Heroes recap

While the rest of us continue to follow Hiro's love triangle plight in Asuka Japan, the BBC will be broadcasting 'Company Man' tonight (9pm, BBC2). This was an important milestone in the first series of Heroes where the viewers were finally brought up to speed with Mr. Bennett's shady background and his history with The Company. If you were always wondering whether Mr. Bennett is a villain or a good guy be sure to catch 'Company Man' tonight as Jack Coleman gives one of his best performance yet as HRG.


Meanwhile for those who likes to keep up to date in the Heroes world will find that Mr. Bennett has returned to his good old habit of smacking people up in 'The Line'. Old habits die hard I guess. Glad to see that, despite his rebellious and ungrateful daughter, he is still willing to be the ultimate bad ass in order to protect his family. In what is a complete reversal to last season's plot, we also find that The Tooth Fairy in which he seeks to destroy isn't all what it seems. Oh and we have another "save New York" mission, this time instigated by Peter. My money is this new calamity will be caused by Maya.

Sony DR-BT10CX Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones review

The Sony DR-BT10CX Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Headphones set is a recent gadget that I acquired. It is actually a gift from Jennifer. So let's see how it fares.


It comes in a typical Sony packaging with environmentally unfriendly plastic on the front and recyclable paper card box forming the backside. The content includes the Bluetooth headset itself, a charging cradle, AC charger that connects to the cradle, replacement earbuds, European guarantee document and manual. I found it odd to receive a cradle with such a device when almost all manufacturers are cost cutting by excluding such a useful peripheral. Kudos to Sony for doing something right here.


The wireless Bluetooth headset is made up of two parts. The main body which contains the Bluetooth 2.0 receiver and lithium polymer battery. It supports A2DP profile as well as the headset (HSP) and hands-free (HFP) profile. The second part are the in-ear phones itself which looks like is based on a mid-range passive noise-cancelling Sony Fontopia MDR-EX71 with 9mm drivers. The earphones are connected to the receiver with a short 11 inch cable and is none replaceable. Yep. If the cable happens to break, swapping the earphones out for a new one is not an option. Unless one is willing to solder in a new one, the BT10CX is disposable. Sony should have done the decent thing and equip the receiver with a 3.5mm headphone jack.


The receiver is huge (around the size of a small Creative DAP) but very light. On the front (where the tacky chrome line exists) is a multi function button that controls various call functions, and two status indicators. A microphone hole exists on the edge of the front. The volume buttons as well as the power buttons are on the top of the unit. On the back is a slightly fiddly clip which angle can be adjusted. Unlike some more expensive Sony Ericsson A2DP headsets, the BT10CX does not contain a LCD display for displaying among others caller ID and track titles.


Getting it to work is easier than I anticipated. The following example is based on Windows Mobile 6 with Microsoft Bluetooth stack, but is a similar process to other A2DP devices by Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Just press the BT10CX power button down for a couple of seconds until both status lights are blinking. Then navigate to the Bluetooth application on whichever device you want it paired to. In the case of Windows Mobile just go to 'Settings -> Connections -> Bluetooth' and 'Add new devices...'. Follow the instructions and make sure 'Wireless Stereo' profile is selected. Once that is done a headphone icon will appear on the status bar indicating that the device is successfully paired with the headset.


The sound quality is excellent. Not on par with listening through good quality wired 'phones like the Sennheiser CX300 but still beats listening through cheapo headphones. I booted up Windows Media and the dreamy Koichi Sugiyama soundtrack of Dragon Quest VIII was streamed perfectly. Similarly watching Mononoke-hime on CorePlayer exhibited no hissings or hangups. In real world situations stuttering does affect playback through Windows Media but that is more to do with a device's processor limitation than the headset itself.


Personally listening to music sans-wires is a slightly overrated, though it does have some positive scenarios where it may prove handy. For example I can tuck my phone into somewhere more discreet and safe while listening to music on the Tube. A driver can use this to listen to both music and have a hands free kit ready. And a keen cyclist like me can finally listen to music without having to worry about dangling cables that could get me killed!

Despite its size and the lack of neck loop, I love the freedom it gives me (up to 10 feet away until it breaks off). The sound quality is better than I expected and the battery life seems to be pretty good (Sony quotes 11 hours). There are drop outs during real world usage (which I have to stress is a problem with the host device and not the receiver) but after I fiddled with the bitrate the drop outs became a rarity. Sound fidelity isn't a problem with these type of activities as background noises often mask any imperfections. The BT10CX is currently being discontinued to make way for newer Sony Bluetooth headphones so you should be able to grab yourself a bargain now.


Update: I switched from the default Windows Media 10 player to HTC's Audio Manager and found no more skipping despite playing the very same files. Similarly when playing Ogg files via the freeware GSPlayer produced no such skipping. Me thinks the Windows Mobile team should attempt to optimise the default media player because it, in its current state, sucks.

The BT10CX is available here

street logos

This is a birthday gift from RichardAM, who sent this through my Amazon Wishlist. Many many thanks mate! Incidentally it was this very book that caused me such grieve, but fret not another parcel containing another gift was among the Royal Mail screw up. Woo-hoo!


It is street logos (1st revision) compiled by Tristan Manco and published by Thames & Hudson (so you know the paper quality is good). Not many know it but I am a huge fan of urban art (mainly stencil graffiti), the good one I mean. Obviously I don't do graffiti myself (it is illegal you know) so the extent of my involvement in it merely is to admire the art and to read about the recent commercialisation of the movement.


This book is filled with not-too-useful but still informative tidbits on the ever changing landscape of street art especially regarding the movement away from typographical graffiti to iconography based. Did you know that Space Invaders invading your clean city is conceived by an anonymous Parisian? Yeah. And he calls himself 'Invader'.

street logos is a perfect coffee table book companion to the admirers of (good) street art as well as the trendy who would not dare make the pilgrimage trip to Bristol.

Music Review: Interpol - Our Love to Admire

I am a huge fan of Interpol ever since I was given a copy of Turn on the Bright Lights a few years ago. It should not be surprising that many critics still consider their debut full length album as one of the defining moments of indie rock. Controversially I think it is better than Hot Fuss, Silent Alarm and The Decline of British Sea Power combined. Their second album Antics continued the perfection, albeit in a more cheerful manner, and was just as well received that for three years I looked forward to the suited one's third album.

Our Love to Admire was released a few months ago but due to lack of time (I was moving) I only had the chance to finally listen to it properly over the last couple of weeks. And I am glad to report that the New Yorkers do not disappoint. Their brand of post-punk revival laced with darkness isn't apparent any longer. The change is similar to when The Killer's Sam's Town when compared to Hot Fuss. Our Love to Admire is certainly different to Antics and Turn on the Bright Lights and takes time to adjust, but after a couple of listens it just hits you that this is Interpol and it is good.

Production quality is superb and sounds are pleasingly crisp clean, which isn't surprising considering the producer's Rich Costey indie experience (which includes Muse's wonderful Black Holes and Revelations). The sound of confidence is definitely present as are the ever increasing detail. The album is more 'radio friendly', but is less 'poppier' than say, some of Muse's recent offerings or say Bloc Party and Arcade Fire. Our Love to Admire as a whole is more downbeat and slower as the Six Feet Under wannabes try something different. Rest assured that for most part the majority of tracks tread familiar ground with even more bass melody and choppy guitar thrown in for good measures. Lyrics are however more positive and less gloomy.

The album opens up with a rather meekly "Pioneer to the Falls" that happens to be one of the weakest song in the album, sort of like a slow version of "Evil" but fans will almost immediately be reassured by the Paul Banks vocals. Fortunately Interpol manage to pull through and the next couple of tracks starting with "No I in Threesome" are awesome. "No I in Threesome" for example of a classic Interpol song. The patented upbeat and energetic style continues into "Heinrich Manoeuvre" which apes fan favourite "Slow Hand" from Antics. I understand that "Lighthouse" and "Wreaking Ball" aren't fan favourites but I love both. They reminds me of the melodramatic "Stella Was a Diver...". Not the same obviously but equally in its epic'ness.

Our Love to Admire isn't a genre defining album, but fans of "Evil", "Untitled" and "PDA" will be delighted as there are plenty of classic Interpol sparse and choppy guitar in this, plus new sound to those open minds who prefer experimentation. The record may be more accessible, but it isn't any less admirable.

Royal Mail useless as ever

Arghhh. Just received a "Sorry, you were out" card left by the postie. The card notes that the parcel will be kept at a Royal Mail depot that is located six miles away despite two other depots nearer, as well as a local Post Office just a 10 minute walk away.

Update: Apparently the depot is a local one some three miles away. They actually printed the wrong address, but the correct postcode, on the calling card! Lucky for me I typed the postcode into TomTom and found out the right address. Those monkeys.

Nevermind. Went to CeX to get rid of some old junk but they did not have "enough money". Apparently they do not have enough cash in store because they spent most of their cash flow into buying an Iphone and 40" Bravia telly last week. Both were still on sale a week later, most likely because no sensible people would pay for a last-gen phone with next-gen price or purchase a 40" HDTV from dodgy head bangers. Weird business model they have there.

Herr Thio Li-ann

Professor of Law Thio Li-ann yesterday gave a rousing homophobic speech at Singapore's parliament against homosexuals, which would have made a dead guy (whom shall remain nameless to prevent the invoking of Godwin's Law) very proud. As a straight guy I was appalled to read her tantrums, laced with name calling and insults towards homosexuals, and feel disgusted at the way she labelled my gay friends.

But I am not surprised by her diatribe. Singapore is a country that actually prides itself to be backward thinking and until today, was illegal to have oral sex even among consenting heterosexuals. I mean people were actually applauding her nauseating rhetoric, which to me, contains absolutely no valid arguments whatsoever that homosexuality is detrimental to society.

Her "because I am right" ramblings include some kind of assertions to protecting human rights, but at the same time she contradicts herself by supporting a law that criminalised homosexual behaviours between consenting adults. In the same speech she also made reference to the bible and koran, believing that by decriminalising homosexuality would be the same as criminalising the two scriptures of yore. And yet she made no mention of other religions such as Buddhism, which gives no opinion on what sexual orientation humans should choose to participate in. But I will let her views on religion slide as I am pretty biassed on the subject...

There are comedy moments of course, like any speech condoning hatred. Her comparing conservatives to environmental conservation was a highlight LOL moment. Another one is her ironic belief that sodomy is a dirty act and yet she did not come out against the legalisation of anal sex between heterosexuals. Plus her "there are no ex-blacks, but there are ex-gays" statement was just so nonsensical it is actually hilarious. There are after all African American 'honorary-whites' during the Apartheid. And who can forget Michael Jackson?

Nobody was asking her to give homosexuals special rights. They were just asking for their activities to be decriminalised. I just find it so sad that a law professor can stoop this low giving a speech that a ten year old racist red neck could have written.

Anyway, five quid bet here that Thio Li-ann may be secretly in the closet. It will certainly go a long way in explaining her weird behaviour.

Hiding Behind Rhetoric: A Rebuttal of Thio Li-Ann

Badger culling

I find it strange that badgers are now being made a scapegoat for the spread of bovine TB among livestocks by farmers and DEFRA. Not really strange, but rather disgusting actually, mainly because bovine TB is a cattle disease that begins with poor agricultural practice by the farmers themselves. This whole killing to solve problems attitude is silly and pointless as I am sure badgers and other mammals like deer, foxes and wild boar exist in Europe mainland. And they do not have a problem with TB. Or Foot and Mouth. Or any major disease problems with their livestocks. And here I thought we are living in the 21st century where inoculation should not be a problem.

*sigh*

Next thing we will be culling humans. We after all probably carry and pass more diseases than these poor creatures and probably not as useful too. But I vote that any culling should begin with inept farmers and the people who runs DEFRA. And especially that "chief scientist".

Efficasoft GPS Utilities for Windows Mobile impressions

This software was recommended to me after I complained to a friend of the lack of advance GPS features on Memory Map. The software I am using is the Pocket PC version and is compatible with Windows Mobile 2003, 5.0 and WM6.


GPS Utilities is a fairly simple program. It does not even come with maps, POI or waypoints. Those are easily obtainable online from resources like Multimap, Digimaps or Google Earth. Not that I care about those as I already have digital Ordnance Survey maps for use on Memory Map. The software supports a range of compatible Bluetooth GPS receivers as well as built-in NMEA compatible chipsets through serial.


At a glance GPS Utilities provide the user with a range of useful information such as co-ordinates, altitude, current speed, course and the statistics of satellites locked onto a GPS receiver. Perfect for geotagging photographs during bike rides. A digital compass is also available.


dThe ability to export the Track Logger file to .kml format and view it on Google Earth should be great for people who still own paper maps or for those who are travelling overseas. You can also convert the logs to GPX compatible files, which can also be used on Garmin devices.


I haven't given the software much testing but so far I find this application to be 'dumb proof', and the soft buttons UI works well during trekking though at times use of stylus is necessary. Unfortunately some key features important to logging are missing such as the ability geotag photographs or notes on my device. I will be trying out more applications in the next few weeks, both freeware and shareware to see what is best for those.