Google Base Launched

Google Base gone live.

Google Base

What is Google Base?

Google Base is a place where you can easily submit all types
of online and offline content that we’ll host and make searchable online. You
can describe any item you post with attributes, which will help people
find it when they search Google Base. In fact, based on the relevance of your
items, they may also be included in the main Google search index and other
Google products like Froogle, Google Base and Google Local.

Quick Facts about Google Base

  • Cost: Free
  • Item types accepted: All types of online and offline information
    and images
  • Languages: You can submit your information in many languages; the
    Google Base interface, however, including the Help Content, is currently
    available only in English, English UK and German.
  • Reach: Items you submit to Google Base can be found on Google Base
    and, depending on their relevance, may also appear on Google properties like
    Google, Froogle and Google Local.
  • How it’s different: Google Base enables you to add attributes
    that better describe your content so that users can easily find it. The more
    popular specific attributes become, the more often we’ll suggest them when
    others post the same items. Similarly, items that become more popular will
    show up as suggested item types in the Choose an existing item type
    drop down menu.

Sign up or login to Google Base at http://www.google.com/base/

Toyota and William to use Bridgestone Tyre in 2006

Toyota and William will use Bridgestone tyre for the 2006 F1 season. With such announcement, there will be 5 teams using Michelin and another 5 using Bridgestone tyres.

The 10 teams are:-

Mild Serven Renault – Michelin
Mc Laren Mercedes – Michelin
Ferrari – Bridgestone
William F1- Bridgestone
BMW Sauber F1 – Michelin
Midland F1- Bridgestone
Squadra Toro Rosso – Bridgestone
Red Bull Racing – Michelin
Bar Honda – Michelin
Panasonic Toyota – Bridgestone

There is likely a new F1 team by the name of Super Aguri Formula One that Takuma Sato will drive for in 2006 season. The new team is pending approval from F1 Authority. Chances is this new team will use Bridgestone tyres since it will also use Honda engine.

Provisional F1 Race Calendar for Year 2006

2006 F1 Season (provisional)

Mar 12: Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain)
Mar 19: Malaysian Grand Prix (Sepang)
Apr 02: Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
Apr 23: San Marino Grand Prix (Imola)
May 07: European Grand Prix (Nurburgring, Germany)
May 14: Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
May 28: Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo)
Jun 11: British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
Jun 25: Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
Jul 02: United States Grand Prix (Indianapolis)
Jul 16: French Grand Prix (Mangy-Cours)
Jul 30: German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)
Aug 06: Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungaroring)
Aug 27: Turkish Grand Prix (Istanbul)
Sep 10: Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
Sep 17: Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)
Oct 01: Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
Oct 08: Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
Oct 22: Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)

Hi-Blow 80 Watt Air Compressor

After serving the koi pond for about three years, the latest unit of Hi-Blow 80 watt finally break down. A new replacement unit was purchased at RM 820.00 per unit. The prices of Hi-Blow has increase quite a bit. Considering it 24/7 operation for solid three years, the Hi-Blow is still on of the best compressor around for koi pond. The broke down unit will be sent for repair and to be used as stand by unit.

The Mosuo Minority at Lugu Lake, Yunnan Province, China

Yunnan Province in Southern China is the home for 26 minority races. The most interesting minority race is the Mosuo Minority in Lugu Lake. I have never been to Lugu Lake but I got to Lijiang which is not far away from the place where Mosuo people orginated.

The people of Mosuo practice zouhun (èµ°å©š) – walking marriage (a commitment made between two individuals without legal restraints) – that makes this community noticeable as a lakeside love haven. Men and women never get married. Children only know who is their mother and do not normally who their father are. Children will stay with their mother and in such way, their family and get pretty big. Women are the boss in this Mosuo Minority where all decision are made by women. When a man and woman fall in love, the man visits the woman in the night and then returns to his mother’s home in the morning. They never formalize the arrangement to create a new family group, although some couples remain committed to each other throughout their entire lives and often have many children together. It is also normal for a man to have several lovers.

I had a chance to meet a Mosuo gentlement at Lijiang and spoke to him at length and happy to learn a lot about the Mosuo people.

One of the book that I have purchased and read is as shown below:

Mosuo People

The Southern part of China is so rich is culture and I do hope to visit Tibet in the not too distant future.

Echoes of History: Naxi Music in Modern China Governing China's Multiethnic Frontiers (Studies on Ethnic Groups in China) Lost Horizon

Google Launched Free Web Analytics Services

Google launched Google Analytics, a free analysis service for Webmasters and web marketers. Base on Urchin which Google acquired and make the service free.

Website owners will be able to see exactly where visitors come from, which links on the site are getting the most traffic, which pages visitors are viewing, how long people stay on the site, which products on merchant sites are being sold and where people give up in multi-step checkout processes.

Google Analytics can be signed up for free at http://www.google.com/analytics/

The launched of Google Analytics will surely hurt many paid web traffic analysis services and free service alike. With each passing day, we continue to see more and more web services being offered for free and I believe many other services such as web hosting will be offered for free in a big way in the future.

BMW Sauber F1 Team

The old Sauber Petronas F1 Team will be called BMW Sauber F1 Team in 2006 after BMW acquired the Sauber Team. The Petronas name will therefore be dropped from the name and at this point of time there is no report as whether Petronas will still be involve in the Sauber team in 2006.

Read More

Terracotta Warriors At Xian, China

A visit to Xan years back and taken several photographs at Pit 1 of the Terracotta Muzeum. The Terracotta Warrior was found by a group of farmer who were digging a well at the tomb area in 1974. The farmer who found the Terracotta Warrior now work for the Terracotta Muzeum.


The Gentlemen who found the TerraCotta Warrior

The pictures were taken using Canon G2 Digital Camera in year 2003. No flash allowed in the Muzeum area.

Vice Versa Pro 2.0

With most information stored in digital format. Having an automatic backup system is critical these days to protect your data. I have been a happy user of Vice Verso Pro 1.3 at home and have recently upgrade to Vice Versa Pro 2.0. The best feature that attracted me to upgrade is the ability of VV 2.0 to backup locked and open file.

Can ViceVersa synchronize, backup, replicate files and folders? YES *
Can I visually compare folders to see the latest changes?
view YES *
Can I use it with USB disks, flash drives, hard disks, DVD, CD? YES *
Can I use it over the Local Area Network and VPN? YES *
Does it track file conflicts (files changed on both sides)? YES *
Does it track file deletions properly? YES *
Does it copy / backup locked file, open files? details YES *
Can I schedule it to run at a specified time interval?
view YES *
Can I schedule it to run in “real-time“? YES *
Can I run it on all Windows platforms, including servers? YES * ‘
Is it easy to setup and use? YES *
How many customers
are using ViceVersa? 10.000+ *
How much data
can ViceVersa handle? 1000GB+

Read More on Vice Versa Pro 2.0

An update on Vortex Filter for koi pond

The Vortex Filter that I have installed on my koi pond is now more than 3 months old. I have since shut down other filter system and solely relying on the Vortex. The pond water remain clear with moderate feeding. Maintenance on the prefilter or settlement chamber is being done at 2 months interval that invoice flushing the brushes with pond water. There has not been any blockage so far and the result is good considering the fact that the filter is above ground with pond water feed to the filter via submersible pump.

Adrian Newey Leaving Mc Laren to join Red Bull Racing

The news of Adrian Newey, one of the top F1 Designer who has served Mc Laren for years and helped Mc Laren to win two recent titles. Newey departure at the time Mc Laren is doing so well will definitely be a step backward for the Silver Arrow. While the Woking Team downplayed concern that Newey departure will hurt Mc Laren, we need to face the fact that loosing a top designer in the competitive world of F1 will somehow affect the team’s performance to a certain extent.

2nd Seat at Midland F1 cost 8 to 10 million Euro

The 2005 Jordan driver announced on Wednesday that he’d been forced to withdraw from the battle for Midland’s second 2006 race-seat due to financial constraints.

Midland, who purchased the Jordan outfit in January this year, are selling their second race-seat for between eight and ten million euros. And it’s a price that Karthikeyan can’t meet.

With the absense of tobacco advertising, F1 team depend on driver to raise fund these days.