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By admin, September 20, 2011 10:50 am

This is the real picture (STS088-724-70) from the real NASA web site (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/)

When follow the link and click the bigger image, the actual effect is very shocking! Actually, there are 5 more pictures from the same capture time. (STS088-724-65 to 69)

I can’t explain what it is, the most closest explanation is the secret weapon from US or an alien space ship!

Of course the US government can easily make up something like this by putting a space ship image over the original, but why would they do this? But why does US government want to create such a turbulence in pubic by exposing their newly developed secret weapon that doesn’t particular benefit anything financially, politically or similar?

So I can’t think of any motivation behind the making up assumption except it’s the genuine photo.

It could be a Space Junk (could be an abandoned satellite) left there by US or USSR with the possibility less than 1% Actually, there are at least 6 other photos showing the strange shape objects standing still in space from NASA web site.

If it is space junk, then how can we explain the extra ignition fire on left of the body and the three fine aligned lights on the right edge, well it could be the reflection of sunlight, but unlikely.

Btw, one thing is sure, it’s not something an ordinary airplane can reach. This photo was taken from outer space with Spacecraft Altitude: 214 nautical miles (396 km) and the highest record for human airplane is only about 112km, so that’s 3 times more than the best aeroplane can reach.

“The highest altitude obtained by a manned aeroplane (launched from another aircraft) is 111,996 m (367,441 ft) by Brian Binnie in the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne (powered by a Scaled Composite SD-010 engine with 18,000 lb of thrust) on 4 October 2004 at Mojave,”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_altitude_record)

Well, it is just a really blizzard picture with too many question marks after all.

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By admin, September 17, 2011 7:56 pm

It’s been more than one month since my last appearance on the court. I enjoyed playing again today with my partner, I feel so good being able to come out and play again under the sunshine. 

I started slowly and picked up the pace gradually, worked on my forehand, then backhand, then volley and finally the serve. In particular, I emphasized on my form, not to “late hit” on every single shot and completed my swing motion more fluidly than before, there I see the effect immediately, my shots is more speedy and more spin. Now I regret that I was being so lazy and hurt myself eventually, stupid really!

Finally, I started to use Nike Patella Band for my left knee for extra protection. After the game, I rushed to Gigasport and bought another one for my right knee. The Petella Band worths the investment and it’s only HK$62 after discount, they worked pretty well I must say for my knees that’s getting older every day.  

Well, I simply try to use every possible method to extend my tennis game till 80 years old!

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By admin, September 17, 2011 7:28 pm

Dell added eMLC drives from SanDisk (with technology acquired from Pliant Technology) in its EqualLogic PS6100 storage arrays launched this month.

The 5.1 firmware handles tiering and load balancing that can help manage SSDs by moving data based on access patterns, Vigil said. Although EqualLogic has been offering single-level cell (SLC) SSDs in the PS6000 line since 2009, Vigil said less than 10% of EqualLogic systems ship with SSDs. “We’re seeing that our customers don’t need a lot of SSDs, but SSDs gives a nice performance boost for those who do need them,” he said.

Does it make sense to use “not so reliable” MLC SSD for enterprise storage? Well, it really depends on your situation. Hitachi is the first vendor launching eMLC SSD, I am sure others will follow this trend. MLC costs a lot less than SLC (at least 50%) and SSD is known for its huge READ IOPS performance, so it may be a good alternative for your database, exchange type of appilcations.

Of course, for those who can afford, FusionIO is your only choice currently, think about the IOPS coming from a 5TB SSD (also based on MLC), it’s just unbelievably fast and expensive as well!

Finally, I enjoyed reading this article related to Equallogic and SSD: “Are costly SSDs worth the money?”

He bought three SSDs to serve as top-tier storage for business intelligence (BI) applications on his SAN. The flash storage outperformed 60 15,000rpm Fibre Channel disk drives when it came to small-block reads.

However, when Marbes used the SSDs for large-block random reads and any writes, “the 60 15K spindles crushed the SSDs,” he said, demonstrating that flash deployments should be strategically targeted at specific applications.

 

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By admin, September 15, 2011 9:52 pm

Were these two playing video game?

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By admin, September 10, 2011 7:15 pm

The first release of HIT/VE (Version 3.0.1) was back in April 2011, it did make storage administrator’s life a lot easier particularly if you are managing hundreds of volumes. Well, to be honest, I don’t mind creating volumes, assigning them to ESX host and setting the ACL manually, it only takes a few minutes more. I feel that I need to know every step is correctly carried out which is more important because I can control everything, obviously, I don’t have a huge SAN farm to manage, so HIT/VE is not a life saver tool for me.

Today, I came across a new video about the latest HIT/VE, in the video, it shows clearly the version being 3.1.0, which is a new version that has the option of VASA added, too bad it works on vSphere 5.0, but not vSphere 4.1.

However, version 3.1 cannot be found at EQL support web site, I guess it’s only for internal evaluation.

Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for VMware 3.1 — provide customers with enhanced storage visibility and datastore management as well as improved performance and availability through tight integration with VMware vSphere 5, VMware vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness, VMware Storage Distributed Resource Scheduler (SDRS), and VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager™ 5.

Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for VMware 3.1, Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for Microsoft 4.0, and SAN Headquarters 2.2 software are in beta now and planned for release this year.

Update Sep-13, 2011

EqualLogic has released HIT for VMware V3.1 Early Production Access, I don’t prefer putting any EPA products into production as it might contains bug that will create disaster which no one can guarantee it won’t happen, so I shall skip it and wait till the official release.

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By admin, September 7, 2011 4:42 pm

單反 單鏡反光機（SLR, Single Lens Reflex），現在通常指數碼單鏡反光機（DSLR）
小白 / SW 指 Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM，由於 Canon 的長焦 L 鏡鏡身為白色塗裝，而此鏡推出時為焦距最短的一支白鏡，因此被暱稱為「小白」。

小白 IS / SWIS Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM，小白的 IS 版本。
小小白 / SSW Canon EF 70-200mm f4.0L USM，比小白細一級光圈，因此被稱為小小白。
小小白 IS / SSWIS Canon EF 70-200mm f4.0L IS USM，小小白的 IS 版本。
大白 Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM，Canon 最長焦距的變焦 L 鏡，因此被稱為「大白」。
小黑 / LB Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 或 70-200mm f/2.8 變焦鏡，名稱來源應該是因為與 Canon「小白」對應。基於版本的不同，第三代的 AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED 被稱為「小黑三」（LB3），第五代的 AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED 就稱為「小黑五」（LB5），如此類推，至於同型號灰色塗裝的就稱為「小灰」。

大三元 Canon 的 f/2.8 大光圈變焦 L 鏡系列，包括 EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM、EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM、EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM 或 EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

小三元 Canon 的 f/4 光圈變焦 L 鏡系列，包括 EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM、EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM、EF 70-200mm f/4L USM 或 EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM

Nikon 三寶 Nikon 的 f/2.8 大光圈變焦 ED 鏡系列，包括 AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED、AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED、AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED 或 AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

三公主 Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8、FA 43mm f/1.9 及 FA 77mm f/1.8 三支 Limited 鏡頭
三餅仔 Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited、DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited 及 DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited 鏡頭
384 300mm f/4 長鏡，伸延應用為 684、584
328 300mm f/2.8 長鏡
百微 焦距約為 100mm 的微距鏡頭，如 AF Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8D。
俄仔 俄國出產的鏡頭，透過特別的轉接環可用於 135 系統 DSLR。
福仔 福倫達鏡頭
C 記 Canon
N 記 Nikon
OM Olympus，有指當中的「M」字是指 Olympus 前常務董事、Olympus PEN 設計者米谷美久 Yoshihisa Maitani
奶 Leica 的暱稱，伸延應用為「奶味」（相片的色彩或質感有 Leica 的味道）、「奶鏡」（Leica 鏡）
大奶 Leica D VARIO-ELMARIT 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 ASPH MEGA O.I.S.（4/3 系統）
細奶 Leica D VARIO-ELMARIT 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 ASPH MEGA O.I.S.（4/3 系統）
菜 Carl Zeiss 蔡司鏡頭的暱稱，伸延應用為「菜味」（相片的色彩或質感有 Carl Zeiss 的味道）、「菜鏡」（Carl Zeiss 鏡）

天涯鏡 焦距覆蓋廣角以至遠攝的鏡頭，可以「一鏡走天涯」的意思，如 18-200mm、18-300mm、28-200mm、28-300mm 鏡頭等。

外閃 外置閃燈
直倒 用於單反的垂直手柄，通常可以加裝額外電
失打繩 快門線，「失打」為 Shutter 的意思
雞腳 看似弱不襟風的鋁質腳架
Full Film Full Frame 的誤稱，即是全片幅的意思
技術類
Fo 對焦（Focus）的簡稱，伸延應用為「Out Fo」（Out Focus）、「中 Fo」（Focus 準確）等
打雀 拍攝雀鳥，伸延應用為打蟲、打蝶等
飛燈 外置同步閃燈，將外置閃燈設置在與相機相隔一定距離的地方，以營造更有立體感的燈光效果。飛燈方法一般為以有線或無線方法將閃燈與快門同步，在按下快門時同時觸發遠距離的閃燈。伸延應用為飛燈線（離機閃光燈同步線）。

打 Bounce 中文正講為「跳燈」，意思是將閃燈燈頭扭向天花板或牆壁，以反射的光線來為主體照明，產生較柔和的燈光效果。

拉爆 中途曝光拍攝手法，在曝光中途中進行變焦，令相片出現放射性的線條。
長曝 長期曝光
高炒 / 低炒 高角度拍攝 / 低角度拍攝
Over 曝光過度
Under 曝光不足

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By admin, September 7, 2011 1:10 pm

我兩個月前才第一次有幸觀看這位被譽為Pavarotti接班人的演唱會﹐想不到今天竟成絕響﹗

記得那天Licitra還和觀眾開玩笑說最近的一次車禍傷的不輕﹐哪知道短短的4個月裡他竟然會遇到了兩次嚴重的車禍﹐這次上天終于帶走了另一個遺留在人間的天使。

是天嫉英才﹖還是命運中早已冥冥注定﹐天使被派來凡間，完成了使命後上帝就把他召返天國？

所以說人活在世上短短幾十年﹐有些事情還真的不能等﹐免得換來以後無儘的後悔。

The Telegraph – 6:20PM BST 06 Sep 2011

Salvatore Licitra, the opera singer, who died on Monday aged 43, was a contender for the title of the world’s next great tenor and had already been acclaimed the “new Pavarotti” on account of his ringing high notes, strong lower register, and considerable stamina.

He was catapulted to fame in dramatic fashion, stepping in at the last moment for Pavarotti in a gala performance of Puccini’s Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on the evening of May 11 2002.

Salvatore Licitra Only 55 hours earlier, on Thursday May 9, Licitra had been relaxing at his family’s apartment in Milan. Then his manager in New York, JF Mastroianni, called. “He asked me if I feel good,” Licitra said later. “I responded that I was rested and asked him why. He said maybe there is some job for me. I asked him what type of work. He said: ‘I’ll let you know.’”

Within the hour Mastroianni called back, uttering the decisive words: “Are you ready for a trip? There is some problem with Luciano.”

After Mastroianni’s call, Licitra was unable to sleep, watching television until 3.30am. He then caught a flight to London and Concorde to New York. Arriving at 9am on Friday morning, he reached the Met two hours later and spent another 12 hours going over a videotape of the production and attending piano rehearsals.

Pavarotti only added to the tension. His scheduled appearance was regarded by many as the likely finale to the superstar’s 41-year career in staged opera, and he dithered all day over whether to let his fans down or risk making a strained and under par appearance. Licitra knew only at about 7pm — an hour before curtain — that he would be going on stage. He finally met the conductor, James Levine, when the maestro dropped in to his dressing room 15 minutes later.
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Licitra put any nerves behind him. He earned lengthy ovations for his two big arias and, at the end of the opera, received a three-minute standing ovation from the audience of 4,000, each of whom had paid as much as $1,800 for their non-refundable tickets to hear Pavarotti. The critics agreed that a star had been born.

Salvatore Licitra was born on August 10 1968 at Berne, Switzerland, to Sicilian parents, and returned to Italy as a teenager to open a graphics shop with his brother. He started singing at 18, mimicking great Italian tenors such as Caruso and Gigli. He worked as a graphic artist on layouts for Italian Vogue, and studied at Carlo Bergonzi’s vocal academy until 1998, when he ran out of money.

Although scheduled to sing as an understudy at the Verona festival that summer, he so impressed the conductor Daniel Oren that he made his debut on the opening night as Riccardo in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera.

Licitra was considered a genuine tenore spinto, with a voice finely balanced between the lyrical and the dramatic but with sufficient heft to play the heroes of the Italian core repertoire of Verdi and Puccini.

In Italy the frenzied search for the “Fourth Tenor”, or at least an heir to Pavarotti and his ageing Spanish contemporaries Placido Domingo and José Carreras, is likened to a papal succession. The difference is that the singing contest is carried out in full view of the faithful.

Licitra’s talent, and the drama of his substitution for Pavarotti, meant his name was added to the list of candidates for this vacancy.

After his triumph at the New York Met, he appeared on opera stages and concert platforms around the world. Under the baton of Ricardo Muti he sang at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and regularly appeared at La Scala and other venues in Europe, the United States and the Far East.

Offstage, Licitra was quick-witted, sunny and informal. He dispensed with the usual starry entourage, preferring the company of his parents, his brother and his fiancée.

Salvatore Licitra had spent nine days in a coma after crashing his scooter. His fiancée, who was riding pillion, was unhurt, but he never regained consciousness.

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By admin, September 6, 2011 6:15 pm

Suddenly, Federer is playing like champion again in his early 20s, beating the hell out of his opponent with bashing shots. Just look at his rhythm and footwork, something definitely has changed to him recently.

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By admin, September 2, 2011 11:47 pm

VMWare has just released VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0 this week. Among the all the new features, ”Optimized disk and partition alignment and cluster size change” is the one I considered the most important! This means V2V your existing unaligned Windows Server 2003 is no longer mission impossible and no need to pay those alternative ones who charge a premium for this simple task.

Also, the new version supports more 3rd parties vendors:

Convert third-party image or virtual machine formats such as Parallels Desktop, Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery, Norton Ghost, Acronis, StorageCraft, Microsoft Virtual Server or Virtual PC, and Microsoft Hyper-V Server virtual machines to VMware virtual machines.

Enable centralized management of remote conversions of multiple physical servers or virtual machines simultaneously.

Ensure conversion reliability through quiesced snapshots of the guest operating system on the source machine before data migration.

Enable non-disruptive conversions through hot cloning, with no source server downtime or reboot.
Third-party backup images and virtual machines:

Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 and Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2
Hyper-V Server virtual machines that run Windows guest operating systems
Hyper-V Server virtual machines that run Linux guest operating systems
Acronis True Image Echo 9.1, 9.5, and Acronis True Image 10.0, 11.0 (Home product)
Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery (formerly LiveState Recovery) 6.5, 7.0, 8.0 and 8.5, LiveState Recovery 3.0 and 6.0 (only .sv2i files)
Norton Ghost version 10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, and 14.0 (only .sv2i files)
Parallels Desktop 2.5, 3.0, and 4.0
StorageCraft ShadowProtect 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2