DIY: Find a cure for Malaria

I came across a D.I.Y (Do It Yourself) article in the Discovery Channel Magazine (Issue 3 2008) that caught my attention. As you can see from the title it refers to finding a cure for Malaria. Did you know that the number one killer in Africa is Malaria? It kills over 5 million victims a year. The article reads:

“The Swiss Tropical Institute (STI) is asking you to help. It has developed a computer program to study the cause, distribution and controls for malaria that simulates possible treatments and transmission patters. But it needs massive computing power, which STI doesn’t have.

So the STI researchers have chopped the program up into little chunks that can be processed simultaneously by thousands of home PCs around the world. And that includes your computer.
All you need to do is to log on to the AFRICA@home website (http://africa-at-home.web.cern.ch) to sign up. They will give you software to download, and then send you data to run on your PC to help the scientists to understand, hopefully treat and maybe one day eradicate malaria.

If you want to get really geeky, you can tell your friends you are working on, ‘engineering simulations of large human populations with a diverse set of biological and social parameters, using stochastic simulations of the epidemiology of plasmodium falciparum.’ That should impress.”

This works on a Mac too! After downloading the software, you simply run it when your computer has idle time. I’ve already downloaded and run the application. There is nothing to it. Enjoy!

Creative Casings

Today, it would seem everyone has a laptop to show off. But I say, the casing is just as important. Whether you are out to meet friends or on the way to a meeting, you laptop should not only be comfortable and safe, but stylish and sleek in its casing.



If you take a look at the keynote by Steve Jobs when he launched the MacBook Air, you will see him pulling the thin laptop from a manila envelope, very much what you would see floating around the office. With its size and sleek design it is hard to find the right casing for something that small. Manila Mac & Panic, decided to solve this problem by designing the ultimate Manila Envelope Laptop Sleeve for the MacBook Air called AirMail. The sleeve is made from manila-colored vinyl. With a soft fleece lining, your laptop will be cozy and free from scratches.

Now a day, we have so much to carry to and from work or college but the bags are not designed to hold everything we need. Tenba, manufacturer of photo equipment and laptops, has recognized this and developed a line of bags that is multi-functional. The Tenba Messenger Shoulder bag has an integrated laptop sleeve easily accessible by zipper without having to open the main flap. The roomy main compartment can be converted into one that holds your photo equipment (D/SLR body, 3 lenses, flash) or simply used for magazines and files. Comfortably pack clothes and supplies for your day trip inside too. It comes in 2 sizes either to fit a 17” laptop or slightly smaller to fit a 15” laptop and several other urban-sleek colors. But if you need a slightly larger bag Tenba offers the Photo/Laptop Messenger bag which has a capacity to hold up to 5-6 lenses.

Wii Love Sharing!

The Nintendo Wii is one of the hottest gaming devices out there right now. When it first launched, the Wii sold out quickly while demand for the tiny unit surged on. In desperation, people tried to get their hands on this magical piece. A temporary solution to solving this shortage crisis is to share. That’s right, share your Wii with friends and family easily with the Wii Messenger Bag!

The Wii is a great way to spend time with your family on a lazy Sunday afternoon or with friends on a crazy Friday night. Either way, the Wii can now be safely transported here and there in the comfortable sleek bag with pockets specially designed for the console, sensor bar, power pack, controllers, and of course the games.

Learn to share with the Wii Messenger Bag or use it to show off, either way, spread the love around!

Games Wii Play

There are at present over 600 games for the Wii. With that amount of games, I’m sure there are some the ladies will love. Below are just 4 that I find intriguing.

Wii Sports was developed by our friends at Nintendo for those of us who like to play sports but have no time to play the real thing. The game consists of 5 sports which include, Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing. Boxing is the only game that uses the nunchuck. I don’t have a favorite, because I enjoy each one. Of course it is more fun playing with another person as opposed to playing against the computer. When playing, make sure you stand far away from your friends. Whacking people with your wii remote is NOT good for relationship building… or your wii remote.

Fitness or Fun? I think the Wii Fit manages a little bit of both. The Wii Fit has a number of activities that you go through (like a game) to break a sweat and when you have successfully completed that activity, you unlock the next round. The Wii Fit works with a wireless peripheral known as the balance board. It’s sensitivity picks up the smallest shifts in weight making the game challenging and fun. Overall the Wii Fit is intuitive and breaks the humdrum routine of going to the gym.

Im sure many of you are already familiar with the tv series ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ The tv series was so popular it is now available for the Wii, mobile phones, and the PC. Dacing with the Stars: Get your Dance On! Includes, mambo, jive, samba, cha-cha-cha, tango, waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, paso doble, and rumba. This should be interesting when you play it with a friend. This game uses the wii remote and nunchuck controls to get the best dance moves. Players can change outfits or partners as and when you feel like it.

This next game, ladies know like the back of their hand. That’s right, The Sims is still keeping up with the times. The game is now available for the wii in the castaway or pet version. The Sims 2: Castaway, is pretty much self-explanatory. You can create up to 6 characters on a ship the later gets wrecked in a storm. The Sims find themselves stranded on an island… the rest is history. The Sims 2: Pets allows the sim to care for animals: dogs, cats, fish, birds, and a rodent similar to a guinea pig. You can choose from a number of breeds and choose colors, coats, etc. The sim must interact with the pet to make it happier and thus increase its life span. It gets better, the pets can breed and produce litter! Well enough spoilers for now, get into some of these games and enjoy the time with friends too!

Who sits on top?

The Nintendo Wii, sent from heaven to make our lives more bearable. What else can anyone say about it?

The Nintendo Wii was released November 1 9th 2006 in North America. The Microsoft Xbox 360 was launched 1 year earlier (November 22, 2005). Sales figures from the consoles launch date through July 2007 show: 9 million for the Wii, 8.9 million for the Xbox 360, and a mere 3.7 million for the Play Station 3. Can you imagine that?? And the Xbox 360 had a 1-year head start. As of today, nearly 25 million units have be sold. So what is the rave about?

Despite the impressive sales and performance of the Wii, you will never be able to fully understand the greatness of the tiny machine until you have played it for the first time. The Wii is a gaming console that competes with the Xbox 360 and Play Station 3. It is designed to target a wider demographic. But its distinctive feature is the wireless controller, the Wii Remote. Check it out!

You Light Up My Life

This next piece of technology is beyond bizarre. I just thought you might like to see what the world is coming to.

As you can see from the photo, this model is wearing an outfit that has 2 dozen LEDs shoved up the inside of the dress. Ladies, don’t try this at home. This design comes from Rhyme & Reason. They believe that they have created clothing that you can actually wear.

I think the only lady that will wear this is one who is changing a flat tire at night and is not keen on getting hit by a car.

Well if this is the future of clothes, the world will, literally, be a brighter place.

Time Matters

Scubapro Ladies Xtender Blue Wrist Computer

When I started diving, I insisted that my equipment must match. When I bought my mask and snorkel, it had to match the color of my fins. Though for simplicity, I agreed to let my wet suit remain a standard black, just as a lady will wear one outfit with different accessories each time. One day I may decide to change the color of my fins, mask and snorkel and no matter what color I choose, it will go well with black. But for now I will stick with the color blue because, finally, there is a ladies dive computer. The Scubapro Ladies Xtender Blue Wrist Computer is identical to the original Xtender (black) in terms of funtions, but there exist a few very nice differences. First, the watch is set in a crystal blue case and strap. Another notable difference is the beautiful Swarovski blue crystal set in the watch face. Other functions similar to the original Xtender is the depth, dive time, surface interval, and water temperature. Visual and audible ascent rate, decompression dive and stop warnings, dive memory with storage for up to 30 logged dives, and 999 hours 59 mins of dive history. Of course the best part is that it is PC downloadable for transfer of logs and profiles.

POLAR Ladies F4 Fitness Watch

This fitness watch does everything that a woman needs and more. It measures heart rate, tracks calories burned, and looks great on that petite wrist. With the OwnCal feature, you can set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure. UpLink is a feature which allows settings upload from Polar web site or software to run on the wrist unit. Also important to note is that the watch is water resistant up to 30m. And best of all they have 3 great colors: Black Amber, Blue Ice, and Red Berry.



Swiss Army Ladies – Alliance Diamond Bezel 24831

This next watch has some serious bling! The name leaves much to be desired but the design is to die for. The functions of this watch are far less than the first two mentioned above but when you discover there are 40 full cut diamonds in the bezel and the dial is Mother-of-Pearl texture, nothing else matters. One function to note is the date calendar set in the face of the watch. Of course for this watch to fit in with the two above it must be water resistant, its maximun tested depth is 100m! This solid stainless steel beauty is sure to turn a few heads.

Don't get blown away!

This next item seems simple enough… but give one to a woman, be sure she will find a better use for it.

As a Christmas gift I received a USB fan. Yeah, I know “What were they thinking.” A fan, powered by your laptop or PC. It even has a button to turn it on or off. But don’t judge just yet, like I said earlier, ladies can find almost anything useful.


I was painting my nails one day and thought about the tiny fans they use in the nail shops to quicken the drying process and I thought, “Boy, oh boy, it would be nice if I had one of those… wait I think I do.” Improvising is a talent God gave to woman, and woman only. I went for my drawer and sure enough the fan I had never used before was there just patiently waiting for me. I told you it wasn’t so bad after all.

Anyway, just thought the rest of you should know, never throw away a gadget that seems useless or frivolous… keep it, let it get dusty for a while… there will come a day when it will come in handy.

iPhone Jailbreak Apps for Woman

The days of drawing on a bar napkin are over. With ‘sketches’ you can draw, write, and scribble down any silly idea that comes to mind. Recently, I found myself using Sketches to draw possible layouts of how to furnish my studio to make it suitable for rental. The couch needs to be against the wall, the bed has to face that way, the wardrobe should be here, two bar stools should be enough… all these possibilities were easier to visualize once I drew with Sketches. You can save your drawing or note to later find it in your photo album. You can see 2 things from my drawing above, (1) I can’t draw and (2) it is a personal drawing you don’t need to show anyone… it’s between you and your thoughts.

I can be clumsy sometimes and drop things or leave things behind when I leave the cinema. To solve this I found the ‘Flashlight’ application. I have used this more than any other application. Leaving the cinema I check my seat for things that may have walked out of my purse during the show. I also find it helpful when I drop my keys getting to the car at night. Its funny how such a simple application can be so useful.


With the ‘ShopList’ application you earn the license to forget. Just jot down what you need at the grocery store, pharmacy, or department store and forget about it until later. When you get to the shop, whip out you iPhone and review your list. Very handy when you are in a hurry and suddenly think of something to pick up. It takes 30 seconds to enter an item into ShopList. You can see from the photo, you can have multiple shopping lists and it will also show how many items you still need to pick up/ total items on list.



The next application I find amusing. They call it ‘Alarm’. It is not the alarm that wakes you up in the morning… that would be too boring. This Alarm if a self-defense alarm. Simply press the red button and this loud annoying beeping noise goes off. Best of all, the Alarm app has a ‘freefalling’ sensor, if you are being attacked all you have to do is throw your iPhone or drop it and the alarm will trigger, hopefully scaring away your attacker. I have not used it yet, but it is still nice to have if only to add a false sense of security.


I was saving the best for last. This next app tracks your monthly cycles for you. iWoman is convenient and pretty accurate. Simply enter the dates (start and finish) of your most current period (or if you want a more accurate assessment, put in the dates of your cycle as far back as you can remember). It can figure out the duration of your period and the number of days in your cycles.

These are just some of the cool apps out there for woman. Look out for more coming soon.

Thumb Drive Savvy!

When I first realized that I was somewhat ‘geeky’ it was the same time that I started carrying a thumb drive around in my purse. When I changed purses for the day, my thumb drive followed. I was never without it. I found it so convenient and when you need it the most it is there for you. Great for transferring files quickly, taking work home with you, and easy storage.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of a thumb drive it can simply explained as a portable memory storage. They are small in size like the human thumb – hence their name – and are very stable devices. I started with a 512MB thumb drive. That was way back, when the biggest was 2GB and really expensive too. Today thumb drives are becoming smaller in design, flatter, cheaper and of course, bigger in memory capacity. The largest today is 8GB. To put the size in perspective for you, an 8GB thumb drive can hold one full season of desperate house wives (depending on the quality of the show and number of episodes).

For those of you who store mostly text files and a few photos, a 1GB thumb drive should be sufficient. But for the ladies that need to carry everything with them (the latest episode of House, the top ten songs, pictures of you and your friends) opt for at least a 2GB or 4GB.

The better and more reliable brands of thumb drives are Kingston and Sony. I have used the Kingston 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB and all were fast and reliable.

But my favorite thumb drive of all time is the mini thumb drive (shown in the picture above). It fits right into my wallet and mine is 8GB. I bought mine from Shanghai so there is no branding on it but it is still as reliable as the Kingston devices I’ve used in the past.

Other cool thumb drives out there now are thumb drive touch and mp3 player thumb drives. The first is a biometric scanner that is integrated into the device so your information is kept private and safe. The latter is a thumb drive device that stores music and plays directly from there, just connect some head phones and you’re all set. Though it can also fall under the mp3 player category, it still functions like a thumb drive. The photos are below.

About this Blog!

I never thought myself to be the type of lady that enjoys checking out the gadget magazines or window-shopping in an IT mall, but I catch myself doing these things more and more. You don’t have to be Bill Gates kind of geeky to enjoy the latest gadgets. It can be as subtle as carrying a thumb drive around in your purse or as geeky as sitting for hours with your laptop at Starbucks surfing the web and reading online magazines. It is hard to resist the sleek technology and eye-catching design of gadgets now a days, when everywhere we turn there is something new and exciting. This blog will cover the latest in technology and especially those that ladies can benefit from and enjoy. Laptops, mp3 players, cameras, software, and much more will be reviewed here.

Ladies, it is high time you get excited about the latest fad in the tech world. There is no such rule that this ‘geeky stuff’ is only for guys. Even companies are recognizing this and targeting the female market. This kind of knowledge makes for a great conversation starter and definitely improves your standard of living.