Sports: More Football Chats, Portugal & Italy

Cristiano Ronaldo
Image from Getty Image

Well, you might think that this week isn't a week for the ladies because every guy is talking about soccer, but from my observations, seems like even ladies are watching football! Well, simply because this is really too big of an event even the ladies can't afford to miss.

I had heat stroke yesterday despite hiding mostly in an air-conditioned room, thanks to extremely humid stagnant air and the sun was blazing down directly from the above, so I had a great excuse to sleep early and not watch Poland VS Russia and Greece VS Czech Republic.

I don't know too many players from these countries anyway.

But then tonight in Hong Kong time, Denmark VS Portugal and Italy VS Croatia maybe slightly more entertaining to watch because they all know they must win to qualify. Still I am waiting for the clash between Holland and Germany because that will really be critical.

So let's talk about Denmark VS Portugal first. To me, last match when Denmark beat Holland 1-0, was a pure quality of the scorer Michael Krohn-Dehli, it was one brilliant goal, but overall, I don't think Denmark has the overall strength to beat Portugal. Yes, maybe Cristiano Ronaldo never really performs on the international stage, but that's also because he is too good to not be tightly marked by 2 or 3 players. In the midfield, Portugal has Nani from Man Utd., Miguel Veloso from Genoa, Raul Meireles from Chelsea; in defense, they have Pepe from Real Madrid. Surely, they won't let Denmark enjoy some good time again!

As for Italy Vs Croatia, I don't have much of a clue, Italy has always played defense and counter attack, one thing good about this tactic is that no matter who gets injured, as long as you can defend as a team, things won't go too wrong.

Winning or losing for Italy depends a lot on one striker, Mario Balotelli, but this guy can be great ...

... or he can be a complete disaster.

Let see what happens tonight, but surely he is one to watch for.

Image from ESPN Soccernet

Vocabulary:
heat stroke -- (n)[U] a condition which can lead to death, caused by being too long in a very hot place
stagnant -- (adj) (of water or air) not flowing or moving, and smelling unpleasant
clash -- (n) [C] a sports competition or race between two people or teams
critical -- (adj) saying that someone or something is bad or wrong

Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Germany - Euro 2012 HD 1080i By CrixRonnie @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07k5uXdzRu4

Spain 1x1 Italy Euro 2012 Mario Balotelli amazing skill 10/06/2012 Spain 1 x 1 Italy @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/UNwXsPDeRcU

Watch Mario Balotelli's failed backheel @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/YsN6svBWYg0

Mario Balotelli - Me Against the World - Inter & Man City - 720 HD @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D4KR7wDpMs

Hodgson tells England's players to seize moment @ The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/hodgson-tells-englands-players-to-seize-moment-7834837.html

ESPN Soccernet
http://www.espnfc.com/en

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/heat-stroke?q=heat+stroke
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stagnant_1?q=stagnant
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/clash_7
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/critical_1?q=critical

News & Sport: Holland's Disaster

Robin Van Persie missed a great chance as he slipped?
Image from Lars Baron / Getty

Alright!!!! How can Locky's English Playground not write anything about soccer when Euro2012 has come!!!

I must say that the first round of matches with The Netherlands VS Denmark is the one that shocked a lot of viewers, fans and pundits.

Holland was highly regarded as one of the teams which should naturally become one of the finalists in this competition following the first runner-up they achieved in World Cup 2010. Even if they don't make it to the final, they definitely have more world-class names than their second-tier (or even third-tier) opponent Denmark, thus having the abilities to brush them off. Robin van Persie (aka RvP) is said to shine in this competition.

However, just the opposite happened. Holland lost to Denmark 0-1, not because they didn't have the attacks, but they didn't have any goals. The Mirror describes the performance of RvP and Robben as "total nightmare", captioning the above photo "Really Very Poor".

The Dutch didn't all performed badly, Wesley Sneijder, my favourite playmaker from Inter Milan, continuously supplied pinpointed passing to his team-mates from all angles and from as far as 40 yards, including one which ESPN Soccernet describes as "a stunning outside-of-the-boot pass from the influential Sneijder".

(Watch 2:20 and 3:17 for Sneijder's amazing pass)

Still, one Sneijder couldn't turn the luck around for the extremely poor performing RvP.

As for Robben, since he was booed ever since he missed a penalty in the final match of the UEFA Champions League, he was basically unwanted by his club and Sneijder took the opportunity to recommend him for a move to Inter Milan. According to Passione Inter, the chairman seems seriously interested, not sure if he will still feel the same after watching this match.

Sneijder
Image from The World Link

Anyway, the Dutch has little room for any mistakes if they want to qualify to the next room. Hope they will be able to recoup their loss in the next game.


Vocabulary:
pundit -- (n)[C] a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and is therefore often asked to give an opinion about it
tier -- (n)[C] one of several layers or levels
brush sb/sth off -- phrasal verb to remove dust or dirt from someone or something by using your hands or a brush
recoup -- (vb)[T] to get back money that you have spent or lost

Resources:
Holland 0-1 Denmark: Total nightmare for RvP and Robben @ The Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/holland-0-1-denmark-total-nightmare-869456

Dutch shocked in opener @ Soccernet
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=334182&cc=4716

Rumors – Moratti chiama Wes: “Parlami di Robben” @ Passione Inter
http://passioneinter.net/rumors-moratti-chiama-wes-parlami-di-robben/

EURO 2012 Netherland vs Denmark Goals + Highlights @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Nr0VlbZds

[HD] Arjen Robben missed a penalty vs. Chelsea (Champions League final 2012) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-5tgvFyBxE

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pundit?q=pundits#pundit__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tier_1?q=tier
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/brush-sb-sth-off#brush-sb-sth-off__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/recoup?q=recoup

News: StarBugs, Dyslexia, Housing Market, Apple Sues SIII & Euro 2012

News!!! News!!! News!!! Finally!!

I have been waiting for these worthy news for a long time!!! And here they are!!!

Image from Sam Hodgson, Bloomberg

Starbucks plans to upgrade its pastries by investing US$100M in absorbing the San Francisco-based Bay Bread, this is always good news for the customers, as they need not be reminded of the red bug syrup Frappuccino that had gone through their digestive systems previously. Lucky I was never a fan of their Strawberry Frap, but in Hong Kong, will we get to try out some of the Bay Bread cakes?

Red bugs in the Starbucks syrup
Image from Red Orbit

Image from Locky's English Playground

Second news talks about a research published the National Academy of Sciences which shows that 54 Italian and 40 French dyslexic children aged 8 to 14 are shown to have increased their reading speed by 20% and the accuracy doubled when using font size 14, 5.2pt spacing texts. If this works across all races and written languages, then it will be a great news for the dyslexics. I have always found reading words too small or too big more difficult and slower, so I believe that font size and spacing do matter. Teachers should understand this and not blame their dyslexic students if they cannot read fast enough for "normal" text.

Image from Macau Daily

The third news reports that Hong Kong's financial secretary John Tsang warns / advises Hong Kong property buyers again to manage their risk and that further measures will be implemented to stabilise the market. Public opinions are 50-50, half thinks that housing market will fall after the next chief executive assumes duty on the 1st July, others think prices will continue to rise at 5-10% within a year. All I know is, when you need it, you can't wait. Investments need a lot of luck.

Last but not least, Apple knows Samsung is serious this time with their Galaxy SIII and has to resort to what-else-other-than patent lawsuits again to stop GSIII from selling in the U.S.! Apple is attacking GSIII for its Siri-like S-Voice speech recognition personal assistant and data-tapping (whatever that means).

Image from ABC News

In order to understand the case better, here's a short story about Siri and S-Voice.

Vlingo
Image from Vlingo

1. Apple bought Siri when it was an app on the App Store on April 28, 2010.
2. Siri's voice recognition technology is powered by Nuance.
3. S-Voice developed by GSIII is powered by Vlingo.
4. Vlingo used to be involved in multiple lawsuits with Siri due to patent infringements until Nuance bought Vlingo.
5. So now both Siri and S Voice are powered by the same company, Nuance.
6. Therefore, Apple owns Siri, Samsung owns S Voice, both use service from Nuance, 

In a sense, it is just like two restaurants having the same vegetable supplier but serving different customers. Is that wrong? I don't think so, Apple is unlikely to be able to win in the court with this point.

Anyway, Apple, can you stop trying to stop other brands and fight fair like a man! Killing creativity by limiting consumers' choices is just going to make more people want other phones! Stop your iSweatshop factories and make better phones to beat your competitors!

Image from ESPN

Euro 2012 will kick off in 10 hours 48 mins 47 secs. Football fans shouldn't miss the updates on ESPN!!! Time to learn to pronounce names of players in their native languages, really helps when you need to read those brand names.




Vocabulary:
dyslexic -- (adj) a difficulty with reading and writing caused by the brain's being unable to see the difference between some letter shapes
stabilise -- (vb) [T] If you stabilize something, you cause it to become fixed or to stop changing
assume -- (vb)[T]  to take or begin to have responsibility or control, sometimes without the right to do so, or to begin to have a characteristic
resort to sth -- phrasal verb to do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way of achieving something






Resources:

Starbucks to upgrade food by buying artisan bakery chain @ Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-starbucks-bakery-20120605,0,2144357.story

Starbucks Uses Bugs To Color Frappuccino @ RedOrbit
http://www.redorbit.com/news/oddities/1112502639/starbucks-uses-bugs-to-color-frappuccino/

Wider letter spacing helps dyslexics read: study @ Google News
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gfjmDRS2ZRLBdaLwMd1teaOOr6hg?docId=CNG.c696b6b901a1a83f3cc55da5f6ed67e9.4f1

Hong Kong's financial secretary urges property prudence @ Macau Daily Times
http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/36360-hong-kong-s-financial-secretary-urges-property-prudence.html

Apple Tries to Stop Samsung Galaxy S III at the Border @ All Things D
http://allthingsd.com/20120606/apple-tries-to-stop-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-at-the-border/

Samsung challenges Apple’s move to block Galaxy smartphone sales in the US @ Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/samsung-challenges-apples-move-to-block-galaxy-smartphone-sales-in-the-us/2012/06/07/gJQA4NmJKV_story.html

Siri v S Voice @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YbwtVN8Sk

Inside Apple's Chinese 'sweatshop' factory where workers are paid just £1.12 per hour to produce iPhones and iPads for the West @ Dailymail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2103798/Revealed-Inside-Apples-Chinese-sweatshop-factory-workers-paid-just-1-12-hour.html

Siri @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siri_(software)

Samsung blocking Vlingo-powered ‘S-Voice’ feature for non-Galaxy S III users @ 9to5Google
http://9to5google.com/2012/05/21/samsung-blocking-vlingo-powered-s-voice-feature-for-non-galaxy-s-iii-users/

Nuance acquires speech recognition competitor Vlingo, Apple’s speech engine choices dwindle @ 9to5Mac
http://9to5mac.com/2011/12/20/nuance-acquires-speech-recognition-competitor-vlingo-apples-speech-engine-choices-dwindle/

ESPN Euro 2012
http://www.espnfc.com/en

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dyslexic
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dyslexia
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/stabilize#stabilize__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/assume_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/resort-to-sth#resort-to-sth__2

Technology: Samsung Galaxy SIII Teardown + Drop test!!!

Image from Samsung

Many people think I am biased towards all Samsung products. I'm not. For example, I think The New iPad is still better than Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 in terms of the screen quality, although I must admit that the credit still goes to Samsung because they produce that 2048×1536 px color IPS TFT display (264 ppi).

Now, to show that I am not biased towards the Samsung Galaxy SIII (GSIII), I will offer you the latest drop test videos, this time, 2 of them --  the first one by SquareTrade,

and the second one is by Android Authority,

And after watching these movies, I do think, "What? How come Gorilla Glass 2 breaks on GSIII but Gorilla Glass 1 doesn't on GSII? This is not quite acceptable!" (For those of you who forgot about the GSII drop test, you can click here to see that video again.)

To find out why it happens, you have to cut into the phone to take a deeper look, and here's the video:

iFixit had just the same thought and so they tear down GSIII,

Image from iFixit

I think the most critical reason for the breaking of the glass is the thinness of the phone. How can it be so thin ? Most people will agree that if you compromise the thickness of the glass, you are going to make the glass weaker, which seems to be the case for the Gorilla Glass 2.

According to the official Corning Gorilla Glass 2 webpage, on theory, Gorilla Glass 2 "can be up to 20 percent thinner than the original, but still just as tough." It is "slimmer", "sleeker", "with brighter images and improved touch sensitivity", "lightweight", "scratch resistant" and "durable". In actual fact, seems like both iPhone 4S and GSIII's Gorilla Glass 2 have lost to  gravity.

Image from iFixit And Chipworks [PHOTOS]: PC World

After reading up the article by International Business Times which reports iFixit, I found that "the handset's glass cover is fused to the display and that in turn to the device's frame. Therefore, if there is need to replace the glass cover, then be prepared to shell out large amounts of money."

And this explains why in the Android Authority video when GSIII was dropped the screen couldn't come back to live.

The moral of the story? Don't ever drop your GSIII. Other than that, it is still the best phone you can get.


Vocabulary:
tear down - phrasal verb [M] to intentionally destroy a building or other structure because it is not being used or it is not wanted any more
compromise -- (vb)  [T] disapproving  to allow your principles to be less strong or your standards or morals to be lower 
sleeker -- (adj) (especially of hair, clothes or shapes) smooth, shiny and lying close to the body, and therefore looking well cared for; not untidy and with no parts sticking out
gravity -- (n)[U]  the force which attracts objects towards one another, especially the force that makes things fall to the ground

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 

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4s: Drop, Kid, Car Test. @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PbL7ciKmT7g

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4S Drop Test @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=K7e9ebi41Wc#!


Samsung Galaxy S3 disassembly guide @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_49Vd8Yi1l8&feature=player_embedded#!


iFixit @ Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/ifixit

Samsung Galaxy S III Teardown @ iFixit
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung-Galaxy-S-III-Teardown/9391/1#.T812vbCQPIC

Samsung Galaxy S3 Teardown: Everthing You Need To Know @ Mobile & App
http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles/2473/20120602/samsung-galaxy-s3-teardown-everthing-need-know.htm

Samsung Galaxy S3 Teardown Process by iFixit and Chipworks @ International Business Times
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/347989/20120602/samsung-galaxy-s3-teardown-display-camera-battery.htm

iPhone 4S takes on Galaxy S III in drop test, gravity wins @ CNET
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57447107-1/iphone-4s-takes-on-galaxy-s-iii-in-drop-test-gravity-wins/

CORNING® GORILLA® GLASS @ Corning
http://www.corninggorillaglass.com/#faqs

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/tear-sth-down#tear-sth-down__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/compromise_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sleek#sleek__3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gravity_1

Medical & Vocabulary: New Words from House Finale

Image from Fox

I must say, nothing really interests me these days. I try really hard finding other interesting topics other than the Galaxy SIII, but still, I could only find Galaxy SIII interesting. Until I remember, I had been avoiding the finale of House which was stored on my computer's hard disk. Why was I avoiding it? Guess I didn't want it to end. But in the end, I watched it, and I didn't regret watching it because it was a skilfully filmed episode. It was deep and I like deep.

Image from Fox

The lighting, the angles, the transitions, the philosophy, the battle within his great mind. It was really a nice episode, but if I were to ask for more, I wanted to see more round-ups for House's colleagues. Fake death, has typical Sherlock Holmes written all over it. The funeral was a little too rush and too short, there seemed to be too little time to build up the atmosphere of sombreness.

Image from Fox

What House offered me is more than just lots of medical terms and knowledge, but lots of beautiful sarcastic lines as well as vocabulary. The other day, a student asked me which show he should watch to improve his English, and I said, if you are advanced enough, then watch House, because it will take you to an even higher level.

I have included the vocabulary in the list below, some of them are highly useful!

For really cool quotes of House, don't forget to visit TV & Quotes: House M.D. Season 8 Finale & The End (With Cool Quotes).

Vocabulary:
finale -- (n) [C usually singular]  the last part of especially a musical or theatrical performance, which is often very exciting or emotional
sombreness -- (n) seriousness, sadness and without humour or entertainment
carpe diem -- (saying) seize the day
perjure yourself -- [R] legal  to tell a lie in a law court, after promising formally to tell the truth
white lie -- (n)[C] a lie that is told in order to be polite or to stop someone from being upset by the truth
dock (my pay) -- [T] to remove part of something, especially money
smack-addled -- (adj) -- smack slang  heroin (= a strong illegal drug) addled [T] mainly humorous  making someone feel confused and unable to think clearly
baritone -- (n)[C] a man with a singing voice that is lower than a tenor but not as low as a bass, or a musical instrument with this range
evasive -- (adj) answering questions in a way that is not direct or clear, especially because you do not want to give an honest answer
facile -- (adj)  describes a remark or theory which is too simple and has not been thought about enough
take the fall -- (slang)  to get arrested for a particular crime. (Especially when others are going unpunished for the same crime. 
overplay your hand (with sb) -- to spoil your chance of success by saying or doing too much
(had sb as) a backstop -- (n)[C] (in baseball) a high fence behind the player hitting the ball, which prevents balls from leaving the playing area if they are not hit or caught
bickering (with sb) -- (vb)[I] disapproving to argue about things which are not important


Resources:
TV & Quotes: House M.D. Season 8 Finale & The End (With Cool Quotes) @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.hk/2012/04/tv-quotes-house-md-season-8-finale-end.html

House — Episode 7 (Season 8): “Dead & Buried” @ Polite Dissent
http://www.politedissent.com/archives/8224

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

hCG @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_chorionic_gonadotropin

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/platitude?q=platitudes#platitude__3

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/finale
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sombre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpe_diem
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/perjure-yourself
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/white-lie
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/dock_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/smack_3
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/addle
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/baritone
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/evasive
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/facile
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/take+the+fall
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/overplay-your-hand#overplay-your-hand__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/backstop_2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bicker

Technology & News: Free Apps To Recommend Part 2

Image from xdadevelopers

Image from xdadevelopers

Apps come and go quickly, the entry I wrote back in November recommending apps has already been installed on most of my friend's devices. In this entry, I will recommend some apps which have spinned off from the Galaxy SIII together with a couple of other pretty good apps you may like to give it a go!


Kicking off with the Emulated Galaxy SIII Live Wallpaper for your Galaxy SII, offering you the ripple experience of the SIII lockscreen at the point of touching. The drawback is that it will use more of your battery. Well, but everything you use requires battery anyway, and if you are not yet getting an SIII, you can still entertain yourself with this little app.

Download here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1080988&d=1337858694 and install.

Image from SlashGear

Next, Flipboard has not only come to the Galaxy SIII but also to the rest of the Android devices! An amazing app which allows you to link up your Facebook, Twitter and the web then presenting to you in the form of an electronic magazine. I particularly like the positioning and resizing of the photos. Brilliantly done! You can still share and comment on your favourite posts while you are using it. Trust me, you will love it!

Download here: https://downloads.flipboard.com/android-beta/0a319c667/Flipboard-1.8.4-63-beta-release.apk

Image from xdadevelopers

Image from xdadevelopers

If you like the look-and-feel of the TouchwizUX of the Galaxy SIII, you can also download it and many other stock widgets from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1666384
Thanks to Smando of xdadevelopers.

Image from Google Play

Image from Google Play

After Focus is a decent app which allows the user to post-edit their sharp photos and making it blur -- Bokeh! The tricky thing is, you need to learn to draw 3 lines. One is the clear and unblurred boundary, second is the semi-blurred, and last the fully-blurred. If you draw it wrongly, the software will prompt you, so it is not too hard to use really, and the output is quite nice too!

Download here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.motionone.afterfocus&feature=apps_topselling_free

Image from Google Play Image from Google Play Image from Google Play

Finally, LINE Camera. Excellent guide to add effects and funny, cute stickers to the photos. Adds colours to the making of eCards or ePhotos for your friends and love ones. Lots of creativity allowed with the package offered. Great stuff! Touch a dear friend's heart by sending them a photo produced by the LINE Camera, you'll both have a good time making and receiving the photos.

Resources:
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

[LWP] Samsung Galaxy S III Dandelion LWP @ XDA Developers
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1659991

Official Flipboard App
https://downloads.flipboard.com/android-beta/0a319c667/Flipboard-1.8.4-63-beta-release.apk

[PORTED][ALL-ROMs] TouchwizUX from Galaxy S3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1666384

After Focus App @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.motionone.afterfocus&feature=apps_topselling_free

LINE Camera @ Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.naver.linecamera.android&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImpwLm5hdmVyLmxpbmVjYW1lcmEuYW5kcm9pZCJd