I'd begrudgingly have to pick the one on the left -- for productivity reasons, of course -- but that oh-so-retro PowerBook could definitely have a place in my home as well. As could that adorable feline. [Photo Credit: Raneko] ...
在微軟急尋CEO、外界呼出蓋茨回歸聲音的時候，微軟創始人比爾蓋茨似乎對重掌微軟並不感興趣。此前在接受彭博電視台採訪時，蓋茨就表示，慈善事業將是他餘生的主業，微軟董事會成員將只是他的兼職。 根據彭博社30日援引消息人士報導稱，微軟內部負責雲計算的印度裔高管納德拉將接替鮑爾默擔任CEO的職務...
智能手機用戶都知道，雖然許多廠商都聲稱設備有16GB的存儲空間，但是用戶實際可用的存儲空間遠遠不到16GB。不過在眾多智能手機中， Apple iPhone 5c和iPhone 5s的實際可用存儲空間算是比較多的，而 Samsung Galaxy S4則最少。 根據Which的一項調查，在16GB智能手機中，iPhone 5c的實際可用存儲容量最多，為79...
It looks as though our favorite Cupertino tech company is out to prove that an Apple a day really can keep the doctor away. Apple's reportedly working on an app that will gather and compile data about your health with the help of the iPhone's new M7 processor, reports 9to5Mac, along with the fitness data commonly found in smart watches like the Pebble.
It's allegedly called Healthbook, and if 9to5Mac's sources are correct, you'll be able to use it to learn key health data such as your heart rate, blood pressure, and possibly even your glucose levels. At its simplest, it'll remind you when it's time to take your meds. The report suggests that Healthbook will resemble the existing Passbook app, even down to an icon that looks the same save for "graphics representing vital signs."
Source: 9to5Mac
This strongly suggests that iOS 8 will be designed with the iWatch in mind, and in fact, 9to5Mac's "sources" confirm it. Apple apparently forsees the iWatch and the iPhone working in tandem in order to collect most of the relevant data, but the true wonder will be the iWatch, into which Apple managed to stuff multiple health sensors in single chip to save space.
It's possible we'll get a look at iOS 8 during this year's WWDC in June, although there's no reliable timetable for the iWatch aside from 9to5Mac's assertion that the wearable device is "well into development."
The report at 9to5Mac also includes some scant information about other features in iOS 8 pertaining to the Maps app, such as how we'll likely see better public transit directions with the new release along with some mapping abilities rolled into the iWatch.
Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.
Remember Walter Isaacson, the guy who wrote that bestselling biography of Steve Jobs that seemed to be everywhere in the winter of 2011-2012? Isaacson once again found himself in the spotlight earlier this month when he argued in an interview with CNBC that the "greatest innovation today" was coming from Google's offices, not Apple's. It sparked such a harsh response that Isaacson held another interview with Bloomberg this morning in which he argued that Apple is still better at turning their ideas into reality.
In his words, "I will say one thing about the comment I made about Google being the most innovative. Innovation is great, but it ain't everything. It's not the whole equation. Execution is what really matters. Apple is the best at execution." Isaacson then went on to discuss his impressions of Apple's handling of the iPhone 5c.
"I don't think Apple will ever be great at doing low end," Isaacson said. "It really makes insanely great products, to use the phrase Steve [Jobs] used 30 years ago when he launched the Mac. "You've heard Tim Cook hint about that; whether it's television or a wearable watch, I don't think Apple's going to do well trying to be in the commodity low-end race with Samsung and others."
Still, in the same discussion, Isaacson hinted that Apple needs innovation on its side. "What I think is going to have to happen is that [Apple is] going to have to figure out a whole new set of disruptive products." As Isaacson suggested, that could be the so-called iWatch, or it could be the rollout of a variation of Apple TV that runs games, thus making the current gaming console market more challenging than it already is.
Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.
Apple's plans for iOS 8 focus on redefining health tracking via mobile devices, according to a new report from 9to5Mac, which has a terrific track record when it comes to rumors it has sourced itself. The report details a new marquee application coming in iOS 8 called "Healthbook" that monitors all aspects of health, fitness and workout information, including vitals monitored via the new iWatch, which is said to pack a bevy of sensors and to be "well into development" according to 9to5Mac's sources.
The health monitoring app called "Healthbook" will come pre-installed on iOS 8, which, if true, would be a huge blow to third-party apps including those made by Fitbit, Nike, Runkeeper and Withings just to name a few. It would track and report steps, calories burned, distance walked and more, including weight fluctuations, and blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate and more.
Apple's focus on health in iOS 8 is given credence by a number of new reports from this week, including the news from the New York Times earlier today that Apple execs met with the FDA late last year to discuss mobile medical applications. Apple also reportedly hired Michael O'Reilly, M.D. away from a position as Chief Medical Officer of Masimo Corporation in July 2013. O'Reilly is an expert in pulse oximetry among other things, which is used to non-invasively take key vitals from a user via optical sensors.
9to5Mac's report details functionality of the proposed "Healthbook" app, which, as its name suggests, takes a lot of cues from Passbook. It'll offer swipeable cards for each vital stat it tracks, letting users page through their medical and health information. The report cautions that this functionality could be taken out prior to the final release of iOS 8: With the FDA's involvement, one concern might be getting the necessary approvals to market the software as a potential medical aid.
As for the iWatch, the new report doesn't add much in terms of firm details, but it does suggest we could see a release before year's end, and offers that it could feature sensors that provide data to Healthbook. That app could also use existing third-party monitors and devices designed for iOS to source data, however. One more tidbit about the iWatch suggests that maps will be a central feature of the device, and navigation on the wrist is actually a prime potential advantage of smartwatch devices that has yet to be properly explored.
We've reached out to Apple for comment on these developments, and will update if we learn anything more.
You're reading Small Apartment Design within a Brick House in Vilnius, Lithuania originally posted on Freshome.
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每次坐巴士從九龍返元朗，當經過元朗凹頭時（博愛醫院前的位置），從巴士上層都可看到窗外的西鐵架空橋下，有一整片漁塘及一排數幢的青磚大屋，這一排的五幢青磚大屋是元朗東成里劉氏大屋。
有印象的話，2010 年 TVB 無線一套電視劇集「鐵血尋橋」戲中的衛生局收貨場面中，就是在東成里取景拍攝。
跑遊東成里@ 2014年1月26日
這篇「跑遊 東成里」的文章稿件滯留在 draft 文件夾中一年有多，今天看到新鴻基郭氏家族均分股權和解的新聞，新地郭氏兄弟三房人各可分得約 271 億元的新地股份，令人想起已故元朗凹頭大地主東成里劉維疇之10億地皮遺產爭奪案，所以想在農曆新年前執筆把文章寫好。
差不多一百年前，劉維疇在元朗凹頭東成里一帶買入 350 萬平方呎土地，當初以 5,600 元購入，地皮現時已升值至超過 10 億元，自從 1933 年劉維疇逝世後，劉氏八房後人在 1946 年遵從劉維疇所立的遺囑分配家產，不過隨著元朗社區及土地發展，包括政府從三號幹線及西鐵工程收地，各房人坐擁的大小不同的地皮產生價值上的變化，十年前八房卻因分地不勻而鬧上法庭，成為一宗遺產爭奪案，最後10 億遺產由八房人均分，另外一份成供祖堂「劉維疇祖」負責祭祖費用。
遺產事件解決，遺產受益人不滿其中一房人以遺產管理人為名，將高達 5000萬元遺產作為律師費及遺產承辦人酬金，其後在遺產管理賬目上又涉及 1 千萬元管理人報酬費用，遺產爭奪案餘波未息，都是金錢作崇。
事實上，新界發展迅速，政府公路及鐵路收地涉及的利益關係，由元朗牽連至錦田、甚至馬莆一帶，產生了不少家族或村民（村長）間的金錢糾紛，還未計算私人發展商大量收購新界土地時所涉及的龐大金錢利益，在東成里這一片土地，鄰近新鴻基 Yoho Town 一至四期項目，當然吸引到發展商垂涎，新鴻基亦曾經提出收購劉氏八房人所有土地，這亦是劉氏八房人紛爭迭起的導火線。
東成里全景圖，用 Google Camera Panorama 模式拍攝 @ 2013年9月8日
東成里這個地方位於元朗凹頭迴旋處旁，凹頭讀音「拗頭」而非「粒頭」，它的英文拼音亦是 Au Tau。據香港地方 – 山峽及山坳所述，凹頭得名自元朗蠔殼山北麓和一座海拔約四十米高的小山之間的山坳，在東成里後方，現時橫跨了西鐵架空鐵路，是元朗市與錦田的交界處，後來凹頭演變成周邊地區的名稱。
東成里按字面直譯爲：在元朗東處逢源，創業順利，做事皆有成就，是一份美好意願。除此之外，據悉東成里昔日被稱為「痲瘋地」(Historic Building Appraisal )，猜估是跟博愛醫院有關 。
我相信東成里的命名，除了取其直譯的意思外，估計劉維疇是思念台山故鄉，把台山故鄉東成里的名字，命名在自己買下的元朗土地上，在網絡上可以找到一份 1931年（台山）東成里改造村面章程的文件（當然只證明到台山一條村叫東成里），在 Google Maps 中可以找到台山廣海南灣的北邊有一處地方叫東成里。
劉維疇於 1919 年開始興東成里，當時 1910 年代台山土匪當道，盤踞於兜山的新會台山賊幫，當中有一個著名的女賊婆是單眼英，台山賊幫曾經洗劫台山和廣海等地，又進行綁票勒索，騎劫商船和收保護費等，台山治安欠佳，不少台山人遷移至香港，加上香港在港英政府管治下顯得繁華安定，元朗區土地多吸引客藉人仕買地耕作建屋。
正如早前介紹之元朗新田「福興里」，便是台山人集居元朗的地方，名字源自江門市故鄉「福興里」。以家鄉的鄉里名字用在香港的產業上，另一個著名的例子便是邱子文之「景賢里」。
東成里與西鐵高架天橋 @2007年3月13日
剛才提及的福興里，即是元朗新田鄉上新圍及下新圍，又叫福興里。下新圍的青磚大屋跟東成里的劉氏大屋好相似，跟東成里劉氏一樣是台山同鄉，同樣是由台山乘船到香港。
所以東成里和福興里的青磚大屋皆是元朗區中，二十年代初期台山鄉紳到元朗定居的歷史見證，還有大旗嶺村等是值得記錄的地方。
跑遊東成里@ 2014年1月6日，因為小狗阻擋去路當天未能去到克述堂
東成里劉氏大屋 63, 65-68 號是一排五幢的清式民居，由台山藉商人劉維疇建成，當初劉氏以5,600元購入這幅地皮後，首先建成 68號「克述堂」，當時由汕頭騁請建築工匠來興建，「克述堂」是劉氏族人聚會的地方。克述堂於 1919年興建，在鄰的博愛醫院亦是同年創立，由鄧煒堂向新界理民府柯長官請求撥地興建築「博愛醫院」。
於戰前，這幢「克述堂」亦充當幼稚園，St. Peter's College 及教會聚會使用。雖然有人稱克述堂為祠堂，因為劉氏信奉基督教，所以克述堂中沒有神位、祖先神龕等傳統儒家建設。數年前（2007）遊覽克述堂時，大屋被荒廢，現時裡頭居住了兩頭唐狗看守，雖然屋內仍然顯得雜亂無章，相信是有人居住的。
相連的四幢兩層高清未風格之青磚大屋，是劉維疇興建來分配給劉維疇五名妻子的 8 個兒子居住。靠近克述堂的 67號大屋先於 1926年建成，給第二和第三名兒子居住，餘下三間大屋建於1935年興建，一列四幢青磚大屋，是寄望八名兒子聚居守望相助。
劉氏大屋屬於台山建築風格，是合院式的青磚建築，雖然大屋裝飾簡單，屋簷下仍然看到彩繪圖畫和雕花板，大屋中央是天井，大門有花崗石門框，配上朱紅大木門。劉氏大屋有點似錦繡花園，是兩戶人家分別居住在左右兩側的村屋中，清潔阿姨告訴我，幾間大屋都有人居住的，只是經常關上大門。
除了東成里幾幢青磚大屋，在村口可以看到另外一幢舊式村屋，圍牆寫上劉四宅的名稱，估計屬東成里後人第四房人擁有。
劉氏大屋的玄關處 @2007年3月13日
克述堂的木門柵 @2007年3月13日
克述堂內的圓形拱門
昔日在克述堂旁的地方可以看到大量瓷器 @2007年3月13日
劉維疇出生於1884年，原本於台山經營魚業批發「成美魚欄」，於台山鎮中批發鮮魚發跡，估計成美魚欄位於台山廣海南灣，該處是台山漁業大鎮，由於1910年代台山山賊為患治安欠佳，劉維疇 35 歲時，舉家遷至元朗凹頭，在元朗東成里一帶購入大幅地皮定居建村，除建屋之外，有七成地方便用作魚塘以及租出供人家耕種養魚等生意，畢竟劉維疇是以漁業出身的。
劉維疇於 1919年首先建成克述堂，相信它最初是劉氏住宅，後來因為家族發展而增建其他數幢劉氏大屋。劉維疇於 1933 年還未等到最後三幢劉氏大屋落成前已經離世。劉維疇的名字甚少出現在元朗區的社區發展中，可能在元朗定居期間，亦有往來台山廣海等地。
數年後，劉氏族人跟其他香港人一樣，要面對日本佔領香港的黑暗歲月(1941-1945)， 劉氏八房人在日治時期後（1946）聚首分配家產，確定各房人家產業，不過現時東成里有點凋零落魄、人氣冷清，可以描述為世外桃源，卻有點村不成村的氣氛。
看東成里的家族發展，值得令人深思的是傳統客家人落地生根之後，究竟應該要讓兒子們聚居，還是要遣子分流到其他地方發展，例如錦田鄧氏或橫台山鄧氏，族人分散並開闢新村落各自發展。至於東成里劉氏，當初劉維疇花費心思興建東成里，寄望兒子們聚居守望相助，若非各房後人糾纏不睦，未能夠把資產統一出售，現時幾幢青磚大屋或許早已被拆卸，被埋藏在混凝土建築之下。
回顧元朗區私人古蹟物業，當出售給發展商之後，就好似東成里附近的圍龍客家屋「蔭華廬」或橫洲娛苑一樣，將會被發展商荒置，任由風吹雨打直至磚瓦敗落，當建築物已經喪失了歷史價值時，是發展商申請重建別墅的時機。
相信劉維疇在 1932 年手握毛筆立遺囑時，亦預估不到現時這種情況，又試想一下如果劉氏八房人在村中繁衍，相信東成里村屋林立，正如附近凹頭楊屋村或錦田吳家村一樣村屋林立。
東成里附近的圍龍客家屋「蔭華廬」
香港人．香港樹及明報新聞中講述了2006年渠務署因元朗排水繞道防洪工程，要求承辦商把 51 棵血桐樹被移植到東成里保存，可惜移植手法不當，血桐全被削去樹冠，直接令到其中 27棵血桐樹枯死，成為了一宗樹木虐殺事件。
東成里、南生圍以及山貝一帶一向是元朗著名漁塘區，亦是大自然的濕地緩衝區，該區的漁塘連同南生圍的蘆葦床，提供草鷺、白腹鷂、黑水雞等鳥類作為棲息，亦是鷺鳥繁殖和覓食地方，而東成里的魚塘距離鷺鳥繁殖地只有數百米。
不過，隨社會發展及漁業息微，香港四大發展商（新地、新世界、恆基及長實）趁機會不斷收購該區之土地作儲備，特別是新鴻基地產所擁有的南生圍地盤，以及鄰近的高埔村、沙埔村、長春新村、東成里、山邊村等一帶地皮，於這幾年間不斷把握機會申請發展，單單是新地的元朗南生圍東成里住宅項目，每年都向城規會提修訂方案，包括逐次修訂減建洋房數量及分層單位，變相增加單位面積令造價更理想，不過同時面環團組織，包括長春社、環保觸覺及世界自然基金會香港分會等反對意見。
東成里、南生圍山邊村一帶是元朗區發展大面積洋房的最佳地點，一來貼近元朗市及元朗公路，二來新界區大面積別墅洋房售價驚人，發展商一方面向城規會申請將地皮興建低密度住宅及放寬高限等，政府另一方面配合發展商的發展項目把土地用途逐步改變，相信不久將來，青磚村屋、漁塘、蘆葦床將會被打造成高尚住宅，屆時剛好就是東成里克述堂建成 100 週年。
東成里的漁塘 @2007年3月13日
東成里漁塘及閒逸小露台 @2007年3月13日
