Is this finally it? Have yet to make a decision.. but pretty soon life is taking another leap.. vield gluck!

Filed under: i.am.not.suRE ]]> http://syafeerul.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/syafeerul-time-to-move-on/feed/ 1 syafeerul Kia http://syafeerul.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/next-generation-of-manchester-united-stars-ready-to-assume-the-mantle/ http://syafeerul.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/next-generation-of-manchester-united-stars-ready-to-assume-the-mantle/#comments Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:36:35 +0000 syafeerul http://syafeerul.wordpress.com/?p=777 ]]>

The Manchester United defender Phil Jones, right, is amongst those ready to lead the new-look side to success.

Sir Alex Ferguson has always trusted young players, but the exceptional current crop have left him with almost no option.

At 37, Ryan Giggs would still rather think of himself some days as more like an 18-year-old with 19 years’ experience. But then he sees his younger Manchester United team-mates wearing their “mad clothes”, listens to their conversations and cannot help but feel out of the loop sometimes. “It is when they start talking about computer games,” he says. “They play something called Black Ops, it goes completely over my head.”

The thirtysomethings at Old Trafford have all been watching from the sidelines recently. Giggs, the club’s oldest player, has not started either of United’s two league games and watched the Community Shield in his suit, not even selected among the substitutes. Michael Carrick has not played a single minute of the wins against West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham Hotspur. Dimitar Berbatov has been restricted to 26 minutes over the course of three matches.

A theme has developed and, with it, there has been a discernible change behind the scenes. Voices that were rarely heard a year ago have become louder, growing in confidence. “A lot of the older players are no longer there,” Sir Alex Ferguson says, “so we have a young element in the dressing room who are starting to take control of the place.” The manager gives the impression he is enjoying this changing of the guard. “The young players have created a good spirit around the place. There is a perkiness about the dressing room.”

The average age of the team against Tottenham on Monday was 23 years and one month, making it the second youngest side Ferguson had ever put out in the Premier League. The youngest was against Hull City on the final day of the 2008-09 season when United were preparing to play in the Champions League final and Ferguson fielded a team of reserves and academy graduates, with four players handed their first league starts and seven substitutes aged 17 to 21.

Monday was a very different occasion – the first home match of the season, difficult opponents, no Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic – and amid all the praise for the young players a certain amount should be kept back for the manager. It was he, after all, who had the conviction to play Tom Cleverley ahead of Carrick and Danny Welbeck instead of Berbatov. Another manager might have removed David de Gea from the side after his mistakes in the previous matches but Ferguson stayed calm, remembered Peter Schmeichel’s early difficulties in England and decided he had to put his trust in a goalkeeper who, at 20, is half the age of the man he is replacing, Edwin van der Sar.

When Ferguson spoke after the match he gave the impression there had never been a single moment when he was worried how the team would cope without the assuring presence of Vidic and Ferdinand. It had always been his way to trust young players, he reminded us, but there had come a point with the current crop where they left him with almost no option. “This group has such fantastic ability,” he said, “it forces you to play them, really.”

Phil Jones is a case in point, a 19-year-old who gives the impression he is in his 10th year at Old Trafford rather than his 10th week. Sir Bobby Charlton and Paddy Crerand, team-mates from the European Cup victory of 1968, found themselves talking last week and decided they had already seen enough of Jones to pay him what, in United terms, is probably the ultimate compliment. “If you talk to Bobby Charlton,” Crerand says, “Phil Jones reminds him of Duncan Edwards with his power and build.”

Others will inevitably compare Jones, Cleverley, Welbeck and Chris Smalling with the last group of United players to come off the conveyor belt and create such a frisson of excitement. For now, however, it is probably better to think of the 1995 group of David Beckham, Nicky Butt, the Neville brothers and Paul Scholes (with Giggs a couple of years older) as a once-in-a-lifetime coming together. Cleverley is not Scholes and neither is it fair to expect him to be. But he is doing a fine job keeping Carrick out of the team and, in the process, has turned down the volume, a little, on those who cannot comprehend why the club have not brought in a new category-A midfielder.

Too much can be read into one game, of course. These are only the embryonic stages of the season and Welbeck, for one, can still look raw at times. He is, however, an elusive opponent and the back-heel with which he set up Anderson’s goal against Spurs was an exceptional moment of penetrative forward play.

Then there is the emergence of Smalling – a player, like Jones, whose development means the Old Trafford crowd no longer needs to fret unduly about Ferdinand’s injury problems. Plus the fact Rafael and Fábio da Silva, at the age of 20, did not even play on Monday. Anderson has already shown in flashes that he can have a productive season and, like Jonny Evans, is still young enough, at 23, to be regarded as promising. Ashley Young is 26, a year older than Wayne Rooney and two years older than Nani. Javier Hernández is another 23-year-old and could feasibly be at Old Trafford for the next decade.

Ferguson has been remarkably unselfish when it comes to putting into place a team that will still be around long after his tenure has ended. “We compete in the present but at the same time build for the future,” he says. On both counts, United have reason for optimism.

nicely written article. yup.. i must agree with the writer here.. fergie did well choosing his future lads. these young boys really are proving something. they’re not individually talented or skillful but as a team they showed great strength. let’s hope we’d get more silverwares this year. champion’s league? hm.. that might need much better individual players to beat barcelona.. good luck guys.. article from The Guardian.

In the space of six second-half minutes, goals from Chris Smalling and Nani turned around a two-goal deficit and seized back the momentum Manchester City had stolen at the end of the first period. Then, with the match in the fourth minute of injury time and seemingly poised for penalties, Nani charged down a Vincent Kompany clearance on the halfway line, sprinted clear, rounded Joe Hart in the City goal and slid the ball home to clinch the season’s first piece of silverware.

Many had written United off by half-time after goals from Joleon Lescott and Edin Dzeko – albeit against the run of play – had given the Blues what looked to be an unassailable lead. But changes at the break, including the introduction of debutants Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley, prompted a United fightback that epitomised the strength of character Sir Alex so often speaks of.

The Reds began brightly at Wembley, barely allowing City a kick for the first five minutes and going close when Smalling volleyed goalwards amid a mini melee inside the Blues’ penalty area. The young defender, usually deployed as a centre-back, enjoyed plenty of freedom down the right flank and delivered a number of dangerous crosses.

There was little evidence early on of charitable spirit in this Community Shield clash, as players from both teams flew into tackles on a surface made slippery by a heavy dose of rain just after kick-off. Nemanja Vidic and Mario Balotelli squared up to each other for the briefest of moments before Edin Dzeko and Anderson both earned bookings after they were involved in a shoving match following a late challenge by the Bosnian.

Barely a minute later, Micah Richards lunged in on Ashley Young and was perhaps lucky to escape with only a yellow card. Wayne Rooney couldn’t inflict further punishment; his free-kick whizzed just over the crossbar.

Welbeck and Nani then combined to unlock the City defence, although Welbeck’s final ball across goal was cut out by a Blues defender. The young striker then headed tamely into Joe Hart’s arms as United looked to turn early dominance into goals.

A number of niggly fouls disrupted the game’s flow around the half-hour mark and fuelled the already hot atmosphere inside the stadium. One infringement resulted in a United free-kick 30 yards from goal, which almost made its way into the bottom corner via a deflection off the end of the Blues’ wall. Another handed City the lead on 38 minutes.

It was David Silva’s teasing left-footed delivery from the right wing that did the damage. It curled over Vidic but in front of Rio Ferdinand, into an area where Joleon Lescott soared high to head past David De Gea from six yards.

The Spanish goalkeeper’s debut got worse in first-half injury time when a dipping Dzeko shot from distance deceived the 20-year-old and doubled City’s lead. The ball was struck with some venom, but it was its late movement in the air that caught the former Atletico Madrid man by surprise.

So, after a bright start and plenty of early promise, Sir Alex’s men found themselves, somewhat harshly, two goals behind at the break. The boss responded by making three changes – Phil Jones and Jonny Evans came on for Ferdinand and Vidic, Tom Cleverley replaced Carrick – and within 13 minutes the Reds were level.

Like the game’s opener, United’s first goal owed much to set-piece delivery of the highest order. This time it was Ashley Young, bought from Aston Villa in the summer and renowned for his dead-ball prowess, that sent a curling ball into a packed penalty area. When it arrived five yards from goal, Smalling was on hand to volley past Hart and reduce the deficit.

Six minutes later, Nani dinked a delightful finish over Hart to cap a passing move that was as easy on the eye as it was devastatingly effective. Indeed, the Reds will do well to score a better team goal this season.

Nani started the move by passing crisply to Rooney on the edge of the box and continuing his run into the penalty area. Wayne moved the ball on to Cleverley with a cheeky backheel and he, eyeing Nani’s run, laid the ball sideways for the Portuguese to collect in his stride and chip past the advancing Hart.

De Gea did well to keep out a rasping drive from City substitute Adam Johnson on 76 minutes, while Cleverley whistled a shot just over the bar at the other end. With three minutes to play the Spanish goalkeeper shot up an arm to repel a close-range Micah Richards header, although the goal wouldn’t have counted anyway: referee Phil Dowd had already blown his whistle for a foul inside the area.

The Reds then blew two late chances to win the game before Nani stole the show in dramatic fashion and saved everybody the pain of penalty kicks. It seems winning’s a hard habit to shake…

United: De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand (Jones 46), Vidic (Evans 46), Evra (Rafael 72); Nani, Carrick (Cleverley 46), Anderson, Young; Rooney, Welbeck (Berbatov 89)

Subs not used: Lindegaard, Park, Berbatov

City: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov (Clichy 74); Milner (Johnson 67), De Jong, Toure Y, Silva; Balotelli (Barry 59), Dzeko

Subs not used: Taylor, Savic, Wright-Phillips, Aguero

good start to the season. let’s hope for more. this season, the fight would be different. there’s no scholes to pass from down the middle straight to strikers, there’s no brown or o’shea to back up our defenders, and definitely no van der sar to protect the net.. those names will be missed. will de gea be able to cope with the pressure? cleverly comes back and showed he can. phil jones looks good at the back. young was awesome on the flanks. and was happy to see smalling suiting well to the right full-back. really have lost one ever since neville becomes old.. good luck manchester united.. we shall win again.. and barca.. let’s meet again in the finals.. article from Manchester United Official Website.

Lenovo Ideapad Y470

after months of search and surveys, finally i came to a stop when i saw this. it fits my needs and my budget. although this actually exceeds my needs but it surely meets the budget. hence that comes to a worthy buy..

so what’s all that so special about this lappy? it seems normal though only that this monster packs numerous high specs. enough to woo a person like me. im not looking for a monstrous gaming laptop like alienware which costs a bomb. im looking for something useful for at least some simple HD video editing. its best if i go towards apple’s brand but here in Malaysia, using Apple is way too hard. im going to also need this for work. that’s a big minus point if i chose mac OS.

so what’s under the nice lovely keyboard (owh it’s worth to mention that the keyboard do feel very nice and very convenient to type)…

processor: i7-2630m
i was looking for i5 in the first place. that would be sufficient enough for video editing. dual-core i5 would be somewhere within my budget. but Y470 packs in i7.. plus its quad-core..

dedicated graphic module/car
i do not need a very high and powerful dedicated graphic card. sufficient with just a moderate with 1GB of VRAM. perhaps an NVIDIA GT520 would be good enough. yet Y470 packs in NVIDIA GT550. and did i mention 2GB?

RAM:
lappy’s these days mostly came in equipped with a 4GB of RAM. so did Y470. but when u did some extensive research and survey, u’d come to shops that are willing to pack you with an extra RAM. i got this to 8GB.

others:
those are the 3 most important things that i look and search for my new lappy. i also took a peek to get a 7200rpm HDD but the price was way out of budget for lappy’s equipped with this. there’s HDMI port and there’s 2 USB 3.0. might not be that useful today but in the near future, this could be one of the nicer things to have. owh it’s 14″ anyway.. i was looking for a smaller and lighter lappy but none with the proper specs stayed within my budget. the Y470 came in pre-loaded with windows 7 home premium. good enough for my daily usage. i chose not to take any free gifts to reduce the price. even if i took those gifts wouldn’t make my life any easier. mouse, mousepad, cooler and some small simple stuff which i don’t bother to have any.

my first two days so far have been very good. and hopefully much more wonderful years ahead..

The Reds could hardly have prepared better, and even dominated the game’s early stages, but at Wembley on Saturday night Barcelona proved why so many regard them as the best footballing team on the planet. They’re certainly champions of Europe. That much is certain now. Not even Wayne Rooney’s first-half equaliser, after Pedro had put the Spanish side ahead, blunted their relentless passing game for long.
There can be no shame in defeat. Not to this Barcelona side, a group of players that will surely go down as one of the most talented sides ever assembled. This is a team that boasts, arguably, three of the best five players in the world, a side that battered Real Madrid 5-0 earlier this season in a performance that prompted Rooney to stand and applaud in his own living room.
Perhaps in years to come Rooney will admire Barcelona’s performance in this match, too. At Wembley on Saturday there was only disappointment, though, punctuated briefly when he curled home from 15 yards to ignite hope. After that, Rooney, like most of his team-mates, struggled to make an impact.
Just as in Rome two years ago, the Reds started brightly and spent the majority of the opening 10 minutes in the Barcelona half. United’s midfield made early challenges and pressed high up the pitch, with Ji-sung Park and Michael Carrick proving particularly effective at disrupting the Catalans’ rhythm.
Barcelona almost appeared shell-shocked. The Spanish champions were uncharacteristically wasteful in possession – even Lionel Messi – and nervy at the back. It wasn’t until the 16th minute, when Pedro ghosted in front of Rio Ferdinand at the near post to poke wide from Sergio Busquet’s right-wing centre, that Barcelona showed any signs of settling.
Messi’s first flash of magic arrived shortly afterwards, although his pass at the end of a mazy dribble was slightly over-hit and Reds skipper Nemanja Vidic booted the ball to safety. David Villa flashed a long-range shot wide of Edwin van der Sar’s left-hand post and then, a minute later, forced a smart save from the Dutchman as Barcelona began to take control. Vidic then showed why he’s ranked amongst the best defenders in the world, stretching out a long leg to halt another Messi run inside the penalty area, but it was further proof that United’s grip on the game was slipping.
And then Barcelona struck. Playmaker Xavi burst forward, drew two defenders and slipped the ball to Pedro on his outside. Vidic couldn’t reach him quick enough and the 23-year-old kept his cool to beat van der Sar at the near post. The Reds stopper, playing in his fifth Champions League final and his last ever professional game, will have been disappointed with the concession, and United minds must have rolled back to the 2009 final. Then, after scoring first, the Spaniards held onto the ball superbly and barely gave United a kick.
Lessons were learned that night, though, and within seven minutes at Wembley the Reds were back on level terms. It was Rooney, at the end of a tumultuous season both on and off the pitch, who found the net and dragged United back into the game, exchanging passes with both Carrick and Giggs before curling the ball past Victor Valdes from 15 yards.
There was elegance in the move and grace in the finish – proof that Barcelona aren’t the only side who can do justice to the beautiful game. And although Andres Iniesta tried his luck from distance and Messi was mere inches from Villa’s cross on the stroke of half-time, Sir Alex’s men went into the break at 1-1.
Barcelona remained in the ascendancy when the second period began. Xavi twice found space on the edge of the area to shoot, only to be denied by blocks from Vidic and Carrick, while Dani Alves blasted at van der Sar after finding space down the right; Messi’s follow-up was headed clear by Patrice Evra.
A minute later, Messi restored the Catalans’ advantage, stroking the ball home from 20 yards. Nobody was surprised the ball found the net – it was his 12th goal in 13 Champions League games this season – but even the Argentina star, the undoubted man of the match, must have have raised an eyebrow at the space he was afforded. There was no United player within five yards of the Barcelona no.10 when he received the ball. Evra and Vidic made tentative moves toward him, but by the time either had committed themselves, Messi had advanced and picked his spot, guiding the ball past van der Sar from 20 yards.
At the other end, United struggled to involve Javier Hernandez, a player who so much seemed to rest upon before kick-off. The Mexican was often isolated, or caught offside – certainly, opportunities for him to unsettle Barcelona with his blistering pace were few and far between.
A cheeky Messi flick was cleared off the line by Fabio just after the hour-mark, before Xavi and Iniesta drew smart stops from van der Sar.
Barcelona’s killer third goal arrived on 69 minutes, and in spectacular fashion. Again Messi was the architecht, wriggling his way into the area and drawing defenders like bees to honey. The Reds did nick the ball, but only briefly. When it was rolled back to David Villa on the edge of the area, he took one touch to trap it dead before his second delivered the fatal blow. With minimum backlift he achieved maximum impact, curling the ball sumptuously into the top corner.
That was that. There was no coming back from there. Not from 3-1 down. Not against Barcelona. Instead, as in 2009, United were left to settle for being champions of England and runners-up to the best team on the planet.

great game.. no match for the greatest team on the planet. outclassed at every department.. article from Manchester United Official Website.

SONY vs Geohotz

After a short but rather storied history, infamous PlayStation 3 jailbreaker George “GeoHot” Hotz and Sony Computer Entertainment of America have settled their legal dispute, with a statement on the PlayStation Blog stating the two parties “reached an agreement in principle” around 10 days ago. According to said agreement, Hotz has “consented to a permanent injunction,” meaning he super swears he won’t do it again (legally speaking, of course), though no other terms are given. We were told by an SCEA rep that the terms of the settlement (beyond what was disclosed) are confidential.

Unsurprisingly, both Hotz’ legal team and Sony’s were excited to resolve the legal dispute so quickly. “It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier. I’m happy to have the litigation behind me,” Hotz said in the announcement.

Previously, Hotz had strict terms for a potential settlement. “Let’s just say, I want the settlement terms to include OtherOS on all PS3s and an apology on the PlayStation blog for ever removing it,” Hotz wrote on his website during the trial. “It’d be good PR for Sony too, lord knows they could use it,” he continued. “I’m also willing to accept a trade, a legit path to homebrew for knowledge of how to stop new firmwares from being decrypted.” Apparently the case spooked Hotz enough to reconsider.

The settlement announcement also absolves Hotz of any potential wrongdoing associated with recent PlayStation Network attacks. “Hotz was not involved in the recent attacks on Sony’s internet services and websites,” the statement reads.

To fully drive the point of the blog post home, SCEA general counsel Riley Russell said of Hotz, “We appreciate Mr. Hotz’s willingness to address the legal issues involved in this case and work with us to quickly bring this matter to an early resolution.”

For his part, Hotz announced via his blog this morning that he is “joining the Sony boycott,” and that he “will never purchase another Sony product.” It could be that he’s mad after the legal case … or it could just be that he’s broke.

After a short but rather storied history, infamous PlayStation 3 jailbreaker George “GeoHot” Hotz and Sony Computer Entertainment of America have settled their legal dispute, with a statement on the PlayStation Blog stating the two parties “reached an agreement in principle” around 10 days ago. According to said agreement, Hotz has “consented to a permanent injunction,” meaning he super swears he won’t do it again (legally speaking, of course), though no other terms are given. We were told by an SCEA rep that the terms of the settlement (beyond what was disclosed) are confidential.

Unsurprisingly, both Hotz’ legal team and Sony’s were excited to resolve the legal dispute so quickly. “It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier. I’m happy to have the litigation behind me,” Hotz said in the announcement.

Previously, Hotz had strict terms for a potential settlement. “Let’s just say, I want the settlement terms to include OtherOS on all PS3s and an apology on the PlayStation blog for ever removing it,” Hotz wrote on his website during the trial. “It’d be good PR for Sony too, lord knows they could use it,” he continued. “I’m also willing to accept a trade, a legit path to homebrew for knowledge of how to stop new firmwares from being decrypted.” Apparently the case spooked Hotz enough to reconsider.

The settlement announcement also absolves Hotz of any potential wrongdoing associated with recent PlayStation Network attacks. “Hotz was not involved in the recent attacks on Sony’s internet services and websites,” the statement reads.

To fully drive the point of the blog post home, SCEA general counsel Riley Russell said of Hotz, “We appreciate Mr. Hotz’s willingness to address the legal issues involved in this case and work with us to quickly bring this matter to an early resolution.”

For his part, Hotz announced via his blog this morning that he is “joining the Sony boycott,” and that he “will never purchase another Sony product.” It could be that he’s mad after the legal case … or it could just be that he’s broke.

yeah.. its nice to hear that finally this comes to an end. just put back the OtherOS and most of us would be happy to comply with Sony’s rule. don’t charge us unnecessarily though.. let’s hope everything goes well onwards. article from Joystiq.

George Hotz

Sony is accusing alleged PlayStation 3 hacker George Hotz of surrendering two “nonfunctional” hard drives in violation of a court order, and then taking off to South America.

But Hotz’s lawyer said Wednesday that Sony is “crying alligator tears” over the issue.

Sony is suing the 21-year-old Glen Rock, New Jersey, man on charges he violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by publishing an encryption key and software tools in January that allow PlayStation 3 owners to gain complete control of their consoles. As part of the litigation, a San Francisco federal magistrate ordered Hotz to surrender his hard drives to Sony, so files connected to the hack can be extracted and used as evidence in the case.

But Sony notified the judge that, when it got the drives from Hotz, they were no longer working. “Hotz had removed integral components from his impounded hard drives, rendering them completely non-functional.” (.pdf), the company claimed in a filing.

Stewart Kellar, Hotz’s attorney, said the issue is overblown.

“They didn’t have the controller card attached. That’s it,” Kellar said in a telephone interview Wednesday from his San Francisco office.

He said that Hotz has since turned over the cards, solving the problem.

Sony did not respond for comment.

Hotz, who is also well-known in iPhone hacking circles, so far is fighting the case on jurisdictional grounds, and maintains he should be sued in New Jersey instead of California.

As part of that battle, Sony claimed that it uncovered evidence that Hotz maintained an account on Sony’s PlayStation Network, which is based in Northern California. Hotz had denied holding a PSN account.

In its filing, Sony also pointed out that Hotz has left the country.

“Hotz conveniently traveled to South America in the midst of jurisdictional discovery, including his court-ordered deposition,” Sony said.

“I don’t want to comment on that stuff,” Kellar said. “He has done nothing to make himself unavailable.”

Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero has signed off on Sony subpoenas (.pdf) to Twitter, YouTube, Google and PayPal as part of the console-maker’s scorched-earth litigation tactics to win an unspecified amount of monetary damages from Hotz. Spero has also granted Sony the right to acquire the internet IP addresses of anybody who has visited Hotz’s website from January 2009 to the present.

SoftLayer Technologies, which counts psx-scene.com among its hosted sites, is objecting to a records demand seeking server logs and other information related to Hotz’s account on the online PlayStation forum.

The DMCA prohibits the trafficking of so-called “circumvention devices” designed to crack copy-protection schemes. Hotz’s hack provides PlayStation 3 owners the ability to run pirated and home-brewed software or alternative operating systems like Linux. Performing a similar hack on a mobile phone is not unlawful.

funny story though.. sony should’ve been well versed on this electronics stuff. don’t they have experts on HDD? if its not functional as said prove it with technical evidence then.. i still don’t see the benefit of Sony doing this. just ensure your console is good enough and make us users stick with the original instead of jailbreaking it. i must say that a portion of us only wants otherOS. i myself haven’t update it to the latest firmware just so that i can enjoy otherOS. and nope i’ve not jailbreak my PS3. i don’t see the needs yet. hmm.. article from Wired.

at this point i’m leaning towards matte black. why? i can’t really explain.. here’s some pics for you to see why..

GTR R35

Ferrari F50

Mirage GT

Impreza STi Version 10 Cosworth CS400

Impreza STi Spec C Version 9

Impreza STi Version 8

should it be in black?

or should it be in white?

*

*

*

OR

maybe it could be

blue???

the hunt continues to search for the best color that suits my eyes.. fury will have the new look soon.
note: none of the above are my cars.. pasted from various places on the net.  but the question is still to be answered..