Miley Cyrus’ (Hannah Montana) Vanity Fair Photoshoot, Art or Nudity? Cool or not cool?

Miley Cyrus, the actress who plays Hannah Montana-a really popular kids show, is just 15-years old. Who would think that at such a young age she was almost ready to bare it all for Vanity Fair?

Many were shocked when the news came out. Behold mom and dad! Child pornography at its best!

Or not? A lot of debates have erupted since the news broke out. Some say it’s art, others say it’s nudity.

Let us first tackle the bigger issue: Is it cool for your kids or not? The answer is a big NO. In reality, kids make idols out of television stars. They imitate who they see on TV. If the actor/actress wears a periwinkle-colored lip gloss, they’d have it too. If their idol learns how to play the piano, they should learn it too. But what if their idol explores or somewhat shows to explore her sexuality at such a young age? Is it right to follow their footsteps?

You decide.

Now, others say that its main purpose is to promote the magazine, the show, the kid… Come on, isn’t it obvious?

Going back to the topic. There is no clear-cut line between art and nudity. Only the viewer can decide for himself whether it is art or downright nudity. Values and morals, my dear ladies and gents…

Personally, I don’t think that it’s nudity. Not that I’m a pervert. From my point of view, it’s really beautiful and artistic to look at.

iPod Classic 80GB, A Review

I’ve just bought an iPod Classic 80GB.

The thing is, I’m not totally pleased with it. Here is my pro-con list:

Pros:

1. 80GB memory. Yes, it’s more than what your average hard-drive can handle. You can also purchase one with a 160GB memory. You can dump your stuff here without worrying about disk space.

2. Stylish. Every iPod is.

3. Excellent sound quality. The iPod Classic, when matched with the stock iPod earphones, delivers rich, high tones and deep bass tones. You can now bring with you anywhere the experience of having a surround sound system.

4. Music + Pictures + Videos. Before, you won’t leave home without your wallet and mobile phone. Now, you can add this to the list.

5. Long battery life. Hours and hours of listening and viewing pleasure. You’ll never get caught watching forbidden stuff ever again. Consider that DVD player of yours a thing of the past.

6. Split-screen. Never made sense. You just have your screen showing you two different things while browsing. On the left is your menu and on the right are pictures, album covers, videos, etc.

7. It’s rechargeable. Triple and Double A’s? Those are for my TV’s remote, not for my music player!

Cons:

1. Price. At Php 11,500, it’s a rip-off.

2. Hangs a lot. Here it is: The ultimate hang-machine. Most of the time, the flip-wheel does not respond.

3. High maintenance and repair cost. When you break this one, you’ll have sleepless nights thinking about those days when you had to eat less to save up for this baby.

4. The wall charger is sold separately. YES. THE WALL CHARGER IS SOLD SEPARATELY. I always have to charge it using my laptop’s USB port. Argh. Does this make sense?

Over-all, I would still recommend buying this baby.

“Blood Brothers”, The Story of The Ferrari Enzo and The Maserati MC12 (Updated)

Even though these cars share the same DNA, who would notice if they are this inspiring?

* Ferrari Enzo featured in red and Maserati MC12 featured in silver.

Name: Ferrari Enzo
Engine: 6L Ferrari Dino V12, Naturally Aspirated, 660bhp @ 7,800 rpm
Price: ~ Php 50.3 million
Weight: 1255kg
Performance: 0 – 62 mph (0-100kph) in 3.65 sec
Max Speed: 218mph (350kph)
Transmission: Six Speed paddle-operated sequential manual

The Ferrari Enzo is named after the company’s father, Enzo Ferrari. Why? Well, the Enzo was the best Ferrari production car of its time. The team then decided to name it FERRARI ENZO.

* Ferrari Enzo featured in black

* Back of the Ferrari Enzo

The first thing that I want you to know about the Enzo is that is a Ferrari. Car enthusiasts wouldn’t care what model you have as long as it is a Ferrari. The second is about its aerodynamic design. The Enzo’s aerodynamic design is inspired by the Ferrari F1. Yes. The driving experience feels the same as the F1’s. It even has the Ferrari technology that has been restricted from F1 because of its advantage over the other participants. The Enzo is mostly carbon-fiber in material. Even some parts of the dashboard!

Let me take you inside of it.

Here is a picture of the steering wheel.

Look closely. It has those tiny buttons. If you are not a car enthusiast, you would think that those are just Ferrari rubbish. Well, they’re not. The button that is least pressed is the RACE button. You might ask why. Well, it’s for you to find out.

The next thing is its transmission. It is semi-automatic and is paddle-operated. That’s what makes it like an F1! Paddle-operated transmission!

Here is a picture of the Enzo’s Dials:

Well, this review has been about the Ferrari Enzo and the Maserati MC12. Why? Because they are brothers! Maserati was under the Ferrari’s management when the MC12 was conceptualized and produced. And as I’ve said, they share the same DNA. They share almost the same V12 engine, suspension design and carbon chassis with aluminum cradles at either end, mid-engined rear-wheel drive set-up and the six speed sequential paddle-shifts.

Name: Maserati MC12
Engine: 6L Maserati V12, 630bhp @ 7,500 rpm
Price: ~ Php 47.1 million
Weight: 1535kg
Performance: 0 – 62 mph (0-100kph) in 3.8 sec
Max Speed: 205mph (330kph)
Transmission: Six Speed paddle-operated sequential manual

Compared to the digital Ferrari Enzo, the Maserati MC12 is analog. The MC12 was conceptualized and produced during the time when Maserati was under Ferrari’s supervision.

Let me take you inside the car.

Hmm. Do you think you’ve seen this interior before? Maybe. It’s almost the same as the Enzo’s! It also has that paddle-operated transmission! See the difference? The Enzo is digital while the MC12 is analog! Look closely to compare the MC12’s dials with the Enzo’s! They’re almost the same!

(More on this next time.)

The Nokia N73 Music Edition

At last, I had time to write about this.

Introducing, the Nokia N73 Music Edition.

This is a special issue of the N73, which is called music edition. Let me start with its operating system. It is run by Symbian OS version 9.1 (interface S60 3 edition). It is considered a smartphone and it supports 3G.

It features a 3.2 MP camera and boasts a maximum resolution of 2048×1536 pixels. The phone’s screen is capable of showing up to 262 colors (TFT) at a resolution of 240×320 pixels. Exactly the same screen is adopted by Nokia N71.

The building quality appears very good just until the moment you put your fingers on the back cover with an integrated lens shutter. At the left of the latch there is a cavity, which makes the entire casing groan and crack even at slightest touches. That’s the worst thing about the N73’s assembling quality and it’s almost impossible to deal with without special tools – foam-rubber or other soft material laid under the cover doesn’t save the day.

It has these tiny buttons on the side. These buttons are used for capturing images. One of the N73’s remarkable features is presence of two speakers allowing you to experience stereo sounding.

’til next time…

Bibliography: http://www.mobile-review.com

TriNoma, A Review

Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Wow. The smell of a newly built mall brings euphoria to any mall buff. Well, here it is, the TRINOMA.

(All images used in this post are captured using my Motorola V3x’ 2 megapixel camera.)

The TriNoma is dubbed as a super regional mall. It has the same characteristics as the other Ayala malls.

First stop, Timezone!

Then, Battle Gear 4 Tuned! The unique thing about this game is that you can change the transmission. It also has a clutch!

Then, the garden on its upper floors!

You might wonder what these are. Hmm. These look like the new NAIA. Well, you are wrong. These are the roads inside of TriNoma. Cool aren’t they?

Sorry, i forgot to take pictures of the restroom, the parking lots and the theatres.

(Post will be updated. The author does not have enough time to finish it.)