[Laksa and iFuture]
It was a good change to have laksa at the Aljunied GRC NDD 2006 Appreciation Dinner last night.

After having kebabs and lots of meat during my trip in Doha, it was timely that most of the food served at the dinner was mostly local delights.

The 100-odd crowd was entertained with oldies throughout the night by a duo with tunes from a guitar and a saxaphone.



Guest-of-honour Mayor Zainul and special guest Mdm Cynthia Phua entertained the crowd with their singing.



Just now, I was invited to the Singapore Science Centre to view the new installation iFuture.

There was a virtual graffiti wall and virtual golf there.

The last time I visited the science centre was a long time ago. The outlook is now more futuristic now but the different sections inside remain the same.



The iFuture exhibition places a lot of emphasis on smart homes and robots. A karaoke robot named Quasi was placed in one of the little rooms upstairs.



Featured at iSpace, a portion of iFuture, is a smart kitchen and smart hall.

In the hall, you can watch three channels of a television simulataneously. No one will fight for the TV remote control ever again. At certain angles, one can see a particular channel. Another channel can be viewed from a different angle.

The smart kitchen allows personalised video clips and messages. You can also select from an array of features from a touch screen.



Another exhibit allows you to see any location in the world a la Google earth but using a different interface. A table that can be turned allows you to zoom in and out and explore the globe and areas around the world.



The iSpace segment has a cool entrance.



Before entering, you have to collect a special ID card that is coded using radio frequency (RF). It is some sort of a EZ Link card.

You start the journey with an introductory clip in a semi-circular like hall. Then, you proceed to enter your details for the encoder to code your card making it more personal. Flashing the card allows the equipment at the exhibit to identify your name and age. It can make the robot call you by your name too.



A pneumatic lift then takes you to the second floor and you walk through the tunnel into the future.

The last part of the exhibition is this wired structure. It changes colour too.



It also features several screens but I didn't really see the content.



In this iFuture exhibition, there is creative use of lighting. Lights make it interesting too because it make the place dynamic when the lights change colour.

There were also many other interesting exhibits around but I didn't get to see all of them.