ghannielle - 26

My Macro Wish List Lens ! :D

2010-04-06T09:20:00.001+08:00

Tokina Telephoto 100mm f/2.8 AT-X M100 AF Pro D Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Saving up some bucks to be able to buy this excellent lens. I've read some reviews regarding this lens, although not a Canon L Lens, the quality output is extremely sharp, good for portraits and affordable compare to Canon 100mm f/2.8 USM lens.

For anyone who would like to start on Macro Photography, this is an alternative lens if your on a tight budget. Other Models include:

1. Sigma 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
2. Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

But if you would like to go for upper class lens "meaning more expensive" and not considering your budget limit. Then you can buy the Canon EF-100mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens which costs around US$ 950.00. Well, if I have that kind of budget, I would definitely go for it, but for now, I would stick to Tokina Lens.

Security Giants Symantec - Hacked ??? What !!!???

2010-04-05T08:35:00.003+08:00

I can't believed this, even so-called "Security Giants" can have vulnerable security measures/settings whatsoever. If this is true, how can we be sure that what we buy from them can really protect us, most especially our sensitive data. Details as per below.

Information from Counter Measures Website:

Back in February of 2009, the Romanian hacker Unu found a SQL injection vulnerability in a Kaspersky tech support portal server based in the USA. That vulnerability when exploited allowed full access to all the database tables, exposing things such as usernames and activation codes.

Well, Unu strikes again and this time Symantec is the unlucky recipient of his attentions, and certainly at first glance it looks worse than the Kaspersky breach. In a new posting on Unu’s blog he details a blind SQL injection-based attack against a Symantec server, the server appears to be responsible for tech support through “Norton PC Expert from PC-Doctor Co Ltd” in Japan.

According to Unu, by exploiting the vulnerability he is able to access a lot of very sensitive information including personal details and product keys (from the symantecstore database table). More worryingly, the screenshots appear to indicate that the attackers is able to browse the entire contents of the server hard drives at will. Unu also notes that both user and employee passwords are available in clear text which, if true, represents a serious oversight, passwords should always be stored encrypted or with a salted hash. It should be noted though that there is no evidence of this particular data other than Unu’s own typed report, no screen shots of this data have been posted.

Although commentators have not always agreed on the accuracy of Unu’s claims, as in the recent claimed compromise of the Barack Obama Donations site; as ever, Unu insists that his activities are only done to warn and raise awareness without saving or otherwise stealing any proprietary information.

“If you remember, in February 2009, Kaspersky faced with a sql injection. Then they had the courage to admit vulnerability, why have my admiration. There was fair play, they quickly secured vulnerable parameter, and even if at first they were very angry at me, finally understood that I did not extract, I saved nothing, I have not abused in any way by the data found. My goal was, what is still, to warn. To call attention.

That being said, expect the curious reaction from Symantec.”

I have made sure Symantec UK and Japan are aware of this information and I am sure they are investigating as I type, but it’s never a bad idea to restate a few best practices for securing web applications:

1. Keep them patched.
2. NEVER store sensitive data in clear text.
3. Get them regularly vulnerability scanned from the inside as well as the outside.
4. Use strong authentication (2 factor) if you are only serving a limited user population or if the data you are holding is particularly sensitive. Cookies can lead to session hijacking…
5. Bounds checking of input data helps to avoid buffer overflows and SQL injection type attacks.
6. Provide access to information on a Need to Know basis and always provide it with Least Privilege.
7. Don’t provide detailed error information to browsers, you don’t expect your customers to debug your application, so don’t give up that error message.

Credits URL: http://countermeasures.trendmicro.eu/symantec-hacked-full-disk-and-databse-access/

Facebook hacked - sql injection ???

2009-02-17T09:03:00.004+08:00

Facebook, a website with an estimated of 5 to 10 Million in US Dollars, a number of 250-1000 employees, a website ranked number 8 GLOBALLY by alexa.com’s traffic standards, is not capable of securing their data base. Millions (LOTS OF MILLIONS) of accounts, email addresses and passwords up for grabs by anyone. Let me show you a few concrete examples of vulnerable parameters.

Not only is the website vulnerable to sql injection but it also allows load_file to be executed making it very dangerous because with a little patience, a writable directory can be found and injection a malicious code we get command line access with wich we can do virtualy anything we want with the website: upload phpshells, redirects, INFECT PAGES WITH TROJAN DROPPERS, even deface the whole website.

But let’s see what else is interesting in the data base. Because I was accused for making personal info public, I didn’t concatenate the username, email, and password syntax, but only the userid and session key column along with the date the key was created. If you don’t know what a session key is to facebook read http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Authorizing_Applications.

Let’s move on to another SQL injection vulnerable parameter. This time it’s blind sqli. Interesting in the image is that, firstly, the error wich reveals proof that server data can be accessed from this point.

Let’s see another vulnerable parameter. In the image you see the version of the data base software, and the name of the number 55 table in the database wich is : users. How could the columns of this table be named other than email and password ? You guessed it, they are named like that. To be continued.

Credits URL : http://hackersblog.org/2009/02/04/facebook-hacked-o-baza-de-date-cu-milioane-de-conturi-ce-pot-fi-accesate-de-oricine/

Red Hat and Microsoft ink virt interoperability deal

2009-02-17T08:52:00.003+08:00

Operating system suppliers Red Hat, which is the leading commercial Linux distro by some measures, and Microsoft, the only maker of Windows, today announced a cross-platform support agreement that will allow operating systems from one to run on the hypervisors of the other.

The interoperability agreement has been forced on the two companies, which are not exactly natural allies or even particularly friendly even if they are mostly civil, by their respective customer bases, software partners, and resellers, explained Mike Evans, vice president of corporate development at Red Hat, and Mike Neil, general manager of virtualization strategy at Microsoft, in a webcast this morning.

The Red Hat-Microsoft deal is short and sweet, and bears little resemblance to the landmark interoperability, licensing, and patent protection deal that Red Hat rival Novell signed with Microsoft in November 2006.

That deal irked plenty in the open source community because of licensing issues relating to Linux and the applications that ride atop it. But it has boosted Novell's financials, with Microsoft buying hundreds of millions of dollars in licenses for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and distributing them to its Windows customer base.

Testing times

The two Mikes were at pains in the short announcement to make it clear that all that Red Hat and Microsoft have agreed to do were to test, validate, and jointly support each others operating systems when running on each other's server virtualization hypervisors. Red Hat's Evans said the agreement has no provisions for patent rights, or open source licensing, or any financial arrangements beyond the standard testing and qualification fees that Red Hat and Microsoft charge their ISV partners to get certified and an agreement to work together to provide cooperative support for products.

Virtualization is, according to Evans, moving out of the early adopter stage and into mainstream use in data centers. It is still early in the server virtualization game on x64 iron, but both Red Hat and Microsoft think that the lack of an interoperability arrangement between the two companies has been hindering the adoption of server virtualization.

Better virtualization management tools are available now, and the underlying x64 iron is able to do more sophisticated support for memory and I/O as it relates to virtual machines and their hypervisors. And with Gary Chen, research manager for enterprise virtualization software at IDC calculating that Windows and RHEL comprise 80 per cent of all guest operating systems on virtualized servers, now is the time for Red Hat and Microsoft to bury the hatchet. Well, it is more like a paring knife. But you get the idea.

As part of the deal, Microsoft is now a partner in Red Hat's virtualization certification program, and Red Hat has joined Microsoft's server virtualization validation program. The latter was set up by Microsoft last June, and includes Cisco Systems, Citrix Systems, Novell, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Unisys, Virtual Iron, and VMware; so far, only Cisco, Citrix, Novell, and VMware have fully validated their programs with the Windows stack.

Microsoft will certify Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2, and 5.3 will run as a guest operating system on its Hyper-V hypervisor, which is associated with Windows Server 2008; both 32-bit x86 and 64-bit x64 servers will be certified, apparently. And Red Hat is to certify that Windows 2000 Server SP4, Windows Server 2003 SP2, and Windows Server 2008 will all run Red Hat's virtualization hypervisor inside Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Hypervisor

While Evans did not say it by name, the open source Xen hypervisor is still the default hypervisor with RHEL 5. But with RHEL 6, Red Hat is expected to shift to its own KVM hypervisor, which it acquired last summer when it bought Qumranet. KVM is part of the mainstream Linux kernel, while Xen is not.

But Microsoft already has experience supporting Xen, through its agreements with XenSource, which sponsored the Xen project and which was acquaried by Citrix Systems two summers ago. Presumably, the deal calls for Red Hat to certify Windows Server instances running atop Xen now with RHEL 5 and atop Xen and KVM in RHEL 6. Anyway, Windows guests will be certified atop RHEL in the second half of this year.

Red Hat has a partnership with VMware that validates RHEL runs on its ESX Server hypervisor, but thus far, Red Hat does not have a similar deal with Citrix for its XenServer commercial version of the Xen hypervisor. Mainly because it sells its own implementation of Xen, which it wants customers to use.

And if Red Hat wants customers to use the embedded Xen, and in the future the embedded KVM hypervisor, it needs an interoperability agreement with Microsoft so it can try to out-Xen Citrix. And you can bet that Red Hat wants to get KVM certified to run Windows Server instances well ahead of when it goes commercial in RHEL 6.

Credits URL : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/16/redhat_microsoft_server_virtualization/

Intel's future Xeons to share sockets

2009-02-17T08:16:00.003+08:00

We know what's coming on desktops and notebooks. But what about Intel's 32 nanometer server silicon?

Intel's 32 nanometer process will be used to make a family of desktop, laptop, and server processors known as "Westmere," kickers to the Nehalem chips that will roll out throughout the year. Earlier this week, the company divulged that it was pulling its ramp to 32 nanometer chip making processes into 2009 for desktop and laptop processors, and it gave us a pretty idea of what these chips will look like.

What Intel didn't say is how it will deploy cores or crank up clock speeds on 32 nanometer server chips. Intel has some interesting options, as the Nehalem and Westmere desktop and laptop chips show.

On its desktop lineup, Intel is taking two different paths. With the Nehalem chips, which are implemented in its current 45 nanometer processes, the company is deploying quad-core "Lynnfield" chips, which have two threads per core, and it will offer a similar "Clarksfield" chip for laptops. These chips are similar to the current Core i7 desktop chips, which have been shipping for high-end desktops since last November and will arrive in volume this year across the full PC spectrum.

In the second half of this year, Intel is going to use the 32 nanometer shrink not to increase the core counts in its desktop and laptop chips, but rather to move an integrated graphics controller onto a two-chip package. The future Westmere desktop and laptop chips will have only two cores, and the main memory controller that is integrated on the Nehalem chips is being moved over to the graphics controller that will sit beside the Westmere two-core chip.

That graphics chip and memory controller will be implemented in a 45 nanometer process, which will undoubtedly deliver higher yields and lower costs than if they had been done in 32 nanometer processors as a single chip Westmere package. The processor and graphics chips on the Lynnfield and Clarksfield packages will be connected by a QPI (Quickpath Interconnect) link.

Server processors do not need to have integrated graphics chips on their packages, unless you want to use the GPU as a math co-processor. (Not a dumb idea, provided the programming model is easy). Even if Intel doesn't want to do that, the 32 nanometer shrink for Westmere Xeons could allow the company to do all sorts of things: add more processor cores in the same thermal envelope, crank up clock speeds to boost single-thread performance while holding core counts the same or even decreasing them, or integrate other features (such as network controllers) into the chip package.

In addition to the Westmere roadmap this week, Intel confirmed that the launch of the Nehalem EP processor for two-socket servers was imminent. It's expected before the end of this quarter. The Nehalem EPs (aka Xeon 5000s) will plug into the Tylersburg server platform and use a chipset by the same name, as this roadmap shows:

Back in november, we gave you the feeds and speeds on Nehalem EP motherboards from Super Micro, which makes boards as well as whitebox servers that it and other vendors sell. The Nehalem EP chips, which sport integrated DDR3 memory controllers and which will be the first servers to use QPI, are expected to have somewhere between three and four times the memory bandwidth of existing Xeons and their antiquated front side buses.

Motherboard Glue

Exactly how this will translate into application performance will depend on how sensitive those applications are to memory. The Nehalem EP chips, code-named "Gainestown," are expected to come in two-core and four-core variants, with each core having two threads and with either 4 MB or 8 MB of L3 cache. These chips are basically a version of the Core i7 desktop chip reimplemented with symmetric multiprocessing extensions. Clock speeds are expected to range from 1.9 GHz to 3.2 GHz.

The high-end Nehalem EX processors, code-named "Beckton," will have up to eight cores, will be delivered by the end of the year and will use the "Boxboro" chipset that will also be used in the future "Poulson" Itanium processor. The Boxboro chipset will work with QPI to allow a "glueless" SMP configuration with up to eight processor sockets. Technically, the initial Opterons could do this two, by gluing together four two-way motherboards into a single system image, and it looks like Boxboro will glue together two four-socket machines to get an eight-way. The question with either approach is whether server OEMs will do it. Very few adopted the eight-way Opteron configuration.

The low-end Nehalem EN chips are tweaked versions of the Lynnfield chips used in desktops and made with 45 nanometer processes. They plug into a server platform called "Foxhollow" and use the Intel 5 series chipset used on desktops. If history is any guide, these single-socket server boards will have more I/O slots and possibly more main memory than their desktop counterparts.

Looking ahead to the Westmere generation, the future 32 nanometer chips will plug into the Foxhollow, Tylersburg, and Boxboro platforms. This is obviously something that server manufacturers want very much, since they do not like revving their hardware every year. It looks like Foxhollow gets launched in the second half of 2009, and Boxboro at the end of the year, and Tylersburg should have been here already if this roadmap is to scale.

The Westmere kickers to Nehalem EP chips (which have not been given a code name yet) are due around mid-2010, then, and the Clarkdale chip with its integrated graphics processor gets plunked into single-socket servers in early 2010. Don't expect a Westmere kicker to the high-end Nehalem EX until early 2011, it looks like.

The 32 nanometer shrink from Nehalem to Westmere should allow Intel to get clock speeds up around 4 GHz or so, compared to a little more than 3 GHz with Nehalems and their 45 nanometer processes. Or Intel could boost the core count and keep clocks about the same. The expectation is that Intel will go for speed, not cores. But the company could just as easily put two Westmere chips side-by-side in a single package instead of revving the cores, or leave graphics processors into some Westmere Xeons (as it did for the low-end Clarkdale chip) to use as a co-processor for applications.

It would be interesting to see HPC variants of Westmere chips with the graphics units embedded and then two-chip Westmere packages for regular commercial processing workloads. Intel could put other features inside a package as well - or just make the chip smaller and keep the thermals low, offsetting some of the higher heat that DDR3 main memory kicks out compared to DDR2 memory.

Out beyond that, Intel will launch a new "Sandy Bridge" chip architecture in 2010 or 2011 (it depends on the roadmap you look at) with 32 nanometer processes, and it will eventually shrink this family of chips using 22 nanometer processes in 2011 or 2012.

Credits URL : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/13/intel_westmere_servers/

More OS X MAC attacks!

2009-02-09T10:57:00.001+08:00

New OS X research warns of stealthier Mac attacks ( In-memory code injection covers tracks )

A computer security researcher has discovered a new way to inject hostile code directly into the memory of machines running Apple's OS X operating system, a technique that makes it significantly harder for investigators to detect Mac attacks using today's forensics practices.

The technique, which Italian researcher Vincenzo Iozzo plans to detail at the Black Hat security conference in Washington next month, makes it possible to carry out stealthy Mac attacks that until now have not been possible. The in-memory injection approach allows unauthorized software to be installed on a Mac without leaving traces of the attack code or other tell-tale signs that the machine has been compromised.

Similar stealth techniques have existed for more than two years for infecting Windows and Linux machines, but until now, researchers knew of no reliable way to cover their tracks when attacking Macs. It's likely only a matter of time until malware developers begin using the method in the wild, said researcher Charles Miller, who has reviewed Iozzo's work.

"The importance is it makes forensics much harder," Miller wrote in an email to The Register. "In the past, you could rely on seeing the trail of the bad guy on the disk, even if they tried cleaning up and deleting their files. This provides a practical method to eliminate that evidence."

Miller said he is in the process of extending the technique to installing unauthorized applications on the iPhone.

Unlike most attacks today, Iozzo's technique allows someone to execute a binary completely within the OS X application or process that's being attacked. That means the operating system doesn't need to open a new process and the exploit code need not ever touch the hard disk of the infected machine. Such activities typically leave a wealth of clues to system administrators trying to tell whether a computer has been compromised.

A student at the Politecnico di Milano, Iozzo was able to fashion the exploit method by carefully monitoring the Mac executable file format known as Mach-O. By mimicking exactly the way OS X lays out executable code in memory, the researcher discovered a way to bypass more traditional ways of loading binaries into the operating system.

Iozzo said OS X's address space layer randomization, which is designed to thwart such attacks by randomizing the memory locations of executable code, can be circumvented by local users. That's because an OS X program known as the dynamic linker is always located at the same address. The dynamic linker in turn allows him to predict the location of other libraries needed to make the attack technique work.

To be clear, attackers who want to use the technique must first have a reliable exploit for an unpatched vulnerability in OS X or in iTunes, Safari, or some other OS X application. The injection method doesn't make it any easier to pierce a Mac's defenses. It only makes it easier for attackers to cover their tracks once they have.

Still, the technique doesn't make attacks completely undetectable. Investigators can still dump the virtual memory and inspect it or detect the attack by using a network intrusion detection system or a host-based anomaly intrusion detection system.

Be that as it may, don't be surprised if it finds its way into real-world attacks in the future.

Credits : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/21/stealthier_mac_attacks/

Kaspersky Hacked ???

2009-02-09T10:15:00.003+08:00

As one of the market's best antivirus program, news of Kaspersky website being hacked is quite an embarrasing statement ... But so far they accomplish my work on cleaning viruses ... Tha's what happens when a certain product gets to notice or become popular, someone will try to bring it down, hope Kaspersky experts will resolve this issue ASAP, becuase so far they're the leading protection against various types of malicious codes creeping the our PC's ...

The news : Kaspersky breach exposes sensitive database, says hacker

A security lapse at Kaspersky has exposed a wealth of proprietary information about the anti-virus provider's products and customers, according to a blogger, who posted screen shots and other details that appeared to substantiate the claims.

In a posting made Saturday, the hacker claimed a simple SQL injection gave access to a database containing "users, activation codes, lists of bugs, admins, shop, etc." Kaspersky has declined to comment, but two security experts who reviewed the evidence said the claims appeared convincing.

"This looks very real to me," Thomas Ptacek, a researcher at security provider Matasano said via instant message a few hours after the post went live. He pointed to the address bar of one screenshot that showed usa.kaspersky.com along with the text "concat_ws(0x3a,ver" to the right of that. "It's a URL that is being used to alter the database request that's used to generate the page," he added. "One of them can be tricked into pulling arbitrary data from the database. Game over."

Roger Thompson, chief research officer at competing anti-virus provider AVG concurred. "/me feels sorry for Kaspersky," he wrote to El Reg. "Can't tell for certain, but it looks legit."

Representatives from Kaspersky declined to immediately comment.

"Given the hour, we are not able available to talk now, but I will work on answers for you to have early tomorrow," a spokeswoman wrote in an email sent Saturday evening California time, several hours after the post was made.

It claimed that a simple modification of a URL exposed the site's entire database. "Alter one of the parameters and you have access to EVERYTHING: users, activation codes, lists of bugs, admins, shot, etc." The screenshots showed the attack was focused on Kaspersky's technical support and knowledge base for the Americas. It included the names of more than 150 tables.

The URLs were edited to redact the page's vulnerable handler, but tools that are easy to come by could help anyone who knows how to use them to identify where the SQL injection weakness is located, Ptecek said.

Assuming the hack is for real, it wouldn't be the first time a Kaspersky site has been hit by a SQL injection attack. In July, Kaspersky's Malaysian site and several subdomains were defaced by hacker who left pro-Turkish slogans. According to ZDNet's Zero Day blog here, Zone-h archives show 36 website defacements of international Kaspersky sites since 2000.

This breach appears to be more serious because it potentially exposes customer information and could also open Kaspersky's site to other types of abuse, security experts said.

"I hope that Kaspersky administrators fix this vulnerability rather quickly as they no doubt have a large customer base, and it would appear that all those customers are now exposed," Gunter Ollmann, the chief security strategist at IBM's Internet Security Systems blogs here.

"On top of that, this type of critical flaw can probably be used to usurp legitimate purchases and renewals of their products - which could include the linking to malicious and backdoored versions of their software - thereby infecting those very same customers that were seeking protection from malware in the first place."

Credits :
~ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/08/kaspersky_compromise_report/
~ http://hackersblog.org/2009/02/07/usakasperskycom-hacked-full-database-acces-sql-injection/

Brunei News - Flood Prone Areas - Keep out !

2009-02-07T08:41:00.004+08:00

Due to heavy rains these past few weeks, landslides and floods are now creeping the country, damage properties, vehicles are all around us...

Here are some tips to all road users, please avoid the "red" coloured road during heavy rains and flood times nowadays in order to avoid your car getting damage, avoid accidents and heavy traffic jams...

Flood prone areas - GADONG AREA

Flood prone areas - Jalan Gadong, Kampong Jangsak

Flood prone areas - Jalan Tutong, Kampong Tasek Meradun

Flood prone areas - Jalan Tutong, Kg Sengkurong, Mulaut, BAN Areas

Virus on MAC ???

2009-02-05T13:37:00.003+08:00

A MAC virus ... read up ...

A new variant of the iServices Trojan horse has been discovered by intego.

The new Trojan horse, OSX.Trojan.iServices.B, is found in pirated software distributed via BitTorrent trackers and other sites containing links to pirated software, just like the previous version.

OSX.Trojan.iServices.B Trojan horse is found bundled with copies of Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Mac. The Photoshop installer itself is clean, but the Trojan horse is found in a crack application that serializes the program.

According to Intego:

After downloading this version of Photoshop, users will run the crack application to be able to use it. The crack application extracts an executable from its data, than installs a backdoor in /var/tmp/, a directory which is not deleted when the computer is restarted. (If the user runs the crack application again, the Trojan horse creates a new executable with a different name; these random names make it harder to ensure safe removal of the malware.)

The crack application then requests an administrator password, launching the backdoor with root privileges. This copies the executable to /usr/bin/DivX, then creates a startup item in /System/Library/StartupItems/DivX. The program checks to see if it has been launched with root privileges, then saves the root hash password in the file /var/root/.DivX. It listens on a random TCP port, and answers requests such as GET / HTTP/1.0 by sending a 209-byte packet, and makes repeated connections to two IP addresses.

Next, the crack application opens a disk image which is hidden in its resource folder, named .data, and proceeds to crack Photoshop.

Since the malware connects to a remote server over the Internet, the creator will be alerted that this Trojan horse is installed on different Macs, and will have the ability to connect to them and perform various actions remotely, the company says.

The Trojan horse may also download additional components to an infected Mac.

WHAT TO DO: If you’re a Mac user, do not download Photoshop CS4 installers from sites offering pirated software. According to Intego, nearly 5,000 people on one BitTorrent site have downloaded this installer since 6am EST.

In other words, don’t do crack.

The risk of infection is serious, Intego says: “Due to the number of infected users, these users may face extremely serious consequences if their Macs are accessible to malicious users. The first version of this Trojan horse was seen downloading new code to infected computers, which were then used in a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack on certain web sites. Since this new variant uses the same technology, and contacts the same remote servers, it is likely that it will attempt to download new code and perform such actions.”

The company also noted that the iWork 09 torrent that they warned about on January 22 has been downloaded by at least 1,000 more people since the warning.

Sony's Finger Vein Authentication Technology "mofiria" for PC's and Mobile Devices

2009-02-04T08:44:00.004+08:00

If you thought finger print readers, retinal scanners, etc where the best security measures one can take to secure their devices and data, think again!

SONY announced its new technology called “mofiria”. This technology can be mounted on mobile devices such as Laptops and Mobile phones which authenticates users by scanning their finger veins.

“Sony Develops Compact Sized, High Speed, High Accuracy Finger Vein Authentication Technology Dubbed ‘mofiria’” [link]

The technology works by throwing light on the finger which is captured by a CMOS sensor on the other side, this creates an image identifying the individual. The vein patterns are known to differ from person to person and in fact from finger to finger.

“mofiria uses a unique method where a CMOS sensor diagonally captures scattered light inside the finger veins, making a plane layout possible. As a result, a small and more flexible design can be realized in building this technology into mobile devices” [link]

The company claims that the technology is virtually fool proof. The False Acceptance Rate is less than 0.0001% and False Rejection Rate is less than 0.1%. It takes about 0.015 sec on a regular PC and about 0.25 sec on a mobile device to authenticate using this technology.

We should expect to see this technology in the market in the late 2009 or early 2010, that is when Sony decides to commercialize this technology.

Credits source : http://tnerd.com/2009/02/02/sony-announces-finger-vein-authentication-technology-mofiria-for-pcs-and-mobile-devices/

Philippines fears 800,000 job losses this year

2009-02-03T16:08:00.003+08:00

Another sad news for Filipino Kababayans ... For some year 2009 will be a challenge ...

News source : http://www.chinapost.com.tw/business/asia/philippines/2009/02/03/194366/Philippines-fears.htm

MANILA -- Some 800,000 Filipinos are in danger of losing their jobs this year as the global economic slowdown hits the export sector, Economic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto said Monday.

“Roughly 800,000 are vulnerable to the global crisis,” he told a news briefing at the presidential palace. He said workers in the export sector, including in the key electronics industry, as well as Filipinos working in export-driven economies abroad, were most at risk. Recto's figures are nearly triple initial projections made by Labor Secretary Marianito Roque last week, when he warned that 300,000 jobs could be lost in the Philippines amid the global crisis this year.

More than 15,000 workers have been laid off in the past two months, mostly in the electronics and garments sectors, while 19,000 others saw their work weeks shortened as exports plunged, according to government data.

Recto said it would be “tough” to meet the government's target of creating one million jobs a year in 2009, even assuming that the economy grew at 4.6 percent, as it did in 2008.

“Chances are you can probably create 500,000 jobs, so there's a deficiency,” he added.

The 800,000 who are expected to be laid off this year would make for an even tougher job hunt for some 900,000 Filipinos who will be looking for a job for the first time, including those graduating from university and technical schools, Recto said.

He did not say what percentage of those expected to lose their jobs would be Filipinos laid off abroad.

Some 8.5 million Filipinos work or live abroad, sending some US$15 billion to their families back home in the 11 months to November 2008 according to central bank figures.

-------

Let's Pray for Our Country, Our Countrymen as well as for the World Economy Crisis to end soon ...

Hiking Time - Exercise While Taking Shots

2009-02-03T11:32:00.007+08:00

Feb 1, 2009 - Sunday Morning, Our Filipino Group went to Tasek Lama Park to have some time for hiking/walking, in short to sweat alot (hehehe) ... It started around 7am-10am ... The weather was very cloudy (praise God) ... and we all had a great time ... Of course I would never miss the chance of getting some photos of whatever I see ... hehehe ...

Practice time - here are the photos :

Any comments ??? Were the shot nice??? Give my your suggestions so I can improve my shots!!! Thanks!!!

More Korean And Japanese Companies To Close Shops In Philippines

2009-02-03T08:54:00.002+08:00

Another sad news for our country Philippines because of World Economy Crisis ...

Manila, Philippines (AHN) - The imminent closure of several Japanese and Korean IT companies in the Philippines, as well as the downsizing of operations of some, will cost the jobs of over 40,000 Filipinos in the first quarter of the year in south-central Philippines, a workers group said.

The Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan-Kilusang Mayor Uno or Pamantik-KMU (Union of Workers In Southern Tagalog-KMU), said those facing lay-off are mostly non-union members in electronics and car manufacturing sectors in the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon processing zones.

Romeo Legazpi, chairman of Pamantic said workers from Samsung, Yazaki, F-Tech, Fujitsu, NEC, TDK, and Matsushita are facing lay-offs in the first quarter of 2009. In September 2008, Amkor wiped out all its 3,000 contractual women workers.

Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI), which used to employ 17,000 workers, 90 percent of which are women, terminated 3,000 contractual workers last December, in addition to the 1,000 regular workers in forced leaves also last month.

Last week, U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp., said it is closing down its assembly test facility in Cavite, that would affect 1,800 workers.

The group also assailed various schemes implemented by car manufacturing companies affected by the global financial crisis.

In the car industry sector, Toyota Motor Philippines implemented this month a Monday-no-production day and it announced to "temporarily" get rid of its 500 contractual workers and on-the-job trainees by March.

Nissan Motors laid-off 40 regular employees in December and plans to retrench an additional 70 more this February. Keihin Philippines plans to implement a four-day work month this February. Ford now maintains only 18 employees out of the previously 400 workforce. Isuzu Philippines will soon follow the steps of its mother company, which displaced 30,000 Japanese employees.

CSS Template Layouts - Creative & Free !

2009-02-03T08:39:00.002+08:00

CSS - Cascading Style Sheet, is the standard and probably the only useful way to format websites effective and effeciently ... Been surfing the Internet and found this reference site that has offers free code for certain layouts ... Check It out!

URL : http://www.intensivstation.ch/en/templates/

Awesome Photography - Places in the World !

2009-02-03T08:18:00.005+08:00

I have always dreamt of going from place to place around the world to take a shot of some of the famous and beautiful spots around the world, for free of course ... hehehehe ... But since it's not possible, well I'll just see them in the Internet and post them here in my blog ...

Credits to all Photographers who took these awesome pictures!

Machu Picchu, Peru - szeke (flickr)

Valencia, Spain - Juanma Alvarez (flickr)

Cairo, Egypt - KoRaYeM (flickr)

Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia - Serijo r (flickr)

Lilla Torget (Little Square) Malmo, Sweden - Mark Bowman (flickr)

Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt - Joanot (flickr)

Rome, Italy - Portiman (flickr)

The New Nayong Filipino ! :P - And we thought it's gone !

2009-01-29T13:45:00.002+08:00

I've recently been searching for some good spots in the Philippines and found this very good and interesting news ... There's a New Nayong Filipino !!! ... yup it's true, it was located in Pasay Manila last time that I've checked, but they had to run it down because of the building of NAIA 3 International Airport, so I thought that this Amazing Park would be gone forever.

But good news is that they've located it to Clark Pampanga ... Nayong Filipino is a like history park, where they copy or make a replica of some memorable events of Philippine history ... wanna know more? ... come and visit the New Nayong Filipino to see for yourself ...

Some pictures & credits to http://www.philippinesbestplaces.com/

North Pole Massive Melting

2009-01-29T08:58:00.002+08:00

Due to Global Warming those ice caps in the polar regions are melting, soon there will be no more ice left on those regions and the sea level will increase dramatically !!!

The weather/climate or seasons will also change dramatically and this can mean a totally ugly scenario, unless we do our part to ACT RESPONSIBLY to save and reduce the effects of global warming ... Our future will not be so bright as we expected it to be ...

Some Facts:

Massive Melting !!!

Scientists are particularly interested in the North and South Poles because they are expected to show the most dramatic effects of global warming.

Models predict that the regions will see temperature increases roughly three times as quickly as the rest of the globe because of an effect known as ice albedo feedback, which occurs when highly reflective ice gives way to dark water.

The water absorbs much more of the sun's energy, increasing temperatures and causing further ice melting.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080620-north-pole.html

HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition

2009-01-27T16:16:00.001+08:00

HP launches a new notebook, “Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam”. This note book has an Intel Atom N270 1.60Ghz processor with 1024X600 resolution of LCD display. This notebook is of 10.2 inch with Microsoft Window XP home edition OS.

Its various other features such as built in stereo speakers, fully Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, webcam integration. This notebook has loaded with 1GB DDR2 RAM, 16GB solid state drive or 60GB hard drive option. It runs with 3 cell battery.

Its price starts from $700.

MSI X-Slim 320 : The New Ultra-Thin Notebook

2009-01-27T16:01:00.001+08:00

MSI has unveiled in Taiwan a 13.4- inch X-Slim 320,which only weight 1.3kg and for a thickness of 1.98cm and comes with either a 4 or 8 cell battery that lasts up to 10 hours. Atom Z530 at 1.6GHz, 2GB of RAM a resolution of 1366×768 on a 13.1” LCD,three USB ports, an Ethernet port, VGA output, and an all-in-one card reader,WCDMA for a price which seems to be around 800 USD.It might be using NVIDIA Ion platform.It’s coming second quarter of 2009 for about $800.Such an outstanding capability will impress the international market for sure.

Some Pictures :

Intel closes Philippines, Malaysia, Oregon and California Operations!

2009-01-27T15:02:00.003+08:00

Got this sad news from a certain website about the closure of Intel's assembly lines in our country Philippines and other areas. Here it goes :

Got the official statement from Intel Corporation today and it turns out bigger than we originally expected and involves around 5,000 to 6,000 employees worldwide, including 1,800 in the Philippines. Copy of the full disclosure below:

Chuck Mulloy Intel Corporation

Santa Clara, California, Jan. 21, 2009 – Intel Corporation today disclosed plans to restructure some of its manufacturing operations and align its manufacturing capacity to current market conditions. The company will consolidate and streamline some older capacity without impacting the deployment of new, leading-edge 45-nanometer and 32-nanometer manufacturing capacity.

The company plans to close two existing assembly test facilities in Penang, Malaysia and one in Cavite, Philippines, and will halt production at Fab 20 an older 200mm wafer fabrication facility in Hillsboro, Ore. Additionally, wafer production operations will end at the D2 facility in Santa Clara, Calif.

The actions at the four sites, when combined with associated support functions, are expected to affect between 5,000 and 6,000 employees worldwide. However, not all employees will leave Intel; some may be offered positions at other facilities. The actions will take place between now and the end of 2009.

Here’s the copy of the statement for the Intel Philippines operation in Cavite:

Arlita Narag
Corporate Affairs
Intel Technology Philippines Inc
Gateway Business Park, Javalera
General Trias, Cavite

As announced by Intel Corporation today, the impact of the economic downturn on our business was more severe than we anticipated and the outlook is uncertain. As a result, we have decided to restructure some of our manufacturing operations by taking older capacity off line and closing five factories during the course of 2009. Included in this action will be the closure of two of our assembly test facilities in Penang, Malaysia; and the assembly test facility in Cavite. Two of our wafer fabrication facilities in the United States will also end production.

Our manufacturing operations in Cavite will cease this year. Approximately 1800 employees will be affected and will be offered a severance package and a range of transition services. We know this is a difficult time for our employees and their families and we will make available the best support systems to ease the transition.

We are deeply grateful for the strong support that the Philippine Government has extended to our operations in the country in the last 35 years. It has been key to our success.

Our Sales and Marketing organization will not be affected by this action. Our major social responsibility programs in the Philippines will also continue, particularly in the area of science and math education.

The effect of US economic downfall is really spreading worldwide. Hope and pray it will end soon! Let's Pray that God will allow a miracle to happen! Only He can do something about it!

Bandar Mosque

2009-01-24T09:17:00.004+08:00

A shot of Bandar Mosque I took yesterday ... First day of clear sky after 3 days of heavy rains ... here's the shot !

any comments ??? Taken on : Jan. 23, 2009 - 9:30am

Jan 20, 2009 - Heavy rain !

2009-01-22T16:18:00.002+08:00

Last Tuesday night we had this heavy rain, and went on for quite sometime ... here's the result on the rain around the capital ... I think these are the effects Global warming ... check it out!

Blog Design Restored

2009-01-22T14:54:00.000+08:00

Ah finally, it's fixed ... online and resuming on bloggin ...

Blog Design Crashed !

2009-01-22T13:57:00.001+08:00

Oh no! Something went wrong on my template and had resort to changing it to a different one ...
This will do for the mean time ... will be back online once I've fixed the problem ...

Cloud Effect

2009-01-22T13:47:00.003+08:00

Stumble into different effects and filters in Photoshop software ... check it out ...

nice or not ???

Heavy Rain Last Night !

2009-01-21T09:28:00.005+08:00

Last Night was one of those when you really want to sleep but you can't ... Late in the afternoon when I took a picture of this cloud formation near my father's staff house ... I knew it will rain that night ... so it did ... it was a cool night and my wife and I watch some movies in the living room ...

I decided to take some photos by the window of our home, it's quite nice, I set the camera up and use the Manual settings of my DSLR to change the shutter and focal length, then use a tripod and self-timer the camera ... and here what I've shot ... here's the picture ...

And when we were about to sleep, the unexpected happened, we found out that rain water went into the window of our bedroom, the floor was full of water, I then found out that during heavy rain, the water tends to sip into the sliding window's gaps and then drip to the floor ... I had to fix the problem during the heavy rain, it was a cold (wet) and tiring night for me, but I had no choice, I have to do it ... I fixed the problem after 45 minutes ... took a warm bath and finally hug my wife to sleep ...

16 Layer Optical Disc - unbelievable ~!~

2009-01-20T15:04:00.004+08:00

Here's another new one for me ...

Pioneer: Reveals 16 Layer Optical Disc

Pioneer now introduces a new optical disk of 16 layers. This optical layer disk has an immense capacity of storing 400GB data. The technology behind this disk is based on Blu-ray disk technology with an added additional material of reflective layers.

This disk can be used with any BD players available in the market as its PUH (pick-up head) remain the same like other blank BD discs.

According to the sources, Pioneer will release 400GB read only disc before 2010 and the same capacity disk but with re-writeable feature between 2010 and 2012. Pioneer has also planned to launch the disk with capacity of 1TB around 2013.

Information and credits : http://www.latestgadgetstobuy.com/pioneer-reveals-16-layer-optical-disc/#more-315

Laptop Kill Switch ?

2009-01-20T14:48:00.003+08:00

While I was searching the Net for some interesting stuff, found this one ... really interesting technology ... check it out! ...

Ericsson and Intel developing Laptop kill switch

Erisson has just announced its HSPA-capable Mobile Broadband Modules will compatible with Intel’s Anti-Theft Technology. Ericsson is in cahoots with Intel to bring an even higher standard of theft shelter to upcoming laptops. Ericsson tactics to make its HSPA-capable Mobile Broadband Modules compatible with Intel’s current anti-theft laptop technology. Ericsson’s modules will support remote-SMS to lock a stolen or lost notebook. The Ericsson/Intel security permutation will result in laptops that not only support a remote-SMS enabled kill switch, but also a transmitting GPS feature. This solution will be obtainable in commerial data protection products starting second half of 2009.

Information and credits : http://www.latestgadgetstobuy.com/ericsson-and-intel-developing-laptop-kill-switch/

Smoke Photography - Pretty Awesome shots

2009-01-20T14:00:00.003+08:00

If you those smoke effects on your photography or graphic design, then check out this awesome cloud photography! beautifully setup shots and the preparation is really worth the picture ...

Found it on flckr (as usual - hehehe) ... there folks are really devoted to photography ... which why I call them my photography reference! hehehe ... here's the proof!

Niagara Falls at night ~ Photo by : oluwu (flickr)

Bottle & Dry Ice Technique ~ Photo by : magicnikon (flickr)

Sunset at Pesdadero State Beach ~ Photo by : copeg (flickr)

Early Morning Dunstanburgh ~ Photo by : Corica (flickr)

Graceful Dance ~ Photo by : alberich matthews (flickr)

Windows 7 to be or not to be ???

2009-01-19T16:22:00.003+08:00

A new operating system coming your way, ladies and gentlemen, Microsoft brings you the Microsofot Windows 7 operating system ... yeah yeah, ok I recently saw this free download link of the beta version of Microsoft Windows 7 ... According to Microsoft, they claim that Windows 7 is is faster, more reliable, and makes it easier to do what you want. Both the everyday things and the killer "is that really possible?" things. Dig into this site to see what's coming. URL : http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/

Some tips:
First select from the 32bit or 64bit version get your KEY and click on the Download button to download. It does download a download manager before it starts the ISO download. The whole package is about 2.4GB’s.

Minimum recommended specs call for:

1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
1 GB of system memory
16 GB of available disk space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
DVD-R/W Drive
Internet access (to download the Beta and get updates)

Microsoft also suggests that Windows 7 beta should not be installed on a PC used for daily work as the beta version can be glitchy and can interrupt your work.

I've read some good comments on Windows 7 ... the decision is to be or not to be?

Some Guides for installing Windows 7 in Virtual PC ...

http://tnerd.com/2009/01/15/windows-7-beta-installation-guide-using-windows-virtual-machine/

Information Courtesy of Microsoft.com and Technology Nerd.com websites ...

Cloud Photos - shots, could have been better :(

2009-01-19T13:38:00.005+08:00

Late Sunday afternoon after going to service, on the way home, I saw this nice cloud formation with scenic sun set tail lights of some sort ... too bad I did not bring my 400D camera, the resolution would be nicer, but anyways, I used my Cybershot DSP300 and here's the outcome ... lesson for the day, always bring your camera no matter what! ... Comments please ! ... hehehe ...

Wow Philippines ! Experience !

2009-01-19T08:07:00.010+08:00

Wow Philippines Logo - http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/

Photo by : robert alcantara (flickr)

Check out this site ! ... URL:http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph !!! This site offer to Discover the fascinating variety of the 7,107 Philippine islands. Gorgeous bays, dazzling white beaches, azure seas, towering mountain ranges, cool cloud forests and a vast underwater cosmos will enchant you. Welcome to the country of extraordinary nature, adventure and culture.

Photos by : nexterz86 (flickr)

One step into the Philippines and immediately you will find yourself in an experience beyond the usual. Its an archipelago of unique and delightful discoveries. Every island has the ability to transform ordinary perceptions into sheer wonder. The country is an open secret waiting to be discovered. Seven thousand one hundred seven is a big number, start with one and find yourself smiling to the fact that indeed, there is more where that came from.

Photo by : eLjeProks (flickr)

Credits to the Embassy of the Philippines, Department of Tourism.

Website: www.wowphilippines.com.ph

Cars Cars Cars !!!

2009-01-17T15:17:00.005+08:00

Like cars!? Like Photography!? Check out this site ! ... URL: http://www.ambientlife.co.uk/index.html !!! This site offers cool reference for car photography ... awesome clouds and speed motion effects ... check it out to see for yourself ... BREATHE THE CREATIVITY !!!
Credits to Mr. Tim Wallace (owner or ambientlife website) ... check his blog too http://ambientphotography.blogspot.com/ ... some reference to inspire those who want to start photography ...

Photos by : Tim Wallace (Ambient Life Website)

Malay Wedding Photography

2009-01-17T13:33:00.007+08:00

A friend showed me this site, and found it to be useful for those who wants their wedding to have photo shots ... Pre-nups, Wedding Ceremony and other events ... I'm sure there's alot of wedding photograpers there in the market nowadays, so you can take your pick, compare their pricing and the quality of their work ... at the meantime, you might want to check this website, who knows this might be the one you were looking for ... URL : http://www.hitamputeh.com

Mecedes-Benz E250 AMG Luxury Car

2009-01-17T11:29:00.003+08:00

For those Businessman who like to buys luxury cars, this ones for you ... Found it on ranoadidas blog ... check it out ... credits to Sir Ranoadidas!

Solid State Drives (SSD) ! Future of Data Storage Drives??? hhhhmmm...

2009-01-17T10:54:00.007+08:00

Some information regarding Solid State Drive (SSD) ... I tried asking around some Computer Shops here in Brunei, but I guess it's still not that popular here... well anyway's here are some info regarding these product.

Product of Scandisk

WHAT IS A SOLID STATE DRIVE?

Solid state is an electrical term that refers to electronic circuitry that is built entirely out of semiconductors. The term was originally used to define those electronics such as a transistor radio that used semiconductors rather than vacuum tubes in its construction. Most all electronics that we have today are built around semiconductors and chips. In terms of a SSD, it refers to the fact that the primary storage medium is through semiconductors rather than a magnetic media such as a hard drive.

Now, you might say that this type of storage already exists in the form of flash memory drives that plug into the USB port. This is partially true as solid state drives and USB flash drives both use the same type of non-volatile memory chips that retain their information even when they have no power. The difference is in the form factor and capacity of the drives. While a flash drive is designed to be external to the computer system, an SSD is designed to reside inside the computer in place of a more traditional hard drive.

So how exactly do they do this? Well, an SSD on the outside looks almost no different than a traditional hard drive. This design is to allow the SSD drive to put in a notebook or desktop computer in place of a hard drive. To do this, it needs to have the standard dimension as a 1.8, 2.5 or 3.5-inch hard drive. It also will use either the ATA or SATA drive interfaces so that there is a compatible interface.

Photo by : Disk-Drive Planet

WHY USE A SOLID STATE DRIVE?

Solid state drives have several advantages over the magnetic hard drives. The majority of this comes from the fact that the drive does not have any moving parts. While a traditional drive has drive motors to spin up the magnetic platters and the drive heads, all the storage on a solid state drive is handled by flash memory chips. This provides three distinct advantages:

Less Power Usage
Faster Data Access
Higher Reliability

The power usage is a key role for the use of solid state drives in portable computers. Because there is no power draw for the motors, the drive uses far less energy than the regular hard drive. Now, the industry has taken steps to address this with drive spin downs and the development of hybrid hard drives, but both of these still use more power. The solid state drive will consistently draw less power then the traditional and hybrid hard drive.

Faster data access will make a number of people happy. Since the drive doesn't have to spin up the drive platter or move drive heads, the data can be read from the drive near instantly. In a recent demo of two similar equipped notebook computers, Fujitsu was able to demonstrate a roughly 20% speed increase in the booting of Windows XP on a SSD over a standard hard drive.

Reliability is also a key factor for portable drives. Hard drive platters are very fragile and sensitive materials. Even small jarring movements from an impact can cause the drive to be completely unreadable. Since the SSD stores all its data in memory chips, there are fewer moving parts to be damaged in any sort of impact.

WHY AREN'T SSDs USED FOR ALL PCs?

As with most computer technologies, the primary limiting factor of using the solid state drives in notebook and desktop computers is cost. These drives have actually been available for some time now, but the cost of the drives is roughly the same as the entire notebook they could be installed into. This is gradually changing as the number of companies producing the drives and the capacity for producing the flash memory chips grows. Drives announced at the 2007 CES were priced at less than half of the drives of the same capacity from the previous year.

The other problem affecting the adoption of the solid state drives is capacity. Current hard drive technology can allow for over 200GB of data in a small 2.5-inch notebook hard drive. Most SSD drives announced at the 2007 CES show are of the 64GB capacity. This means that not only are the drives much more expensive than a traditional hard drive, they only hold a fraction of the data.

All of this is set to change soon though. Several companies that specialize in flash memory have announced upcoming products that look to push the capacities of the solid state drives to be closer to that of a normal hard drive but at even lower prices than the current SSDs. This will have a huge impact for notebook data storage.

Source URL : http://compreviews.about.com/od/storage/a/SSD.htm

DDR 3 Memory

2009-01-17T10:15:00.006+08:00

DDR3 is coming to Brunei (or it's here?)! Here's some info about it ... For those of you who don't have the knowledge of DDR3 Memory yet, here's some info regarding this new model ...

INTRODUCTION

In order to ensure compatibility between memory modules and personal computers, a group called JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) has established standards. With the evolution of computers over their long history, a wide variety of memory standards have been released by the JEDEC group. Most recently they were involved in the establishment of the DDR and DDR2 memory modules. With the DDR2 standard reaching the upper limits of the standard, it was time for a new memory standard to keep pace with processors. This article looks into the newest memory standard, DDR3.

DDR2 vs. DDR3

DDR2 was the successor to the DDR standard. It provided double the speeds of the older memory but at high latencies. It took a while to catch on with the marketplace, specifically because AMD did not really implement it with their Athlon platform until late 2006. Now it is the dominant form of memory used by personal computers. There are limits to the DDR2 standard just as there were with DDR. As a result, the JEDEC established the specifications for the new DDR3 format.

Physically, the DDR3 memory modules will not look all that different from the DDR2 modules. Both will have a total of 240 pins on the memory modules. The only real noticeable difference will be the location of the notch on the module. This is done so that users will not accidently installed the incorrect type of memory into a personal computer.

MEMORY SPEED AND BANDWIDTH

The main purpose for the DDR3 memory standard is to increase the memory speed and bandwidth over the older DDR2 specifications. The original DDR memory modules ran between an effective clock speed of 200 and 400MHz. The DDR2 standards doubled this to between 400 and 800MHz. DDR3 is set to double the speed of DDR2 with clock speeds between 800MHz and 1.6GHz.

Even though the DDR2 memory standard officially only goes up to the 800MHz speed, there are modules that are sold that can run at the 1066MHz speeds. Technically these modules are overclocked standard modules as the JEDEC specs don't officially support speeds over 800MHz. This is often dealt with by requiring the memory modules to run with higher voltages or at different latencies for the increased speeds.

LOWER POWER CONSUMPTION

The other primary benefit of the new memory standard is another reduction in the voltage used to power the memory modules. The original DDR standard modules ran at a 2.5V level. A significant power reduction to 1.8V was created with the DDR2 standard. With the lower voltage levels, personal computers required less actual power to run the memory subsystem. DDR3 looks to further reduce the power usage by dropping the voltage levels to 1.5V. This is not as large of a jump as DDR2 from the DDR standard, but it does reduce the overall power consumption.

INCREASED LATENCIES

In order to increase the speeds of the memory modules with DDR3, it was also necessary to increase the latency of the modules. Latency is the amount of time that it takes for a memory module to process commands in a number of clock or command cycles. The higher the latency, the slower the memory will be at processing a command.

The typical latency for a DDR2 JEDEC standard was 5-5-5-15. The JEDEC standard latencies for the newer DDR3 memory are 7-7-7-15. Even with the increase in the latency for the DDR3 memory, the higher clock speeds allow the memory to still have a greater bandwidth than the older standards. This results in DDR3 memory running at 800MHz to be slightly slower than DDR2 memory that is also running at 800MHz. The real advantage comes when the clock speeds get higher than this mark.

Another thing with the latencies to be aware of is that these are the standards. As manufacturing improves with the memory modules, the modules will be able to run at lower latencies than the JEDEC specifications. It is possible to find DDR2 memory that is faster than the 5-5-5-15 speeds right now. It will take some time for DDR3 to get below the JEDEC latencies.

Source URL : http://compreviews.about.com/od/memory/a/DDR3.htm

Macro Photography Group

2009-01-17T09:55:00.004+08:00

Hi Guys! I came across this group of photograpers in Flickr, for those of you who like Macro Photography so much and would like to get in depth into this area of photography, here are some of the people who have the same interests as yours ... check it this group of people for your reference ... maybe they can provide some tips or advice to you on your way to pursuing macro shots ...

Web URL : http://www.flickr.com/groups/closer_and_closer/

Some sample pics

Photo by : Simpleng_Garapal

Photo by : kaoni701

Subway

2009-01-14T08:40:00.004+08:00

Took a picture of his subway in the capital, around 6pm in the afternoon ... Lens 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, ISO 400, 0.3" and f/8 ... and here's the outcome ...

This subway is located beside the Yayasan Complex and stretches to Ideal Restaurant on the other side (near Kampong Ayer) ...

River Bank

2009-01-13T16:29:00.005+08:00

Well just a nice spot for a nice shot. This was taken near Kampong Ayer just beside of Ideal Restaurant. Well let me know what you think of this shot !!!

Bandar Mosque

2009-01-13T09:18:00.006+08:00

Another Mosque, at the Heart of Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan. My wife and I were walking at Yayasan and decided to take a picture of the Mosque from Yayasan Mall ... Here's the shot ... Nice ???

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The mosque is classified as one of the most spectacular mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major tourist attraction. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is considered amongst the people of Brunei as the country's major landmark.

Named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei, the mosque, which is seen as a symbol of the Islamic faith in Brunei dominates the skyline in the capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan. The building was completed in 1958 and is an impressive example of modern Islamic Architecture. It is one of the main sights in the capital and the country in general.

My Gear!

2009-01-12T10:11:00.006+08:00

My humble gear! Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi DSLR Camera. Of course it's one of the cheapest yet good DSLR in terms of pixels, quality, durability and or course price (hehehe) ... Some info as follows :
This camera follows the design of the EOS 350D, being very compact and relatively lightweight but not compromising on manual controls or in-use performance. The headline changes are another two megapixel step up (to ten megapixels), the nine-point AF sensor from the EOS 30D, a new dust removal system which includes anti-static surface coatings, low-pass filter vibration and software based dust pattern removal. Less important but just as noticeable are the removal of the status LCD, replaced instead by a camera settings screen on the now larger 2.5" LCD monitor and the eye proximity sensor just below the viewfinder to turn this off when composing your shot.

So far I only have 2 types of lenses, Canon EF 18-55mm f4-5.6 and EF 50mm 1.8 II ... but this will do, hopefully my wife gives me another lens (hehehe), maybe a Wide Lens ??? ... hehehehe ...
I usually use the 50mm for closeup portraits and 18-55mm for the rest of my shots ... I'm still a newbie so for some of the Pro's out there! HHHHHHEEEEEELLLLPPPPPP!!!!!

The Kiarong Mosque

2009-01-10T08:37:00.008+08:00

One fine Friday morning (my day-off), after I sent my wife to the office, I passby one of the biggest mosque here in Brunei, since I have my camera with me, I decided to take a couple of pictures, but since there's alot of people going for their prayers, I just took the pictures outside ... are the shots ok ??? any comments ???

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque otherwise known as Kiarong Mosque - was built in 1988 and officially launched in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of His Majesty the Sultan's reign. This is the largest and the most magnificent mosque in Brunei Darussalam. This mosque has a distinct edge over the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in the heart of Capital both in style and grandeur. It also has a sea-blue roof, shimmering GOLDEN domes and slender minarets. With its intricately ornamented minarets and shimmering golden domes clearly visible along the main route into town from the airport, the Kiarong Mosque (as it is locally known) towers over a landscaped terrain dotted with fountains.

Practice Time !

2009-01-10T08:28:00.004+08:00

Practice time, took out my camera tried shooting some still objects for practice ... what do you think ? ... any advice on the picture ? Hehehehe ... It's my shades and the statue we used for our wedding ...

By the window

2009-01-10T07:48:00.005+08:00

This shot was taken by the window where I sit, saw this lovely cloud after lunch, decided to take a picture and added some hardlight effect ... the Building at the right side is the Riverview Hotel in Gadong, a residential area on the left side and the rest of the houses in the picture ... is it nice or not ?

Picture

2009-01-08T10:59:00.006+08:00

Happy New Year ! Welcoming 2009 here in Brunei is a bit of quiet in a sense. I guess I have to get use to it. Some highlight of my life last 2008 :

- (1) My grandmother and auntie went to Brunei for a long vacation.
- (2) Well I moved into a new company ( it feels good and sad in the same way, leaving your Colleagues & Bosses behind and have to start getting along with new faces/attitudes, but it worked so far, Thank God! )
- (3) My wife got pregnant (she's 6 month preggy at the moment, gonna be a future Dad [scary])
- (4) Moved into a new place.
- (5) Moved into a new Church premises. ( Nice Building ... Like those I see in the magazine ... )
- (6) Dec 5. 2008 - Our First Year Anniversary - celebrated at Swensens Restaurant...

Well those are some of the things I can remember. Some sad part need not to be mentioned...

Year 2009. Pray that God will bring more blessings into our life. He's been faithful to all of us His children.
First stop, I started using my Camera again ( finally, I've picked it up from its bag ), while I was doing my afternoon jog, I notice the light from a nearby hotel, thought I might give it a shoot, so I got back home ( I live nearby ), and took my camera. Here's the photo... I think I'll start to shot once more ( give it another try ).

The Riverview Hotel - 3 Star Hotel Tourist/Business ( shot taken around 6:30 pm ). Location, Gadong just outside the capital city is a quality hotel serving the visitor and regional business community. Located 10 minutes drive from the airport, 5 minutes drive from the Gadong Shopping area, and 5 to 10 minutes drive from the central Bandar Seri Begawan shopping area.

The Hunt !

2008-01-30T13:17:00.001+08:00

A Treasure Hunt event was held last Jan 27, 2008 ... it started around 8:00 am at Mei Fang restaurant. everyone was ready to get their hands on the treasure ( mwaaahhahahaha ) ... anyways ... the race started in Mei fang Restaurant, then went on to tasek lama park, bandar tamu (market), Place near Yayasan (not sure what was the name), then off to Damuan Park ( Probicis Monkey Show Yourself ... Ah the Internet ! ) ... then head straight to Jerudong Beach and Finally to Berakas recreational Park ... there we had our fellowship time and of course who would want to miss ... THE MAKAN ! hehehe ... some pics for you all to see ...

The Office Dedication !

2008-01-14T17:06:00.001+08:00

January 12, 2008 - Saturday 4:00 pm ... An Office Dedication was held in Kg. Jaya Setia ... The programme began with our Boss's Welcome Note, some singing, followed by the Dedication Ceremony, a special gift; An EPSON EMP-X5 LCD Projector (nice!), Thank You Speech... and of course the Finale! EATING TIME! Hehehe ... here are some pics during the event ... photos none other than yours truly ! ... :p

@#$%^&() ~ Big BANG ~ @#$%^&()

2008-01-11T22:06:00.001+08:00

Welcoming 2008 with a !~BANG~! ... this picture was taken during the Empire Hotel Fireworks Presentation on welcoming Year 2008 ... quite short but it was a BLAST ! ... lasted for 10 minutes of loud banging and lights flashing excitement !!! ... Me and My Wife ... where taking Picture and Video just underneath these awesome explosions! ...

2008-01-11T21:39:00.001+08:00

This pic was taken last Christmas December 25, 2007! Guess where? Hehe ... Frosty land? Snow Village? ... It's the front of NBT Toyota in Gadong! ... For those living here ... for sure it's obvious ... hehehe ... It was a bit crowded when we took this picture ... but my wife was able to take quite good picture of me ... hehehe ... what cha think ??? Welcome 2008 ... what lies ahead, we don't know, all we know is that God has plan for all of us. And His will be done!

Worthy! None Other Than!

2008-01-11T21:28:00.002+08:00

Worthy to be Praise! Worthy to be Honour! none other than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

2007-12-27T12:49:00.001+08:00

This is the video shown during our Wedding Reception ... some shots taken from the empire and during our childhood to teenage days! ... enjoy !

Our Special Thanks to people that contributed on this Video ... The Photographers (Ate Ging-ging, Kuya Sam, Kuya Raul, Kuya Rommel and Of course Us ! ) ... The Video was done by my loving Wife Ma. Isabel L. Canilao, The Pictures were edited by Myself ... Audio and Concept also done by us.

First Time - Post of the month

2007-12-27T07:47:00.001+08:00

So this is my very first post for this site ... hoping there's more ... that's it for now ...

hungry-stomach

2007-12-26T18:46:00.001+08:00

hhhhmmmmmm ... nothing beats an indo-fried-rice, especially on an empty stomach ... mouth watering spicy fried rice with, fried egg and fried fish fillet ... simply delicious ...

ghannielle - 26

My Macro Wish List Lens ! :D

Security Giants Symantec - Hacked ??? What !!!???

Facebook hacked - sql injection ???

Red Hat and Microsoft ink virt interoperability deal

Testing times

Hypervisor

Intel's future Xeons to share sockets

Motherboard Glue

More OS X MAC attacks!

Kaspersky Hacked ???

Brunei News - Flood Prone Areas - Keep out !

Virus on MAC ???

Sony's Finger Vein Authentication Technology "mofiria" for PC's and Mobile Devices

Philippines fears 800,000 job losses this year

Hiking Time - Exercise While Taking Shots

More Korean And Japanese Companies To Close Shops In Philippines

CSS Template Layouts - Creative & Free !

Awesome Photography - Places in the World !

The New Nayong Filipino ! :P - And we thought it's gone !

North Pole Massive Melting

HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition

MSI X-Slim 320 : The New Ultra-Thin Notebook

Intel closes Philippines, Malaysia, Oregon and California Operations!

Bandar Mosque

Jan 20, 2009 - Heavy rain !

Blog Design Restored

Blog Design Crashed !

Cloud Effect

Heavy Rain Last Night !

16 Layer Optical Disc - unbelievable ~!~

Laptop Kill Switch ?

Smoke Photography - Pretty Awesome shots

Windows 7 to be or not to be ???

Cloud Photos - shots, could have been better :(

Wow Philippines ! Experience !

Cars Cars Cars !!!

Malay Wedding Photography

Mecedes-Benz E250 AMG Luxury Car

Solid State Drives (SSD) ! Future of Data Storage Drives??? hhhhmmm...

DDR 3 Memory

INTRODUCTION

DDR2 vs. DDR3

MEMORY SPEED AND BANDWIDTH

LOWER POWER CONSUMPTION

INCREASED LATENCIES

Macro Photography Group

Subway

River Bank

Bandar Mosque

My Gear!

The Kiarong Mosque

Practice Time !

By the window

Picture

The Hunt !

The Office Dedication !

@#$%^&*() ~ Big BANG ~ @#$%^&*()

Worthy! None Other Than!

First Time - Post of the month

hungry-stomach

@#$%^&() ~ Big BANG ~ @#$%^&()