在你身上发生。比如突然有女人对你问道，说：“你那天借给我的那本书什么时候还给你啊？我已经快看完了，不过还是想看下去，你还有没有别的什么书，像这样的类似别的什么的，都可以的。”这样的话，绝对让你丈二摸不着头脑。

4. Making something out of nothing

When a guy likes a girl, he will be so nervous his nose will bleed, uncontrollably, yet with just a few words, that girl can effortlessly stop the nosebleed that could not be stopped. This world is very strange, that there can be this kind of kung fu, it truly make us feel so powerless. Similarly, when a girl likes a boy, there will be quite a few things you could never imagine that will happen to you. For example, if a girl suddenly turn to you and ask: “When do you need me to return that book you lent me? I’m almost done but I’d like to read more, do you have any other books, like this, similar to this, others, whatever, anything is fine.” This sort of thing, definitely will make you puzzled.

五、神情恍惚

有人说女人喜欢一个男人总是有一种叫荷尔蒙的东西在作怪，这种女人身上分泌的物质，经常困扰着女士们不由自主地，不顾三令五申的一个劲地向喜欢的男人面前靠近。这时候还不能靠得太近，太近了，有被人怀疑男女关系不正当的嫌疑。太远了，又不能闻到那个男人身上散发的迷人男人气息。

所以，这样的距离很是让人模棱两可，就在这模棱两可中间，往往是神情恍惚出来主持公正。于是当你看见有人想一个女人说话时，她半天没有反应过来，正是此因作怪。

5. Trance-like expression

Some people say that whenever a girl likes a man, there is always something called hormones that will cause mischief, something secreted on a woman’s body, often causing trouble for women making them unable to control themselves. No matter matter how hard she tries, she will get closer to the man she likes. During this time, however, a girl can’t get too close or other people will suspect that their relationship isn’t proper. But if she is too far away, she won’t be able to smell that man’s mesmerizing scent. So, this kind of distance really makes things ambiguous, and in this state of ambiguity, a trance-like expression can be revealing. So when you see someone prompt a girl to talk and it takes forever for her to react, it is exactly that mischief at work.

六、关注打听

本来中国人一向喜欢打听别人的隐私，问问这家子怎么出乱子乐，问问那家子为何打架了。这不足为奇，但是当你的朋友告诉你，经常有人向我询问你的生活，打听你的信息和情况的时候，你千万不要总是人为这时别人在打听隐私，如果对方是个男人，可能说明他想打你的坏主意，破坏你。

但是如果是一个女人，柔弱女子的话，那么你的担心是多余的。那么这只有一种可能：她开始已经喜欢上你了。只是这样的喜欢还不太好说破，暗恋的前奏。

6. Attentively ask you questions

All along Chinese people have liked to ask about other people’s private affairs, asking about how this family’s kids got into trouble or why that family’s kid got into a fight. This is nothing to be surprised about, but when your friend tells you that there is often someone asking them about your life, your information and situation, you must not not always think this is just other people being nosy, especially if the other person is a man, because it may mean he has bad intentions and wants to ruin you. On the other hand, if it is a girl, a delicate girl, then your caution is unnecessary. With this, there is only one possibility: She has already begun to like you, only except she is not yet ready to say so, and is just a prelude to a secret love.

七、抛眉挤眼

使用过上面许多方式之后，女人开始拿出最致命的杀手锏 -抛眉挤眼 -这是女人经常惯用的一种杀伤力很大的功夫伎俩，让再厉害的男人也是防不胜防，俗话说：明传春情，暗送秋波。

每个女人都会用尽自己的浑身解数去紧紧抓住自己心中的那个白马王子，不惜千方百计地去追到手，花完了一切可以该花的消费。目的只有一个，用抛眉挤眼完成最后使命，虽然这是老生常谈的问题，但是有多少男人经得住这样的诱惑，回眸一笑百媚生，就是英雄也难过美人关。

7. Winking

After having used the many methods above, a woman starts to make use of a deadly weapon – winking. This is a an oft-used weapon of devastating power that women use, making even the most powerful men defenseless. Every girl will do everything she can to grab hold of her Prince Charming, sparing no effort and exhausting all her the resources she can spare. There is only one objective: to use her eyes to accomplish the final mission. Although this is an often-discussed problem, but how many men can take this kind of seduction? When a woman throws her head back at you like that, even a great hero would be distraught.

八、脸红害羞

如果说男人看到女人会紧张，会流鼻血是正常的见面礼。那么女人见到喜欢的男人会害羞的脸红，一直红到耳根，满脸绯红。恰似春天红透的番茄一样晶莹剔透，让你无限暇顾，充满眷恋之情。那么你这样就是绝对的上了女人的圈套了，因为《孙子兵法》上有一计叫 -欲擒故纵 -说的就是这个道理。

有时候，她可以一边退后，一边攻击你的防守最弱的地方，因为她总能从你的身上找到最佳的攻击位置，这是许多男人的纰漏之处。

8. A shy, red face

If we say a man gets nervous around a woman, that a nosebleed is a normal greeting gift he gives her, then a girl meeting a man she likes will be so shy that her face turns red, all the way to her ears, her entire face flushed, just like a bright shiny spring tomato making you full of sentimental feelings. You this way means you have absolutely fallen into women’s trap, because Sunzi’s “The Art of War” has a section that reads “Allow somebody more latitude at first to keep a tighter rein later on,” which talks about this very thing. Sometimes, she can fall back in retreat and attack your defenses’ weakest point at the same time, because she can always find your most weakest point on your body. This is many men’s biggest pitfall.

九、赠衣送物

等到时机成熟，女人总是会为喜欢的男人买点东西，有时会是一件T恤衫，有时候会是一件外套，还有男人最为看重的手表。手表是男人的象征的岁月虽然已经过时，但是在现在女人的眼里，手表还是很好的意见贵重的礼物，因为接受的手表的男人已经心知肚明的知道，只是一件不同寻常的礼物，里面有许多寓意。包括一片真情在手表，所以顺理成章的开始了。

所以说，女人适当的适时的送给男人一些东西，男人会明白你对他许多情意的。
9. Giving gifts
When the time is right, a girl will always give gifts to a guy she likes. Sometimes it’s a T-shirt, other times it might be a coat, or maybe that thing that men put so much importance on, a wristwatch. As a symbol of a man’s age a wristwatch has already gone out of fashion, but in the eyes of today’s women, it’s still a great gift, because the men who receive a wristwatch already know that it is a very unusual/special gift packed full of meaning. Because the wristwatch includes the girl’s true feelings, it will be very natural for the relationship to begin. So, when a girl gives a man the something at the appropriate time, a man will understand that you have great affection for him.

十、当面撒娇

女人撒娇已经说过好多次了，如果说这是一种很开放的女生的行为，好像有点剥夺其她女人的一种轻视，那么反过来说，如果你会在你的喜欢的男人面前撒娇，那么你已经足够开放。

同样的道理，撒娇的女人最容易让男人有怜悯之心，这时女人俘获男人最让男人不能拒绝的方式与打击形式。比如说：“咱们去吃饭吧！”然后带上一些爹声奶气的语气词。再不然，如果你拒绝，她就拉着你的衣服角，摆来摆去，说：“去嘛！去嘛！就一会儿的！”怎么样，最后你还是去了不是。
10. “Sa jiao” [behaving like a spoiled child] in front of you
Women who act like spoiled children has been talked about many times. If we say this behavior is the mark of an open/loose woman, it seems a little like depriving other women of being able to do this. To put it another way, if you act like a spoiled child in front of the man you like then you’re already quite open enough. On the same note, a girl who knows how to act like a spoiled child can easily get pity from a man. This lets a woman defeat a man’s best defenses. For example, if you say “Hey let’s go eat!” and then add in a few whiny baby-like noises. Or, if you refuse still, she’ll grab you and pull your clothes and say “Let’s goooo, let’s goooo, just for a bit!” so in the end, you’ll end up going after all.

Extreme Valentine! I do cherish you...

My beloved new... Developer G1.

It came in a UPS express box, delivered by the sexiest delivery boy, the F.

Finally after hesitating for months, and waiting for the USD to drop again, I held the box in my hands and then dropped it. Twice.

Who wants to bet how long will the phone last at my hands?

The minute I opened the box, I declared my love and eternal loyalty, to the phone, much to the chagrin of the F.







After I put in the prepaid card I bought later in the afternoon to register the phone and access the Internet, I discovered to my horror, that about S$2 was eaten in less than 25 minutes after connection. I was reminded of David Neiger's "Bill explosion: Google Android silently phones home" (5 Jan 2009) article I read about T-Mobile's G1 calling home (albeit from UK to USA) like ET, silently despite manually disabling data roaming, data sync and 3G. The article said that T1 Mobile G1 loves the Internet. Well, turns out Starhub G1 loves you too, Internet.

Now I have to stick to my emulator. For better or for worse (for my wallet). To think I used to bitch that the emulator takes hell of a long time to boot up? Well, the phone does that too. And it is plenty hot as well. Sucks. Worse than my enfant terrible Samsung.

Do we hate Leonardo Dicaprio or what? That lucky bugger!

This is who he is bonking while we are sad, lonely and preventing prostate cancer in the privacy of our miserable tiny bedrooms on Valentine's Day. And now I am really being cruel *muahahaha*. Happy V Day!

Saturday Munchies 5 - Pineapple dinos

I almost forgot that I made pineapple dinos the weekend before Lunar New Year. Being incredibly efficient (read: lazy) I bought 1kg of ready made pineapple filling at Phoon Huat for S$3.80.

Dudes, do I seriously regret making it myself, despite disliking the raw material (real pineapples). The pineapple filling does its job, at about 30% satisfaction. Too sweet, not enough tart and too much flour.

So I added the juice of half a lemon and shredded all its rind into about 0.5kg of the filling. In the meantime I made the dough using milk powder, egg, flour and butter (no sugar, filling being too darn sweet already). This is where I made my critical error, I mixed in the egg I was going to use for eggwashing the cookies, into the dough, making my dough wetter. I had to add in more flour and milk powder, resulting in a less buttery-tasting while still crumbly crust.

Notice I didn't use the traditional shapes, but shaped fat little curry puff- looking ones. I still prefer to call them my little Stego Dinos.

Betcha Ya Din Noe 1 - Cloud Computing???

Apparently Google and now $^@#! Microsoft's moving apps and data online is called Cloud Computing, likely rendering the OS a thing of the past soon. Note this includes web services :D. And here I thought it was only called "SaaS" (Software as a Service).

Updated!!!
Jon Ottsik mentioned in his article "Nebulous Cloud Computing" that Cloud Computing can also be termed as

1) Cloud processing.

To me, this is the foundational notion of cloud computing where businesses can rent MIPS (millions of instructions per second)-- a measure of computing capacity-- for computationally intense processing tasks. This is very attractive for basic research and should appeal to universities and small companies that can't afford supercomputers. Nevertheless, this will remain a niche market. On another note, didn't we call this grid computing a few years ago?
2) Cloud infrastructure.

Remember Exodus and Storage Networks? Cloud infrastructure is a more modern version of these Internet boom icons. AboveNet, Rackspace, and Savvis have been making money on basic hosting services for years, but most large companies still want control of their IT assets and are willing to over-provision to maintain control. Cloud infrastructure also brings up tons of privacy concerns, just ask computing godfather Richard Stallman. This area will also remain small.
3) Internal clouds.

The idea here is to set up an IT service and then chargeback for usage. While the cloud folks equate this to a utility services (i.e. simply plug and receive compute and storage capacity) this too is nothing new. Remember IBM's "autonomous computing" initiative? We are still a long way away from this type of simplicity.
4) Software as a service.

Everyone points to Salesforce.com as a model of success and it truly is. Beyond CRM, there are also plenty of successful SaaS offerings for e-mail, security, payroll, etc. Ten years ago, we called these folks ASPs and MSPs. Some, like Salesforce.com, were wildly successful, but most, like Jamcracker, are either ancient history or barely hanging on. This will be where the action is. Why dedicate capital budget dollars toward on-site e-mail security appliances when Google, Symantec, and Trend Micro can provide this as an operational service?

Read
CNET's article on "10 cloud apps that slam-dunk their desktop counterparts"
Definitive Guide to Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing Programming API Tutorial

Microsoft going to play on Cloud Computing without building a phone ??

Microsoft My Play Beta Site

TBBT 1 - Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

First learnt Sam Kass' new variant of the old "Rock Paper Scissors"on my new favourite show, "The Big Bang Theory".

Apparently if you know the other party well, it is likely you will end up in a draw 75 - 80% of the time. But even if people use RPSSL, I think they will still tie a lot, cos everyone wants to be Spock.