Message: Back At Full Throttle

Dear English Players,

A good news to you all and that is our English Playground will be back at full throttle this week! That is because I will soon be completing all my assignments. So just remain patient! Lots of good stuff to share!

Hope you like the new background picture!

Cheers,
Locky

Vocabulary:

at full/half throttle -- at full/half speed or power


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/at-full-half-throttle#at-full-half-throttle__1

Technology: How to Use Your Galaxy SII? (Updated 6th Dec, 2011)

Samsung Galaxy SII (Model GT-I9100)
Image from techwench.com

Following my blog entries on the Galaxy SII (See Resources below), at least two of my student Ella and Angus have bought their new favourite. But there are a number of questions on how to operate and protect the phone and so I decide to write an entry on this.

Upgrading to Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
Android's OS comes in a series of cute names, here are the names of the more popular versions,

• 2.3.x Gingerbread (for smartphones)
• 3.0.x Honeycomb (for tablets)
• 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich (for newer smartphones such as Galaxy Nexus)

Image from wikia

Image from geeky-gadgets.com

Image from androidcentral

My SII came with with the older 2.3.3 and needed to be updated. If yours is also running the older version, I highly recommend that you upgrade it to the current 2.3.5 as it will give it more flexibility in managing your phone.

To see your current version:

Go to Settings --> About phone --> Software update --> Android version

To upgrade,
Go to Settings --> About phone --> Software update --> Android version --> Update

The really good thing about the Android phones update is that it doesn't need to plug into the computer with a wire, which is something that iPhone has just recently managed to do! Slow!

Power Saving Mode
After the upgrade, the operation should be smoother and battery use should be slower. But if you are still experiencing battery drain issue (because you start too many applications, using too much energy on the screen, leaving WiFi on at all time, etc.) the easiest way is to switch on your Power Saving Mode.

Go to Settings --> Power saving mode --> check the box at Use Power saving mode

After that,
Go to Settings --> Power saving mode --> Custom Power saving settings

and check every box there. Under Brightness, choose 10% brightness (enough for me personally). Under Screen time-out, choose 1 minute (too short is quite irritating when it dims too often).

Power-saving mode
Image from cdn-static.cnet.co.uk

Personally, I won't check System Power Saving because it slows down the phone a lot.

Quick Drag-Down Settings

Quick Drag-Down Settings
Image from cdn-static.cnet.co.uk

Perhaps one of the best features of the Android Gingerbread is the Quick Drag-Down Settings, which allows the users to change their settings with one touch.

Go to Desktop page --> Touch the black bar on the top --> Drag down the bar

From here, you can press the buttons to activate / deactivate your Wi-Fi, Bluetooh, GPS, Sound and Auto rotation functions.

Flight Mode

Flight Mode @ Phone options
Image from img.gadgetian.com

Definitely the best feature on this phone is the Flight Mode. If you are still want to use your phone in the middle of the night as an alarm clock for example, don't mind there are no incoming calls or internet connections and you don't want to power off the phone, you can simply:

Power / Flight Mode button
Image from mos.futurenet.com

Hold the power button on the right of the phone for 1 second --> choose Flight Mode. What is really cool about this Flight Mode is that the phone will consume less than 2% of the power in 9 hours! I use it when I am away teaching a class to conserve the power on my phone as I won't be able to pick up calls or use the 3G anyway but switching off the phone on and off will consume more power.

For more tips on how to use your Galaxy SII, please "Like" the blog on Facebook!

Gingy

Talking about Gingerbread, Christmas is coming, and so here's a scary story called "The Bridge of Gingy" from Shrek! It's incredibly funny and he's my favourite character in Shrek too! See if you can hear what he is saying without the subtitles.

If you want the script to this, here it is!

Buckle up, everybody. The quicker I scare the wits out of you lot, the sooner I can be home, cozy in my bed. Unless anyone else thinks they've got what it takes. Oh! Oh! Pick me, pick me! I have a scary story! This isn't the one about you getting trapped in the petting zoo again, is it? - 'Cause that's not scary. - Actually...If you look at it from my perspective... Hey, guess what, Pinocchio, no one cares! Get ready to send these jokers home, Shrek, 'cause I've got a doozy...and it's all true! It was a dark and stormy night... Gingy? My girlfriend kicked me out. I don't know, something about me being too into myself. Blah, blah, blah, yack, yack, yack. You? But you are so adorable. I know! That's what I keep telling her! I need a good woman, Muffin Man. Ah. I can help you, Gingy. - How about this one? - Aw, I dunno. - You like her, huh? - Nope. Weird hair. - How about this one? - Too skinny. No! Don't like it! Okay. Well, how about this one? Yes! That's it! Ah! She's perfect. The girl of my dreams. Wait! More sugar. But that is not the recipe. Trust me, Muffin Man, this girl's gotta be real sweet. I want someone who will love me forever. I must warn you, Gingy. No one has ever made cookies with this much sugar. You are tampering with forces far beyond your comprehension! Just put her in the oven! Ah ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha... Ow! Ha ha ha ha! Hey. I get a little privacy? - Huh? - Take a hike. Oh, oui. Oh, my gosh, I'm in love! A cookie angel. Wow! And you're hot too! Hello? Hello? Oh... I guess it didn't work. Ha ha! Gingy, is it you? The one I was made for? Oh, we'll be together forever. Sweet! ♪ I can't see me loving nobody but you for all my life ♪ ♪ When you're with me baby, the skies'll be blue for all my life ♪ ♪ Me and you and you and me no matter how they toss the dice ♪ ♪ It had to be the only one for me is you and you for me ♪ ♪ So happy together ♪ - Are ya happy, Gingy? - You bet! The time since I met you has been the best...7 and a 1/2 minutes of my life. Good! Because this is only the beginning. I'm going to love you and hold you and feed you and dress you and cling to you... - Yeah... Hang on to you and smother you with my love. - Yeah... - Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever... - You know, it's gettin' a little stuffy in here. You know, I might go get some air. Oh, no, you don't. Oh, no... Not without your umbrella. - Come on! - Here, let me get that. Wait for me! Sugar, could you just do me one small, little teensy favor? Anything. Could you leave me alone for like 30 seconds? Anything but that. You know, I forgot my gumdrop buttons. Yeah! Could you run over there and get 'em for me, please? Sure, I can. I'll be right back. ♪ Gingy, Gingy ♪ Run, run, run, as fast as you can if you wanna remain a gingerbread man! Oh! - Oh, Gingy. - Whaa... I don't understand. - I thought you were happy! - Oh, well... It's all my fault. I should have tried harder! No, no, no! Don't try harder! Maybe I'm not pretty enough. I can be pretty... really pretty! The girl of your dreams. - Aah! Remember? Farewell! Gingy! Let go, Gingy! Fall with me...so we can be together forever! Here's a thought...You let go! Together! Together fore... Boy, what a night! I'm so glad that is over with! Oh! Oh, well.Nothing lasts forever. - In sports... Together forever. Aah! Together forever.Together forever.Together forever. What a nice surprise! Together forever.Together forever.Together forever.Together forever. - Hey... So what's up? - Together forever. I think we both may have said some things I might regret. - Together forever! - Gosh, your eye is pretty! Look, I know you're upset, so... Aah! Why don't we just sit down...and discuss this? Then... they ate me! Wee, wee, wee, wee, wee, wee! They're gonna do that all the way home. I... I gotta go. They're my ride. Wait a minute. If they ate you, how is it that you're still here? Did you not say this was a true story? Um...You made it up, didn't ya? I... hey, look! Lord Farquaad's ghost! Aah! Doody heads!

Vocabulary:
drag -- (vb) [T] to move something on a computer screen using a mouse (DEVICE)
activate -- (vb) [T] to cause something to start
deactivate -- (vb) [T] to cause something to be no longer active or effective


Resources:
Technology & Video: My Samsung Galaxy SII ad (Updated 2011-11-25) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-video-my-samsung-galaxy-sii.html

Technology: iPhone 4S vs Galaxy SII vs Galaxy Nexus @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-iphone-4s-vs-galaxy-sii-vs.html

Technology & Opinions: iPhone 4(S) VS Samsung Galaxy SII @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/10/technology-opinions-iphone-4s-vs.html

Technology & News: Free Apps To Recommend Part 1 @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/technology-news-free-apps-to-recommend.html

Android Version History @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history

Gingy!! @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/xvHwHqaThi8

Scared Shrekless (en) Script
www.subswiki.com/original/6571/0

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/drag_1?q=drag
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/activate?q=activate
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/deactivate?q=deactivate

Medical & Healthy and Fitness: Star Anise As A Cure For Flu

Star Anise
Image from Wikipedia

In fact, I have completed this research long time ago, but there are so many interesting topics that I just have to give them the priority and have to put this one till now.

Recently, I attended student Suki's wedding banquet (Congratulations to Suki and Chiu by the way!) and somehow I must have caught a cold then. When I got home, I started sneezing and blowing my nose non-stop, at one point I couldn't even find time to take my breath. Because of this, I went into the kitchen, got 5 pieces of this miraculous seeds, crushed them, poured half a cup of boiling water into a flask with the seeds, soaked them for 5 minutes or so and drank all the water. I added another half of cup of hot water just in case. In 10 minutes' time, all my symptoms were gone, then after I woke up from sleep that night, I was back to 100%.

Star Anise tea with Cinnemon, lemon and honey
Image from colourbox

Why would I choose this seed? Because it contains Shikimic acid which is a primary ingredient in the anti-influenza medicine Tamiflu, the heroic drug that was used to combat Swine Flu in 2009.

Chinese Five Spice Powder
Image from tumblr

Star Anise, literally "eight-corners" or "eight horns" in Chinese, (Illicium verum, commonly called Star anise, star aniseed, or Chinese star anise) is a spice that has been widely used in many regions of South-East Asia, a key ingredient of the traditional Chinese Five Spice Powder, and is commonly used in Chinese cooking to make the sauce known as "Lou" in "Lou Mei", literally means "marinated dishes".

Lou Mei
Image from tw.tranews.com

According to Wikipedia's reliable sources,

Rheumatism Image from otamoka.com "Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. As a warm and moving herb, star anise is used to assist in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao, according to Traditional Chinese medicine. Modern pharmacology studies demonstrated that its crude extracts and active compounds possess wide pharmacological actions, especially in antimicrobial,antibacterial, [1] antioxidant, insecticidal, analgesic, sedative and convulsive activities."

So if you think you are coming down with a cold or a flu, do give this Star Anise water a try! Add some honey to balance the sour taste is a big tip from me! Adding cinnamon will increase the flavour!


Vocabulary:
rheumatism -- (n) [U] a medical condition that causes stiffness and pain in the joints (= places where two bones are connected) or muscles of the body
stagnation -- (n)[U] staying the same and not grow or develop
antimicrobial -- (adj) kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms^[1] such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans.
antibacterial -- (adj) intended to kill or reduce the harmful effects of bacteria especially when used on the skin
antioxidant -- (n) [C] a substance which slows down the rate at which something decays because of oxidization (= combining with oxygen)
insecticidal -- (adj) of a chemical substance made and used for killing insects, especially those which eat plants
analgesic -- (n)[C] (adj) a type of drug which stops you from feeling pain
sedative -- (n)[C] a drug used to calm a person or animal or to make them sleep
convulsive -- (adj) describes sudden uncontrollable movements of the muscles in your body
come down with sth -- (phrasal verb) to start to suffer from an illness, especially one that is not serious

Resources:
Anise Star @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anise_Star

Shikimic Acid @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikimic_acid

Tamiflu  @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamiflu

Swine Flu @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_flu

Lo Mei @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_mei

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/rheumatism?q=rheumatism+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stagnate?q=stagnation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/antibacterial?q=antibacterial
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/antioxidant?q=antioxidant
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/insecticide?q=insecticide
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/analgesic?q=analgesic+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sedative?q=sedative+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/convulsive?q=convulsive+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/come-down-with-sth?q=come+down+with#come-down-with-sth__2

Technology & Video: My Samsung Galaxy SII ad (Updated 2011-11-25)

Replaced the 1 minute version to this 1 min 25 sec version. Enjoy!

"I can never get a Samsung, I'm creative!"
"Dude, you are a barista!"

Resources:

Why Wait? The Next Big Thing Is Already Here @ YouTube

http://youtu.be/X4VHzNEWIqA

Samsung Galaxy S II ad mocks iPhone line-waiters @ Apple Insider

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/11/22/samsung_galaxy_s_ii_ad_mocks_iphone_line_waiters.html

News & Opinion: Mini-News Digest (24th Nov)

Sorry guys, still quite busy these days and I really can't cope with regular updates. Hope that as my own assignments' deadlines push closer I will be able to write more and regularly soon after that. Mini-News Digest today brings you a number of short news. The first one is from The Standard.

Bloody good fun in the Faroes, a mean clutch of 18 islands between Scotland and Iceland, as pilot whales are herded into a bay and slaughtered. The killers say they have a right to behave like this once a year as their Viking forefathers were doing it more 1,000 years ago. So this is a cultural event. Anyway, they add, the meat is not sold but divided among those of the Danish-flagged islands' 50,000 people who like the flavor. New Zealanders lately trying to save stranded pilot whales will surely understand. PHOTO: REUTERS

Still remember the last news digest about the stranded whales in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand? Those whales' death might have been unfortunately but this slaughter in Scotland and Iceland, is definitely intentional. When rituals come into play, outsiders have little say, all we can wish for is that rituals do not involve death, because a ritual involving killing and deaths, simply can't be a good ritual in today's world.

The second one is on stocks from the Global Post.

Image from Global Post

It's budgets, budgets and budgets. As US Congress failed to agree on the budget cut, world's stock markets continues to plummet. Changing focus back to Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index (HSI) has been dropping for almost the entire month in November. Will it once again test the support 16,170.35 on 4th October?

Image from AAStocks

Lastly, more trouble surrounding Apple's iOS 5.0.1, as I have already shared with you before, if you haven't upgraded to it, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING IT!!! Unfortunately, my own sister hasn't read my blog entry and did the upgrade herself and my suggestion for her was to stay positive and always bring her charger with her. Not upgrading from iOS 5 doesn't seem to guarantee trouble-free.

Image from Product Reviews

Despite an increasing number of battery drains complaints about the iOS 5.0.1, three more troubles pop out from the iOS 5. First being the absence of sounds from the ear piece and, in some, loudspeaker, then came the 404 of the WiFi signals which even the iOS 5.0.1 couldn't solve, and last by also the most notorious one, an Invalid SIM failure error which disallow you to make any calls. So much for the diehard Apple fans!

Could all these have happened if Steve Jobs were still around?

God knows.

But these tips might help you to save some battery juice. If you still think you have learnt something new, then you need to catch up with the technology news.

I'm not so sure about the point when the guy mentioned that you should fully drain your battery to zero once a month, because if you have read my previous entry titled Living & Technology: Lithium Battery Care, Your Phones and Cameras and the extra references I have put up, you'll know that the recharging of the lithium battery is a chemical process. Having used up all the battery and recharging it to the maximum to me sounds more like a chemically damaging process than a beneficial process. So, other than his advice on what to switch off, you shouldn't trust him too much on the chemistry he didn't explain.


Vocabulary:
clutch -- (n) [C + singular or plural verb] a small group of people or things
herd -- (vb) [I or T + adverb or preposition] to make animals move together as a group
slaughter -- (vb) [T] to kill an animal for meat
forefathers -- (n) plural noun literary someone's relations who lived a long time ago
stranded -- (adj) unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money
plummet -- (vb) [I] to fall very quickly and suddenly
404 -- slang, meaning "Not found" in computer terms.
diehard -- (n) [C] disapproving someone who is unwilling to change or give up their ideas or ways of behaving, even when there are good reasons to do so

Resources:
Potshot @ The Standard
http://thestandard.com.hk/show_image.asp?id=574


News & Opinions: New Digest (16th,17th & 18th Nov) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/news-opinions-new-digest-16th17th-18th.html

Stocks plummet as Congress debt talks fall apart @ Global Post
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111121/stocks-plummet-congress-debt-talks-fall-apart

Tech Tuesday - Improving Battery Life - CBS 5 Morning News (KPHO) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqExFJuEb9c

Living & Technology: Lithium Battery Care, Your Phones and Cameras @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/11/living-technology-lithium-battery-care.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/clutch_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/herd_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/slaughter_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/forefathers?q=forefathers
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stranded?q=stranded
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/plummet?q=plummet
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/diehard?q=diehard+

Technology: iPhone 4S vs Galaxy SII vs Galaxy Nexus

All right! Another entry on the videos I have watched today, now that iPhone 4S has been selling for a week in Hong Kong, it is time to convince my friends again that Galaxy SII should no longer be comparing with iPhone 4 but with the iPhone 4S because Galaxy SII is 1 year old younger than iPhone 4 and it isn't fair to beat up some older guy.

But how about comparing with the new boy iPhone 4S while Galaxy is now 6 months old? Last time round, we already know that the Galaxy SII beats iPhone 4S badly in the drop test, what about comparing the other aspects?

Check the video out below! (The first part is a lot of specification reading.)

If you have not got bored with the facts reading by the guy and have watched the entire video, then you know that the iPhone 4S browsing is very tricky as it actually has't finished loading but it will tell you loading has been completed. Once again, Galaxy SII still beats the new iPhone boy in terms of many aspects, including speed!

Now, iPhone fans don't beat me up, here's another video but the author actually chose iPhone 4S in the end. 

Last but not least, how about the NEW NEW NEW Galaxy Nexus on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) when compared to iPhone 4S?

Well, as you can see, the Nexus obviously has an advantage over the 4S in terms of speed, but not that much faster. So overall, the Galaxy SII is still the fastest phone when running and there is no cheat during the loading. To find out if your Android phone will be getting the new Ice Cream Sandwich, here is a website that lists out all.

Hope you get enough listening practice this time round!

Resources:
News & Opinions: iPhone 4 Steve? Siri-ously? What about iPhone 5teve? @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/10/news-opinions-iphone-4-steve-siri-ously.html

iPhone 4S vs. Samsung Galaxy S 2 @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bphZoV8VrLc

Apple iPhone 4s VS Samsung Galaxy S2 Showdown @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/Ksdx-bfLDYk

iPhone 4S vs Galaxy Nexus: Speed Test @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/HQEC_Y5v3Zw

Ice Cream Sandwich: When is it coming to my Android phone and Android tablet? @ Recombu
http://recombu.com/news/ice-cream-sandwich-when-is-it-coming-to-my-android-phone-and-android-tablet_M15737.html