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The world cup of 2010 was a cultural phenomenon. Almost everyone was trapped inside the house to watch the soccer matches – sometimes 3 a day. This is great and brings people together. But apart from that there’re some other motives to winning. Financial reasons for example. Countries accept money from sponsors and those sponsors want wins, they want to reach the finals for maximum brand exposure. This leads to the belief that results are vital and really important for every nation.

Knockout face of the World Cup. The referee and his assistants made two mistakes on the same day that had extreme impact on the outcome. England was denied a clear goal; therefore they stayed behind and felt that the match was manipulated. That feeling led to a messy second half for the team, and a big loss.

Another match that was influenced was Mexico – Argentina. It was 0 – 0 and the match processed equally with maybe a small advantage for Mexico in terms of play. Argentina scored but it was actually off side. Referee was unsure and asked the line watcher, he was also not sure and asked the 4th official. He also didn’t know and it led to a minute delay with ultimately the incorrect outcome, the goal was given. Mexico was broken and felt that the match was manipulated; it led to a big loss.

My point. Why would the FIFA not allow technical assistance when the need and equipment is already there. The referee could easily look at a small television and see what the correct decision should be. In every sport they do it, why not in soccer. I mean, what is this, 1982? Now results are reached unfairly and that’s not right. In a world when there’re so many motives, so much money at stake, why would they act like we are living in a world of candlelight?

The FIFA doesn’t care about justice, about fair play, and that’s sad. I hope that they come to their senses. That they will sit and discuss it once we’re out of Africa, the country that by the way doesn’t have the finance to host an event of this level. And that the outcome will make all future world cups fair.

To experience 3D for myself I was welcomed to the Sony headquarters in the Netherlands, which is where I live. In the morning I checked the Sony e-mail for directions to the building. It was a 2-hour train drive followed by a couple of miles in the bus, at least according to the directions. I made it to the train station, stepped into the train, and found the classical public transportation horrors. It was really crowded, dirty and the people next to me were as awkward as can be. Really, trust me.

It was nothing compared to the bus though because well there wasn’t a bus in sight. With just 20 minutes to go until my appointment at the Sony building, I got anxious. Luckily a bus came and I asked the man behind the steering wheel if it stopped near Badhoevedorp. He nodded and I stepped in nervously. I had no clue when to step out, but I was saved by the huge Sony sign as the bus neared the building. It stopped just a few meters after and like a miracle I made it in time.

So what does the Sony headquarters looks like? Well it’s gorgeous. The building looks modern and huge. And it only got better inside. Upon entering I saw a huge backlit Sony sign with their slogan: make.believe. The reception was the first thing I saw and two ladies behind the desk warmly welcomed me. They walked me, a little further into the building, to a bar with coffee, tea and some small luxurious snacks. It was perfect.

Read more… Sony LX900 3D preview

I’d like to announce that a new website has launched that is better in every single way compared to the last one. Here’s a list of improvements:

-Smart navigation

-Faster

-Short URLs

-Advanced image viewer

-Improved browser compatibility

And that’s just a few of the over 20 improvements. Be sure to check it out!

Robin Chung

A lot comes at us every day, some of which we find to be frustrating. Think about it, you wake up and first you need to get dressed, then it’s time to get your kids to school, clean up the house, and the list goes on and on. Here’s a list of top 5 things that are frustrating. You can use it to find solutions or just having a good read.

5. Weather
Yes the weather greatly effects your mood and unfortunately in most countries and cities the weather leaves much to be desired. For example in the Netherlands it’s either too cold (winter) or too wet (summer). It’s barely a truly good day weather wise. And I guess it goes for most countries so weather is definitely a source of frustration. Our number 5 because the next 4 are maybe a little worse.

4. Exercising/dieting
Most people won’t argue that they feel bad about themselves after they had a big snack during a diet. It’s just so frustrating that every day when you wake up you think: when can I eat today? I still have to train by core muscles. People are so concerned about their appearance and health these days that the daily dieting and exercising routines are one of the first things we think about when we wake up. It’s very hard mentally to always have these things on your mind.

3. Getting dinner ready
You won’t believe how often people struggle to decide what to eat. There’re so many options of which 50% is too difficult to make and the other combinations are either too unhealthy or not tasty enough. So it’s hard to decide what to eat and on top of that you also have to actually get it ready at around 7PM every day. It is a big source for frustration, and number 3 on the list.

2. Cleaning the house
The problem with cleaning your house is that you’re also living in the same house. It’s like trying to remove water from a sinking ship. Removing dust, cleaning plates are one of the many things that you have to do daily. And many people will feel guilty when they wake up and see a big pile of dishes. So one piece of advice don’t clean the house, maintain your house. Find an effective way of keeping your house clean without having to use additional hours of cleaning. Just reserve an hour per day to clean up after yourself and do the laundry and dishes, it’s that simple.

1. Work
Of course work wins, it is the number 1 source for frustration in our daily existence. There always seems to be something going on. Your colleague can’t manage things anymore or your last report wasn’t up to the standards of butt kiss inc. But in the end you should always try to get rid of work related frustration by finding work where you’re passioned about. Or by placing a clear border between work time and personal time. In which case your personal time is for personal stuff only, not work!

Every day a lot comes at us. Work on lowering the daily frustration by attacking it at the source, whatever that may be. And try to set a goal for yourself that is bigger than you are. So let’s say write a novel before I’m 30, that’s a great goal. You should always try to portray a brighter future for yourself in both short and long term. I hope this article can help you to decrease your daily frustration, and make you a better, happier individual.

The notebook is a romantic drama based on the equally titled novel by Nicholas Sparks. Everyone agreed that it was a great movie when it was released back in 2004 but question is: is it still today?

Story
The notebook follows the lives of Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton. Noah is a poor man but with a strong heart. He works hard everyday but barely has a dime to spend. Allie on the other hand is born in a rich family and their parents are of the highest society ranks. But Ellie and Noah fall in love and everything seems perfect, that is until they meet the parents. Allie’s folks want her to marry a rich man to continue the tradition and will try everything to get her away from Noah. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll stop here. bottom line is that the story is really good and keeps you guessing and hoping all the way through. But it’s unfortunate that the characters around Allie and Noah don’t seem to evolve at all and in the end I realized that I actually knew very little of Allie. What does she do for a living? What are her fears? A lot of questions remained unanswered and personally I found the story’s focus a little too narrow at times. Showing solely the connection between the Notebook’s main characters and leaving everything else and the characters unique personalities in the shadows.

Presentation
Like every good movie this one made the jump to blu-ray quite recently. Unfortunately that’s not the version I tested, fortunately though the DVD version is top notch. Video quality is crisp, as is the audio. The amazing soundtrack of Aaron Zigman completes the pack. Simply put in terms of presentation I’ve no complaints at all. Of course it’s not blu-ray quality but the DVD version is up there with the best.

conclusion
The notebook is a great love story but just a decent story overall. Apart from Ellie and Noah’s relationship nothing seems to evolve. Luckily their oh so magical relationship will keep you glued to your couch until the final credits scroll by. And because of that this movie does everything you expect it to do and a little more. It gives you an escape from reality and shows you how great love can be, although almost nobody will experience anything like it in real life.

Today we’re going to review one of the hottest racing games for Apple’s iPhone. It all started back in 2008 with the launch of the app store, an interactive shop where you can download applications for the popular gadget. One of the first apps was from Gameloft called Asphalt 4. It was quickly agreed that this was the best racing title out there with licensed cars, great graphics and very addictive gameplay. Well now there’s a successor.

Gameplay
Asphalt 5 is Gameloft’s response to all racing titles released since their previous attempt. It features all the things we love to see in seconds including an updated graphics engine, more cars and even better gameplay. Lets start with that last one. Gameplay of Asphalt 5 remains pretty much the same. You are a racer at the bottom of the ladder with a car your grandmother has but slowly more exotic vehicles become available to you. You gain levels as you win events and that way new cars are unlocked. This is a very addictive system because you just want to keep playing until you get that one great car, probably the Ferrari.

You will also unlock girlfriends as you increase your level. These girls can give you bonuses like extra top speed, or more boost power. The girls are often linked as part of the exotic car scene and while I like the feature some may detest it. Also questionable is the fact that you will challenge greats like the Lamborghini gallardo in your first race when you only own the Mini cooper S. Even worse is the fact that the other cars have been artificially slowed down so that you can even beat that car right from the start. People may also hate the boost button. Hitting this will make just about every car hit 300km/h+ with no effort at all, definitely not what you’d call realistic. But for me I like this button because I know Asphalt 5 will provide me with great arcade gameplay and it does.

Asphalt 5 provides enough variation, the game features 30 cars, 12 tracks and 8 different ways of racing which includes: drift, time attack, escape, cop chase and a regular race. I really liked the different modes as it keeps things exciting but cop chase was way too hard. In this mode you must eliminate other drivers by pushing them to the barrier or hitting them from behind. Problem is that the other cars are often as fast or just slightly slower than you so catching them takes skill. And once you’re there actually eliminating them is even harder. Hitting them from the sides barely makes them move sideways and from behind only speed differences of 100+ km/h really makes impact. But the whole experience gets easier as you progress in the game and get access to those asphalt supercars which include the Ferrari FXX, Bugatti Veyron and the Audi R8.

Presentation
Gameloft is very popular in the iPhone scene with over 20 apps already released today. Asphalt 5 is one of their best titles to date with great graphics that will make you fall in love with your iPhone all over again. The cars all look like the real thing and they include those small details that are so important. But with that said the cars all have a slightly washed look to them. Tracks also share a washed look but it’s not too much of an issue. In the end the graphics are great for an iPhone but there’s room for improvement still.

Asphalt 5 is king when it comes to sound. The cars all sound quite differently, but probably not like the real thing. Engine sounds are there but it’s not as good as those ‘car sound’ applications that can be found in the app store. But asphalt 5 makes up for it by including an amazing music player. You can play music that came with the game, about 10+ tracks. But if you so wish you can also play your own music or even playlists you made. It’s simply great when you can listen to your favorite tunes while cruising along in you RUF supercar. Great job on the audio department Gameloft.

Conclusions
Asphalt 5 is a great arcade racers that will give you hours of fun. The gameplay is very addictive and the different modes are a lot of fun. But the graphics leave room for improvements and the arcaded approach to racing can spoil the experience for some.

Read more and see or improved articles search page. Robin chung

In an age of consumption tech companies are almost religion or sports for some people. And of course we all have our favorites and we don’t like it when other people talk bad about the products from company we use. Today we’re looking at two big forces in the tech world. Sony vs Apple.

Sony

Sony is a Japanese company which was founded back in the 50s. Its estimated worth is around 50 billion and they manufacture products for almost all consumer electronics markets. Most famous are their Bravia TVs, Playstation devices, Cybershot cameras and VAIO computers. On top of that Sony has a lot of artists and movies signed under their name. Artists include current sensation Taylor Swift and legend Michael Jackson.

Apple

Apple is an American company which was founded back in the 70s. Its estimated worth is about equal to that of Sonys but they are active on less markets. Most famous products they make are iPods, iPhones, MacBooks and the iMac. What makes this company different is their eye for design and details. Everything they make seems to be successful (except for apple tv) and as a result their annual profits are getting higher and higher.

Markets

Sony and Apple clash on a few markets. Most notable of course being the computer market. The MacBook and the VAIOs actually have a lot of similarities. Both are highly priced and are designed with great care. In general though Apple does things a little better. Their design just seems a little more tough of and the materials they use are a little more premium. The problem with Sony is that they don’t make the software, they’re stuck with Windows. Apple is in the fortunate position that they have maximum control over both the software (OS X) and the hardware. Still it’s an easy decision which laptop you should buy. Want Windows only? Get a Sony VAIO. Prefer Mac OS X? Get an Apple MacBook.

Now lets talk about the mp3 market. Sony has a good chunk of market share with their Walkman Series but there’s no denying that Apple dominates this market with the iPod. It’s hard to see this change in the near future. But as the market is now Sony is the only brand that can challenge Apple’s iPod. Because they have the expertise, the name and the artists to make a very good and competitive product.

Last clashing market is the phone market. Sony is active in a joint venture with Ericsson, and have an established name in the phone business. It’s likely that they can maintain their position, as the Xperia lineup will soon use the android software. But Apple has the iPhone, and it’s a popular device. It could very well be that Apple overtakes Sony if they don’t act fast.

Conclusion

Both Apple and Sony are huge. Both are mostly active in different markets. Apple has the edge in mp3 players/laptops and can very well overtake Sony when it comes to mobile phones. However Sony has a considerable share in a lot of consumer electronics and has a separate music and movie business. In the end both are worth about the same and there isn’t a real winner here. Both do an amazing job delivering great premium consumer electronics and in the end that’s most important.