Tech News : Nokia - Flexible User Interface

This looks good for the next version of phones, imagine some users rage reflex or rage responds on the phone after being fired by their boss.

AMD Bulldozer - A struggling uphill battle

I've been reading lots of the new AMD Bulldozer reviews and articles, from low detail to high detail. It certainly reminds me of the first Phenom where it failed to live up to its hype. Do not be mistaken by my words because I'm not saying it's a bad processor, it's just over-hyped. On quite a few famous forums and imageboards, there's tons of hardcore fans kept placing their trust on the bulldozer architecture saying it'll crush Intel's Sandy, which I lol'd. 

AMD has been critically pushed down since the Intel Core2 vs Athlon64 vs Phenom and at the same time AMD was having trouble managing the company internals I believe since awhile before and after the acquisition of ATi technologies. Thing's got worse, after so many years of using AMD still I can't say I'm too much of a fan or hardcore AMD user these days, not from the first phenom release, check my sys specs, all the AMD procs are usually used 2nd hand procs and only a few which is bought retail back in the good old days of AMD. 

Seriously ? I actually loved my C2Q 6600, extremely OCable, extremely efficient (for its time) and alot more better than the AMD counterpart at the time until its being replaced by the little more efficient (less heat, more speed) PII X6 I'm using and surprising and sadly I really need "MOAR" cores for what I do.  OC ability on the Phenom II was good, but not amazing. What is more disappointing is AMD using such marketing gimmicks like Spider platform, Dragon platform or Leo platform ? Seriously WTF ? 

Plus, eyefinity shouldn't be in the gaming section, why ? Because games with multiple screen looks like shit with thick (3~5cm on each LCD side is still thick) bezels between screens. Wish dell released the big and curvy wide screen and do gamers justice. Eyefinity ? Should have been promoted more on professional or business usage, not the gamers. End of the day people still dig the Green Guys 3D tech over some 9 screen gaming.

Back to original topic, the current bulldozer is a disappointment not because it's not faster than Intel's Sandy, but the hype generated among the users and some marketing dudes, the last thing to hope for is the price. The upper hand AMD always good at was the price, it may not be fast, many people will still get it if its cheap enough to get whats done. For example, even if Sandy is able to get 100fps on 1080p games and Dozer is getting say like 70fps ? it's good enough due tot the reason most user's LCD is capped at the 60hz refresh rate and won't do any good. If the gamer or user is a hardcore, hardcore I mean really hardcore and money is not an object, by all means spend it on the best of the best.

Lastly, expect to see lots of noob or half-noob professional tech enthusiast shy away from bulldozer because of the review's dissapointment. Me ? I don't really care anymore (since AM2 socket) lol.

Btw, AMD....where is your own Physics API ? still waiting for others to make the whole thing for you ? Havoc is Intel's, mind you. There's still tons of Open API you can work with, work with it and make the whole physics thing free and unified. There, one of the freaking silver bullet on the API solution. 

picture by : Me ! :)

News: Computer Virus Hits U.S. Drone Fleet (Wired)

A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other warzones.

The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an outside source. But the virus has resisted multiple efforts to remove it from Creech’s computers, network security specialists say. And the infection underscores the ongoing security risks in what has become the U.S. military’s most important weapons system.

“We keep wiping it off, and it keeps coming back,” says a source familiar with the network infection, one of three that told Danger Room about the virus. “We think it’s benign. But we just don’t know.”

Military network security specialists aren’t sure whether the virus and its so-called “keylogger” payload were introduced intentionally or by accident; it may be a common piece of malware that just happened to make its way into these sensitive networks. The specialists don’t know exactly how far the virus has spread. But they’re sure that the infection has hit both classified and unclassified machines at Creech. That raises the possibility, at least, that secret data may have been captured by the keylogger, and then transmitted over the public internet to someone outside the military chain of command.

....... 

Photo courtesy of Bryan William Jones

Looks like there is another security issue raised on the Reaper since the previous case where insurgents tapping in the view of the reaper with cheaper technology.
Well, even the military didn't saw this coming earlier, at least the found it at the end.


More on Source : Wired
Article by : Noah Shachtman

The Respected Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Image Source : Kotaku

Well, this is the day everyone feared coming even though there was hate and love towards him, no one is perfect. 

Steve Jobs, the great inventor for various products and marketing ideas that sprung apple into the biggest I.T company with revolutionary products such as the iPod and the iPhone. He will be badly missed, without him the technology currently will not be pushed as far as he wanted. 

I still remember the first time I started using Adobe Photoshop was on the Power Macintosh desktop with an old Motorolla processor, further on the iMac then the later the Power Mac. It helped me gain interest on making images with computer, always been.

I do hold some hate with him back then and at the same time liking his view and method of paving the future path for others, since Steve Jobs is no longer with us that hate turns into a mushy "missing" feeling. *sob* lol. His legacy will continue with the remained Apple staffs with current new appointed CEO Tim Cook, wish him the best on continuing the good and innovative ideas that Apple.Inc is known for. 

Steve Jobs, My endless imaginary salute with manly tears.