The Da Vinci Code Review

Do you enjoy reading a book filled with interesting twists and turns, if so then The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is the book for you.

The story starts out when a curator at the Louvre is murdered and the police have to track down a Harvard Professor called Robert Langdon on the dead man’s behalf. Robert Langdon is woken up in the middle of the night while sleeping in his hotel room in Paris. He ignores the calls the first few times, however the man on the other end insists it’s important. The police soon pickup Langdon, and escort him to the Louvre. There he meets lead investigator Bezu Fache, who is a fierce investigator that has his job all planned out. He shows Langdon the body of Jacques Sauniere. Langdon is questioned by Fache, and is shown around the crime scene. Langton is soon introduced to Sophie Neveu, she is a cryptographer and is there to help decipher a message that Sauniere wrote before his death. One thing leads to another and Sophie discreetly informs Langdon that he is Fache’s suspect number one, and informs Langton to meet her in the bath room. When they meet in the bathroom Sophie tells him about the situation and why Fache has chosen him as the prime suspect in the murder of what happens to be Sophie’s grandfather. She then informs Langton that he is being tracked, after a few minutes Sophie takes the tracker, sticks it in a bar of soap, and throws it out the window onto a truck. Fache and his team have been tracking the device, and have now noticed that Langton had “escaped”, so they chased after him.

This gave Sophie and Langton some time to sneak around the museum, in search of clues that her grandfather, Jacques Sauniere had left her. She tells him about her grandfather’s message, some numbers along with a message saying “P.S Find Robert Langton.” After a while they escape the museum and one thing leads to another as they end up in a Swiss bank. It turned out that the number that Sophie had found, along with some other clues found in the museum led them to the bank, and had given them a safety deposit box code. They enter the bank and attempt to retrieve the box, but they are missing the password, so they call the manager. He tries to help them out however he can’t, and to make matters worse they are wanted all over France, and a security guard called the police. When Sophie informed the manager that she was Sauniere’s granddaughter he immediately did his best to help out. Sophie soon found the passcode to the deposit box, inside which she found a wooden box. The cops however are on their tail, so in order to escape they need the help of the manager, who agreed to help, since he was very good friends with Sauniere. He sneaks them out in an armored truck right as the police arrive. Langton soon learns that Sauniere belonged to an ancient brotherhood known as “the Priority of Sion.” They were in charge of protecting the Holy Grail. To make things even more interesting, the box that they found inside the deposit contained a cryptex. A cryptex as described in the book is a cylinder that is unlocked by being turned in the right direction multiple times, in different combinations. Inside the cylinder there is a piece of papyrus paper, and a vial of vinegar. If the cryptex was forced open the vial would break and destroy the papyrus which had a clue to where the grail was hidden.

Next the story gets a bit bumpy as the bank manager is not sure if he can trust them so he pulls the armored truck over, and with the help of a gun hopes to regain the box. However he is outsmarted by Langton and Sophie, who take the box, and the truck and drive over to Langton’s friend Leigh Teabing. Teabing is a Holy Grail expert, and Langton’s old friend. Now Langton knew that Sauniere was a Priority member, and that he had passed along a box with a crptex that contained the information needed to find the Grail.

Soon upon arrival at Teabing’s Royale estate, they park the stolen bank truck and enter the sealed compound. After hearing about the grail Teabing jumped out of bed and greeted them. He along with his manservant Remy invited them in. When they arrive they first talk strictly about the Grail, and Langton does not mention anything about being wanted by the feds. Langton and Teabing explain to Sophie that the grail is not the cup of Christ, but the bones of his partner Mary Magdalene. She was Jesus’s partner but the Church tried to kill her, and suppress her, so that the word of her never came out. Her story, or the Grail could ruin the Church. That is why the Churches goal has been to destroy the Grail which is rumored to be Mary’s bones, and a lot of documentation against the Church. The Priority’s goal was quite the opposite, it was to protect the Grail and one day reveal it’s contents to the world. After a long talk with Teabing Sophie soon learns that her grandfather could have possible been the Grand Master of the Priority. Although Teabing doubts if he was the Grand Master Sophie is sure of it, due to a ritual that she had witnessed as a child. That ritual had torn her and her grandfather apart. Sophie never spoke to her grandfather after it, that is until he was murdered. Langton and Sophie decide to show Teabing the box with the cryptex in it, however their meeting is soon interrupted by Saunieres murderer, known as Silas.

Silas belongs to Opus Dei, a section of the Christian Church, and he is real suspected murderer of Jacques Sauniere. He is instructed by his caretaker Bishop Aringarosa, who had taken him in when Silas was a young man who had escaped from prison. Both Silas, and his instructor Bishop Aringarosa were instructed by the anonymous teacher. The teacher was the one who lead the operation to find the Grail, and destroy it before it was revealed.

Silas had interrupted Sophie’s and Langton’s meeting with Teabing. He was spying on them outside a window, and as they had revealed the cryptex to Teabing he had snuck in, and hit Langton with the butt of his gun. He then tried to take the cryptex from Teabing. However Teabing decided to quickly strike back by hitting him in his leg. That caused Silas to drop down, and as Teabing’s manservant Remy entered the room Teabing had ordered to have Silas tied up. Langton was about to have much larger problems after he stood up, the police have been informed of his location and were headed his way. They had to leave and fast, since the police was already there and ready to breach the house.

Teabing, Langton, Sophie, Remy, and a tied up Silas make their escape from the estate in a clever and interesting way. As the police breach the house, Teabing and the party were already in his storage shack, where Teabing stored his luxury cars, a Rolls Royce, a classic Porsche, and a Range Rover. Teabing and the party took the Range Rover, with Teabing’s manservant Remy at the wheel. They drove through Teabing’s private forest, until they reached a highway. In the meantime the police were searching the house, and by the time they got to the storage shack, and realized that the labeled parking spot that used to house a Range Rover was empty, it was too late. Teabing was on the highway and on his way to a private airport.

When they arrived at the airport Teabing had his pilot, and his private jet standing by. They quickly boarded the plane, but the pilot objected that he only had permission for two passengers. With a little bribe and a gun Teabing had managed to get Langton, Sophie, and the tied up Silas on board; their destination…London. On the way Sophie had opened the cryptex, which revealed a piece of paper with a clue, and a second black crptex placed within the first cryptex. Soon upon landing they encounter difficulties, and that is the least of their problems, the plot gets a very interesting twist.

Got your attention? If yes, then I recommend you to read the entire book, the ending is quite revealing and offers a great twist in the plot for those of you interested in finding out where and what the Grail is, who the teacher is, and the best part, which I will not spoil for you. So if you have some time to read through the near five hundred pages, and you enjoy mystery books then this is the book for you. I would highly recommend it to everyone. I myself enjoyed it immensely, and I was never bored; Dan Brown is a great author, and having read his previous book, Angels and Demons I would have to say that his books are anything but boring. You simply can’t go wrong by choosing this book.

Rumors- BlackBerry’s touchscreen only phone…will it appeal to the market?

Recently with all the new mobile devices being released (iPhones, Androids, etc.) Blackberry has been struggling to keep up, since many devices are offering interesting apps, and new interesting interfaces. Due to all of the new devices, rumors say that RIM (Research in Motion) is planning to release an all touchscreen device in order to appeal to many modern users.

However this can be a mistake, now I am not going to chat about the new device in this article, I will simply point out the obvious flaw in RIMs plan here (assuming such a device is being planned, and sources say it is). First of all, after some of BlackBerry’s service outages customers have been furious. The reason for this is simple, look at a BlackBerry; it offers simple and secure email, messaging (BB Messenger), and other communication services. They are or were known for their reliability, not for their wide selection of great apps (sarcasm, there is no wide selection of apps that appeal to costumers). People stick with BlackBerry for three reasons, their reliability, their great communication services, and their keyboard. Of course there are many more reasons but these are the main ones. So when the outages occurred many customers were outraged due to the fact that their businesses rely on BB, and if the customer is using BB for its reliability, well imagine how they feel. Many customers have left BB for that reason, others stick with it since they love their messaging services, which have proven to be hard to match, and the rest stick with BB for its great keyboard. Not many smartphones have great physical keyboards that can match BlackBerry’s full QWERTY setup. Now reliability is questionable due to the outage that caused BB’s normally great Enterprise system to be questioned, along with its messaging services.

Now that I’ve explained a bit about BB’s outages lets get to the point, the rumored touchscreen only device. By making such a device BlackBerry would lose their customers that use their phones for the exclusive keyboard that BB is famed for. So a large amount of customers would be disappointed there. Looking at devices such as the iPhone, Android, and other touchscreen devices that provide a great interface, and a large selection of apps, they all have a solid amount of enjoyable apps that are hard to match. Awesome apps are often associated with touchscreen smartphones, and many customers expect to have them when they buy one. So if BlackBerry decides to make a touchscreen only phone they will automatically be competing with the iPhone and the large selection of Android phones, and maybe even the Windows section. Now both Apple, with iOS, and Google with Android have had time to gain popularity and set up app services with a variety of apps for users to choose from. So BlackBerry would be at a disadvantage since they cannot compete with them, their app store cannot really compare to the one of Apple, or Android. So they wouldn’t be able to compete with others allowing people to seek better choices for apps, and interface, and they would lose their keyboard, which in many cases is the only thing that is keeping BlackBerry users from leaving, or at least for those who haven’t left already.

Just look at the BlackBerry PlayBook, the tablet that RIM set out to make. They entered a market in which they had not previously been in, that along with the ridiculous price of $499 didn’t help their sales. Not that the PlayBook is a bad tablet, it’s a good one, but it’s price was just too steep. It however was now lowered to $199 making it a good deal. Similar to what happened to HP, except they discontinued their product and launched a fire sale, which caused their $99 tablets to get very popular, much more popular than they were when they had their original price tag ($499). Hopefully RIM will think about what they are doing to ensure their new device is accepted among users. Don’t get me wrong, I like certain devices from BB, like their Bold 9700 which I happen to own personally, and what keeps me from changing it is their keyboard, and their messaging services. I wasn’t too happy about the outages but I lived through them. So I don’t hate Blackberry, I just don’t see a release of a touchscreen only phone being the answer to their problems. I myself won’t be buying a new blackberry, since I only need messenger, I don’t care for their touchscreen devices, since I’ve seen better touch interfaces.

AMD Bulldozer FX – Left Behind (review and benchmarks)

AMD – Left Behind

For those of you who understand the world of processors and technology I hope you will agree with this, that AMD’s Bulldozer platform is another failed attempt to take down Intel’s infamous i7 platform. I myself own an i7, and its amazingly fast. AMD was often chosen by budget pc builders since it was more economical, and cheaper than Intel, but this year AMD tried to “Bulldoze the i7’s” with it’s new FX (Bulldozer) line. However they failed, quite badly in fact, in some cases their old processors can beat their new ones.

The news is grim, not only has AMD failed to beat Intel’s best processor the i7-2600K (soon to be bested by the 6 Core version of the Sandy Bridge processors, Already Released, however not available at the time this article was written) it even fails to beat the cheaper i5 processors from Intel, and that’s not good. Would you rather buy something better for less, or would you go with what costs more and fails to perform? This is how most people will look at the Bulldozer processors when they see them on store shelves (already on sale since OCT 12). I will now explain why in general (overall performance) the AMD FX 8150 is set to compete with Intel’s similarly priced i5-2500K, since it can’t compete with the i7’s. Here are some of the benchmarks:

Multi Media test

Here is a test for the threading of the processor, to summarize what this means, this graph shows how well a processor threads in certain apps, or how well it performs under the given set of conditions. Here we can see the FX being beaten by all of its competitors including the previous generation it was set out to replace.

Here we see a bit more muscle from the FX processor when it is run through an encryption benchmark, this benchmark tests how fast a processor can encrypt, and decrypt files. This benchmark shows AMD improving in some areas, but still not able to match the i7.

Now to see how the new processors perform in gaming, this is important to me when I buy a processor because I enjoy playing games. The other tests were tests that show processor power, or how fast they perform in applications, here are some tests that show performance in a real world situation. The previous benchmarks are not very important to gamers, however I included them so you could see how the FX’s fall behind.

Here you can see the FX falling behind the i5, even the 2400 which is significantly cheaper. The FX 8150 matches the old X6, so not much improvement.

When people say, “don’t judge things by their label”, well with processors it’s more like, “don’t judge a processor by its clock speed”, for example “3.06ghz”. However this is because judging a processor by its clock speed is wrong, that number just gives you the speed of a processor, however it does not necessarily mean it is better than others. To give you an example, the AMD FX 8150 has a clock speed that is faster than the one of the i7-2600k, however it still trails far behind the i7 in many benchmarks. Speed is not everything so don’t be fooled, AMD is already behind performance wise, not to mention Intel released their new 6 core i7’s, so AMD does not stand a chance. The Bulldozer Fx processors although they generated a lot of hype did not match up against the competition. It’s more like Intel bulldozed AMD. With AMD falling behind in the processor market what will happen when NVidia releases their Kepler cards, so far AMD is not to far behind in the GPU business, they offer good performance per dollar, they go head to head with Nvidia. Hopefully we will see how AMD responds to the Kepler cards that will be released hopefully later this year, or in early to mid-2012.

Maybe next year we will see some improvement with their to be released code named “Piledriver” processor, or the year after that with the “Steamroller” line, or in three years with the “Excavator”, all I know is ever since Intel started with their quad core line AMD has fallen behind, and their naming strategy isn’t doing them well either, they decided to name their new processors after construction equipment.

UPDATE (Dec 27): These results are using Windows 7, it is possible that Windows 8 will provide better results due to possible better support for multi core processors, and threading.

*NOTE: Prices may have changed since the publication of this article, they are still subject to change.

The pictures for benchmarks above are not mine; they have been taken from Anandtech.com

“Nothing new in the new iPod Touch”

Many Apple fans are a bit disappointed with the fact that the new iPhone isn’t a complete overhaul, except for its components. However the worst is yet to come. Apple’s new iPod Touch isn’t very new at all, it’s as if we have seen it last year, the truth is we have seen it last year. This year we will be seeing last year’s hardware get a software update, and getting an additional color, there will also be a price drop on the entry model. However that’s where the new features end, and I still wouldn’t really call them new, or features. To start with, my old (last years) iPod looks exactly the same as this years, why? Well the fact that users can install iOS 5 (Apple’s software update for its mobile platform) on their previous iPods means last year’s iPod can be made into this years. That’s what I did just last week, the day after its release. So the new iOS can be installed on last year’s iPod, resulting in exactly the same iPod. Next is the color, last year the Touch was only available in black, this year its also available in white. I myself don’t care for the additional color since I don’t like my devices in white. So that really isn’t new, its just a color, and quite frankly I wouldn’t call it new, neither would I call a minor price cut new. Not to mention that price cut is only for the entry model. So basically I don’t see anything new, I see last year’s technology with a software update that I could just as well have done myself.

I find this/last year’s new iPod a disappointment, I think it’s a great device, however it is nothing new. So in fact there is nothing new this year, Apple’s release dates for their iPods have always been a bit predictable, but not this year, since the iPod Touch family didn’t get a new device added to its family, it’s the same device, even the model name stayed the same. For users who want a music player the iPod touch is the way to go, but those hoping to get a newer device don’t bother, it’s the same as last year's model.

Rumors Vs. Reality iPhone Aftermath

After release

In my previous post I talked about some of the rumors and history of Apple’s iPhone. Websites always talk about the rumors before a device is released, and after it is released they focus on reviewing it, instead of first comparing the rumors to what was released. So I will take a shot at trying to compare before and after I the rumors and release of the new iPhone.

To start with, unlike what people expected the new iPhone is called the iPhone 4s. Later rumors showed the possibility of a 4s rather than a complete overhaul to an iPhone 5, however people wanted something new. First of all people wanted a bigger screen; other competing smartphones on the market have larger screens that exceed the one of the new iPhone. Next people were expecting A new design. This is possibly one of the biggest disappointments. Since all early rumors pointed to a new design. There was a company that posted new iPhone 5 protective cases on its website that made people believe in a new design since the cases were thin, and sleek, and made to fit a new futuristic device. The website that presumably had the new iPhone cases took down their product of their website a few hours later. However users and media had already seen it. Since that moment people had thought that he iPhone 5 would have a totally new design, since the cases did not match any current iPhones and were labeled as iPhone 5 cases. Now, here comes the reality of this. First of all the new iPhone is not an iPhone 5 but an iPhone 4s. Second of all, it's visual design is exactly the same ad of the previous iPhone. That means that the case pictures posted on the website were complete bogus. They simply attracted a ton of media hype. So that's the second rumor busted! Now there were rumors of the iPhone getting a better camera, presumably 8MP. Guess what....it happened! The iPhone 4s got a new camera (back facing only)! Also apple had recently (since a few years) started to make processors for its devices. For the iPhone 4 they had the A4 processor (a single core processor), and rumors arose that the iPhone 5 would have the A5 (dual core) processor. Another correct rumor, the iPhone 4s will come with apples A5 processor. It allows for a snappier interface, faster apps, and it has great graphic capabilities. It also came with the anticipated iOS 5. In Venezuela we just got 3G, not to mention its crazy expensive (the guy who makes the prices must be drunk) and not very stable. However in the US and starting in Germany I believe is 4G networking. It is faster, but drains batteries faster. Fans had rumored that it would have 4G support, and it does. Apple said at its "Let's Talk iPhone" conference that it would not get into specifics about what is 4g and what is not, but the speeds they listed seem to be 4G. Another rumor that has been circulating the web is that the iPhone 5 would be a world phone (working on both types of frequencies and networks). The rumors were confirmed when the 4s was announced, it is a world phone, so if it is bought in the US it will work overseas.

However with Apple not all dreams come true, for example many users were hoping for Flash support on iOS devices, even though we all knew that would not happen. Apple has shown no interest in adding Flash support to their devices. This has disappointed users in previous generations.

Apple had yet to learn that liquor and prototypes don't mix well. Last year an apple executive had lost an iPhone 4 prototype in a bar. The iPhone was found and sold to a website called Gizmodo for over $7000 (publicity pays), the exact sum is not known. This year another executive lost another prototype of the iPhone. Guess where? Anyone? Surprise! Surprise! It was lost in another bar. It however was supposedly found, but police have not been able to find the person nor the phone. As said in the previous article apple releases a new device about every year. So on new iPhone news till next year, unless apples loses another prototype (third times' the charm) and we'll hear about it earlier.

Can you believe what you read? (Apple iPhone 5 rumors)

Technology, we all rely on it, more so, we are addicted to it. Every year between September and October the world ponders on what might be the next big thing, more specifically Apples new iPhone, the iPhone 5. Officially not released yet but rumored to be on its way to be released on the fourth of October, the iPhone 5 has been long awaited. I myself am not a great fan of apple, I disagree with most of their choices in the computer industry, but I do like the iPod, and iPhone. There are two things that I do not buy from Microsoft, their gaming consoles (Xbox 360) and their music player, the Zune.

Last year also around September – October Apple released the iPhone 4, it had been long anticipated, since its predecessor the iPhone 3GS, an updated version of the iPhone 3G. However a few weeks before the release an Apple executive had lost one of the iPhone 4 prototypes in a bar. The phone was later found by a guy, and sold to a technology review, and rumor site called Gizmodo. The prototype was sold for around eight to eleven thousand dollars. The internet was flooded with buzz, since Gizmodo had acquired a real iPhone 4 prototype not a fake rip off. Apple has been known for suing everyone/everything that stood in its path, or that used a similar name or technology. After the phone was released the world was sure that the prototype was 100% real.

This year however millions of Apple fans, and people are anticipating what they are hoping for is the iPhone 5. There are already tons of rumors online, and guess what...Apple has managed to lose another iPhone prototype in a bar, however it has not yet been recovered. Who knows maybe it will be leaked online or found, but so far police and Apple’s security team are working on it. Now on to the rumors. First of all many fans are expecting a redesign, there have been leaks of cases for the iPhone 5 on a case manufactures website, and they were mysteriously taken down within hours of the post. However people caught them, and the pictures show cases for what looks like a very sleek iPhone. Well we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. However besides the many rumors on case design, things like: 4G networking, a bigger display, an 8 megapixel camera, and world phone functionality are rumored. First up 4G networking, it is much faster than the current 3G, and is already available in some states and on some devices, it has been anticipated in the iPhone 4, however despite the name Apple decided to wait on adding 4G capabilities to their phone. Nowadays smartphones are getting bigger and bigger screens while still being able to fit in your pocket. The iPhone was renowned for its large screen but these days other companies are coming out with bigger screens, and iPhone users are hoping for a bigger screen. Foxxcom one of the companies that is making the new Apple iPhone is presumably making thousands of new iPhones a day, and rumors say that they have ran into a problem with the LCD panels for the new iPhone, so maybe there is a bigger screen coming. The next big rumor is the camera, the current iPhone has a 5 megapixel camera, but these days other smartphones are featuring 8 MP cameras, and rumors are that an 8MP camera is on its way. Now how do we know that, well an Apple employee has uploaded a picture that was taken with a portable device (an iPhone) however it’s resolution is higher then the one of the current iPhone; the picture however was removed the next day. These rumors along with the rumors that Apples next gen iPhone will be a world phone (can be used on any network type) point to a more advanced and powerful iPhone. Speaking of a powerful iPhone, Apple has been making its own processors lately, and the iPhone 4 has it’s single core A4 processor, however a dual core A5 processor is rumored, if true it would really speed up not only basic features but 3D games and apps would run smoother.

So now we just wait and see what will happen, hopefully these rumors are true, and we will get a fully functional iPhone 5 by the end of October.

Rise my blog!

Hello to all,

I am a 9th grade student currently living somewhere among this world. This is going to be my first blog that I will actually update regularly, since I have made other blogs, but I usually forgot about them. I am of more or less normal height, however I am taller than most of the people in my grade level. I keep to myself, I don't like to cause trouble. Unlike most of the boys in my grade I am not a great fan of sports, although I do enjoy street hockey, and swimming. I enjoy working with technology, it is one of my favorite things to do. I also like researching about cars, they fascinate me. Besides computers and cars, I like games and movies, my favorite movie series being "James Bond," and "the Godfather." For those of you who are interested to know, I like Italian pizza, and grilled meat. I mainly listen to pop, and hip hop. Although I keep an open mind when watching new T.V shows, I generally only watch dramas, like "Dr. House", comedies such as "the Big Bang Theory." I also enjoy watching documentaries, since I love history. I used to have an aquarium, but I had to give it up, since I travel a lot, and now I have two dogs. One is a German Shepherd, and the other one is a street dog that my family found when he was less than ten days old.

Before starting this blog I wasn’t 100% sure on what to write about, but as I stated earlier, I enjoy technology, cars, and games. I have enjoyed working with technology, especially computers for a long time; I was always fascinated by them. When I was three I used to play with my dad’s laptop, it seems that it was destiny for me to enjoy working with computers. I believe that I will have fun writing about these topics, since I understand them well, and often read about them. I look forward to writing my first blog post, or second post, whether you consider this the first. Until then I will continue to enjoy spending my time with the people I care about the most, my family, and friends.