The Era of the Cyborg Bug

When the artificial intelligence put intact, along with the laser beams, and mass productions, be very careful people, this Cyborg Beetles will roam the earth and enslaves mankind.

A module placed on the arthropod uses six electrodes affixed to the brain and muscles to commandeer its free will. The device weighs 1.3g — much less than the 3g payload these guys can handle, and with enough wiggle room to attach sensors for surveillance

This is the beginning of the end!

on Driving in Jakarta

Most people in Jakarta is very smart (in their own way) in driving. These kinds of things you would see everyday when it comes to traffic, drivers, and vehicles in urban Jakarta streets. There’s a saying if you can drive a car fluently in Jakarta, you would be a maverick driver in the rest of the world.

Twitterrific, a Love and Hate Relationship

Besides the web user interface, I’ve used a lot of Twitter client. Mostly I used Adobe Air popular twitter clients like Twhirl, TweetDeck, or DestroyTwitter. Love them all. I tend to use multiple client, yeah I’m usually got bored when using only one method of Tweeting.

Why the Air apps you ask? well in my daily activities I used multiple platforms, Windows for office works, Mac for everything else. So multi platform solutions using Air brought me constant user interface for those clients that I mention above.

The only platform-based desktop client that I used as frequent as the above Air apps is Twitterrific, one of the simplest twitter client for Mac. Twitterrific is a simple yet a nice client. (You can see their nice features on their homepage) I use their latest 3.1 version.

The thing is, although it’s merely a simple (though powerful) client, it has it’s flaw. A flaw that I wish the developers could fix in the future versions. These are some of my .. I don’t know, rant? Probably like a wishlist about Twitterrific:

• Please, put a retweet button. Retweet is a common feature on a twitter client. Many users are using retweet in their daily tweeting activities. So it should be there.
• Fix the favorite button. The “Add this tweet as favorite” button doesn’t seem to work at all. That’s a very minus point for you, twitterrific. Please fix it, this is very vital.
• I know you probably wants us to see our friends as personal, but sometimes showing their full name rather than their username is a bit confusing. When I follow new user, I prefer remembering his username. Say for instance I follow a @johntheawesome, I probably wouldn’t notice that his full name is Jonathan Walker Davis Jr. So username info is important too.
• Last one, a friend of mine wishes a separate replies and dm’s tab. But probably that makes Twitterrific less simple, right?

I still have big faith on you, Twitterrific. Please don’t let me down.

Smallville Season 8

The last time I followed the Smallville series was their seventh season. The storyline for that season is so bad that I decided to quit in half way. On that season, the storyline was so absurd and full with filler stories that’s not even patched up to the global plot.

So when season 8 showed up, I’m not really into it. Until one of my friend (A superman enthusiast of his own),  convinced me that It’s not like season 7 at all. Everyone agreed that season 7 was one of their worse season yet. So, they change the writer, director,  and all of the background crew completely on season 8. The result? Well, I’ve done a Smallville marathon this past weekend and I like what I saw.

This time, they stick to the plan. The stories and events building up to the canonical Superman stories that we know. Well, some part are twisted and bend a bit. Yet, the global plot is right there.

It’s half way through season 8 now, and I’m as excited as I can be for Smallville.

Twhirl 0.8.8f

The new preview release of twhirl is just okay. I mean there’s no big changes regarding the user interface or any big features in my opinion. Yet it does bring one of my favorite feature from TweetDeck, name search on replies tab. Try it, people, it’s nice.

On Twitter Friends

It’s been a year and half now. This emerging phenomenon called Twitter doesn’t seem to take aside in the flow of the interweb yet. Okay. I’ve played along with it’s stream of excitement. I can say that I too have become so attracted to it. 

Attracted in ways that I have found interesting things and interesting people out there. People that I can safe to say becoming my close friends. People that I can share some of my thoughts and dreams. Ah, I’m becoming too dramatic now, eh?

Asides from that. If you see on my following and followers list, I wasn’t your typical friends collector. I’m heedfully selecting whom I should follow, and whose in my following list. This conservative step that I took is to show that I wasn’t doing a popularity contest. I’m planning to make a network of close friends, networks that I can share with. 

In the process of doing such things, I admit that my plan wouldn’t be fulfilling. Other activities tend to diverted me focusing on Twitter 100%. In addition, there’s some in and out users that uses Twitter occasionally. People come and go.

What I can admit is yes, I have a close circle of friends in Twitter. Just like this theory proves. Face it, I can’t engage with all of my friends all at once. I usually interact my the inner circles only. You can see the tendency of my tweets is going through that direction.

No, I’m not being selfish at all. It’s simply a matter of how you use Twitter. I have other activities other than Twitter, so I have a short amount of time on using it. Do you expect me to engage all of my following and followers? Certainly not. Yet, it doesn’t mean that I’m not talking with other members. I did that too, though not so frequently.

I can tell you this though, I don’t have any requirements on whom I choose to become the inner circle. It’s part of the process. I’m an open-minded guy, I don’t like rules that are too binding. So, I’m open to everything. If we meant to be close friends, we’re gonna be close friends. Twitter is a tool. One of a tool that connects me in my digital life.

I’m at http://twitter.com/patvandiest btw.

Previously on LOST

So, when the first two episodes of Lost season 5 aired this Wednesday, every one seems had “Lost” watching it. We’ll okay, probably it’s been too long since the last season aired. But I thought they gave away their special episode 0, which shows you recap of season 4?

If you’re following the Lost stories closely after all this year, I think you might not be Lost seeing the first two episodes. It was started right where season 4 left off. Okay, what we know is that the Island disappeared into thin air but six of them survives, hence the name Oceanic Six, the survivors of the Oceanic 815 flight. Yet actually, they are not the only survivors, they forced to leave the island since it’s disappearance.

Season 5 stories as I understand revolving on how the Oceanic Six struggles to get back to the island, and how the other survivors who still stranded, surviving the new threat on the island. There was a back and forth plot that occurred since the last season, and it will still happen throughout season 5. You will find old characters emerge again and gave meaning as the stories and mysteries unfold. 

I’m excited after seeing the first two episodes. Lost never disappointed me, story wise. They consistently provides interesting plot every season.

Life without Microsoft

What would life after Microsoft doesn’t rule the earth again? Yeah I know, probably it would be another hundreds of decades when a guy will come to his son and tell him: “Son, there was a time when people used  this product called Microsoft. And this Microsoft rule the heck out your computer life.” But hey, that piece gather up the “If” parts more interesting than mine above.

Boxee Get Lost

Boxee is releasing a new update for their Mac version today that allows users to stream content from ABC. And the first show to be released first was (surprised-surprised), LOST. I’m still using my old ways of watching LOST season 5 though (can’t tell you the details here can I?)

(via The Apple Blog)

iPhone finally come to Indonesia?

First, there was the rumor spreading. Then, we had some evidence about it. And now, it’s official, iPhone is coming to Indonesia. They haven’t put a price tag on it. But it’s official that Telkomsel will be the main carrier for iPhone in Indonesia. You can pre-order it (but is the term right? “Pre-order” a thing when you don’t know the price tag is?). 

It comes with 3 flavor the 8GB, white 16GB, and black 16GB. I’m guessing the price will be between 9 million IDR to 12 million IDR. I haven’t had a clue about the payment term, probably via a data plan or something like that.

Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

So I’m expecting this iPhone enthusiastically. No, I won’t buy it in this near present. Don’t have that kind of budget yet. But I’m expecting some sort iPhone fanatics to emerge here too. You see, iPhone has become a phenomenon in the world, especially in the US, everyone understands that. But will it be a hype here in Indonesia? I’m expecting that too be true? Why? because I’m bored seeing Blackberry becoming overly hyped around here. It saddens that some (or many) people bought BB just because it’s the trend right now. Please iPhone, bring your magical charm here too. It’s good seeing one brand compete with another. At least there’s two of them. There can’t be only one.

PS: thanks @aulia and @amirk for the heads-up!