Speaking of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider on my last post, coincidentally, something nothing short of a breakthrough was announced yesterday. A particle was shot and it was recorded to reach a speed faster than light. Oh yes. Faster than the speed of light. Strike one, Einstein.

Well, not quite yet. The scientist – Dr. Antonio Eridato – who lead the team in CERN saw this result nearly 3 years ago, and since it was such a find, he decided to repeat it again… 15,000 times more. And finally, yesterday he announced his findings and asked the community of the world (read: everybody!) to be another set of eyes and proof read his team’s results. He will post his result later and will have a web-seminar to discuss the result.

So are we closer to time-travel and warp speed, Captain Kirk?

via io9 and BBC

In the world today, there are currently many type of robots with different kind of purposes. One of them is a robot “mule”. It helps us by carrying heavy objects to a particular destination. Not to be confused with a mechanical “mule” (example: a forklift), the term robot here is defined as an autonomous entity, meaning it does not need a user to operate. And there are a few of these robots exist and used today, but most of them are in a factory environment. It carries materials and objects on a predetermined path in a predetermined time or speed. An advanced version is one that are able to sense its surrounding and actively modify it’s journey accordingly. We call this capability as the artificial intelligence, and it is the most challenging design for these robots.

The “BigDog” is the latest invention that I just came across today and it is quite the impressive machine. It is a quad-pedal (four-legged) robot that are able to carry heavy objects and traverse a path in rough terrain where the classic wheel/thread design cannot. I’ll let the video below explains it as the BigDog is able to go through snow, mud, hills and more… and even got kicked somewhere in the process!

I’ve always liked The Big Bang Theory series. The show includes many references to topics that I hold dear (Sci-Fi, video games, general geekness) so I could really crack up on most of its jokes. The show is so funny that even my wife (who took Engineering classes in College but not a huge sci-fi fan)(but understand that her husband is a sci-fi gamer geek) enjoys it too (albeit the occasional “what did he mean, honey?” questions).  One of the huge thing I like about the show is the real-world of the jokes – sci-fi comics are based on real comics, shows are real shows, games (and its console) are not some made-for-show titles, etc. And to top it off, the physic terms are familiar (though I can only understand probably 1% of it) and the world application are real (iPhone apps on one episode, visiting CERN’s LHC on another).

So I was pretty excited when I read Wired’s article interviewing the Science-Consultant of the show. Guess what? Nearly all physic theories (main casts are theoretical physicists) are based on real science! The guy’s name is David Saltzberg, and he’s the one responsible that any science that goes on air on TBBT is valid. He’s not a script-writer but he does goes through all the details, even adds all the white-board scribbles that the cast goes through in each episodes! You can read the whole interview here at Wired’s article that explains how he was recruited to the show and more details in his role, but here’s a short quote from that article about his background:

Saltzberg, 44, has a bachelor’s in physics from Princeton University, where he worked on the Cyclotron. He has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago and did his post-doc at CERN, the European nuclear research center. These days, when he’s not reading show scripts, he teaches a full course load at UCLA. In his free time he flies scientific balloons in Antarctica and uses hiatuses from the show to hop over to Switzerland to work on the Large Hadron Collider.

Oh, and he also has his own blog at The Big Blog Theory. He posts more details on each episode’s science, and more often than not, explore even deeper. If you’re in any way interested in (fun!) physics and/or math and know the difference between electrons and protons, you can read it here.

PS: Amy Farrah Fowler is one of the cast of the show and she a Ph. D. in neurobiology. She is played by Mayim Bialik which has a PhD in Neuroscience…

*squeeee*… is pretty much all I can say.

If I may, I like to announce that I’m NOT a big gaming aficionados. Sure, I tried many games, enjoyed many of them, and love the idea of immersing myself in a fantasy of my choice. Imagine watching a movie you like AND you can interact in it. (Not to mention it’s $50 or so for 20-60 hours of entertainment. Much better than movies.) But I don’t spent 20+ hours a week on them, nor can I recite all the new releases for the next 8-months, nor do I sleep dreaming the perfect configuration for Diablo 3. Or at least, not anymore.

That said, there are 6 games that I can safely say define my gaming experience. 3 of them are short-lived, but extremely memorable nonetheless: Deus Ex, Duke Nukem Forever, and Splinter Cell. They are the games that are able to pull the player in and redefine the whole genre for generations. The other 3 are games that I spent months (if not years) on EACH of them, perfecting my character development, engaging the community, and competing (semi-)professionally. They redefine how I describe gaming in general and taught me many things I wouldn’t learn elsewhere. They are Star Wars Galaxies, Battlefield 2, and Lord Of The Rings Online. Now on these 3, I can safely say I’m an aficionados.
But I’ve moved on. I’ve played them to death (nearly literally) and I’ve grown out of them. I’ve enjoyed them, but unlike most dedicated gamers I met in those games, I know there’s more to life than inside Middle-Earth.

However, in one week’s time, I will be getting my gaming instinct rekindled. Battlefield 3 Beta is out. If you notice, Battlefield is the only FPS (First Person Shooter) game in the second category of games mentioned above, and it’s rarity should be noted. In this MMO-heavy (Massively Multiplayer Online) category, not many people stay on FPS games for years. With the exception of the quick-pick-up-and-play Counter-Strike, Battlefield 2 is probably the only other long-standing game. And it’s for a good reason: It has character progression, great gameplay mechanics, and large maps with various combat vehicles in it. Really, what else do you need in a good FPS game? Good story, sure. But good story doesn’t always implies re-playability values. Enjoy it once, and you’re done. But great game play with permanent progression? Formula of success.

You can always just Google Battlefield 3, but to summarize, it it an FPS team-based game where they pit 2 teams of a maximum 64-people in total in 5 different game modes on large maps that include a huge variety of vehicles. Or you can just watch the video below.

Well what are you waiting for? Go sign-up for the BETA!

BUM DUM DUM BUM DUM DUM

More updates on Windows 8 that made me want it even more!

First off is the highly discussed no-plugin IE10. So the story is IE10 will have have 2 front-end: one for the Metro UI, another for standard desktop. The Metro UI front-end will be a no-plugin browser, which means it does not (or rather, cannot) installs plugin such as Adobe Flash or (even Microsoft own language) Silverlight. And as such, relies heavily on HTML 5 coding – for example, YouTube is known for their Flash-based video player, but they also have an HTML front-end which is the reason your iPhone/iPad can stream YouTube videos.

I think the biggest difference is the performance of the browser and this advantage will outweighs the disadvantages of running plugin-free – namely having restricted from certain websites who relies on such plugin. IE-Blog actually has a post that goes in-depth for browser comparison and early findings, you can read that here.  However, remember that IE10 will also have the desktop front end which will still run with plugin. So the biggest impact will be running IE10 in portable devices such as tablet or phone. Now if you consider all iPhones cannot runs Flash, it doesn’t sound like the end of the world anymore. The performance of a plugin-free browser, however, is a rare feature that end-users can actually notice. It is so noticeable that starting IE9, Microsoft adds a new feature that can detect slow browsing experience due to add-on plugin and prompt the user with options to disable it. Definitely a feature I can’t wait to get my hands on. I wonder if they would have an IE10 preview for Windows 7…

Second update is also from Ars Technica article: Reset, Refresh and Windows To Go. The articles explains how Reset and Refresh can be beneficial for the IT controllers, but I believe it would be just as beneficial for the end-users. The Refresh feature is like the Refresh button on your browser. It refresh what you’re doing. Your content won’t be changed and some programs will remain, but everything else will be refreshed. Reset is like going to Internet Options in IE, Advanced, and hit the “Restore IE to its original settings” button. All programs will be removed, you data and everything will be reset. It’s pretty much near “reset to factory default” button, which is not what you want to do on a daily basis, but if you have all your documents on a separate folder, it’s a much better (and faster) alternative to reinstalling Windows.

Next up is Windows To Go from the same article. Now this is interesting. I guess Microsoft took a few hint from Knoppix or Bart CD. Windows To Go is basically a Windows in a stick. You can load Windows in a USB stick, plug it in any PC and runs (optionally, pre-configured) Windows from it. This has been done by Windows to a certain extent, and some custom tools are floating around the interweb for Windows 7 as well. The biggest different is (aside that it’s officially supported) is the architecture of the tool. In general and a very high overview, it’s not going to copy the OS files to your local drive and run it from live Memory (ie. Windows 7 USB recovery mode); it actually going to run ON the USB itself (ie. BartPE, but not Knoppix). The difference is you can work on it, save files on it (which will be saved on the USB) and modify it (and save the changes on the USB) which can be a blessing for IT admin wanting their staff to work on a specific environment remotely. The cherry on top is the fact it won’t blue screen on you if you suddenly yank the stick out of the PC. It will actually give you a minute to plug it back in or it will properly shutdown. Sweet!

The only problem of course (nothing’s perfect, eh?) is this is an “enterprise-oriented” feature, which might translate having this feature available only for the premium flavour of Windows 8. But, as usual, only time will tell.

The CLOUD. It’s been on everyone’s radar the past few years. Well, everyone in IT at least.

But even non-IT folks must’ve seen the topic at least once in the latest news, tucked somewhere in the Technology section or Business front-page even. It’s the future, and many resource articles have been strong in pointing out the high demand roles that will be coming in the near future. Cloud designer, network engineer, and infrastructure admin took the top spots for most sought position in the next year; while system admin and front-end support might take a hit.

And with that with last week’s BUILD conference hype on Windows 8 family, it’s easy to be excited to know where Server 8 will be in terms of cloud technology. Last week was interesting as Win8 blog pointed out the newly polished Hyper-V extension as it unleashed the potential for scalable virtualization (VMware is going to the dodo path unless they can come up with some serious feature and slashed cost – Hyper-V comes free with Server 8!), but Ars Technica’s cloud article took another step further: Server 8 – build for for the cloud.
The article goes in-depth on further Hyper-V enhancements (3 new management tools, bye-bye MMC!) and considering those features, it will streamlined the cloud infrastructure design (no more virtual NIC for clients and light-weight powershell on steroid management) with less 3rd party integration.

Now, there are basically 3 different type of clouds; public, private, and community (and a couple types of hybrid mixed in). Naturally Server 8 seems to be focused more on the private kind, but with the deployment of tablets and cellphones and other personal devices, it could spread itself into the public/community market as well. Private sector seems to be more concerned with security enhancements and compliance processes, and the nay-sayers (yes Linux folks, I’m looking at you) will point out Window’s sketchy past, but I’m pretty confident it will get pushed further regardless considering the benefits of Server 8.

To end, I’ll post a quote from Ars’ article on Hyper-V new spec:

Host machines can have up to 160 logical processors and 2TB RAM. Virtual machines can have up to 32 cores and 512GB RAM, and with the new VHDX file format, virtual disks can be up to 16TB big (up from the current 2TB). The number of machines supported on a host will be limited only by resource availability with no fixed ratios.

ps: Here’s a quick wiki on Cloud Computing just to throw it in there too. Wikipedia Cloud-Computing

So I just saw the Wired article about Kinect sale is not doing so well in Japan. According to the people interviewed, many complains the Kinect uses too much room (space is a luxury for many Japanese dweller) and/or doesn’t have enough interesting games. It is known that many Japanese gamers prefer RPG or Fighting or RTS, where FPS shooters are more reserved to US and Europe. According to North-Americans who commented on the article, it’s more due to the fact Japanese are more partial to made-in-Japanese products (such as PS3), since the other motion-oriented console – Nintendo Wii – also requires room to play, and it sells just fine.

I personally think they’re both correct. Not only the having games you want to play is crucial, but the space to play them is just as important.

Well, then what about me?  I just recently got a free Xbox-360 from a laptop purchase, and I really want to experience the Kinect gaming (I think it’s the way of the future, period.) BUT other than a one or maybe 2 titles, I’m not really interested. Plus, the way my living room is setup, there’s a big couch going sideways nearly in front of the TV.

So connecting the dots between my personal dilemma, the Wired article, and the fact Kinect add-on (and its games) are not exactly selling like hotcakes in Canada, I think it’s safe to say that many North American gamers are in the same boat as myself. Most people are not sure about the game selection, and/or constrained space in front of the TV. The one difference with Japanese gamers is people would camp outside of GameStop for days Halo and Gears of Wars, so Xbox sans Kinect is still making money.

So come on, developers, create a Kinect game that can make me go “Oh! I’m SO buying Kinect for that!”.

Star Wars kinect game, where are you?

After reading an article from Gizmodo (Google Smash!) I had to refresh my old speculation of one day Google will rule the world. Or at least, the Internet.

I was a big fan of the Big ‘G’ ever since Gmail came out (at that point I was still searching with Yahoo though) and eventually the dominance of Google’s search engine wins me over. Over the year, Google Map/Earth, translate tools, Chrome, and the plethora of functionalities added to the search engine and Gmail convinced me enough that yes, Google will be to the Internet what Microsoft is to Operating System. The conqueror.

That said, the most unexpected turn happened when Google released the Android OS. I was skeptic and reluctant to accept the fact that Google is now trying to venture to a different industry (sort-to-speak), picking up challenges from other contenders such as Apple and Microsoft. That’s when I believed that even Google has a limit! If it is such a brutal conqueror, I suppose it can only conquer its own land. Still very much respectable and feared, but it’s not as godly as I vision it to be just a few years back.

Or is it? After reading Giz’s article, I couldn’t help to think maybe – just maybe – I was wrong to lose my faith in Google. With Android picking up steam more than anyone can imagine merely 2 years ago, tablets are invading homes, offering fiber to cities in America, is there really a limit of what they can do?

With the purchase of YouTube and a good investment in their mobile department, Google will one day able to connect every single aspect of your life to the world wide web. Waking up to the internet radio, checking today’s schedule from the cloud through your phone, the cheapest gas price from your app, finding place to eat, doing your banking, entertainment, the list just go on and on.

Competition-wise? I think looking the past years Google managed to pick the right battle at the right time. They forge alliances with the right people and introduce the best solution to the most basic challenges. Sure, they don’t really have an eye-popping innovation like the iPhone… but they manage to (in my honest opinion) take the best of it, do it a step better, and sell more of it cheaper. What’s holding them back from doing that to every single product out there?

Time, that’s it.

That’s it. Good bye comments.

After being in a hiatus for over 4 months I have 430+ comments and every single one of them (yes, I’ve checked) are spam. That’s WITH Captcha filter.

So since I wouldn’t be able to check the comments in a feasible frequency and to clean up the SQL, I believe when people actually would like to comment they have all my contact info in the writer’s bio.

Yay!