Bersama ABD. HALIM HADI TALIB halim.hadi@utusan.com.my
KEINDAHAN alam bawah air yang penuh dengan subjek unik dan menarik.
KEUNIKAN alam marin yang dipenuhi hidupan ganjil dan berwarna-warni merupakan antara pemandangan paling memukau untuk diabadikan pada sekeping kanvas. Keindahan dunia separa fantasi itu sekali gus menjadikan fotografi bawah air antara kemuncak kepuasan dalam penghasilan gambar yang mempunyai subjek-subjek luar dari kebiasaan. Selain kemahiran menyelam skuba, fotografi bawah air juga menuntut penggunaan peralatan khusus yang agak mahal sehingga ramai yang berfikir panjang untuk menceburi bidang itu. Bagi yang mempertimbangkan fotografi bawah air sebagai kerjaya profesional dan serius, halangan tersebut memang wajar difikirkan tetapi bagi yang sekadar ingin mencuba, fotografi bawah air bukan lagi sesuatu yang terlalu sukar dan mahal. Teknologi fotografi yang berkembang pesat pada hari ini juga banyak memberi 'manfaat' kepada mereka yang memiliki lesen skuba untuk merakam keindahan di dasar laut. Sebagai hobi permulaan, perbelanjaan membeli kamera kalis air kini tidak lagi membebankan. Sebuah kamera kompak berserta sarung kalis air kini boleh dibeli pada harga kira-kira RM3,000. Antara model-model yang dipadankan (dijual berasingan) dengan bekas kalis air adalah dari keluaran Canon, Nikon dan Olympus. Bagaimanapun, rakaman fotografi bawah air tidak semudah seperti yang dilakukan di darat. Di dalam air, cabaran pertama bermula dengan kebolehan menguasai teknik apungan iaitu kemahiran untuk berada di dalam keadaan neutral (tidak tenggelam dan tidak timbul). Selain tolakan arus di dasar laut yang menyebabkan gambar menjadi kabur, rakaman juga terbatas oleh faktor-faktor seperti kesukaran mendapatkan perspektif, kekurangan cahaya dan subjek yang sentiasa bergerak.
Small wearable tech makes a big impact at CES 2013.
by Brian Bennett
The slick-looking Martian Passport watch
(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)
LAS VEGAS--When you think of CES, chances are it's images of massive HDTVs that first come to mind. This year, however, technology on a tiny scale made a big impact. This new product category we call wearable tech consists of gadgets small enough to be clipped, pinned, or looped around your body and worn constantly. The smartwatch If you thought that the smartwatch died with the demise of Microsoft's SPOT devices over a decade ago, you're in for a rude awakening. With the recent rise of the smartphone, the need for the wealth of information these devices provide access to at a glance has never been greater. Of course some would argue that linking your watch to your cell phone just because you can is a waste of time, or at least a luxury bound to add unnecessary complication to your life. I say different. If an intelligent timepiece isn't noticeably large or indeed even has an attractive, stylish design, that's a gadget I want to take a look at. A great example of a watch like this is the Pebble. Shown for the first time at CES 2013, the Pebble was born out of a Kickstarter project. Sleek, thin, and colorful, the $150 Pebble syncs with both Android and iOS handsets to showcase e-mail and social-networking updates. Its e-ink style LCD displays caller ID too, supports multiple watch faces, and is readable in direct sunlight.
Further evidence of the Pebble's smarts is that you can configure custom alerts pushed from the cloud or commanded through a Bluetooth-connected smartphone. I also like how the Pebble boasts lots of slick gear such as an accelerometer and ambient light sensor, which hopefully developers will take advantage of by creating killer apps. Now, sometimes you need a device that satisfies your inner secret agent, and that's where the Martian Passport comes in. At $299, this gizmo certainly isn't cheap. Still, the Passport can do things James Bond would be impressed by. A regular watch, though with premium 1960s aesthetics, the Passport links to phones via Bluetooth. A small OLED screen displays caller ID, other alerts, and settings. Use the watch to conduct calls by speaking through its microphone and listening to its speaker. You can also issue voice commands to the watch that iPhone's Siri and Android Google can understand. Now that's what I call neato spy tech. Fitness tech I observed another trend at CES, the increasing number of personal fitness gadgets. Products like this aren't exactly new but this year the category seemed to really gather steam. For example Fitbit announced a new tracker, called the Fitbit Flex, which is squarely aimed at the Nike FuelBand and Jawbone Up. A wristband-style gadget, the Flex connects to iPhones and Android handsets to share stats such as the number of steps you take and the quality and duration of your sleep. In the same vein, startup company Basis Science finally disclosed plans to bring its Basis Band health tracker to market. A digital watch and oh so much more, the Basis Band relies on IR, motion, and sweat sensors to paint a complete picture of your healthy (or unhealthy) activities. Outlook While not many exciting new smartphones debuted at this year's CES, a groundswell of mobile accessories has emerged, all taking advantage of the growing computing and networking power of today's cellular handsets. Some of these products, from the new Fitbit Flex to the Basis Band, promise to harness the cloud to present and analyze data. Others, like the Pebble and Martian Passport, are just plain whizbang cool. I can't wait for these devices to hit the market.
Are you often looking for the best way to protect your data online? Here's another tip to help keep you up to speed with your Google account.
by Nicole Cozma
(Credit: shsu.edu)
The end-user is at the mercy of the service creator when it comes to how secure their data will be online. Google, fortunately, offers extra opt-in features to help ensure than no one other than you will be able to log-in and access your information. One of these security measures is the two-step authentication process. With two-step, the user decides if they want to enter a randomly generated code each time they log in from a specific place, or if they want to enter it only every 30 days. The benefit is that if you try to log in from elsewhere, Google will ask you for the code again, thus preventing unwanted users from accessing the account. In the past, Google offered to e-mail you when an unauthorized person was attempting to log in to your two-step secured account, but now there's a new option: phone notifications. If you are someone who gets a great deal of e-mail per day, you may have e-mail notifications silenced; otherwise, you'd be hearing a jingle on your desk or from your pocket every 15-30 minutes. By using the phone notifications for suspicious account activity -- and as long as you don't have those silent at the time, too -- you're likely to be alerted more promptly in the event that someone is trying to crack your account password. Here's how to enable those notifications:
Step 1: Log in to your Google account and click on your profile picture in the top-right corner, then choose Account. You can also click this link if you're already logged in.
(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)
Step 2: On the left-hand side of the page, click the Security link. Scroll down to Notifications. You may need to verify your phone number if you have not done so in the past.
(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)
Step 3: Once verified, check the boxes next to Password change and Suspicious log-in attempt. Now you will receive these notifications on your phone, offering you a chance to know right away when someone is trying to log in. If you do receive one of these alerts, it's a good idea to change your password. If you're especially worried about the security of your account, consider reading How to check the strength of your passwords before setting a new one. Thanks to gHacks for pointing out the new feature.
Kira-kira 6 kilometer dari selatan bandar Dunhuang, China terdapat sebuah keajaiban alam yang mana ia mempunyai satu lanskap tasik yang sangat menarik. Ia juga turut dikelilingi dengan gunung pasir.
Melayukini.net – Subhanallah! Keajaiban Alam Di Gurun Gobi (10 Foto) | Kebiasaannya kita sering dibayangi dengan suasana gurun yang hanya berlatarkan tempat yang kurang menarik. Terdapat sebuah gurun yang terletak kira-kira 6 kilometer dari selatan bandar Dunhuang, China. Ia dikelilingi oleh gunung pasir menjadikan tempat ini satu keajaiban alam. Jika dilihat seolah-olah tempat ini menyerupai bentuk bulan sabit Sejak tahun 1960 kedalaman tasik disini terus menurun, tapi pada tahun 2006 kerajaan tempatan dengan bantuan kerajaan pusat mula memulihkan kembali kedalaman tasik ini. Jom lihat gambar di bawah ini.
Melayukini.net - Subhanallah, sungguh hebat ciptaan Allah. Terdapat sebuah tasik di tengah-tengah gurun tersebut. Apa yang menariknya, ia turut dikelilingi dengan gunung-gunung pasir. Alhamdulillah, pihak sana telah mengambil inisiatif mencantikkan lagi tempat tersebut walaupun ia jauh dan agak sukar untuk orang ramai bertandang ke sana.
