A New Year talk by FF

Happy New Year 2006 - A New Year talk by FF in Hong Kong 峰峰零六新年賀詞 ( Play now )

Gift Guide: Dell 2405FPW

Engadget: "Well, it's been a nice run everyone. For the last day of Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide we present the mother of all 2005 monitors, Dell's 2405FPW. Hopefully you've gotten all your holiday shopping done by now, because if you expect to make a run to pick one up today, you're probably gonna be sorely disappointed -- they're not sold in stores, of course. But the good news is the 2405's successor, the 3007WFP, is about to be launched in about two weeks, so if you're down with being the late gift-giver (or are just in the market for a new display), you'll probably be able to pick one of these up for a song in the very near future. Hey, it won't be anything to scoff at for some time; after all, it may not have the luster of one of those beautiful Apple Cinema displays, but outside matching its 1920 x 1200 resolution, the 2405FPW does have a leg up on the Apple 23-inch with an extra viewable inch of screen real estate, penty more inputs, a 1000:1 contrast ratio (over 400:1), brightness of 500 cd/m2 (over 270 cd/m2), and a 9-in-1 card reader."

'Modest' deal struck in Hong Kong

BBC NEWS | Business | 'Modest' deal struck in Hong Kong: "A limited trade deal has been reached in Hong Kong after developing countries approved a European Union offer to end farm export subsidies by 2013."

MAIN POINTS OF THE DEAL

Agricultural subsidies: Farm export subsidies will progressively be phased out by 2013. However, there has been no agreement on import tariffs

Cotton: Rich countries will phase out export subsidies for cotton but there is no agreement on a date for reducing domestic subsidies for US farmers

Development Aid: The poorest countries will get quota-free and duty-free access to global markets for 97% of their goods

There was a large police presence around the venue after clashes between police and demonstrators on Saturday, which left 70 people injured.

NEC’s N701i ECO corn-based phone >

Engadget - www.engadget.com: "NEC is busting out an edible environmentally friendly phone, the N701i ECO, to match their corn laptops. The phone body is made up of 75 percent plant materials, including corn and potatoes. Once disposed of (we hope not before) the phone eventually becomes water and carbon dioxide, leaving the earth free from housing another lame out-of-date phone. Seriously guys, not even mother nature wants to be caught toting that old black and white screened Nokia of yours, or this Bluetooth-less N701i. She’s gotta represent."

See you in Hong Kong this Sunday

FF: "I got the ticket through Airline Network, can't believe I still can get a cheap ticket in the last minutes

will arrive Hong Kong this Saturday, see u there"

Fuel depot blast sparks massive fire

icWales - Fuel depot blast sparks massive fire: "A huge fire raged after a series of explosions ripped through an oil storage depot in what is thought to be the largest incident of its kind in peacetime Europe."

Miraculously, only two people were seriously injured among 43 casualties, after flames shot hundreds of feet into the sky following the blasts at the Buncefield depot, near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, police said.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott tonight visited the scene of the blasts, the first of which happened just after 6am at the fuel terminal in Leverstock Green, close to junction 8 of the M1.

The force of the incident could be heard up to 100 miles away sparking fears of a terrorist attack or a plane crash.

But Hertfordshire Police Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said they were treating the incident as an accident.

GOLD V3i coming to Dolce & Gabbana

GOLD V3i coming to Dolce & Gabbana - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "Now that the RAZR has become the new StarTAC, fashionistas need a new way to make their uber-slim cellphone draw wows, so Dolce has teamed up with Moto to offer just the product. A few lucky people (1000, to be exact) will soon be able to pick up a special edition gold V3i from D&G boutiques worldwide, which is now a necessary component in completing the full magenta-silver- black-blue-gold RAZR rainbow. No word yet on the cost, but if you’re even considering buying such an unnecessary piece of showiness, it’s doubtful that price is of much concern."

IBM 5100 Portable Computer

Old Computers - rare, vintage and obsolete computers:"The Model 5100 is IBM's first microcomputer, i.e. not a mainframe, and is also considered the world's first portable computer. Although at 55-pounds, it might best be described as "self-contained" rather than "portable".

There were very few other computers available at the time, and nothing even close to the capabilities of the 5100. It is a very complete system - with a built-in monitor, keyboard, and data storage. It was also very expensive - up to US$20,000. It was specifically designed for professional and scientific problem-solvers, not business users or hobbyists. "

Model:	5100
Introduced:	September, 1975
Price:	US $19,975 w/ 64K RAM
Weight:	55 pounds
CPU:	IBM proprietary, 1.9MHz
RAM:	16K, 64K max
Display:	5" monochrome monitor
	64 X 16 text
Storage:	Internal 200K tape (DC300)
Ports:	tape/printer I/O port
OS:	APL and/or BASIC

Tesco music sandwich set to harrass Brits this week

Tesco music sandwich set to harrass Brits this week - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "Tesco, Britain’s largest retailer, is introducing the greeting card-inspired musical sandwich for the dreary lunch crowd this week. Now get this, according to a Tesco spokesman (who’ll remain anonymous to avoid your wrath) the music sandwich “is designed to provide busy office workers with relaxing music to make eating lunch at their desks more enjoyable than ever before.” Open the top of your prawn-and-mayo or perhaps, egg-and-pickle-bits sandwich and kick back to a soothing xmas medley dribbled over that piezoelectric tweeter. Is this a joke — are the four horsemen saddling up? Look, it’s bad enough that those one million desk-bound-lunching Brits are subjected to eating rubber-packed triangular sandwiches with salt-n-vinegar crisps every day until they die (or retire, whichever is first). But must they really be subjected to cheap tinny music to accompany those lonely culinary moments as well? That’s just mean. And certainly the only thing more annoying than listening to Jingle Bells is listening to it played from a nearby cubicle-monkey’s coffer. Please, we beg you, someone send us a video of this joyous experience…maybe we’ve got this all wrong."

Sweet Hong Kong - NEW Video Podcast

Fradio = Radio and Video Podcast by Danny:"FF在香港的一天, 立即遊覽及體會香港多姿多彩的生活
Sweet Hong Kong - a story about FF's summer life in HK, from Central to CWB, from CWB to bar...~"

<PLAY NOW>

Thousands march for HK democracy

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Thousands march for HK democracy: "Tens of thousands of people have taken part in a march in Hong Kong to demand a fully democratic political system.

Trade unions, activists and civic groups joined ordinary citizens, some carrying banners denouncing China.

They snaked round streets lined with sky-scrapers towards government offices chanting 'now or never' and 'do you want a clown or a chief executive?'.

Campaigners say they want the Chinese autonomous territory's next leader to be elected by universal suffrage.

In response to mass protests in 2003 and 2004, Beijing made some concessions, namely offering to enlarge the 800-strong election committee charged with selecting a new leader.

However, opposition leaders say the proposals do not go far enough."

Clear message

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Hong Kong said the march appeared to be much larger than many had predicted, with many ordinary citizens and their families taking part.

"I just feel there are moments in one's life when you have to stand up and be counted," said Anson Chan, Hong Kong's former deputy leader and a first-time marcher.

Palu Cheung, 42, who brought his four-year-old daughter, said: "I want my daughter to know that I do this for her and for myself," he told Associated Press. "I think we have the quality to select our own government."

Our correspondent says the rally organisers hope a large turnout will send a clear message to Beijing that they want direct leadership elections and a fully-elected parliament.

"This is make-or-break time," Martin Lee, the veteran leader of the pro-democracy movement told Agence France Presse.

"The more people that come on the march, the more the government will have to do something about this," he said.

Timetable for change

The chief executive is currently chosen by a committee made up of about 800 Hong Kong residents selected by Beijing.

But the island's constitutional document, or Basic Law, contains provisions for ultimately electing the leader by universal suffrage.

However, China has refused implement such reforms to allow the people of Hong Kong to elect their next leader in two years time.

Pro-democracy campaigners say if that remains the case, they should be given a timetable and told when they will be allowed to vote for who rules them.

One lawmaker, Lee Cheuk Yan, said people "are very much disappointed" over the long wait.

In demonstrations in 2003 and 2004, 500,000 people have taken to the streets to protest against the policies of Hong Kong's government.
The rallies shook the administration and its political masters in Beijing. Some say they cost Hong Kong's former leader, Tung Chee-hwa, his job.

The Godfather of Ecstasy - Alexander Shulgin

Alexander Shulgin on MDMA: "The man known as "the Godfather of Ecstasy" passes through a narrow door on a dusk-soaked evening in early winter. His strides are measured, his spine slightly hunched, though he still stands more than six feet tall.

He’s going to be 77 in June, but his words race smoothly from mind to mouth. He wants to show his lab off before it gets too dark. Two weeks ago, a tree fell and cut the power lines completely. "This will give you a taste," he says, his shoes splashing through mud puddles.

Rustic and sturdy, Shulgin’s lab has seen its share of controversy. It was here that Shulgin discovered - or rediscovered - nearly 200 mind-altering chemicals, the most famous being Ecstasy, a drug that continues to dominate the world’s rave scene. In recent years, Shulgin’s research has drawn the ire of law enforcement, most notably the Drug Enforcement Agency, which believes the scientist is largely responsible for creating drugs popular among today’s club kids."

F-radio Podcast 031205

F-radio Podcast 031205 OUT NOW - You may listen it through iTunes Music Store, Yahoo Podcast and DaXxX - Fradio ( http://radio.fungfung.net)

World Debut of Ferrari FXX

World Debut of Ferrari FXX - Autoblog - www.autoblog.com _: "The Bologna Motor Show features the first public showing of the Ferrari FXX, the Ferrari Enzo track car.

Performance? How about 800 hp, custom Bridgestone racing slicks, a full telemetry and data acquisition system, and 40 percent more downforce than the stock Enzo.

For this extreme performance edition of the Ferrari supercar, the company has defined an entirely new type of customer - the Client Test Driver. This lucky individual (And wealthy. Goes without saying, really.) gets more than just a car, he gets to particpate in a Ferrari-sponsored series of track events in Europe, North America and Japan, a personalized driving course at Ferrari’s Fiorano Circuit, and custom fitting of the seat and pedals by Ferrari technicians. The price? A mind-boggling $1,720,000. Plus tax."

The Nokia 6233

The Nokia 6233 and 6234 - Engadget - www.engadget.com: "The other two new 3G phones from Nokia today are the 6233 (pictured above) and the 6234 (pictured below). Both are two megapixel cameraphones with tri-band 900/1800/1900MHz GSM/EDGE and 2100MHz UMTS. Each has a QVGA, 240 x 320 pixel LCD display, a microSD memory card slot, support for playback of MP3, AAC, M4A, and AAC+ audio files, integrated FM tuner, and Bluetooth. Both should be available early next year."

Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Release Notes

Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Release Notes: "Firefox 1.5 is our next major release of our award-winning Firefox Web browser. More information about Firefox is available.
These Release Notes cover what's new, download and installation instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions for the Firefox 1.5. Please read these notes and the bug filing instructions before reporting any bugs to Bugzilla.
We want to hear your feedback about Firefox. Please join us in the Firefox forums, hosted by MozillaZine."

Latest Changes:

• Automated update to streamline product upgrades
• Faster browser navigation with improvements to back and forward button performance
• Drag and drop reordering for browser tabs
• Improvements to popup blocking
• Clear Private Data feature provides an easy way to quickly remove personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut
• Answers.com is added to the search engine list
• Improvements to product usability including descriptive error pages, redesigned options menu, RSS discovery, and "Safe Mode" experience
• Better accessibility including support for DHTML accessibility and assistive technologies such as the Window-Eyes 5.5 beta screen reader for Microsoft Windows. Screen readers read aloud all available information in applications and documents or show the i
• Report a broken Web site wizard to report Web sites that are not working in Firefox
• Better support for Mac OS X (10.2 and greater) including profile migration from Safari and Mac Internet Explorer
• New support for Web Standards including SVG, CSS 2 and CSS 3, and JavaScript 1.6
• Many security enhancements