You know your former newspaper company has made an impact when its demise gets discussed by an academic from the University of Texas.
Here's the abstract, which leads to the full PDF report (which you have to pay for).
I'm very tempted to buy this.
Technorati Tags: Project Eyeball, newspapers, newmedia, businessmodels
An earthquake in Taiwan reminded us of how fragile we are. Today most international websites were inaccessible because internet cables under the sea were disrupted. I'm even considering myself lucky that somehow I managed to access my website and post this at home.
I'm writing this quickly in case we get cut off again. Makes me feel that we're isolated from the rest of the (unaffected) world.
Have you Christians ever realised that Christmas is actually a big birthday celebration? It's the time we celebrate God's birthday in his earthly form. Nobody really mentioned that to me over the past few weeks but suddenly the simplicity of it all, just struck me. In his sermon this morning, my Vicar warned us not to get caught up with the trappings of Christmas celebrations and forget the real meaning of Christmas.
My sister and I were planning to attend the midnight service on 24 Dec but couldn't make it because we were hosting the clan dinner. But then I wondered, hey, if today's Christmas and Jesus was born in the evening... if we wanted to be precise shouldn't we be celebrating this evening instead!
I pity church workers and clergymen at this time of the year, because they have to work overtime on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself, not to mention the rehearsals before that. Which could be a reason why our morning service had a number of small errors.
For one, we would not really sing a song like "Come and join the celebation", which was on page 2 of our Christmas service sheet. I was so amused with the typo. Like we'd all want to get ordained as monks and nuns!
And, for former members of St Georges who read this blog (all one/two of you), I have good news! We have finally stopped using the overhead projector! Welcome us out of the Stone Age! However, the new slides seemed to have been prepared in a hurry, as we were missing one page of lyrics, and so could not sing the final verse of a song. And, for another song, someone had inserted a verse in the middle of another verse. I'm sure these kinks will be worked out in time. This is all in the name of PROGRESS!!! Maybe a few years from now, we'll start doing podcasts just like other churches, instead of saving sermons to an audio CD. I've tried to talk about podcasts but maybe my suggestion hasn't reached the right ears yet.
[Update: Hey, even Queen Elizabeth II is podcasting her annual Christmas message now. Isn't she the head of the Anglican church as well? ]
I have one more thing to say about our Christmas service this morning. Today, we all had Communion. Communion to me is something that can be shared with all believers. However, many years ago before I had decided to become a Christian, I attended church in Bristol sporadically and once was told by a more experienced Christian friend that I should not have taken Communion. I felt bad after that and remembered not to break that 'rule' until I got baptised. When I got baptised, I took Communion again. However, several months ago during my Confirmation (which in the Anglican church is the next step after Baptism) I was surprised that another member of the Church shook my hand then said, "Congrats, now you can take Communion too."
Did that mean I couldn't take communion even after getting baptised and I had done something 'wrong' again? Hurh! There are so many rules made by human beings that confuse me. In any case, today I caught myself behaving like my aforementioned friends, expressing concern that the guests we brought to church today were going to take Communion when I knew some were not believers and all were not Baptised yet. Where should I draw the line? In the end everyone just went up and took Communion anyway. I don't intend to impose my own conceived rituals upon anyone, but wasn't sure what was exactly the right thing (not) to do, in terms of man-made rules. Bleah! God, why do we need to complicate things like this?
Anyway, today we had a great clan lunch, then some of us enjoyed a 5+km workout at the Botanic Gardens where I used my Nike+ gear, which syncs wirelessly with my iPod Nano. More techy details in a later post.
Happy Birthday, Lord :-)
Listen to this podcast episode of me talking about my latest gadget acquisition, XTreme Mac's Micromemo for 5th generation iPods. This episode was recorded, naturally, on the Micromemo, then downloaded to my Mac and converted to mp3 (128kbps).
Apart from compression, no editing was done, so please excuse my 'ums' as it was 2am and I was nearly brain-dead trying to remember what I had to say without a script. I'll work on my speaking technique.
Tell me what you think of the recording quality, the podcast itself, whether you've tried other gadgets, and so forth.
(Background info: In a previous post, I contemplated choosing between this model and other models by rival brands Belkin and Griffin.)
This morning I woke up, realised I may have overslept, lunged towards my alarm clock to check the time, and was smartly reminded of the presence of the solid, sharp wooden corner of my bedside shelf.
The welt just above my right eyebrow was a little red but otherwise looked fine in my bathroom mirror. I drove to work. Then I went into the lift and saw my reflection. A purple mound was rising.
I put an ice pack on my head in the morning, and it fit very nicely on top of my spectacles - much to the amusement of people around me. Most of the swelling subsdided eventually , but there is still a tiny bump ... and it still hurts.
As misery loves company, I'd like to note that A L stubbed her toes recently and they're blue-black too.
Vantan.org has been added to the links list of a new Second Life blog which happens to be in Italian!* Thanks!
This blog has also been linked on Honeyfly, which is another geek-music-Mac blog. I feel like we're relatives.
The first Singapore Second Life meetup was blogged about in Global Voices last month. Thanks Preetam!
* - at least, I think it's in Italian, based on my recognition of words I learnt years ago in music theory class. My dear namesake who's learnt proper Italian is welcome to verify my assessment :)
A Feminist blog draws attention to the presence of role-playing rape services which can be procured in Second Life:
...while the idea of rape fantasies in general is certainly disturbing to me, I'm even more troubled that it's even offered by Second Life as an option, as if this is one of a range of activities to make your virtual life more "real."
The fact is, whether we like it or not, porn is real and after studying Gender issues in my final year in law school, I'm aware that the debate as to whether porn and other forms of commercialised sex is enslaving or 'empowering' women will never end. Heck, in this day and age, why limit it to women, since we now have TV shows featuring liberated women writing columns about sexual escapades with men. Why even narrow it down to heterosexual sex (and the list goes on).
But now we've moved beyond what's legal, to something which should never be allowed - rape. Which leads to yet another debate as to whether we should allow would-be rapists 'let out' their unhealthy desires only in a virtual arena so that they wouldn't do it in real life.
Of course this is a much weaker argument and the right answer should be a resounding NO, but we shouldn't stop there. When fantasies start to involve violence and an intention to hurt and degrade someone else, the person engaging in this fantasy should seek counselling.
Fortunately there is at least one counselling service in Second Life, and mental health discussion groups - but you'd wonder if the patrons of this virtual rape service would bother to seek help. We can pray.
Thanks to HH from Straits Times Digital Life for drawing my attention to the link. More reader comments on this issue, over at Gawker.
Technorati Tags: Second Life, virtual worlds, rape, rapelay,
This fast-rising US Senator has a podcast on his Senate website. Worth checking out, just to see if he's Presidential quality.
I never forgot his moving speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention, which is one of my all-time favourites. (Youtube link, text transcript)
Technorati Tags: Obama, video podcasts
When can music get you all hot and bothered?
When you're a musician who's trying to re-design a home studio.
I spent the last hour crawling under my computer table, trying to dislodge some wooden panels which are preventing me from accessing the power point on my wall. In vain.
It's a long story. How it happened, simply, was that I initially had a lot of wires lying or dangling about in the studio:
To solve the messy mass of wires, Mum (the interior design expert) drew up a neat-looking low panel to contain all the wires. It would run across one wall but would be segmented, with flip-top lids on each segment. This ensured that at any point we could access the bundle of wires within the panel by opening a lid. We left the design plans to the carpenters while we were at work....
And that was our mistake as it resulted in a totally different panel being built.
It only covered a corner of the room, not the entire wall.
Instead of being a low panel, it was high. No idea why it had to be so high.
Instead of the cables being accessible by flip-top lids, there were no lids. Instead, a narrow slot was carved into the SIDE of the panels.
Tonight I realised that the slot was too narrow for my arm to get in, so I could not change the multi-plug adapter that was sealed into the panel. Neither could I fit my pre-amp's huge adapter inside, until I yanked a corner of the panel out and gradually slid the adapter in via that extra gap.
But I could not completely remove the panel, because it seemed to be drilled to the wall.
Apparently one solution is to have a fake, raised floor with strategically located outlets for the wires to come out from. However that's probably more expensive as the entire fake floor would need to built. Also, we have built-in furniture that already goes up to the ceiling, so we can't have a fake floor.
So, wall wiring it has to be, and mighty hard work it will be.
Caught jazz pianist Hiromi live in concert just now. It was a powerful performance all the way. Decisive and accurate keystrokes peppered with humour and always a smile.
However, the concert began with a big hiccup - there was a sound problem for the bassist. We waited for a couple of minutes while a technician came on stage to configure the setup. Hiromi decided to play a little tune on the piano to keep us entertained.
Then when all was fixed, the bass and drums joined in. We were treated to some songs from her new album.
What was good was the big screen above her band, which let us view them from different angles. At times, the camera singled in on Hiromi's hands, so we could see her technique in greater detail.
On a couple of occasions, she used her fist to bang a cluster of black keys. Once she not only used her fist but also the upper arm, just below her wrist, to hit some white keys.
Another unusual technique was the plucking of piano strings. It was right after the break and she had walked up to the piano, looking like she was reaching out for some hidden microphone inside. I think the cameramen mistook this for another technical issue and the big screen showing a close-up of her hands, went blank. But when they realised she was actually making music by plucking the piano strings, the screen went back on.
She not only plucked the strings - she hit the corresponding keys as well. That produced another unique sound. Also, her drummer sometimes used his hands when he needed the percussions to sound softer.
There were a few good bass solos. When her bassist hit the high notes, I suddenly realised that was the sound I was trying to re-create on my own Korg Triton. I had so many sounds on that keyboard but couldn't recapture that sound I've heard in various electric jazz guitar albums such as Lee Ritenour's Alive in LA. I thought it was a different type of jazz guitar sound which I didn't have, but now I know it could have been a bass guitar instead.
I managed to get Hiromi's autograph, though I did not bring my digital camera (it was recuperating after 2 days of Lexus Cup followed by the YAH anniversary bash) so I used my Dopod and despite the fact that the area was lit, the photos came out so blur I'm embarassed to upload them here.
Anyway, it was a good night. Hiromi received three standing ovations and gave two encores. Some members of the audience walked off right away, thinking that the show was over. In fact almost everyone sitting on my right had walked off and missed the final encore! Others realised that Hiromi had gone back on stage, and scurried back to their seats.
Some musicians make you want to buy their CDs after attending their concert. Well, Hiromi can make you feel like buying a DVD!
Check out Hiromi's blog. It's in Japanese, but it's a photo blog so it reads just like... a menu, what with snapshots of Singapore food. Hey, she was with the Yellowjackets too! Cool.
Someone wrote in just now to tell me he found my blog while Googling for "That CD Shop". Sure enough, two of my blog posts rank #2 and #3 when you Google for that phrase - be it using Singapore or international settings.
Aside #1: The last time someone found my blog while searching for 'that' shop, we ended up emailing each other, then he came to my house to fix my PC. We've met up for meals (once, meeting outside That CD Shop at Great World City) and have been friends for the last few years.
Aside #2: The reason why other websites and blogs such as mine turn up higher on the rankings, is probably because That CD Shop doesn't have its own website. So when people Google for the shop, they end up clicking on one of our links instead. Someone at the shop told me that a while back that it wasn't part of their strategy to move their sales online. However they could still set up a simple website, listing their contact details, locations and latest titles.
This blog also turns up #1 on Google searches for "HP iPaq 6828" which is the phone I purchased earlier this year which was then lost/stolen in a ladies' toilet. Ahem, anyone from HP reading this? ;-)
Aside: Between the iPaq and the Dopod 818 Pro which I purchased 2nd-hand after losing my iPaq, the iPaq is still better overall. The Dopod is slimmer and has more buttons (which is good if you like accessing your wireless settings often, but bad if you find yourself activating your camera while trying to turn off your phone). Also, the pre-installed HP software gave more control over phone settings. The Dopod required a ROM upgrade which wiped out all previous data. If I didn't upgrade the ROM, the Dopod would turn itself off on its own, even when data was being keyed in at the time. However, I felt downloading pages over the net was faster on a Dopod which has 802.11g compared to the iPaq which only has 'b'. See also my earlier comparison between the two models.
Finally, this blog has reached its 2000th comment (not counting spam). The honour goes to my ex-colleague Yun who commented on my new red iPod nano. Congratulations! You win ... er, a hug! Claim it from me when you see me next time :-P
Technorati Tags: HP, iPaq, Dopod, That CD Shop
My new red iPod nano has arrived! The packaging was lurvely. Here are some shots:
Installation was a snap. Didn't need to install extra iPod software - all I needed was iTunes. My old 4G iPod died recently because I had connected it to a laptop which only had iTunes. Good that Apple is cutting down on extra steps for its users.
The nano is easy to handle and the click wheel is responsive - more 'clicky' than older models. My nano came fully charged (yay!) and nicely engraved. The earphones that come with the package seem to be a new model as they look a bit different from those that came with my older iPods'.
However I was not happy with the quality of the sound - then again, most of my files were MP3s though I was using better-quality earphones. However when I switched to my Sennheiser studio headphones the quality was great. So it's also the other gear that affects the listening experience. Ha, my headphones are several times larger and heavier than the nano and I feel imbalanced at the moment!
Wanna join in the party? It's at DXO at the Esplanade this Saturday evening (16 Dec 2006).
YAH is a project I'm supporting. It stands for the Youth Advolution for Health, a peer-led programme. We helped to set up a blog for the youths and are happy to let them run the rest of the show!
We're celebrating because YAH's turned one year old... and we want to have fun!
I'll be at the party so hope to see you there. Because it's healthy, there won't be smoking and alcohol ... but there will be Mocktails galore. I even thought up one new Mocktail name myself.
Admission is free but you need to register so we know how many people are coming.
There's also a contest where you can win an iPod nano. Details are on the registration form. Feel free to spread the word, blog about it, email your friends...
Cheers!
Congratulations to Theo Walcott for winning the BBC Young Sports Personality Award.
Even better - Arsene Wenger says that the young man will be making more appearances in future games for Arsenal.
(ps. Am I glad I bought more Theo Walcott shares in Sportdaq recently.)
Technorati Tags: Arsenal, Theo Walcott, Arsene Wenger
This is a (rich) builder's dream come true: Autodesk has come to Second Life! The 3D design software company has an island for real-life attendees of Autodesk University.
I kind of tried Autocad as a student many years ago and managed to conjure up some feeble-looking shape. Ironically, I've progressed much further in Second Life - which isn't saying much, considering all I've built is furniture and Mr Blue here has been building guitars by the gallon.
It is a progressive move by Autodesk. However, what I did not like was that Autodesk Island is not open to the general public, just like IBM. It was impossible to locate using the search function in Second Life, and I couldn't find the 'Autodesk University' group either, as described in their blog post.
I guess they want to let only registered Autodesk users in first, and maybe in time, when they're comfortable enough they'll open it up to the rest of us. Then Second Life won't be just an instructional medium but also a marketing tool. Think about it - this would let us learn about what the software can build in Second Life. We can't do any harm in there... I promise! Everything would be PRIM and proper, though I suspect there may be an overload. Heh heh.
Note: I am not really sure whether you can export your models into Second Life. That would be so cool. However, architectural firms could use Second Life to let clients preview what their buildings may look like. Heck, you can even chat to your client in another country when you're in Second Life. Just imagine...
Client: (walks up the stairs) The staircase is a bit too narrow. My Avatar's the same height as me.Architect: OK, noted. (places an object on the stairs to remind him that it needs to be amended)
Client: And the bathroom ... I don't like the colour. And the tiles.
Architect: OK, how about this or this instead? (swaps textures) Your interior designer told me he has these materials in RL. We scanned them in so it should look pretty much the same.
Client: Yes, that's better. Moving on to the bedroom...
Other Autodesk sites and blogs by architects: Virtual Suburbia blog, ArchSL which has a machinima podcast about the topic (now how abstract is that?!).
Technorati Tags: Second Life, Autodesk, learning environments
I've always liked lighthouses. The strong pillar that guided the ships. The bastion of light in a field of darkness. And now, someone's living quarters in Second Life!
If I ever had to live in a lighthouse, I wouldn't mind if it looked like this. (Note: A Mac with a large Apple display helps a lot)
Then I looked around me and realised it was a bit like Myst, the beautifully crafted game. There were clues as to the owner-creator's identity. His website was on the Apple display. Mysterious letters were left on his table, in wingding format (which I couldn't be bothered to sort out right now but maybe someone will, one day).
Looking back at the archives of this guy who presumably set up the Lighthouse, it turns out he is a virtual conservationist of the nearby forest of Kahruvel! He attended a wedding in Second Life between two spy characters, one whom I recognised from the pages of Mad Magazine.
Imagine that - protecting and restoring virtual forests, and attending virtual wedding ceremonies.
Technorati Tags: Second Life
The most popular post on Vox right now is about how a Chinese guy gets a penis transplant (donated by a 22 year-old brain dead man's parents) and then his wife rejects it. There are all kinds of innuendos in here but it is funny, in a tragicomic sense.
I was supposed to take a nap before watching the Chelsea v Arsenal match yesterday night. Instead, I slept through the match and woke up at 4+am! Bah. On the bright side, it's done wonders for my cough which I hope to fully recover from by this week.
In the end I settled for reading news reports on how Arsenal nearly won it if not for Michael Essien's late goal. Not too bad considering Arsenal were away - then again, their away record isn't bad compared to the fact that they still seem unable to settle down at their new home.
Anyway, if you read about the spoof Ashley Cole bank notes that got photographed in the Straits Times today, there is a higher-res version courtesy of Arseblog, in PDF format! It can still be used for the reverse match next year.
Also, someone found my blog via a Yahoo! search on the combined terms "Van Persie" and "gay". Curious, I did a search myself and found that somehow my main address is among the top 10 of Yahoo!'s search results. I found a news report stating thatDutch gay men do like Van Persie and Freddie Ljungberg. Why am I not surprised?
Technorati Tags: Arsenal, Chelsea, Ashley Cole, Robin van Persie, Freddie Ljungberg
VanPod IV died last week and this time I must admit the fault was entirely mine. I plugged it into my new laptop, forgetting that while iTunes was installed, the iPod software was not. Now VanPod displays a folder with an exclamation mark, and I think my warranty has finally expired.
In any case, I had my eye on the red iPod nano - the one where part of the proceeds goes to fight AIDS in Africa. Now I'm involved with AIDS at work and it is a topic I feel more deeply inclined to doing something about. So I was very happy when I logged onto the Apple Singapore website in the morning to see the red Nano on the home page! And even better, it comes in 4GB and 8GB versions.
Taken from the website:
...a portion of each sale from every iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED sold goes directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Which means your iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED sounds good and does good at the same time.
The red Nano would sync with my Nike+ shoes... which would in turn help me keep track of the calories I burn. An all-in-one health package for socially-conscious geeks!
Along with the new Nano I am thinking of getting a new microphone. Either the Belkin TuneTalk™ Stereo or the Griffin iTalk Pro. I have the previous generation of microphones by both brands and the Griffin iTalk was much better in terms of quality and design. I am wondering if the same goes for the latest models. Any ideas?
[Update: iLounge has a review of the iTalk Pro with photos of the iTalk Pro attached to a video iPod as well as a red Nano! After reading the other review on the TuneTalk™ Stereo, it appears that the latter is slightly better. However, it's a third product, the Xtreme Mac MicroMemo that gets the highest rating so far.]
Of course, a 8GB Nano will not do justice to my huge music collection. So I also intend to get the heavy duty 80GB video iPod. I had nearly run out of space on my old 60GB photo iPod.
That leads to the next gadget on my list: A hard drive backup/storage system. As previously reported, I'm nearly reaching the limits on my 160GB hard drive, on my G5 PowerMac.
There are also plans to get a high-definition camcorder - preferably in time for the Lexus Cup next weekend, which I will be attending.
And if time (and money) permits, I may finally upgrade my room's hi-fi system, which currently comprises a first-generation CD player. The whole system is very 1980's, still running but needs to be knocked and jiggled about for the connection to work.
But for now I'll be happy with the iPods. No plans to get a MacBook Pro this year if my G5's going to get more disk space. In any case, I'd like to see the rumoured 12" MacBook Pro first. And also, I won't upgrade until OS10.5 comes out.
It's confirmed - I'm going to the South By Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas next March! I've booked my accommodation. Thankfully it is nearer to the venue than the hotel I stayed in this year, which was along the highway.
Do drop me a note if you're going as well. We could meet up.
I'm still having a bad cough - hard to suppress. I'm now on new medication that will apparently get all the phleghm out, but it will make me drowsy and cough a lot. My throat is hurting, and it's time to sleep. Hope to recover soon as it's been hell trying to have decent phone conversations and giving presentations.
Hearing news like this makes me wonder whether to laugh or cry. Disney has bought the rights to Enid Blyton's Famous Five and will be making a modern-day cartoon.
I was brought up on Enid Blyton books such as Noddy, the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, Mallory Towers, Amelia Jane, the Faraway Tree and numerous other titles.
The Independent sums up the likely changes:
Gone will be "gosh", "golly" and "jolly nice", replaced - potentially - by the likes of "cool", "awesome" and "boss". The idea of "lashings of ginger beer", the Famous Five "catchphrase" which does not appear in any of the books, to wash down high tea is likely to be replaced by more 21st-century fare and, instead of having a ball of string and a rubber band for "tools", the Five will be able to use technology to ensnare villains.The Five will even have different names because they are the children of the original characters. Instead, they will be called Cole, Dylan, Jo and Allie.
Why make things more complicated by creating new characters? And what if the original charm of the series is completely lost?
My biggest nightmare would be hearing something like this: "Yo, Jo - how about a soccer match?"
It seems that the main purpose is to make something palatable for a mass audience. Disney appears to be catering to a new generation who may not have read Blyton's books. Imagine doing that with Lord of the Rings.
Gingerpop, an Enid Blyton resource website, urges readers to write in to publishers, stating on their "Save the Famous Five campaign page that "Intelligent children understand the concept of history, and can appreciate that the Famous Five stories are of a time and place."
Technorati Tags: Enid Blyton, Famous Five, Disney, adaptations
We touched down at Changi Airport an hour ago. Over the weekend we drove about 500km - from Brisbane Airport to Byron Bay to fetch my sister, then to our hotel in the Gold Coast. We drove around and did some shopping. We bought a lot of dresses. Yes, friends, I actually have new dresses. AlI I need are nice occasions to wear them to.
The weather was generally good but it rained for most of Sunday. Which was a shame because it was my sister's birthday. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant which served bad oysters. It's the first time I've ever had bad oysters in Australia.
Fortunately Monday was much better and we had lunch at the multiple award-winning Omeros Bros Seafood Restaurant at Marina Mirage, followed by tea next door at the very opulent Palazzo Versace hotel, where almost everything, from the furniture to the crockery, carries the Versace label. (I went to the ladies but they didn't have any Versace toilet bowls).
The hotel's clientele also appeared rather exclusive - there were good-looking couples wearing designer sunglasses, sitting by the poolside. This vestige of quiet exclusivity, however, was shattered by the sudden arrival of a busload of Chinese tourists, pulling in their luggage.
At Pacific Fair, I bought a pair of Nike+ running shoes and the Nike+ Sport Kit. I was told that the kit and shoes are only sold in Australia and Japan, and not in other parts of Asia. That is so annoying. What if there are a bunch of health freaks who love iPods and Nike shoes in Singapore? In any case, I need to get myself a Nano now. Oh, what a chore :P
Harbour Town is worth visiting. It's a factory outlet with lots of good labels.
The only really weird thing that happened to me was that somehow I managed to tear off part of my fingernail yesterday. I have no idea what I could have been doing, nor did I feel any pain at any point in time. Anyway, it was bleeding under the loose flap of my fingernail so I swaddled it with antiseptic and yeah, I'm now blogging this with a plaster on my finger. Hardcore!
OK, time to catch some shuteye before I head off to work in the afternoon (yeah, you can say it again - "hardcore!").