谷歌的三招绝活

联合早报（2009-02-23）

作者 高极登

近来谷歌(Google)频频出招，一口气推出谷歌手机和用户位置追踪服务。另一项Gdrive服务则在酝酿中，预料会在今年内问世。

　　这三项服务环环相扣，可以合而成为一体。手机会是未来资信厂商必争之地，谷歌也明白不在这个领域占一席之地，游戏很难玩下去。它和台湾手机新锐宏达(HTC)合作，意欲分一杯羹。
　　台湾在电脑业方面有台积电、台联电、宏碁、华硕，但在手机业方面，一直没有像宏碁之类的国际巨擘。宏达可说是后起之秀，弥补了这一缺陷。

网站付费寄存服务面对挑战

　　谷歌的用户位置服务称作谷歌纬度(Google Latitude)，只要在手机中置入软件，相关亲友就可以通过电脑，知道你的下落，做父母的也可以知道孩子的行踪，达到保安和监督效果。手机用户必要时也可关闭行踪功能。

　　相信谷歌这一举措，会引起许许多多的电信公司仿效，为他们制造一条收费财路。电信网络密布，尤其在城市地区，当你开启手机时，电信公司约略知道你所处的位置，准确度甚至精密到10公尺。因利乘便，电信公司只要稍加利用，就可以成为一项增值服务。

划时代创举

　　Gdrive更会是一项划时代的创举，说得明白一些，即是数据寄存服务(data hosting)，也就是把平常收在硬盘里的资料，转而存在谷歌的数据伺服机里头。

　　谷歌早已推出Picasa电子照片寄存服务，让用户把照片存在网上。雅虎的flickr也提供类似的服务；把相片存在网上，一般人都可以接受，至于文本数据，就有待商榷，人们担心的是资料走漏或是毁损。

网上已有不少提供付费寄存服务的网站，比方skydrive.live.com、www.box.net、www.mydrive.com、www.fileden.com、www.humyo.com等。这些网站会面对谷歌严峻的挑战。
威胁到个人电脑单机运作模式

　　为了造势，相信谷歌会以免费为号召，吸引网民尝试，一旦习惯后，他们就会欣然接受这么个寄存方式。在谷歌的影响下，相信很多电信商、网络服务商，甚至大型网站，都会提供类似的服务，像免费电邮址一样，提供可观的记忆容量，让用户寄存数据。

　　一些隐私性不强的数据，存在网上不是问题，而且为用户提供很大的便利。出门在外，甚至出国，你也可以利用像谷歌之类的强大网点，通过第三造的电脑或手机调取资讯，省下了携带电脑出外的麻烦。

　　资信科技的发展已从个人电脑运算走向网络为本运算(web base)，也就是电脑网络化，利用云端计算(cloud computing)方式，把应用软件和运算功能转嫁到网商的伺服机上，再把成果电光石火般地传回。

网上购物

　　就以网上购物为例，把种种物品名目拉入购物车，停当后有关网站就进行运算，然后传回报价由用户确认。

　　别小看这门技术，它会随着网络速度和技术的升华而大有作为，进而威胁到现行个人电脑的单机运作模式。

　　软件巨头微软和晶片大厂英特尔将首当其冲面对汰留，因为在云端计算时代，电脑中不再需要装置应用软件，不再需要超强的晶片。一个照面之间，让英窗（Wintel，英特尔和视窗的简称）这亨哈二将变得可有可无。

作者是联合早报Zaobao.com新闻编辑

非一般体检和保健服务 -- 和时间赛跑 -- 防病防老

作者：陈映蓁 -- 联合早报（2009-02-05）

在新加坡，过去看医生是冲着有病而来，现在看医生则是为了防病、防老，在病症来袭之前自己先向医生或医师报到。这种新的生活方式是和时间竞赛及和健康赛跑。

　　保健意识普遍提高，非一般体检和保健服务应运而生。

　　“亚健康检测仪”让你从一滴血了解健康；“荷尔蒙治疗配套”助你抗老；“ESG扫描”告诉你身体各个部分是否处于平衡状态。

　　无论哪一种体检或保健服务，受访业者异口同声认为：保健的关键依旧是良好生活习惯。
　　生病前先关心身体，改变不良习惯，才能迈向健康。

　　定期接受体检是保健不可或缺的一部分，有病无病，了解身体才能妥善照顾健康。

　　科艺医疗保健中心保健顾问黄华冬说：“预防胜于治疗，提早了解身体可能出现的问题，就能趁早进行防御，等到发病才治疗反而事倍功半。”她目前在科艺负责血象仪检测，从血滴的放大图解读求诊者的健康。

　　莱佛士美颜塑身专科医疗中心高级家庭医生刘美铃则强调：接受体检或治疗，只是保健的一部分。她从2007年11月起为求诊者提供荷尔蒙治疗，治疗的第一步并非药物，而是让求诊者从日常生活习惯着手。

　　她说：“你一定要照顾自己，在饮食、烟酒、睡眠、运动量各方面作出调整，才能恢复健康。”

保健中心Healthystars创办人林坚友同意：“接受体检后，发现身体有问题，生活方式却没有丝毫改变，吃再多的保健品都没用。”求诊者在 Healthystars进行ESG扫描后，他都用激励手法(motivational method)劝解求诊者改变不良生活习惯。


　　保健不能走捷径，下定决心培养良好生活习惯，才是真正关心健康。

一滴血看出过去现在与未来的病

　　下定决心改善健康？不妨参考下列“非一般”体检和保健服务，虽服务对象和形式各异，不变的是对身体的重视。
　　
〉科艺医疗保健中心“一滴血看健康”

亚健康检测仪评估求诊者健康

　　血滴犹如纪录健康资料的磁盘，利用超微智能检测系统将血滴放大，就能窥探身体不同部位的状况。系统又称“亚健康检测仪”，由美国生物学家布氏经过20多年研制而成。

　　科艺私人有限公司董事长陈立发在上海试过类似检测，因检测报告非常准确而深深信服，决定将类似器材带入保健中心，并安排保健顾问黄华冬为求诊者评估健康。

他说：“单有器材并不足够，还要有技术高明的医药保健业者提供评估。有些病症可能还没出现症状，但经验丰富的保健顾问却能从血滴放大图看出端倪。”

　　目前，单接受“超微智能检测”无须付费，但一定要预约，药费另计。诊治的步骤简单：黄华冬首先抽求诊者一两滴血，将之放大2万5000倍，接着按照荧屏上的放大图，为求诊者评估健康。像心肝脾胃肾的状况，以及血粘度、胆固醇和尿酸是否超标，都能从放大图看出。

　　黄华冬说：“过去、现在和以后可能出现的病症，都能从血滴中看出来。接着只要进行焦点性的检查，或用中药适当进补，就能逐步改善身体健康。”

　　陈立发认为：先用生物科学仪器诊治，接着用中医药治疗，绝对有助提倡中医药。

　　他解释：“有些人对中医药没有信心，借助生物科学仪器提供更精准的诊断，绝对比单单把脉或其他传统诊治法更具说服力。”

〉Healthystars“ESG扫描”
从体电图中了解身体平衡状态

　 　"ESG"是electrosomatogram的缩写，又称体电图描记法，纪录的是体内各个部位的电压活动，其原理类似心电图 （electrocardiogram，简称ECG）和脑电图（electroencephalogram，简称EEG），求诊者可从体电图中了解身体各个部位的情况。

　　保健中心Healthystars一年多前设立于狮城大厦底层2楼，为顾客提供ESG扫描，每次收费90元。创办人林坚友除了为顾客分析报告，亦利用激励手法(motivational method)劝解求诊者改变不良生活习惯。

　　林坚友说：“从ESG扫描报告中，可以看出求诊者体内各个部位是否处于平衡状态(homeostasis)。把焦点锁定非平衡状态的部位，确定缘由，就能着手调理身体。”

创办Healthystars之前，林坚友原本从事和医疗业的资讯系统有关的工作，对医疗和保健业有一定认识。他本身因过敏问题而接受ESG扫描，结果得以对症下药，加上改掉不良饮食习惯，过敏问题顺利解决，因此决定创办保健中心，提供类似服务。

　　林坚友强调：“ESG扫描终究只是一种保健手法，求诊者想看到成效，必须下定决心培养良好生活习惯。好好呼吸，好好睡觉，再加上适当的运动和饮食，才能真正达到保健之效。”

〉莱佛士医疗集团“荷尔蒙治疗配套”

方方面面改进求诊者的荷尔蒙

　　“荷尔蒙治疗配套”专为40岁及以上的男女而设，医生将检测体内荷尔蒙，借此评估身体的老化程度，并预测求诊者可能患上的疾病。

　 　为求诊者提供荷尔蒙治疗的高级家庭医生刘美铃（莱佛士美颜塑身专科医疗中心）说：“有人觉得身体没有不适，但想进一步了解身体的老化情况，可借荷尔蒙治疗配套，看看身体的‘岁数’是否符合自己的年龄。有些人则是觉得身体不对劲，但接受一般体检却查不出所以然，希望通过荷尔蒙治疗找到解答。”

　 　荷尔蒙治疗配套共4种，费用介于2310元至3500元。身体没有不适，可依照年龄接受“恢复精神”(rejuvenation)检测（40岁至49 岁）或老化(ageing)检测（50岁及以上）。已出现不适症状，则可选择男性更年期(andropause)检测或女性荷尔蒙失调(hormone imbalance)检测。一般来说，男性更年期的症状包括：出现大肚腩、体力减弱和性欲下降；女性荷尔蒙失调的症状则有：情绪不稳定、失眠、水肿和胸部疼痛等。

　　刘美铃医生说：“很多人以为年龄渐长，一定面对荷尔蒙失调的问题，其实大家把因果关系颠倒了。人之所以老化，是因为荷尔蒙失调，换言之，只要确保荷尔蒙维持在正常水平，即使年龄越来越大，也未必出现老化症状。”

　 　想尝试荷尔蒙治疗配套，首先必须进行“检测前诊治”，让医生确认最适合你的治疗配套。待正式检测当天，除了体检，还要抽取血液、尿液和口水样本进行检验，求诊者亦须填妥相当仔细的问卷。由于检测在澳大利亚墨尔本进行，因此要两个半周至三周后才能拿到报告。医生除了和求诊者讲解报告，必要的话将安排他和 营养师及运动治疗师见面，从饮食和运动两方面着手，改善求诊者的荷尔蒙问题。

　　若求诊者的情况毫无起色，医生将适当配予保健品和荷尔蒙药物，以达到延缓衰老之效。

刘美铃医生说：“想解决荷尔蒙失调的问题，有效抵抗衰老，非得调整生活不可。即日起改掉不良生活习惯，绝对不会太迟。”

延伸阅读：
　　“我们会不会爱自己的车子，都比爱我们的身体多？车子都会送回保养厂定期维修，也不时清洗得闪闪亮亮，好像我们对自己的身体都没有像对车子这么好，这样是不是本末倒置了？”
——台湾作家蒋勋
《身体美学》
To Live, to thrive; I decide
健康乐活

Japanese curry flavours

By Huang Lijie, Singapore Cooks, Sunday Times dated 1 Feb 2009

Singaporeans are won over by its less spicy and milky taste

Japanese curry is finding favour with Singaporean diners, even if it is not as spicy as Indian curry or as lemak (milky) as the Malay version.

The dish has made its way onto the menus of more Japanese restaurants here, and at least three eateries specialising in the curry dish have opened in the last two years.

To widen its appeal, some restaurants are even pairing it with pizza and pasta instead of the more traditional rice and noodles.

One of the new speciality curry shops is Mr Curry in The Central. The 58-seat eatery by the Waraku group of Japanese restaurants opened last December.

A Waraku spokesman says: 'We noticed that there is a market for restaurants selling Japanese curry because the curry dishes at our Waraku restaurants, such as curry udon, have always been a hit with our customers.'

Indeed, the appetite for Japanese curry here has grown in recent years to allow the 75-seat restaurant Curry Favor, which opened in Stamford Road in 2004, to spawn a larger 100-seat outlet at Novena Square in 2007.

Veteran curry eatery Romantic Kobe, which has been selling Japanese curry in the basement of Liang Court since 1995, has also seen its business increase by some 10 per cent every year.

It is not just Japanese expatriates who are patronising these curry shops.

At Wakashachiya, a curry udon (noodle) restaurant with 64 branches in Japan and an outlet in The Central, Singaporeans make up 70 per cent of its diners here while Japanese expatriates constitute the remaining 30 per cent.

Unlike Indian, Malay or Chinese curries, which the Singaporean palate is used to, Japanese curry tends to be less spicy, slightly sweeter and of a thicker consistency.

Teaching assistant James Chan, 50, admits that he found the taste of Japanese curry 'a bit weird' when he first tried it 10 years ago while on holiday in Japan.

He says: 'It wasn't as spicy and its gravy had a creamier texture than the Chinese-style curry I was used to eating.'

However, he has grown to appreciate these qualities of Japanese curry and is now a regular customer at Wakashachiya.

For housewife Ellen Lim, 52, who is a fan of the curry tonkatsu (deep-fried pork cutlet) at Japanese chain restaurant Tonkichi, the appeal of Japanese curry lies in the absence of coconut milk in the gravy.

She says: 'Japanese curry does not use coconut milk so it is not as oily as other Asian-style curries. Not only is it healthier, but it is also less jelat (Malay for overwhelming) to eat.'

Curry - the Indian version - was introduced to Japan in the late 1800s and was subsequently modified to suit the Japanese palate.

The dish gained popularity in the 1950s with instant curry mixes and roux bricks available for sale on supermarket shelves.

Potato, carrot, onion and curry powder are common ingredients used to make Japanese curry, although variations of the recipe exist.

At Mr Curry, mango chutney is used to enhance the taste of its homemade curry sauce, which comes in four flavours: original, cream, tomato and squid ink.

For the Shokudo chain of Japanese restaurants, where curry dishes are one of its top sellers, its curry sauce is made from imported curry paste and powder from Japan, as well as tonkatsu sauce, Fuji apples and Japanese soya sauce.

And at Wakashachiya, the soup for its curry udon uses wadashi - stock boiled from dried bonito flakes.

Japanese curry is traditionally eaten with rice or noodles, and accompanied with sides such as deep-fried meat cutlets and vegetables.

Chefs here, however, have taken to pairing the gravy creatively with pastas and pizzas because it does not have an overpowering flavour.

At Shokudo outlets, Japanese curry is paired with omu rice (tomato fried rice wrapped in an omelette) and also used as a topping in its Hokkaido-style Curry Mashed Potato Cheese Pizza.

Similarly, Mr Curry offers its Japanese curry with risotto (a creamy Italian rice dish) as well as in its naan bread (an Indian flatbread) pizzas as a pizza sauce base.

For fans of Japanese curry, these newfangled variations are much welcomed.

Account director Lily Chow, 32, who is a regular at Mr Curry, says: 'These different types of Japanese curry and new ways of eating it, in pastas and pizzas, keeps me excited and wanting more. For example, I've not eaten the squid ink curry at Mr Curry but I am keen to try it because I like squid ink spaghetti.'

.......................................................................................................-

Get your curry fix

Mr Curry

Where: 03-84 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, tel: 6221-8860, open: 11.30am to 11pm daily

What: Besides boasting four flavours of curry - original, tomato, cream and squid ink - it also offers three degrees of spiciness. Hot-sellers include its crab omelette curry ($14.80) and pork cutlet curry rice ($16.80).

Wakashachiya

Where: 03-92 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, tel: 6534-9984, open: 11.30am to 3.30pm and 6 to 10.30pm daily

What: The restaurant specialises in curry udon, which comes with seven types of toppings such as lightly fried lotus root ($15.30, above) and deep-fried pork ($16.50).

Shokudo Japanese Pasta & Pizza

Where: B1-23 Citylink Mall, 1 Raffles Link, tel: 6341-9542, open: 11.30am to 11pm daily, and 02-06A Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, 8 Grange Road, tel: 6736-0971, open: 11.30 to 2am (Sun to Thu), 11.30 to 4am (Fri and Sat)

What: Tuck into Japanese curry in an array of pizza and pasta options such as Hokkaido-style Curry Mashed Potato Cheese Pizza ($10.80). Other popular items include its tonkatsu (deep-fried pork) curry rice ($13.80).

Tonkichi

Where: Various outlets, including 04-24 Takashimaya Shopping Centre, 391 Orchard Road, tel: 6735-7522, open: 10.30am to 10.30pm daily

What: This restaurant specialises in tonkatsu and its curry tonkatsu is well-loved. Try its Hire Katsu set ($21), which comes with three juicy pieces of deep-fried pork cutlet and a velvety curry sauce.

Curry Favor

Where: 01-08 Stamford House, 39 Stamford Road, tel: 6883-1087, open: noon to 10pm daily, and 03-26 Novena Square, 238 Thomson Road, tel: 6255-2395, open: 11.30am to 10pm daily

What: The curry sauce is cooked for five hours from scratch. Popular items include its beef stew curry ($16.90, above) and cheese katsu curry ($19.90), where cheese is sandwiched in a pork fillet and fried.

Romantic Kobe

Where: B1, Meidi-ya, Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road, tel: 6333-0630, open: 10am to 9.30pm daily

What: The curry sauce is served separately in metal saucers so you can decide how wet or dry your rice is. Popular items include its beef curry rice ($10.20) and pork cutlet curry ($12.30).