Internet Protocol 4 Exhaustion

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Our Friends online are Legion!

Ha ha~! Let the world know our Bolehland does score exceptionally well in some off-beat area, as reported in CNN: Malaysians have the most friends on social media.
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Microsoft recommends Chrome, for Real

So the recent words in tech world is Microsoft recommends Chrome to fix Hotmail issues. Seems like the issue has been very serious indeed for the Empire to recommend solution from a rival camp.
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Rest Well, Buddy

The process of making a com ready to retire is always like a time trip to the past as you browse through all the files and it was like "oh man! These stuff is like from another life time..." when it was actually just 4 years ago. But then year 2006 definitely sounds like another age now.

You also get to realise a lot of stuff which you thought were important is actually junk in the long run, but ironically a lot of other stuff which you might have thought to be junk are now cherished memories.
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Have Fun with your own "Vista"

In the midst of Tech giant Apple Shares Dropped due to the iPhone 4 incident, a top Microsoft official has suggested iPhone 4 might be Apple's Vista, as Windows Vista was a real pain point for Microsoft.



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Real Time report

This is a scene we will bet that has been happening all over the world for the past month, and also this will be the last strip for the World Cup 2010 series special.
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Brick World Comics Presents World Cup Specials

Well World Cup 2010 has finally came to an end, during the month when it was raging on we have accumulated quite a small collection of comic strips here which are World Cup related so we decided to bundle them out in an easy to see format for you guys to relive some of the World Cup moments. Just click on the image above to access the page, or you can click here.

Talking about LEGO World Cup... how can we missed this chance to promote this uber LEGO soccer site, see Legofussball.eu. for all the glories in LEGO soccer!

We would also like to take this opportunity to introduce the new experimental Brick World Comics blog site which is aiming to cater the "I only want to read the comics" crowd who might find the jumping between our blogs a tedious task. Do let us know what you think!
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Good News Everyone!

Following the recent renewal season for Futurama there has been a torrent of new creations based on it lately.

First from Matt De Lanoy a.k.a Pepa Quin's incredible Planet Express HQ, Head Museum to Robot Arms Apt and much much more, this culmination work for over two years is too awesome for any fans of the series to miss.

Then there are these CubeDudes from Andrew Lee.

What does all these have to do with BrickTech you asked? Well as far as we know, the series itself being some what Scifi and future tech related is all that we can think of, but we will use any excuse to show off cool creations!

Source: Brothers Brick
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The "Pading" is nice, not so much for the cost

The comic below does pretty much sums up the feeling one could have on Ipad first trial if you are even remotely technological affiliated.

Not an exaggeration.

The comic above, should you if by now haven't seen it yet for some reason come from The Oatmeal- What it's like to own an Apple product. Highly recommended!



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TED talks LEGO

We just talked about TED in our last post and incidentally their next video was about LEGO the next day. Nice~


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Watch TED

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Working LEGO Printer a Technological Marvel

Source: Brothers Brick

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Microsoft Systems Engineer, 9 Years Old

9 years old Marco Calasan from Macedonia is fluent in three languages and have four Microsoft certificates, he's also written a 312-page book on Windows 7. Read more here.


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Windows Live - Hotmail 2010

If you use Hotmail, which has been under Microsoft's Windows Live online services for quite some time now, you might be interested to know Hotmail will be updated to the new version soon:

There's some interesting data from this Hotmail Preview site which reflects what Microsoft is trying to do to compete against rival Google's G-Mail and Yahoo's Mail, as well as some extras:


Take a look for yourself. Go on and browse over to Windows Live Preview - Hotmail.

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Win7's OS-Tan gets her own mini-Anime

Like this Nanami Madobe wallpaper? You can get the original (1680 x 1050) here.

If you don't already know by now, Windows 7 (Windows 6.1 actually), Microsoft's latest desktop operating system (OS), was given an official mascot for the Japanese edition, to cater to the geek culture of OS-Tan, which is basically a personification of an OS. Pre-Win7 OS-Tans were unofficially created by fans, but for Win7, MS wanted to be part of the culture and hence created Nanami Madobe. We first blogged about her here.

Prefer this wallpaper of her instead? The original (1920 x 1200) is here.

Now she has her own anime, albeit a short one to promote using Win7 as a SFF (Small Form Factor) or HTPC (Home Theatre Personal Computer). Take a look @ her in action in this YouTube video:

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DRM (Digital Rights Management)

DRM is pretty much an evil word right now (depending on which side of the fence you're on!), but chances are if you're a consumer, you pretty much hate DRM because you're being punished for doing the right thing - just so the companies which implement DRM make sure those who do the wrong thing are punished. Not exactly a right thing to do for then you're forcing people to do the wrong thing since nothing is gained by doing the right thing! When will this issue be solved we have no idea - but we think having the whole punishment mentality is wrong in the first place - when a reward mentality will benefit all in the long run. But try telling that to corporations who are usually headed by someone like Lord Vender here.

Of late the 3 games which are having problems all come from UbiSoft - Assassin Creed 2, Silent Hunter 5, and Settlers 7. All require you to be online to play a single-player game. Should you get disconnected from the Internet, or UbiSoft servers have problems, then you can't play the game which you bought. To drive this message home, hackers recently attacked UbiSoft servers via DoS (Denial of Service) to show how even if you bought the game, you can't play it if the company's servers are offline.

UbiSoft recent games aren't the only ones afflicted with this issue - EA (Electronic Arts) recent Command and Conquer 4 - Tiberian Twilight, from the Tiberian Series under the C&C Series, uses the same always-online requirement to play single-player games. This is not surprising as UbiSoft is partly owned by EA.

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Open Source = Illegal Software v2.0 - Update

Update - Speak of the devil! In Part 1 of our comic strip on this topic is was a US news, now it has spread to the EU. Read more here where OSS is under threat in Europe. Are we psychic or what?!

In Part 2 of our Open Source = Illegal Software? (see here for Part 1), we're continuing Darth Vender's execution of his Lord's orders - which is to make OSS (Open Source Software) illegal..via...legal means.

If it comes to pass, don't say we didn't warn you!
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NVIDIA 'Fermi' (GF100) @ GeForce 400 Series (DirectX 11) - Part 2

The original post will be too long for what we have to add now, so we're starting a new post to continue off the previously published specifications (both GPU-Z and CPU-Z as well as official NVIDIA), now adding scores and screen captures.

What Everest says about the new NVIDIA GeForce 400 (480), powered by the GF100 (Fermi) chip. It's a larger image so you can click on it to view the original size.

Windows 6x Experience Index gives the GeForce 480 a 7.9 (the maximum) for Graphics. It gave the GeForce 285 a 7.4 - see here when we tested the Hexa/6-core (Gulftown) Intel Core i7 980X processor, which we used to test this GeForce 480 as well.

So what happens when NVIDIA releases a dual-GPU version of the GeForce 480? Say the, GeForce 495, like they did with the GeForce 295, using dual GeForce 280 GPUs? Or when NVIDIA's rival, AMD, releases their ATI Radeon HD6000 Series? Looks like Microsoft needs to expand the max limit!

How does NVIDIA's PhysX fare with the 480? As you can see, it averages around 338FPS over the GeForce 285's 227 average. While the processor is different, since we tested the 285 at an earlier time before we had the HexaCore i7 980X, PhysX doesn't rely on the processor but the graphic card, which was the whole point in the first place to do physics calculation on the GPU to free up the processor to focus on the other demands the game is requesting to handle.

Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage, with a Performance preset, gives 20K!

Coming up next - videos of the 480 in action! Including the new water Tessellation you saw in the first post, but now with video of it at work! It will blow your mind away to the level of realism graphics have come to! Also, there'll be a video of the new NVIDIA OptiX real-time 3D Ray-Tracing video we showed in the first post update, as well as a video of Unigene's Heaven benchmark, which shows Tessellation at work real-time as you switch it on and off dynamically!

Yes you can click on it to enjoy the double-size original image

As usual, before we go, here's something to drool by while you wait for the next (and 3rd) post!

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NVIDIA 'Fermi' (GF100) @ GeForce 400 Series (DirectX 11) - Update 2

Update 2 - A new post has been created with all the scores and screen captures.

Update 1 - We'll be updating this post with specifications and scores as well as screen captures and videos in the following hours so stay tuned! GPU-Z & CPU-Z:

Here are the official specifications for the high-end 480 and the middle-range 470 cards:

Numbers are boring aren't they? A picture speaks a thousand words so we'll throw in something new for you to whet your appetite as well - NVIDIA's OptiX Ray-Tracing technology @ work:

Yes, you can click on it to enjoy the larger XGA (1024 x 768) real-time ray-traced 3D scene

This feature comes on GeForce 400 Series now and not just on Quadro professional workstation video cards. This means now games can start to use it! More to come! Stay tuned here!

Say hello to Fermi, a 3billion-transistor graphics processor

If the title didn't already give it away, then you know what this post is about - that's right. It's NVIDIA's DirectX 11 graphic card - the GeForce 400 Series, based on the GF100 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), codename Fermi, after Enrico Fermi, the Italian physicist who created the first Nuclear Reactor @ Chicago, the Pile-1.

Is NVIDIA planning to nuke its rival, AMD, for their ATI Radeon DX11 card?

His work led to the development of B Reactor @ Hanford, Washington, the first Plutonium production reactor, for America's Manhattan Project, which resulted in the test of the first Atomic Bomb @ Trinity, New Mexico, America. This led to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki @ Japan, during World War 2. So is NVIDIA planning to 'bomb' its rival, AMD?

Its rival's DX11 card was black and red, NVIDIA is going for black and green, obviously

It's rival was the first to release a DX11 card (via their acquisition of ATI), the Radeon HD5000 Series in 2009, which was supported by Windows 6.1 (Windows 7), and later in Windows 6.0 (Vista) via the Platform Update. So now NVIDIA catches up with the competition. Of course, expect its rival to counter-attack - and they will - with the HD6000 later.

Dual-Linked DVI ports as usual, and HDMI has been dumped for DisplayPort instead. Checkout the quad heat-pipes!

Just like it's rival, you WILL need an 8-pin power connector from your PSU, in addition of the usual 6-pin. However, the good news if your PSU doesn't have 8-pin (not for the processor via the board version), you can also make do with a dual 4-pin Molex adapter which some graphic cards bundle. As for PSU Wattage, a 500W will do - unless you're running a RAID array, etc.

No, it isn't a photo of the ocean - it's a 3D real-time image

Anyway, in order to whet your appetite, here's a shot of what the new card can do with its Tessellation (which NVIDIA claims to be better than its rival due to its scaleable feature which it claims its rival lacks). Until then, enjoy the shots of NVIDIA's flagship desktop hardware!

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TM's UniFi - HSBB via FTTH - Update 2

Update 2 - TM has lowered it's Streamyx 4Mbps to RM130 from RM140 monthly.

Update 1 - Some people are unaware LASER is safe as long you're not viewing it. More below.

That's a lot of acronyms - let's break it down.

For those who don't know, Telekom Malaysia launched yesterday Malaysia's first FTTH (Fibre To The Home) service, called UniFi, which is a form of HSBB (High Speed BroadBand).


This uses LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) via optical cables as opposed to the current wired Internet connection, using DSL via copper telephone wires. Of course there's wireless Internet access but let's skip that as we're talking about wired for now.

This is how data is transmitted inside optical fibre cables - via a LASER bouncing light inside

While only available in 4 selected areas in the Klang Valley at the moment (Bangsar, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, TTDI - Taman Tun Doctor Ismail), it will soon spread to other parts of the country, depending on the area's development and it's contribution to the country which will make it have a need for Internet access beyond the current broadband service, known as Streamyx, which has a limit of 4Mbps, which uses DSL mentioned earlier.


UniFi starts at 5Mbps, and goes up to 20Mbps for homes, with higher speeds for business. It's priced at RM150 per month for 5Meg, with RM200 for 10Mbps, and RM250 for 20Mbps for homes. This has resulted in the 4Mbps Streamyx to drop from its original price of RM160 to RM140 - UPDATE - NOW DROPPED TO RM130! Of course there are are lower speeds of Streamyx like 2Mbps and 1Mbps and lower.


You'll know when an area has FTTH when you see the LASER warning symbol. Inside these boxes are LASER transmission which will be dangerous to view as it's more powerful that LASER pointers.


HOWEVER - you do NOT have to worry that these boxes (or UniFi cables) are bad for your health as the LASER is INSIDE and NOT outside. In fact, the LASER is terminated OUTSIDE your home and doesn't even ENTER your home - hence the term - Fibre To The Home (FTTH) - NOT Fibre IN The Home. Fibre is used to carry the LASER optical signals from the Telekom Exchange to OUTSIDE homes.

You get more radiation from using your cellular mobile phone next to your brain where powerful radio waves are transmitted, or even from watching TV too much!

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6-core (HexaCore) Intel Core i7 "Gulftown" Scores - Update

Update : 6-core i7 'Gulftown' 980X LGA1366 Everest Processor Cache benchmark:

As mentioned in our previous post here, we'll be running some benchmarks to give you the performance numbers of Intel's latest flagship desktop processor, the 6-core (HexaCore) Core i7 'Gulftown' LGA1366 processor. So without further ado - here are the scores we got running on the same Intel X58 board (with updated BIOS of course!) - Wow, we actually did something we said! :)

6 cores x HT (Hyper-Threading) = 12 'processors'

Told you it's still called an i7 (albeit an Extreme Edition version), and not the i9 as we hoped!

Level 1 and 2 Caches are x6 obviously - but the 6cores also share a unified 12MB Level 3 Cache

See, told you it'll still work on the same old X58 board - you just need to update the BIOS

On an idle x64 (64-bit) Windows 6.1 (Win7) desktop, the HexaCore runs @ 65 degrees Celsius using a Thermalright U120E-RT LGA1366 processor cooler:

So what does Windows 6x (Vista = Windows 6.0, Win7 = Windows 6.1) Experience Index say about the 6core i7? Well apparently when coupled with a GeForce 285 GTX and 6GB of memory, the slowest hardware component will be an SSD (Solid State Drive) - believe it or not!

Windows' 6x XP Index reports the 6core as 7.7 out of 7.9, 6GB memory as 7.7 out of 7.9, GeForce 285 graphics as 7.4 out of 7.9, and SSD as 5.9 out of 7.9

So what does Futuremark's PCMark 2005 1.2 Professional say?

How about Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage 1.0.2 Professional?

Note we didn't run the 3DMV graphics test since we're just testing the 6core here

Looks good so far - let's try some non-industry standard benchmarks like Everest and Performance Test. Note the following screen captures couldn't be re-sized to fit the width of BrickTech without it being too small to read, so we've maintained it's actual captured size. Just click to see the original size.

This is Everest results, and the following 2 are Performance Test results

All these benchmarking and testing software are freely available so feel free to do comparison with your own hardware (or others) to gauge the performance of the 6core i7 compared to existing desktop processors. We'll try and update this post with comparison scores later. Really!

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