World Clock

this is an interesting piece of information... It shows the statistics of many key indicators like world population, births etc.. The numbers are mind boggling that can make you "wow!". But the most interesting number has got to be figures of oil pumped... it goes faster than any numbers there.....

Plasma vs LCD

Plasma or LCD, what is your choice?
Perhaps the table below can help you to understand further on the differences between these two.

	Plasma	LCD
General
Screen sizes	42-65+ inches	5-65+ inches
Cabinet depth	3+ inches	3+ inches
Power consumption	Slightly less-efficient per square inch	Slightly more-efficient per square inch
Off-angle viewing	Excellent from all angles	Image fades slightly when seen from extreme angles from sides or from above or below
Reflectivity of screen	Glass screens can reflect lots of light, so may be an issue in very bright rooms. Some models have glare-reducing screens that are more- or less-effective	Matte plastic screens usually reflect less light. Some models have screens that are actually more reflective than plasma
Features
PC connectivity	Less common but still included on many models	More common than with plasma
Other features	Varies per model	Varies per model
Picture quality
Motion blur caused by display	Negligible	Difficult to discern on most models, although subject to more blurring than plasma. 120Hz models less-subject to motion blur
Black-level performance (depth of "black" displayed)	Varies, although excellent on many models.	Varies, although generally worse than plasma on many models, and better than plasma on best models
Color saturation	Varies, although generally a bit better than LCD due to black level and off-angle advantages	Varies, although the best models can equal the best plasmas
Resolution	Typically 720p, up to 1080p on high-end models. The benefits of 1080p are not obvious at screen sizes below 50 inches to the majority of viewers.	Typically 720p, but 1080p is more common than plasma at more price and size points. The benefits of 1080p are not obvious at screen sizes below 50 inches to the majority of viewers
Durability
Burn-in (faint after-images left on-screen)	Possible with still images left on-screen with very bright settings for hours, although new models much less susceptible, and most burn-in is temporary and goes away after watching moving images	May occur in extreme situations (very bright still images left on-screen for days) but much less likely than with plasma or even standard tube TVs.
Lifespan (hours until fades to half-brightness)	Typically 60,000 hours, or about 20 years if used 8 hours per day.	Typically 60,000 hours, or about 20 years if used 8 hours per day.
Program type
HDTV	Excellent	Excellent for HDTV-compatible models.
Standard-definition TV	Dependent mostly on screen size. The smaller the screen, the better standard-def usually looks	Dependent mostly on screen size. The smaller the screen, the better standard-def usually looks
DVD Movies	Excellent given a model with good black-level performance	Very good, although models with worse black-level performance are less desirable
Games	Excellent for most users, although burn-in might deter gamers who leave screens paused for hours or overnight	Excellent, although motion blur might deter the most sensitive gamers

Interesting Article from Extreme Tech: A Valentine's Day Letter to AMD

This is a good reading...


Dear AMD,

We used to be so good together.

You used to sit beside me, your powerful Athlon caressing my system's motherboard and lovingly driving our way through games, through photo retouching, through home movie editing…oh, all the things we did together! We even let ATI into our relationship, and it was wonderful.

We developed such a strong bond through your initial 64-bit CPU efforts; they were so kind to 32-bit operating systems and yet so ready for the future! I left my longtime lover, Intel, for you as she struggled to bridge the gap between 32- and 64-bit computing. You were so fresh and affordable! You were so passionate and reliable!

Oh, I know you hate it when I mention Intel. It's a sore subject between us since I left you and went back to her. That was nearly a year ago, but you and I have kept in touch. I've maintained an open mind. I know I'm a fickle person, but let's face it: You dropped the ball on our relationship, and when I was in need, Intel was there for me.

Oh, how you must hate Core 2. And though it must hurt you to hear this, I love it. It has so much to offer, and it's so cool. Maybe you and I just got a little too hot together, but the past is the past, and we can't change it. I'm happy with my Intel quad core, even though you make a valid point about it not being true quad. Hey, it gives me everything I need and more; Core 2 Extreme and I are great together.

I've been keeping an eye on you. I'm always open to second chances, and when you announced Phenom you really got me rethinking our relationship. I was interested; I was excited. You were finally ready to leave that whole Athlon thing behind and look to the future, and I was, like, totally with you on that.

So what happened?

Oh yes, I did give you another chance. We snuggled together for a while, you and me, on your supposedly superior Spider platform. I took it all in, the 790X chipset, the ATI Radeon HD 3870 graphics, and your most powerful Phenom processor. We had some fun, we played some games, but something just wasn't right.

Maybe it was when I tried pushing you, and your Phenom 9600, a little farther, and you just wouldn't give. Maybe it was that Radeon, which was equally stubborn. I don't know.

Intel was very patient with me when you and I gave it another try. She was there, she was strong, she was quiet, and she was cool. She didn't care whether I brought along ATI or Nvidia, either, as part of our platform together. And let's face it: Nvidia has been a little bit more aggressive than your own ATI in terms of my favorite pastime, playing games.

Metaphorically, is that what you're doing with me? Playing games? Making promises, but then only giving a half-assed effort to keep them? You know I'm always open to new things, so you never fail to tempt me with your big talk. But when it comes down to it, you just haven't been able to make me happy.

Isn't that what you want for me? To be happy?

Look, AMD, I'm going to lay it all on the line. Intel and I are very satisfied with each other, but I'm in this for one person: myself. Intel understands that. She forges ahead, as does Nvidia, while you and ATI just kind of, well…you don't seem willing to take charge like you used to. You might have lost the will to compete. You might have gotten lazy when you were the dominant one and tried to coast on your rep. Well, reputation only goes so far. You know I hate clichés, but as they say, if you talk the talk you gotta walk the walk. You've been crawling.

Now the good news: I'm still here for you. You and I can definitely stay in touch, and I'll keep tabs on all your new developments. It isn't easy writing negative things about you; it's not fun to have to tell people to avoid you. I'd rather give the world a grand choice between two glorious competitors; but I have to be honest with my readers and right now, I just cannot advise them to hang with you. I am, however, always willing to change that, as long as you are.

When you're ready to get serious, I'll be there. Until then, we'll just be friends. - Extreme Tech

Old and New (LG T5100 & Nokia 6120 Classic)

After three good years, having good times (although it's been giving me some problems lately) with my LG T5100 phone, it is time to get a new one. The LG phone has been a durable and shock resistant phone, having been dropped numerous times from the table at least 3 feet high and it still functional... i'm impressed actually.

At the time it was released to market the phone is one of the most innovative in its class, having with 180 Degree Swiveling LCD Screen, the non-reflecting 262,000 Color 2.0"TFT LCD. Throughout the duration, the OS has only crashed twice with one severe crash completely destroyed all my data then and the keypad too started to give me problems when typing SMS. I guess with the price I paid for this phone then, it is worth every RM paid :)

I have been looking at the market for some time shopping for a new phone. Basically, despite all the hi-tech features that come with the latest phones, I seldom use them at all. Thus, I'll be looking for a phone with good (not best) functionality, stable and most of all affordable (well, budget is tight, waiting for bonuses to arrive, it is better to go for best value phone).

The one that grabs my attention currently is Nokia 6120 Classic. It's a candybar type, easy to hold and running on Symbian S60 OS, similar to the ones used in Nseries. It can work in any part of the world with operating freq of EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, enough to cover Asia, Europe and America continents. It is also a 3G phone and comes with 2MP camera, enough for me on normal usage. It meets my criteria already, hoping to get it some time this month or next :)