Once the realm of hackers and code monkeys, the Ubuntu version of Linux has finally come of age in terms of ease of use.

Picture this: you have just left Yongsan, having put down well over a million won for a new laptop: 15-inch screen, RAM out the wazoo and enough space on your hard drive to store every single K-Pop music video in existence. You turn it on, and despite the salesman’s assertions of “Yes, Englishee, yes!” Windows is not only in Korean, but suspiciously already activated and operating a “free” version of office. This is the “service” you get for your patronage of Kim’s Wide World of Computer Goodness in the back streets of Yongsan.

The majority of vendors in Korea are, of course, reputable, but you can’t deny the laissez-faire attitude so common here toward legitimate copies of software. All too often dodgy copies of Windows and programs like Microsoft Office are vectors for malicious programs that run in the background of your computer stealing information and making your machine run like maple syrup flowing downhill on a winter’s day.

Ubuntu (pronounced “oo-BOON-too”), on the other hand, has always been an alternative to this nightmare, but in the past it was tough for even confident computer users to set up. Picture marathon sessions googling answers on how to get the USB to work and inordinate amounts of time staring at a command line interface (do you remember DOS?).

But not anymore. This week I installed the latest version of Ubuntu (v10.4 “Lucid Lynx”) on two machines – an MSI Wind and a new Samsung. Notwithstanding the download time, in both cases, each machine was up and running in less than 25 minutes. And better still, everything worked “out of the box”: webcam, wireless card, USB, bluetooth, internet and the SD Card reader. And it’s all in English! And free!

Ubuntu is open source and comes with free alternatives to the programs you know and love, including Firefox and Open Office (as opposed to Microsoft Office), and you can download software for your mp3 player, videos, photos and games. And those viruses? Ubuntu is arguably the safest operating system around, and because of the legions of people maintaining it, security fixes are quick and efficient.

The Ubuntu website (ubuntu.com) provides how-to guides and downloads to get you started. You can even leave Windows on your machine (for those Korean sites that need Internet Explorer). Just set things up so you can choose Ubuntu or Windows when you turn it on.

Ubuntu has finally made Linux ready for the mainstream. Sending emails home, organizing your Korean photos and blogging about your favorite Seoul restaurant are easy on Ubuntu. Its a simple and straight-forward process on most machines, and it’s in English. And best of all? It’s free.

Okay, if you’re not a blogger or a technophile, you may not care, but  you should. WordPress started out as an open-sourced blogging platform, but it has grown into one of the most popular open-sourced website platform in the world, with over 200 million sites using the WordPress platform. Organizations like the New York Times,  Forbes and Harvard Law School have turned to WordPress to open up a simplified yet professional way to upload content to the web to their reporters, professors and students. The most popular blog in the world, Mashable.com, a site about social media, turned to WordPress to make it’s website. As the line between websites and blogs gradually becomes blurred (is it still there?), expect WordPress to become one of the major platforms of the future. Yes, 10 Magazine’s blog is done with WordPress.

Here’s a great video about WordPress 3.0:

We hope you have enjoyed the tremendous writing that goes into our food reviews as much as we have. We actually found our food writer in another magazine, got in touch with him just ‘cause you never know what’s going to happen, and sure enough he was put on the free market the next month when that magazine was looking to change direction. Fate works like that. Well, our tremendous resident foodie, Joe McPherson, has also been working on the longest-running English blog on Korean food in his time here. Zenkimchi.com can get a little confusing, as there are multiple facets to the blog, but for today let’s stick to zenkimchi.com/dining and zenkimchi.com/FoodJournal (case sensitive). Dining follows Joe and his minions on their escapades to Korean restaurants around the country as they evaluate the cuisine. The Food Journal talks all about food, primarily as a way for Joe to both record his cooking exploits and help residents cope with the dearth of foreign ingredients available here. So if you can’t get enough of 10’s Foodie Finds, go get more of Joe at zenkimchi.com.

The Apple iPad vs the Asus Eee PC 1008HA

by Alaric Willi

The iPad should be landing in Korea any day now. (The arrival of the iPad has been delayed. -Ed) But before you go out and spend your hard earned savings on what is essentially a large iPod Touch with iBooks, take a hard look at a netbook. For this article, we’ll be comparing the Apple iPad to the Asus Eee PC 1008HA, chosen as a typical netbook.
Without going into the messy details, the iPad and the Eee PC both run hardware with similar performance. The Eee PC runs an Intel Atom N720 and the iPad an ARM Cortex A-9 (inside Apple’s A4 processor). There are differences, but for the average user, the operating system and appearance of the product make the difference. So that’s what we’ll focus on.
The iPad operating system is more exciting than Windows. This is mostly thanks to the touch screen on the iPad. You can do cool things like pinch the screen to zoom in on photos. So it’s a lot of fun, but generally low on the productivity scale. Sure, it has all the tools like a word processor and calendar, but they tend to take a little longer than on the Eee PCs Windows XP operating system. The iPad can’t multitask, either.
The iPad is much more rugged then the Eee PC. In addition to this, the iPad battery lasts 10 hours compared to 6 hours for its rival. On the flipside, it doesn’t have a keyboard, camera, USB ports, VGA port, Ethernet port or SD card reader. Whilst some of these are available through plug in devices, you can’t connect more than one at a time. The other big problem is that the iPad can’t stand up on its own like the Eee PC, meaning you have to lean it against something to make good use of the large onscreen keyboard.
The iPad comes with a 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive priced US $499, $599 and $699 respectively. Add $130 to each of those prices for 3G connectivity. The Eee PC has a list price of $429 with Windows XP and a 160GB hard drive. Whilst the iPad has a much better screen for watching movies, there isn’t a lot of space to put those 720p movies on the 16GB model. You could pay $699 for the 64GB model, but then it starts to lose its charm.
The Eee PC is a much better value for money and a much better personal computer. However, it doesn’t have any of the wow factor. The iPad, on the other hand, is just plain cool. Pick it up once and you’ll keep twisting and turning it to interact with it in exciting ways. So if you want a computer, buy the Eee PC, but if you want something packed with entertainment and a pinch of practicality, get the iPad.

Rosetta Stone Inc., a leading provider of technology-based language-learning solutions, announced that the company will enhance its award-winning Rosetta Stone® Version 3 solutions with the addition of Levels 4 and 5 in French, Italian, German and Spanish (Spain). These new levels include extended, more complex conversations and grammar, expanded vocabulary, and additional opportunities for speaking that prepare the learner for everyday interactions in their language of study. “We’re excited that Rosetta Stone learners can continue their language learning success with the addition of these new levels,” said Tom Adams, Rosetta Stone CEO. “The new content means that learners can go further in their quest to learn to speak a new language.” In addition to French, Italian, German and Spanish (Spain), Levels 4 and 5 are also available in Spanish (Latin America) and English.
rosettastone.co.kr

When you travel, one of the key things you will take with you is probably a camera. There are several things you should consider when choosing a travel camera:
• what kind of environment you are going to
• whether you will be able to charge your battery
• how much space you have to carry your camera
You should also consider how safe your camera will be. A big DSLR is going to attract a lot of attention from both the police and thieves. Here is a short list of diverse travel cameras and the best situations for their use.
Casio EX-G1 is a tough little camera. Water-proof, drop-proof, temperature-proof, crush-proof and dust-proof, the EX-G1 is nearly indestructible. If you’re going to be outdoors in a rugged environment or are just generally careless with your camera, this is a great choice. The EX-G1 is also a very slim 19.9mm, meaning you can leave it in your back pocket without a concern. (to be released in Korea,
in US $299)
A solid all-rounder, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 has a diverse set of features that give you creative control in a compact body. This camera gives you complete manual control, a solid 12x zoom, AVCHD movie recording, image stabilization and GPS, so you will always know where your pictures were taken. (to be released)
FujiFilm FinePix S2000HD is a big zoom camera with good low-light sensitivity and full manual control. But the reason it gets a mention here isn’t because of its features, but because it runs on standard AA battery cells. If you’re somewhere that doesn’t give you a lot of options for recharging your camera, then this is a good choice. (from W598,000)
If you’re set on taking a DSLR on your travels, then the Nikon D90 camera won’t let you down. When combined with an 18-200mm lens and a battery grip, this becomes a very versatile package that can take over 1400 photos on a single charge. (W900,000 body only)
Canon EOS 7D gets a mention because it’s not only one of the most rugged DSLR cameras you can buy but also one of the best values for the money. If you’re serious about photography, the 7D is a great choice for travel photographers in any condition. It’s a heavy camera, though, and unless you know how to use it, it’s just going to be a burden. (from W2,100,000)

by Alaric Willi

A friend of mine recently suffered a terrible loss: the death of their hard drive along with all their precious memories. It was after this incident that I began to ponder the idea of how to avoid such problems occurring again. The answer is simple – eliminate the need to rely on a computer’s hard drive by properly utilizing a selection of websites that can assist you in backing up your data. The advantages of data storage are that you can access your information any place you can get on the web without having to worry about losing information if something happens to your computer. It also allows you to easily share your information with your friends. Here is a list of what and where:

Word processing and spreadsheets
docs.google.com has almost the entire Microsoft Office suite for free and then some. You can centrally manage all your documents, upload and export various formats including Microsoft Office formats, while sharing, collaborating and publishing your documents.

Photos
flickr.com is undoubtedly the world’s most popular photo sharing site. While the standard free membership only offers 100MB of photos a month, the pro account ($24.95 a year) gives unlimited uploads and the ability to download the original version of your photo for later use. You can also edit photos with an online Photoshop clone at

Organizer/calendar
google.com/calendar is a no-nonsense organizer. It’s geared towards effectively getting the job done and allows you to attach files from Google documents.

Data
Large data storage is something you are probably going to have to pay for. There are sites out there that will do it for free, but you may risk losing the data. Only paid-for storage can offer you the security and longevity for your data. sugarsync.com offers a range of plans starting from $4.99 month, and box.net can provide an unlimited data storage plan at $25/month. An alternative to this is to use the good old-fashioned method of keeping your data on a USB flash drive. These are relatively cheap and rarely fail.

While there are plenty of alternatives to the above, I have suggested the most reliable, easy-to-use web-sites. Storing your infor-mation on a new website with great prospects is fine until the website closes down or the server crashes. In the digital age, we keep most of our information on computers. Using the above tools, you can be sure that your data and memories won’t suffer at the hands of bad luck– and you’ll learn some new tricks along the way.

by Paul Kang

Apple iPhone Lands in Korea

At long last, KT has brought the iPhone into Korea. The prices depend on what contract you are on. You can choose from the original 3G-8GB, the 3GS-16GB, or 3GS-32GB (the “S” stands for “speed”). Get a piece of Korean Apple fan boy history. Retail price without a contract ranges from W682,0000–W946,000.

Barnes and Noble’s Nook in the Ebook Market

Ebook readers have come a long way over the past few years, and Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader have brought them to the mass market. What differentiates Barnes and Noble’s Nook from the others? The major differences are that the Nook is Wi-Fi enabled with a color-touch screen, Micro SD slot, and LendMe technology allowing you to let your friends borrow your ebooks. It will be primarily available in the US, but the Wi-Fi lets you roam. Retail Price: $259 USD

Kodak Zi8

Whatever the experience you want to preserve, the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera will capture it in sparkling Full 1080p HD video. Plus, integrated image stabilization allows you to stay in focus. When you’re done shooting, plug it in and replay your memories on your HDTV or share the fun on YouTube with the built-in USB. The Zi8 pocket video camera gives you high definition at a low price. Retail Price: $179.99 USD

Livescribe’s Pulse SmartPen

With this gadget, you’ll never have to worry about letting something slip by you when you’re taking notes. The Pulse SmartPen records what you hear and links it to what you’re jotting down on the special digital paper so that you can fill in the blanks later. Look for the 4GB model which can hold up to 400 hours of audio. Great for business people, teachers, and students. Retail Price: $199.95 USD

Blogging is changing the way we communicate. Here are a few reasons why you should blog, too. Writing forces you to clarify and concisely organize your thoughts. Blogs serve as a stepping stone to journalism and allows you  to record and share their thoughts and experiences. Blogging can develop rapport with an audience, help you connect and communicate information, and cultivate your style and voice. It is an excellent resume builder and some are lucky to make a nice living from it.

Top Blogging Platforms

1st Place: WordPress is an open source blogging platform. There are approximately 62.8 million websites using WordPress and 32 of the top 100 blogs in the world use WordPress. Notable WordPress bloggers include TechCrunch, Perez Hilton, Mashable, and Smashing Magazine. You can find more information on www.wordpress.com and www.wordpress.org. This service is clearly the industry leader; however, it requires some technical know-how. Of course, you can always pay someone to help set it up for you.

2nd Place: TypePad and Moveable Type are created by Six Apart. The difference between them is that TypePad is the paid hosted service and Moveable Type is the free self-hosted version. Six Apart’s services are used by 28 of the top 100 blogs in the world.  You can find more information at www.typepad.com and www.moveabletype.com. This service is for those who appreciate paid technical support.

3rd Place: Blogger was bought by Google in 2003. It is the easiest to use and it’s free. Blogger hosts three of the top 100 blogs in the world, including Google’s Blogs. You can sign up at www.blogger.com. Blogger’s service is by far the easiest to use, but lacks customizability.

Honorable mention: Drupal is a content management system (CMS) more so than a blogging platform.  It is free, but you may have to tinker with some code. You can find more information at www.drupal.org.

If you’d like assistance setting up your own blog, feel free to contact Paul Kang at paulkang@10magazine.asia.

Happy Blogging!

Words by Jorge Nelson

It isn’t meant to be a secret, but the vast majority of Korea’s residents have no idea that South Korea will soon be home to the world’s first ‘city of the future.’”

Korea is harboring a huge secret along its west coast on a scale that few people seem to understand completely. It isn’t meant to be a secret, but the vast majority of Korea’s residents have no idea that South Korea will soon be home to the world’s first “city of the future,” a master-planned city being built on a scale never seen before, a mere twelve kilometers from the world’s #1 airport – Incheon Airport.

Songdo International Business District is a $30 billion plus international city being developed on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land (approximately the size of downtown Boston). When completed, the city will be home to 65,000 permanent residents with an additional 300,000 commuters, business travelers and visitors passing through on a daily basis. A full 40% of the total area will be maintained as open green space, and Songdo is being developed to adhere to the highest standards of sustainable design.  With this commitment to energy efficiency, coupled with amenities rarely seen in a city of this magnitude, the quality of life in Songdo will be unparalleled.

Songdo includes the showpiece 65 story Northeast Asia Trade Tower; a 400,000 square foot convention center boasting the largest column-free span in the world; a state-of-the-art retail mall; a waterfront cultural center; 9 million square feet of parks, including the 100-acre Central Park; a 250 acre, 18-hole championship golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus; international public and private schools for 6,000 students; world class hotels with 5,000 rooms; and a state-of-the-art international hospital. Additionally, with the new Incheon Grand Bridge scheduled for completion in early 2009, Songdo will be a 20-minute drive from the Incheon Airport. This international aviation hub, currently ranked #1 in the world for traveler satisfaction, is located within a 3-hour flight from 60 of Asia’s largest cities, accessing a GDP of $1.3 trillion and 35% of the world’s population.

Incheon’s city of the future offers a test bed to IT companies for cutting edge technologies city-wide. One such company is Songdo uLife, NSIC’s ubiquitous computing division. Songdo residents will enjoy a myriad of digital technologies supported by uLife’s state-of-the-art IT eco-system where residents can always stay connected throughout the entire city without ever having to find a “hotspot” truly ubiquitous computing on a mobile phone, laptop, home and work computer. Songdo will offer virtually unlimited potential for transfer of all kinds of data, voice, text, photos, online DVD-quality movies, etc. – sharing the entire network seamlessly and without crashes, slowdowns nor interruptions. Seoul is still on top of the TheAge.com’s published list as the #1 Tech Capital of the World, but Songdo is already on the list and hasn’t even opened for business yet. “Upon completion Songdo will likely be the ultimate digital city. Even as a work in progress, it makes the list.”

Long-term sustainability and the minimization of the city’s carbon footprint have also been considered in every design and engineering decision. Gale International has made it a priority that all significant buildings in the project meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Development (LEED) Silver ND certification standard for neighborhood development. Songdo will be the first LEED-certified city district in Korea, if not Asia. LEED certification ensures that a comprehensive list of standards are designed into the project including significant reduction in carbon footprint, efficient use of wastewater, use of local and sustainable materials, improvements in overall energy efficiency including heating and cooling systems and effective management of transportation and waste streams. Stanley C. Gale, Chairman of Gale International notes “Songdo will set the standard for sustainable urban planning.” Indeed, Songdo was recently named a “green urbanism” pilot project by the U.S. Green Building Council as well as winner of the prestigious Sustainable Cities Award from the Urban Land Institute.

International education is also a major part of the Songdo’s DNA. Gale International and Microsoft Learning are collaborating on the “Educational Excellence in Technology Initiative” to link students, parents, educators, academic institutions, local industry, and government partners in a shared vision of how students and workers can reach their potential through technology skills training in a global context. Specifically, the agreement outlines the integration of the Microsoft Digital Literacy curriculum and Microsoft IT Academy into the Songdo International School, Asia’s newest and most modern private preparatory school, where it will be available both in the school curriculum and in after-hours adult education for local citizens. The Songdo International School, slated to open September 2009, will serve 2,500 students in grades K through 12.

John B. Hynes III, Gale International CEO projects, “The objective of the initiative is to provide students of all ages with the relevant knowledge and skills to expand life experience, enhance employment opportunities, and enable social innovations as citizens of a global economy. This effort will serve as a paradigm for other institutions around the world. We believe this partnership with Microsoft Learning is further evidence of how Songdo IBD can contribute to the economic competitiveness of Korea.”

A master-planned city sporting ubiquitous connectivity in green buildings and operations with cutting-edge international education is attracting a lot of interest from top corporations. United Technologies CEO George David and General Electric’s Ecomagination VP Lorraine Bolsinger both signed memorandums of understanding with Gale. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates invited Stan Gale to be the first business executive to attend the Microsoft Government Leaders Forum in Jakarta, traditionally reserved for government officials. Gates included Songdo IBD as part of his keynote speech. “Designing an entirely new city from the ground up provides a unique opportunity to create an ideal technological infrastructure in which access to digital capabilities and experiences is an inherent part of the living and working environment across people’s lives. Microsoft is pleased to join with Gale International, which is working closely with the governments of Korea and Incheon and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority to help turn this exciting vision into reality.”

Gale International and the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority are building a world-class international city where both Koreans and foreign nationals will want to live and work. They are building a true community, where residents and visitors are connected to one another through fully integrated, synergistic mixed-use habitats, state of the art and environmentally responsible architecture and systems, and cultural and educational institutions. Songdo will have an impact beyond just the bricks and mortar of the city. Korea and Gale International are leading the world with their visionary design, engineering, and environmental awareness. Responding to the needs of a changing planet, Songdo is on its way to becoming the template for a how to build a model city in the 21st Century. www.songdo.com

Published September 2008, shots courtesy of Gale International