Recently I bought 2 expensive stuff. Geez. Must be crazy or something.

Me and my Nikon D80 in action. Sorry, I am just learning, so that picture taken is a bit blurry due to low light condition.

Hey, can I get some privacy here while I am eating?

Now you see me, now you don’t!

With a DSLR camera, I am now able to take shots like these.
(Warning : This shot is purely an amateur shot probably can be done with a point and shot camera too. I am still learning the ropes of taking photos with a DSLR)

vs

And there is also my new computer (replacement for my previous computer, was forced to give it to my brother). So, please meet my new “wife” : Princess Pandora (I named my computers, go figure).

C2Q a.k.a Overkill

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50Ghz
MSI P45 Platinum motherboard
2 x 2GB DDR2 667Mhz SDRAM
MSI 7300GT Graphics Card
4 x 300GB Seagate and Maxtor hardisk.
Chaintech 24bit Sound card
IN WIN Full 450watt ATX Casing
Samsung 19″ Widescreen LCD

My Princess Pandora powered by MSI P45 Platinum Motherboard  .

Watch out fraudsters, there is a new secure card in town or more accurately soon to be in town if everything goes well. Two companies, Innovative Card Technologies and eMue Technologies have join forces and came out with this :

Credit card with the Credit Card Embedded Authentication system

The idea is that instead of entering a PIN or authorization number into a web browser or ATM that could be compromised, you use the card and its own secure system by keying your own pin number and the card will provide a one-time use numeric passcode number for all transactions. All transactions using that passcode will be validated via an authentication server to complete the transactions.

Good idea? In my opinion, I don’t think so. People can still steal the one-time use numeric passcode and bam, it’s back to square one. There are so many determined fraudsters out there, even with the best secured system, they probably will figure out how workaround it or hack/crack through it. However, this card probably will make it harder for fraudsters to steal from it’s owners, still it doesn’t sound foolproof to me.

Source : Software Headlines

Hyundai W-100 watch phone is a fully functional watch & handphone with touch screen and also it has a 1.3 Megapixels camera, bluetooth support and a slot for microSD card. It also can play music and 3gp videos!

Read the full article here. (Warning : Chinese website).

Wow, I wonder how much would it cost to buy one. It’s a watch and a handphone not to mention a camera and a (literally) music/video player on your wrist! Only James Bond has the better watch with fancier gadgets. Now, you can be James Bond too! Just watch your pocket. It might cost an arm and a leg to buy one…. or not.

TOKYO — NEC has developed the world’s first portable human DNA Analyzer with Aida Engineering. This analyzer integrates all steps of the DNA analysis process, from DNA extraction to electrophoresis and individual profiling. The analyzer has been developed mainly for the law enforcement market. By narrowing the analyzer’s application to DNA analysis specifically for individual identification, developers have streamlined the analytical process and realized a compact device the size of an attache case (500mm W x 400mm D x 200mm H) that can be easily transported and analyzed at crime scenes.DNA analysis process consists of 5 steps: (1) cell collection, (2) DNA extraction, (3) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to amplify DNA fragments, (4) electrophoresis to ascertain DNA “fingerprints” and (5) STR analysis for determining genetic profiling. NEC’s newly developed device is the world’s first portable DNA analyzer to fully integrate the entire process. The compact nature of the analyzer facilitates coordination between each step and greatly expedites the PCR procedure where DNA fragments are alternatively heated and cooled. As a result, the device can complete the entire process, from DNA extraction to analysis, in approximately 25 minutes.

Read the full article here.

I wonder if analyzing DNA is just that simple? As what we see in CSI, the machine is rather huge (not including the printout unit). Then again, it’s the 21st century, notebooks are getting smaller and smaller. Why not a portable DNA analyzer?