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I really can't wait for tomorrow morning, because Dr. Who comes out! It looks fantastic, from all the clips I've seen, and I hope it is Anyway, I'm really split over which phone to get. It's a rather difficult decision, because it's almost $600 overall I'm paying for it (and that's just straight off). I've managed to narrow it down to two phones, both by the same company: The HTC Desire and HTC Legend. They are easily the two best Android phones on the market (in my opinion, I mean, spec-wise, the Nexus One trumps the Legend). Both have the newest Sense UI and Android 2.1, with multitouch, the same number of buttons and an optical trackpad, and both are around $550, excluding shipping and mobile plans. The Desire has fantastic specs, with it's 3.7 inch screen, 1GHz processor, and nearly double the Legend's pixel count, but the Legend is just so sleek. That aluminium unibody makes it one of the best looking phones (in my opinion) ever. I'm not a fan of the 'graphite' colour of the Desire, and while a silver version is available, I can't find any store that stocks them. So, basically, what I'm looking for is a good phone that I can use to browse the web (not videos), take some pictures, and use apps with. I probably won't stress the phone spec-wise, because I don't think there are many spec-heavy games/apps on the market at the moment. I do sort of want the extra processing capacities, though, because my dad owns a HTC Hero, and it lags quite a bit, even on simple things like menu scrolling. I have a feeling this is a software rather than hardware issue, because I've heard of no lagging on the Legend, which has a very similar processor. I'm probably also going to be using GPS quite a bit, and the camera, sometimes, and I'll definitely harness the flash as a flash-light. What I also want is a phone that will show up Apple fanboys, and specs and looks are both necessary, I think, for that. One of my biggest worries is the screen size. I have never used any touchscreen device (well, phone-like) with a bigger screen than 3.5 inches (the iPhone), nor with more pixels than the Hero has (340x480, I think). I don't mind the Hero's size or screen, and both are pretty much the same as the Legend's. However, the Desire offers a much bigger screen, and a similar size, AND almost double, as I said before, pixel density. I want to know if the difference is notable, and if so by what degree, but I have no chance to hands-on with a Desire, certainly not a real one. So, basically, should I go for specs or looks? I'm totally split here, but I think I'm swaying towards the Legend. Comments would be much appreciated. Rav
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The new iPhone has a 'Retina Display' Basically that means it's pixels are so small they cannot be distinguished by the human eye. It has a dpi (dots per inch) of 326. By Apple's (and other's) calculations, the lower limit for a retina display is around 300dpi. Thus it was beaten to it by Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and LG. The XPeria X1 and Toshiba Porteage both had a dpi of 311. The LG-LU1400 had one of 336. All three are circa 2008. But that doesn't matter, really. It's not like iPhone was ever that innovative. Interestingly, once you reach 300, it literally doesn't matter any more. The human eye can't distinguish between 300 and 400 dpi. The iPhone 4's display is probably very impressive, and I hope a 300+ dpi is the standard from now on. I don't want to be able to tell where one dot ends and another begins! I wonder how long it takes me to just give in and sell my Legend for a newer Android. I really shouldn't be such a technophile. Just for fun, here's a list of 'innovations' by Apple that the iPhone didn't have first: Multitasking'Retina Display'AppsTouchscreensPush NotificationsFoldersPinch-To-ZoomStrong Glass on the screenFront-Facing CamerasVideo CallsIntegrated MailboxNya ha ha ha I don't really want iPhone 4. It's cool, but I still don't really want to support Apple's closed system. If the next iPod Touch has the Retina Display, I might consider getting one, but I doubt it. The iPad, on the other hand. If it gets a Retina Display (which would be a heck of a lot of pixels) I'd definitely consider it. Also, FaceTime would be necessary. Now, the Galaxy S, on the other hand, that thing looks awesome. A UI that is an iPhone ripoff, definitely, but just look how cool it looks! A 4-inch screen, with SUPER AMOLED display (better than iPhone 4's screen except by pixel density), front-facing camera, Android 2.1, and stuff. Not sure about how it looks exactly like an iPhone. Silver bezel on the very edge, black, even with an oval speaker and a big home button on the bottom in the middle. Maybe the Galaxy Tab. That looks awesome. Although, as my friend pointed out when I showed him, it has a PHONE. It's more than twice the size of an already-massive phone! Check them out (Remember, the one on the right is as big as your hand ): EDIT: After reading what I've written, I'm renaming the entry from 'The Retina Display' to 'Technophilia'. I started with an ill-thought-out rant about the new iPhone's screen, and halfway through I started rambling about how cool a new Android phone is. So I am obviously a technophile (someone with a great love of the latest tech) I either need to work on it, or I need to embrace it. I vote embrace. Rav
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Official Twitter for the Mars Phoenix rover. It's bio is "I dig Mars". I wasn't going to follow, but that pun was fantastic.
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recently i did the australian business week, where we needed to design a product, make a report, powerpoint, logo, brand name, advertisement, and prototype, and do a simulation of it. naturally i was the designer in my team, and i came up with the brand name, designed the logo, came up with the colours, and pretty much did everything design. i decided, for some reason, that i would use no capital letters in the designing. i opted for a neat, sans serif typeface, originally hoping to use a font i used in a design for a magazine cover, which i liked, but couldn't find, so i went with segoe wp, the font used in windows phone 7, which, as you may have guessed, i like. the lower case idea too came from winpho, and i prefer it because i feel it has a nicer look than upper-case text does. I don't like it in paragraphs or in my blog title, though. It works well for bullet points and headings, but only in a unified UI. I always aim for a unified feel when designing. In the case of my company, purshoe (neat pun, huh?), I went for white on red with a nice running man logo and no capital letters. My team designed the pamphlets with none of that in mind and they looked horrible. They also did the ad, and it looked bad. Why is it that things look bad if they're near things I make? Oh, and by the way, the irony was that the title auto-capitalised, just as I thought it would, so there. rav
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I think it turned out quite well. I spent at least 10 minutes on it in GIMP. It's just things that I like in a 750*268 rectangle. I like the crack, especially. I traced a path from the crack in Amy's bedroom from the finale, and told GIMP to stroke it with heaps of jitter and opacity/size variation thrice, then I tilted it to make stuff fit better. I found a white-on-black DW logo online, inverted it, shrunk it, and put it in. I took the Android, moved his arm up, tilted him, cut his legs off and made him fit in with the edge. The logo I blurred slightly. My name and mask are blurred a lot, for an out-of-focus look, and the word 'things' is very blurred, so it's not that noticable. Gotta love GIMP! EDIT: New banner, updated slightly. Hopefully looks cooler =D Rav
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The iPad is coming out (in the US) on the same day as the new series of Doctor Who starts in BritainThe iPad is coming out in Australia in the same time frame as the new series of Doctor Who starts here. ('late April')The new series of Doctor Who airs in AUS just 2 weeks after it airs in Britain (That's the quickest ever, I think. I'm so excited!)Australia gets Doctor Who both before and after America (because we get it early online)Term 1 is nearly overGoogle Reader is time-consuming, and awesomeIt's possible to figure out sin 45 using only Pythagoras' Theorum and a semicircle with a radius of 1(it's root 0.5)I really enjoy ChemistryI really like Science-based songsV is awesomeAndroid is awesome, and I want a good Android phone ASAPI actually enjoy sorting LEGO pieces There's a list of things I've realised recently The last one is pretty surprising. I didn't expect to enjoy things like that, but it's one of the biggest parts of being a scientist, so I guess I'm cut out for the job On the songs, google "Symphony of Science" to see what I'm talking about. That's all I can think of saying for now. Rav
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Honestly, HOW DOES IT WORK!? I'm trying to make a short video intro for any videos (or software of any variety) I might make in the future, and my usual video-making program (Photoshop =P) is not accessible (ie. I don't actually have it). So I'm stuck with this 'dedicated' video-making program, Flash CS4 Professional, which I do have (Yeah, thanks, DET) on my laptop. I've made all the layers in GIMP, and got it saved as both a .xcf and a .psd, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to use Flash. How do I make new layers, or frames, or tween, or anything like that? Also, how do I import images with layers so that it renders it as a multi-layered frame, instead of a multi-framed layer? I've tried Adobe Help, but that didn't seem to work, so now I'm gunna try BZPower blogs, because BZPower's blogging community has all the answers. =P Rav EDIT: Also, Purple and Black won the poll as colours for Gravity! =D Now I'm official! YAY!
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Hello Obvious is my possession of a LEGO USB stick, but I've put it to very good use recently. I used it to make a build of Chrome OS called Flow bootable. So I've been trying out Chrome OS this morning, and I have to say, I like it! It's compatible with Chrome themes and extensions, and of course it looks like Chrome. It basically IS Chrome, in fact, with very few differences. I'll do a pros and cons list for fun: Pros: Chrome's sleeknessThemesExtensionsLots of web appsFlash pre-installedLightning fast (well, not yet)Cloud-based storageChrome's fantastic compatibility Cons: Buggy alpha buildFullscreen (I have a 24", it's annoying, and I know it wouldn't be a problem on netbooks)Cannot run .exes (as far as I know)Limited to tabs, cannot have side-by-side windowsLogging out needs a keyboard shortcutLimited fonts (as of yet)Hard to browse files If you have a netbook, try this OS out on it, with a USB booter. If you don't, you can try it out, but it probably won't be any good except for a bit of fun. For now, I think I'll stick with Windows 7 for my desktop PC. Rav
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As I said I would (right on schedule, too, it's exactly later), here's the pictures of my LEGO flash drive. Front View Side View Back View Plugged In I think it's quite good. The circuitry's only come out twice in the half a day I've had it! But now all the holes are superglued shut. Shouldn't get any more problems. Bit delicate though, I'll need to keep it on something that doesn't get things crushed easily. A lanyard, perhaps? Or my keyring? Both of those means it'll need a ring. And ideas? (for getting a ring on, or how to hold it) Rav
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Everything up to 8-5 now. Once I get all of them I'll be triple-star, then when I do W9, quadruple-star! Then it's just W9 Star Coins. And Star Coins are easy. (but of course, I've been using a guide)
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I got NSMB Wii for Christmas, and after I got back from NZ on the 13th, I've been playing it, a lot. I'm double shiny star complete at the moment, and I've got levels 9-1 through 5, working on 6. World 6's star coins are hard for me to get, and World 5's were probably easiest. I want my quintuple shiny star completion! Also, I have 99 lives!
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I listened to Jeff Wayne's musical version of War of the Worlds a couple of days ago, and I can't get it out of my head now! It does have some good songs, though. And a good story. So I suppose it's OK. My favourite's Brave New World, where the Artilleryman sings about his plan of living underground: We're gonna build a whole new world for ourselves. Look, they clap eyes on us and we're dead, right? So, we gotta make a new life where they'll never find us. You know where? Underground! You should see it down there, hundreds of miles of drains... sweet and clean now after the rain, dark, quiet, safe. We can build houses and everything, start again from scratch. And what's so bad about living underground, eh? S'not been so great living up here, if you want my opinion! Take a look around you, At the world we've come to know. Does it seem to be much more, Than a crazy circus show? But maybe from the madness, Something beautiful will grow. In a Brave new world! With just a handful of men... We'll start- We'll start all over again! All over again! All over again! All over again! We'll build shops and hospitals and barracks, right under their noses, right under their feet! Everything we need - Banks, prisons, and schools! We'll send scouting parties to collect books and stuff, and men like you will teach the kids; Not poems and rubbish - Science! So we can get everything working! We'll build villages, and towns, and... and we'll play each other at cricket! Listen, maybe one day we'll capture a fighting machine, eh? Learn how to make 'em ourselves, and then.... WALLOP! Our turn to do some wiping out! WHOOOSH with OUR heat ray! WHOOSH! And THEM running and dying! Beaten at their own game! MAN ON TOP AGAIN! Now our domination of the earth is fading fast, And out of the confusion, the chance has come at last, To build a better future from the ashes of the past, In a Brave new world! With just a handful of men... We'll start all over again! Look! Man is born in freedom, but he soon becomes a slave, In cages of convention, from the cradle to the grave. The weak fall by the wayside, but the strong will be saved, In a Brave new world! With just a handful of men... We'll start all over again! I'm not trying to tell you What to be... Oh no, oh no, not me. But if mankind is to survive, The people left alive, They're gonna have to build this world anew... And it's going to have to start with me and you! YES! I'm not tryin' to tell you what to be... Oh no, oh no, not me. But if mankind is to survive, The people left alive, They're gonna have to build this world anew... And yes we will have to be the chosen few! Just think of all the poverty, the hatred and the lies, And imagine the destruction of all that you despise, Slowly from the ashes that phoenix will arise, In a Brave New World... With just a handful of men... We'll start all over again! Take a look around you... At the world you've loved so well... And bid the aging empire of man a last farewell... It may not sound like heaven... But at least it isn't ####... It's a Brave New World! With just a handful of men... We'll start all over again! I'VE GOT A PLAN! Can't you just see it? Civilisation starting all over again! A second chance! We could even tunnel to the coast, go there for our holidays! Nothing can stop men like us! Awesome song. Rav
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I just want to post a quick entry about Science. As is pretty clear, I want to be a scientist, specifically particle physicist, when I am older. The main reason is a strong urge to discover the universe. I have a love of truth, sometimes annoyingly strong in social circumstances. These are the reasons I feel so strongly about science. But I also accept that the vast majority of people don't share these feelings, and the following is why, even if you don't share my love of truth and urge of discovery, science still matters. -Without science, we would not have much of what makes our lives fantastic. We would be without boats, planes, computers, toothbrushes, iPods, glass, plastic, paper, powered light, electricity, and much more. We need to know why things work to make them work. -Even though the study of some things, like Higgs fields, or gravitons, or seafloor bacteria, may not seem useful at all, it could be in the future. Seafloor bacteria, for example, changed the way we look at life. We know now that life does not require sunlight at all. This could potentially help us discover alien life, by broadening the spectrum. Gravitons could, if they exist, change the way we see gravity, and help us manipulate it to make space travel easier. Higgs fields, if they exist, would explain what gives matter mass, and who knows what we could do if we use that knowledge. Knowledge leads to invention, which makes lives better. Saves lives, even. No matter how pointless the research seems. That is why Science matters. Sorry, I just needed to get that out there. I know here probably isn't the best place. Rav
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Yes indeed, I did contract H1N1 Swine Influenza in the week preceeding my school holidays. And the 1/200 chance I had of dying from it (obviously) didn't happen. Also, It it now NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK in Australia. Have fun, because that is what science is. Rav EDIT: The death rate has increased from ~1/200 to ~1/100. There is approxmately a 1% chance you'll die from this disease. Please, get vaccinated. It is MUCH more dangerous than regular flu (
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I'm currently working on a project: a card/cardboard Kanohi Ignika. It's going great so far, I've got a prototype pic about a week old: Since then I've made the top have a more stick-out thing, like the real mask, and covered the top in black. I've also done a scale version of the actual front of the mask, so I'm gunna stick that on and use cardboard for the guy. And the stripes. So yeah, look forward to that, I'll post more pics when I'm finished or I have another decent WIP stage (it currently has a somewhat large hole in the top because of when I was trying to staple the black onto the top, and then ran out of staples. When I fix that I'll take a pic or two.) Rav
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Well, my blog is back to normal, like I said it would be. Got TF2 yesterday, well, got it BACK after Steam killed itself. It's a very fun game, and I recommend it to anyone with bloodlust (well, comic bloodlust) And that's pretty much all I have to say for now... Oh, no, wait a second... DSi has some new colours, like lime green, light blue (REAL light blue, not sky blue of the Lite), Navy (or "Metallic Blue"), and, (o.O) Hot Pink. Rav
