Happy Merdeka Malaysia

Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians where ever you may be!

Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) is a national day of Malaysia commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule in 1957, celebrated on August 31 each year. But Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, when it is joined by Sabah and Sarawak. (wikipedia)


The Hibiscus

Malaysia National Flower is the hibiscus rosa sinensis or locally known as the Bunga Raya. I have captured some of the commonly found hibiscus in Malaysia:

Hibiscus of different kinds

Pink hibiscus found abundance at Ujana Rimba Tropika

The Bunga Raya - hibiscus rosa sinensis is on the right.

"Rakyat Didahulukan" - You First

The figure '1' here is the symbol for 1Malaysia that is used (you can find this almost everywhere) in many campaigns and advertorials by the government to showcase the 'oneness' in the society. In this case, Sabah Credit Corporation says "You First" to its customers and clients.


Malaysia Merdeka Themes

The 2012 Merdeka theme - "55 Years of Independence: Promises Fulfilled" - has proven to be controversial, as it is seen by many Malaysians to be a political slogan rather than a patriotic one. Controversial or not, here are the themes for the last 20 years:

Merdeka themes: 1992 - 2012

Let's pray that Malaysia shall continue to be peaceful and progressive. That our leaders are given the wisdom to govern the country always in a fair manner.

Microsoft Surface tablet to arrive on October 26 - equipped with Windows 8

The outcome of the court case involving Apple and Samsung has been made known. In repercussion, other tablet manufacturers will now be more careful with the design of their upcoming products.

But let's put that behind us for now because we are going to be in for a busy Fourth Quarter as far as tablets and smartphones are concerned. Apple is scheduled to launch the new iPhone (iPhone 5) on September 12. Meanwhile, Microsoft will launch its own tablet, the Microsoft Surface on October 26 - the first tablet to run on Windows 8 operating system. To be precise, the Surface will run on Windows RT and the Surface Pro on Windows 8 Pro.



Launching on October 26, 2012, the Surface will be available together with Windows 8. The Surface Pro to be available 3 months after that.


KEY SPECIFICATIONS OF THE MICROSOFT SURFACE

The Tablet will be available in two versions, "Surface" and "Surface Pro". Surface will run the Windows RT operating system and the higher end, Surface Pro will run the Windows 8 Pro operating system.

Price                         : TBA
                                  : SlashGear quoted a report suggesting $599 (RM1,899)
Screen size              : 10.6", HD (Surface) and Full HD (Surface Pro) display
Processor                 : ARM (Surface), Dual-core Intel Core i5 (Surface Pro)
Operating system     : Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro
Storage capacity      : 32, 64GB (Surface), 64, 128GB (Surface Pro)
Expansion slot          : microSD and microSDXC respectively
Connectivity             : MIMO WiFi, USB
Camera                      : dual-cam (resolution not specified)
Weight                       : 676 g (Surface), 903 g (Surface Pro)
Announced               : June 2012
Availability               : October 26, 2012


We shall see if the Surface, especially Surface Pro is a contender to the iPad. If priced competitively it should be a good option for the fans of 10-inch tablets.

Solar-powered car in the future?

275W x 8 = 2.2 kWp system? Possible.