Had a quick thought on the Corby case and the recent arrest of the 9 (stupid) Australians who got caught in Indonesia drug smuggling even with all the publicity surrounding the Corby case.
The Australian government is pretty smart in letting the Indonesian arrest those caught smuggling heroin last week. They knew that Corby was going to get at least life imprisonment and there was talk about negotiating with the Indonesian's about letting her serve her sentence in Australia.
With another 9 people who could also face the same sentence, it gives the Australian government the ability to bargain more with the Indonesian in allowing ALL of them to serve there punishment in Australia. Their aim ultimately being to get Corby back to Australian soil as there is a lot of doubt as to whether she knowingly carried the drugs whereas for the 9 it is pretty clear that they are involved in drug smuggling (whether they did it willingly or not is in questions, but will be revealed as more information comes about).
"Corby and Bali nine could be sent home"
I was not kidding about the April snow...
Picture from our front yard.
Picture from our front yard.
Whatever you have or intend to buy, the IBM T-Series notebook has all that you would want in terms of functionality and value. Any computer can be upgraded with generic RAM or a larger hard disk and most computer companies will allow you to create any sort of configuration with any sort of processor. Same with the software, it is all the same and the differences lay with the battery life, keyboard functionality, form factor, back-up and security capabilities.
What does the IBM T-Series (e.g. T42) have over their competitors at the moment?
1) Form factor. The T42's dimensions are 31.1cm x 25.5cm x 2.6cm making it a nice compact and thin computer and weights in at 2.2kg.
2) Keyboard layout. The keyboad has function keys to adjust the contrast, sound, computer modes and also has backward-forward keys to make internet browsing easier. It also has both a touch pad and pointing stick so that you can decide whether you want to use either one or both.
3) ThinkVantage. The in-built security optional fingerprint reader is the first of its kind. Until now, you would have to install a separate device for this feature. It also has hard drive protection and a rescue and recovery system to back up your system and files if something fails. The other nice thing the T42 has is the keyboard light. It is just enough to allow you to see what you are typing.
The only problem I find, is the heat from the hard drive right of the touch pad. I don't know if other computers have this problem, but it means that you can't type for too long resting your palm on the front of the computer. Most computers will have heat from the processor, so that is normal.
All in all, IBM has managed to package everything extremely well into this computer. Unfortunately, they have not been able to make money from it, but with the sale of the PC business to Lovena, the new owners should be able to lower costs and still provide all these advantages for a profit. A win-win for everyone.
You may think that you are paying a lot for the privaledge, but if you try quote a system at Dell with the same specs, you are paying just as much and do not get the security features or the other ThinkVantage technologies. If you do not want all of these, they you can get a much cheaper system and buy additional hardware and software to protect your system.
What does the IBM T-Series (e.g. T42) have over their competitors at the moment?
1) Form factor. The T42's dimensions are 31.1cm x 25.5cm x 2.6cm making it a nice compact and thin computer and weights in at 2.2kg.
2) Keyboard layout. The keyboad has function keys to adjust the contrast, sound, computer modes and also has backward-forward keys to make internet browsing easier. It also has both a touch pad and pointing stick so that you can decide whether you want to use either one or both.
3) ThinkVantage. The in-built security optional fingerprint reader is the first of its kind. Until now, you would have to install a separate device for this feature. It also has hard drive protection and a rescue and recovery system to back up your system and files if something fails. The other nice thing the T42 has is the keyboard light. It is just enough to allow you to see what you are typing.
The only problem I find, is the heat from the hard drive right of the touch pad. I don't know if other computers have this problem, but it means that you can't type for too long resting your palm on the front of the computer. Most computers will have heat from the processor, so that is normal.
All in all, IBM has managed to package everything extremely well into this computer. Unfortunately, they have not been able to make money from it, but with the sale of the PC business to Lovena, the new owners should be able to lower costs and still provide all these advantages for a profit. A win-win for everyone.
You may think that you are paying a lot for the privaledge, but if you try quote a system at Dell with the same specs, you are paying just as much and do not get the security features or the other ThinkVantage technologies. If you do not want all of these, they you can get a much cheaper system and buy additional hardware and software to protect your system.
Great Gear
Crumpler Bags. Good quality bags with good design and will last a long time.
Krusell. Makes leather cases for cell phones, music players and PDAs.
IBM. For a good, durable, professional looking, and functional laptop, IBM does it pretty well. While the business has been sold to Levona, the brand will still be kept and the technology will still be developed to support it.
Dell. Inexpensive and good value. They also have good laptops too.
Good Restaurant
Ajishin. Excellent sushi and noodle bar. 42270 Grand River, Novi, MI 48375.
Crumpler Bags. Good quality bags with good design and will last a long time.
Krusell. Makes leather cases for cell phones, music players and PDAs.
IBM. For a good, durable, professional looking, and functional laptop, IBM does it pretty well. While the business has been sold to Levona, the brand will still be kept and the technology will still be developed to support it.
Dell. Inexpensive and good value. They also have good laptops too.
Good Restaurant
Ajishin. Excellent sushi and noodle bar. 42270 Grand River, Novi, MI 48375.
Spring?
If you can believe it, it is snowing at the moment...in the middle of APRIL! Just a week ago we were in the high 70s (25 deg C +) and suddenly we are back to the 30s (0 dec C).
Well, that is part of Michigan weather - 8 months of winter and 4 months of warm weather - the opposite to Singapore and definitely not Sydney.
They are expecting the tempurature to warm up to the high 50s by next week. We will just have to keep our jackets on I guess.
If you can believe it, it is snowing at the moment...in the middle of APRIL! Just a week ago we were in the high 70s (25 deg C +) and suddenly we are back to the 30s (0 dec C).
Well, that is part of Michigan weather - 8 months of winter and 4 months of warm weather - the opposite to Singapore and definitely not Sydney.
They are expecting the tempurature to warm up to the high 50s by next week. We will just have to keep our jackets on I guess.
Basic Tools For The Tech-Age
When the internet first arrived not too long ago, we were all happy with e-mail and reading the news. Today, we are able to do all these things faster and with an extremely broad spectrum of information. We can read the latest breaking news, buy cars and electronics, research companies, download music, and much, much more!
What are the essential tools we need?
Hardware
1) Laptop. If you are a home user and not a game player, a laptop is a good choice as it will give you portability and save you space on your desk. They are fairly inexpensive nowadays and have plenty of processing power. The important thing here is to get lots of RAM (min 512mb). This can significanlty increase your computers start up and ability to handle multitasking. (IBM, DELL, Apple)
2) Wireless Connectivity & Broadband. If you like to move around the house with your computer or have multiple computers, the best thing to buy is a wireless router. Combine this with a laptop with wireless capabilities and you can connect from anywhere inside and out. If you do decide to go out for a coffee, there are wireless "hotspots" that you can connect to (maybe for a fee). Broadband will in the future replace the telephone line as the communication porthole to your home. South Korea is already the leader in this and eventually it will be the norm. Data will be available 24 hours and there will be no limits on what you can download or upload. Prices should come down to make it affordable, but will take time. (D-LINK, Linksys)
3) Ipod (or MP3 Player). If you are a city dweller an commuting in everyday, having an iPod to listen to music, sermons, audio books, makes the trip go faster. Also with the internet and the introduction of the iPod, comes "podcasts" which are essentially news (TV/radio) or personal commentry that can be loaded to your iPod just like any other mp3 file. This now expands the capability of what you can use your iPod for.
4) Digital camera. Cameras have gotten cheaper and cheaper. You can buy a 3 megapixel camera for under US$300. If you want to share photos, this is one of the best ways to go. (Sony, Canon)
5) Mobilephone. The mobilephone will soon have the capabilities to handle all the functions of a PDA and a music player. Alternatively, we will have music, video and PDA functionallity all in one. Some hardware is already available with this, but it is still developing. Currently, I see this as a pure communication tool. Until data transfer fees are cheaper and the technology infrastructure and hardware capability faster, the need for having this is less of a priority. (Nokia, Motorola)
Software
1) Email. E-mail programs have come a long way. The web-based programs are good enough and with Outlook Express or some other free e-mail computer based software, there is no real need to spend anything unless you need to.
2) Photo Organizer. Adobe Photoshop Album or Picasa2 are two programs that are free and all that you need to get yourself organized.
3) Music Player. iTunes is the best that is out there at the moment. Easy to install and use, plus you can buy music from there and play it on your computer or iPod.
4) RSS. Pluck, RSSReader, and You Subscribe are three programs that bring together news feeds to one location so that you can select the headlines you want and connect to the internet to read. Your Subscription integrates with MS Outlook and also downloads podcasts to iTunes. It is the most integrated of the three, else you need to download iPodder to receive podcasts.
On-Line Accounts.
1) Hotmail.com/Yahoo Mail. Any web-based email account will do.
2) Blogger.com. This is the new way to communicate without having to set up a community. It is open for all to see, so don't write anything that you don't want the whole world to have the ability to know.
Putting it all together
How it all works now is that you begin your day by turning on your computer (from Hibernate mode) and glancing at the latest headlines from Outlook which has You Subscribe loaded. You have also syncronized your iPod to iTunes which has been loaded with the latests podcasts (also downloaded by you Subscribe). You then eat breakfast and head off to work listening to your iPod along the way.
You reach work and head out for lunch as it is nice and sunny out. You see a long lost friend, have lunch and take a picture together with your phone that has a camera on it. At the end of the day you reach home, set your iPod down to syncronize & recharge, download the photo you took at lunch, login to your blog and write about your day loading the photo to the internet and send a link to your old friend for him/her to read about in an email. (All this is done in the living room wirelessly connected to the internet via broadband).
Washington DC (Nov '04)
Last year, we drove over to Washington DC for a few days to get out of town and get some good grub that we do not get being out in the "back of Burke". Some of the delicacies included the standard Chinese food, sushi, and Spanish tapas.
Tapas in Washington DC
We went to the normal tourist sites - The Washington Mall, WWII/Korean/Vietnam War Memorials, Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, and Lincon Memorial, Capital Hill, White House - and overall had a great time there.
Last year, we drove over to Washington DC for a few days to get out of town and get some good grub that we do not get being out in the "back of Burke". Some of the delicacies included the standard Chinese food, sushi, and Spanish tapas.
Tapas in Washington DC
We went to the normal tourist sites - The Washington Mall, WWII/Korean/Vietnam War Memorials, Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, and Lincon Memorial, Capital Hill, White House - and overall had a great time there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)