Archive for April, 2007

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A global Flickr community event is coming.

What happens around the world in one day? In a word: life.

On Flickr, members are sharing the world that they see: snapping daily moments, recording history, telling stories, capturing beauty. To celebrate this global community, Flickr invites us to join 24 Hours of Flickr, a day-long global photo project. On May 5 2007, grab your camera and whatever else you need, and chronicle your day in pictures.

Join the 24 hours of Flickr group and post your best photo exclusively taken on the 5th of May 2007 to the group.

The event will be commemorated by a companion 24 hours of Flickr book, which will contain a selection of photographs chosen from the group. Additionally, the group's photos will be featured at Flickr events around the world this summer.

Sources: 24 hours of Flick, Thai Flickr Meet
 

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logofon.pngAs advertising on Fon web pages says it :

  • At home you're a "Wi-Fi King"
  • Away you become a "Wi-Fi beggar" 
    (or sometime even a Wi-Fi thief)

    so, why not to

  • Share some Wi-Fi at home
  • and get free WiFi access wherever you find a FON Wi-Fi access point (+360'000 members worldwide)

 

 That's the concept of Fon Movimiento but you can find more details on Fon pages or Wikipedia.

Hardware requirement :  

One Fonera, an easy to configure and secured 802.11g wireless router, plus:
  • 2 SSID: one private WPA encrypted for your own access to Internet and an open one for FON members who will authenticate themselves to your AP via the FON website.
  • Setup how much bandwidth you want to share
  • Share safely and keep your own private connection.

Benefits :

  • Cheap wireless AP (with an "easy to get" voucher or invitation) : 20€ with shipping included.
  • You're a Linus and get free access to others FON Wi-Fi access points
  • You're a Bill and get 50% of the fees, currently $3.00, charged to Aliens (non FON members) for a day pass to connect through their route.

Risks :

  • Your ISP may not like it, even if on their side they sell unsecured access point. So, it's up to you.. ask your ISP if you can share your connection.. or don't !   

Installation :

  • Sign On Fon.com and order your Fonera
  • Once you have it, connect it to your Internet router
  • From your computer connect to the open FON_AP wireless network
  • Launch your browser, you're automatically transfered to fon.com pages.
  • Log On, change settings of your Fonera (password, SSID, WPA Key, etc..)
  • Restart the Fonera or wait 24 hours
  • Connect to your newly created wireless private network (by default named "my place").
  • That's it… the whole process took about 10 minutes. 

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htclogo.jpgHTC S710 is one of the first Windows Mobile® 6 devices to ship, and will be followed by a range of products based on the new operating system in the coming months.

In addition european owner of HTC recently launched “messaging” products such as the HTC Advantage, the HTC TyTN, the HTC S620, the HTC P4350 as well as the HTC P3300 will also benefits of Windows Mobile 6 as they are entitled to free Windows Mobile 6 upgrade.

The upgrade will also be available for some of HTC operator-branded devices. 

The upgrades will be rolled out from June, in line with HTC operator partners’ strategies and will be available for download at: http://downloads.europe.htc.com.

Sources: HTC EuropeCoolsmartphone

 

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charger.JPGSanyo will release next month its first USB charger specially made for their Eneloop "ready to use" upon purchase rechargeable batteries.

The charging time is approximately 280 minutes for two AA size and 120 minutes for two AAA size batteries. The charging speed is doubled when users charge only one battery at a time.

 
The cable of the USB charger can be rolled up and stored within after use.
Dimensions : 93mm x 47mm x 17.5mm for 48g.

Eneloop are Ni-MH rechargeable batteries that can be used like a dry cell battery – ‘immediately after purchase" and later recharged up to 1000 times.

Sources : Ubergizmo, Sanyo

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Kao San Rd. This year, started on Friday 13 (when the Sun entered into the sign of Aries), Maha Songkran which is traditionally the Thai New Year. It is also known as the "Water Festival" as people believes that water will wash away bad luck. Thais traditionally celebrate Songkran like this:
 

  • On the eve of Songkran day, it's a Spring cleanup and people clean their house and burn all the refuse.
  • Early on the first day of Songkran, the people both young and old in their new clothing go to the Wat or monastery belonging to their village or district to offer food to the monks there.

  • In the afternoon of the same day there is bathing ceremony of the Buddha images and also of the abbot of the wat. After this begins the well-known "water throwing feast".

    The bathing of images is done as ritualistic ceremony, but it is no other than a New Year's purification. Younger people will also on this day or the succeeding days go to pay their respect to and ask blessings from their elders and respected persons. They will pour scented water into the palms of the old people and present them with a towel and other bathing requisites.

Now, as far as I could experience it on my own, in Bangkok, the "water throwing feast" did not wait until afternoon to start. At 11h00 I was already soaked head to toes while moving in direction of Kao San road. In addition of water, chalk is also widely used to make "blessings".

More about Songkran traditions: Thailandlife
My Songkran 2007 Photo Set is on Flickr

Nice Make-Up    Urban Beach   Kao San Rd.   Kao San Rd.
 

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swissA320.jpgA Swiss man, was convicted on 29th of March for 10 years in Prison on charge of insulting His Majesty the King by vandalizing His portraits during a drunken spree. 

Pleading guilty to five counts of lese majeste — the crime of offending the dignity of a sovereign — for defacing several portraits of His Majesty with spray paint in the northern city of Chiang Mai, the court has reduced his sentence to 10 years.

He could have faced up to 75 years in prison as Lese Majeste is a serious crime in Thailand.

On Thursday 24th of April, the prosecutor announced that His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej has pardoned the Swiss man. As a result, he will be deported from Thailand after his release.

A good news for this 57 year old guy and a good gesture which will hopefully be followed by others, as the actual political turmoil has seriously damaged the international image of the Kingdom.

Happy Sonkran ! 

Sources: The Nation and BBC

 

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mcfly.jpgThree months after the United States successfully pressed the United Nations to impose strict sanctions on North Korea because of the country’s nuclear test, Bush administration officials allowed Ethiopia to complete a secret arms purchase from the North, in what appears to be a violation of the restrictions, according to senior American officials.

Article continues in the New-York Times

Questions : 

  • May Kim Jong-Il have his new ipod now ?
  • Who will complain first when UN resolutions will not be followed and respected by most of its members ?  

Further reading :

  • United Nation Resolution 1718 : Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, but barring automatic military enforcement of its demands under the Charter’s Article 41, the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1718 (2006), which prevents a range of goods from entering or leaving the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and imposes an asset freeze and travel ban on persons related to the nuclear-weapon programme…continues

  • Leading by Example: How We Learn About Leadership, a Paper Presented at the NEIA Annual Conference, Sun Valley, Idaho – June 9-13, 2004. (NEIA = National Executive Institute Associates, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriff's Association).

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Based on proprietary network software, 802.11x wireless access points and a fleet of vehicles, including buses and motorcycles, First Mile Solutions proposed stored-and-forward Internet access to remote rural villages in the developing world.

How does it work:
The main location called a Hub is where there is a reliable  and preferably high-bandwidth Internet connection. From this place, subscribers within a radius of 5-15 km, can get Internet access, as it is the case with any Wireless Local Loop system.

First Mile Solutions technology has the ability to distribute Internet connection's bandwidth to the last 100km – the Village Area Network (VAN) – with relatively small infrastructure costs by installing Mobile Access Point (wireless connectivity and cached Internet content) on any vehicle (buses, motorcycles, boats…) which physically transports data to/from surrounding rural areas and automatically collects and delivers data wirelessly to/from access devices in each village. Internet kiosks are installed in villages along the road taken by the "VAN vehicles".

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Projects have already been deployed in India, Rwanda and Cambodia.

More informations :

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Do you have an idea about the place you live (the Universe) ?

  • 10E26 meter (13.7 billion light year) : The outer limit of the universe
  • 10E24 meter (diameter 6 millions light year) : A group of local galaxies
  • 10E14 meter (12 billion kilometer) : Our solar system
  • 10E10 meter (diameter 1.39 million kilometer) : The Sun
    ….
  • 10E0 meter (1.7 meter average) : The human (us)
    ….
  • 10E-2 meter (4-6 milimeter) : Black moutain ant
  • 10E-7 meter (40 nanometer) : Yellow fever virus
  • 10E-10 meter (100 picometer) : Hydrogen atom
  • 10E-15 meter (1 femometer) : Proton

    Have a look to this flash presentation made by Nikon.

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Source: Presse-Citron

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International Motorshow BangkokThe weekend was the grand opening of the 28th International Motorshow of Bangkok. The perfect opportunity to see how different such an exhibition can be here in Asia, as the only one I knew so far was the Geneva's one

The first surprise was to see where some exhibitors are located inside the exhibition hall. Imagine, just beside the prestigious british car maker Bentley you can find Carryboy (fiberglass hard tops & accessories manufacturer) and Club Car (golf cars & utility vehicle).

Then, come the real show…lots, but a lots, of pretty models everywhere. Normally (or I guess so), they are here to guide and inform potential customers on presented vehicles…nothing is less sure. In fact, I was wondering if cars were just there to serve as shiny background for the casting of new Southern Asia Top models (it's not a complain).

In South Korea, times have changed, and Korean design has advanced to the point where the need has waned to employ hundreds of pretty models at the upcoming Seoul Motor Show (6-15.4). Hyundai models will drop in number from 46 to 36, Kia is going from 44 to 36, and miniskirts and "sleeveless shirts" will be less prevalent in an effort to put more emphasis on the cars.

In resume, with global warming concern, if car sales go down and skirts stay up, the planet will be a better place to live (Monday philosophy!).

The Power of Dreams

 

Flickr Photo Set : Intl. Motorshow
Source (about Seoul) : Autoblog 

 

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