Jia Ren

Apple Iwatch

2006-08-23T14:16:00.000+08:00

iWatch

Found it from the recent newspaper.Wow a new item from Apple?This is a fantastic wrist mounted iWatch which come with a 10GB of storage and a bluetooth earphones.

tags : Apple iWatch mp3

Tokyo Disneysea Theme Park

2006-07-18T20:53:00.000+08:00

Tokyo DisneySea (東京ディズニーシー) is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside of Tokyo.

It opened on 4th September 2001, first Disney theme park outside the United States not to use the "Magic Kingdom" design.

Tokyo DisneySea has become one of the world's most visited theme park and one of the most popular Disney Parks in the world.

An estimated 12.2 million visitors visited the park in 2004. It was the second theme park to open at the Tokyo Disney Resort, and the ninth park of the eleven worldwide Disney theme parks to open.

You can arrive to Tokyo Disneysea by train where you need to take the JR Keiyo Line or Musashino Line to Maihama Station. If going by car, take the Wangan Expressway to the Urayasu exit.

There are access within the resort which are convenient and fun.There are
Disney Resort Line - Disney Resort Line monorail trains carry Guests to all of the
major Resort destinations.

Disney Resort Cruiser - A convenient means of transportation between the Parks and
hotels within the Resort.

Parade show is a must for those who visit this Disneysea as it is very entertaining and nice.

The parade show can be seen at the Mediterranean Harbor.

There are seven themed areas in Tokyo Disneysea.There are Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Lost River Delta, Port Discovery, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, and Mysterious Island.

Mediterranean Harbor

Mediterranean Harbor is the entrance "port-of-call" and themed as an Italian port city.

The layout greatly differs from the entry "lands" of other Disney parks (such as Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. or the Disney-MGM Studios' Hollywood Boulevard) as it is a large "V" shape.

If followed to the right, the path leads to Mysterious Island, while if followed to the left, the path leads to the American Waterfront.

American Waterfront

This "port of call" represents the northeastern seaboard of the United States in the early 20th century. It features two themed areas, an "Old Cape Cod" section, and a "New York Harbor" section.

This land is dominated by the large passenger ship, "S.S. Columbia", and the large skyscraper, Hightower Hotel.

Apart from the "Big City Vehicles" which travel around the area and the DisneySea Electric Railway, the land features no attractions.

However, in Autumn 2006, the Tower of Terror will open on the site of the Hotel Hightower.

Lost River Delta

Attractions

• Indiana Jones Adventure (A must visit attraction) : Temple of the Crystal Skull Presented by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.,Follow in the footsteps of Dr. Indiana Jones in a harrowing, life-or-death quest for the legendary Fountain of Youth.But beware the Fountain is purported to be guarded by a vengeful, supernatural spirit known as the Crystal Skull!

• DisneySea Steamer Line Presented by Nippon Oil Corporation,Take a leisurely cruise to Mediterranean Harbor aboard Transit Steamers leaving from this dock. Other routes are available from docks in American Waterfront and Mediterranean Harbor.

• Mystic Rhythms,Enjoy a live theatrical performance in an abandoned hangar that has been reclaimed by the jungle.Let the animals and living spirits of the rainforest tell you the tale of this land far from civilization.

• Raging Spirits,A new adventure awaits you at the mysterious Lost River Delta! This roller coaster attraction takes everyone on a high-speed ride through the ruins of an ancient ceremonial site.As you pass by the vengeful spirits awakened during the excavation, the bursting flames, encompassing steam, and spine-tingling 360-degree loop will make it a truly thrilling experience!

Port Discovery

• StormRider Presented by JCB Co., Ltd,The Center for Weather Control has recently developed a "Storm Diffusion Device," a new invention that is detonated in the center of powerful storms and dissipates their energy. As there happens to be a rather large typhoon approaching Port Discovery at the moment, Guests at the CWC are invited to board one of the Center's flying weather laboratories and observe a mission to test one of the new "Fuses" by delivering it right to the center of the storm!

• Aquatopia,The Center for Weather Control usually uses this facility for testing out new types of navigation systems. However, to commemorate today's festival, the scientists at the CWC have made some special modifications. Guests can board one of the experimental watercraft and embark on a twisting, whirling, wild ride through a labyrinth of fountains, rock formations and whirlpools.

• DisneySea Electric Railway Presented by TOMY Co.,This nostalgic electric trolley takes Guests over the horizons of time back to the turn of the century in American Waterfront. No matter where you sit on the elevated train, you'll be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Tokyo DisneySea passing by outside the windows

Mermaid Lagoon

Mermaid Lagoon is home to many of the characters of The Little Mermaid. This "port of call" has two areas, one indoors and the other outdoors, both featuring attractions suited for children.

The area is bright and colorful and features fanciful architecture designed after the undersea palace of King Triton.

Arabian Coast

This "port of call", like Mermaid Lagoon is themed after a popular Disney animated film, this time Aladdin.

It recreates an exotic Arabian harbor combined with an "enchanted world from 1001 Arabian Nights." There are two attractions in the land, Sinbad's Seven Voyages and Caravan Carousel. Sinbad's Seven Voyages, a boat ride much like "it's a small world", is notable for being the only attraction in the land not themed to Aladdin.

Mysterious Island

Mysterious Island is a "port-of-call" within Mount Prometheus, the giant volcano that is the Park's centerpiece and most prominent feature. It relies heavily on the storytelling of Jules Verne.

Although it is the smallest area of the Park, it holds two of the biggest attractions: "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".

While appearing to be a volcano on the water, Mysterious Island is not an island at all. It is instead built into the side of Mount Prometheus, which is part of the showbuilding of the two attractions.

tags : Tokyo Disneysea 東京ディズニーシー Mediterranean Harbor American Waterfront Lost River Delta Port Discovery Mermaid Lagoon Arabian Coast Mysterious Island

Durians from Balik Pulau Penang,Malaysia

2006-07-10T21:30:00.000+08:00

Durians....durians.. the king of fruits.A more details and history of of durians can be found here.

I had just receive an email from Grace,a colleague of mine.In the email,it got the name of the durians and the photos which was taken during the 2004 & 2006 AsiaExplorers Durian Feasts in Balik Pulau,Penang.It is located at the southwest corner of Penang Island,Malaysia and it is a 30 minutes drive over the main range.

D11 - "Number Eleven" is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604 - The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some "body" to it as the seed is small.

D600 - This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.

D700 - The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

Ang Sim (Red Heart) - Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

Khun Poh - This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orange flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.

Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian) - The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a "Hor Lor" pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian) - Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian) - Xiao Hung, whose name means "Little Red One," originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

Yah Kang (Centipede Durian) - Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name "yah kang" means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian) - Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.

D17 - D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.

Coupling - This durian is gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.

Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian) - The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian) - Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means "green skin". Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

Ang Jin (Red Yolk Durian) - As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

tags : Durian Balik Pulau Penang Malaysia

Shinkansen (新幹線) - Japan Railways West Line

2006-07-09T16:48:00.000+08:00

Shinkansen Series 700 (Nozomi) - The fastest and stop lesser.

Shinkansen (新幹線) is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by Japan Railways (JR).

Shinkansen Series 700 Rail Star.

Look like those stewardess in the air plane where they sell foods and necessity to customers.

I was able to get some rides in the JR west line Shinkansen during my visit to Japan in April 2006.

This is the normal seat in the Shinkansen (spacious and comfortable).

Look like the airplane seat where there is a tray in front of you too.

It was an amazing experience riding on the Shinkansen where I can say that the seat is so spacious, comfortable, clean and convenient thought it is a bit pricey.

There are 2 types of toilet available in the Shinkansen,this one is the Japan style toilet.

Since the initial Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened in 1964 connecting Tokyo,Nagoya,Kyoto and Osaka, the network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshu and Kyushu with running speeds of up to 300 km/h (186 mph), in an earthquake and typhoon prone environment.

Shinkansen Series 700 logo.

Shinkansen Series 300 (Hikari or Kodama).Hikari is faster than Kodama and stop lesser than Kodama.

Test run speeds have been 443km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail, and up to 580 km/h (360 mph) for maglev trainsets.

Shinkansen Series 300 (Hikari or Kodama).Hikari is faster than Kodama and stop lesser than Kodama.

Shinkansen Series 500.

The second generation Shinkansen was introduced in 1972 between Shin-Osaka and Okayama, three years later being extended to Hakata connecting Hiroshima and Fukuoka.

Shinkansen Series 100

The place where all the Shinkansens been station at.

tags : Shinkansen Bullet Train 新幹線 Japan Railway West Line Nozomi Hikari Kodama

Mount Fuji (富士山)

2006-07-07T22:04:00.000+08:00

Mount Fuji taken while travelling in the Shinkansen (bullet train)

Mount Fuji (富士山, Fuji-san) is Japan’s highest peak and the most beautiful. It is regards as the mountain of all mountains. It rises 3,776 m above the sea level, making it the 29th tallest volcano in the world with a diameter about 38km north south and 39km east west when measured at the foot of the mountain.

On a clear day, you may see it from Tokyo, 130km to the east. Its majestic profile can be seen more than 300km away from the top of Mount Myoho in Wakayama Prefecture.

Mount Fuji is an almost perfect cone with lakes dammed by lava flows, rivers, ponds marshes fed by fast-flowing springs and a dense, mature forest covering the lava plateau around its foot. The area is also rich in wildlife and natural vegetation.

Mount Fuji is an active volcano and from time to time, it will erupts and throwing out lavas and cinders. Since ancient time, people have regarded it as sacred and some even worship it as a god. These beliefs led more and more people to climb the mountain in medieval times and in the 18th century, shrines were built all over Japan to honor the mountain.

Today, about 300,000 people climb the mountain every year to realize their dream to get to the top of it.

tags : Mount Fuji 富士山 Fuji-san Tokyo

Osaka Castle (大坂城)

2006-07-02T12:57:00.000+08:00

Osaka Castle (大坂城,Osakajo) built in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple by Toyoyomi Hideyoshi.Toyotomi Hideyoshi,the battle expert design the castle to be the most formidable castle ever built in Japan and intended the castle to become the center of a new, unified Japan under Toyotomi rule.

However, a few years after Hideyoshi's death in 1615, Tokugawa troops attacked and destroyed the castle and terminated the Toyotomi lineage. Osaka Castle was completely rebuilt by Tokugawa Hidetada in the 1620.

A new donjon was built too and making the whole castle even bigger and grander than Hideyoshi's original castle but its main castle tower was struck by lightening in 1665 and burnt down. It was never rebuilt until 1931,where the present ferro-concrete reconstruction of the castle was built.

Major repair works gave the castle new glamour in 1997. Inside the castle is a museum that documents Toyotomi Hideyoshi's life and the history of the castle. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from sword-bearing attackers.

Osaka's best known sight, although it's a concrete reconstruction that pales in comparison with, say, Himeji Castle. Still, it's pretty enough from the outside, especially in the cherry blossom season. Open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, adult admission ¥600 (Children up to middle school free).

Closed at the end and beginning of the year. The park can be accessed on a number of lines, but the castle is closest to Osaka-jo Koen station on the JR Osaka Loop Line.

tags : Osaka Castle 大坂城 Japan Osakajo

Sunset in Morib Beach

2006-06-22T19:56:00.001+08:00

Morib Beach is located at the at the southern end of the Selangor State and it take approximately 1 1/2 hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur.

For history lovers, Morib is also home to a wealth of historical sites. There are the ruins of old government buildings and the royal graves at Jugra, including an abandoned palace from the 1800's.

Allied Forces also landed on this stretch of beach in September 1945, marking the end of the Japanese Army's occupation in Malaya.

tags : Sunset Morib Beach Selangor Malaysia

Superman Return after 19 years

2006-06-21T23:34:00.000+08:00

Superman Returns a 2 hour and 30 minutes movie directed by Bryan Singer will come to Malaysia on 29th of June 2006, is receiving knock-out first reviews from critics, with newcomer Brandon Routh tipped to win over audiences as the latest crime-fighting "Man of Steel."

According to the latest news from Reuters,Hollywood's two trade newspapers, Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter, gave the movie strong reviews, with The Reporter describing it as "a heartfelt Superman movie that plays to a broad audience thanks to an emotionally troubled Man of Steel."

Daily Variety critic Todd McCarthy said director Bryan Singer had imprinted the Warner Bros. movie with its own personality. "'Superman Returns' is never self-consciously hip, ironic, post-modern or camp. To the contrary, it's quite sincere, with an artistic elegance," he said.

Routh won praise for his apparent effortlessness - with his resemblance to Superman predecessor, the late Christopher Reeve, not going unnoticed. The movie's plot has Superman returning to Earth following a mysterious absence of several years. Back home, an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all while the superhero's great love, Lois Lane ( Kate Bosworth), has moved on - or has she?

Newsweek said Singer, who left the popular "X-Men" franchise to make "Superman Returns," did the right thing from the start of "this gorgeously crafted epic" by showing respect for the most foursquare comic superheroes of them all. The magazine added that "Routh may or may not be a real actor, but he effortlessly lays claim to the iconic role, just as Reeve did. Indeed, he virtually duplicates Reeve in the way he plays Kent as a diffident, awkward Midwestern colt."

"Next to Singer's champagne, most recent superhero adventure movies are barely sparkling cider." Time magazine said Singer and writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris had revived and revised the story's premise. "The result is an action adventure that's as thrilling for what it means as for what is shows,"

Time said. The film is Superman's first big-screen appearance since the 1987 movie "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" starring Reeve. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

tags : Superman Return

World Heritage Site - Kyoto Kiyomizudera (Pure Water Temple [清水寺])

2006-06-19T23:15:00.000+08:00

Nio-mon Gate (The main entrance to the Kiyomizudera)

Kiyomizu-dera (or Kiyomizudera, 清水寺) means Pure Water Temple in english, is a temple located in Kyoto,Japan. It possess one of the best known sights of the Kyoto city.

A city view from the Kiyomizudera

Sakura flower in Kiyomizudera

According to the legend, the kiyomizu is a small temple which was established in 657 by monk Dosho from China.It is said that the Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water Temple) was founded in 798 by the monk Enchin through the patronage of the warrior Tamuramaro.

A view of Kiyomizudera

Tamuramaro at that time is a Grand General, Japan’s first military leader, came to this area for hunting deer. Those days, everyone believe that consuming deer blood had a good effect on easing childbirth, so Tamuramaro used to hunt deer for his wife. Enchin, however, condemned the general for killing animals, and Tamuramaro repented for his sin by building Kiyomizu-dera and dedicating it to Enchin the monk.

A view of Kiyomizudera

There were several big fires over the centuries in Kiyomizu Temple, destroying almost all the buildings. In 1633, Tokugawa Iemitsu, a very famous shogun, restore most of the architecture and artwork of the temple.

The famous Kiyomizudera Main Stage

Kiyomizu Temple is famous for its very tall Main Stage where it was constructed using 139 pillars and 90 crossbeams.The best part is that the whole temple is constructed without using any nails and can withstand a powerful earthquakes. It is said that those who survive from jumping down off the stage of Kiyomizu, their wish will be granted.

The famous Kiyomizudera Main Stage

Out of 234 jumps, 85.4 percent of them are survived,though the practice is now prohibited.It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese government has designated it as Japan's Important Cultural Property and national treasures.

The Otowa Waterfall

Beneath the main hall is the waterfall Otowa-no-taki, where three channels of water drop into a pond. Each of the channel represent wisdom , longevity and matchmaking.Visitors to the temple normally will que up and drink the water, which is believed can have the therapeutic effect if drink in the metal cups.However, if we drink from all of the 3 channels,the good effects will be lost thus teach us not to be greedy.

The Love Stone

The temple complex contains several other shrines, notably Jishu-jinja, decidated to Okuninushino-Mikoto, a god of love and "good matches". Jishu-jinja possesses a pair of "love stones" placed 18 metres apart, which lonely visitors attempt to walk between with their eyes closed. Success in reaching the other stone with the eyes closed, is taken as a presage that the pilgrim will find love.

Make wish?Anyone interested?

One can be assisted in the crossing, where it will mean that an intermediary will be needed.
The complex also includes all the fixtures of a popular temple, being one of the most visited attractions of the city where there are some hawkers offering various talismans, incense, o-mikuji [御御籤, 御神籤, or おみくじ] (paper fortunes ranging from "great fortune" to "great ill") and ema [絵馬] (a small wooden plaque for writing prayers or wishes) abound.

ema [絵馬] (a small wooden plaque for writing prayers or wishes)

Koyasu Pagoda is named after an image which it contains of the Koyasu Kannon. Koyasu means “an easy childbirth,” and it is said that if a pregnant woman can reach here, she can have her baby safely deliver.

Koyasu Pagoda

Zuigudo, takes its name from its principal image of worship Daizuigu Bosatsu. Daizuigu Bosatsu is the mother of Buddha. Buddhism originated in India, and Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language that is the language of its classic literature. In this hall, there is nothing except for a stone on which is written the word “womb” in Sanskrit. We cannot see anything else because it is very, very dark. This reminds us of the womb of a mother. It is said that the Daizuigu Bosatsu can grant our wish, whatever it may be, so we make our wish here while circling the stone.

Zuigudo

tags : Kyoto Kiyomizudera Pure Water Temple World Heritage Site 清水寺 Japanese National Cultural Treasure

World Heritage Site - Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Gembaku Dome [原爆ドーム])

2006-06-16T21:32:00.000+08:00

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, called Gembaku Dome (原爆ドーム), the Atomic Bomb Dome, or the A-Bomb Dome by the Japanese is an UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hiroshima, Japan.

The building was originally designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, and the new building was named the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition (HMI).

This is the Memorial Tower To the Mobilized Students where during the Pacific War, students were mobilized for labor service to increase production and for the demolition of buildings. Among them some 6,000 were killed in the atomic bombing.

It was formally opened to the public in August that year. In 1921 the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, and again in 1933 to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The hall is used to promote Hiroshima’s regional products and cultural activity.

This is the Peace Flame at the center of the pond, its base representing outstretched hands.The flame was lit by clerics of many faiths, and will be extinguished when the last nuclear bomb is destroyed.

At 8.15 am 6 August 1945, an American B29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb, the first atomic bombing in human history.The bomb exploded almost directly above the building (the hypocenter with estimation that the shock wave from the bomb will create 35 tonnes per square meter pressure was 160 meters / 490 feet away), and it was the closest structure to withstand the explosion. It was one of the few buildings left standing within 2 kilometer (1.25 mile) radius from the explosion and has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing.

The Memorial Cenotaph is the central monument to honor and console the souls of the victims of the A-bombing. It stands close to the exact center of Peace Memorial Park and was unveiled on August 6, 1952. The design evokes the primitive shelters provided to earthenware dolls buried in ancient burial mounds during the Kofun period (third to seventh century). The concrete structure was resurfaced with granite in March 1985.

It now serves as the reminder of nuclear devastation and as a symbol of hope for world peace and elimination of all nuclear weapons.

This is the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims

After the city was destroyed, it was said that nothing would grow there for decades. But when a tree nearby, began to show signs of life after the blast, it gave great hope and inspiration to the survivors.

This is the Children's Peace Monument, also known as the Tower of the Paper Cranes.

This monument was inspired by Sadako Sasaki, a vivacious young girl struck down by radiation aftereffects. Sadako who is 2 years old at the time of the bombing, was one of many children who developed leukemia about ten years later. On top of the concrete tower stands the bronze statue of a young girl holding over her head a huge paper crane symbolizing the hope of all children for a peaceful future.

Thousands of origami peace cranes brought to the park by schoolchildren from Japan and throughout the world every year.

The cranes remember the story of Sadako Sasaki, a childhood a-bomb survivor, who died of leukemia in 1955.While hospitalized, her closest friend reminded her of the Japanese legend that if she folded a thousand paper cranes, the gods might grant her wish to be well again. With hope and determination, Sadako began folding, but she did not survive long enough to finish 1,000 cranes.

Some of the places nearby that i missed are the Memorial for the Korean who died in the atomic bombing where many people were brought to Japan as forced laborers before and during World War II. A number of them were in Hiroshima at the time of the blast , A-bomb Memorial Mound and Peace Bell .

tags : Hiroshima Peace Memorial World Heritage Site Atomic Bomb Dome A-Bomb Dome Gembaku Dome 原爆ドーム

World Heritage Site - Todaiji Temple

2006-06-13T19:24:00.000+08:00

Todaiji (東大寺) means "A Large Temple To The East (Of The Capital" is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara.

Todaiji was constructed in the year of 747AD and completed in 752AD , is the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan.

Not only is Todaiji housing Japan's largest Buddha statue (Daibutsu) with 15 meters (49 feet) in height, but it is also the world's largest wooden building with 48 meters (157 feet) in height, even though the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple's size.

Todaiji is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese government has designated it as Treasure House of the World.

tags : Nara Todaiji Temple World Heritage Site Japanese National Cultural Treasure

World Heritage Site - Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima)

2006-06-13T19:08:00.000+08:00

Miyajima (宮島町; -cho) was a town located on Itsukushima Island (sometimes referred to as Miyajima Island) in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan. On November 3, 2005, it was amalgamated into nearby Hatsukaichi City.

To give birth, to die or to be buried were forbidden on this island. Even logging is also forbidden, leaving the island covered by the virgin forest, and providing a habitat for thousand of bird species and the tame deer which are allowed to roam freely.

There are still no hospitals or cemeteries on the island. Miyajima is one of the Japan's most scenic sites, so if you are visiting Hiroshima, take a day to visit Miyajima, too. It takes about 30 minutes from Hiroshima to Miyajima-guchi by a JR local train and 10 minutes from Miyajima-guchi to Miyajima by ferry.

You can see the red dramatic large gate (torii) , which guards Itsukushima Shrine on the ferry. The gate has existed since 1168 though the present one was built in 1875. The gate built with camphor wood with the diameter of a pole measured at about 13 feet and the height of the torii is about 52 feet. It was built in a four-legged (yotsu-ashi) style to provide additional stability.

The gate only appears to be floating at high tide, when the tide is low, the gate is surrounded by mud and can be accessed on foot from the island. It is common practice for visitors to place coins in the cracks of the gate’s leg and make a wish. Gathering shellfish nearby the gate is also popular at low tide. At night, powerful lights on the shore illuminate the gate perfectly.

The Itsukushima shrine is dedicated to three princesses: Ichikishima-hime, Tagori-hime, and Tagitus-hime and the shrine dates back to the 6th century. Then, one of Japan's most powerful men (warlord), Taira no Kiyomori, rebuilt the shrine in 12th century. The shrine has been in its present form since 1168. Walking on the walkways between the buildings is an interesting experience. There is the Japan's oldest Noh theater in the shrine. Also, bugaku (ancient music and dance), which was introduced to Miyajima by Kiyomori, is staged.

On September 5, 2004, the shrine was severely damaged by Typhoon #18. The boardwalks and roof were partially destroyed, leading to its temporary closure. Though now reopened to the public, as of 2006 work is still ongoing to repair the damage.

It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese government has designated it as Japan's Important Cultural Property and national treasures.

There is also a cable car from near the town, which runs almost to the top of Mount Misen, the highest point of Itsukushima island. At Mount Misen station of the cable car, you can sometimes watch monkeys running around freely.

tags : Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine World Heritage Site Japanese National Cultural Treasure

World Heritage Site - Himeji Castle

2006-06-12T20:45:00.000+08:00

Himeiji is best known for its majestic castle, located in the city center and considered the best surviving feudal castle in Japan. It is also known as Shirasagi-jo (White Heron Castle) because of the resemblance of its white-plastered walls to the bird's silhouette.

It is about 370 years since Himeji Castle was constructed in its present shape. This is the only excellent castle which architecturally represents Japanese culture and, at the same time, has handed down its original design at the time of construction.

It is one of the oldest surviving structures from medieval Japan, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Japanese National Cultural Treasure. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, it is one of Japan's "Three Famous Castles", and is the most visited castle in Japan.

Situated on a 45m-high hill, the building was started in the mid-14th century, expanded by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and completed in 1609 by daimyo (baron) Ikeda Terumasa, a supporter of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

It was second only to Osaka Castle in size. It is made up of a 5-story donjon (main keep), three 3-story donjon and a series of interconnecting passageways. The main compound is surrounded by three rings of outer compounds.

The grounds have been designated as a Historic Site and the castle itself as a National Treasure. The Shirasagi-jo is a classic example of Japanese castle design, with an almost impenetrable defense system. But it was built at the beginning of the peaceful Edo Period (1600~1868) and was never actually attacked. It was used as an administrative center and symbol of power.

The Kurosawa Akira film Ran includes scenes where a castle is under attack and gives some idea of the inside of one of these fortresses. Enkyoji temple at the summit of Mt. Shosha on the outskirts of the city attracts visitors and has a good view of the city below.

tags : Himeji Castle World Heritage Site Japanese National Cultural Treasure

Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

2006-06-10T15:16:00.000+08:00

The Butterfly Park houses more than 6,000 butterflies from 120 exotic species and it is the world largest butterfly park in the world.

The park is an imitation of the butterfly's natural habitat. It includes more than 15,000 plants from 100 species that has been painstakingly landscaped to resemble a Malaysian rainforest atmosphere.

Contributing to the Butterfly Park's beautiful landscape is a uniquely designed hydro-pond built with a limestone path right in the centre. Surrounding this hydro-pond is a gazebo, commanding a breathtaking view.

There is a nursery and breeding area for the butterflies. The park includes both preserved and live specimens, totaling 1,230 species in all. Facilities include an informative insect museum.

There is also a souvenir shop near the exit selling lots of local handicrafts and framed butterflies,beetles,scorpions,flowers and insects.

More photos at Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park here

Butterfly Park Kuala Lumpur
Jalan Cenderawasih
Kuala Lumpur
50480, MALAYSIA
Telephone : +603 2693 4799

Open: 9am - 6pm (Daily)
Admission with Malaysia MYKad : RM5 (Adults), RM1 (Children)
Admission without Malaysia MYKad : RM15 (Adults)

tags : Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

About World Environment Day (WED)

2006-06-05T20:21:00.000+08:00

World Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The World Environment Day theme selected for 2006 is Deserts and Desertification and the slogan is Don't Desert Drylands! The slogan emphasizes the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface. This ecosystem is home to one-third of the world's people who are more vulnerable members of society.The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2006 will be held in Algeria. UNEP is honoured that the City of Algiers will be hosting this United Nations day.

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.Know more about WED.

tags : World Environment Day,Environment Day

Models from the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2006 [Part V]

2006-06-04T11:12:00.000+08:00

Rank 1 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 2 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 3 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 7 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 2 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 7 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 2 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

Rank 2 as at Saturday 03-June-2006

tags : Models at KLIMS 2006,KL Motor Show,Motor Show

Models from the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2006 [Volvo]

2006-06-04T10:50:00.000+08:00

Volvo booth in the KLIMS 2006 got the most public attention!! Thanks for their models that make it a successful booth to visit.

tags : Models at KLIMS 2006,KL Motor Show,Motor Show,Volvo

Models from the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2006 [Part IV]

2006-05-30T23:23:00.000+08:00

tags : Models at KLIMS 2006,KL Motor Show,Motor Show

Models from the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2006 [Part III]

2006-05-29T21:44:00.000+08:00

tags : Models at KLIMS 2006,KL Motor Show,Motor Show

Models from the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2006 [Part II]

2006-05-29T20:37:00.000+08:00

tags : Models at KLIMS 2006,KL Motor Show,Motor Show

Models from the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) 2006 [Part I]

2006-05-28T23:33:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) will arrive in Malaysia's Putra World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur in 2006, after a 3-year break from its previous show.The show will start from 26 May 2006 to 04 June 2006.

For more detail,you may goto KLIMS06

tags : Models at KLIMS 2006,KL Motor Show,Motor Show

Disable Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notification (KB905474)

2006-05-05T22:47:00.000+08:00

Wow...Microsoft had some how come up with this great idea where it will affect all those people around the world who update their Windows XP updates through the Automatic Updates services.This idea is to tag those pirated copies of Windows XP around the world where a notification will popup when it detected your copy of Windows is non-genuine copy.

Anyway, I manage to find out that there is some way to disable the popup notification even with your non-genuine copy of Windows XP updated with the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Notification (KB905474).Below is the steps to disable the WGA popup notification.

There are 2 parts to this spyware popup: WGAtray.exe and wgalogon.dll. Killing the WGAtray.exe process causes it to reappear in 1 second. With it present, WGAlogon cannot be deleted. And you can't delete it while it's running. Seem impossible?

First, you need to have an Explorer window open and pointing to the C:\windows\system32 folder, where the spyware resides (interestingly, doing a hard drive search for "wgatray" turns up nothing- a very clever spyware). And you have to have Task Manager open, right beside the Explorer window. This is tricky, and must be done fast - you end task the process in Task Manager, and before the spyware can reopen itself, you must delete WGAtray.exe in the Explorer window by pressing the delete button and the "Shift" button simultaneously. You only have a split second, but it is possible. Once the spyware .exe is gone, you must reboot your computer.

Yes, now you will see the spyware's nag screen. No problem, it's the last time and you will never see it again when you reboot it again. When you do finally get to the desktop, do a search "for WGAlogon.dll" You will find 2 copies, one in system32 folder and another one in the dllcache folder. Without the WGAtray spyware to protect them (did you notice it was gone? Yahoo!!!!!), you can rename and then permanently delete both of these spyware .dll's. Your system may hang when you reboot it the first time, but when it is brought back up to normal status, THE SPYWARE IS ALL GONE.

Hahaa...there you go...your Windows XP will be free from the popup notification :)

Models at the F1 2006 Sepang Booth

2006-03-27T20:51:00.000+08:00

Marlboro booth model

Denso booth models

Another Denso booth models

One of the merchandise booth model

BMW Sauber Petronas booth models

A cute Denso booth model

Denso booth model

Another Marlboro booth model

Denso booth model

Denso booth group photo

Malaysia's F1 Sepang International Circuit

2006-03-27T19:49:00.000+08:00

A view of the Sepang F1 Circuit

It's been so long that I didn't manage to update my blog.Anyway, I was just back from the recent F1 Sepang circuit watching the F1 car vrooming the circuit.Here are the history of the circuit taking from Malaysian GP site.
The state-of-the-art circuit, Sepang International Circuit was officially opened on March 9, 1999 by the Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. It was completed in a record of 14 months and with the recognition of its ultramodern facilities, it was given the honour to incorporate the F1 logo in its name.
Situated 85km from Kuala Lumpur city centre, it is accessible via modern North-South Expressway, Railway Links and a network of Highways. Being closely situated to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport makes it an ideal place for world-class international events.
With the length of 5.543 km, the track features 15 turns and 8 straights with access speed of more than 300km/h. The track allows ample opportunities for overtaking, ensuring a suspense and thrills of the race.
Malaysia, however, is not only looking at Sepang International Circuit as only a physical facility for Motorsports. In this place called ‘Home of Motorsports’ lies the aspiration of making Malaysia as the hub for motor racing activities in the region and a catalyst to spark a new beginning of Malaysia’s motorsports.
In all, the track can accommodate up to 130,000 spectators at a time. It can fill up the grand stand with 32,000 spectators at the Main Grand Stand and 18 corporate suites. New Grand Stand K and F, which can fill up another 18,500 spectators facing, turn 1 and 7 respectively.
The 1.3 km length of double frontage grandstand affords a view of the circuit’s longest straight. The grandstand is constructed along the east-west alignment to ensure shade from the sun’s glare at all times.
The heart of the circuit and focal point is the three-storey Pit Building, facing the main grand stand. All the main facilities are housed here 33 Pits, Race Control Room, Time – Keeping Room, Paddock Clubs and management offices.
The administrative block for Sepang F1 Circuit is the Welcome Centre, which also serve as the gateway to the Main Grand Stand. Apart form the offices; it also housed the Sepang Circuit Shoppe, a restaurant and an exhibition hall.
The track is electronically linked through a network of fibre optic cabling system along the track to 27 closed circuit TV cameras, which is centrally monitored at the Race Control Room. Every incident along the 5.543km circuit is recorded by the cameras and will be closely watched by the clerk of the course during events.
Safety is the utmost importance and for that Sepang F1 Circuit has a special block dedicated for its Medical Centre. It is situated next to the Pit Building and during major events; this block will be transformed into a fully equipped mini hospital.

Happy New Year 2006

2006-01-10T07:18:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year 2006, originally uploaded by jiaren777.

Malaysia Twin Towers with Fireworks.

Flickr

2005-11-08T13:52:00.000+08:00

This is my latest post of photos taken by me , a fancy photo sharing thing.

How To Stay Slim During The Holiday Season.

2004-12-16T19:20:00.000+08:00

The majority of people find themselves carrying additional fat once the holidays are over.Worst of all, most of them never lose this extra weight. Over the years, few kilos gained over years, few kilos gained over here and there add up to 5, 10, 15 kilos of excess fat!

To avoid falling into the holiday fat trap , follow these simple tips:

1. Don't deprive yourself. Munching on a green salad while everyone is feasting on turkey and stuffing is just not worth it. You will end up miserable, and chances are you'll binge at home or on the next party. Depriving yourself once is likely to cause you to eat everything in sight the next day to "compensate" for your suffering.

2. Don't stuff yourself. You are not a turkey, after all! Remember, this is not the last time in your life that you can eat.

3. Eat a small meal several hours before the party. This will prevent you from being too hungry when faced with abundant menu. When you are not starving, you can think with your brain, and not with your stomach.

4. Eat slowly. It takes our body 20 minutes to realise that we are full. Also, the slower you eat the less food you'll eat as opposed to eating fast in the same amount of time.

5. Be aware of what you are eating. It's easy to get carried away in conversation, and eat way too much before you know it. Don't automatically go for more helpings while you are talking to someone.

6. If you are cooking the food, prepare healthier versions of traditional dishes. Don't go too far by trying to completely cut out the fat. Just make some slight changes such as mashing potatoes with low-fat milk, adding less butter to the food, and serving more salads and veggies. Or make the stuffing in a casserole dish outside of turkey, so it does not soak up the extra fat.

7. Deal with food-pushing hosts by complimenting them. When they try to force more food on you, smile. Say how much you love their food, but unfortunately you are so full, you can't get in another bite. And that you'll be delighted if they gave you some of this food to take home, if there's anything left after the party!

8. Choose the turkey breast meat, since it has fewer calories than dark meat. Also, most of the fat in a turkey is contained in the skin. So if you can, don't eat the skin. Skinless turkey breast is actually a healthy choice. But go easy on fat-Iaden gravy !

9. Eat small amounts of various foods, as opposed to large portions of few foods. Sampling everything on the menu will leave you more satisfied since you've tried everything there is. But remember, moderation is the key.

10. Eat that dessert. The trick here is to eat a small piece of it. This way you can have your cake and eat it too!

Replacing a Basic Light Switch

2004-12-16T13:58:00.000+08:00

A single-pole switch is the kind that controls a light or a receptacle from one location is the most common type of switch used in residential wiring. (As opposed to a three-way switch. This controls a light from two locations from the top and bottom of a staircase.) Luckily,replacing a single-pole switch is simple and cheap. You'll need a few tools, some know-how and as little as RM3 (USD0.80) for a new switch.

Choosing a New Single-pole Switch
Turn off the power, and then remove the plastic or metal cover plate that fits over your old switch. You'll see some important information printed on the metal face, or yoke, of the switch. The replacement switch you buy should match the amp and volt ratings printed on the old one, If the old switch accepted aluminium wiring (it'll have the abbreviation CO/ALR), make sure the replacement does too. The new switch should also meet a couple of quality standards, whether or not the old one did. It should be UL Iisted and have a grounding screw or a grounding wire. It should also have screw terminals in addition to or instead of push-in ("backwired") terminals. The latter are notorious for losing their connection over time and can never be used with aluminium wire.

Wiring Setup
Your switch will either be wired in the middle of the circuit or in a switch loop. You'll follow the same steps in both cases.

Step by Step
1. Test the circuit, you've already switched off the circuit controlling the switch at your main service panel and removed the switch's cover plate. Now use a voltage tester to test the circuit and make sure the power is off.

2. Remove and test the switch. Use a continuity tester to confirm that the switch is blown and that the problem is not somewhere else along the circuit.

Unscrew the yoke from the wiring box, pull the switch from the wall, and disconnect the wiring. Attach the clip of the continuity tester to one of the brass-coloured screw terminals and touch the probe of the tester to a chrome-coloured screw on the opposite side of the switch. If the switch is working, the bulb on the tester will light when the switch is in the "on" position and not when it's in the "off" position. If the tester light doesn't go on,replace your switch with a new one; if the light does go on, your electrical problem is somewhere else along the circuit.

Tip from the pros: If your switch has only push-in terminals, your continuity tester's probes probably won't reach the switch's terminal contacts, If this is the case, insert a short piece of wire into each push-in terminal, and use the short wires to connect to the tester. Test the switch to diagnose the problem as in step 2. Even if the switch works, it's smart to replace it with one that has screw terminals.

3. Install the new switch. First, use your continuity tester to malswitch is working properly. Then connect the two hot wires from the electrical box to the switch by wrapping the bare ends of the wires clockwise around the brass screw terminals. (If it's a switch loop, one of the hot wires may be a white wire marked black or red see the wiring diagram). Make sure to hold the switch so that up will be "on" and down will be "off." Use a wire connector to connect the grounding wire(s) in the box to the grounding screw or grounding wire on the switch (use a pigtail if necessary).

While you have the box open, check that the wires are in good condition. If any are damaged, wrap them with electrical tape.

4. Turn the power on. Good work, you're done.

Tioman Island In Malaysia

2004-12-15T13:35:00.000+08:00

Crystal Water Tioman Island

An Island Shrouded in Legends
The origin of Tioman and its people are woven in a tapestry of intriguing legends.A Iegend synonymous with the island is the tale of a beautiful dragon princess. On her way from China to visit her prince in Singapore, this fabled maiden stopped to seek solace in the crystal clear waters of the South China Sea.

Enchanted by the charms of the place, she decided to discontinue her journey.The princess took the form of an island and pledged to offer shelter and comfort to passing travellers. Till today, the island bears startling resemblance to a sleeping dragon.

At a glance
Tioman Island is located about 56km off the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia.The island enjoys a tropical climate, with temperatures ranging from 28C to 30C.The water temperature is 28C. Visitors can expect occasional torrential showers especially from the months of November to February. However, most resorts continue to operate during this season and activities may be carried out as usual.

A Marine Treasure Trove
Tioman is the largest and most developed of the volcanic islands that form the Tioman Marine Park. The cluster of islands was gazette as a Marine Park in 1990 to protect its precious marine resources. Tioman's waters are home to a splendid array of marine life. Its dense coral gardens include colourful gorgonian sea fans, staghorn corals, nidibranchs and beautifully sculptured sea sponges

As a protected area, only activities that do not harm or destroy marine life such as snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming and underwater photography are permitted. Coral and shellfish gathering as well as other damaging activities are strictly forbidden. Fishing is not allowed within a 3km radius of the island.

Sunset at Tioman Island

A Splashing Playground
Blessed with a sunny, tropical climate, Tioman is the perfect spot for a host of watersports activities. Visitors can indulge in swimming, boating or simply cruise in a glass bottomed boat to enjoy the breathtaking beauty. For a taste of adventure, you can contend the waves in a kayak or glide over the clear waters by windsurfing.

The warm waters and high visibility (20 - 30 metres) make Tioman a popular destination for snorkeling and diving.The colonies of corals provide habitat for a variety of small marine life, ideal for snorkelers who wish to swim alongside a symphony of fishes and enjoy the beauty of the undersea garden.Tioman was the setting for the Hollywood musical 'South Pacific' and Hong Kong TV series 'The Ultimate Goal'.

Tioman Island

Nature's Wonderland
Tioman has one of the last untouched dipterocarp forests in the South China Sea.The abundant sunshine and rain creates a luxuriant setting of tropical trees, sprinkled with an assortment of ferns and flowers.

The lush greenery is home to a wide range of wildlife including protected species. There are no large mammal predators on the island. The ecological galore also includes an interesting array of reptiles and amphibians.

Trekking is an excellent way to enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest while breathing in the fresh air. There are several trek routes in Tioman.The island's climate encourages the lush growth of Euricoma Longifolia (locally known as Tongkat Ali), a potent herb for promoting vitality.Avid climbers can take a six-hour hike to conquer Mount Kajang (1038 metres), the highest peak on the island.

Experienced rock climbing enthusiasts can embark on an adrenaline-pumping ascent over the Gunung Nenek Semukut (also known as Twin Peaks). Malaysia's highest freestanding spire. It is more than twice the height of the Eiffel Tower. So far, there have only been two successful climbs to its peak.

Getting Around
Getting around Tioman is interesting as boats are the main form of transportation.There are no cars or asphalt roads on the island, except around Tekek. All villages have regular boat and sea bus services that connect to other villages. Speedboats can be chartered for trips and island hopping activities. For short excursions, visitors can rent bicycles or motorbikes at a reasonable rate.

Getting There
Tioman Island is accessible by boat from Mersing in Johor Bahru or Tanjung Gemok in Pahang. Visitors can also travel by air/flight to the island. Berjaya Air operates daily flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore using a 48-seater De Havilland Dash7 aircraft.

Mangosteen - The Queen Of Fruits

2004-12-14T09:20:00.000+08:00

One of the most praised of tropical fruits, and certainly the most esteemed fruit in the family Guttiferae, the mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana L., is almost universally known or heard of by this name. There are numerous variations in nomenclature: among Spanish-speaking people, it is called mangostan; to the French, it is mangostanier, mangoustanier, mangouste or mangostier; in Portuguese, it is mangostao, mangosta or mangusta; in Dutch, it is manggis or manggistan; in Vietnamese, mang cut; in Malaysia, it may be referred to in any of these languages or by the local terms, mesetor, semetah, sementah or mangis; in the Philippines, it is mangis or mangostan. Throughout the Malay Archipelago, there are many different spellings of names similar to most of the above.

The mangosteen tree is very slow-growing, erect, with a pyramidal crown; attains 20 to 82 ft (6-25 m) in height, has dark-brown or nearly black, flaking bark, the inner bark containing much yellow, gummy, bitter latex. The evergreen, opposite, short-stalked leaves are ovate-oblong or elliptic, leathery and thick, dark-green, slightly glossy above, yellowish-green and dull beneath; 3 1/2 to 10 in (9-25 cm) long, 1 3/4 to 4 in (4.5-10 cm) wide, with conspicuous, pale midrib. New leaves are rosy. Flowers, 1 1/2 to 2 in (4-5 cm) wide and fleshy, may be male or hermaphrodite on the same tree. The former are in clusters of 3-9 at the branch tips; there are 4 sepals and 4 ovate, thick, fleshy petals, green with red spots on the outside, yellowish-red inside, and many stamens though the aborted anthers bear no pollen. The hermaphrodite are borne singly or in pairs at the tips of young branchlets; their petals may be yellowish-green edged with red or mostly red, and are quickly shed.

The fruit, capped by the prominent calyx at the stem end and with 4 to 8 triangular, flat remnants of the stigma in a rosette at the apex, is round, dark-purple to red-purple and smooth externally; 1 1/3 to 3 in (3.4-7.5 cm) in diameter. The rind is 1/4 to 3/8 in (6-10 mm) thick, red in cross-section, purplish-white on the inside. It contains bitter yellow latex and a purple, staining juice. There are 4 to 8 triangular segments of snow-white, juicy, soft flesh (actually the arils of the seeds). The fruit may be seedless or have 1 to 5 fully developed seeds, ovoid-oblong, somewhat flattened, 1 in (2.5 cm) long and 5/8 in (1.6 cm) wide, that cling to the flesh. The flesh is slightly acid and mild to distinctly acid in flavor and is acclaimed as exquisitely luscious and delicious.

Origin and Distribution
The place of origin of the mangosteen is unknown but is believed to be the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas; still, there are wild trees in the forests of Kemaman, Malaysia. Corner suggests that the tree may have been first domesticated in Thailand, or Burma. It is much cultivated in Thailand–where there were 9,700 acres (4,000 ha) in 1965–also in Kampuchea, southern Vietnam and Burma, throughout Malaysia and Singapore. The tree was planted in Ceylon about 1800 and in India in 1881. There it succeeds in 4 limited areas–the Nilgiri Hills, the Tinnevelly district of southern Madras, the Kanya-kumani district at the southernmost tip of the Madras peninsula, and in Kerala State in southwestern India. The tree is fairly common only in the provinces of Mindanao and Sulu (or Jolo) in the Philippines. It is rare in Queensland, where it has been tried many times since 1854, and poorly represented in tropical Africa (Zanzibar, Ghana, Gabon and Liberia). There were fruiting trees in greenhouses in England in 1855. The mangosteen was introduced into Trinidad from the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, England, between 1850 and 1860 and the first fruit was borne in 1875. It reached the Panama Canal Zone and Puerto Rico in 1903 but there are only a few trees in these areas, in Jamaica, Dominica and Cuba, and some scattered around other parts of the West Indies. The United States Department of Agriculture received seeds from Java in 1906 (S.P.I. #17146). A large test block of productive trees has been maintained at the Lancetilla Experimental Station at Tela, Honduras, for many years. Quite a few trees distributed by the United Fruit Company long ago have done well on the Atlantic coast of Guatemala. In 1924, Dr. Wilson Popenoe saw the mangosteen growing at one site in Ecuador. In 1939, 15,000 seeds were distributed by the Canal Zone Experiment Gardens to many areas of tropical America. It is probable that only a relatively few seedlings survived. It is known that many die during the first year. Dr. Victor Patiño has observed flourishing mangosteen trees at the site of an old mining settlement in Mariquita, Colombia, in the Magdalena Valley and the fruits are sold on local markets. Dierberger Agricola Ltda., of Sao Paulo, included the mangosteen in their nursery catalog in 1949.

Despite early trials in Hawaii, the tree has not become well acclimatized and is still rare in those islands. Neither has it been successful in California. It encounters very unfavorable soil and climate in Florida. Some plants have been grown for a time in containers in greenhouses. One tree in a very protected coastal location and special soil lived to produce a single fruit and then succumbed to winter cold.

Despite the oft-repeated Old World enthusiasm for this fruit, it is not always viewed as worth the trouble to produce. In Jamaica, it is regarded as nice but overrated; not comparable to a good field-ripe pineapple or a choice mango.

Varieties
According to Corner, the fruit from seedling trees is fairly uniform; only one distinct variation is known and that is in the Sulu Islands. The fruit is larger, the rind thicker than normal, and the flesh more acid; the flavor more pronounced. In North Borneo, a seemingly wild form has only 4 carpels, each containing a fully-developed seed, and this is probably not unique.

Climate
The mangosteen is ultra-tropical. It cannot tolerate temperatures below 40º F (4.44º C), nor above 100º F (37.78º C). Nursery seedlings are killed at 45º F (7.22º C).
It is limited in Malaya to elevations below 1,500 ft (450 m). In Madras it grows from 250 to 5,000 ft (76-1,500 m) above sea-level. Attempts to establish it north of 200 latitude have all failed.

It ordinarily requires high atmospheric humidity and an annual rainfall of at least 50 in (127 cm), and no long periods of drought. In Dominica, mangosteens growing in an area having 80 in (200 cm) of rain yearly required special care, but those in another locality with 105 in (255 cm) and soil with better moisture- holding capacity, flourished.

Season and Harvesting
At low altitudes in Ceylon the fruit ripens from May to July; at higher elevations, in July and August or August and September. In India, there are 2 distinct fruiting seasons, one in the monsoon period (July-October) and another from April through June. Puerto Rican trees in full sun fruit in July and August; shaded trees, in November and December.
Cropping is irregular and the yield varies from tree to tree and from season to season. The first crop may be 200 to 300 fruits. Average yield of a full-grown tree is about 500 fruits. The yield steadily increases up to the 30th year of bearing when crops of 1,000 to 2,000 fruits may be obtained. In Madras, individual trees between the ages of 20 and 45 years have borne 2,000 to 3,000 fruits. Productivity gradually declines thereafter, though the tree will still be fruiting at 100 years of age.

Ripeness is gauged by the full development of color and slight softening. Picking may be done when the fruits are slightly underripe but they must be fully mature (developed) or they will not ripen after picking. The fruits must be harvested by hand from ladders or by means of a cutting pole and not be allowed to fall.

Keeping Quality
In dry, warm, closed storage, mangosteens can be held 20 to 25 days. Longer periods cause the outer skin to toughen and the rind to become rubbery; later, the rind hardens and becomes difficult to open and the flesh turns dry.

Ripe mangosteens keep well for 3 to 4 weeks in storage at 40º to 55º F (4.44º-12.78º C). Trials in India have shown that optimum conditions for cold storage are temperatures of 39º to 42º F (3.89º-5.56º C) and relative humidity of 85 to 90%, which maintain quality for 49 days. It is recommended that the fruits be wrapped in tissue paper and packed 25-to-the-box in light wooden crates with excelsior padding. Fruits picked slightly unripe have been shipped from Burma to the United Kingdom at 50º to 55º F (10º-12.78º C). From 1927 to 1929, trial shipments were made from Java to Holland at 37.4º F (approximately 2.38º C) and the fruits kept in good condition for 24 days.

Food Uses
To select the best table fruits, choose those with the highest number of stigma lobes at the apex, for these have the highest number of fleshy segments and accordingly the fewest seeds. The numbers always correspond. Mangosteens are usually eaten fresh as dessert. One need only hold the fruit with the stem-end downward, take a sharp knife and cut around the middle completely through the rind, and lift off the top half, which leaves the fleshy segments exposed in the colorful "cup"–the bottom half of the rind. The segments are lifted out by fork.
The fleshy segments are sometimes canned, but they are said to lose their delicate flavor in canning, especially if pasteurized for as much as 10 minutes. Tests have shown that it is best to use a 40% sirup and sterilize for only 5 minutes. The more acid fruits are best for preserving. To make jam, in Malaysia, seedless segments are boiled with an equal amount of sugar and a few cloves for 15 to 20 minutes and then put into glass jars. In the Philippines, a preserve is made by simply boiling the segments in brown sugar, and the seeds may be included to enrich the flavor.

The seeds are sometimes eaten alone after boiling or roasting.
The rind is rich in pectin. After treatment with 6% sodium chloride to eliminate astringency, the rind is made into a purplish jelly.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion*
Calories	60-63
Moisture	80.2-84.9 g
Protein	0.50-0.60 g
Fat	0.1-0.6 g
Total Carbohydrates	14.3-15.6 g
Total Sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose)	16.42-16.82 g
Fiber	5.0-5.1 g
Ash	0.2-0.23 g
Calcium	0.01-8.0 mg
Phosphorus	0.02-12.0 mg
Iron	0.20-0.80 mg
Thiamine	0.03 mg
Ascorbic Acid	1.0-2.0 mg

*Minimum/maximum values from analyses made in the Philippines and Washington, D.C.

Phytin (an organic phosphorus compound) constitutes up to 0.68% on a dry-weight basis. The flesh amounts to 31% of the whole fruit.

Other Uses
Mangosteen twigs are used as chewsticks in Ghana. The fruit rind contains 7 to 14% catechin tannin and rosin, and is used for tanning leather in China. It also yields a black dye.
Wood: In Thailand, all non-bearing trees are felled, so the wood is available but usually only in small dimensions. It is dark-brown, heavy, almost sinks in water, and is moderately durable. It has been used to make handles for spears, also rice pounders, and is employed in construction and cabinetwork.

Medicinal Uses: Dried fruits are shipped from Singapore to Calcutta and to China for medicinal use. The sliced and dried rind is powdered and administered to overcome dysentery. Made into an ointment, it is applied on eczema and other skin disorders. The rind decoction is taken to relieve diarrhea and cystitis, gonorrhea and gleet and is applied externally as an astringent lotion. A portion of the rind is steeped in water overnight and the infusion given as a remedy for chronic diarrhea in adults and children. Filipinos employ a decoction of the leaves and bark as a febrifuge and to treat thrush, diarrhea, dysentery and urinary disorders. In Malaya, an infusion of the leaves, combined with unripe banana and a little benzoin is applied to the wound of circumcision. A root decoction is taken to regulate menstruation. A bark extract called "amibiasine", has been marketed for the treatment of amoebic dysentery.
The rind of partially ripe fruits yields a polyhydroxy-xanthone derivative termed mangostin, also ß-mangostin. That of fully ripe fruits contains the xanthones, gartanin, 8-disoxygartanin, and normangostin. A derivative of mangostin, mangostin-e, 6-di-O-glucoside, is a central nervous system depressant and causes a rise in blood pressure.

Mangosteen is the fruit of an evergreen tree, Garcinia mangostana, that is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Said to be Queen Victoria's favorite fruit, it inspired a lengthy commendation from David Fairchild in his 1930 work Exploring for Plants.

Sunset or Sunrise ?

2004-12-08T21:41:00.000+08:00

Well,got some of the photos from a friend.Until now,still can't decide whether the photo is taken when the sun is going down or going up.Anyone in the net can tell me the differences?

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Durian - The King Of Fruits

2004-11-15T07:42:00.000+08:00

Origin and Distribution

Durians

The durian is believed to be native to Borneo and Sumatra. It is found wild or semi-wild in South Tenasserim, Lower Burma, and around villages in Malaysia, and is commonly cultivated along roads or in orchards from southeastern India and Ceylon to New Guinea. Four hundred years ago, there was a lively trade in durians between Lower Burma to Upper Burma where they were prized in the Royal Palace. Thailand and South Vietnam are important producers of durians. The Association of Durian Growers and Sellers was formed in 1959 to standardize quality and marketing practices. The durian is grown to a limited extent in the southern Philippines, particularly in the Provinces of Mindanao and Sulu. The tree grows splendidly but generally produces few fruits in the Visayas Islands and on the island of Luzon. There are many bearing trees in Zanzibar, a few in Pemba and Hawaii. The durian is not included in the latest Flora of Guam (1970) which covers both indigenous and exotic species. It has been introduced into New Guinea, Tahiti, and Ponape.
The durian is rare in the New World. Seeds from Java were planted at the Federal Experiment Station in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico in 1920. The single resulting tree bloomed heavily in February and March in 1944 but only one fruit matured in July and it had but 3 normal carpels. Nevertheless, there were 6 fully developed seeds which germinated and were planted. The tree has fruited in Dominica and Jamaica. There have been specimens in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Port-au-Spain, Trinidad, for many years though they are not very much at home there. Young trees and seeds were introduced into Honduras from Java in 1926 and 1927, and the trees have grown well at the Lancetilla Experimental Garden at Tela, but they bear poorly to moderately. Seedlings have lived only briefly in southern Florida.

Varieties

D24

D99

Much variation occurs in seedlings. There are over 300 named varieties of durian in Thailand. Only a few of these are in commercial cultivation. In Malaysia, 100 types are graded for size and quality. In Malaysia, there are 44 clones with small differences in time and extent of flowering, floral and fruit morphology, productivity and edible quality.

Season
Malaysia has two fruiting seasons: early, in March and April; late, in September and October. Nearly all cultivars mature within the very short season during which the fruits are present in great numbers in local markets.

The Tree

Durian Tree

Durian Flower

Young Durians

The durian is a tall tree towering as high as 40m in the jungle rainforest or in semi-orchard. Seed trees may take 8-10 years to fruit. A grafted durian tree assumes a christmas tree habit and grows to 15 - 20m tall. The fruit is green to brown in colour, pendulous, round to oblong in shape and is completely covered with strong sharp thorns. It is a capsule which splits into five parts when ripe and each segment contains brown seeds covered with thick, firm, creamy, yellow pulp with an overpowering aroma. The durian is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. In Malaysia about 50% of the total production is from Johore ,Pahang and Perak.

Keeping Quality
Durians are highly perishable. They are fully ripe 2 to 4 days after falling and lose eating quality in 5 or 6 days.

POPULAR CLONES IN MALAYSIA

Clone	Popular Name	Origin	Characteristics
D24	-	Bukit Merah Reservoir, Perak (Malaysia)	It is oval in shape, of average size, weighing between 1 - 2.8kg. per fruit. The skin is green to brownish green and the thorns are sharp and thin. The flesh is yellow, thick and sweet.
D99	Kop	Thailand	The fruit is round and of average size weighing between 1 - 2kg. per fruit. The skin is green to brownish green and the thorns are short and sharp. The flesh is fairly thick yellow, soft and sweet.
D123	Chanee	Thailand	The fruit is oval in shape and big weighing between 2 - 4kg. per fruit. The skin is green to rust colour and the thorns are big. The flesh is golden yellow, thick, soft and sweet.
D158	Kan Yau	Thailand	Average size weighing between 2 - 4kg. per fruit. The skin is brownish green and the fruit is oval in shape and can be as long as 15 - 17cm. The flesh is golden yellow and sweet.
D159	'Man Thong'/ Golden Pillow	Thailand	The fruit is large and can reach a weight of 4 - 6kg. per fruit. The fruit is long and oval in shape and curves at the end. The thorns are brownish while the flesh is golden yellow, thick and sweet.
D169	-	Kelantan (Malaysia)	Average size fruit between 1 - 2kg. each. Longish oval shape with yellowish green skin and sharp thorns. The flesh is yellow, thick and soft with a bitter sweet taste.
D145	Berserah Durian/ Mek Durian/ Green Durian	Beserah, Kuantan, Pahang (Malaysia)	Average size weighing between 1 - 2kg. per fruit. It is round and nippled at the end. The thorns are long and closely packed and the skin is green. The flesh is golden yellow, soft and Sweet.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion

Item	Fresh Arils	Dried Arils
Calories	144	-
Moisture	58.0-62.9 g	18.0 g
Protein	2.5-2.8 g	-
Fat	3.1-3.9 g	3.0-6.0 g
Sugars	(approx.) 12.0 g	37.0-43.0 g
Starch	(approx.) 12.0 g	8.0-13.0 g
Total Carbohydrates	30.4-34.1 g	-
Fiber	1.7 g	-
Ash	1.1-1.2 g	3.0 g
Calcium	7.6-9.0 mg	-
Phosphorus	37.8-44.0 mg	-
Iron	0.73-1.0 mg	-
Carotene	0.018 mg	-
(as Vitamin A)	20-30 I.U.	-
Thiamine	0.24-0.352 mg	-
Riboflavin	0.20 mg	-
Niacin	0.683-0.70 mg	-
Ascorbic Acid	23.9-25.0 mg	-
Vitamin E	"high"	-

Toxicity

The seeds are believed to possess a toxic property that causes shortness of breath.

Other Uses

Rind: The dried or half-dried rinds are burned as fuel and fish may be hung in the smoke to acquire a strong flavor. The ash is used to bleach silk.

Wood: The sapwood is white, the heartwood light red-brown, soft, coarse, not durable nor termite-resistant. It is used for masts and interiors of huts in Malaysia.

Medicinal Uses: The flesh is said to serve as a vermifuge. In Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves and roots is prescribed as a febrifuge. The leaf juice is applied on the head of a fever patient. The leaves are employed in medicinal baths for people with jaundice. Decoctions of the leaves and fruits are applied to swellings and skin diseases. The ash of the burned rind is taken after childbirth. The leaves probably contain hydroxy-tryptamines and mustard oils.

The odor of the flesh is believed to be linked to indole compounds which are bacteriostatic. Eating durian is alleged to restore the health of ailing humans and animals. The flesh is widely believed to act as an aphrodisiac. In the late 1920's, Durian Fruit Products, Inc., of New York City, launched a product called "Dur-India" as a "health-food accessory" in tablet form, selling at $9 for a dozen bottles, each containing 63 tablets–a 3-months' supply. The tablets reputedly contained durian and a species of Allium from India, as well as a considerable amount of vitamin E. They were claimed to provide "more concentrated healthful energy in food form than any other product the world affords"–to keep the body vigorous and tireless; the mind alert with faculties undimmed; the spirit youthful.

A toothpaste and condom flavored with durian is currently marketed for durian fanciers.

Type of Noodles in Malaysia

2004-11-13T10:24:00.000+08:00

I don't know about other parts of the world as well as I know my own country, but if you are looking for a place with a huge variety of noodles, it has got to be Malaysia. Basically, the staple food in Malaysia is rice and to many, noodles as well. Of course, we also have some occasional 'traitors' who swear by McDonald's ,Kentucky Fried Chicken,Pizza Hut,Burger King,Domino Pizza,or other form of international cuisine. However, if you're Malaysian, there is no way you can escape the delicious "melting pot"?

So what do you do if the thought of rice turns you off? Turn to noodles :) . You can get a dozen different types of noodles in this country (and more). From the variety of noodles available, you can again get more than a dozen recipes with amazing effect. Here's a little guide on noodles and what you can make out of it!

Bee Hoon

Bee Hoon

This type of noodle is also known as rice noodles and is like vermicelli. It is best served with soup. Throw in some shredded meat or fishballs for added taste. Bee Hoon is yummy with a dash of cili padi (chilies) in soy sauce. Alternatively, opt for the dry version of this noodle that is mixed with dark soy sauce and shredded meat.

Kuey Teow

Kuey Teow

Kuey Teow is a type of flat noodles that is comparable to the Italian tagliatelle. It has a white colored texture and is quite smooth and slippery. Any novice with the chopsticks might have problems picking up the noodles. Kuey Teow is another Malaysian favorite noodle as it can be used to make a variety of dishes.
The most common way kuey teow noodle is used is in one of Malaysia's most popular dish, "Char Kuey Teow"."Char Kuey Teow" is made from the noodle combined with prawns, Chinese sausage, fishcake, egg, vegetable, chilies and cockles. The whole combination is then fried in high heat until it turns really aromatic. Just the mere smell from the wok can make you drool. Besides frying the noodles, keuy teow can also be used in soup-based noodles just like how you would with Bee Hoon as mentioned above.
"Sar Hor Fun" is another way to prepare the hor fun noodles. This is a specialty in Ipoh Town and is best served with chicken stock soup, prawns, fried shallots and bean sprouts.Hmm...yumm yumm :)

Foochow Noodles
Foochow noodles are not so common although the few places that serve them have very good ones. It is generally recommended to eat these type of noodles steamed and served with soy and oyster sauce. Add in a sprinkle of spring onions and dried fish for effect! I also know of another place that serves what they call the "Foochow Red Wine Noodles". The restaurant is located in Jalan Yew, Kuala Lumpur and the proprietor can whip up a delicious bowl of red wine noodles in a jiffy. This noodle is also known as "Tai Ping" noodles. As the name suggest, the noodles are red in color but contain no artificial ingredients.

Yellow Noodles (Mee)

Yellow Noodle

"Tai Look Min"

This is the fun part.Different people name it differently. If roughly translated from the Chinese language to English, you have a variety of names. Some calls it the "big fat noodles" (tai look min), some calls it "yellow mee" whilst there are some that calls it "fat mee". Why the names?
Basically, this is the usual round yellow noodle that looks like spaghetti (fatter though) and is made from wheat flour. It has a smooth texture and is best used for Hokkien Fried Mee.
Hokkien Fried Mee is really delicious and is fried with pieces of pork, prawn and vegetables. Eat it with some chili paste for the oooomph effect! A word of advice though! The Hokkien Fried Mee is not for everyone. Health-conscious folks should stay away from it as most chefs normally add in a spoonful of pork rind for that "smooth, oily (and guilty)" feel.
Mee goreng (Indian fried noodle) is another form of yellow noodles but is much thinner than the big fat ones. It is almost always used by the Indians to make the famous mee goreng. The dish is fried with chilies, vegetables, egg, onion, fried beancurd and slices of tomato. It is normally quite oily but delicious all the same.

Laksa Noodles

Laksa Noodle

Laksa noodle is a type of thick rice noodles that is opaque in color and slightly rough in texture. It can be made into a variety of laksa-based dishes including curry laksa, assam laksa, Sarawak laksa and lots more. It is a very famous dish in Malaysia and the curry laksa is served with bean sprouts, fishcakes, and prawns in a spicy coconut soup. Some add in slices of hardboiled egg as well.
Assam laksa is a must-try. Made from a thick rich fish broth, shredded cucumber, assam and onion, the assam laksa has a distinctive tangy and sourish taste that is absolutely heavenly! You have got to try the rest of the laksa dishes available.

Wan Tan Mee

"Wan Tan Mee"

Another type of "Wan Tan Mee"

They are 2 type where it is differentiate by the width of the noodle."Wan Tan Mee" is another common meal in Malaysia. Many people enjoy it for breakfast. A light meal, "wan tan mee" is made with roast pork, the "wan tan" noodles, and vegetables. The dry version comes with a bowl of light soup with dumplings. The soup-based "wan tan mee" has the dumplings along with your bowl of noodles.

Loh Shue Fan
This is another of another favourite noodle. "Loh shue fan" got its name from its shape, which resembles that of a rat's tail. It is clear white in color and has a slippery texture. "Loh Shue Fan" is very yummy and can be used in a variety of ways including eating it 'wet' with chicken stock soup (just like you would with bee hoon) or 'dry' with shredded pork/meat. "Loh Shue Fan" is also delicious when cooked in a claypot. Cook it with shredded meat and dark soy sauce, and top it off with an uncooked egg. Mixed all of that together while the claypot is still steaming hot and you'll be in gourmet heaven!

Pan Mee

Pan Mee

"Pan mee" is a type of noodle that is handmade from kneaded flour. You can have the "pan mee" in dry or wet versions as well. The dry version is a favourite and is mixed with dark soy sauce, fried anchovies, vegetables, shredded meat, and Chinese mushroom. There are two ways of 'processing' this type of noodle. Firstly, the chef can break the knead dough into bite size by pulling at it and dropping it into hot boiling water. Alternatively, he can also use a noodle processor to slice the noodles into thin strips.

Hakka Mee

Hakka Mee

"Hakka mee" is flat and yellow in colour. It normally serves the noodles with shredded chicken meat, braised pork with wood ear mushroom and dumplings. It is superb!

Yee Mee
This is another form of noodle that is famously cooked and served in a claypot. Alternatively, it can be fried to a crunchy serving with thick egg gravy poured over it. This egg noodle is absolutely delicious and can be found all over Kuala Lumpur.

Vermicelli

Vermicelli

Also known as "mee suah" (flour vermicelli), which is basically a type of noodles served dry and crispy.It also serves in the soup base.

Aside from all I've mentioned above, there are still a lot more noodles that I am not particularly fond of but let's not judge it based on my likes or dislikes. You may want to check out the "kang puan mee", which is a specialty in the town of Sibu. It is a type of noodles cooked in lard (!!!).
Then there is the Seremban noodle. It is a unique form of noodles that can only be obtained in Seremban town, although many are imitating it in Kuala Lumpur as well.
So, if you're in Malaysia any time soon and can't exactly figure out what you want to eat, you may want to try out the many types of noodles available. If the Italians have their spaghetti and fettuccini, then we Malaysians have our mee and bee hoon! Bon appetit!

How SCSI Works

2004-11-09T08:27:00.000+08:00

Most home and small-office PCs use an IDE hard drive and have a PCI bus for adding components to the computer. But a lot of computers, particularly high-end workstations and older Apple Macintoshes, use the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) bus to connect components, which may include:

Hard drives
Scanners
CD-ROM/RW drives
Printers
Tape drives

SCSI devices usually connect to a controller card like this one.

Basically, SCSI (pronounced "scuzzy") is a fast communications bus that allows you to connect multiple devices to your computer.

SCSI Basics

SCSI is based on an older, proprietary bus interface called Shugart Associates System Interface (SASI). SASI was originally developed in 1981 by Shugart Associates in conjunction with NCR Corporation. In 1986, a modified version of SASI that provided a beefier, open system was ratified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as SCSI.

There are several benefits of SCSI:

It's fast -- up to 160 megabytes per second (MBps).
It's reliable.
It allows you to put multiple devices on one bus.
It works on most computer systems.

There are also some potential problems when using SCSI:

It must be configured for a specific computer.
It has limited system BIOS support.
Its variations (speeds, connectors) can be bewildering.

There is no common software interface.

Some computers have a built-in SCSI controller, but most require an SCSI host-adapter card.

People are often confused by the different types of SCSI. You'll hear terms such as "Ultra," "Fast" and "Wide" used a lot, and sometimes in combinations. In the next section, you'll find out about the SCSI variations.

SCSI Types

SCSI-1: The original specification developed in 1986.
SCSI-2: An update that became an official standard in 1994, a key component of SCSI-2 was the inclusion of the Common Command Set (CCS) -- the 18 commands considered an absolute necessity for support of any SCSI device. You also had the option to double the clock speed from 5 MHz (million cycles per second) to 10 MHz (Fast SCSI), double the bus width from 8 bits to 16 bits and increase the number of devices to 15 (Wide SCSI), or do both (Fast/Wide SCSI). Finally, SCSI-2 added command queuing, which means that an SCSI-2 device can store a series of commands from the host computer and determine which ones should be given priority.
SCSI-3: Quickly on the heels of SCSI-2 came SCSI-3, debuting in 1995. The interesting thing about SCSI-3 is that a series of smaller standards have been built within its overall scope. Because of this continually evolving series, SCSI-3 is not considered to be a completely approved standard. Instead, some of the specifications developed within it have been officially adopted. These standards are based on variations of the SCSI Parallel Interface (SPI), which is the way that SCSI devices communicate with each other. Most SCSI-3 specifications begin with the term "Ultra" (Ultra for SPI variations, Ultra2 for SPI-2 variations and Ultra3 for SPI-3 variations). Fast and Wide SCSI work just like their SCSI-2 counterparts, with the Fast designation meaning that the clock speed is double that of the base version, and the Wide designation meaning that the bus width is double that of the base.

The chart below shows a comparison of the many SCSI variations:

You will notice that the third column shows the number of devices that can be connected on the SCSI bus. In the next section, you'll learn more about SCSI devices and their IDs.

Identifiers

There are three components in any SCSI system:

Controller
Device
Cable

The controller is the heart of SCSI. It serves as the interface between all of the other devices on the SCSI bus and the computer. Also called a host adapter, the controller can be a card that you plug into an available slot or it can be built right into the motherboard.
On the controller is the SCSI BIOS. This is a small ROM or Flash memory chip that contains the software needed to access and control the devices on the SCSI bus.
Usually, each device on the SCSI bus has a built-in SCSI adapter that allows it to interface and communicate with the SCSI bus. For example, an SCSI hard drive will have a small circuit board that combines a controller for the drive mechanism and an adapter for the SCSI bus. Devices with an adapter built in are called embedded SCSI devices.
Each SCSI device must have a unique identifier (ID). As you saw in the previous section, an SCSI bus can support eight or 16 devices, depending on the specification. For an eight-device bus, the IDs range from zero to 7, and for a 16-device bus, they range from zero to 15. One of the IDs, typically the highest one, has to be used by the SCSI controller, which leaves you capable of adding seven or 15 other devices.
With most SCSI devices, there is a hardware setting to configure the device ID. Some devices allow you to set the ID through software, while most Plug and Play SCSI cards will auto-select an ID based on what's available. This auto-selection is called SCSI Configured Automatically (SCAM). It is very important that each device on an SCSI bus have a unique ID, or you will have problems.

Internal SCSI devices connect to a 50-pin ribbon cable.

All of the variations in the SCSI specifications have added another wrinkle: There are at least seven different SCSI connectors, some of which may not be compatible with a particular version of SCSI. The connectors are:

DB-25 (SCSI-1)
50-pin internal ribbon (SCSI-1, SCSI-2, SCSI-3)
50-pin Alternative 2 Centronics (SCSI-1)
50-pin Alternative 1 high density (SCSI-2)
68-pin B-cable high density (SCSI-2)
68-pin Alternative 3 (SCSI-3)
80-pin Alternative 4 (SCSI-2, SCSI-3)

No matter which version of SCSI you are using, or what type of connector it has, one thing is consistent -- the SCSI bus has to be terminated.

DB-25 SCSI connector

68-pin Alternative 3 SCSI connector

50-pin Centronics SCSI connector

Termination

Termination simply means that each end of the SCSI bus is closed, using a resistor circuit. If the bus were left open, electrical signals sent down the bus could reflect back and interfere with communication between SCSI devices and the SCSI controller. Only two terminators are used, one for each end of the SCSI bus. If there is only one series of devices (internal or external), then the SCSI controller is one point of termination and the last device in the series is the other one. If there are both internal and external devices, then the last device on each series must be terminated.
Types of SCSI termination can be grouped into two main categories: passive and active. Passive termination is typically used for SCSI systems that run at the standard bus clock speed and have a short distance, less than 3 feet (1 m), between the devices and the SCSI controller. Active termination is used for Fast SCSI systems or systems with devices that are more than 3 ft (1 m) from the SCSI controller.

Some SCSI terminators are built into the SCSI device, while others may require an external terminator like this one.

Another factor in the type of termination is the bus type itself. SCSI employs three distinct types of bus signaling. Signalling is the way that the electrical impulses are sent across the wires.

Single-ended (SE) - The most common form of signaling for PCs, single-ended signaling means that the controller generates the signal and pushes it out to all devices on the bus over a single data line. Each device acts as a ground. Consequently, the signal quickly begins to degrade, which limits SE SCSI to a maximum of about 10 ft (3 m).
High-voltage differential (HVD) - The preferred method of bus signaling for servers, HVD uses a tandem approach to signaling, with a data high line and a data low line. Each device on the SCSI bus has a signal transceiver. When the controller communicates with the device, devices along the bus receive the signal and retransmit it until it reaches the target device. This allows for much greater distances between the controller and the device, up to 80 ft (25 m).

Low-voltage differential (LVD) - A variation on the HVD signaling method, LVD works in much the same way. The big difference is that the transceivers are smaller and built into the SCSI adapter of each device. This makes LVD SCSI devices more affordable and allows LVD to use less electricity to communicate. The downside to LVD is that the maximum distance is half of HVD -- 40 ft (12 m).

An active terminator

Both HVD and LVD normally use passive terminators, even though the distance between devices and the controller can be much greater than 3 ft (1 m). This is because the transceivers ensure that the signal is strong from one end of the bus to the other.

SCSI "Network"

SCSI devices inside the computer (internal) attach to the SCSI controller via a ribbon cable. The ribbon cable has a single connector at each end and may have one or more connectors along its length. Each internal SCSI device has a single SCSI connector.
SCSI devices outside the computer (external) attach to the SCSI controller using a thick, round cable.

Internal SCSI devices connect to a ribbon cable.

External SCSI devices connect using thick, round cables.

You have already read about the different connectors used on these external cables. The cable itself typically consists of three layers:

Inner layer - This is the most protected layer. It contains the actual data being sent.
Media layer - The middle layer contains the wires that send control commands to the device.
Outer layer - This layer includes the wires that carry parity information, which ensures that the data is correct.

External devices connect to the SCSI bus in a daisy chain, which refers to the method of connecting each device to the next one in line. External SCSI devices typically have two SCSI connectors -- one is used to connect to the previous device in the chain, and the other is used to connect to the next device in the chain.
A good way to think of SCSI is as a tiny local area network (LAN). The SCSI controller is like the network router, and each SCSI device is like a computer on the network. The SCSI adapter built into each device is comparable to the Ethernet card in a computer. Without the adapter, the device can't communicate with the rest of the network. And just as the router in a LAN is used to connect the network to the outside world, the SCSI controller connects the SCSI network to the rest of the computer.

RAID

For general consumer use, SCSI has not achieved the same mass appeal as IDE. The expectation regarding SCSI was that the ability to add a large number of devices would outweigh the complexity of the interface. But that was before alternative technologies like Universal Serial Bus (USB) and FireWire (IEEE 1394) came into play.
In fact, the only mainstream desktop computer standardized on SCSI was the Apple Macintosh, and that was because of a design mistake. The original Mac was a closed system, which means that there were no expansion slots or other means to easily add extra components. As the Mac grew in popularity, users began to clamor for some way to upgrade their system. Apple decided to add a built-in SCSI controller with an external SCSI port as a way to enable expansion of the system. Until recently, virtually every Mac has contained onboard SCSI. But with the rise of USB and Firewire, Apple has finally removed SCSI as a standard feature on most of its systems.
Where you commonly see SCSI is on servers and workstation computers. The main reason for this is RAID. Redundant array of independent disks (RAID) uses a series of hard drives to increase performance, provide fault tolerance or both. The hard drives are connected together and treated as a single logical entity. Basically, this means that the computer sees the series of drives as one big drive, which can be formatted and partitioned just like a normal drive.
Performance is enhanced because of striping, which means that more than one hard drive can be writing or reading information at the same time. The SCSI RAID controller determines which drive gets which chunk of data and sends the appropriate data to the appropriate drive. While that drive is writing the data, the controller sends another chunk of data to the next drive or reads a chunk of data from another drive. Simultaneous data transfers allow for faster performance.
Fault tolerance, the ability to maintain data integrity in the event of a crash or failure, is achieved in a couple of ways. The first is called mirroring. Basically, mirroring makes an exact duplicate of the data stored on one hard drive to a second hard drive. A RAID controller can be set to automatically send two hard drives the exact same data. To avoid potential complications, both drives should be exactly the same size. Mirroring can be an expensive type of fault tolerance since it requires that you have twice as much storage space as you have data.
The more popular method of fault tolerance is parity. Parity requires a minimum of three hard drives, but will work with several more. What happens is that data is written sequentially to each drive in the series, except the last one. The last drive stores a number that represents the sum of the data on the other drives.

Digital video is another prime example of the right time to use SCSI. Because of the demanding storage and speed requirements of full-motion, uncompressed video, most video workstations use a SCSI RAID with extremely fast SCSI hard drives.
As you can see, SCSI is probably going to be around for some time. Whether it's right for you depends on your needs and applications.

How FireWire Works

2004-11-08T13:53:00.000+08:00

You have probably heard the term FireWire if you have any interest in digital video. FireWire is essentially a new way to connect different pieces of equipment so they can easily and quickly share information.

Background
FireWire, originally created by Apple and standardized in 1995 as the specification IEEE-1394 High Performance Serial Bus, is very similar to Universal Serial Bus (USB). The designers of FireWire, which actually precedes the development of USB, had several particular goals in mind when they created the standard:

Fast transfer of data (up to 400 Mbps)
Lots of devices on the bus
Ease of use
Hot pluggable
Provide power through the cable
Plug-and-play
Low cabling cost
Low implementation cost

FireWire Basics
When the host computer powers up, it queries all of the devices connected to the bus and assigns each one an address, a process called enumeration. FireWire is plug-and-play, so if a new FireWire device is connected to a computer, the operating system auto-detects it and asks for the driver disk. If the device has already been installed, the computer activates it and starts talking to it. FireWire devices are hot pluggable, which means they can be connected and disconnected at any time, even with the power on.
FireWire uses 64-bit fixed addressing, based on the IEEE 1212 standard. There are three parts to each packet of information sent by a device over FireWire:

A 10-bit bus ID that is used to determine which FireWire bus the data came from
A 6-bit physical ID that identifies which device on the bus sent the data
A 48-bit storage area that is capable of addressing 256 terabytes of information for each node!

The bus ID and physical ID together comprise the 16-bit node ID, which allows for 64,000 nodes on a system. Individual FireWire cables can run as long as 4.5 meters. Data can be sent through up to 16 hops for a total maximum distance of 72 meters. Hops occur when devices are daisy-chained together. Look at the example below. The camcorder is connected to the external hard drive connected to Computer A. Computer A is connected to Computer B, which in turn is connected to Computer C. It takes four hops for Computer C to access the camera.

FireWire devices can be powered or unpowered. FireWire allows devices to draw their power from their connection. Two power conductors in the cable can supply power (8 to 40 volts, 1.5 amps maximum) from the computer to an unpowered device. Obviously, a high-power device like an external hard drive will have its own power supply, but low-power devices like digital still cameras can get their power from the bus in order to simplify them. Two twisted pair sets carry the data in a FireWire cable.

In the next section, we'll discuss the differences between FireWire and USB.

FireWire vs. USB
The key difference between FireWire and USB is that FireWire is intended for devices working with a lot more data -- things like camcorders, DVD players and digital audio equipment. FireWire and USB share a number of characteristics and differ in some important ways.
Here's a summary:

As you can see, the two are remarkably alike. Implementing FireWire costs a little more than USB, which led to the adoption of USB as the standard for connecting most peripherals that do not require a high-speed bus.
USB 2.0, released in 2001 and becoming popular in 2002, is designed to offer performance similar to FireWire. USB 2.0 has a maximum data rate of 480 Mbps. Given that their speeds are now roughly identical, the big difference remaining between FireWire and USB 2.0 is that USB 2.0 is host-based, meaning that devices must connect to a computer in order to communicate. FireWire is peer-to-peer, meaning that two FireWire cameras can talk to each other without going through a computer.

Digital Video
FireWire really shines when it comes to digital video applications. Most digital video cameras or camcorders now have a FireWire plug. When you attach a camcorder to a computer using FireWire, the connection is amazing!

An important element of FireWire is the support of isochronous devices. In isochronous mode, data streams between the device and the host in real-time with guaranteed bandwidth and no error correction. Essentially, this means that a device like a digital camcorder can request that the host computer allocate enough bandwidth for the camcorder to send uncompressed video in real-time to the computer. When the computer/camera FireWire connection enters isochronous mode, the camera can send the video in a steady flow to the computer without anything disrupting the process.
You can easily edit and create custom video projects using fast hard drives, a digital camcorder and a computer. With the right software, the computer and the camera communicate, and the computer can download all of the video automatically and with perfect digital clarity. Since the content is digital from start to finish, there is no loss of quality as you work on successive generations.

How USB Ports Works

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Just about any computer that you buy today comes with one or more Universal Serial Bus connectors on the back. These USB connectors let you attach everything from mice to printers to your computer quickly and easily. The operating system supports USB as well, so the installation of the device drivers is quick and easy, too. Compared to other ways of connecting devices to your computer (including parallel ports, serial ports and special cards that you install inside the computer's case), USB devices are incredibly simple!

What is USB?

Anyone who has been around computers for more that two or three years knows the problem that the Universal Serial Bus is trying to solve -- in the past, connecting devices to computers has been a real headache!

Printers connected to parallel printer ports, and most computers only came with one. Things like Zip drives, which need a high-speed connection into the computer, would use the parallel port as well, often with limited success and not much speed.

Modems used the serial port, but so did some printers and a variety of odd things like Palm Pilots and digital cameras. Most computers have at most two serial ports, and they are very slow in most cases.

Devices that needed faster connections came with their own cards, which had to fit in a card slot inside the computer's case. Unfortunately, the number of card slots is limited and you needed a Ph.D. to install the software for some of the cards.

The goal of USB is to end all of these headaches. The Universal Serial Bus gives you a single, standardized, easy-to-use way to connect up to 127 devices to a computer. Each device can consume up to a maximum of 6 megabits per second (Mbps) of bandwidth, which is fast enough for the vast majority of peripheral devices that most people want to connect to their machines.

Just about every peripheral made now comes in a USB version. A sample list of USB devices that you can buy today includes:

Printers
Scanners
Mice
Joysticks/Flight yokes
Digital cameras/Webcams
Scientific data acquisition devices
Modems
Speakers
Telephones
Video phones
Storage devices such as Zip drives
Network connections

Connecting a USB device to a computer is simple -- you find the USB connector on the back of your machine and plug the USB connector into it.

The rectangular socket is a typical USB socket on the back of the computer.

A typical USB connector for a device, called an "A" connection

If it is a new device, the operating system auto-detects it and asks for the driver disk. If the device has already been installed, the computer activates it and starts talking to it. USB devices can be connected and disconnected at any time.

Many USB devices come with their own built-in cable, and the cable has an "A" connection on it. If not, then the device has a socket on it that accepts a USB "B" connector.

A typical "B" connection

The USB standard uses "A" and "B" connectors to avoid confusion:
"A" connectors head "upstream" toward the computer.
"B" connectors head "downstream" and connect to individual devices.

By using different connectors on the upstream and downstream end, it is impossible to ever get confused -- if you connect any USB cable's "B" connector into a device, you know that it will work. Similarly, you can plug any "A" connector into any "A" socket and know that it will work.

Running Out of Ports?

Most computers that you buy today come with one or two USB sockets. With so many USB devices on the market today, you easily run out of sockets very quickly. For example, on the computer that I am typing on right now, I have a USB printer, a USB scanner, a USB Webcam and a USB network connection. My computer has only one USB connector on it, so the obvious question is, "How do you hook up all the devices?"

The easy solution to the problem is to buy an inexpensive USB hub. The USB standard supports up to 127 devices, and USB hubs are a part of the standard.

A typical USB four-port hub accepts 4 "A" connections.

A hub typically has four new ports, but may have many more. You plug the hub into your computer, and then plug your devices (or other hubs) into the hub. By chaining hubs together, you can build up dozens of available USB ports on a single computer.

Hubs can be powered or unpowered. As you will see on the next page, the USB standard allows for devices to draw their power from their USB connection. Obviously, a high-power device like a printer or scanner will have its own power supply, but low-power devices like mice and digital cameras get their power from the bus in order to simplify them. The power (up to 500 milliamps at 5 volts) comes from the computer. If you have lots of self-powered devices (like printers and scanners), then your hub does not need to be powered -- none of the devices connecting to the hub needs additional power, so the computer can handle it. If you have lots of unpowered devices like mice and cameras, you probably need a powered hub. The hub has its own transformer and it supplies power to the bus so that the devices do not overload the computer's supply.

Behind the Scenes

The Universal Serial Bus has the following features:

The computer acts as the host.
Up to 127 devices can connect to the host, either directly or by way of USB hubs.
Individual USB cables can run as long as 5 meters; with hubs, devices can be up to 30 meters (six cables' worth) away from the host.
The bus has a maximum data rate of 12 megabits per second.
Any individual device can request up to 6 megabits per second (obviously, you cannot really have more than one device requesting 6 Mbps or you would exceed the 12-Mbps maximum for the bus).
A USB cable has two wires for power (+5 volts and ground) and a twisted pair of wires to carry the data.
On the power wires, the computer can supply up to 500 milliamps of power at 5 volts.

Low-power devices (such as mice) can draw their power directly from the bus.

High-power devices (such as printers) have their own power supplies and draw minimal power from the bus. Hubs can have their own power supplies to provide power to devices connected to the hub.
USB devices are hot-swappable, meaning you can plug them into the bus and unplug them any time.
Many USB devices can be put to sleep by the host computer when the computer enters a power-saving mode.

The devices connected to a USB port rely on the USB cable to carry power and data.

Inside a USB cable: There are two wires for power -- +5 volts (red) and ground (brown) -- and a twisted pair (yellow and blue) of wires to carry the data. The cable is also shielded.

When the host powers up, it queries all of the devices connected to the bus and assigns each one an address. This process is called enumeration -- devices are also enumerated when they connect to the bus. The host also finds out from each device what type of data transfer it wishes to perform:

Interrupt - A device like a mouse or a keyboard, which will be sending very little data, would choose the interrupt mode.
Bulk - A device like a printer, which receives data in one big packet, uses the bulk transfer mode. A block of data is sent to the printer (in 64-byte chunks) and verified to make sure it is correct.
Isochronous - A streaming device (such as speakers) uses the isochronous mode. Data streams between the device and the host in real-time, and there is no error correction.

The host can also send commands or query parameters with control packets.
As devices are enumerated, the host is keeping track of the total bandwidth that all of the isochronous and interrupt devices are requesting. They can consume up to 90 percent of the 12 Mbps of bandwidth that is available. After 90 percent is used up, the host denies access to any other isochronous or interrupt devices. Control packets and packets for bulk transfers use any bandwidth left over (at least 10 percent).
The Universal Serial Bus divides the available bandwidth into frames, and the host controls the frames. Frames contain 1,500 bytes, and a new frame starts every millisecond. During a frame, isochronous and interrupt devices get a slot so they are guaranteed the bandwidth they need. Bulk and control transfers use whatever space is left. The technical links at the end of the article contain lots of detail if you would like to learn more.

The Future

The USB 2.0 spec promises a speed increase by a factor of 10 or 20, while maintaining backward compatibility with older devices and using the same cables. This sort of speed will make it possible to connect almost anything to your computer via USB, including external hard drives and video cameras.
USB 2.0 offers speeds between 120 Megabits per second (Mbps) to 240Mbps. USB 2.0 is to be both forward and backward compatible with USB 1.1 peripherals. USB 2.0 aims to use the same connectors and cables as USB 1.1, touted by Intel as "ubiquitous" in the computer industry today, but provide new peripherals with bandwidth of up to 240Mbps. This is faster than wide SCSI-2 or narrow ultra SCSI-3.