Fuji x100 New Updated Firmware is out! Ver 1.20

FinePix X100 / X100Black Firmware Update Ver.1.20

This firmware is out just as I was complaining about mostly worthless metering in the day. The images will either be too dark or too overexposed. And worst of all, random colors will appear. Manual metering is not so bad, but even in raw, sometimes random colors gets absorbed into the camera.

The blue in the image is out of nowhere!

My previous version on my camera is 1.11, and it shoots perfectly indoors and at night, but when it is bright outside, it can't meter for nuts. With ND on or off, it plainly sucks.

With the new firmware, I took it out to shoot various things in situations where it previously sucks.

And yes, shooting at night, Macro, flash, just works fine as well.

I guessed they fixed it.

Here are some other updates.

1.Some functions, which can be set to "Fn" button and shown as "Fn BUTTON" in SET-UP menu, can be also set to RAW button. After pressing the command dial to right in the SET-UP menu of "Fn BUTTON", "Fn" and "RAW" are displayed and each of selectable them,
Also, by holding down RAW button for more than 3 seconds, same type of selection menu for RAW button is displayed, just as short-cut procedure.
2.By selecting in "ISO" menu in the shooting menu, either ISO sensitivity value or "ISO AUTO CONTROL" can be selected.
3.When AF MODE is set to "AREA" in Single AF (AF-S) mode, active focus point is zoomed in (magnified to approx 5x) by pressing center of the command control.
4.When "ND FILTER" is set to "Fn" button or "RAW" button, setting between ON ("ND" is displayed) or OFF ("ND" is NOT displayed) can be changeable by pressing "Fn" button or "RAW" button, which is set for "ND FILTER".
5.When the image is shot with vertical angle of the camera and played back the shot in the LCD, the image is displayed with whole area of LCD even after pressing "playback zoom in" button.
6.When the human face is shot, the detected face is displayed during the playing back, and pressing the command dial to down, detected face is magnified during displaying.
7.AE control system and AF performance including AF speed has been improved for movie recording mode.

Most of which are on my wishlist.

I would say, the x100 is much better now. The updating is also not difficult. just follow this link.

Preparing for updates

1.Prepare the target digital camera.
FinePix X100 (Version 1.00 - 1.13)
FinePix X100Black (Version 1.12 - 1.13)
2.Prepare a formatted memory card.
The firmware updating procedure requires a formatted memory card. Refer to the Owner's Manual for information on using "FORMAT" in the SET-UP menu to format a media.
Note that formatting procedure will delete all data on the memory card, including protected files. Always copy any important files that you do not want to lose to your PC beforehand.
3.Prepare the power supply.

Use the fully-charged battery.
4.Prepare the USB cable.

Have the USB cable bundled with your camera ready.

I basically downloaded from below

Download
Firmware
FPUPDATE.DAT [32.2MB]

Placed it in my formatted SD card, and put it in the camera.
Follow the instructions here.

And note the version of my firmware before was 1.11 and my other friend had 1.10, and we updated the new .dat file and everything now works like a charm!

The camera works great now, but still, if you don't like photos like this.

Where the camera tries to be too intelligent and pulls in too much light out of no where, don't get the x100.


-- Robin Low

Kek Lo Si Review

The Kek Lok Si Temple 极乐寺 or 極樂寺
(Penang Hokkien for "Temple of Supreme Bliss" )

Located at Air Itam in Penang and is one of the best known temples on the island. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia.

The temple is heavily commercialised with shops at every level and inside the main temple complexes.

Generous donations from the affluent Chinese community allow the construction of additional buildings. Today, there is a new goddess of mercy statue on the top of the hill and it is almost done and the whole construction is pretty impressive.

Getting up there.

Kek Lo si is accessible by car and bus and it can be easily summarized as 3 stages.

Stage 1:

There are a lot of businesses at the bottom of the temple, selling all sorts of local products ranging from shirts, to plants to food. The lower level is ALL shops and there is a flight of stairs from the base of the hill up.

Stage 2:

To get to stage 2, you can climb the stairs through the winy passages covered with shops. It is really an interesting experience and when you want to buy things, remember to haggle the price as it is part of the experience.

If you have people who cannot travel well, you can take a taxi or drive up to stage 2. This will bypass all the shops.

At Stage 2, there are many temples and spots for taking photos. The temple itself consists of several large halls for assembly and prayer, here, statues of Buddha, various Bodhisattvas as well as Chinese gods are being venerated. Intricate woodwork, often brightly painted and a plethora of lanterns add to the visual impression.

There is an inclined lift to carry pilgrims and visitors further uphill. On the elevated platform, you can find a pond filled with Koi and the towering statue of Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, which can also be regarded as Avalokitheshvara, Bodhisattva of Universal Compassion.

Stage 3:

This is the top level of Kek Lo si. There is a tram service from the middle level to bring you to the top of the hill. Or you can drive up. Entry for the car is RM$2.

At the top of the hill, there is a HUGE statue of the Goddess of Mercy built since 2002 and the pagoda around her is near completion. There are also several other temples and a Koi Pond and many interesting statues. The temperature on top is lower than below and the top is constantly windy. You get to see a large part of Penang here and the view is very interesting.

The temple is a focal point of festivals of the Chinese community in Penang. The Chinese New Year celebrations are particularly impressive. For 30 days following Chinese New Year, the temple remains open until late at night whilst thousands of lights turn the scenery into a sea of light.

Since my last visit, there are many improvements made and there is constant donations and more buildings to come. If you visit Penang, this temple is probably a must to come.

Marina Barrage - Gardens Connector Preview

I recently went to the Marina Barrage and saw many parts of the Gardens by the Bay slowly getting completed.

Currently, the new walkway is open that connects to Tanjong Rhu which leads under the Shears Bridge. The walk is pretty long, as there is no turn around near Shears Bridge, and you have to walk to Tanjong Rhu or the Indoor Stadium for the MRT.

I started a leisure walk at 6:30pm to shoot some photos of people flying kites and kids playing with water and it took me at least 3 hours to walk to the indoor stadium.

I did stop for a bit to shoot the laser light show of Marina Bay Sands.

It is a very nice and scenic walk, no mosquitoes at all!

Check it out!

-- Robin Low

Simon Tay's Analysis on Deaths in Singapore.

Recently, Singapore has a series of bodies found.

Here is Simon Tay's Sound Advice:

Simon Tay
Another suspicious case of death

1. Found in the rubbish chute with legs up head down

2. A friend of the deceased, Tng, speculated that he could have been trying to climb his way home through the rubbish chute in the early morning hours because he had left his keys and mobile phone in his house, reported The New Paper.

3. Others claimed that the couple does quarrel often while the wife claimed they are a happy couple.

Firstly, the body was found head first with legs sticking out meaning it's possible that the body was dropped in head first instead of him falling down by climbing up the chute.

Secondly, he left his keys & mobile phone in his house...give high chance of him IN THE HOUSE during the possible murder.

Third, who in the right mind will climb up the rubbish chute to go home which is on the 13th floor!?

Wife sleeping when police came......who can confirm?..it's possible she is very scared to even open the door when the police came....

So, now comes the possible actions the police can take.

1. Check if there's any finger prints at the bottom door of the chute and if it belongs to the decease.

2. Find out if the decease have been drinking, or have any chemicals that makes him unconscious

3. Ask if the wife can carry a load with the same weight as his deceased husband.

4. Check the house's rubbish chute if there's any other people finger prints...or lack of ANY prints...to see it had been wiped purposely as normally it's not cleaned after using.

5. Check the finance of the decease & wife to see if there's any weird discrepancies...

6. Identify possible motivation of murder if any.

7. If the possible murderer is/are more then one person...

8. Interview the children, especially from the wife's previous relationship.


Man found dead in rubbish chute had not been home

Man found under CTE flyover was murdered: Police

2 women found dead at Aloha Changi chalet

Here is Simon Tay's Sound Advice:

I got a suspicion about the death of the 2 women found at Changi Chalet...that it's not foul play however without much to go on other then the news article it's tough to determine if it's really foul play.

However, it's rather strange that it happened the way it did...so probably the police can investigate it further.

I find the fact that both women found at the toilet floor beside two containers that had ashes inside pretty weird.

That Changi Chalet have air-con rooms with air tight windows, if you want to commit suicide...why choose the toilet instead of the comfortable bed?

The doors & windows are locked when the police found them, however if this is a murder investigation...can someone lock them in before getting out of the chalet & lock the door? (hmm suspicion only no proof)

Now if I'm investigating the case, I will do the following

1. Find out if there are evidence of other chemicals in or near the deceased to cause fainting or loss of consciousness

2. Find out If there's a third party in the chalet at that time by looking at CCTV footage, mobile phone messages, social network, photograph taken.

3. Find out probable suicide key stuffs like suicide notes, mental illness, evidence of depression, family knowledge.

4. Who else have the key to the chalet and where is the key when they are found. Who have spare key?

5. What's the relationship between the two deceased? Is it against the family wishes?

6. What is the possible motivation if any to murder someone if this is a murder investigation...and fake suicide by using easily accessible items like bucket & charcoal & fire starter...as it's a chalet after all.

So, after much thinking...that's all I can think of if it's a murder investigation but more can be done.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/2-women-found-dead-at-changi-chalet.html

Unidentified body found in Bedok Reservoir

Are there more murders in Singapore, and will Singapore classify them as suicides or call them unnatural deaths?

Will these murders be solved?

Will these murders be considered a serious crime statistic?

Only time will tell.

Perhaps the Police can hire Simon Tay as a consultant as he seems to have a sound investigation plan going.

-- Robin Low

Asus Transformer TF101 - initial review

I just bought the Eee Pad Transformer TF101 last week, and here is the first look at this Android Device.

The following is the specifications.

Display

10.1” LED Backlit screen with IPS (1280 x 800) 10 point multi-touch input
Memory

1GB
Storage

16GB /32GB(1)eMMC + Unlimited ASUS Webstroage(2)
Wireless

802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Camera

1.2MP (front), 5MP Auto focus (rear)
Interface

2-in-1 Audio Jack (Head Phone / Mic-in)
1x mini HDMI 1.3a port
1 x Micro SD Card Reader
1 x Internal Microphone
1 x Stereo Speaker
Sensor

G-Sensor, Light Sensor, Gyroscope, E-compass, GPS
3G Module

Optional
Flash support

Yes(3)
Multi-tasking

Yes
Special App

ASUS launcher, MyLibrary, MyNet, MyCloud, File manager, Kindle, Zinio Magazine, PressReader, Polaris Office, ASUS sync
Battery

9.5 hours; 24.4Wh Li-polymer Battery(4) 16 hours with Eee Station

My first thoughts of this Asus Transformer is the weight, this tablet is HEAVY. Compared to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, this is indeed a heavy tablet.

I was indeed going to use Ice Cream Sandwich, but there seems to be issues.
Issues Facing Asus Transformer Prime Android 4.0 Update

Apart from the weight and ability to use Android 4.0, the Asus Transformer is the first device to use Nvidia's new Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime is, arguably, the tablet to beat when it comes to raw computing power.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is not as powerful, but the Asus Transformer is not much faster. There is an occasional lag. The angle of viewing is very good and screen is bright and crisp.

I've used this tablet non-stop for 13+ hours using 3G and playing games, and the battery is still running. I'm quite impressed with the battery life and the way the tablet does not get hot after use.

Looking at the ports, the tablet has a micro-HDMI and a Micro-SD. And the dock with the keyboard has 2 USB ports and a SD card slot. Somehow, after using the tablet for sometime, I rather enjoy the keyboard and build quality.

I've brought the tablet for a weekend trip, and the battery lasted the whole weekend, sharing wifi with everyone.

Overall, I like this tablet and the way the keyboard extends the battery life. The design and build quality is good and the tablet just feels solid.

I would recommend it if you need a tablet as this still is the first quad-core tablet.

-- Robin Low

British Airways - Boston - Singapore - My impression

I caught a flight from Boston - Singapore on British Airways via London Heathrow airport. This is not the first time I am on this flight, and I'd like to share my experience on the trip.

Firstly, I would like to point out that this journey is slightly more expensive than flying from Boston to Singapore through the West Coast, however when you take airlines like China Eastern Airlines, Malaysian Airlines or even United that goes near China, you will find that much of the flight is filled with many Chinese Nationals which will make you feel uncomfortable. I've experienced on every flight that passes through Shanghai that people go to toilets with the doors open.

The flight from Boston to London is rather pleasant. The people are rather orderly and not overly excited to get on the plane. The seat size and luggage space is decent, after all its a B747.

I have not much complains except that the food is pretty bad. But since it was a short flight, it was fine, and I got dinner at Heathrow.

As Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest in the world, it is efficient in many ways, however, I do not like it very much as they still use buses to transport people between terminals, which I do not feel it is safe as it does not seem hard to stray away from bus area to get to the planes.

The terminals are separated and not accessible much but by the buses and lots of walking. The staff at the counters at British Airways are not terribly friendly as well. My flight got delayed for 12 hours, and there was not even any notice by the British Airways staff to inform the passengers of the delay. The airport sigh says flight delayed to 9am, and if you don't look closely, you will not notice as the flight was for 9pm.

After going to the transfer counter, the staff gave me a note to go to the Qantas staff and they have a bus to bring me to a Hotel to accommodate me for the night. Again, the location of the counter is far away, and rather hard to navigate. When I finally arrived, there was again, going from arrival to departure to arrival and much back and fourth.

The hotel that they put me in is Park Inn Hotel inn Heathrow. It is about 10 minutes from the airport, and a pretty nice hotel. It seems like 50% of the time I transfer in London, I end up at this hotel as the planes failed to fly off on time.

However, in the morning, after another 1 hour delay, my flight to Singapore was ready, and it is a Qantas Codeshare flight and its a A380. QF010

The flight was orderly unlike domestic US flight where everyone brings their huge luggage on board. On this flight, everyone was normal. The old ladies spoke in their strong British accent and were courteous and enjoy their tea. On the flight, the touchscreen was pretty enjoyable, it was a skycam which shows you the top view of the A380, which during take off, makes you feel that it is "too heavy" to fly, but miraculously manages to take off.

Other than that, there was nothing special about the A380. The flight was bigger, but it simply packed more people in the 2 levels on the plane. I've previously flew business on the A380 and it is much more spacious than economy, but not much more special compared to the 747-400.

Overall, I would say that going from Boston to Singapore through London, would be a very pleasant experience if not for the 13 hour flight delay which makes me arrive in Singapore at 6:30am, one of the worst time as the Taxi's charge you extra for peak hour charges, and you get stuck in the terrible morning rush hour.

-- Robin Low

Heathrow Airport

Leaving Boston

Dinner on British Airways

Arriving at Heathrow

Heathrow Airport