XML Developers Contest

Are you a student studying computer related course, a computer professional or one who loves computer programming ? Then I have a good news for you. IDUG is currently sponsoring a contest especially for you. Yes, its a developers (students, professionals and hobbyists) contest to increase awareness and familiarity with XQuery, XML and DB2.

The contest consists of five different categories of varying skill levels and you could enter in either of the 5 categories or join in all of the categories. The 5 categories are as follows :

i. Video Contest - Upload your video regarding the creative use of XML, XQuery or DB2.

ii. Gadget Contest - Develop a downloadable gadget or widget leveraging DB2.

iii. Query Contest: - Using XQuery, you need to answer a series of questions. All correct answers (answer and query structure) entered to win larger prizes.

iv. Ported App Contest - Port an an existing application to use XML, XQuery or DB2. You could enter as an individual or you could form your team.

v. Develop an application - Develop a useful and user-friendly application using XML, XQuery or DB2. You could enter as an individual or assemble a team.

For each contest category that you join, you will be able to earn participation points. Also, a XML Grand Master status will be awarded to the one who amasses the most participation points.

By joining the contest, you can gain some well-deserved recognition for your skills. Oh yeah, have I mentioned that there's thousands of dollars in prizes to be won, ranging from Wiis to complimentary technical conferences.

So hurry, join IDUG contest now. Good Luck !

Things you should know about the Internet

It has been more than a decade when Internet became popular, but would you like to know more about it. The internet has greatly influenced our lives today and it became a new medium for us to express our thoughts. Even businesses had made use of it for advertising purposes, shopping portals and for many other innovations that had greatly benefitted us. It has also provided jobs to a lot of people especially to those working at home. Read more about the internet by clicking tbe link below.

10 Things You Should Know About the Internet

Gifts for Holiday Season

With the holiday season just around the corner, people are busy preparing their shopping list now for their Christmas gifts. I, too, am preparing my own gifts for my nieces, nephews and for my long list of godchildren. I am thinking of toys for them. You see, toys are a great gift idea as children around the world love playing toys. Luckily we have the internet now as its worth shopping oline to find the best and most popular cheap toys.

Two of my newphews are now teenagers so I am thinking of electronic games as my gift to them. Nintendo Wii console would be great for them I think. With "Wii fit" games, it will be a great fun for the whole family. Not only that, Wii fit would improved health for the whole family as playing the game would increase ones physical activity. My office colleague is suggesting to buy another popular toys for teenagers and that is Mario Kart and Wii Wheel as he just bought one for his teenage son. He said that his son really love and enjoys playing it on weekends. Hhhmmm, now my choices for my gifts are getting better.

I tried to used Google to search more info about Wii and other popular toys and have come to a blog called The Pasty Muncher and I could not stop laughing after reading some of the blog entries. Click this "Wii at work" link to read about one of his funny post about playing at work.

Have you start your online shopping spree ?

Wireless Router Disconection issue

My friend had ask me what brand of wireless router is good to buy. I was surprise why he wanted to buy another one when he had mentioned to me a few weeks ago that he just bought a wifi router. He had bought a DLink DI-624 model router. So I ask him, what was wrong with his new wireless router. He told me that there were connection issues with his router, ie. his wireless connection often drops and disconnects from the internet.

So I went with him to his place and try to check his router. I tried to check on the internet about Dlink router and I had read a lot of disconnection problems about this model. I've read that you could fix the disconnection problem by upgrading the router's firmware and so we did download and upgrade the router's firmware to DI-624 Revision D firmware version 4.0.4 (beta). After flashing the old firmware and rebooting process, his internet connection had become stable. Problem solved. So if you are having disconnection iissues with your DLink wireless router, you could also try to fix the problem by upgrading the firmware to the latest version.

You'll find the latest DI-624 firmware here:
http://ftp.dlink.ru/pub/Router/DI-624/Firmware/Rev%20D/
(save the file that ends with ".bin".)

HK Clean PC Day

Today is HK's Clean PC day and members of the public are encouraged by the government to to support it by performing five simple tasks to protect their personal computers (PCs) against cyber attacks.

The five steps are:

1. Change your passwords
2. Check that the personal firewall is operating
3. Apply the latest software patches
4. Update your anti-virus signature files
5. Run an anti-virus scan on your computer

Hong Kong Clean PC Day has been held annually since 2005 and this campaign was jointly organized by Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre (HKCERT. Its aim is to raise public awareness of the importance of information security and to help computer users cultivate the good habit of cleaning up their PCs and minimising the risk of cyber attacks.

Well, I think the campaign by HK Government is a good way for us to keep our PC protected and likewise keep it up to its peak performance by doing routinary maintenance routines such as defragging, housekeeping of files, etc.

Have you perform the 5 steps mentioned above to protect your PC/laptop ?

Duk Ling Junk

The junk ship that was pictured on the banner of this blog is one of the famous icons of Hong Kong. Chinese junk or sailing boats had once crowded the waters around Hong Kong but those days are gone now and only one junk remains which is the "Duk Ling Junk".



Duk Ling these days is used mainly for private charters, commercials and film making. She was featured in Jules Verne's classic "Around the world in 80 Days". DUK LING was build in Macau 50 years ago and had served as a fishing boat until she was bought by Frenchman Pierric Couderc in 1985. He spent almost three years restoring her to her original glory.

If you happen to visit Hong Kong, you can sail aboard her by joining the Hong Kong Tourism Board's Kaleidoscope programme. Yes, HKTB is offering a daytime harbour cruise for HK visitors. The boat ride last for an hour. There is room for about thirty people per voyage. The Duk Ling leaves from the Kowloon Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Queen’s Pier in Central on Hong Kong Island. So don't miss the unique chance to experience sailing as in the old days and sail Victoria Harbour for a 360 degree view of Hong Kong's impressive skyline. You may contact the HKTB Visitor Hotline at +852 2508 1234 for more information on sailing times.

Funny Pictures

I received an email from a friend with some funny pictures attached. I have selected 2 pictures which I would like to share it here.

Hopefully these pictures would help you understand computer terminology better and likewise help you in choosing your furniture(s) at home (just kidding hehehe).

Computer Terms


Small Chair

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