department of crappy engineering

mirror mirror in the lift

2009-11-09T10:17:00.002+08:00

There are many functions of the mirrors in the lift. For helping wheelchair users to go in/out of the lift, for the office ladies to touch up on their makeup, for aesthetic purposes (the infinity mirror can be freaky), etc etc.

I just discovered one more function: to catch pervert doing down-blouse or staring at boobs.

disruptive technology with teva vs keen

2009-11-08T17:33:00.005+08:00

My old pair of Teva sandals has been with me for some 7-8 years. But like any product, it has reached its end of life, with the soles so smooth I thought it is time to decommission it. (those who drive should know how dangerous "botak" tyres are). I bought a new pair of Teva recently during one store's promotion.

Actually before this, I have been using the Keen Newport H2 hybrid shoes since beginning last year. I really like them a lot, and the Teva became backup. But just last week something unfortunate happened: the sole came off during one rainy day. Now I'm back to Teva.

Let me look at the Keen as a disruptive technology, something I learned during Engineering Product Development.

The Teva satisfies the user's latent need for a pair of sandals, but the Keen provides customer delights with its rubber toe, which I like VERY VERY much. If someone kicks my toe, the one who screams pain will definitely not be me. Now back with the Teva my toes look and feel very vulnerable, especially on crowded public transport. However a pair of footwear with soles coming off doesn't sound very delighting. Anyway nowadays Teva is also coming up with covered-toe sandals. Will rubber toes take over the outdoor sandals market?

Just hoping the contact glue works like magic so that I can wear back my hybrid.

objectified

2009-11-07T09:00:00.003+08:00

I chanced upon this trailer of the documentary film Objectified, which is about people's relationship with manufactured objects. Product design type may like it.

engineers and hrm

2009-11-06T07:30:00.000+08:00

Technology professionals such as engineers may be good at their technical fields, but many-a-times they don't know how to handle the most dynamic resource they have: human resource. Now I am kind of glad that my university included a module on human resource management (HRM) in our engineering curriculum.

I'm not trained in business or management, so I'm no expert in HR (although I worked in manpower before). But we do know how we want to be managed. Or how we don't want to be managed. I've heard and seen many cases of bosses scolding employee right in front of everyone, peers trying to cover their backside in front of boss by pushing blame away to colleagues (eg, saying things like "I thought I told you already?" You thought, but you didn't), or claiming credits of others (eg, your subordinate comes up with good suggestion, you told your boss it's your own suggestion)

Ok, it sounds beyond HR, more like ugly behaviours.

But employers and supervisors should realize that workers are tools to help you earn money and tools to help you do your work (tools as in assets, not tools like spanner that you can throw around). So when you help your workers, you are actually helping them to help yourself. Why make life difficult and unhappy for them?

This clip was shown during my HR class in university. See if you can pick up any HR tips.

quote of the day

2009-11-04T09:26:00.002+08:00

Overload. Please get off last one.
- the lift at my workplace

It was all fine and sunny as people entered the lift. Then this oversize woman entered and the lift's buzzer sounded. She didn't even moved an inch as the lift repeated the line. Then one thinner (and I suppose lighter) person, who entered before the woman, got off. Still overload. Madam Oversize still didn't move. Another person got off. In the end 3 people got off just to let the lift move on.

And later on she was the first to get off the lift, at 3rd floor.

Some people just refuse to face reality, that they are overweight and they are the last one. While others sacrifice.

Clean and Green Singapore 2010 Carnival

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000+08:00

Went to the Clean and Green Singapore 2010 Carnival held at HortPark over the weekend. Through exhibits and activities booths, the event promotes environmental friendly practises and also showcases the nation's journey in clean and green.

I think the event was very meaningful, especially some organizations ferried busloads of senior citizens to visit the event. It is one thing to be aware of some of the good practises and the green technology, but another thing to put them really into practise. The activities (and the gift redemption from recycling plastic bottles) should give visitors a feel of doing it. However I guess the printed matters were a bit too much considering the theme of the event.

quote of the day

2009-11-02T21:00:00.000+08:00

Sim Lim Square is the place to get computer stuff right?
Sim Lim Tower is the place to get stuff to make computer right?

sakae discovery

2009-10-30T21:58:00.002+08:00

Went to Sakae Sushi for lunch today and made some new discoveries.

They don't serve frog legs, although their logo is a frog.

If you sit at the conveyor belt area, there's this computerised ordering system. Try clicking on the date in red somewhere at the top right hand corner. Our orders disappeared from the screen.

The mouse has ball.

The hot water tap is like a man. The water flow is not steady all the time. Or rather, you can't demand the water to be steady all the time. There came a point when a bubble was formed at the mouth of the tap while we were filling cos the water was so slow.

You can't order that little girl on the screen.

Thanks SC for the lunch treat!

SolidWorks Innovation Day Virtual Event

2009-10-30T09:15:00.000+08:00

I just registered for the first SolidWorks Innovation Day Virtual Event.

It is quite an innovative concept in trying to showcase SolidWorks 2010. They make the site resemble the event hall. You can click into auditorium or exhibition hall to watch recorded webcast of presentations. Even if you are not a SolidWorks user, I guess some of the webcast may still interest you as they cover topics such as CAD and product development. Also, you may be able to pick up some ideas to making good presentations yourself.

quote of the day

2009-10-29T09:19:00.005+08:00

China 没有 economics,
China 没有 civil engineering,
China 没有 mechanical engineering
-- a bunch of noisy tertiary kids on the MRT.

With increasing population, I think there will be overcrowding of frogs in the well.

quote of the day

2009-10-28T10:36:00.003+08:00

I give you my HTML body
--from the office

unidentified lighting object

2009-10-28T08:00:00.003+08:00

Went to the exhibition Unidentified Lighting Object at IKEA Tampines, which is in conjunction with the ArchiFest 2009.

On display are lighting designs made from objects found in IKEA. You can find light shade made of plastic container box, clothes hangers, or even the IKEA pencils and measuring tapes. Very innovative I would say.

However it appears like the exhibition did not enjoy much publicity, no poster or banner. And it is only allocated a corner at the second level, which is nothing but the carpark level. Unless you are coming in from the carpark you will most likely miss the exhibition. A bit sad that the exhibition does not get the same prominent spot as Billy the bookcase gets.

micro train

2009-10-27T13:54:00.005+08:00

Justin from the next desk just showed me this awesome video of the world's smallest working model train.

Just look at the size of the train compared with the thumb, or even the ballpoint pen's tip! Now that's transportation taken to the nano scale. Details are at the maker's website. Microfabrication? MEMS?

Kind of reminds me of the Micro Machines series of toy cars.

quote of the day

2009-10-26T08:00:00.000+08:00

auntie also can be used
-- Courts promoter (repeated a few times somemore), trying to recommend a DSLR camera to an auntie customer.

I think he meant "auntie also can use"

brute force method

2009-10-25T09:06:00.003+08:00

Anonymous shared a very hilarious youtube video in response to my previous post on opening a glass door.

Similar thing happened at the previous factory I worked at, when a worker didn't know how to press the door release button.

Now that's the so-called brute force method in solving engineering problem.

crapital finance

2009-10-24T09:00:00.002+08:00

I guess for many of us who just graduated, the point of graduation was also the point where we became financially indebted. Cos the tuition fee loan and what-nots started coming in. A friend asked if I am solvent. I thought he meant if I can dissolve in water, but yes, I am financially solvent. My humble saving from national service and holiday work can cover my tuition fee.

I'm not good at making money, neither am I good at spending money. I'm just better at saving money.

I guess a large part has to do with the way my parents administer pocket money to us when we were young. They didn't give us on regular basis, but rather, gave us one lump sum and made us manage it. So before the time I learned "credit on the left, debit on the right", we already did our own financial statement. Every cent of spending had to be recorded down. With one sum of money, you would want it to last longer, compared to a regular allowance which you can always spend and wait for the next payment.

I would term myself stingy, if not thrifty. I remember when I was in secondary school, I went to the economical rice stall and ask the auntie, with $1.20 what can I get. And she would gave me $1.20 worth of mix vegetable rice. I chose a junior college that is nearby my place, so that I could walk 20minutes to school and save on (was it?)90 cents per day of transport money. During national service I opted to stay in camp and religiously ate at the cookhouse. That was the time I saved up the most. In university, 9 out of 10 times my meal costed less than $2. 60 cents coffee was of course, a luxury (but sometimes, necessity:P). I was one of the rare ones who didn't buy a laptop, and every month I would look at the calendar and calculate if it was more worth it to buy concession pass or to just pay per trip to campus.

Just the other day over lunch we were talking about financial assistance, which reminded me about the time when I was involved in handling financial assistance. Once we visited an applicant's place, and saw that his house was full of CDs, he was playing a game console, even his mobile phone model was newer than ours. Of course you can't judge a person's financial status solely on properties he owns, but sometimes it makes you wonder if his status is that bad afterall. Hell, he declared he spent $5 per meal!

I just feel that rather than submerging ourselves in self-pity, why not do something about it? Poor also has poor way of living. Don't scream poor and at the same time spend money like flowing tap-water.

wisdom from bangladeshi worker

2009-10-23T17:35:00.002+08:00

Just now I was at a construction-related company's office for official business. Then halfway they had power outage (ironic, huh?). I happened to be at the reception area when I saw the repairmen coming in. One Bangladeshi worker got locked out from the glass door, and the receptionist wasn't around. Me being a visitor tried to locate the button to open the door, but the Bangladeshi worker kept waving me over to the door. "Come come!"

I unsuspectingly went over to him, and miraculously the glass door unlocked itself. The Bangladeshi worker walked in with smiling face and told me there's a sensor that unlocks the glass door from inside. I smiled back, maybe a bit at my own foolishness.

I always believe that everyone has something to learn from everyone else.

350.org

2009-10-23T08:02:00.002+08:00

24 October 2009 is the International Day of Climate Action, and 350.org is an international campaign for worldwide action on climate change.

Why 350? Cos scientists say 350ppm (part per million) carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the safe limit for mankind. We are now at 387.

Check out the website, there are actually activities in Singapore for 350. As for me, I'm preparing for a paper on sustainable building...

wear the shirt and drink water

2009-10-21T21:36:00.003+08:00

New design at the Department's Store.

Taken from the Chinese saying of "饮水思源", which literally translates to "when drinking water, think of its source". Spread the wisdom around, whether it is a golden faucet or a silver faucet, your water still comes from the pipes!

Next time I will use my own brush to do Chinese Calligraphy. Next time.

the toy i grow up with

2009-10-20T16:21:00.004+08:00

The other day I walked into Bricks World and to my surprise, I saw the 2009 LEGO catalogue.

Yes I like catalogues, from technical components to outdoor equipment catalogues. But LEGO catalogue is a totally different league. I haven't seen them around for years and now they are back.

If there is one toy that I grow up with, it has to be LEGO. These little colourful plastic bricks are fantastic, there are endless possibilities playing with them and the only limitation is your imagination. And of course, the other limitation is when you run out of bricks. I started playing with LEGO when I was a few years old, and even when our group was doing design project 3rd year in university, we used LEGO for prototyping and conceptual design. I dug out my old catalogues from my toys cardboard and one of the catalogues is dated 1986. Wow. I think my choice for mechanical engineering has something to do with playing LEGO since young. Erm, ok, why ain't I in civil engineering...

As I browse through the catalogues through the years, the good old smiley face on the LEGO figure has evolved (but still smiling), and I realize that the blocks are getting bigger and fewer and more complicated in shape. I wonder if playing LEGO is still as fun as during my time.

after 12 dollars

2009-10-19T21:06:00.002+08:00

After using up 12 dollars worth of value on my FlashPay card, I thought I would want to share some observations.

Using the card itself is alright. In fact I was half expecting the gate not to open when I tapped my card at the MRT station. The problem comes when I have used up the 12 dollars worth and want to top up...

As of now,
1. You can't top up the card at bank's ATM.
2. You can't top up the card at MRT station's general ticketing machine (GTM).
3. You can't top up the card at TransitLink's add value machine (AVM).
4. You can top up the card by queuing up at TransitLink counter.
5. You can top up the card at iNETS kiosk, that is if you can find them.
6. You can top up the card at convenience stores, but admin charge applies.

One more thing, not related to topping up, but they say if you buy a new card at iNETS kiosk you get 7 dollars bonus, right? But you have to pay the 5 dollars card fee. So in effect, you only get 2 more dollars than buying at convenience stores. And I really don't like the admin charge for topping up at convenience stores. If you go to Hong Kong, you can almost top up your Octopus card anywhere (supermarkets, 7-Eleven, Circle K...) without extra cost. Now, that is convenience.

Somehow it feels like the supporting infrastructures can't catch up with the launch.

usavich

2009-10-17T21:35:00.006+08:00

Went to watch the screening of Usavich, which is an event under the Animation Nation 2009. It is a series of short animation films produced for MTV Japan. The two main characters Putin and Kierenenko, both rabits, are inmates in a Soviet prison. Season 1 talks about their life inside the prison, season 2 talks about their escape, while season 3 takes them to this skyscraper where they clear the levels for the sake of a pair of shoes.

The series is simply hilarious. Kiereneko is some prisoner with super power, able to take down a MiG fighter jet with a rock throw (then taking out the jet engine for their escape car), while Putin is a timid guy who can change the car's tire while the car is speeding away from a pursuing tank. I kind of enjoy Season 2 most, maybe cos there are military hardware and stuff, but Season 1 and 3 ain't bad also. You have to catch the show yourself! The screening was followed by a dialogue with Satoshi Tomioka, the director of Usavich. He gave a short insightful presentation on the making of Usavich with some interesting Q&A.

You can catch the episodes here.

The Life and Legacy of Eu Tong Sen Exhibition

2009-10-17T09:46:00.006+08:00

The other day over lunch we were talking about some of the pioneers of Singapore, and Eu Tong Sen was mentioned. Coincidentally 2 of us had been to the "The Life and Legacy of Eu Tong Sen Exhibition" at Jurong Regional Library.

Do you know the story behind Eu Tong Sen Street? (ok, that is, if you know this street exists.) Ok, then how about, Eu Yan Sang, the shop that sells traditional Chinese medicine? So, this exhibition talks about Eu Tong Sen, the man behind the TCM business. On display are some interesting photographs of early Singapore especially the Chinatown area, some antiques and old documents. Oh, and don't miss Eu Tong Sen's family tree. It really opened my eyes.

If you are interested to see the exhibition, do check the website cos I understand that it is no longer at Jurong Regional Library but has travelled to other locations.

don't try to change the climate

2009-10-15T07:13:00.002+08:00

It's Blog Action Day 2009 and the theme for this year is "Climate Change"

Instead of talking about global stuff, let me start with something close to us. I believe many of us in sunny Singapore recently feel that the weather is getting hotter, the sun ray is getting stronger. Even when I take my regular morning walk at 8:30am, it feels like 12 noon.

In trying to so-called solve the problem, some people turn to adjusting the air-conditioner temperature further down. (trust me, not many people listen to the authority's advice of turning the aircon to above 25. They call you nuts if you do that. And I have been a victim before) Now, it doesn't take many braincells to know that when you make the aircon work harder, it sucks more power. And where does power come from? Correct, power station. And what does power station emit? Carbon dioxide.

I'll say it's as smart as borrowing from one bank to pay for the loan at another bank. The mountain of debt gets higher. If we can't repay the environment, at least don't add on to the debt.

flashing and paying

2009-10-14T07:00:00.003+08:00

I just got the new NETS FlashPay Card. The FlashPay Card is a contactless card just like the EZ-Link, but also with additional functions other than transport. Say, buying a soya bean drink or something like that from the stores?

To be honest, the cute bee mascot attracted me. But more importantly I support the idea of having more than 1 player in this card market. I seriously didn't like the idea of one moment it's deposit then the next moment it became non-refundable card making fee. For the promotion period you don't even have to pay the card cost for the FlashPay. 12 bucks means 12 bucks worth of trips on the bus or train. Or like I said, soya bean milk. I really wonder why they didn't launch the new card before 1st October, when the first generation EZ-Link cards expired. Surely could have grabbed a big portion of the cake.

Some observations: 7-Eleven still don't have the card. I got mine at Cheers. And when you buy the card you have to key in your mobile number.

I should be flashing (my new card) soon :P