"You are either with us or you will kill yourself!"
Would this happen if the prat wasn't re-elected? Conveniently announced after the election.
Other news:
They died for oil, says family of of dead. Heartless goverment states that families anger are not justified if their childrens are dead! Spin was applied immediately when remark proved extremely unpopular.
Saturday, November 6, 2004
Friday, November 5, 2004
Apple forces users to upgrade
In move usually associated with Microsoft, Apple has surprised many of its early adopter customers by forcing users of old versions of iTunes to upgrade to its latest version if they want to continue purchasing music online. It also means users of third party add-ins on their old iTunes would find most of the plug-ins unable to operate on the new version.
Why would anyone still want to purchase an iPod is beyond me. It only supports the old MP3 format as well as AAC (MP4). Where is the WMA support? What about the open source and free of royalty OggVorbis? And its not even pretty!
There are way better digital audio portable players out there than the Apple iPod. At a cheaper price too. And longer battery life.
Source: CNet
Why would anyone still want to purchase an iPod is beyond me. It only supports the old MP3 format as well as AAC (MP4). Where is the WMA support? What about the open source and free of royalty OggVorbis? And its not even pretty!
There are way better digital audio portable players out there than the Apple iPod. At a cheaper price too. And longer battery life.
Source: CNet
Labels:
Apple,
Reality Distortion Field
Wednesday, November 3, 2004
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Inglorious Bastards won't be Quentin's next film
Quentin Tarantino has announced his next film will be a kung-fu based shot in Chinese Mandarin language and not as expected the World War II movie, Inglorious Bastards.
He is also planning to shoot a second version of the film, dubbed with a deliberately out-of-synch English soundtrack.
I am a fan of all of Tarantino's works including Kill Bill. While I can't wait for Inglorious Bastards to be released hopefully in 2006, I don't mind another mainstream kung-fu flick. Hell, I enjoyed Kill Bill's kinetic action far more than most Hong Kong kung-fu films released over the past few years.
Hopefully this would be old school kung-fu without all the 'artistic' crap that began with the overrated Crounching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And I do pray he would get a real martial arts veteran like Donnie Yen rather than casting a fat bloke to play the hero (Chow Yun-Fatt). And please stop the trend of flying over water and trees nonsence.
The proposed second version in English in in my opinion is rather stupid. Chinese movies should be Chinese movies and not created to be English dubbed. Basically all foreign movies that are dubbed in another language is unpalatable. Its plain unwatchable and should be banned because it creates headache for people watching them. Don't mind subtitles.
There is almost zero information regarding the movie cast, release date, plot or location so I would only speculate on what I hope. I have a gut feeling we will see Pai Mei (of Kill Bill). The film would shot in mainland China with the same Chinese crew he used for Kill Bill: Volume II. It would be old school kung-fu that does not have any aesthetic or artistic rubbish in it.
I am still waiting for a proper sequal to the Jet Li Vs Donnie Yen fight in Once Upon a Time in China II (Hero does not count - it was too cheesy).
Source: BBC News
He is also planning to shoot a second version of the film, dubbed with a deliberately out-of-synch English soundtrack.
I am a fan of all of Tarantino's works including Kill Bill. While I can't wait for Inglorious Bastards to be released hopefully in 2006, I don't mind another mainstream kung-fu flick. Hell, I enjoyed Kill Bill's kinetic action far more than most Hong Kong kung-fu films released over the past few years.
Hopefully this would be old school kung-fu without all the 'artistic' crap that began with the overrated Crounching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. And I do pray he would get a real martial arts veteran like Donnie Yen rather than casting a fat bloke to play the hero (Chow Yun-Fatt). And please stop the trend of flying over water and trees nonsence.
The proposed second version in English in in my opinion is rather stupid. Chinese movies should be Chinese movies and not created to be English dubbed. Basically all foreign movies that are dubbed in another language is unpalatable. Its plain unwatchable and should be banned because it creates headache for people watching them. Don't mind subtitles.
There is almost zero information regarding the movie cast, release date, plot or location so I would only speculate on what I hope. I have a gut feeling we will see Pai Mei (of Kill Bill). The film would shot in mainland China with the same Chinese crew he used for Kill Bill: Volume II. It would be old school kung-fu that does not have any aesthetic or artistic rubbish in it.
I am still waiting for a proper sequal to the Jet Li Vs Donnie Yen fight in Once Upon a Time in China II (Hero does not count - it was too cheesy).
Source: BBC News
How to replace your Zaurus's original ROM with OpenZaurus
Just bought one of those very cheap and nifty Sharp Zaurus of eBay and not happy with Sharp's Linux distribution?
This site will guide you on replacing the ROM image on the Zaurus and replacing it with another Linux distribution called the OpenZaurus. You can choose from two GUI - GPE or Opie or you could go for a Bootstrap without any GUI installed.
Source: Linux Journal
This site will guide you on replacing the ROM image on the Zaurus and replacing it with another Linux distribution called the OpenZaurus. You can choose from two GUI - GPE or Opie or you could go for a Bootstrap without any GUI installed.
Source: Linux Journal
Labels:
Linux
Monday, November 1, 2004
Want a mp3 player?
Want a digital music player that is capable of playing mp3 as well as displaying photos? Well, check out this tiny Archos Gmini 400, it is cheaper than a iPod and has a nice colour screen capable of not only displaying photos, but also playing DivX videos and games. It only weighs 160g, has a 20Gb harddrive and a 2.2" LCD display capable of displaying 18-bit colour. It even comes with a built-in Compact Flash slot. Along with ancient mp3 format, it is also capable of playing audio files in wma and wav format as well as XviD and Mpeg4 video format.
Want a portable PVR? Why not get the Archos AV400 series? The AV480 comes with a large 80Gb harddrive capable of recording up to 320 hours of TV programs from your TV, VCR, DVD player, cable or satellite receiver. The battery has enough juice for 4 1/2 hour of video playback though the large 3.8" LCD display with 18-bit colour support. Video format supported includes Mpeg4, XviD and DivX. It is quite heavy at 320g but still portable enough.
Can't get Archos in your country? Then go for the new iRiver H340. The H340 does not support video playback, but it does have a nice 2" LCD screen capable of 18-bit colour. The screen can display both texts and images (jpg and bmp). It does not come with any memory card slots but you can still transfer images from your digital camera directly through a USB cable (the H340 has USB host functionality). The battery life is rated at 16 hours. And to top it off - it has built-in FM radio which you can use to listen AND record straight to your player. The 40Gb player supports mp3, wma and OggVorbis audio format. They also sell the cheaper H320 version which has a 20Gb harddrive.
Don't need stinking colour? Just want a portable cheap digital music player with high battery life? Then get the excellent Rio Carbon which has 5Gb capacity. The Carbon even looks way better than its rival - the bland Apple iPod Mini. It only supports mp3 and wma, but is capable of going on for 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. And better yet, it is cheaper than the iPod Mini making it an excellent value for money.
Is audio quality far more important? Try the Rio Karma then. It has a 20Gb harddrive in it, 15 hours of battery life and capable of playing the excellent audio format - the OggVorbis. The interface is excellent and is the design is a true marvel to friendliness.
Want a portable PVR? Why not get the Archos AV400 series? The AV480 comes with a large 80Gb harddrive capable of recording up to 320 hours of TV programs from your TV, VCR, DVD player, cable or satellite receiver. The battery has enough juice for 4 1/2 hour of video playback though the large 3.8" LCD display with 18-bit colour support. Video format supported includes Mpeg4, XviD and DivX. It is quite heavy at 320g but still portable enough.
Can't get Archos in your country? Then go for the new iRiver H340. The H340 does not support video playback, but it does have a nice 2" LCD screen capable of 18-bit colour. The screen can display both texts and images (jpg and bmp). It does not come with any memory card slots but you can still transfer images from your digital camera directly through a USB cable (the H340 has USB host functionality). The battery life is rated at 16 hours. And to top it off - it has built-in FM radio which you can use to listen AND record straight to your player. The 40Gb player supports mp3, wma and OggVorbis audio format. They also sell the cheaper H320 version which has a 20Gb harddrive.
Don't need stinking colour? Just want a portable cheap digital music player with high battery life? Then get the excellent Rio Carbon which has 5Gb capacity. The Carbon even looks way better than its rival - the bland Apple iPod Mini. It only supports mp3 and wma, but is capable of going on for 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. And better yet, it is cheaper than the iPod Mini making it an excellent value for money.
Is audio quality far more important? Try the Rio Karma then. It has a 20Gb harddrive in it, 15 hours of battery life and capable of playing the excellent audio format - the OggVorbis. The interface is excellent and is the design is a true marvel to friendliness.
ITV3 launches today
For those with Freeview DVB-T, re-tune your box today and you can receive ITV's newest channel. It would be broadcasted on Freeview 34 as well as ntl8 & 118 and Telewest 116.
Film Review: Finding Neverland
Well I went to the cinema on Halloween night expecting to watch The Grudge but it was sold out. Instead it was Finding Neverland then.
Ah Johnny Depp. He was excellent in the last film I saw him in - The Pirates of the Caribbean. Kate Winslet was not so in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The first 10 minutes of the film was fine. Then the 'Scottish' accent kicked in. It was very weird watching an American actor trying to speak in another accent other than their Hollywood one. I had a feeling that Johnny Depp could have pulled a better accent out of his tongue but was asked to speak in a slower gear as not to confuse the untrained American ears who are expected to pay to watch this. I pulled a bunch of reviews from the internet and most weren't disturbed by the accent. In fact the only people who noticed that the accent was weird were British reviewers. Am I correct in stating that this film (and his accent) was targeted at an American audience? I think so!
The next one hour was tedious to watch. Here you have a guy, who was ignoring his beautiful wife (and sleeping in a separate bedroom), hanging out with a widow and four kids (the true story has five children) everyday. You could see if this was happening in today's modern society, the playwright J.M. Barrie who Depp's plays would have been arrested immediately and sent to prison or tagged for the rest of his pitiful life. I felt that the scene where his wife Mary was 'caught chatting' with another guy was deliberately inserted to shift the blame to her.
In any case - this film was very fake. The story was obviously based on a true story, but truths has been distorted as with most Hollywood films. Some of the flaws are more apparent than others such as Barrie actually knew the Davies's family long before Sylvia became a widow. But even so, even if the flaws were not real flaws - the film as a whole was disturbing. The acting was average at best - and certainly not worthy of Oscar consideration. The whole Sylvia-Barrie relationship should not have took center stage.
Yes the film is a fictional version of what was a true story. I wished Hollywood would stop doing such things like rewriting the history. If they wanted to tell a story about a playwright who befriended a family - then do so - but do not base it on real people who once live.
But even if the issue of straying away from the real truth does not matter to the viewer (it did not to me at first), Finding Neverland totally lack substance and direction. You would really need to be in fantasy land to be able to digest this film properly.
4/10
Ah Johnny Depp. He was excellent in the last film I saw him in - The Pirates of the Caribbean. Kate Winslet was not so in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The first 10 minutes of the film was fine. Then the 'Scottish' accent kicked in. It was very weird watching an American actor trying to speak in another accent other than their Hollywood one. I had a feeling that Johnny Depp could have pulled a better accent out of his tongue but was asked to speak in a slower gear as not to confuse the untrained American ears who are expected to pay to watch this. I pulled a bunch of reviews from the internet and most weren't disturbed by the accent. In fact the only people who noticed that the accent was weird were British reviewers. Am I correct in stating that this film (and his accent) was targeted at an American audience? I think so!
The next one hour was tedious to watch. Here you have a guy, who was ignoring his beautiful wife (and sleeping in a separate bedroom), hanging out with a widow and four kids (the true story has five children) everyday. You could see if this was happening in today's modern society, the playwright J.M. Barrie who Depp's plays would have been arrested immediately and sent to prison or tagged for the rest of his pitiful life. I felt that the scene where his wife Mary was 'caught chatting' with another guy was deliberately inserted to shift the blame to her.
In any case - this film was very fake. The story was obviously based on a true story, but truths has been distorted as with most Hollywood films. Some of the flaws are more apparent than others such as Barrie actually knew the Davies's family long before Sylvia became a widow. But even so, even if the flaws were not real flaws - the film as a whole was disturbing. The acting was average at best - and certainly not worthy of Oscar consideration. The whole Sylvia-Barrie relationship should not have took center stage.
Yes the film is a fictional version of what was a true story. I wished Hollywood would stop doing such things like rewriting the history. If they wanted to tell a story about a playwright who befriended a family - then do so - but do not base it on real people who once live.
But even if the issue of straying away from the real truth does not matter to the viewer (it did not to me at first), Finding Neverland totally lack substance and direction. You would really need to be in fantasy land to be able to digest this film properly.
4/10
Labels:
Reviews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)