xinmin media club
TECHBYTEX april 2010
EDITOR’S NOTE
CONTENTS
Dear readers, Welcome to yet another issue-April. Just the other day, i was looking through blogs. I saw this blog which hosted many insults in both the posts and the comments. & then, the last post says: This is my blog, i write what i like. its just like saying that the internet's my ranting area and i don't need your permission to scold you . Bleah, and too bad for you omgbbqrofl kthxbye. I stared at it, wideeyed and with disbelieve. In this issue, we focus on cyber-bullying.
what’s new in
Techbytex is closing down from this issue on, please write in to discourage us from doing so . HAPPY APRILS' FOOL.
Regards, The editor ;D
Firefox 3.6 welcome to
Internet Explorer 9 is it the best choice?
Bringing Sports Home check it out
Science & Technology Symposium 2010 review
Napoleon Total War cataclysmic development
of MMORPG
TECHBYTEX
MARCHAPRILMAY so,
How in the world should I hold a digital camera anyway? hey
DOMO-KUN movie review
Alice in Wonderland
virtually,
A Gladius movie review
Clash of the Titans does it even exists?
ONLINE PRIVACY cyber
BULLYING
What is new for Mozilla Firefox 3.6? Available in more than 70 languages. Supports a new type of theme called Personas which allow users to change
Firefox's appearance. Updates plugins to keep users safer as they browse Open, native video can be displayed in full screen and supports poster frames. Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness and startup time.
• Ability for web developers to indicate that scripts should run asynchronously to speed up page load times. • Continued support for downloadable web fonts using WOFF font format. • Support for new CSS attributes such as gradients, background sizing and pointer events. • Support for new DOM and HTML5 specifications including the Drag & Drop API and the File API, which allow for more interactive web pages. • Changes to how third-party software can integrate with Firefox to prevent crashes. System Requirements • Windows 2000 • Windows XP • Windows Server 2003 • Windows Vista • Windows 7
Minimum Hardware Requirements • Pentium 233 MHz (Recommended : Pentium 500 MHz or greater) • 64 MB RAM (Recommended: 128 MB RAM or greater) • 52 MB hard drive space
Steven Sinofsky, president of the company's Windows and Windows Live division, has officially announced plans for the Internet Explorer 9.
The new browser is still very early in the development process, but early builds are already showing smoother rendering and improved performance. To accomplish this, Internet Explorer 9 will shift text and graphics rendering to the graphics chip. A new JavaScript engine will also be built into Internet Explorer 9, as well as improved interoperability and standards support -including HTML 5 and CSS3. No estimates were given on a launch date, in the meantime, Microsoft's Channel 9 team has posted three demo videos which allow people to check out more about IE 9. Silverlight is needed for watching these videos. It is a better browsers with better standards compliance and performance. With IE9, Microsoft is aiming to close up the gap.
TECHBYTEX
CAMWHOREMUCH?
So, how in the world should I hold a digital camera anyway?
One of the common problems that many new digital (and film) photographers have is ‘camera shake’ where images seem blurry – usually because the camera was not held still enough while the shutter was depressed. Therefore we have published this to help you take better pictures. Use your right hand to grip the right hand end of the camera. Your forefinger should sit lightly above the shutter release, your other three fingers curling around the front of the camera. Your right thumb grips onto the back of the camera. Most cameras these days have some sort of grip and even impressions for where fingers should go so this should feel natural. Use a strong grip with your right hand but don’t grip it so tightly that you end up shaking the camera.
TECHBYTEX
CAMWHOREMUCH? The positioning of your left hand will depend upon your camera but in in general it should support the weight of the camera and will either sit underneath the camera or under/around a lens if you have a DSLR. Add extra stability by leaning against a solid object like a wall or a tree or by sitting or kneeling down. If you have to stand and don’t have anything to lean on for extra support put your feet shoulder width apart to give yourself a steady stance. The stiller you can keep your body the stiller the camera will be. Another quick bonus tip – before you take your shot take a gentle but deep breath, hold it, then take the shot and exhale. The other method people use is the exact opposite – exhale and before inhaling again take the shot. It’s amazing how much a body rises and falls simply by breathing – being conscious of it can give you an edge. One last note – this post is about ‘holding a camera’ in a way that will help eliminate camera shake. It’s not rocket science – but it’s amazing how many people get it wrong and wonder why their images are blurry.
TECHBYTEX
FEATURE
We have received feedback , asking us to provide readers with more information about cyber-bullying . For example, what is considered cyber-bullying . Also , due to request from readers , we have interviewed the principal of Xinmin Secondary School , Mdm Liew .
TECHBYTEX
FEATURE
DOMO-KUN
I’m sure you must have heard about or seen this character everywhere! From cute little toy stores, to your friend’s wallets! Well, this character is called Domo-Kun, or Domo for short. He comes from Japan but is already famous worldwide. He is the mascot of Japan’s NHK television station. Domo’s show Domo has his own show. He is described as “a strange creature that hatched from its egg”. His favourite food is Japanese-style meat and potato stew, and he strongly dislikes apples, resulted from an unexplained mystery in his DNA. He passes gas repeatedly when nervous or upset. He can only communicate with a low pitch noise which sounds like his own name. Other characters appear to understand him though. There are other chraracters like Mr Usaji, Maya and her child Mario, Tashanna, Bear Boy, Hee and Haw the flowers, the fox trio: Esther, Brother Fox and Fox Boy, Hungry Bear and The Ghost. Domo has his own manga(japanese comics), video games and his shows have been broadcasted in the United States. What people think about Domo “He's just so mega adorable!! i just cant stand it!” Ebony on sodahead.com “He's funny and cute as hell. I love him.”
Jonas on answers.yahoo.com *Comments have been edited.
This movie is a prelude to Lewis carol Alice in wonderland. I this movie Alice returns back not as a young child as she did 13 years ago but as a 19 year old with problems as she face a marriage proposal she hates but then sees a whiter rabbit and falls into the hole again but Alice has changed she is no longer a little girl. She thinks wonderland is just a dream and that is not reality. She is no longer the Alice she used to be. She thinks she will wake up after she pinches herself. When she reaches wonderland she is told she has to slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon-like creature controlled by the Red Queen who terrorizes Wonderland's inhabitants and reinstore the white queen.She goes on a long trip to once again find out who she is. This movie is a dark prelude to the light hearted alice in wonderland even thought it is much darker I quite enjoyed the remake of the movie and overall I would think it is wonderuk.The actors acted quite good I thought the booble head which was enlarger 3 times looked quite funny.OverAll I think this is a great movie and will recommend others to see it.
The gladius (Spanish sword) is amongst the most lethal weapons of the ancient world. Made of cast iron, the earliest form of steel, these wonderful masterpiece takes trmendous time and effort to make. Thankfully, using the latest computer technology, such weapons could be done with 3d design software like Cinema 4D – and it is much easier than before! 1) Use a bezier spline and draw the shape as seen in fig 1.1. Use the coordinates given in fig 1.2 as a reference 2) Using the duplicate function, copy 5 copies of this object. The options are present in fig 1.3 3) Using duplicate function again, copy 5 more copies. This time, make the x-axis distance 2000m but the scale is to remain at 100%. Rename the new group if needed.
Fig 1.1
4) Order the objects such that the first object is in front and the last is behind 5) Set scale of the 9th and 10the object from the tip of the blade as 95% and the 3rd object as 105%
Fig 1.2
6) Add a loft nurbs and place all the splines under the nurbs 7) To make the handle, add a sphere and change the radius to 500. Place it at z-axis 500m and press c-key to turn it into a polygon. Set the Y axis scale at 0.5 and Z axis scale at 0.4 8) Copy 5 more spheres, and resize 4 of them to 0.5 of the original size. Place them adjacent to one another such that the largest ones are at the ends. see fig 1.4
9) Add 3 materials. Put the first to be metal for colour and a slight reflection, and the other 2 to be simple turbulence materials that are blue and pale yellow respectively. 10) Add the metal material to the loft nurbs, the brown material to the larger spheres and the pale yellow material to the smaller spheres, and presto! It is done!
Fig 1.3
Fig 1.4
Add-on: Try to decorate the swords with ornaments and symbols. Ancient swords are usually filled with these decorations
The latest addition to the total war series, the much anticipated and highly regarded Napoleon Total War is the ultimate mix of real time and turn-based strategy gaming. It combines the latest game engines and an interactive concept to create a highly realistic and vibrant game environment.
Conquer the world your way with Total War
Try to change the course of history as you command the armies of Napoleon, Britain, Prussia or the other warring nations during that turbulent period of history. Experience the historic battles like Waterloo and Trafalgar and experience the chaos and mayhem of these historic engagements up close and personal. Conquering the world has never been so fun.
This game is part of the line of award winning series of games by The Creative Assembly. Now, the 10 or so versions and add-ons has attracted more than 10 million players worldwide, and the game engine of this series is so successful that it is used in documentaries like Decisive Battles and game shows like Time Commanders. “Total War once again handles all of these gameplay features impeccably with an accessible interface making navigation simple…” Hexus “Napoleon is fairly faithful to the historical situation. Even the small minor missions and peripheral generals lend an air of authenticity.” pc.ign
Interface
Value for money
Graphics
System requirements
Sound
Overall
Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades, vengeful god of the underworld. He volunteers to lead a dangerous missionBorn to defeat Hades before he can seize power from of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save hi Zeus and unleash hell onvengeful Earth. Leading a band of warriors, family from Hades, god of the underworld. PerseusHesets off on atojourney deep intomission forbidden volunteers lead a dangerous to defeat Hades worlds.before Battling demons and beasts, he will survive if he he can seize power from Zeus and only unleash hell on Earth. Leading band ofaswarriors, Perseus can accept his apower a god, defy his sets fateoff on a journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling demons and beasts, he will only and create his own destiny. survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his planned own destiny. The movie was to come out on 26th March, but it The movie was planned to come out on 26th March, but it was was converted to 3-D and released on 2th April and has a PG-13 converted to 3-D and released on 2th April and has a PG-13 rating. rating. It stars Sam Worthington who played Jake in Avatar and Marcus in Terminator Salvation along with others. It starsDon’t Sammiss Worthington who played Jake in Avatar and it!
Marcus in Terminator Salvation along with others.
Cataclysmic development of MMORPG “Your Hunter is no match for my awesome Mage!” MMOs, or massive multiplayer online have cause great popularity amongst teenagers. There are copious impacts derived from such activities and it has long lasting ramifications to society. Through revolutionary changes Games are evolving over-time and growing in sophistication. Impacts of MMORPGs Negatives: • Excessive usage of colloquial and abbreviations • People may get addicted to the games • Tend to get grumpy over small things • Tend to be very lazy when working on things • Having thoughts about life like the Game World • Tend to be over trusting Positives: • Get to be more social with other people • Have greater insight of history through entertainment • People can learn communication and social skills • They can learn group work and self-independence
Some things are historic like For Example: Druids – Celtic Spiritual leaders
Templar – Council Of Knights Fighting For Christians Shamans – Priest Of Native America Revolutionary changes of the MMORPGs •They transformed through time, providing a new fortitude of gaming experiences •From 2D to 3D, giving a new visual depth to gamers •Low graphics to High Graphics
•How it takes on people of the real life •How technology was used
Swimming at home When was the last time you exercised? During P.E lessons? At home on your Wii? Did you know that exercising is extremely important to health? I’m sure you do, but is technology taking over physical exercising? Wii sport, Dance Dance Revolution? It is actually more convenient to run on a treadmill compared to going to the park for a jog. Yet, many would argue that it is better to run in the park, as it is much better to feel the cool air and watch the scenery pass by as you jog. You can also jog with friends and build up social relationship this way. Some may even think that exercise machines are a waste of money but they are actually a good way to persuade people with little time to exercise. Furthermore, some forms of exercise, like swimming, cannot be done using such machines. However, if you do not have the motivation to go for a long jog to exercise, you can choose to play Wii Sports, which will leave you sweating in no time. So, which is better? When we think about it, exercising has been taken over by technology.
The 2nd Science & Technology Symposium hosted by Xinmin was held in the school hall recently. A dozen teams participated, showcasing their project which they had spent months working on. The projects ranged from nanotechnology to the types of fungi found inside fruit peels. The entire event was extremely classy and formal, and speakers from A*STAR and Singapore Science Center were invited to give speeches. A demonstration of an upcoming exhibition at the Science Centre was given; a tornado was merged with a flame, producing a tornado-like flame which wowed and awed the audience. Several teams utilized IT in the making of their project. One team used Java, a popular programming language, to generate a 3D plant based on input by the user. Another group programmed a robot to automatically scan for enemies, predict the path and fire.
Clearly, IT and science have been used hand-in-hand in recent years. Researchers have utilized IT to lead the frontiers of research and discover breakthroughs in technology.
We know that when this reaches publish, it’ll be too late to play pranks for April Fool. However, no worries, you can always play the pranks next year. http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1939-april-foolspractical-jokes-and-pranks For more, these are just examples. What's That in Your Apple? For a fruity April Fool's practical joke, get a few gummy worms and carefully poke them into fresh fruit, particularly apples. Give mom or dad a wormy apple for lunch and leave a few apples on the table for friends and family members to snack on. This April Fool's practical joke is old but it still works. Superglue some coins to the sidewalk or any spot that has a lot of people walking around. Make sure it's an appropriate place, then watch people break fingernails to get the coins.
TECHBYTEX
CREDITS http://elmundotech.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/moz illa-firef0x-3-6-logo.png http://www.ghacks.net/wpcontent/uploads/2009/12/firefox_36b5.jpg
FIREFOX
http://www.thedjlinkdomain.co.uk/pictures/tv/domokun.png
DOMO-KUN
http://www.oskaya.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/Alice-in-Wonderland.JPG http://www.doobybrain.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/alice-in-wonderlandtrailer.jpg
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
http://digital-photography-school.com/got-a-digitalcamera-for-christmas-learn-how-to-use-it-here
HOW SHOULD I HOLD A DIGITAL CAMERA