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Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Sneak Out for PDA at NYC Club

11/21/2009 12:13:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

Thursday's official New Moon afterparty in New York was missing two crucial ingredients: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

While their castmates Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Elisabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed (with boyfriend Paris Latsis) partied at crowded Manhattan club The Box with the likes of Fergie, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr and Olivia Palermo, Pattinson and Stewart bailed for a more private night out.

"Rob and Kristen got wind of the scene at The Box from everybody else," a source tells Us. "They decided not to go. They were burnt out from all the media."

Instead, the couple ventured elsewhere.

First, they reunited with castmembers (including Taylor Lautner) at a more intimate, no-press gathering at members-only club Soho House. Pattinson (wearing a baseball cap) and Stewart (in tight jeans and a leather jacket) took "turns in the smoking room," an eyewitness says.

Next, Stewart and Pattinson made a break for it, leaving their colleagues behind. They arrived at another club, Avenue, around 1:30 a.m. and took a table on the mezzanine -- keeping a security guard close by for "more private time" a source says.

Among the small group joining the couple at Avenue was rocker Joan Jett (who Stewart portrays in the film The Runaways). Pattinson -- who is also a musician -- was particularly fond of Avenue's rock-heavy playlist spun by DJ Mike Nouveau. "Robert kind of sang along to the words in the songs he knew," including "Common People" by Pulp, an observer tells Us.

Adds another eyewitness of Pattinson and Stewart: "They sat very close to each other [and] looked very happy together. They chatted together the entire time." Their drinks of choice? Amstel Light for him, Belvedere Vodka for her. When the pair left around 3am, "they were holding hands," an eyewitness says.

It's their second night in a row savoring the Big Apple together.

On Wednesday, following talk show appearances, the pair joined a large group at downtown eatery Gemma. "They were giggling a lot, and sitting very close," an eyewitness tells Us, adding that Pattinson switched places "so he could sit next to Kristen."

New Moon premieres worldwide today. Despite poor reviews, the Twilight sequel has already set box office history, breaking all records for midnight runs with an estimated $26.3 million.

Sinofsky's Windows plan: More data, less testosterone

11/21/2009 12:13:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

While some have criticized Steven Sinofsky for being tight-lipped, the Windows boss insists that he is being prudent, not secretive.

"Everybody wants to know what's coming and what's next." But, he said, talking too soon, too early is actually a bad thing that just leads to frustration.

"You reacting to some nightly developer build isn't really productive to anybody," Sinofsky said in an interview at this week's Professional Developers Conference.

Sinofsky says that people don't want to show up to a restaurant and watch a potato being peeled and taste it half-cooked. For the same reason, he prefers to not talk about things until they are well, fully baked.

"It's hard to imagine what else you want to see while it's in progress," Sinofsky said. "I don't want to see the daily cuts of a movie. I want to see what the director thought at the end."

As a result, Microsoft didn't show Windows 7 until last year's Professional Developers Conference, just a year before the product was released. That's in sharp contrast to the prior version of Windows, which was first shown as Longhorn back in 2003. It ultimately suffered through numerous delays and significant changes before being released as Vista.

From early indications, Sinofsky would appear to be on to something. While Vista was largely panned by critics and shunned by businesses, Windows 7 has thus far had strong early sales and gotten high marks from reviewers.

It's some of the same philosophy Sinofsky took in his earlier days, when he led development of Microsoft's Office franchise.

"Normal people have stuff to do," he said.

That's also why he doesn't really look for public feedback until the software is largely done.

"We don't want feedback on a screenshot," he said.

Sinofsky shifted from Office to Windows in March 2006 and earlier this year added responsibility for the business side of Windows as well, becoming the unit's president.

He said his philosophy toward Windows really boils down to a single word--responsibility. "There's not another project in software to work on that a billion people use and we take that really, really seriously in the hallways of our dev team," he said.

Sinofsky also isn't one to be swayed by emotional arguments for or against a feature. If you want his attention--show him the numbers. He said he wants feedback, but he wants that feedback to "be based on data and not assertions or opinions or anecdotes."

During his PDC talk on Wednesday, he referred to the other approach as "testosterone-based engineering."

"It turns out we did a lot of things by that method," Sinofsky said. Often times, decisions on which features to include in the next version of a product were made that way. People, Sinofsky said, would basically just ask their friends.

"Let me get this straight," Sinofsky said. "You are going to ask your 10 friends who all go to Fry's and build their own gaming machines and that's going to be the way we decide which features go in the product?"

That, he said, "seems a little homogeneous. It seems a little limited in its reliability."

But these days, Microsoft has a better option, gathering lots and lots of data from real-world use. Quite often, he said, the data will show things that might not be intuitive to Redmond's engineers.

As an example, he showed a graph at the conference that showed the huge variety of graphics resolutions that Windows users were operating at, including a significant number with VGA-resolution displays. Folks in Redmond initially assumed they didn't really need to worry about such low-resolution screens.

True to form, Sinofsky was emphatically silent when my questions drifted toward the future. I asked whether we might see a beta of Internet Explorer 9 at Mix and he literally just sat there silent until I asked the next question.

Later on in the interview, the mere mention of Windows 8 got the same stone-faced glare.

"I won't ask you what's in Windows 8, but can you talk at all (about it)? You mentioned that you are a few weeks into designing IE 9," I said. "Are you a similar amount into Windows 8?"

Silence. More silence.

"I didn't say any of the words--Windows 8--those were all your words," he said. "Next."

Sinofsky did have some interesting things to say when I asked for his take on competitors like Google and Apple.

"You have to take it very seriously," he said of the competitors. "That's always, always true in the software world. In the software world it doesn't take a lot to have a dramatic shift in how people perceive you or how they act. It's just very important no matter what your perceived or real or measured share is at one moment, it doesn't take a lot to change it down the road."

Top Five Best Things About New Moon

11/21/2009 12:12:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Because The Twilight Saga: New Moon is probably the most highly anticipated movie of the year, fervent fans – whether on Team Edward or Team Jacob – are practically salivating at the prospect of seeing their favorite heartthrobs on the big screen once the movie opens Friday.

Find out the top five aspects to New Moon that fans can eagerly anticipate.

Jacob Black's Body: Photos of Taylor Lautner's amazing transformation from a scrawny kid to a rippling teen werewolf already have been making the rounds for months. But the first time Lautner rips off his T-shirt to reveal his muscled chest onscreen, the sight is still gasp-worthy. In fact, Lautner sizzles and smolders throughout New Moon as he walks the line between friendship and romance with Bella (Kristen Stewart). Though Bella's heart belongs to Edward (Robert Pattinson), Launter may steal Pattinson's heartthrob status right out from under his pale nose.

Bella and Edward's Reunion: When Edward comes to the (incorrect) conclusion that his love, Bella, is dead, he decides there is no choice but to commit vampire suicide. Of course, the only person who can save him is Bella. When she launches herself through a crowd and across a fountain in an Italian square to push Edward out of harm's way, the sparks that fly between the soul-mates are like fireworks.

The Wolf Pack: The actors who play Jacob Black's gang of strapping pals provide the perfect mix of teen tension and ferocious loyalty that exist between the group of guys who realize that one and all are actually werewolves. They snarl and yelp, tease and torment each other, and of course, fight together just like Twilight Saga author Stephanie Meyer describes in her series.

Dakota Fanning: She plays the pint-sized vamp, Jane, who wields a daunting power – simply by concentrating she can cause her victims to convulse in excruciating pain. She's not in the movie for very long, but when she focuses those red eyes on her targets and softly whispers, "Pain," everyone will squirm.

The Sense of Humor: While the Twilight series is based overwrought teenage angst, director Chris Weitz lightens the mood with some well-placed humor. Bella's human school friends provide comic relief. When one of them has to leave a horror movie because he's ill, Launter's character laughs and says, "What a marshmallow." And when a member of the wolf pack accidentally changes from human to werewolf right in front of Bella, another member quips, "Well, I guess the wolf is out of the bag."

Brin: Google's OSes likely to converge

11/21/2009 12:11:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , , 0 Comments

Google's dual-pronged operating-system strategy will likely produce a single OS down the road, according to Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Many Google observers were puzzled when the company announced plans for Chrome OS in July, coming amid growing acceptance of the company's Android operating-system project as a smartphone and Netbook OS. After all, why design an open-source operating system with the goal of reinventing the personal computing experience when you're currently developing another open-source operating system with the goal of reinventing the mobile computing experience?

Google executives, including CEO Eric Schmidt, have downplayed the conflict ever since, asking for time to let the projects evolve. And a few days after Chrome OS was revealed, Android chief Andy Rubin said device makers "need different technology for different products," explaining that Android has a lot of unique code that makes it suitable for use in a phone and Chrome has unique benefits of its own.

But Brin, speaking informally to reporters after the company's Chrome OS presentation on Thursday, said "Android and Chrome will likely converge over time," citing among other things the common Linux and Webkit code base present in both projects.

It's not clear when Google thinks it might want to merge the projects, but it seems to be eyeing a future in which the smartphones currently served by Android meld into the Netbooks Google has in mind for Chrome OS. Of course, Brin's vision might not necessarily be shared by all members of the Google management team.

"As Sundar [Pichai, Google's vice president of product management] said in his presentation, we're reaching a perfect storm of converging trends where computers are behaving more like mobile devices, and phones are behaving more like small computers," Google said in a statement in response to questions about how and when the two projects would merge. "Having two open source operating systems from Google provides both users and device manufacturers with more choice and helps contribute a wealth of new code to the open source community."



This also allows Google to pick and choose the best ideas to emerge from each project, setting up a bit of friendly internal competition to develop new operating-system technologies. The main difference is that while Android is a shipping product, Chrome OS is still very much in the research stage, with devices not expected until late 2010.

It's way too early to know how that pending convergence will affect development for the different operating systems, as it seems pretty clear Google is spending most of its time at the moment building out each one separately.

But Brin--no idle bystander--believes at some point, Google will emerge with one next-generation operating system.

Shu Qi turns down Zhang Ziyi film because of nude scene

11/21/2009 12:11:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Taiwanese actress Shu Qi has turned down a role in Chinese star Zhang Ziyi's English movie "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan".

Based on a novel by Lisa See, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" is jointly produced by Zhang, Wendy Deng, wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Florence Sloan, wife of MGM chairman Harry Sloan, and also stars the Chinese actress.

The movie tells a story about a community of women with bound feet living in a remote Hunan province seeking companionship from one another. As they developed close friendships, the women developed a secretive Nu Shu language as a form of communication and to keep their secrets from the men.

In the film, Snow Flower, who was supposed to be played by Shu Qi, develops a lifelong friendship with Lily (Zhang) and there is a nude scene which shows them writing on each other's chest in the Nu Shu.

Though baring all is nothing new to Shu Qi, a former soft-porn actress, she reportedly turned down the role because of the scene.

The Taiwanese star, who started her career in soft porn films, proved herself to be a credible actress after winning the Best Actress Golden Horse Award in 2005 and has no intentions of stripping unless she is really attracted to the script.

Hopefully, Shu Qi will not regret her decision.

Shu Qi famously rejected a role in Lee Ang's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which later went to Zhang and catapulted her to international fame.

Zhang is said to be disappointed with Shu Qi's decision and is now looking for an actress to replace her.

The film will be helmed by "Joy Luck Club" director Wayne Wang and shooting is expected to begin early next year in China.

Windows 8 in 2012?

11/21/2009 12:11:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Steven Sinofsky may not be talking about Microsoft's future Windows plans, but the Windows Server team appears to see more value in letting customers know its road map.

In at least two slides apparently shown at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles this week, Microsoft suggests that a major release update to Windows Server is due around 2012, with one of the slides confirming the Windows 8 code name.

I've asked both the desktop and server teams for more context on the slides, which were noted this week by blogger Stephen Chapman. A similar slide cropped up--that time in Italian-- in August.

For his part, Sinofsky sat completely stone-faced when I asked him in our interview Wednesday where Microsoft was at relative to Windows 8--later noting that he hadn't even used the word Windows next to the numeral 8.

"I didn't say any of the words--Windows 8--those were all your words," he said

The 2012 time frame would roughly coincide with Windows Server's plans of having a minor release every two years or so and a major release every four years. It released Windows Server 2008 R2, a minor update, earlier this year as the desktop team released Windows 7.

In recent years, Microsoft has tended to line up its desktop and server releases fairly closely, although in this case the desktop OS was probably a more significant release than its server counterpart.

Miley Cyrus Bus Crash Kills One; She Deeply Saddened

11/21/2009 12:10:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

A tour bus carrying the concert production crew of singer Miley Cyrus overturned in Virginia on Friday morning -- reportedly driver Bill Douglas. Nine others suffered minor injuries.

The Associated Press reports that Cyrus, 16, was not on board the bus when it flipped on Interstate 85, about 40 miles south of Richmond.

According to TMZ, the bus involved was part of a 4-vehicle caravan and included 14 passengers.

The bus apparently drifted off the road -- which was particularly wet from overnight rains. Authorities are not yet releasing the identities of those injured.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bill "Uncle Bill" Douglas. Members of our tour are like members of our family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family in the midst of this tragedy. He will truly be missed."

Miley Cyrus 'Deeply Saddened' by Lost Tour Member

Shortly after the family was notified, MIley Cyrus and her family shared their heartfelt support and prayers for deceased bus driver Bill Douglas.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bill 'Uncle Bill' Douglas," read a statement posted on the singer's Web site. "Members of our tour are like members of our family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family in the midst of this tragedy. He will truly be missed."

Douglas, 53, an Austin, Texas, native, was driving one of four buses traveling to Greensboro, N.C., where Cyrus is scheduled to perform on Sunday. Douglas's bus overturned on the interstate outside of Richmond, Va., on Friday, and he died at the scene while the nine passengers on the bus were able to exit through the front windshield.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation at this time.

Cyrus was not traveling with the group at the time of the accident. The singer instead had hopped a plane to Nashville so she could spend some down time at home before her next concert.

The 5 best and worst features of Google Chrome OS

11/21/2009 12:10:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Today, Google released the source code for Chrome OS and promised that devices will be shipping in about a year, in time for the 2010 holiday season. Chrome OS will run only on devices specifically manufactured for it and Google is dictating to manufacturers the hardware specifications. For instance, Chrome OS devices will be netbooks, will not include a hard drive, will have only solid state disks, will rely on specified WiFi chipsets/adapters for connectivity and must have full-sized keyboards, says Sundar Pichai, Google's vice president of product management.

Take a gander at Google Chrome OS10 great Google Apps add-ons for the enterprise

Google demonstrated a prototype of Chrome OS yesterday and invited the open source community to participate in its development. (It is available here: http://src.chromium.org/) Chrome OS is lauded by its makers as a completely new method of personal computing and it does have a number of features that are intriguing. On the other hand, the device, as envisioned today, is really another incarnation of a concept that has been around a long while, the thin client mobile Internet device.

On the plus side, Google has promised that Chrome OS devices will have the following five goodies:

1. Speedy boot-up, as fast as three seconds. A Chrome OS device will not store any applications on the device itself. Nadda, none, zippo, says Pichai. Likewise, it will include only the hardware, right down to the component level, that Google has approved in its hardware reference specification. The only applications it will use are those that can be run from the cloud in a browser, the Chrome browser, to be specific. One of the primary reasons for this is to speed up boot time. With no local applications and limited hardware, the device doesn't need to run through long checklist looking for devices and drivers, loading programs into resident memory and so on. It should turn on like a television, says Pichai. Flip a switch and the within three seconds browser should be available, showing the most recent browser windows.

2. Security by default. The portion of the operating system needed to operate the device will reside in a read-only section of memory. The rest of the operating system is integrated with the Chrome browser and, like the browser, security updates require nothing more than a reboot. Chrome OS can run multiple Web applications in multiple tabs and each one is locked down from all others, so a vulnerability in one Web app can't lead to exposure in another. User data stored on the device, which is minimal, is encrypted. User data is limited to items such as user preferences. All other data will be stored in the cloud. User preferences will also be synched to a cloud account, much like any thin client. Should you lose the device, you would merely log in from another one and your data and preferences should be there.

3. Support for both x86 and ARM architectures. Google promises that it will be writing native code for both popular netbook CPUs.

4. The application menu. As new Web applications come online tweaked for Chrome OS, Chrome OS will showcase them on a permanent tab it now calls the application menu. This will help users find new applications. Developers with new apps will find this an easier method to showcase them, too. Any Web application that runs in a standards compliant browser should work on a Chrome OS device. But Chrome OS is focused on supporting new protocols such as HTML 5, which, among other improvements, natively supports rich media.

5. A surprising way to support Microsoft Office. If you ask a Google executive any question involving Microsoft, you'll hear the cliche answer -- that they company thinks only of users and not of potential competitors. But in one of the giggle-inducing moments of Thursday's demo, Pichai, showed how Chrome OS would handle Office documents -- via Microsoft Office Live, the free Web app version of Office available to Windows Live users. If a user clicks on an .xls document, Chrome launches Excel via the browser in Office Live. "Microsoft launched a killer app for Chrome OS . . . and is working very hard to do that," he quipped.

But Chrome OS also has a number of downsides:

1. It is considered a companion device. Google doesn't claim that this Web-only device is useful in all cases or to all people and in fact thinks that most people who buy it will also own a full-fledged PC. As the device will be too big to be a mobile phone, people will also still need one of those. The big lesson of the iPhone's success is that people want devices that do it all -- and preferably with thousands of downloadable applications, too. Chrome OS devices will neither do it all nor allow applications to be downloaded to the client.

2. Vague support for working offline. The device is built for connectivity. The only way to work with apps and data offline is if the app developer builds some sort of mechanism into the app, supported by Chrome OS, says Pichai. Google was vague as to how this would be done, but presumably through Google Gears. Gears is the method used by Google Apps for offline access. Applications have to specifically support it and as of yet, few do.

3. Nope, Android applications won't work on Chrome OS devices. Android apps must be downloaded to the device so they are automatically not compatible with Chrome OS.

4. No options for choosing another browser. Chrome is built into Chrome OS. If you want Firefox, or (gasp!) Internet Explorer, you can't have it. However Google points out that Chrome OS is open source. This means that Mozilla or Microsoft or others can grab the Chrome OS code, develop their own Chrome OS operating system, integrate an alternative browser, and convince their own set of OEM manufacturers to build compatible devices. How likely is that?

5. Uncertainty about plug-ins and other methods of customization. As mentioned above, Google says it will lean heavily on HTML 5 for Chrome OS, which, among other attributes, uses a standardized rich media format. This makes it unnecessary to download proprietary browser plug ins such as Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight. Of course, few Web sites today use HTML 5. Interestingly, Google executives promised that Chrome OS would support Flash when devices shipped but they were evasive when asked about Silverlight, saying only that they would share more info on how the OS would deal with plug-ins at some point in the future. Users won't be able to install binaries, so this doesn't just leave Silverlight out in the dark. All plug-ins, widgets, applets and other popular methods for customization are stuck under in the same vague cloud.

2NE1 CL and MinJi takes Park Bom off #1 spot on real time charts with ‘Please Don’t Go’

11/21/2009 12:09:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , , 0 Comments

2NE1's Park Bom has been ruling the charts at number 1 with her digital single You And I, and Sandara Park's Kiss did just as well. But since then people have been wondering when group leader CL and the group's resident dancing machine Minji, will come out with their own respective singles. Well you fans need not wait any longer because the two are going to heat up the winter with a duet digital single titled Please Don't Go!

This of course is yet another production of one of YG's main producers, Teddy. To tribute the girl's fast hip-hop rhythm, he composed a track with a rap style that strongly pours out but still maintains a slick melody.

YG Entertainment said in an official statement, "Plans for 2NE1's future album were to be revealed this month, but this track was also a super secret project so we haven't even filmed a music video yet. It may be sudden but we hope that it will be a good present to all the loving 2NE1 fans." They also added, "They may be the youngest members but they have been practicing hard with the other two senior members watching over their practices closely and cheering them on. Even before debut, their raps, vocals, and performance potential were amazing so we have much faith that the results will be good."

Please Don't Go will be released on November 20th, and their first performance will be the very next day at MAMA on the 21st. They will also perform the song at the 2009 Spread the Love Concert on the 22nd.

Two Google Operating Systems May Become One

11/21/2009 12:09:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

Google co-founder says Chrome and Android could someday become a single OS. Chrome browser plus Android OS equals... Android.

It has been difficult for Google to explain away the seeming conflict between Chrome OS and Android.

Saying that Chrome is for the Internet and Android for devices, requires a belief that users actually make the distinction

They don't and Google knows it, but only co-founder Sergey Brin can say so.

In this case, it is the Emperor seeing his subjects' new clothes. Or the profound lack thereof.

Following the Thursday's Chrome OS announcement, Brin informally told reporters that the two operating systems were "likely to converge over time," but offered no specific timetable.

His remarks didn't seem important at the time and were briefly lost in the excitement of the new OS. Today, however, people who heard the remark realized Brin actually said something important. And it undermines the whole Chrome OS concept.

Brin cited the common Linux OS and WebKit browser heritage the two operating systems share as an example of forces driving them together.

During the presentation, other Google execs described a "perfect storm of converging trends" that somehow required it to develop and support two separate operating systems.

Maybe converging trends lead to converging operating systems? Could be, just ask Sergey Brin.

I had already wondered what the difference would be between Android and Chrome when installed on a netbook. Given the Chrome browser, wouldn't Android do all the same things Chrome could do, plus run Android applications?

Isn't that what users really want? A s opposed to an operating system only capable of running a browser and connecting to Internet-based applications?

It is easy to understand why Google wants to keep Chrome OS and Android separated in our minds: Chrome OS seems revolutionary, if a bit far-fetched. Android, by comparison, is the evolution of what are already doing.

In reality, Chrome OS is a subset of Android, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. It's the new Lite OS, faster and less filling.

However, merge Chrome and Android and you end up with Android.

It will be hard for Google to keep people from noticing what a good idea that is. An idea that in some ways cuts the legs right out from under a standalone Chrome OS.

'New Moon' poised for biggest box office day ever

11/21/2009 12:08:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is poised to break its second box office record in a single day.

According to four people who have closely watched ticket sales data today but requested anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information, the teen vampire phenomenon is all but certain to gross more than $67.2 million, the record set by "The Dark Knight" last year for the biggest single-day take at the box office.

By 5 p.m., the movie had already sold more than $50 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada. When evening shows are included, the total will likely be more than $70 million, the people said.

Given the huge amount of pent-up interest among fans, who are rushing out to theaters on opening day, ticket sales are expected to drop significantly on Saturday and Sunday. Nonetheless, a total weekend gross of more than $110 million is all but certain and more than $120 million is very possible. That would give "New Moon" the biggest weekend gross for any movie this year and make it one of the top five pictures of all time at the domestic box office, not accounting for ticket price inflation.

Ticket sales from the 25 foreign countries where "New Moon" is opening this weekend will almost certainly push the worldwide weekend gross to more than $150 million.

Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the "Twilight" films, will release an official total for Friday ticket sales on Saturday morning.

“Heavenly Queen” filming idol drama, drama team arrives at a small community in Binjiang.

11/21/2009 12:08:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 1 Comment

Zhejiang Online 20th November. I accidentally became a star-chasing fan. They are popular Taiwanese idols Chen Qiao En and Roy Chiu. There aren’t many owners who know this news and so filming proceeds quietly that day. Occasionally a few security guards will come to watch but they are turned away.


Location suits the drama story surrounding, director selects the community.

My home is in a small community in Binjiang. Yesterday afternoon, someone knocks on the door and said that they are from XXX television station. When I opened the door, it’s a man dressed in yellow. “Tomorrow we will be filming a drama series upstairs. There will be some noises that may affect you. Sorry for the inconveniences.” I was surprised. “Filming a drama series? What drama series?” Usually we see on TV where drama series are filmed and fans will go and watch. I never expected that a drama series will be filming upstairs at my home. The visitor politely answered me. “<<Jia Qi Ru Meng>>. The director is Shen Yi. He is the director of Qiong Yao’s <<Yang Yu Meng Meng>> and <<Yi Lian You Meng>>.” I asked again curiously: “who are the actors?”. “Chen Qiao En. Roy Chiu.”

I was thrilled. Chen Qiao En, she is the “little heavenly queen” of Taiwanese idol dramas. I asked him again. “Why do you choose our community?” “The director has seen this place and feels that it suits the surrounding in the story. The apartment upstairs is for rental. We have rented it for one month from the owner, gave the walls a paint brush and put in some furniture. Later, the whole community may be used for filming. “I was secretly delighted. Our community has been selected as a drama filming location. I suddenly realized that the noises from upstairs the past few days come from the renovation work done for the drama set.”

First day of filming, our corridor is very quiet.

Yesterday morning at 7:30 am, the drama team arrives at the community. There are four vehicles: two vans, one minibus and a car. The actors were in a Ford Mondeo that has no license plate and looks very new. The minibus was filled with people.

The male lead is very tall. He has very long hair and wears a yellow colour coat and sports shoe. I didn’t see the female lead.

We couldn’t contain our excitement and so in the afternoon, I and two security guards went upstairs to see them. The whole corridor was very quiet and at the door a very bright lamp was shining. Two workers are resting by the door. When they saw us, they put up their finger and said “hush”. “They are filming an emotional scene inside. Be quiet and don’t ruin the actors’ moods.” A worker said, “Today the whole day we are filming the lead actor and actress, Chen Qiao En and Roy Chiu. This morning we filmed them entering the door, therefore we must light a lamp.”

I discovered that the room’s door was not closed completely and there’s a cable leading to it from outside. The worker told us that it’s because the electrical load required for filming is very high and household power supply cannot support it. The cable is connected directly to the generator downstairs. The generator is in the minibus used by the drama team.

Soon a worker comes out and quickly took a mop inside. Another worker said: “The floor gets dirty very easily. The floor is new. I don’t know why it gets dirty so soon.” When the door opened, I grabbed the chance to enter and see the place. There are many people in the room, at least twenty to thirty people inside. The setting has just been changed to the living room from the bedroom. The decoration style of the living room is simple, wooden sofa and beige cushions. I was soon asked to leave. I heard another worker said that they will be filming until nine plus at night.

Not worried with baby at home, the drama team has introduced themselves.

I kept thinking about the drama filming and so rushes home after working. The security guard said: “It’s been very quiet today. Only people from the drama team come in and out to take this and that from the car. The actors never come out.”

The owner said that it’s the drama team who approached them first. They helped the drama team find the owner of apartment 702. The drama team paid the rent for one month and even paid for some additional costs.

I meet the neighbour in 701. His family is the most affected because there are many people from the drama team and they are always going in and out causing noises. In addition, he has a nine month old baby in the family. But I didn’t see any signs of unhappiness on his face. He said that somebody from the drama team has already visited him a few days ago. They are also worried about waking up the baby and promised to keep their noise level down as much as possible.

At 6pm, some of the workers start eating near the entrance to the building. Some squat on the ground, some sit on the stairs and some sit on newspaper. An owner who lives on the second floor came up from the underground car park and was startled by the eating scene on the first floor. “Why are they eating here?” When I explained that they are filming a drama on the seventh floor, her face becomes cloudy.

How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual machine

11/21/2009 12:07:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments



Itching for some Chrome OS? Well, we all are, but you might be a bit disappointed at the fact that while Google has open-sourced its progress on the OS so far, the version that is currently available for download seems eons behind what Google showed off at its event yesterday. Still, if you just have to see it for yourself, the good news is that it's a total breeze to get a virtual machine running. We used a VMWare image that was packaged up by the kind folks at gdgt, and set it up with VMWare Fusion running on a recent model MacBook Pro. Your mileage may vary depending on your particular setup (there's also an image available for the free, cross-platform VirtualBox software), but the principles should remain the same. Check it out on video after the break.


Watch Steps Via Pics: download a version of VirtualBox

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PS: U can download via my site down2.info

YouTube pulls a Hulu -- yanking API access from Popcorn Hour (Update: Google responds)

11/21/2009 12:07:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



Hope you weren't enjoying watching YouTube on the television screen via Popcorn Hour and other set-top boxes, as they have been given notice by the newly 1080p and network TV-friendly website that they are no longer welcome to access its content. The new Hulu-ish Terms of Service (section II, item 10) restricts API clients from the ability to "use the YouTube API in connection with any API Client created for use on television set top boxes, television game consoles, or video screens packaged and marketed as television sets;" according to Popcorn Hour COO Alex Limberis this applies to all with the exception of "a few strategic partner's Google has singled out" -- PlayStation 3, Wii, TiVo, Panasonic, Samsung and other licensed hardware is safe.

Update: After speaking with Alex we've got a better view of the situation -- as is clear from the TOS, manufacturers streaming directly via the API as Popcorn Hour did are no longer welcome without cutting a seven figure check to license access. Google did offer to allow continued access via its YouTube XL interface, but for devices like theirs not built around Flash, that possible solution proved to be technologically unfeasible. Obviously these changes apply to all, but as of yet we're not aware of anyone other than Popcorn Hour that has been contacted directly about it.

Update v2: After the break is Google's response, stating Popcorn Hour and the like have been in violation of the above TOS for over a year, from its perspective, this is a simple matter of defending its rights from "video scraping technology." As we mentioned above that means most are in no danger of losing access, but fans of these media streamers will have to live without it, until either YouTube can control the experience or the manufacturer pays up.
Google's statement:

Since July of 2008, YouTube's Terms of Service has restricted implementations for televisions based on our APIs. YouTube has been in active discussions with various developers on how best to implement YouTube on set top boxes and TVs. There are several companies, however, that have deployed solutions, like video scraping technology, to circumvent the rules and violate YouTube's Terms of Service. Companies that have negotiated agreements to use our APIs, like TiVo, Sony, Panasonic and PS3 are not impacted.

Hong Kong singers are big winners in 9th Global Chinese Music award

11/21/2009 12:06:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments



The 9th Global Chinese Music Award Ceremony was held in Beijing two days ago. It was organized by Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong Radio. Among the 20 award categories, Hong Kong singers scooped 17.5 awards. Eason Chan and Joey Yung got the best male and female singers award. Hins Cheung and Khalil Fong got the most popular singer-songwriter awards. In all Eason and Khalil have got 4 awards each. Joey also got "Asia 5 strongest singer award" as well as "Golden song award". Charlene Choi got the "Asia 5 strongest singer award". Huang Xiaoming has got the 'Multi talented performer" and "Most popular male singer" award and Jason Chan also got "Asia most outstanding singer (HK)" award.

Jennifer Lopez Really, Really Loves Her Louboutins

11/21/2009 12:06:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Jennifer Lopez's newest single, "Louboutins," has conveniently been leaked on the Internet just days before she's scheduled to perform it on this Sunday's American Music Awards—perhaps in an attempt to give viewers at home ample warning?

The song finds J.Lo expressing frustration over a lover who clearly isn't giving 100 percent of himself to the relationship. Why, then, is she taking it out on us?

Case in point: The chorus contains nothing more than the line "I'm throwing on my Louboutins," repeated not once, not twice, but eight times. Multiply that by the number of times the chorus is recited (four) and we get 32 reminders of the particular brand of designer footwear Jenny from the Block is going to use to walk out on her man.

The track begins with the singer insisting, "I'm taking back my love." Personally, we wish we could take back the last three minutes and 49 seconds.

Game developer cuts back on Android in favor of iPhone

11/21/2009 12:06:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

Apple's iPhone platform has attracted a wide range of developers, including many gaming companies over the last year. While competition in attracting developers is increasing among mobile operating system companies, it seems the performance of the App Store will keep Apple at the top of list.

French mobile gaming company Gameloft said at an investor conference on Friday that it is cutting back its investment in Android in favor of the iPhone, according to a Reuters report. Gameloft's finance director Alexandre de Rochefort said "many others" were doing the same thing, although he didn't mention the other companies by name.

Rochefort said the main reason for choosing the iPhone over Android was "due to weaknesses of Android's application store."

"It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone. Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue," said Rochefort.

Gameloft has more than 75 games available in the App Store and Rochefort said they sell 400 times more games for the iPhone than they do for Android.

Games are a big focus for Apple, especially with the release of its newest iPod Touch in September. It was there that Apple began comparing itself to the gaming elite like Nintendo and Sony.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said during the event that the buying experience was "too expensive" and "not a lot of fun." Schiller also pointed out that, at the time, there were more than 21,000 gaming titles on the iPhone, compared to 3,600 on Nintendo, and 600 on Sony.

Earlier this month, Apple said it had more than 100,000 apps available with over two billion downloads.

Dell sells Motorola Droid for $119 with contract; $80 less than Verizon

11/21/2009 12:05:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Dell Mobility is now offering Motorola’s hot new Droid smartphone for $119 with two-year contract.


That’s $80 less than you’ll pay if you walk into a Verizon store and purchase one.

The deal is only available online. (Other recent smartphones that received a price drop: Palm’s Pre and Pixi, which are now available for $79.99 and $24.99, respectively.)

The difference between those phones and the Droid? Palm’s hardware hasn’t been moving off shelves quite like the Droid has.

If I had to guess, I’d say Motorola and Verizon are making defensive moves to try to keep units moving all the way through the holidays.

That also means the Droid is just $20 more than the HTC-made Droid Eris, also on Verizon. That phone has been called the best Android deal on any carrier — but with the Droid this low, I think that title’s up for grabs.

BEAST to perform Big Bang's Lies on MAMA; female rappers assemble for MAMA special stage

11/21/2009 12:04:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , , 0 Comments

Although rookie group BEAST has been closely associated with their sunbae 2PM in the past for their self-declared beastly image and their performance of Again and Again, the six-member group is attempting to mimic a different male idol group for the 2009 MAMA.

Despite the sharp distinction between BEAST and Big Bang, the boys have agreed to deliver a special performance of the latter's hit song Lies on Mnet's award show. Netizens are especially curious to see how Jang Hyun Seung will fare as he almost debuted with Big Bang, but was eliminated at the last minute.

BEAST's agency stated, "All the members have always enjoyed Big Bang's music so they came to an agreement on performing Lies. They are afraid of ruining Big Bang's stellar live performances so they have been staying up rehearsing all night."

A representative added, "On the night of MAMA, we heard Big Bang's G-Dragon and Taeyang will be performing on stage as well. (Jang) Hyun Seung said, 'After we perform to Big Bang's song, I want to receive an evaluation from the hyungs.'"

Female rappers assemble for MAMA special stage

With its opening date just around the corner, another wild stage has been announced to decorate the inaugural night of MAMA - but this time, it's all girl power.

This special stage will be performed by a group of k-pop's resident female rappers, including Yoon Mi Rae (Tasha), Miryo of the Brown Eyed Girls, Ha Joo Yeon (Baby J) of Jewelry, and Hyunah & Jiyoon of 4minute.

Of course, with their infamous rapping skills that have rocked the k-pop scene of 2009, there is no doubt that this stage will truly be the best.

A representative revealed,
"These girls have been practicing for a very long time for their special stage on 2009 MAMA. It's finally time to show their 21 days of pure hard work."

Another representative added,
"Yoon Mi Rae is truly the best female rapper in Korea. When the girl group members heard the news that they will get to rap with Yoon Mi Rae, all of them were very nervous. These nervous girls spent day and night to train themselves for this stage. They really poured their efforts and even made their own rap lines. Please look forward to this awesome stage."

“Sweetheart” Attacks the Chest; Wet Piggy Strikes Out Bulging ----- Lee Wei Follows Rescue Mouth to Mouth, Very Generous

11/21/2009 12:04:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Show Luo (Xiao Zhu) and Rainie Yang is filming CTS idol drama <Hi My Sweetheart>, and as the filming gets closer to an end, their relationship is getting closer and topics for discussion is getting spicier. Yesterday, this drama filmed a scene of Show in the water and Rainie bravely rescues him. In the urgent situation, she held onto Show’s right chest; her hands even moved around his nipples. Rainie said, “Ah, it’s very bulgy, very hard!” However, she later explained that it’s due to the cold water.


<Hi My Sweetheart> was in Zhu Dong to film a scene of Show in the water and Rainie jumps in to rescue him. Show admits that he has mysophobia. The lake’s water looks clear but has an extremely foul odor. He is like taking a bath in dirty water, and because when he fell in he had a couple gulps of water, he ended up throwing up after coming back on land. He kept on rinsing his mouth and can’t stand his whole body to be so dirty.

In <Hi My Sweetheart>, Rainie is the “mean girl.” She openly admits that she’s too much into the character. Off-screen, she stills glares at Show and is very mean when speaking to him; though, she still thinks he’s very handsome. As they filmed this drama, their relationship has progressed a lot and when filming kissing scenes, sparks show up. Fans even left messages on Rainie’s blog, apologizing to Rainie’s ex-boyfriend, Alien Huang (Xiao Gui), saying “We think Rainie and Show is a better match as a couple!”

One water scene, Lee Wei becomes very fortunate. To save Show, he has to perform CPR on him, creating a “male-male kiss.” He has never kissed a guy before and the director shouted “Please enjoy.” He tightened up, closed his eyes shut and did it. His expression was so funny that Rainie laughed saying, “Lee Wei is in such pain that lines on his face exploded out!” After “kissing” Show, Lee Wei was asked what it felt like, and he said, “That sense of touch, the taste wasn’t bad. He drank some lake water, but I didn’t smell any weird smell.”

Chrome OS - The good, the bad and the ugly, and how it fits in with Windows, Mac and Linux

11/21/2009 01:08:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , , 0 Comments

After yesterday’s Google Chrome OS announcement I’ve had a little time to think about Google’s vision for the OS and how it fits in with Windows, Mac and Linux.

The Good

There’s a lot I like about Chrome OS because it sound different enough and radical enough to maybe get people thinking a little differently about what an OS is and how it relates, how to secure it, how it interacts with the hardware and how the user interacts with the it. Certainly the way that Google plans to make Chrome OS speedier and more secure shows that there’s been a lot of out of the box thinking going on.

Note: What was interesting at yesterday’s announcement was that during the Q&A session at the end how many of the tech press questions and comments seemed to want to drag the project back from being radical and make it into what we already have,

For example, take changes to the boot sequence …



… verified boot …



… and how easy it is to re-image the OS following malware or corruption …



There’s also tight integration with Google’s massive array of online apps. Now, depending on how you view Google this can either be a good thing or a very bad thing. However, it’s hard to deny that a machine where all your data and settings are synced to the cloud for both storage and security is a very interesting way to mitigate data and system loss disasters. The idea that your data isn’t tied to a particular system is interesting, and the idea that all local data is encrypted is also very interesting.

I also like the fact that Google has made the project truly open source and is allowing outside developer involvement. Actually, I think it’s been done at exactly the right time too - some of the framework has been put in place, but now the project can evolve. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.

The Bad

It’s not all good stuff.

First, Chrome OS is basically one big Google vehicle, pushing Google’s online services. If you like Gmail, Docs and so on, great, if you don’t, well, Chrome really isn’t for you. That’s not to say that you can’t use other online services for some things, but overall Chrome OS ties you into Google in many ways.

Another problem is that Google isn’t looking at Chrome OS as software, but as netbooks loaded with Chrome OS as products. Sound familiar? Yeah, sounds an awful lot like Apple. It sounds like getting Chrome OS to run on standard desktops, laptops and notebooks isn’t a priority for Google, so people wanting to take the OS for a spin will need to do some legwork. That said, the OS is open source, so people are free to tinker and make changes. But at the announcement there was a lot of talk of OEMs and reference hardware, so this isn’t an OS that you download and install to replace your current OS.

Note: Google isn’t touting Chrome OS devices as a desktop replacement, more a web-based “companion” device.

The Ugly

Chrome OS sounds like it revolves heavily on having near constant access to the web, which even today with WiFi and 3G networks, isn’t always possible. Google seems to be building in features that allow you to use Chrome OS devices standalone, but this sounds like it caters for rare instances when the device is not hooked up to the web, rather than long periods.

Also, since Chrome OS is so reliant on Google web pass, if/when Google Docs of Gmail or Voice of whatever has a bad day, you’re left twiddling your thumbs.

Then there’s the fact that all this stuff is untested. Even with a year to go until we see Chrome OS on hardware, things could go horribly wrong. There’s plenty of scope for bugs, security issues and data loss.

How Chrome OS fits in with Windows/Mac/Linux

It’s interesting that Chrome OS doesn’t represent a direct threat to Windows, Mac or Linux because the OS can’t be downloaded and installed onto existing systems. However, given that Google is earmarking netbookesque form factor devices to get the Chrome OS treatment, this still means that Google could capture market share from both Windows and Mac, especially those looking for a simple, fuss-free web-based solution.

Bottom line is price. How well (or badly) Chrome OS does seem to me to be down to how much the devices will cost. If they’re priced on par with Windows-based netbooks then it’s hard to see how to make it relevant enough to gain critical mass. But if the price is right, then who knows what might happen.

Michael Dell sticks to Windows 7 big bang theory

11/21/2009 01:08:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Dell chief Michael Dell is projecting a Windows 7 upgrade cycle that could put PC growth “well into the teens.” What’s unclear is whether Dell will be able to grab a bigger share of the revenue pie or be outmaneuvered by rivals like HP and Acer.

Following the company’s disappointing quarter, Dell executives said the timing of the Windows 7 launch hurt revenue and earnings. That’s why Dell’s third quarter results fell short of expectations.

On a conference call, Dell executives sounded upbeat about the fourth quarter and the fiscal year to come.

When asked about the potential for a PC replacement cycle that would be above the 10 percent growth rate usually expected, Michael Dell said:

I would not be surprised to see it well into the teens. I think there is an aging installed base for sure. You just have an accumulation of new technologies at the hardware, software, virtualized client and these IT managers really know they cannot extend the life of these client assets forever. While I don’t think it is all going to occur at once, I think it will be a rolling refresh that occurs over perhaps 18 months, I can’t remember a time when a very high percentage of them skipped an entire operating system. So what we remind them, and they know this, Windows XP is eight years old. So yes I think it is going to be a pretty possible cycle.

Next question was about the corporate upgrade cycle and Dell’s market share. Will Dell go for the earnings or the market share?

We think we are holding or gaining share in the right kind of price points. Our efforts on the cost side should expand our ability to profitably compete in a larger portion of the price points. What I would also tell you is that the pipeline of client opportunities we are already seeing more client activity in the last 30-60 days than we have in a long time and the pipeline for client activity kind of going forward into next year is the strongest it has been in a long time as well. So if I look at our commercial businesses the second quarter was kind of a bottom. The third quarter was certainly better. October was the best and November will be better than October. So the length of the turn is good.

Analysts seem to buy Dell’s vision for the PC market pop, but question whether the company will hang with the competition. Barclay Capital analyst Ben Reitzes wrote in a research note:

We believe this earnings report will raise some concerns with investors, given Dell’s revenue trends are tracking well behind competitors in PC’s and even storage. Also, the quarter demonstrates significant margin volatility despite a $4 billion plus cost savings program. We continue to have long-term business model concerns for Dell but we do acknowledge that the company has a large exposure to corporate PCs which should see a pick-up in mid to late 2010. We continue to prefer HP and Apple for PC exposure (and) gaining share.

TVXQ 3 Members: “We Never Signed The Shenzhen Concert Contract”

11/21/2009 01:07:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

“The Shenzhen Concert Note of Confirmation, we never signed it ourselves.”

Three members of group TVXQ stated that an unauthorized use of their signatures was used for the documents relevant to the Shenzhen concert. Xiah Junsu, YoungWoong Jaejoong, and Micky Yoochun’s representative stated on the 19th that, “We realized only recently that the signatures of the three members of TVXQ were being used without authorization. The signatures on the Shenzhen concert note of confirmation were not signed by the three members themselves, but somebody else signed the paper instead.”

The three members side found out about the unauthorized use of their signatures on the note of confirmation after their Korean and Chinese fans questioned the validity of the signatures. The note of confirmation in question was the document that recognized the singer’s willingness to attend the concert in China. This document was then shown at the location of ticket sales in order to prove to ticket buyers that the singer would indeed be attending the concert. Sejong Law Firm’s Lawyer Lim Sang Hyuk of the three TVXQ members stated, “Setting aside the validity of the Shenzhen concert contract, this act was an action that brought misunderstanding to the fans. We are planning to take counteractions against this action officially.”

Sejong also released a hand written document of Mr. A who says he signed the note of confirmation instead. He also showed the actual signatures of Xiah Junsu, YoungWoong Jaejoong and Micky Yoochun to show that there were clear differences in the signatures. according to the hand written document, Mr. A “Signed the Shenzhen Concert note of confirmation instead of TVXQ in March.” Mr. A’s claims are to be investigated.

Lawyer Lim stated, “On the 19th, we requested for a judgment by an expert on the signatures on this note of confirmation and the members’ original signatures. Even just by seeing it, you can tell that there is quite a big difference.”

He also said, “When this lawsuit was initiated, the three members promised to perform all preassigned activities. However, the Shenzhen concert was not one of them. The members found out about the Shenzhen concert during the procedures of the lawsuit.” He also said, “Even the fans new that there was a problem with the signatures on the note of confirmation. Therefore, we asked SM to show us the details of the Shenzhen concert contract but SM did not comply.”

One representative of Korean music industry, “In the case that the singer in an agency is busy, there are times when a representative signs the papers instead after telling the singer of the concert or the schedule.” This representative also stated, “When the relationship between the agency and the singer is good, there are no problems . In such a case, I believe that it has become a problem due to the deteriorating relationship between SM and the three members of TVXQ.”

Google Chrome OS VMWare image, full install available (Video)

11/21/2009 01:07:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Seriously, how awesome have the past few hours been? Engadget turns the design stakes up to 11, Google finally dishes the dirt on Chrome OS, and now you can even download the forthcoming software to have a fiddle with yourself. It's completely free, though you'll need VMWare running atop a Windows, Linux or OS X installation to make the magic happen. Naturally, we've been considerate enough to provide download links for everything you'll require at the source below, so get those fingers clicking. We've already successfully installed the browser-based OS and will soon be sharing our own hands-on thoughts, but if you beat us to it, spill your insight in the comments below. We do read 'em, you know.

Well, we've had a chance to have a quick and dirty snoop around Chrome OS and our early conclusions are rather predictable. This really is a browser with an OS attached rather than vice versa. You get your tab-based navigation up top, and the focus is of course on the internet, with minimal option buttons on the far right and app launchers at the top left. Unfortunately, in order to access the more interesting apps, one requires a Google.com login which we do not have, so we were stuck gazing at only the Gmail and Calendar applications. They act and function much like their online counterparts, but for the significant lag and choppiness that may be attributed to the still very early stage of development or the fact it's running on a virtual machine.

We didn't manage to find any bugs as such, aside from somehow losing the aforementioned pair of apps on our second login, but that could've just been due to our own fumbling with the VM software. One thoroughly pleasing thing to note is that the "machine" booted to the login screen in under 10 seconds, and we were ready to browse the web within another five -- quite a feat already, and if paired to an equally smooth and responsive experience inside the OS, this could completely obliterate quick-launching browsing software like Splashtop.

Rest assured we'll be doing our utmost to get access to the full, albeit still skeletal, Chrome OS experience, and as soon as we can take a look at the rest of the apps on offer, we'll do a more in-depth analysis. Stay tuned.






First Johnny's Sports Fest in 5 years

11/21/2009 01:06:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Koichi vs Kamenashi! First Sports Festival in 5 years


Johnny's Jimusho announced on the 19th that its 'Johnny's Selects Sports Festival', where many of its talents gather to participate in events like baseball, will be held in Tokyo Dome on 13th December.

Johnny's Sports Festival was held annually in autumn from 1990 to 2004. This one will be a Kantou vs Kansai showdown. Domoto Koichi (30) will lead the Kansai faction as its captain leading talents like Uchi Hiroki (23) and Nakayama Yuma (15) on his side. Kamenashi Kazuya (23) from KAT-TUN captains the Kantou side with Taguchi Junnosuke (23), Morimoto Ryutaro (14), Fujigaya Taisuke (22) and others on his side.

Other events include a relay and a mini-concert. The event is restricted to fan club members. Admission fee is 3500 yen and attendance is capped at 45,000.

SNSD’s first solo concert sold out in three minutes

11/21/2009 01:06:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

SNSD's first Asia tour will stop at its first stop in Korea on December 19th and 20th at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul.


The tickets went on sale today and it was sold out in 3 minutes! How crazy is that? A fan commented, "I was only a few seconds late but it just said SOLD OUT."

I guess your chances are up. I hope the lucky fans who managed to get tickets enjoy their time.

Just in case you haven't realized, this is a warning for the Chinese and Thai fans that are going to purchase tickets soon... get ready for the chaos!

Internet Explorer 9 to sport GPU acceleration and HTML5 support

11/21/2009 01:05:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments



Even if you don't have a favored fighter in the browser wars, you have to admit Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been looking mighty unfit over the last few years. Younger and fitter contenders like Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome have arguably overtaken the old stalwart, and now Microsoft is making some much-needed noise about fighting back. The software giant has been giving developers and curious journalists a very early peek into its IE 9 progress at PDC, with its stated ambitions including faster Javascript (see table above), HTML5 support, and hardware acceleration for web content. By harnessing DirectX and your graphics processor, the new browser will offer improvements in text readability and video performance, as well as taking some of the load off the CPU. Development has only just got under way, mind you, so there's still plenty of time to screw it all up. Or make it awesome.

Nokia N900 drops to $480 on Amazon

11/21/2009 01:05:00 AM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



The N900's US retail price of $649 is a steep barrier to cross without the carrier subsidies negotiated in Europe. But what if we told you that Amazon has cut the price to $530 minus another $50 (after mail-in rebate) for a $480 take home price? Not bad for an unlocked ARM Cortex-A8 handset with excellent browser, 32GB of flash, 5 megapixel camera and an enthusiastic Maemo development community hellbent on making this the greatest device ever known to mankind. No, not by ship date (which is presumably any day now) but by 2012 if things go according to plan.

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