Each team will need to defend their Main Towers and sub-Towers
while trying to destroy the other team’s towers.
The main towers will keep spawning waves of walking and auto
attacking monsters.
These monsters will attack the other team’s players or
monsters or towers.
Players can attack monsters and towers but cannot attack
other players.
To prevent players with over-powered characters, the
characters that can be chosen will be pre-set and configured characters with standard
artifacts and weapons for players to choose.
The type of monsters in the waves that are spawn can be chosen
and configured by each team at any time using point system.
Example Total points is 50, to spawn one hilichurl is 1 point
but a cicin mage is 5 points for example.
Total number cannot exceed 50 points.
Throughout the fight, the Total points will increase for
each team as they destroy the opponent towers.
The map can have 3 lanes for each team with 3 sub towers on
each lane and all lanes leading to the main tower (total 10 towers).
Players can also configure the defense mechanism on each towers
using Tower Point system.
Similar to the enemy wave spawning point. The team can spend
the points to equip towers with different attacks, healing abilities etc.
The game ends once all towers from one team is destroyed.
Winning Team gets to spin a wheel of rewards to obtain
random rewards.
Similar to Labyrinth Warriors but different in many aspects.
Every time a player attempts the raid, the map will be
randomly generated such that the paths are randomized, the art theme of the
area is randomized (example forest type area or snow type area etc).
The enemies (eg lvl80) that spawns will be randomized each
time.
Player will explore the dungeon similar to Labyrinth
Warriors or Story mode dungeons (eg. Palace in a Pool) and fight waves of
monsters.
The levels can also have puzzles in between for player to
solve
The level will finish off with a random boss fight.
The time taken to finish the level will be recorded down (considered
as Raid Level 1 completed).
Once complete, player can replay again and everything will
be randomly generated again.
But this time round, the level of all enemies will increase
by 1 (ie level 81)
Player will play thru to clear the whole random generated dungeon
again.
Total time taken to finish will be recorded down (considered
as Raid Level 2 completed)
Player can then replay again and everything will be randomly
generated again
Enemies will now be level 82.
Player will clear the Raid Level 3 and time taken will be
recorded.
Player can keep replaying to keep fighting higher and higher
level of Raid with enemies of increasing levels until they can no longer clear
due to enemies being too powerful.
When the player fails at a Raid, the player will need to
restart from Raid Level 1 again and climb up again.
Rewards:
Two ladders of rewards.
One ladder of rewards for solo play
One ladder of rewards for co-op play
Every Raid level the player clear, there will be a reward
for player to collect once for each Raid level (similar to Battle Pass level)
Both reward ladders reset every week.
The top 20 shortest total time taken for to clear to the
highest Raid level of the server will be displayed for all players to see on
the event page (one leaderboard for solo and one for co-op).
Regards
I will submit another suggest for Tower defense type
permanent event
The devices since my early days of foray into technology.
Decided to go with Android ever since the Nexus One on Android Cupcake instead of iOS.
Never regretted since...
Some of my other devices didn't make it into the photo. I had a hard time deciding. Ended up with only devices with the Nexus logo. The rest can be seen in the link below...
- The set is competitively priced for a YR2015 65 incher. - Form factor is ultra slim with edge to edge screen. Almost looks like a picture frame with ultra thin bezels. - I/O. No COAX but only an optical TOSHLINK for audio, HDMI ports are aplenty. USB ports and Ethernet port comes as standard. A little hard to reach all the ports behind for a panel this big. - The remotes are responsive enough. Additional One Flick remote is a joy to use. Both remotes lacking Context Menu key which is sometimes required in an Android based OS. For keyboard wise, you can just connect your phone to the TV or get a Bluetooth Keyboard. I recommend the MadCatz Strike M keyboard. - OS. A joy to use the OS as it runs on Android TV. Using the Android TV app on the phone allows you to use your phone as another remote or keyboard. Google Cast is inbuilt. Would be a lot better if your Google Account is a US account. But even that, being in SG, there are still some limitations without VPN. Other than that, the Android TV OS is smart and fast enough. The features built in are actually very useful for a TV. - Panel. Yes its only a Full HD panel but its plenty good enough. I did a thorough check on the panel and spotted 2 very small dead blue subpixels as well as one ultra small stuck pixel. All three are small enough for normal people to miss entirely. The corners of the screen do suffer from a slight vignette effect. Some say its to prevent flashlighting of the panel. - Colour is as nice as a Bravia engine can provide. Love it. - Sound is surprisingly good! TV is plenty loud at level 14. Would be even better if you get the Sony wireless subwoofer to go with it. - Warranty 3yrs & 3mths if registered online, panel included. - Level of service. I bought it from Sony Flagship Store at 313. The sales rep, Kim is very helpful and after sales service was fantastic. Even the response through Sony @ Facebook was prompt. They sent a technician down to my place as soon as they can when I voiced concerns over the vignetting of the screen. - Didnt bother to try out the 3D capability and the 2 free 3D glasses.
After seeing Razer announced its Forge TV running Android TV, and many other manufacturers' Android AUTO head unit on CES 2015, I wonder wouldn't it be cool that Razer make a car head unit that runs on Android as well?
Why Razer? Well, I really hope to see a commodity product from Singapore getting recognition globally. While there is still Creative, Razer is more suited for this case with its fore-running image in embracing technology. My design also has many Razer design elements incorporated and some parts can even be reused from Razer's existing arsenal of products. Besides, Razer has a current ecosystem which is more compatible with the software of this design and therefore has more potential in the future during the product's lifetime. Razer also has experience in numerous audio products already. (Lets not debate on whether Razer can be considered a Singaporean brand here)
Hardware As can be seen from the sketch below, there are no breakthrough or impossible technology here. Just a design that provides the best consumer package to satisfy the most demanding user.
Specifications The top of the line specifications are chosen to ensure the unit is at least future proof for the next 5 to 10 years. Using close to stock Android as the native OS also means updates can be timely and relatively easy. Collaborations with other app developers such as Sygic can also ensure these useful navigation or car apps get bundled together with the product for sale.
Design
I chose a 1 DIN layout instead of the more common 2 DIN for touch screen head units because of a few reasons. With a 1 DIN layout, users can use the free space for their car meters such as Boost, Temperature or Pressure gauges. They could also just use the free space as a storage area for their phones when connecting to the head unit for Android AUTO or Apple CarPlay.
The materials used have to be high quality as this is supposed to be a premium product. Elements should also make existing Razer customers feel right at home.
I guess the rest can be seen from the sketch itself.
NAME
The name of the product is the Razer KOMODO Chroma. I was so engrossed in thinking how the embossed name should look like that I royally mispelled KOMODO as KODOMO. Epic FAIL there.
Komodo is chosen as that is the predatory 4 legged reptile, the Komodo dragon. Kodomo, actually means Children in Japanese > <
For Razer users, you probably already know what the 'Chroma' means. Its just a term to signify that the color of lighting on the product can be changed.
Anyway, I once thought of calling this unit the Razer Sleipnir, which is an eight legged horse in Norse mythology. But I end up choosing the more reptilian name.
For the in-car camera, I chose the name Razer Boa as boas generally have good eyesight.
As a science-educated person, I have always considered myself either a Free Thinker, Atheist or Buddhist.
Buddhist because my parents are both Buddhists and I often company them during their routine practices and rituals. In addition, I find the teachings of Buddhism to be very acceptable with regards to my personal beliefs, principles, reason and empathy.
Recently, I chanced upon a potential candidate for a relationship after having failed and recovering from one almost 3 years ago. Things were perfect for us, except one. She is a child of God. A very staunch CHC follower at that. I learned that she wasn't Christian by birth and that her whole family ain't Christian except for herself. And she had only joined the religion a little over 2 years ago. Of course, I knew we were at the end of the road.
However, what struck me was how powerful the Christian faith can be in terms of its influence (I guess I have always knew that but just couldn't be bothered). And it was only then I noticed that throughout the multiple social media platforms that I am in, there are many posts and re-posts related to the Christian faith! But almost close to none on anything else!
Hence I started looking for good, inspirational and content rich media on Buddhism, Free Thinking and Atheism. It was't as easy.
But today, my Dad actually shared your blog with me. And to my surprise and delight, it is a very good source for me. The articles are very well written and to my liking.
Just want to say thank you for all the work, time and effort you have placed into this blog to share with us your views on Buddhism.
Following the catastrophic, totally unforeseen and unexpected failure of my Seagate Goflex Agent 3TB USB2.0 ext HDD, I have come to the tough and painful decision to finally give up on one of my most devoted hobbies. Archiving of digital media.
I have been doing that since 1996. First with cheap DVDs, and after which they failed me, moving on to HDDs.
Prior to making this decision, I had tried to revive the failed HDD, as well as exploring other options such as Solid State HDDs and even Cloud Storage... as of today, they are just too expensive to be considered viable options.
After much consideration, the conclusion was to totally cut off this hobby of mine. A hobby that I had been diligently doing, and probably helped define me. I must admit, it felt like a chore sometimes. The never ending back logs and the lack of a competent enough computer to help me carry out this hobby easier... Perhaps this is a calling to liberate myself from this bottomless pit.
Nevertheless, I have made the decision and like all other decisions I have made, I shall stick with it with.
Problem Statement:
On 31 JAN 13, 2000hrs, Operator THo attempted to transfer several files and folders from his Windows 8 PC Desktop to his external HDD. During the process, the transfer stalled and was unable to complete. This occurred repeatedly subsequently even after numerous remounting, reboot and shutdowns.
RCA:
Man -
Operator has years of experience in operating the Windows OS since 1996.
He is well verse in basic functions and features of the OS.
Man is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Materials -
The files that were meant to be transferred were checked for integrity and all files passed CHECKSUM and were fully playable.
Material is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Measurement -
To rule out the possibility of a graphical representation error, a small file was transferred from the PC to the HDD. This file theoretically will take only 10 seconds to be transferred at a rate of 25 MB/s. However, the transfer process stalled and the file was not transferred successfully even after waiting for 15 minutes.
Measurement is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Method -
The method employed was the basic Windows 8 function of COPY, CUT & PASTE. Operator had executed the method with deadly precision and flawless accuracy.
Method is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Mother Nature -
To rule out Mother Nature, the following were accessed as shown below...
Was the PC or HDD in an environment that is too hot?
No. Operation was carried out at night.
Was there sufficient power supplied to the HDD?
Yes. HDD was connected to different USB ports. HDD was connected to different power supplies. All redundant power hungry devices were disconnected. Problem still occurs.
Was the cable of the HDD faulty?
No. Cables are new.
Mother Nature is unlikely the root cause of the event.
Machine -
PC: From online data monitoring, hardware was performing perfectly during the transfer process.
HDD: There is still 0.9 TB of space left from the 3 TB capacity.
Software: All updates were applied.
To further the investigation, the operator attempted to replicate the event with the following variables:
- Transfer a file to a different directory of the same HDD
- Transfer a file to a different identical HDD
- Transfer a file to a flashdrive
- Repeat the above using another PC
While executing the first action, it was found that the file managed to transfer successful into a different directory of the same HDD.
It was found that the directory in which the event manifested is filled with 1074 files and folders.
Having too many items in a single directory is the likely root cause of the event.
Effectiveness Check:
To confirm the root cause, 100GB of files was transferred from the PC to the same HDD into a different directory. Transfer was successful at a constant pace of 25 MB/s.
OPEN CAPA:
To prevent future occurrences, the Digital Archival Project is targeted to be completed by 01 JAN 14.
This will ensure all the 1074 files and folders will be properly sorted and archived.
Over the past year plus, I have noticed several changes in myself and my everyday life.
These changes arose mainly from 2 events of my life thus far.
First, my job in my current company which I started beginning of 2011.
And second, of course, would be the end of my 6 years relationship with my ex.
Perhaps one may say that it really isn't a change in me, but rather just a resurface of my innate personality. Who knows? Even I, myself, isn't very sure.
2 years ago, I was in a job role whereby I deal with machines and equipment all day. I have a list of tasks to complete everyday and at the end of the day, if I managed to complete it, the day ends good. Everything is within my control and up to myself. Equipments and machines never fails you if you treat it with care and concern. Hence, at the end of the day, I would yearn for some human interaction despite my hikikomori nature. I would often organise gatherings, outings and BBQs at my place.
With my current job role, I deal with people everyday. Different types of people from different departments all within the same company, each with different political agenda. Everyday is a constant drone of tasks which are very dependent on other people's input. I am no longer in control on how well I do my job. Facing human is a bugazillion more difficult that facing a machine anytime!
Nowadays, I can't wait for my work to be over at the end of the day so I can go home and face my machines. Gone are the old days of organising activities. Even stepping out of my room turns me off sometimes. The most would be to go for a night drive in my Rei.
And now that I am single, there is even less point of me going out. Back then, I would still want to go out time to time as my partner is the outgoing type. Now there is no need for such compromise, my inner hikikomori self is grinning from mouth to ears. Stay at home, surf the net, watch videos, listen to music, read stuffs... My friends' parents question them why they are back home late, mine question me why I am back home early! LOL.
Well I guess time changes people and lives, I shall end this post with a short poem...
Forever, nothing will last.
Eternity, the only change is.
Diamond to Dust, with time will shape...
Today marks a new chapter of my life. After 6 years, I lost a huge part of my life yesterday. Perhaps its my own undoing that I allowed it to happen, perhaps its just the strength of time, perhaps it is just meant to be. It is futile for me to resist change and inevitable that I can only see its aftermath as I try to pass through every single day.
It is sad to have nothing, but just as sad to have everything... and no one to share it with...
SE has really come a long way since their early days of venture into the Android realm. Their initial efforts were half hearted, half baked and mediocre at best. The SE Xperia X10 was lacking in more areas then some. Personally, being an ex-SE user, I was utterly disappointed in SE with what they had to offer. However, SE did mentioned that they will learn from their experience with the X10 and promised to improve on their Android offerings in 2011. Many were sceptical, even myself.
2011 came, and boy did SE improved. Their latest range of Android phones spot the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, standard 1GHz processors and stylish form. Coupled with their ironclad position in the gaming realm, they assimilated the PlayStation name with their Android devices. The direct offspring, being the PlayStation Suite & of course the SE Xperia Play. And to top it off with a cherry on top, they promised to update their old X10 to Gingerbread 2.3 as well. Kudos to them.
Now, this year's SE flagship Android phone will be none other than the SE Xperia Arc. With super stylish design and unbelievable slimness, the Arc is indeed a magnificent piece of engineering. Well, they do say Sony is essential run by engineers, don’t they? Like any SE Android phone, the arc will come with the custom UI known as Timescape. SE has done many improvements with Timescape since its first induction on the X10. Timescape now is very much faster, smoother, prettier and useful. And of course, the Arc packs a 8 megapixel camera. This camera is able to take very beautiful stills with good auto white balance as well as superior low light shots. This is due to its Exmor R sensor which uses back-illuminated CMOS technology. The dedicated camera shutter button is also a welcomed addition.
Now while these all sounds very good. I shall now touch a little on my pet peeves. Firstly, the device is not running on a dual core processor. Ushering 2011 is a gamut of Android devices from multiple manufacturers utilising dual core processors to power their devices. Some even use up to 1.5Ghz dual core processors. While 1Ghz single core is the standard and norm nowadays, dual core is the way into the future. 1Ghz belongs more to the last generation of Android phones, the Gen 1 Androids since the introduction of the Nexus One. Once the Gen 2 phones are on the shelves, the Arc might find itself in a power struggle.
Secondly, the lack of a front facing camera might proof to be its Achilles’ heel once the Google I/O in May is over. There are very strong hints in the tablet based Android Honeycomb 3.0 that Google is adding video functionality to their mobile apps. Google Talk is definitely one candidate to receive this feature. Lacking the front facing camera might result in the Arc losing a portion of users who would like to enjoy the true Google experience.
Since we are on the topic on Google Experience, I shall now touch on my last point. The Xperia line of phones can hardly be considered as Android devices with pure Google experience. Of course, the UI is already customised. And the most glaring physical mutation would be the lack of a Search button. All true Android devices have 4 physical buttons. The Xperia line only has 3. While this is hardly a cause for concern for average users, it is the timeliness of updates from Google that all users should be worried about.
SE has yet to proof that they will deliver all updates from Google to their device users in a timely manner. An acceptable timeframe would be no more than 3 months delay. SE used to be notorious in that area. It took them one whole year to update their X10 from 1.6 Donut to 2.1 Eclair while the rest of the world is already using 2.2 Froyo. Having said all that, the Arc is still a very desirable device. I am sure its camera will impress both users and sceptics. Its light weight, slim and stylish design will win over the ladies. Its Bravia technology display will make media consumption an awesome experience. For a two year SGD$30 monthly contract and an upfront payment of SGD$400, I think it should garner substantial interest and users.
The SE Xperia Arc is available locally in two colours, Midnight blue and Misty silver. It is also available in Japan in Sakura pink.
There are 6 general actions which can be used on a typical Android device.
You firstly have the 4 command buttons at the bottom of the screen.
They are (in random order), "back", "menu", "home", "search".
The back button always brings you back a previous action. Much like the back button of a internet browser.
The menu button brings up a context menu. This menu shows additional options and/or settings depending on the context. ie. the options and/or settings shown differs in different scenarios.
The home button always brings your to your main CENTRE home screen (you have screens both left and right unless you are using Samsung Android devices). If you hold down on home, your 8 most recently used apps will appear for fast app switching. The home screen of the Android is fully customizable from setting wallpapers to widgets to icons. The rest of your apps will be within the app drawer. Unlike the iPhone, your apps will NOT all appear at the home screen. Only those which you choose to be shown are there.
The search button is also a context search button which basically let you search anything under the sun. From your apps, to music, to contacts, to the internet, etc. If you hold down on the search button, you will activate the voice command.
The second last action will be our usual swiping and pinching action.
The last action, and most important action, will be the long press. Sometimes when you cannot get your desired action using the menu button, you can press and hold your finger on the screen, on the target, to get your desired action to appear. eg. Long press on a link in the browser, you will get loads of option to either copy, open in new tab, save, etc etc. Or long press on an empty area on your homescreen to get options to change your wallpaper etc etc. Or long press on an icon to move or delete it.
Just remember, if you wanna try to do something and you cant seem to do it, LONG PRESS! You most probably will get it :)
Everyone likes to ask me this question whenever they see me whipping out my N1: "What's the difference between this and the iPhone?", "What's so great about this phone?"
I would like to answer them this: "With the announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series, the mobile picture is now officially a three-way dance: Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The same people who dominate desktop computing. Everybody else is screwed."
"I can keep raving about the hardware specs about the N1... about how it crushes the iPhone specs hands down" But to me, specs are never stagnant. Maybe 4 months down the road, Apple will announce the new iPhone 4G which will spot equal or even better spec.
To buy a product, you are not so much buying it for its specs. You are buying the company's philosophy.
I value freedom and openness. The freedom to thinker with my phone. The openness of being able to use it how I want to use it. Pop an mp3 into the sdcard and you can play it straight away. Freedom of over the air updates. Thats why the Google N1 is for me.
If you want something that is packaged nicely for you out of the box, something that is user-friendly and very easy to use; simply because you cannot use it any other way except for how its company wants you to use it... get the iPhone. They market content inorder to sell hardware. You are buying it for the iTunes, the apps, etc. Give a child or elderly an iPhone and they can use it straight out of the box within few minutes.
If you want something that is familiar brand amongst the masses. If you value instant connectivity. If you want all the information to be pushed to you and available to you at a single glance all in device without having to log into other individual services. Then Microsoft's WP7S's "Hub" concept is the way to go for you. I would have considered this a refreshing change and would definitely get it if Android did not exist.
1. Shopping experience 2. Cheap gadgets 3. Sparse land 4. Weather and seasons 5. The many places to visit 6. The driving experience 7. Fast dedicated internet connection 8. TV channels 9. Delicious fast food
This is my first and probably last blog post since arriving here at California. I am glad to be given the opportunity to visit the US and being able to explore its many interesting places during the weekends.
However, there is one thing that makes me a little regretful coming here.
The Singapore General Elections 2011.
Being here in California means that I will not be able to place my vote unless I travel to DC, SFO or NYC.
This year's GE is going to be pretty intense. No one will know how the final results will turn out to be. Out of 87 seats, 81 were contested. The highest number of seats being contested since a long long time.
I have always been thinking about the plight of true-pink Singaporeans and how the current governement runs the country. Their policies and laws put in place which affects the lives of all Singaporeans, especially the middle to low income group. With this coming elections, my feelings and thoughts intensifies...
There are people who feels that the PAP, being so high up in their ivory tower, with their very obess pay cheques, are very much out of touch with what is happening on the ground. They cannot be blamed for this. When one is affluent enough, one will never ever be able to understand what the poor is going through. How their lives are being lived. It is simply incomprehensible to the wealthy.
I remember I once watched the movie Money No Enough 2. In the show, the 3 brothers were forced to transfer their sick mother, who took very good care of them when they were young, from a very well equipped private hospital to a public government hospital. During that scene, one of my friends, who happens to be from a very well to do family, exclaimed: "The sons are so unfilial! I would never do that if I were them!" That statement struck a cord in me. I realised that this friend of mine, who had everything given to him by his parents, will never be able to understand what it means to be poor. What it means to earn a living. What it means to own his own car. What it means to support a family. The rich will simply not understand as, with money, these day to day problems simply is non existent to them.
I simply said: "Just ask yourself this. Will you be able to give the kind of life your parents gave you now once they retire? Just by your own capability?"
If the PAP can get a surgery done for a mere SGD$8 due to their benefits and subsidies, how can they ever ever understand what the average Singaporean has to go through and pay for the cost of a surgery. Naturally, to them, hospital bills are very affordable! Cheaper than 3 packets of chicken rice!
If hospital bills are really that cheap, there will not be a saying: "You can die in Singapore. But you cannot afford to be sick." I guess that is why our Ah Gong said "You die your business!"
Everyone knows that public housing prices are skyrocketing. Young couples are taking loans of up to 30 years! In the end, they are left with nothing in their CPF accounts. While it is true that they may get a roof over their head which can bring them profit if they were to sell it in years to come, but that would mean they will have to sleep in the streets!
To buy another house after selling will also mean they have to pay a higher price for that new house! Everyone knows, if you sell high, you buy high.
Most Singaporeans will never go bankrupt. But they will be forever in debt despite working their whole life.
There are some who said, if you don't like it, you can choose to leave the country. This statement is, again, made by ignorant fools who are rich enough to not know what the poor is going through. The poor do not have no choices! They cannot CHOOSE to leave like you can. They do not have the means nor the money to relocate themselves to another country. The only way is to become a refugee...
While Singapore is painted as a City of Gold, there are loads of middle to lower income families who are true-pink Singaporeans. They are Singaporeans like you and me. Yet they are left behind as Singapore races forwards to get the highest GDP growth. It is this group of people that we should pay more attention to... they make up a substantial percentile of our population. We should not leave them behind.
These lower income families are, in general, not as well educated as us. Their lives are very much affected by the relentless influx of foreigners. Their wages are affected and worst, they may even lost their jobs as they are being out competed by younger foreigners who are asking for a very much lower pay. Nowadays, trains are packed to the brim unlike just 5 years ago. I feel that I am in a foreign country. The local to foreigners ratio is 2 to 3, almost like Dubai. And no! I do not count permanent residents as locals.
As I always say, there should not be discrimination, but there should be distinction. I do not discriminate foreigners. Foreign workers are needed for the physical development of the nation. As Singaporeans are getting more and more educated, not much are willing to take up manual and physical occupations. But there needs to be a clear and very define distinction between locals, permanent residents and foreigners. Executive jobs should be given to Singaporeans first. Scholarships should be used to nurture rooted Singaporeans first!
Having said that, I am very against foreigners who refuse to integrate with our society and instead, demand us to accommodate to their whims and way of doing things. The PAP is spending our taxpayers money to help these foreigners integrate into our society when they should be the one who should be spending the extra effort to do so. Moreover, why should we be paying for them to try to get them to integrate into our society when almost all of them are not interested in staying rooted in Singapore?
I am going to buy a flat soon. I choose to buy a resale flat in AMK despite its high cost and lack of grants for buying from the free market. Why? Because when i go home from work everyday, I want to really go Home. A home with local Singaporeans. AMK, unlike the new towns, still has a relatively high local to foreigner ratio. I do not want to go home to a place where everywhere i go, i see foreigners. I know my decision will be expensive. That is why i rather choose an older flat within AMK.
Many fear to vote for the opposition for they are afraid that by making the wrong choice, it will be the end of Singapore. What is the worst that could happen to Singapore in 5 years? Will there by repercussions which will affect us far longer into the future? If we focus less on growth of GDP, will we fall behind our neighbors? Behind by 5 years or maybe more? Are we willing to not be the number one in our region?
Can we afford not to be number one?
These are questions we have to bare in mind before we cast our sacred votes.
No matter what, there needs to be changes. The new government will have to find a balance amongst this network of issues.
Wow, its been really a long while since I wrote anything here. Been busy. A lot have happened. Next year I will be joining a new company and will be posted to the States for a good half a year.
Today is a significant day. It is the day when Google and Samsung launch the Nexus S. For all of you who still lives under an e-rock, the Nexus S is the second true and pure Google experience phone which will be released into the market since the launch of Google and hTC's Nexus One a year ago.
As a Nexus One owner, naturally I am very excited about this. However, the Nexus S did not really give me the 'wow' feeling I had with the Nexus One. I probably will still get it nonetheless.
This, however, kick started my design thinking cap! What if I can design my OWN Nexus phone. What would it be like? Hmmmm...
Here goes...
It probably will look similar to the Nexus S in shape, thickness and size.
It will however have some titanium parts in matt colour to make it look slightly more premium but yet still keep the weight low.
It will have the same contour screen design.
It will have all the standard ports, slots, jacks, sensors and whatever.
Big internal phone memory for Apps! The other hardware specs are of no importance as specs are ever improving.
Now here comes the core of my design idea.
If Apple's iPhone has a one button to control all, my Nexus' design language will be a one ticker screen to control all.
My phone will spot a 4 inch AMOLED screen (of course the latest variant of AMOLED).
But right under that 4 inch screen, I will have a second mini AMOLED screen about 1 to 1.5 cm in height and the same width as the 4 inch screen.
I call this mini screen the ticker screen and the 4 inch screen the main screen for easy reference in this post.
Under normal usage of the phone (i.e. when the main screen is ON), the ticker screen will display the four Android command buttons. For Android users, it will be the 'back', 'menu', 'home' and 'search' button.
The user, can choose to press and hold to drag and change the positions of these 4 buttons if he/she wishes.
When the phone goes into Sleep mode (i.e. power button off), the main screen can be used to display a very simple time and date and even notification icons. The display will only appear when the phone detects that it is being moved or tapped (either by gyroscope or accelerometer sensors). If the phone is motionless, both the main and ticker screen will be off. This display is optional and can be switched off if the user wishes so.
When there is a notification (eg. incoming SMS) the ticker screen will flash a small SMS icon every 5 seconds. Icons will vary in color and design depending on the nature of the notification.
The user can then tap on the icon, and a short snippet of the SMS will be displayed ON the ticker screen itself. If the user thinks that the SMS is important and he/she wishes to reply straight away, he can then double tap on the snippet and the main screen will turn on.
Once the user unlocks the main screen (be in pattern or password or swipe), the SMS messenger is already opened and ready for him to reply that particular SMS. By this time, the ticker screen will already be showing the 4 Android command buttons.
If the users thinks that showing icons as notification LEDs is boring, he can choose from a wide gamut of patterns to display instead. Such as, a small pulsing light (any color), a dot of light that pans from left to right and back (i.e. knight rider style), or a tracing light that speeds around the perimeter of the ticker screen, or a light that tunnels outwards from the centre of the ticker screen in a rectangular manner, or a heart beat pulse, etc. etc. etc.
I would also like to take the opportunity here to introduce another way of unlocking the phone. It uses gestures in conjunction with the gyroscope and g-sensors. The possibilities are endless.
Well, thats about it, I probably have alot more ideas in mind, but you know me, I am too lazy to write them all down :P
Have you ever stop yourself from doing something you really wanted to do because you knew that you would get bored halfway or find it too troublesome after some time? Well I have... many a times. Even writing this entry had me thinking and reconsidering numerous times as I was afraid that I might just find it too much a hassle to pen down all my thoughts...
I know I can excel in doing something once I put in my 100 percent into it. I will finish something once I start it. But certain things will not achieve results within my lifetime. And not being able to see results straight away and therefore getting dejected is one of my many weaknesses... I admit.
After returning from Australia, I was fortunate enough to work for an MNC for the past 2 years till present. Life had been pretty easy and good though I feel I had not achieved much, career aside. Upon some reflection, I came up with my 4 major milestones which are to be completed within the next 4 years for myself. Sadly, even with these reasonably well defined goals in place, I felt something was still missing, something was still wrong about the place. Ever since coming back, it did not feel the same. Could it be I am still regretting my decision to come back?... I asked myself this teething question time to time.
It was not long before I started to widen my scope in all areas of my life. I start to observe more, start to read more, start to listen to people more. Soon, I came to realize that the Singapore that I had left behind 5 years ago is no longer the same place. Somewhere along the line, things changed... people changed. I wanted to find out more. Gathering information from main stream media as well as alternative media such as Temasek Review has stirred up something in me... something which I was never ever interested in before. I begin to be more involved (eg. my comments as Psi in AsiaSentinel).
Singapore seems to be in a predicament whereby true blue Singaporeans are living in discontent. Understandably, there are still a number of them who are still staunch supporters of the current ruling party. According to my observations, they are either:
1. Members affiliated with the ruling party, ie. they get some kind of benefits, mostly monetary in nature. 2. Less informed and tech savvy 3. Civil servants 4. Well to do people 5. Non true blue Singaporeans 6. Very traditional families
I happened to come from group 6. This is one of the main reasons why I failed to convince my folks that I should stay on in Australia. Nonetheless, I came back.
So here I am now, with emotions stirring within me. I wish to do something. I want to change something. To help not just myself, but more important, helping the poor, the sick and the old. And of course, the future of the country is largely dependent of its current workforce as well as the nurturing of the young minds. I have this sudden urge to go out there and just start doing something that will help benefit true blue Singaporeans and make this country a better place. More than 50% of young Singaporeans said they want to migrate to another country. I want to change that to less than 5%!
There are much much more issues, views and my personal opinions that I want to share. But I won't. The reason will be given in the later paragraphs.
So now, I wish to make a difference. Here comes the problem. I am nobody! I am a mere digit in this ultra modern and urbanized country. Where do I start? I have no past experiences. All my life I am pursuing the art of Science! And remembering my weakness did not help. What if I felt like giving up halfway when results are not met? THAT SOUNDS SO AARGH! I am so disgusted with myself right now. But then again this path is not easy. A lot is at stake if something goes wrong. I have the people to answer to.
Knowing myself, I decided to remain as the mere digit within the system. Just live out my life like majority of the Singaporeans do. Whining and complaining time to time but never plucking the courage to stand up. I will just go ahead, buy my flat, get married, buy my car and make some babies. Then in the near future, hopefully leaving this dreaded place behind.
In the field of organic chemistry, significantly important reactions are often named by or after their founders.Such reactions are collectively referred to as named organic reactions. It includes a very long list of reactions of different types of mechanisms such as the Birch reaction, the Swern oxidation, the McMurry reaction, etc.
Prelude
This article is going to briefly touch on one of such named organic reactions, the Mitsunobu reaction. The Mitsunobu reaction was discovered by Professor Oyo Mitsunobu (1934-2003) in 1967. Since the publication of his findings on the use of triphenyl phosphine (TPP) and diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) to convert an alcohol into other functional groups, using a suitable substrate, while undergoing a stereochemical inversion; the Mitsunobu reaction has become an integral part of numerous natural product syntheses. The equation below is a simplified example of an esterification of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid showing the inversion of stereochemistry in the resulting ester.
The Mitsunobu Reaction
Discovered in 19671, the Mitsunobu reaction essentially converts a hydroxyl group of an alcohol into a strong leaving group which can be displaced by a large variety of nucleophiles1. This reaction is able to proceed under mild conditions, producing good yields with stereochemical inversions at the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group of secondary alcohols2.
In general, reagents such as triphenyl phosphine (TPP) and diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) are used to mediate the Mitsunobu reaction3. It has been noted that tributyl phosphine (TBP) can be used instead of TPP2 and di-isopropylazodicarboxylate (DIAD) works equally well as compared to DEAD4. Although the efficiency of the reaction is mainly dependent on the alcohol and nucleophile used4, results have shown that the use of TBP instead of TPP gives better yield in some Mitsunobu reactions5. However, TBP is reported to be inferior to TPP in other cases6. Over the past 4 decades since the discovery of the Mitsunobu reaction, many other alternatives for these two mediating reagents had been found7.
Although the original findings for the Mitsunobu reaction1 used carboxylic acids as the nucleophile to form an ester, other acidic nucleophiles such as imides, thiols, etc can be used instead to incorporate the desired functional groups such as sulfonamides, azides, nitriles, etc8. However, it is important to note that besides the product which contains the newly formed C-O, C-N, C-S, C-X or C-C bond, phosphane oxide and hydrazinedicarboxylate or hydrazinedicarboxamide are also produced as side products7 as shown below.
With such a wide area of usage, this reaction is therefore recognised as one of the most invaluable and robust synthetic transformation and hence named after its discoverer Professor Oyo Mitsunobu9.
The Mechanism of the Mitsunobu Reaction
Despite twenty years after Mitsunobu first reported this useful reaction, there were no thorough study on its mechanism until 198710. Prior to this, the mechanism was generally assumed to proceed through phosphonium salts9. Subsequent studies carried out demonstrated that the true mechanism of the Mitsunobu reaction was more complex than earlier studies suggest11. The mechanism of this reaction is still being debated upon mainly due to the number of intermediates and the roles they play1 as well as the formation of products with retained stereochemistry when trying to invert hindered secondary alcohols12. Three decades after the discovery of the Mitsunobu reaction, the standard mechanism proposed for this reaction is still considered to be incomplete12.
Today, it is widely accepted8 that the Mitsunobu reaction involves the formation of a betaine intermediate from nucleophilic attack on DEAD by TPP. This is followed by the deprotonation of the nucleophilic carboxylic acid by the betaine. The carboxylate anion which is generated deprotonates the alcohol, forming an alkoxide. The alkoxide attacks the betaine at phosphorus forming oxyphosphonium ion. The attack of the carboxylate anion on the oxyphosphonium ion forms the desired product and triphenylphosphine oxide as shown below.
It is important to note that during the deprotonation of the alcohol by the carboxylate anion forming the alkoxide, the alkoxide attacks the betaine at phosphorous forming the key oxphosphonium ion as well as many other intermediates.
As can be seen from the above range of various intermediates formed, only the key oxyphosphonium ion intermediate is capable of forming the desired product. The ratio between these intermediates with one another is largely dependent on the pKa of the acid and solvent polarity11, 13.
Popularity & Advances
Conducting a simple search on Chemical Abstracts or SciFinder reveals that the Mitsunobu reaction had gained increasing popularity and attention over the recent years. Many review articles were written on the numerous applications of the Mitsunobu reaction in the field of chemistry4, 14. This popularity can be due to the reaction’s mild conditions, stereoselectivity and wide range functional group compatibilities7.
However, the generation of by-products often makes the isolation of the desired product difficult. In addition, the pka of the acid component has to be lower than 10 in order to achieve desired alkylation15. As mentioned briefly before, it was not long before studies were made to try to improve on this technique either by improving the removal of by-products14, using alternative reagents14 or by coupling with other techniques. For example, by combining the use of high reaction concentrations and sonification techniques, the Mitsunobu reaction of sterically hindered alcohols can be greatly increased16. A review article by Roman Dembinski provided a detailed outline of the recent advances in the Mitsunobu reaction, from modifications of classical reagents to using fluorous approach as well as other advances7.
Applications using novel approaches
I. Maleimide compounds are a class of substrates crucial for both biological and chemical applications. In biological applications, such compounds can react spontaneously with cysteine residues and hence are used as linkers for the conjugation of molecules to proteins and chemical probes of protein structures. These derivatives will have several uses such as serving as immuno-conjugates for cancer therapy. In chemical applications, the maleimide, with its Micheal-accepting ability and dienophilic nature, can be used as a platform in total synthesis. Despite its numerous uses, there are very few literature for its synthesis17. Most methods are either limited by the starting materials or limited by the complexity of the maleimide desired to be formed. A method of synthesizing high yields of N-alkyl maleimides using a novel modification of the Mitsunobu reaction was found17. By using the Mitsunobu reaction, complex N-alkyl maleimides can be synthesized using a variety of substrates.
The modification of the Mitsunobu procedure by using of a nonreacting alcohol-additive also increased the yields by more than ninety percent for a variety of substrates17.
II. The mitsunobu reaction was also used as the key step in peptide nucleic acid (PNA) monomers synthesis18. PNA are relatively novel DNA analogues. They are able to mimic oligonucleotides forming Watson & Crick heteroduplexes with DNA or RNA which are complementary. They have the potential to act as gene-targeted compounds with antigene and antisense properties. Instead of relying on unstable Boc-aminoacetaldehyde as the key component in the synthesis of the peptidic part of PNA monomer, the Mitsunobu reaction was employed instead as the key first step as shown below18.
III. EDOT (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) are widely used as antistatic coatings in photographic films, as electrode materials for solid electrolyte capacitors as well as many other applications. This is because of its unique combination of high environmental stability, high conductivity and transparency in the oxidised state19. In 2002, the synthesis of EDOT derivatives not accessible by the conventional Williamson ether synthesis as well as the first ever synthesis of chiral EDOTs was achieved by using the Mitsunobu reaction as the key step19. Furthermore, for derivatives which can be synthesized by the Williamson ether method, yields obtained by using the Mitsunobu reaction were higher19. The step involving the Mitsunobu reaction is between 3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid diethyl ester and 1,n-alkanediols with dialkylazodicarboxylates and trialkylphosphines as mediating reagents.
Following that, from 2003 to 2006, there were many new applications found for the Mitsunobu reaction. Methods such as the synthesis of 2’-O-Benzyladenosine using the Mitsunobu reaction20, the synthesis of hydroxyindoline-derived tricyclic derivatives in solid phase library using the Mitsunobu Approach21 as well as a one-pot, coupling of various aliphatic/aromatic amines and various alcohols with a range of primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols using a Mitsunobu zwitterion and carbon dioxide22 were developed.
In this year alone, 2007, there were numerous publications of new found applications for the Mitsunobu reaction as well. Below are three of such applications.
IV. Old methods for the esterification of carboxylic acids required heating the carboxylic acid in an alcoholic solvent under acidic catalysis. Other procedures involve converting the carboxylic acid into its corresponding acid chloride or mixed anhydride before the addition of an alcohol nucleophile. Using these methods to convert benzoic acid to phenyl ester proved to be problematic8. Till then, there was no literature available with regards to using the Mitsunobu reaction for coupling benzoic acids with phenolic nucleophiles. The study later showed that Mitsunobu reaction was a convenient and effective method for the esterification of various benzoic acids with differentially functionalised phenols, yielding the corresponding phenyl esters, as shown in the example below, in excellent quantities8.
V. In generating biological molecules, triazolopyridines and fused triazoles are often used as scaffoldings. The conventional procedure for the synthesis of triazolopyridines involves the dehydration of a 2-hydrazidopyridine using concentrated hydrochloric acid, refluxing phosphorus oxychloride or refluxing acetic acid. Such harsh reaction conditions are often not suitable with many acid or base labile functional and protecting groups like esters or carbamates23. Therefore, the types of precursors which can be used for the synthesis of fused triazoles were limited. Although mild conditions for the synthesis of triazoles had been found in literature, the choice of substrates is often limited by the significant variations in yields and reaction times. In an effort to develop a general, efficient and mild procedure for the synthesis of triazolopyridines and other fused triazoles, in which amino acid substrates and other polar functional groups can be used; a modified Mitsunobu reaction using TMS-N3 as an additive was devised and employed. The addition of TMS-N3 and TPP to the reaction mixture of acylated hydrazinopyridines followed by DEAD enhanced the yield of the desired products by more than 75 percent in less than ten minutes of reaction time at room temperature23.
VI. In the attempt of synthesizing orthogonally protected alpha, beta-diaminopropionic acids for solid-phase peptide synthesis, Kelleher and coworkers24 had devised a method which produced good yields under the Mitsunobu reaction conditions through the reaction of N-trityl L-serine esters with N-substituted sulfonamides. By using N-Boc p-toluenesulfonamide as the nitrogen nucleophilic precursor in the Mitsunobu reaction, the best yields were obtained. It was later found that by replacing the N-trityl group with the more stable allyloxycarbonyl group increases the efficiency of the reaction24.
As this is a new area of study, the chemistry of the reactions such as the clean removal of the individual protecting groups, the incorporation of such groups into peptide structures using solid-phase peptide synthesis are still being examined24.
Conclusion
As can be seen from above, the increasing new applications of the Mitsunobu reaction even after nearly 4 decades since its discovery has proven itself to be one of the best methods for C-O, C-N, C-C and C-X bond formation as well as its vast potential in organic synthesis both in biological and chemical applications. In many cases, its mild reaction conditions and excellent stereoselectivity makes it the optimum choice as the key step of certain product synthesis. Studies will continue to be done on how to improve and modify this reaction for different purposes. Therefore, it is apparent that the Mitsunobu reaction will continue to be an important named organic reaction as well as an irreplaceable tool for organic chemistry.
He left us, a sad and tormented soul. Sad not because of people who misunderstood him, betrayed him, taking his money from him. Sad because these very people had deprived him his chance to help those children. Children whom he wished so badly to help.
Tormented when he turns on the media to hear his name bastardized and publicized everyday. Know what it feels like to be referred as Wacko Jacko nonchalantly? By strangers around you?... when your name is supposed to be Michael Joseph Jackson? Now that he is gone, people start buying and seemingly appreciating his music. People start recognizing his enormous contributions to both the music and video entertainment. People begin to remember his efforts in charity campaigns and environmental conservations.
