Technology & Opinions: Why iOS7 & Samsung Ads Suck?

If everyone is busy making everything how can anyone perfect anything?  We start to confuse convenience with joy, abundance with choice.  Designing something requires focus.  The first thing we ask is what do we want people to feel?  Delight. Surprise. Love. Connection.  Then we begin to craft around our intention.  It takes time.  There are a thousand no's for every yes.  We simplify. We perfect. We start over.  Until everything we touch enhances each life it touches.  Only then do we sign our work Designed by Apple in California. -- Quoted from Forward Thinking.

Honestly, I have been refraining myself from making any unfair comments about Apple and Samsung (surprised?) until the latest "stuff" is out and settles, until I saw the latest iOS7's UI design, some ads and some news headlines, I can't bear not to make myself heard any more and here's my eruption!

BOOOOMMM!!!!

Complaint 1:

Image from igeeksblog

Okay, nice ad above Apple, you obviously go against Samsung's "More is More" philosophy which is fine for me, have it your way, but don't try to confuse us that "convenience" isn't related to "joy" and "abundance" isn't related to "choice"!!! If convenience has nothing to do with joy, then why did you create that annoying virtual home button in iOS6? That is not to make your customers more "joyful" because of your incredibly non-durable home button? I don't think seeing my wife clicking multiple buttons just to switch on and off the 3G data a joy to behold. I think it's irritatingly inconvenient to even look at it!

If abundance has nothing to do with choice, then why are you adding features that Android already has? Why not just keep it "minimalistic"?

Complaint 2:

iOS 7 lock screen (left), home screen (centre), pull-up menu (right)
Image from Gigaom

The first thing we ask is what do we want people to feel?  Delight. Surprise. Love. Connection. 

Delight, love, connection? Maybe, because it's new. Surprise, definitely!! I'm seeing a whole lot of colour changes of the Android system now running on iPhone.

Jellybean 4.1 lock screen (left), Samsung Galaxy Mega home screen (centre),
Samsung Galaxy Note II dropdown menu (right)

Don't say that other companies copy you until you can prove that you never copy others!

Complaint 3:

iOS7 Weather
Image from Gigaom

The first thing we ask is what do we want people to feel?  Delight. Surprise. Love. Connection.  Then we begin to craft around our intention.  It takes time.  There are a thousand no's for every yes.  We simplify. We perfect. We start over.  Until everything we touch enhances each life it touches.  Only then do we sign our work

So all that you come up with is a replica of Google Now weather?

Google Now
Image from onelickroot

Does that mean Apple also thinks Android is the perfect design?

Accuweather Widget on Samsung Galaxy phone
Image from iwritealot

iOS7 weather
Image from Gigaom

Or do you mean the best you can do is copy from Android?

Image from The Telegraph

"iOS7: Apple stands on the shoulders of giants"? Give me a break. Don't make me puke.

Complaint 4:

iOS6 to iOS 7 icons comparions
Image from idownloadblog

From 3D icons to 2D icons, Apple, where's your persistence of NOT becoming Android? Your Safari icon sickens me the most, the meaning of the map / the world is completely lost! The Reminders, the Game Center and the Notes icons, which part of the icon design looks like what they are supposed to do?

I used to make my wife really upset by criticising Apple's products and she had always defended Apple for whatever they make to be the best in the world simply because this is what love is all about, you don't need a reason to defend the person you love, so neither does she need one to defend Apple's products. When I showed her the icons in iOS 7 yesterday, her first reaction was,

"What are they doing to the icons? Where're all those 3D effects? I don't like this!"

When asked if she would upgrade her iPhone 4S to iOS7,

"I will never upgrade it! It looks so ugly!! Looks like your Android (phone)!"

"I thought you are a Apple fangirl." I asked
"I'm a big fan of Steve Jobs and his work, not Apple (any more)." She replied.

Sure enough, those Apple fans who loves Apple as a company will continue to stay loyal, and any small changes will be seen as "innovations" despite already having same old stuff flooding the mobile world for years.

Then again, fervent disciples of Steve Jobs are out there in millions. With this iOS 7 update, Apple will risk losing them, fast!

Click to Enlarge
Image from gizmodo

That said, it's time to criticise Samsung's approach!

Complaint 1:

Okay, your Galaaxy S4 looks great in close-up despite the polycarbonate case, but the music in the ad, please! It doesn't fit the warm and joyful mum taking a photo of his son with colour balloons (0:29-0:33)! The music is way too serious! It might work well for a cool car ad maybe, but won't in the world's sake relate to the concept of family, precious moments, joy, leisure, relaxation and most importantly, a "Life companion"!!! Every time I hear that music from the ad, I feel like I'm watching a horrifying drama play, and my "life companion" is something scary!

Samsung!!! Why can't you just do another version using the same Galaxy S3 warm, touching theme? Every time I see this ad I just have to complain once.

Complaint 2:

Slimmer? Not that much, stronger? Where's the proof? Unimaginable clarity? Tell that to HTC One. Water and Ice? You are not water-proof or ice-proof yet! Innovation continues? You mean the Dual Shot? I can't even tell the Dual Camera was there before the mum wasn't even moving much! AirView with finger, alright, you got this one correct, but what about the best of the best Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, Air Gestures, Drama Shots, Eraser features? Come one! I'm seeing none of these? Do you expect noobs to buy your phone just because of how it looks?

You are not advertising the best features of your S4 in this ad, Samsung!

Complaint 3:

I can almost guarantee you that you won't hear the Group Play music any more the moment you step away from the bench in that changing room. And I doubt that anyone wants to buy an S4 for this multi-4 dependent feature, it's just not practical!

Sell your other features, Samsung!!! Like this is an ad well done!

Why can't you give me more of this? If your S4 doesn't sell as good as S3, you know why, because your TV ads suck!


Vocabulary:
abundance -- (n)[S or U] the situation in which there is more than enough of something:
behold -- (vb)[T] old use or literary  to see or look at someone or something:
sicken -- (vb) [I]  to become ill:
fangirl -- (n)[C] A rabid breed of human female who is obesessed with either a fictional character or an actor. Similar to the breed of fanboy.
fervent -- (adj) (also fervid) formal describes beliefs that are strongly and sincerely felt or people who have strong and sincere beliefs:
disciple -- (n) [C] a person who believes in the ideas and principles of someone famous and tries to live the way they do or did:
vivid -- (adj) very brightly coloured:
horrifying -- (adj)  very shocking:
noob -- (n) [C] informal someone who has just started doing something, especially playing a computergame or using a type of software, and so does not know much about it
suck -- (vb)[I] slang If someone or something sucks, they are bad or unpleasant:


Resources:

Has Apple Been Feeling a Bit Insecure Lately? @ Forward Thinking
http://forwardthinking.pcmag.com/apple/312552-is-apple-feeling-a-bit-insecure-lately

iOS7: Apple stands on the shoulders of giants @ The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/10112005/iOS7-Apple-stands-on-the-shoulders-of-giants.html

Apple - Designed By Apple - Intention @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/VpZmIiIXuZ0

GALAXY S4 Official TVC @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUynugn9AYs

Apple Inc. iPhones, iPads banned by US, Samsung Group triumphs @ Mumbai Mirror
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/others/sci-tech/techtalk/Apple-Inc-iPhones-iPads-banned-by-US-Samsung-Group-triumphs/articleshow/20440740.cms

Technology: Welcome! Samsung Galaxy S4!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/03/technology-welcome-samsung-galaxy-s4.html

GALAXY S4 Official TVC - Group Play (Share Music) @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/zDVI0r1vRFw

GALAXY S4 Official TVC - Sound & Shot @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/RAEgmeiDbJo

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/abundance?q=abundance
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/behold?q=behold
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fangirl
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fervent?q=fervent
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/disciple?q=disciple
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/vivid?q=vivid
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/horrifying?q=horrifying
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/noob?q=noob
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/suck_2

Technology & News: Free Apps To Recommend Part 7

Image from Samsung Galaxy Note II

It's not easy to break away from the food recipes and restaurant recommendation sharing these days because there isn't much out there that interests me. It's either scorching hot or pouring wet outside. This got me to stay indoor all the time. I miss my football and I can only play that on my PC nowadays.

Then again, if you are always staying indoor and your best friend is still your smartphone, then you might want to have a few new apps to play around with. Recently, I have found a few practical ones for the Android devices, sorry iPhone fanboys.

The first one is PicsArt, one of the best apps on the Galaxy Note and Note II because it is a camera . photo-editing app designed specifically for the S Pen.

The lady does look like a lot like a Korean,doesn't she? She speaks like an American-born Chinese though.

Anyway, I really like the function that you can use the pen to apply or remove effect partially from the photo. I've used it once and I have decided that I can remove a bunch of other photo-editing apps now.

Intelligent Ringer
Image from XDA-developers

The next one is called Intelligent Ringer, developed by XDA member soulreaver1. Quoting from the XDA Forum,

Intelligent Ringer aims to adjust the ringtone volume based on the amount of noise level of the environment the phone is in. It does this by analyzing the amount of sounds with the phone’s camera microphone and adjusting the ringtone volume down for when all’s quiet (such as a library), or higher during situations when it’ll be hard to hear the ringtone (i.e. a party). Users can adjust the sensitivity and accuracy of the microphone, the minimum and maximum volume, among other settings available. Intelligent Ringer also changes the volume when it detects the phone in your pocket thanks to the proximity sensor.

This is an extremely useful app if it works. I haven't tried it yet because I like to manually change volume myself, but I can imagine how immensely useful this app is who truly like to have a "Smart" phone.

Hi App Lock

Image from XDA-developers

The next one is Hi App Lock, developed by XDA member hiapp. Quoting from XDA forum,

Hi App Lock allows you to lock any app on your phone with a four to eight digit PIN. A more efficient way of protecting information from intruders than apps that require you to navigate to a specific location to view protected files, Hi App Locks simply prompts for a PIN input every time you want to open up an app. This method also allows for the flexibility to protect any sort of data and information that may be on your phone such as emails, bank details, photos, text messages, and so forth.

So if you don't want your wife to find out who(m) you have called, lock it! You don't want to disclose your contact, lock it! You want to restrict your kid from playing games, lock the games! You don't want them to install other apps so they can phone chat, lock Google Play!

Hey, you know what's even cooler? Remote lock and unlock the apps, then you can make sure your kid never get out of your control!!! (Locky's snickering!) Maybe I should tell hiapp about this great suggestion!

SidePanel
Image from XDA-developers

For those who doesn't own a Samsung Galaxy device but envy their multitasking ability, you can try SidePanel, developed by XDA sukso96100. I know very little about this app because I don't need it, because I have a Galaxy Note II, but if you are using other Android devices, you can give it a go.

Battery Style

Image from XDA-developers

Battery Style, developed by XDA member OsamaGhareeb, you need to root your phone and follow a series of instructions to install this app. Whether this is worth the chore is for you to decide.


Vocabulary:
fanboy -- (n)[C] a person considered to belong to one or more fandoms to a point of obsession
bunch -- (n)[C] a number of things of the same type fastened together or in a close group
immensely -- (adv) extremely
snicker -- (vb)[I] (also snigger) to laugh at someone or something in a silly and often unkind way:
chore -- (n) a job or piece of work that is often boring or unpleasant but needs to be done regularly:

Resources:

GALAXY Note II - Photo Editing with PicsArt @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/43Jpi3pgn8Y

No More Ringtone Surprises with Intelligent Ringer @ XDA-developers
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/no-more-ringtone-surprises-with-intelligent-ringer/

Keep Your Phone Safe from Prying Eyes  @  XDA-developers
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/keep-your-phone-safe-from-prying-eyes/

The Open Source SidePanel @  XDA-developers
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/the-open-source-sidepanel/

Swap Battery Icons Easily with OG Battery Mod @  XDA-developers
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/swap-battery-icons-easily-with-og-battery-mod/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanboy_(disambiguation)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanboy_(disambiguation)
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bunch_1?q=bunch+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/immensely?q=immensely+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/snigger
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/chore?q=chore

Cooking: Home-made Indian Curry Puff feat. the Hong Kong Modification!

Golden yummy!
Image from Locky's English Playground

Hi there! Yet another scrumptious recipe today and this time it is one of my wife's favourite dish -- the Indian curry puff.

The problem is, she doesn't want to go out for the food and those actual Indian version is way too spicy, which means I will have to use my intelligence and skills to produce a more mild Hong Kong style version.

Ground tumeric and Curry Sauce (AMOY)
Image from Locky's English Playground

Here's what you need:

• A packet of spring roll pastry
• 2 large potatoes
• Ground turmeric
• Curry paste
• A tab of butter
• An egg
• Pepper
• Salt

One packet of spring roll pastry with 2 potatoes
Image from Locky's English Playground

First, leave the spring roll pastry for defrosting then wash the potatoes and peel them.

Boil until potatoes get soft
Image from Locky's English Playground

Then cut them into smaller chunks and boil them for about 30 minutes until they are soft. Use a fork to poke the potatoes to test if they are cooked.

Mash it with a fork
Image from Locky's English Playground

Mash them the potatoes using a fork. Bear in mind, the mashed potato need not be too powdery, leave some small pieces to ensure some sort of chunky textures.

A tab of butter
Image from Locky's English Playground

For each potato, add a tab of butter to add smoothness and taste to the mixture.

Ground tumeric, salt, pepper added
Image from Locky's English Playground

Sprinkle ground turmeric to add colour to the mashed potatoes. Do pay attention to the possible overly gingery taste if you put too much. Always test the taste of the mash potatoes after each mix.

Two tablespoon of curry sauce for two large potatos
Image from Locky's English Playground

For each potato, add a teaspoon of curry sauce. I used AMOY because it was left over from the Hong Kong curry fishball and turnip dish but you can add any other ones. The good thing about this AMOY curry sauce is that it is not too hot but tastes rich enough for cooking most of the Hong Kong local curry dishes.

Mixed well
Image from Locky's English Playground

Add a little salt and pepper then mix well. Don't forget to taste the mashed potatoes!!!

Peel spring roll sheets
Image from Locky's English Playground

Peel the spring roll sheets and lay them on a slightly moist surface to ensure they don't dry up too quickly.

Curry puff in any shapes
Image from Locky's English Playground

Put  the mashed potatoes onto the sheets and roll them up to any shapes you like.

Make two holes on the eggshell
Image from Locky's English Playground

For the sealing, get a egg, poke two holes at the ends so that the egg white can be separated from the egg yolk.

extracting the egg white
Image from Locky's English Playground

Take egg white and use it as the "glue" that seals the openings of your curry puff. Do not need to add water or anything else. The spring roll pastry should stick well with just the egg white.

Add a little oil to pan-fry
Image from Locky's English Playground

Add a small amount of oil and fry the curry puffs using small flame in a pan or a wok until golden brown.

Flat ones are more crispy
Image from Locky's English Playground

Flat and pan-fried ones are more crispy!!!

Round ones are more chewy
Image from Locky's English Playground

You may also try baking them in an oven if you dislike oily food. Tubular ones that looks like traditional Chinese spring rolls are more chewy.

Golden yummy!

Image from Locky's English Playground

But what is inside remains the best of all!

Try it out tomorrow on the Dragonboat Festival Day, it's a public holiday in Hong Kong!



Vocabulary:
chunk -- (n)[C] a roughly cut piece:
chunky -- (adj) describes clothes that are thick and heavy, or jewellery made of large pieces:
mash -- (vb)[T] to crush food, usually after cooking it, so that it forms a soft mass:
sprinkle -- (vb)[T] to drop a few pieces or drops of something over a surface:
gingery -- (adj) like ginger
tubular -- (adj) made in or having the shape of a tube:


Resources:

Cooking: Hong Kong Curry Fishballs and Turnip @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2013/04/cooking-chinese-curry-fishballs-and.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/chunk?q=chunk+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/chunky?q=chunky
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/mash_1?q=mash
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sprinkle_1?q=sprinkle
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/gingery
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tubular?q=tubular

Food & Dining: Joy Hing Roasted Meat

Can it live up to its fame?
Image from Locky's English Playground

A friend of mine came to Hong Kong to visit me, specifically mentioned that he would be in Wan Chai and he wanted to try Siu Mei. So naturally, there is only one choice -- Joy Hing Roasted Meat.

View Larger Map

It was not exactly a long walk from the Wan Chai MTR station, but it was also not a short one in a hot stuffy summer day either. A portable air-conditioner will be a nice idea walking along Hennessy Road, but I'm waiting for a day when only electric cars rule the road.

Seated immediately
Image from Locky's English Playground

Once I learnt from a food review that as long as you don't speak the same the same dialect as all Hongkongers do, the staff will offer you a completely different menu with much much higher prices. My friend and I were like two lambs walking into a slaughter house asking for a meal, not knowing who the real victim is.

Chinese menus on the wall
Image from Locky's English Playground

With the menu up on the wall and staff who speak a little English, what can go wrong? Well, the thing is, my friend wanted to try out some goose, and what's the point of visiting a new restaurant if you are not going to try out their best food? So, I asked for a goose leg, the waitress said it would cost HK$80, and suggested a quarter of a goose for us instead at $100 while ordering a trio-meat set from the menu. Since it sounds like a reasonable choice, we took up the offer.

Roasted goose!!!!
Image from Locky's English Playground

All the orders basically came pretty much at the same time, but honestly speaking, none of the food came at a reasonably hot temperature. The roasted goose quarter tasted amazing despite the temperature!!! It was tender, juicy, your know, the usual good words for meat, but it is among the best goose legs I have ever tried! Premium price for the (1/4) premium bird ?

With that said, let's not forget the word "among" in my line "among the best", so I must compare this with that from Tai Hing, the once-Locky's canteen before they up the price by 30%.

Still, if you want a full goose leg set with rice, vegetables and soup / drink,  it will cost you around HK$80, not the cheapest of course, but cheaPER when compared to Joy Hing, let alone the food being definitely hotter. I'm gonna give the roasted goose quarter an individual score. The look is fantastic and the meat is nicely chopped. The taste was rich and goosey (hold on, was that really goose or duck? I'm starting to think that I have been cheated). Not much of a smell because it wasn't hot enough to present its aroma, meat was exactly the way you would expect from a good bird -- crispy skin, juicy fat then tender meat. Here's the overall score.

Scores:

Look:            ★★★★★ 5/5

Taste:            ★★★★★ 5/5

Smell:            ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Textures:       ★★★★★ 5/5

Temperature: ★★☆☆☆ 2/5

Overall:         ★★★★☆ 20/25

er.......
Image from Locky's English Playground

What is really unusual is the quality of this meaty plate, with roasted pork, soy sauce chicken wing and cha siu. Unusual in what way? Unusually poor! The cha siu was inedibly tough even for someone with perfectly healthy teeth, the chicken wings were skinny, bony, and stingy in amount. The roasted pork was already the best, but it came nothing close to those from Wah Fung at all! For HK$40, maybe this is what you'll get, so here's my scores for this:


Scores:

Look:            ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Taste:            ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Smell:            ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Textures:       ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Temperature: ★★☆☆☆ 2/5

Overall:         ★★★☆☆ 14/25

My advice is, if you are looking for a good place for siu mei, you don't need Joy Hing, try the other two I have recommended before, links are in the Resources below.


Resources:
Food and Restaurant: Tai Hing @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/05/food-and-restaurant-tai-hing.html

Food & Dining: Wah Fung Since 1941 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/04/food-dining-wah-fung-since-1941.html

Living & Photography: China-made Cheap But Not Tacky ND Filters From Taobao

Image from Locky's English Playground

Sometimes, it take quite a bit of courage to buy something from Taobao, mainly due to the not-so-cheap postage. This is particularly true if you are trying to buy a number of different products from different suppliers, which is why I will try to buy all I need from just one. It is easier said than done of course, since I can't buy photography gear and a glass tea set from the same supplier, so usually, I will just choose the most essential product to buy from a list of many, and then tell myself to forget about the rest. Often, this strategy helps me save lots of money.

This time round because I broke my 77mm UV lens filter in a lens drop incident at waist height, I need to buy a replacement. Since that broken UV filter cost over $100 and it is of little photographic use other than protection, it would be silly to buy the same one again. If I have to buy, I thought to myself, I will buy an ND filter.

Background photo taken using welding glass
Image from Locky's English Playground & Locky's E.P. @ Digitalrev

ND filters are great tools for photography as I have mentioned several times before (see Photography: Welding Glass Photography (WGP) Result 2012 and Photography: ND Filters & Photography for details), but they can do quite a bit of damage to your wallet, thus Taobao came to my mind once more.

Image from Taobao

Just typed "ND" in the search bar and I easily got hundreds of shops offering ND filters. My budget helped me narrow the search down to about 5 and after comparing the price-cum-postage I decided to buy from this shop.

Image from Locky's English Playground

From the shop, I picked 77mm ND2, 77mm ND4 and 77mm Variable ND2-400. The earlier two costs RMB 24 and the last one costs RMB 105. Why did I buy three filters? Simply because it costs the same postage of RMB 30 for one item or ten, so I might as well buy more. Then why didn't I buy more? I tried to ask my friends if they wanted to give the ND filters a go but they were worried about the quality of the filters so they told me to be the guinea pig first. I guess those RMB 24 is probably too much for them to lose.

Anyway, I must say I am very pleased with the fact that these filters are glass, not plastic, it has a bit of weight which I like, and the build quality is pretty sturdy good.

Image from Learning DSLR Video

As for the quality, well, hard to say from my limited knowledge, so I try to read up on it. I find this website pretty informative.

I must say, I have no plan to do all the tests, but I did try out the sharpness as well as the Big X test. It happens that on the 22nd this month (Wednesday), there was a black rainstorm signal and so I earned an afternoon off. I was woken up by the thunder and lightning at 4:30am and immediately I took out my 7D and  went to the living room to try to take photos of the lightning. What was sad was the only hit I got of an actual lightning bolt was taken at the moment before I remembered to set the lens to infinity.

A lightning bolt, that only a good-eyesight person can see
Image from Locky's English Playground

So, for the next 3 hours, I was basically sitting there taking hundreds of 30 seconds long exposure photos using my ND filters.

Taken with ND 4 filter for 30 seconds at 5:33am
Image from Locky's English Playground

Basically, non-variable ND Filters do no produce that big X, and the photos captured were quite nice.

However, when sun began to rise, I had to put my ND 2, ND4 and my ND 2-400 all together to get the sky dark enough, and that's when the big X appeared.

Taken with ND2, 4 and 2-400 filters for 30 seconds at 6:32am
Image from Locky's English Playground

Taken with ND2, 4 and 2-400 filters for 30 seconds at 6:33am
Image from Locky's English Playground

Taken with ND2, 4 and 2-400 filters for 30 seconds at 6:36am
Image from Locky's English Playground

Of course, you are not advised to combine your ND filters like I do, cos even if you can get your shots, they will be either very noisy or very blur. What I did was because I had no choice and I was so desperately trying to get at least one shot of the lightning, so...

Overall, if you are not in need of a super dark ND filter, these cheap ND filters from Taobao are great at their prices. The build quality is not bad and they do their job alright. If you are super tight on your budget and you are adventurous enough to try out new things, do see the links below if you are interested.

Welding Glass installed on the mask
Image from Wikipedia

But of course, if you wanna take long exposure photos in bright daylight for more than 30 seconds, remember that welding glass is still your best friend.

For more references, do visit the links down below.


Vocabulary:
postage -- (n) [U] the money that you pay for sending letters and parcels through the post:
easier said than done -- informal said when something seems like a good idea but it would be difficult to do:
guinea pig -- (n)[C] a person used in a scientific test, usually to discover the effect of a drug on humans:
sturdy -- (adj) physically strong and solid or thick, and therefore unlikely to break or be hurt:


Resources:
Travelling & Living: Patong Beach VS Kamala Beach (Why Patong Beach Is Overrated) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/03/travelling-living-patong-beach-vs.html

Technology: My First Galaxy S2 Surgery -- Sea Water Damage S2 Fixed!! @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2013/02/technology-my-first-galaxy-s2-surgery.html

Photography: Welding Glass Photography (WGP) Result 2012
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/05/photography-welding-glass-photography.html

Photography: ND Filters & Photography
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/02/photography-nd-filters-photography.html

首頁-格林爾數碼器材專營店-- 淘寶網
http://shop72988993.taobao.com/shop/view_shop.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.5.iqsHfG&user_number_id=930897275

Variable ND Filter Shootout @ Learning DSLR Video
http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/variable-nd-filter-shootout/

Variable ND Filter Shootout - Polariod Genus Lightcraft Tiffen Singh-Ray Heliopan @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/nECdBiu5Rrw

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/postage?q=postage
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/easier-said-than-done?q=easier+said+than+done+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/guinea-pig_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sturdy?q=sturdy

Drink, Health & Fitness: Caffeine -- How Much Is Too Much?

Who know what this is?
Image from Wikipedia

I admit, I'm addicted to DNews, if I don't watch it for a day, I'm lost, I can't concentrate. Does that make DNews a drug?

Well, of course not. I'm just addicted to the knowledge, but hey, there is something maybe both you and me are kind of addicted to already, and that thing is in tea, coffee, soft drinks, energy drinks and even chewing gums!

It's CAFFEINE!

Drinking coffee while writing this post
Image from Locky's English Playground

What? Caffeine is a drug? If it is, why are they so common? If it is, Starbucks is practically a pharmacy!

Well, denial is the longest river in the world. (The Nile ~ Denial? The Nile ~ Denial? The Nile ~ Denial?) Why don't you watch the following video first?

Here's a summary, caffeine can cause caffeine intoxication which can cause restlessness, nervousness, excitement, red faces,  gastrointestinal distress, muscle twitching, rambling speech, sleeplessness, rapid and irregular heartbeat.

After the caffeine wears off, caffeine withdrawal kicks in which can cause headaches, fatigue, difficulties concentrating and a depressed mood. Doctors say 500-600mg of caffeine can cause serious side effects.

Here's a list of common caffeine sources sorted in ascending amount of caffeine,

•   35mg of caffeine = a can of coke
•   75mg of caffeine = a shot of espresso
•   80mg of caffeine = a Red Bull
• 250mg of caffeine = a 12oz tall Starbucks coffee

Yeah, and I heard people say that after drinking Red Bull, they get that serious "Red Bull hangover", seems like Starbucks coffee is 3 times worse!!! (But how come I don't get these hangovers often?)

Caffeine is not all that bad considering it might lower the risk of prostate cancer, diabetes, liver diseases, Alzheimer's, stroke and Parkinson's disease. But, all these, might need further research to confirm. Should you not want to take any risk of being affected by the caffeine, yet still want to enjoy the taste and aroma of coffee, why not try decaf coffee?

So how is caffeine removed from from decaf coffee?

In short, there are the methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, carbon dioxide and water processing methods. None of these methods completely removes caffeine from the material but a decaf coffee in the United States should have less than 2.5% of the original caffeine content. Other places, no idea.

Whatever your choice is, take my advice, don't overdo anything, and you'll be okay.


Vocabulary:
caffeine intoxication -- (n)[U] A syndrome typically occurs only after ingestion of large amounts of caffeine, well over the amounts found in typical caffeinated beverages and caffeine tablets (e.g. more than 400–500 mg per at a time)
gastrointestinal distress -- (n)[U] including diarrhea, dyspepsia, and/or gastroenteritis
twitching -- (n)[U] a sudden small movement with a part of the body, usually without intending to:
rambling -- (adj) too long and confused:
wear off -- (phrasal vb) If a feeling or the effect of something wears off, it gradually disappears:
kick in -- informal  (phrasal vb) to start to have an effect or to happen:
fatigue -- (n)[U] formal extreme tiredness:
Red Bull hangover -- (n)[U] When you wake up really early the next morning and your heart is pounding because you drank so much Red Bull the night before.


Resources:
Caffeine @ Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

EDITORIAL: Now, a war on caffeine @ The Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/8/now-a-war-on-caffeine/

DR. BETSY: How much caffeine is too much? @ Evansville Courier & Press
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2013/may/09/dr-betsy-how-much-caffeine-is-too-much/

Is Caffeine Making Us Crazy? @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/xngUYiht-hE

Medical & Drinks: Coffee seems to lower the risk of lethal prostate cancer @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2011/05/medical-drinks-coffee-seems-to-lower.html

Health and Fitness: Healthy Coffee?? @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2010/01/health-and-fitness-healthy-coffee.html

How Do You Decaffeinate Coffee and Tea? @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhAJ-zL5-QU&feature=share&list=UUiefLm_nIz_gOH7XHbgpdCQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine_intoxication#Caffeine_toxicity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRAT_diet
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/twitch_1?q=twitching+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rambling_1?q=rambling+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/wear-off?q=wear+off+-
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/kick-in?q=kick+in
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Red%20Bull%20hangover