wertblog

Increase is small but ....

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 04:44:00 +0000

Well, fares are up.

From October, adult EZ-link fares for buses and trains will increase by 1 to 3 cents, which amounts to an overall fare hike of 1.7 percent. On the surface, it doesn't account to much, however please do remember it is per trip and it does add up.

Any normal commuter would take at least 2 trips a day, and with a good percentage taking 4 trips. If we made a rough esitmate of 10 cents increase per day, an average person would had to fork out around $3 more per month.

In my opinion, the increase isn't much. But is the increase fair?

The mainstream media had gone on the offensive, highlighting the 1.7% percent and 1-3 cents increase but they had totally skipped around the question if the fare increases is justisfied in the first place.

The Public Transport Council (PTC) says that given the positive economic outlook, it assessed that there were no "extenuating circumstances" to vary or reject the proposal. However, I would also say that there were no "extenuating circumstances" to submit the proposal in the first place.

Simply take a peek at the dividend yield of SMRT and SBS Transit.

SMRT Corp's total gross dividend for the financial year ended March of 7 cents per share — S$84.6 million net — represents 81.6 per cent of its S$103.6million net profit.

For SBS Transit, it pays even better. 19 per cent dividend per share and "1 Year Total Return" of 71 per cent.

Both companies seems to be more interested in "increasing shareholders' value" then to invest some of the profits back into their business. Why is so?

It is because they can ask for regular fare increase and never had to justisfy for it.

~~~~~~~~~
Technorati: singapore, transport

Transport Hikes : Followups from CASE.

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 17:37:00 +0000

I had been trying to write a followup on the open letter to CASE on the subject of public transport hikes. I had receive some sort of reply from them a couple of weeks ago but I kept putting it off. Why? Simply because there is nothing to report.

Well, I shall not put up the correspondences in full due to privacy issues and frankly they are very boring indeed.

Let me put up at timeline of the events.

26 July 2006
I had sent my open letter to CASE, cc: PTC, Strait Times, Today and Newpaper as well as SMRT.

27 July 2006
I had recieved a prompt and polite acknowledgment from Consumer Relations Officer, Katherine Lee (Ms)of CASE.

06 August 2006
I sent CASE a polite reminder, asking for their stand.

10 August 2006
A more senior officer gave me the courtesy of a reply. In her email, Ang Yiying, Executive (Marketing & Communications) of CASE had refered me to PTC and went on to describe the council and its functions, which is almost totally taken word for word from the PTC website. She had very politely but plainly told me to appeal to PTC instead of CASE.

11 August 2006
Being thick skinned, I persisted. I asked why CASE had been so silent on this round of price hikes while they seems be very vocal and prompt on the proposed transport hikes in 2005. I further asked for CASE's stand in this round of transport hikes.

14 August 2006
Ms Ang don't have any answers to my first question but she did state CASE's stand in the matter. I would like to quote her directly in full here.

Our position is that the PTC is the appropriate independent body to deliberate and subsequently comment on the fare hike applications. As the PTC has got various independent representations, we believe that commuters' interests would be taken into account in their deliberations. We also expect the PTC to give its reasons for its decision subsequently when it reaches its conclusion.

We note that you are aware of the functions of the Public Transport Council and that you have sent your feedback to them. As the deliberation on the applications for fare adjustment is on going, we advise that you wait for PTC's announcement.

We hope this clarifies our position on the matter.

To summarise, CASE has no views other than the views (which are not announced as yet) of the PTC on the subject matter and urged me to share the same view as they do. I notice CASE have this unshakeable faith in the PTC, so much as that CASE's stand is totally dependant on the independent PTC's views. Whatever PTC decided is good, PTC is infallible.

I also find it a little strange why CASE had this sudden surge of faith in the PTC. Isn't the PTC just as independent and appropriate body in 2005? Moreover, she is telling as politely as she can, not to bother CASE further on this issue. Maybe their hands are tied or they are truthfully independently dependent on PTC.

For the benefit of the readers, I would put up a link to the members of Public Transport Council so that maybe you might see something that explains the confidence CASE had on them.

To be fair, CASE had been very prompt in replying. At the very least, they did bother to reply and state their stand, something which none of the other organisations I email did.

Lastly, I would like to apologise for the lateness of this update. In my defence, I am waiting in hope of a late reply and secondly there isn't really much to report.

Technorati: singapore, CASE, transport hikes,

Apple made a Creative Truce

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 04:25:00 +0000

Apple Computers and Creative Technology had amicably settled their differences. Apple will pay $100 million to license Creative's technology and use it in its iPods, with the opportunity to get back a portion of the fees if Creative is able to license that technology to other companies.

In addition, Creative would start making accessories like headphones, speakers for the iPod as a member of Apple's "Made for iPod" program.

Win or Loss? For Apple, I think it is just some pocket change to get rid of a pesky compeititor and get them to make products for you. US$100m is a drop in the ocean compared to the US$1.5 billion that iPod had generated. With other lawsuits regarding iTunes in Europe and the challenge of the Microsoft upcoming Zune player and its music service, Apple would be glad to settle this cloud over their head and put their energies elsewhere.

Creative? Maybe, it is a graceful way to exit from the lawsuits and get something out of it. Creative had made a loss of US$118m loss last year, and the settlement would happily wiped it off. I do wonder if making accessories for iPod would hurt the sales and development of Creative's own Zen music players. However, iPod does have a overwhelming lead in market share, and it may signal that Creative might end their own line of music players and put their bets on the accessories business.

Technorati: Apple, Creative, copyright, iPod, music player.

Read ST Forums for laughs

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:03:00 +0000

In the aftermath of the National Day Rally, there are quite a number of interesting letters to the ST. In fact, almost all of the letters refered to the rally speech.

Most of them are fairly well thought out and have valid points. While ST is not noted for its sense of humor, the forum section shows that Singaporeans are ingenious jokers. One of them deserved even more of a mention than the last funny one.

Aug 23, 2006
S'poreans have to pay a price for not heeding govt's plea for more babies

I missed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally Speech on television last Sunday.

When I read about it in The Straits Times the next day, a sudden sadness overwhelmed me.

The Singapore government has decided to be more aggressive in attracting immigrants with talents of all kinds to Singapore with the offer of Singapore permanent residence status, once purportedly aimed at graduates, professionals, bankers, lawyers and the like.

What a huge price Singaporeans have to pay for not heeding the government's persistent plea for higher birth rates among its people, and to be less picky about jobs.

I am for the Singapore government's move to import foreign talents to fill the gap and boost the economy by creating job opportunities as entrepreneurs.

But I shrug at the thought that some native Singaporeans, especially the young and educated of marrying age, do not think it their duty to marry and procreate as part of nation-building, and the unemployed who still fuss over jobs, choosing to remain jobless rather than accepting a job below their expectations.

Singaporeans should not be complacent. Nation-building is our utmost duty and responsibility.

Lee Pai Ping (Ms)

I am speechless on reading this wonderful letter.

All I can say that if it is a joke, it is another good one. And wow, Singaporeans are finally developing their sense of hurmor, I must that I am the most impressed.

I wished Ms Lee all the best in her future procreation and may she singlehandedly save Singapore from ruin.

Solution?

Technorati: singapore, immigration, birthrates

Mee Siam Mai Hum

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 06:48:00 +0000

Our dearest PM had made a goof during his National Day Rally Speech. Much had been said on his now (in)famous Mee Siam Mai Hum.

Mee siam is a local Singapore dish, basically it's vermicelli served in spicy soup with other ingredients.

Hum means cockles in Hokkien. Mai Hum simply means "No cockies please".

"Mee Siam Mai Hum" would simply refer to ordering a bowl of mee siam without cockles.

Our PM mentioned the phrase as an exmaple on how he can "connect" with Singapore heartlanders just as easily as mr brown's (a local blogger) bak chor mee (another local dish) man.

So what is so funny? Well, unfortunately mee siam DO NOT go with cockies in the first place. The phrase "mee siam mai hum" is kinda of similar to "no durian in my steak please" Thus, our PM's effort in showing how "connected" he is totally backfired.

What to make of this? Surely it is unintended mistake on our dear PM's part. I think he was meant to say "mee siam mai hiam", which means "mee siam with no chilli please". However, his poor command of basic singlish let him down. Well, maybe it is partly because his English is so perfect, so Standard Queen English that he would have grave difficulties in understanding the local slang. Our PM has to speak to international leaders and foreign talents (in proper English!) regularly and so it is not strange for him to find such local slangs very foreign.

Beside, a lowly dish like mee siam would not consist of any part of his regular diet and so his unfamilarity with the local dish is understandable. Our PM has to provide valuable leadership to all Singaporeans day in, day out. He has to eat the most nutritious food for the benefits of all Singaporeans, otherwise Singapore might just disintegrated, with riots etc.

YET yet....Our PM made the effort to "connect" with ordinary Singaporeans. Such a noble effect should be rightly praised and clapped upon. I hope fellow Singaporeans can focus on the kind intentions that our PM has and moved on from this honest mistake.

Despite the mistake, we are allowed to enjoy the podcast and the ringtone. So enjoy!

Technorati: singapore, mee siam mai hum, podcast, ringtone

Zune First Looks

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 11:51:00 +0000

Gizmodo had scored the first exclusive photo of MS Zune player a couple of days ago. Just slipped my mind to post it. Read More here...

Zune is also confirmed to have video, check out the video at Zune Insider.

Technorati: Zune, music player

Lee Kuan Yew : I'll be there, I will stand with you.....in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 08:06:00 +0000

I nearly choked when I read this while having dinner.
In 2011, Lee Kuan Yew will be 88 and still no one can replaced him? I find that it's hard to imagine how he could take on another five year term. He would 93 at the end of that term.

But oh well, I don't think it makes much difference if he stays on or not. LKY don't look like the type to fade away gracefully once he steps down. Even if he leaves the government, he is bound to be a "Mahathir" and hounded those who don't follow his ~~son's~~ orders. After all, he did promise to raise from his grave if he feels Singapore is not moving in ~~the right~~ his direction.

The part on PAP losing power in the forseeable future is errr...a scaremonger's tale. I don't think we would have more than 10-15 non PAP MPs in the parliament 2-3 elections from now. In Singapore, the State is PAP and PAP is the State. It is something that would take either a long time or a total collapse to change.

As for the "buzz", it usually refer to something that is new and hot, something that is youthful and everchanging. In a way, it can be said that LKY himself is the greatest obstacle to "buzzilness". To reinvent himself and become "buzzy" with tourists, we can pick up a hint from our "socialist brothers".

It had been proven that mausoleums do attract lots of tourists and it would be certainly unique in South East Asia. It is a great way for all the great leaders to maintain their "buzziness" forever.

Afterthought: The CNA report had totally missed out on the first bold quote in the Malaysian article. Kind of strange....

hush....quiet! Better hope that malaysia don't ~~kick the bucket~~ jump the gun first.

The Bernma article via Little Speck.

SINGAPORE, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Age may be catching up on modern Singapore founding father Lee Kuan Yew, but he is not about to give up politics yet.

Lee told a gathering here last night that if he was fit and capable, he will contest in his Tanjong Pagar GRC stronghold.

"If I am still fit and capable of making another speech like this, I'll be there, I will stand with you," Lee was quoted by The Straits Times as telling a National Day Dinner here.

One of Asia's iconic and influential figure, Lee, 83, won unopposed the Tanjong Pagar GRC in the general elecion on May 6 this year. The next general election is due by 2011.

He cautioned Singaporeans not to take for granted that the People's Action Party (PAP) will always form the government.

"The trouble now is that Singaporeans believe we'll always have a PAP government... one day they'll wake up and they'll find the opposition is the government, a miscalculation," he said in the report.

Lee, Singapore prime minister from 1959 to 1990, remained an influential figure in Singapore politics after stepping down from the post.

In the cabinet of successor Goh Chok Tong, he was appointed as the Senior Minister. He is now the Minister Mentor under the cabinet of Lee Hsien Loong, his eldest son.

Lee told Singaporeans that the island state needed to move ahead and compete.

"We must have a different kind of Singapore," he said, adding that Singapore's "orderly, very wholesome, very clean" image was no longer enough.

Singapore must become a city with a "buzz" to attract tourists, he said.

"If you want to compete beaches on beaches, forests, lakes, seaside, you lose. You can't beat Thailand, you can't beat Malaysia, you can't beat Indonesia and you can't beat Philippines, but we can become the Paris in Southeast Asia."

-- BERNAMA

Technorati: singapore, singapore politics, lee kuan yew

Yet Another Forum Letter

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 06:15:00 +0000

I saw another forum letter which is highly amusing.

Aug 17, 2006
With the PAP in charge, who needs opposition parties?

I find it amazing that many people can be so pissed off with the Singapore Government. What for?

I am no politician but a working man. I do not have many facts but I know what I want and what I need.

We have many jobs in Singapore and unemployment is not a major problem. We have good housing. Our economy may not be super but it's good enough in that our Sing dollar is stronger than some other currencies.

We have a low crime rate. At least I know that I don't fear walking down the street with the thought of being killed or stabbed. So there's no problem with jobs, housing, getting food on the table.

It's a pretty safe place to live in; no problem in getting big foreign investors to invest and create jobs in our country. So what is the problem?

Many people say that Singapore is not democratic enough. But which country in the world is truly democratic? I don't think there is one because it's impossible.

The USA? UK? Many Americans and British opposed the idea of going to war in Iraq. Not all opposed it, but almost half the population did. Opinions were split, at least in the UK.

Yet what did Tony Blair and George Bush do? They did not wait for another round of UN inspections and talks, etc. They invaded Iraq the moment they could.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't democracy supposed to be when the majority or everyone is for the idea, and action is taken? That's the whole reason for consulting the public in the first place. Otherwise what's the use of it?

So if it's not the case of making Singapore a super, truly democratic country, what's the problem? Getting more opposition into parliament? But why? Is the PAP doing something wrong?

I cannot honestly see what's wrong. All I can see is that the need for jobs, food, housing and security are all met.

So what is the PAP doing wrong? Do we want to get more opposition into the parliament for the sake of it? So that the PAP will not be the dominant party? But why?

Will the opposition really do anything different that I want? I cannot imagine having any more needs other than jobs, food, housing and security. And I find the PAP is doing a good job at them. So why would I want anything different?

Why spoil something that's already working? If one day the PAP starts to get things wrong and there are no more jobs, housing becomes amazingly expensive or there is none at all, or if I cannot walk down the street without peace of mind, I would then say that the PAP is finished.

We should change things. That is when I would want a good opposition that can change things to be in the parliament and make a difference to Singapore.

But for now, do we need that?

Han Fook Kwang
Liverpool, United Kingdom

Oh well, is the author trying to do a satire? I am not too sure but if he is...Lucky Tan got some serious competition.

Reasons why Mr Han might be a closeted satirist.

Mr Han is far from a simple working man, but a very important man in Singapore. (see below) Certainly not living on a working man's salary.

Giving your location is not a requirment. No reason for Mr Han to list his current location as UK. I assume he is only there for just a short while, as he is holding such important jobs in Singapore. Thus, he might be making the point of the grass is always greener on the other side.

I wonder if he is making references to the efficency of the police on Yawning Bread, Mr Wang and Little Speck recently.
I find it very strange that Mr Han as the Editor of The Strait Times, had find the need to write to his own forum page, strangely without supplying his appointment.

The part on how much foreign investments we are attracting recently got me linked to this on Intelligent Singaporean.

Finally, on democracy, we can think of the protesting during IMF/World bank meeting

Let me give more background on Mr Han, without whom there will be no ST on our breakfast table.

Han Fook Kwang, 53, was from the Singapore administrative service. He started his career in The Straits Times as a senior leader/feature writer in 1989. He was promoted to associate political editor in 1992 and became the political editor in 1995. Promoted to his current post as Editor in 2002.

He co wrote with Warren Fernandez and Sumiko Tan, Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas.

He is also in the Executive Committee of the Land Transport Authority. (LTA)

This is only what a simple google search dig up in 5 seconds. I am not surprised if Mr Han holds other important appointments in our society. I wished Mr Han the best of luck in his new founded interest in satire . Hopefully he will be do even better than Mr Lionel De Souza and Mr Khoo Lih-Han.

For the very curious, here is a photo of our new funny man at the lauch of STOMP. Foreground, second from left.

Updated : Suddenly, it occurs to me there might be another Mr Han Fook Kwang writing in from UK. If so, I must apologise to the "real" Mr Han Fook Kwang of ST for the mistaken identity.

Technorati: singapore, singapore media

Chiam and Sitoh

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:22:00 +0000

Just this week, there is a public spat in Potong Pasir over some broken lights. I will start off by recalling the facts of this case.

Six of the eight solar-powered lights (costing a princely $20,00) installed by Mr Sitoh had been vandalised. Those lights are along a concrete footpath leading to the MRT station - thus highly utilised by residents.

Mr Sitoh refused to repair the lights. He had leased the land from the Singapore Land Authority early last year to set up the lights. Lease for the land runs out on Oct 31 this year.

It is illegal for Mr Chaim to use town council funds for the repairs, because the land in question was not under the council's jurisdiction.

No lights leading from MRT to esate, residents suffer.

I find it's strange that such a small and simple matter of repairing lights can escalate to such a degree. It is a simple and straight forward job of calling a contractor and getting it fixed. But why? Well, politics. This is a classic case whereby politics is played at the expense of the public welfare. (think upgrading)

For Mr Sitoh, his enthusiasm for serving the residents of Potong Pasir had markly ebbed after the election. Almost immediately after the election, Mr Sitoh, along with Mr Eirc Low cancelled most services they had provided in the two opposition-held wards. It's simple, no votes, no help. The lease for the land only ends in October, thus strictly speaking they are under the responsiblity of Mr Sitoh. If he isn't even responsible enough to fix the lights which is bulit by him on the property leased to him, I don't have the confidence that if elected, he would be responsible for other public areas.

One can only wonder if he is more enthusiastic in winning the election or serving the people of Potong Pasir. On the same measure, he could as easily cancelled the services even if he had won the election.

I don't know Mr Sitoh personally, so I think it's harsh to pass such judgement on him. Maybe he is just following his party strategy to do the minimal. Furthermore, the past defeated PAP candidates in non PAP held wards like Mr Andy Gan and Mr Heng Chee How were "transfered" to a GRC in the next election, so it's hard to blame Mr Sitoh for being less "enthusiastic" in Potong Pasir and planning for his "new hunting ground".

As for Mr Chaim, I think he is slow in addressing the concerns of residents. But at least he had belately addressed their problem.

Aug 11, 2006
Spotlight put up and link way planned

I REFER to the article, 'Mah: Chiam should focus on residents' (ST, Aug 9).

Mr Mah Bow Tan, as a minister of over 15 years, should know that I, as the MP for Potong Pasir for 22 years, have been serving the residents there faithfully.

As regards the dispute concerning the solar lamps, I would like to inform the minister that my town council immediately installed alternative lighting once it learnt that six of the solar lamps were spoilt. The footpath between the MRT station and Block 147 is now brightly lit with a powerful spotlight.

Mr Mah may also like to know that whereas the PAP members are only planning to carry out improvement works, we in Potong Pasir have already awarded contracts for repair-and-redecoration works for 31 blocks and work will commence soon.

A covered linkway will be built at the said footpath once permission is granted. Other projects are being planned.

The solar lamps were installed by Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and the Citizens' Consultative Committee along the footpath without the town council's knowledge. Now, Mr Mah and Mr Lim Boon Heng are of the opinion that I, as the elected Member of Parliament, should bear responsibility for the mistake made by Mr Sitoh and the CCC. If the PAP indeed holds this view, it does not augur well for the future of PAP politics.

Chiam See Tong
MP-elect for Potong Pasir

I do not know Mr Chaim personally too, so I can't be sure if he isn't trying to pass the buck. What I know is that at least Mr Chaim care enough about the residents to do something. My hope is for both of them and other MPs to remember: they are to serve the residents. Please do not pass the residents' welfare to each other as a political smashball.

One had to jump through hoops to serve the people, the other jumped ship.

Technorati: singapore, potong pasir, chaim see tong, sitoh yih pin, singapore politics

Save the Brown Elephants !

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 09:50:00 +0000

Every (wo)man deserve a good laugh a day. I can't stop laughing inside when I saw this a couple of minutes ago and I really want to share it.

Good job, Talking Cock! More cock years ahead!

He is almost too cute. :D

Technorati: singapore, talking cock, national day, brown elephant

State of Media (foreign editon)

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 09:24:00 +0000

After rumbling on the effects of blogging on the mainstream media, let's us explore the foreign media in Singapore.

Ministry for Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) announced that the five foreign publications would be classified as "offshore newspapers," Of the five, Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) has to comply the conditions as such by Sep 11. As an offshore newspaper, FEER has to appoint a legal representative in Singapore to deal with any lawsuits that may arise against the publisher. It will also have to post a security deposit of S$200,000. For the other four publications - the International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Newsweek and Time - will be subjected to the same rules once their current licences expired.

To quote the now very familar Ms K Bhavani, press secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.

"We are rectifying an anomaly for FEER, which has been a declared foreign newspaper since December 1987. It was an administrative oversight not to have subjected FEER to the conditions which are required for declared foreign newspapers to circulate in Singapore,"

"When FEER became a monthly publication in December 2004, it ceased to be an offshore newspaper but it continued to be a declared foreign newspaper. We should have continued to subject FEER to the same conditions as other declared foreign newspapers, namely the Wall Street Journal Asia and offshore newspapers,"

I would ask why FEER is singled out among the other four papers? and how does this oversight happened? Well, some had pointed to the recent article that FEER had published in its most recent edition (July/August 2006) for the reason. The article can be summarised with 2 words - Dr Chee. Yes, him again. The liar, the bad egg and political gangster. The magazine had refered Dr Chee to a national "martyr" due to the numerous lawsuits against him. In the article itself, Dr Chee had made some uncomplimentary observations on the Singapore Government. It certainly could be regarded as pro opposition and "hostile" or "libellous".

This kind of article while nothing new at all might have attracted special attention because it seeks to paint the Dr Chee in a "softer light" in the same way Singapore Rebel attempted to. It wouldn't fit very well with the image that the local press had bulit on him and might change Singaporeans impressions. Hence, that might be why the article had invoked the same stern reaction as Singapore Rebel. The full article can be found here

What I don't understand is why the government would seek action against FEER in such unseemly haste. Firstly, many would not have notice the article otherwise. FEER has a circulation cap of only 10,000 copies locally. It wouldn't get more than 50,000 eyeballs at the very most. I would go further and say that I don't even know of the existence of this esteemed paper before the accouncement. For this reason, I am not sure it's the best of moves.

This kind of high handed restriction might not sit very well with the young Singaporeans and might stir their rebellious spirit for more of the same. Worse, it certainly attract more attentiion to the offending magazine than it would otherwise had. The local mainstream media would have to bear some degree of responsibilty for such behaviour because of it's tendency to report only the "good news", thus driving them to seek more independent news.

Of course, the above is just baseless internet batter and coffeeshop talk. The MICA might be doing its routine cleanup and the timing is just unfortunate.

Meanwhile, the Reporters Without Borders had condemned the Singapore government for intimidating foreign publications to censor themselves. The media watchdog had ranked Singapore 140th out of 167 countries in its 2005 worldwide press freedom index.

Updated: A reader had pointed out to me that FEER had been served with papers and asked to apologise as well as pay damages before the accouncement.

Technorati: singapore, singapore media, media freedom, FEER, Reporters Without Borders,

Featuring Yet Another iPod Device... iBrella

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 18:17:00 +0000

Well, the next time you see someone shaking around, twisting himself, spinning his umbrella do not called the IMH. He is probably just listening to his iPod in the rain.

Here is the documentation on operating the iBrella. It's simple really, the controls involved shaking the iBrella, twisting it, opening and closing it. Don't believe it? Watch the video. :)

Technorati: iPod, iBrella, youtube, umbrella

SBS Transit Balance Sheet

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 11:20:00 +0000

After reviewing the balance sheet of SMRT, we would take a look at the SBS balance sheet. The public transport company had applied just before the deadline to "adjust" fares.

SBS is profitable but of a much lesser scale than SMRT. However, their profit after tax increased slightly in the last Financial Year despite of the rising oil prices. They had, like SMRT made record profit in the previous year. I can also point out to the greatly increased dividend to shareholders in the last two years.

Again, I have no head for business. Hopefully, someone else can make use of the figures and explain the finanical situation more clearly.

Technorati: singapore, SBS Transit, balance sheet, transport hikes

Wi-Fi Beware....

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 09:45:00 +0000

Security researchers David Maynor and Jon Ellch showed attendees at the Black Hat USA conference, a video in which they took about 60 seconds to compromise a MacBook.

How? Just by targeting its wireless card and wireless device driver. What's more, It's not limited to Macs. By exploiting bugs in four different wireless cards, the researchers found ways to seize control of laptops running Windows and Linux as well.

It's not limited to laptops either, desktops are not spared. The root of the problem lies in the wireless standard 802.11 more commonly known as Wireless B and Wireless G. The standard itself is large and complexed and complexity is a hacker's best friend. Furthermore, as vendors rush to implement the new complex wireless standards, security is often compromised for speed. Thus, wireless device drivers are often "buggy" and poorly written.

In the Black Hat demostration, Maynor was able to create, read and delete files on the Apple laptop. The MacBook, which was running a fully patched version of the latest Apple operating system OS X, showed no indication that it had been compromised. OS X is regarded as one of the more secured operating system, so I think it's fairly alarming to the millions of Windows users.

I think it might turned out to be a nightmare locally. In any HDB block, you can easily detect dozens of wireless networks. Maybe, we can reconsider the good, old ethernet cable.

Technorati: Black Hat, internet security, wireless exploit

Tech is the girl new best friend

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:13:00 +0000

What do women want?
A question asked by millions of men. Diamonds are out and plasma TV are new in thing for women.

The Girls Gone Wired survey of 1400 women and 700 men aged 15 to 49, found that more than three quarters of women would choose a plasma TV over a diamond solitaire necklace. The survey was commissioned by the Oxygen Network, a female owned and operated cable TV channel.

Could that be anyway related to diamonds being more common and cheaper and thus less exclusive? OR could the myth of women being clueless with tech just a myth? Let's see what else the survey uncovered.

On average, women own 6.6 technology-driven devices while men have 6.9
80 percent of women feel comfortable with new technologies
Nearly half of the 1,400 women surveyed perform their own computer trouble-shooting procedures
86 percent would prefer a new digital video camera to a pair of designer shoes.
More than half of the female respondents would pick a plasma TV over a two-day vacation in Florida

I must say that I am surprised by some of the results. Not that I think women are incapable of utilising technology, but I would have thought they would prefer shoes to a Sony Handycam. Well, well this only shows how out of touch I am with the whims of women.

The old flame and new love.

Technorati: technology, women.

Youth inclined to be "quiters"?

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 05:06:00 +0000

Here is an interesting article on Sunday Times entitled: ONLINE SURVEY ON ASIA'S YOUTHS.

July 30, 2006
ONLINE SURVEY ON ASIA'S YOUTHS
'Bochap'? Not us, say teens
By Elgin Toh

Image cropped out of a larger ST graphics, click to enlarge.
Yes, they may not be so concerned about Singapore's progress and may consider emigrating, but youths here insist they actually do care. That seems to be the picture a recent survey is painting of teenagers here.

The survey was done by The Straits Times and Hwa Chong Institution, in conjunction with the Asian Young Leaders Summit, which ended here on Friday.

The online survey polled 2,071 youths, aged 13 to 19, from top schools in Singapore, China, India, Japan and Malaysia. The students, who were encouraged by their teachers to complete the survey on an Internet site, were asked a broad spectrum of questions ranging from their attitude towards schooling, to their feelings about their country and their main concerns in life.

Youths here topped the list for being bored in class, not caring about their nation's progress and being the most likely to want to emigrate. So, are Singaporean youths really so 'bochap' (indifferent in Hokkien)? The Sunday Times sat down with youngsters to hear their views.

I am actually surprised that the students in their teens are already thinking of emigration. It never crossed my mind when I was in school. I always assumed I would be on the same road that my parents had gone through. The sample group is however, too small to draw any conlusive assumptions.

When my extended family met up for a maken session last Sunday, I shown the article to my younger cousins aged from 15-18. I notice there is almost a gender divide. Guys are far more vocal and interested in leaving for greener pasture, while girls are more reserved or indicated they are here to stay. What's interesting is both gender agree that a fair number of their schoolmates do considered emigration, in fact they think the figures are too conservative.

The root of the problem is that we have no real nation identity and thus no real love for the country. This is the real challenge for our current leaders, how to make young feel that they really belong to Singapore.

School daze
A TOTAL of 82 per cent of youths here, the highest among surveyed countries, said school was boring 'most' or 'some of the time'. Japan came in second at 76 per cent while China had 56 per cent saying they were bored.

It can get pretty draggy sitting through the long day. And lectures are especially draining,' says He Shuwei, 17, who studies English Literature, Economics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Her average weekday at Anglo-Chinese Junior College starts at 7.30am and ends at 4.30pm. Sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture is a yawn, but 'group discussions and breaks are fun', she adds.

'I guess it depends a lot on the teacher. If the teacher is interactive, classes can be interesting.'

Where's the relevance?
MORE youths here - 17 per cent - than elsewhere said what they were learning had 'little or no use' for the future. This is compared to 9 per cent in Japan and 4 per cent in Malaysia.

'It's often not relevant,' says Lau Tin Wai, 18, whose favourite subject is English Literature. 'It's only a stepping stone to university. I want to eventually work in public relations or the media, and what I'm learning now is not beneficial to that.'

Shuwei, who is interested in advertising, asks rhetorically: 'How is differentiating and integrating equations going to be relevant? We should be learning more hands-on skills, like computer skills.'

Amanda Chua, 17, wants to enter the business world, like her father who is a businessman. She wishes school would be more practical and give hands-on experience in running a business.

Educationist Ong Teck Chin says there are steps schools could take to keep students interested and help them understand the relevance of what they were learning. The principal of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) says: 'We are constantly seeking more creative methods to teach our students, and we invite them to express their views, exercise their initiative and take part in a greater variety of activities outside class.'He adds that students in his school were sent on work experience attachments at a variety of organisations, including law firms, banks, hospitals, universities and medical research firms. This helps them pick up the 'soft skills' that are more relevant to working life, he says.

I do agree that school is terribly boring and nothing seems to be relevant to real life. From the range of subjects taught in school, only a couple might be of interest to a student. However, I think it is important to expose the young to a wide range of subjects. That way, students can at least discover which subject doesn't interest them.

The real problem do not lie with the subjects but how the subjects are taught. From personal experience, I agree with Shuwei that school is only as interesting as the teacher. Most of the subjects are taught in a dry, methodical way geared purely on examinations. Singapore students never study beause he or she is interested in a subject but more because it is "important to score" in a subject. This alone is enough to turn school into a burden and a terrible bore. We are using teaching methods from the 20th century on the youths of the 21th century.

I am no educationist and thus unable to offer any concrete solution or even ideas. Maybe my more experienced readers can contribute some workabout.

Making tracks
YOUTHS here are also most likely to want to migrate or work overseas.
More than half would consider emigrating, and four in five said they might work abroad. In contrast, only 28 per cent of Malaysian youths would give emigration a chance, and half would think of working overseas.

It is not that they dislike Singapore, says Amanda. It is just that Singapore appears a tad too safe and boring, and so 'we need to work overseas to get a different experience'.

Family or self comes first
WHEN asked what was most important to them, 95 per cent of Singapore's youths picked the well-being of their families or their personal development.

Only 4 per cent chose the country's progress, whereas in India and Malaysia, the figures were 32 and 35 per cent respectively. 'Singapore is already developed. We were comfortable the moment we were born. Maybe that's why we're not too worried about its development,' explains Shuwei.

Ahh...this reminds me of an article by Heavenly Sword in which he writes extensively on the price of leaving. On why a person who really dislike life in Singapore might just end up staying anyway because of family ties. However, as Xenoboy had pointed out the young have less emotional burden and can move away with a lower price of leaving. I suppose the government are countering this tread by giving increasing number of generous scholarships to young "foreign talents".

No to politics
YOUTHS here show little concern for politics. Only one in 10 said they were 'very interested' in politics, compared to Malaysia, where the number was 27 per cent. Also, two in three would never take part in politics.
'We're still very young, so it's quite hard to understand politics. Also, because the Government is very efficient, we don't have to worry much,' says Amanda.

SOCIOLOGIST Tan Ern Ser was not surprised with the findings that youths wanted to emigrate and were not so concerned with Singapore's progress and politics. The associate professor with National University of Singapore said: 'Our country's ethos emphasises self-reliance and responsibility towards our own family.'He added, however, that this emphasis on individual responsibility has to be balanced with 'developing social solidarity', so 'we can strengthen the bond between young people and the nation'.

Interest in politics can be potientially harmful to one's career, and I don't think many would admit to be "very interested" regardless of their alignment. We are taught from young to be apolitical and with fresh examples of political pitfalls, it's hardly surprising.

SO ARE they 'bochap' or not?
All three youths protested when they heard the word.

'We are not 'bochap'. We are aware of issues concerning Singapore's progress; it's just that there's nothing we can actually do at this stage,' opines Shuwei.

Tin Wai adds she feels proud to be a Singaporean, especially when she goes abroad and talks to foreigners about Singapore.

'When it comes to the crunch, if the country needs me to make sacrifices, I'll be willing to. Even if it wants me to serve NS,' says Amanda, referring to full-time national service, which only male citizens have to serve.

elgintoh@sph.com.sg

Dear Amanda, I really hope you do mean what you said but I would leave my views on NS to another time.

Technorati: singapore, education, singapore youth, emigration, nation identity.

Fly to Thailand with just S$2

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 06:50:00 +0000

It might be cheaper to fly to Thailand (all destinations), than the public transport from your home to Changi Airport. I am not talking about the taxis. If you live in the north or west, the MRT plus the bus fare to MRT station could be over S$2.

Maybe we can have TigerAirways to set up a Changi-Paya Lebar-Kallang route. ;-)

Go! Tiger! Go!

Technorati: singapore, transport.

Singapore Loves You...not

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:31:00 +0000

Ask not if your country loves you, or ask not if you love your country?
Which should come first?

As National Day approaches, I want to write about our love for Singapore or the lack of it and vice versa. Here is the question...in your heart do you truthfully love the nation? Sadly for me, no. Honestly and seriously NO. Is that ungrateful or worse disloyal? Let me explain further.

Singapore does provide the facilities that is impossible or difficult elsewhere. We have alot of material achievements and belongings. We do have far above average living standards. We feel safe and very secure. But does that make us a nation? Do we have any national identity?

Nation identity? Isn't that the bak chor mee or the roti prati? No, it's not all that. A nation identity is something that bonds a group of people together, something that transform a piece of empty land into a collective nation. It's the "glue" held the people together to form this notion called "nation". What consisted of this glue? Here are some of the most common ingredients.

Race
Language
Culture
Religion or Ideology
History and Geography

In Singapore case, a, b, c, d and e are all out. Our forefathers came from all over Asia, with not a single common thread among us. Singapore is born without much of a choice and by accident. After being unceremoniously booted out the Malaysia, we were cast adrifted with no identity of our own. After over 40 years of intenstive "nation buliding", unfortunately but unsurprising we are still without any identity of our own. As such, how can I or anyone love a nation that does exist only on words and paper but not in the heart and soul of the people. In Singapore, the state is always before the individual. Individuals work for the good of the state but never because of the love of the state. It's the same way that ants work for the good of nest but never for the love of the nest. It's only with an identity, that people can truthfully love their nation.

So what are we doing wrong?
Well, nothing.
Yes, we are done nothing wrong.
Buliding a nation identity takes a more than a lifetime. Look at China, India, UK, all of them have long histories and tough struggles; wars, kings and tyrants before forming their own nation identity. Singapore would be no exception to the rule. Singapore is still young as nation goes, not even half a century old and without any natural ingredients of nationhood mentioned earlier. (a ~ e)

But we have done nothing much right either
In the 40 last years, Singapore had been actively educating its citzens on how rich we are, how clever we are and how many bulidings we have bulit. All of these are legitimate tools of nation buliding, making us feel better about ourselves and developing a sense of pride. However, times have moved on, but the methods have not.

From the recent news on Racial Harmory Day, we are still harping on along the same lines all these years. "You are a Malay, I am a Chinese. You respect me, I respect you." We have been told that Singapore multi-racial society needs very careful handing and thus deserves special attention. However, Singapore multiracial society isn't really unique at all. Due to the effects of globalization, there are hardly any countries in the world with racially homogeneous population.

Instead of bluring the racial lines, we emphasize it. Instead of all being Singaporeans, you are a Malay and I am a Chinese. I don't think the current campaign is heading in the right direction to bulid multiracialism as a pillar of our identity.

Young Singaporeans (as in post-65), have "national education" consistently drummed into us, from primary school right up to tertiary level. The syllabus under national education consists of nothing but "teaching" us to love our nation. Perhaps a small amount of such "education" is neccessary as well as healthy every National Day. Having it as a complusory school curriculum for 10 straight years is certainly a fatal overdose.

I am not sure what the older generation thought of such 'education". From their view, maybe it's still relevant because of their firsthand experiences during the early 50s. But for the young and connected, it is rather disconnecting from reality. Singaporeans have become very educated in the last 40 years and are very capable of searching their own answers. The kind of government hard sell is no longer viable to young Singaporeans of today.

Coming to National Day. I doubt many Singaporeans do truthfully appreciate the significance of National Day, for most it's just a welcome break from school or work. For others, the National Day is a great excuse and the perfect opportunity for get togethers and family gatherings. Celebrating the nation birthday is often, no more than an afterthought.

Not sure how many Singaporeans agree with me, but I find NDP to be extremely repetitive and predictable. Let me do a fictional imagaination: our ever reliable MediaCorp did a blooper and shown the 2005 NDP instead, are you confident enough to spot the differences?

Camera spans on huge crowd
VIP in whites arrive
President inspects Guard of Honour; marchpast
The cannons go ringing
And the airplanes go roaring
And the commandos come dropping
Some show involving people in colourful costumes running all over the field
Chessy Song & Dance
Fireworks!!!
Crowd in stunned admiration, leaving reluctantly with national songs in the background

NDP2006 wouldn't differ too much from the above "formula". However, many Singaporeans don't mind much as there is always a spectacular fireworks display as the finale.

From the TV news, we have Singaporeans of all walks of life are "celebrating" National Day. From photographers on the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, couples in hot air ballons, and families in Fullerton One, they are all the most fantanised by the ~~NDP~~ fireworks display. It would not be unfair for a casual observer to have thought that it is Singapore Fireworks Festival.

Take away the goodie bag and the fireworks, I think we would start having trouble filling up all the seats. National Day has thus lost its meaning and failed its purpose in inducing pride among Singaporeans. Personally, I had lost any interest in the NDP after participating firsthand during my NS days but that's another story.

Which day are you really looking forward to?

All is lost?....Not so
If there is any that has gone in the right direction, it is language. 40 years ago, even Chinese of different dialect groups settled their differences with violence partly because they have no idea what each other was talking about. In just 40 years, we have gone of a dozen of different languages and dialects to a single common language, English. I think that is rather admirable achievement indeed.

Language as I mentioned eariler is one of the natural ingredients of nationhood. Language is far and away the most potent ingredient, why? For men to respect and bond with each other, there is no other way but to communicate. If we can communicate in the same language, understanding and respect would come more easily. From understanding and respect, we can search out for common ground and purpose and in so achieving our identity.

The world's only superpower, United States of America is perhaps the best example whereby language forms the basis of nation identity. United States is similar to Singapore in its immigrant society. The United States espouses the world's most ethnically diverse population yet they all share the "American Dream". A land where the most lowly of orgins can make it big. Their people break down into Caucasian (71%), African American (12%), Latino (12%), Asian (4%), Native American (0.9%). Isn't it far more diverse than Singapore? and let's not go into their differences in religions. Thus, United States like Singapore only have one ingredient of nationhood. Therefore, I see no good reason why we cannot succeed as they did and bulid the "Singaporean Dream".

Solutions?...die die must offer some.
Well, there is no simple solution. People bond faster with crisis, such as wars, dictators, natural disasters etc, however we don't really want those stuff, right?

Singapore with all its world class housing, world class transport, etc has the world highest emirgation rate, second only to East Timor. Why is it so? There are probably many reasons. However, the lack of a sense of belonging is certainly one of them.

It's high time that Singapore should take the first step and start giving Singaporean some love first. Not with material wants a la progress package, but with compassion and genuinity. Instead of our typically hard and fast rules, couldn't we relax a little and allow individualism to stand out more. Instead of labelling us as "quiters" or "stayers", shouldn't be more proactive in winning the hearts and minds of our own people? No, I don't mean more balloon clappers and cheerleaders. In fact, we want less of them and more genuine openness and trust in our everyday lives. Singapore can start by treating us as intelligent people; people who can tell the right from the wrong without the State telling us the right and the wrong. Singapore should allows Singaporeans to explore and find their own identity on their own, which would be more impressive and long lasting than a state imposed identity.

Question is: Will Singaporeans return the love of the State? The answer is: You never know if you never try.

edited : Further editing and correction.

Technorati: singapore, nation identity, NDP.

Trojan disguises itself as Firefox extension

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 10:29:00 +0000

McAfee have warned of a trojan, FormSpy that disguises itself as a Firefox extension.

The trojan pass itself off as a valid open source Mozilla component, "NumberedLinks 0.9". To the victim, he or she would only notice the "NumberedLinks 0.9" extension being installed via the Mozilla graphical user interface. Behind the scences, the trojan begin to sniff for credit cards numbers, passwords, PINs etc from ICQ, FTP, IMAP, POP3 traffic and start sending the information to an external server.

Currently, the trojan is spreading mainly through spam emails with the fake Firefox attachment. Once executed, it downloads the real extension off the net and records itself directly into the Firefox configuration data, avoiding the regular installation process. Thus, the real attachment is installed but so is the trojan.

With the Firefox gathering more and more mainstream popularity, do expect more of the same thing. One golden rule is to be very careful opening attachment. Do not think a word document or a mp3 file is safe as the the file formats are very easily changed.

Source : McAfee Avert Labs

Technorati: trojan, firefox.

Are Our Taxi Drivers Savages?

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 06:31:00 +0000

I am quite sad to read this article on Today. The gist of it is that our taxi drivers are specially "trained" to welcome the IMF and World Bank delegates in September.

Some no-nos: Body odour, too many accessories and fidgeting while driving — according to a 66-page training handbook that was given to cabbies during the four-and-a-half-hour training sessions.

Do our taxi drivers need to be told to bathe before starting work, and how to dress respectfully? Are we still in Stone Age? I hope that our taxi drivers don't have much to "learn" from this kind of training.

What's encouraged: Warm smiles, moderate eye contact, information about Singapore's landmarks and pointers on where to shop and eat.

In short, cabbies must "look good and feel good with positive self talk", according to the handbook.

Taxi drivers Today spoke with understand this to mean that any inclination to rant or complain to the conference delegates and tourists about the Government and politics, or their personal lives, should be restrained.

"We were told to say nice things about Singapore," said Mr Lim Soon Huat, a cab-driver who had attended the workshop.

Taxi drivers need to be taught how to smile nicely and how to say nice things about Singapore. This is getting even more ridiculous. Taxi drivers are frontline of the service industry, and they need to be taught all that just a month before the IMF/WB meeting? What happened to years and years of Courtesy Campaign? Are our taxi drivers all that uncouth? It simply can't be. Our taxi drivers are one of the most highly educated among their counterparts in the world. This kind of training befits kindergarten kids more of our mini-tourism ambassadors.

Let us go on the other track and assume that our taxi drivers are such uncouth savages (sorry! cabbies). Shouldn't we take action sooner? I am sure local Singaporeans would find those behaviour very objectable as well. We should have start educating them eons ago, instead of putting up just a wayang (make believe) show for the benefit of the foreign delegates.

In the service industry, it's not a bunch of fake smiles but sincerity that counts. I think those very important foreign delegates would certainly be able to see through a fake mask and genuine sincerity.

Having said all that. I do have confidence that our taxi drivers would serve the foreign delegates well and good even without such demeaning "training". Afterall, taxi drivers receive thousands of tourists everyday and most of them gave an acceptable level of service.

A list of local tourist attractions, such as the Crazy Horse Paris nightclub, and restaurants along Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are also cited in the booklet. Nightspots are recommended according to various categories such as "city partying", "live entertainment acts" and "girls' night out".

I think that is almost totally unneccessary. It's their livelihood you are talking here. They are the experts in such fields and I don't think they need any "training" in that area. Yes, even if they are savages, they know their stuff.
.
.
.
.

The WDA hopes to train some 10,000 full-time taxi drivers by September. Participants are compensated with $68 to attend the training session instead of plying the street.

Ahh...here is the reason why our taxi drivers are willing to bear with such personal insults. $68 in 4 hours is good money, taking into consideration of the "rising price of diesel". If you don't believe me, ask any taxi driver. $68 profit in 4 hours is very decent, all without toiling the roads.

I guess in these bad times, our taxi drivers have to put their livelihood above dignity.

Technorati: singapore, courtesy.

Transport Hikes: Where are you, CASE?

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 06:28:00 +0000

July 26, 2006
An Open Letter to Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE)

I am disappointed on that CASE had not made a response to SMRT plan to raise fares across all the public transport systems.

SMRT had cited "large and sustained increase" in the price of diesel over the past two years as the reason and SMRT president and chief executive officer Saw Phaik Hwa said: "There is no reason why we should not apply for a fare adjustment this year."

Just over a year ago in May 2005, Case had made a stand opposing the transport hikes. CASE then argued that the public transport hikes were not justified on the grounds of a record net profit of S$126.6 million by the SMRT in the FY2005.

The circumstances had not changed one year later. SMRT had declared a net profit of S$103.6 million in FY2006 ending on 31 March 2006. This is still a very healthy result, considering SMRT net profits in the FY2003 and FY2004.

	FY2003	FY2004	FY2005	FY2006
SMRT Net profit (S$m)	72.1	89.5	126.6	103.6

In the statement made by President and CEO of SMRT Corporation, Saw Phaik Hwa,

Taking into account the current operating environment, we have performed well and therefore, recommend higher dividends for our shareholders this year. From the growth in retail and advertising, our strategy in the non-fare sectors has certainly paid off. We will continue to intensify our efforts to grow ridership, expand retail space, create more innovative advertising platforms in our public transport system, pursue overseas opportunities to raise the profit contribution from non-fare sectors, and build greater value for our shareholders."

SMRT profit margin has been stable and their outlook optimistic, thus the increase of public transport fares cannot be justified as well. It must be taken into account that SMRT is a public transport company. Commercial profit should not be place way above public interest.

On the other hand, SMRT further announced that single trips fares are unlikely to be adjusted, so as to ensure that Singapore remains "competitive and affordable" to foreign travelers. This is very difficult to comprehend for many Singaporeans. Why are Singaporeans the first to bear the blunt of the increase in price of diesel , instead of foreign travelers?

I urge CASE to further investigate the proposed fares hikes and make a stand for the general public of Singapore.

wert
wertblog@yahoo.com

I had already sent it to CASE through complaints@case.org.sg .Not too sure if it's the best address to do so.

Technorati: CASE, singapore, public transport

SingTel Starts 80Mbps Fibre Trials

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 04:42:00 +0000

SingTel to Trial Fibre-to-the-Home and Residential Metro Ethernet
By Daniel Lim
Wireless/Networking | Just Announced
Mon 24 Jul 2006

Singapore, 24 July 2006 -- SingTel announced the start of trials for Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) and residential Metro Ethernet (ME) technology in two selected condominiums in Singapore.

The technologies will allow SingTel to offer customers ultra-fast broadband speeds of up to 80 Mbps that will also enable advanced triple play of voice, video and data services. Residents of the 80-unit Leonie Hills Residences started their FTTH trial over the weekend, while residents of the 756-unit The Gardens at Bishan condominium will be able to try ME technology from 10 August 2006.

Alcatel is the provider of the equipment and associated support in the trial. The trials feature free unlimited high-speed Internet access to the residents for six months. FTTH is a technology that brings optical fibre directly into the subscriber's home or office. ME is an Ethernet technology network in a metropolitan area. Mr Hui Weng Cheong, SingTel's Vice President (Consumer Products) and CEO of SingNet, said: "We are pleased to be the first to initiate FTTH and residential ME trials here in Singapore. These trials will be an effective test bed for the delivery of faster and more advanced broadband applications to our customers.

"With speeds of up to 80 Mbps, the trial participants will be able to watch video-on-demand, play games with low latency, download large music and video files more quickly, and make video calls using their computer or laptop. We look forward to receiving their feedback on the user-experience and the services offered over these new technology platforms." Together with the 80 Mbps broadband access package, SingTel has bundled applications and value-added services worth up to $1,600 to residents who sign up for the trial. The complimentary applications include on-demand full-length movies and videos of Real SuperPass (Asia Pacific edition), My Album, online gaming, Video Call on Broadband, as well as high speed 2Mbps hotspot access at Leonie Hill Residences."

Mr Hui said: "We remain committed to meeting our customers' need for speed and being responsive to market interest in emerging high-speed broadband technologies. As such, SingTel has been actively developing technology platforms other than ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) for residential consumers."

"These new technologies will enable us to provide downstream and upstream access speeds from 80 Mbps to 1 Gbps to meet future demand and deliver greater value to our customers."

For more information about the trials, please visit www.singtel.com/80m.

Too bad, the trials are only limited to two selected condominiums. What's more, the local bandwidth is known to be overadvertised and underpowered, so let's wait and see.

Meanwhile, Starhub is set to start its own trial of a 100Mbps service next week. Projected to be available to the general public by the end of the year.

Technorati: broadband, singapore

Transport Hikes : SMRT S$103.6M FY2006 Net Profit

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 10:49:00 +0000

SMRT plans fare hikes for its bus, MRT, LRT services
By Noor Mohd Aziz, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 24 July 2006 2010 hrs

SMRT Corporation is planning to raise fares for its bus, MRT and LRT services.

It will apply for a fare adjustment by the August 1 deadline set by the Public Transport Council.

The SMRT Corporation says its total operating costs have ballooned by 20% this year because of the increase in diesel prices.

The fare hike will follow the PTC's formula of a maximum increase of 1.7%, which translates to a rise of one or two cents, if approved.

SMRT President and CEO Saw Phaik Hwa says that its proposed fare hike will not be sufficient to mitigate rising diesel costs.

It however supports the government's call for smaller and regular fare increases. - CNA/ir
Source : Channel NewsAsia

Transport fees are going up across the board as part of the "election promises". Taxi fares had already gone up for a couple of weeks, now it's the other transport companies' turn to have their fingers in the pie. What more, they can't choose a more auspicious day as there is an outrage of the NE line this afternoon.

While claiming that the proposed fare hike will not be sufficient to migrate rising diesel costs, SMRT had not done too shabbily in the profits columns. From their company website: SMRT Achieves S$103.6M in Full Year FY2006 Net Profit (beware pdf file) dated 28 April 2006.

Let me skip through all those figures and go to the statement by the President and CEO of SMRT Corporation, Saw Phaik Hwa.

"Taking into account the current operating environment, we have performed well and therefore, recommend higher dividends for our shareholders this year. From the growth in retail and advertising, our strategy in the non-fare sectors has certainly paid off. We will continue to intensify our efforts to grow ridership, expand retail space, create more innovative advertising platforms in our public transport system, pursue overseas opportunities to raise the profit contribution from non-fare sectors, and build greater value for our shareholders."

It seems that SMRT is very healthy and doing very well, therefore I don't see the justification of the hikes due to oil prices. The only reason is that they want to bulid greater "shareholder value" as they are now a "private company".

Thank you PAP for keeping your GE promises! I know you always deliver!

Updated: I can't resist uploading the photo. Credits: HWZ forums.

Technorati: singapore, transport hikes, cost of living

State of the Media

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:49:00 +0000

Mr Wang Bakes Good Karma: The MSM Grows Nervous
Yawning Bread: When the puppet speaks to the master

I have much to say about the state of media in Singapore that it makes sense to do so at my blog.

Did the blogosphere affect the mainstream media?
Short answer: NO.
Long answer: Many will say that is it is grossly unfairly to say that the blogging did not affect the mainstream media given their newfound interest on blogs such as this and this. The readership of the mainstream media would not drastically change overnight. Yes, many Singaporeans are cynical of the local media, but it is nothing new in it. As long as they hold the absolute monopoly they will have the readership and plenty of it. Even the most hardcore, anti-PAP diehards buy ST for the classifieds. Thus, I don't think the MSM would feel the readership crunch much, if at all.

For every non believer, there are still many who swallow their gospel as the whole truth. They have mass reach into our society, the newspapers together with the TV and radio even the most "switch-off" can't help but to get their message. In fact, the blogosphere almost cannot function without the mainstream media. If you look at it, almost all topics of discussions originated from a MSM source. If the MSM didn't first start on a certain issue, we will have nothing much to talk about. In fact, these online "competitors" themselves are the most ardent readers of the MSM.

"A lie told often enough becomes the truth".
The majority of Singaporeans tends to stay clear of anything political. They are of the stance: "leaving politics to politicians". Singaporeans in general are not stupid, they don't really believe everything that the mass media reports. However, when you are bombarded with the same line over and over again over all the media sources (it's an established tactic), you can help to subconsciously think : "Maybe there is some truth in it"

Are there journalistic standards in Singapore?
Short answer : NO.
Long answer : No, but maybe.....I can't get this ridiculous notion out of my head since the GE2006.

***Conspiracy theory***
Maybe some of the journalists are trying to save their souls while still putting food on the table by writing articles so slanted that it will create more non believers. I know it sounds really off, but the truth is that many Singaporeans are disillusioned by the MSM after the GE and seek out alternative sources on their own initiative.

You know how hard it is get initiative out of a Singaporean.

Technorati: singapore, media, media freedom, singapore blog

iPod Killer : Zune

noreply@blogger.com (wert) — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 08:01:00 +0000

photo is plucked form engaget.

Mircosoft has confirmed that it is developing the much rumored "iPod killer" under a new branding Zune which will be stated to lauch later this year. What's interesting about Zune is that it will not be a mere portable music player but "a family of hardware and software products" targeting various digital entertainment services.

The first implementation of this will be the portable music player and digital music service. Additional Zune-branded devices will follow, including a portable video player and, potentially, a portable game device.

If so, it will not complete just against iPod in the mp3 market but also against integrated devices such as the Sony PSP and the Creative Zen Vision. Poor Creative, they are going to be hammered by yet another giant. Maybe, they should focus more on their own product lines than suing competitors.

Another critical feature for me will be wireless conectivity. This will offer almost endless possiblities. MP3 can be easily swapped among strangers within a wireless network in McDonalds! Before you get carried away with glee on the joys of P2P sharing, it's highly likely to be "controlled sharing". 10 people in a hotspot means you are almost restricted to a intranet environment. I suppose given time, modders will find a way to override this switch.

Zune users will be able to view each other's playlists, recommend music and sample tracks in what Stephenson describes as a multifaceted music discovery experience. This capability will extend to the Xbox 360 game console, PCs running Windows Media Center and mobile phones using the Windows Mobile operating system.

But unlike the early P2P space, this sharing will have limitations. Early speculation is that this community-sharing feature would be limited to 10 users in the same hot spot at a time. Virgin Records executive VP Jeff Kempler, while not confirming any specific details of the pending service, says a degree of "controlled sharing" is necessary, as is a willingness to experiment with new business models.

I suppose the millions of music lovers currently held to ransom by the Apple iTunes Music Store will rejoice that they now have more choices. But it remains to be seen if Zune can create the same impact as Xbox as done in the videogames. But it will not be for the lack of trying.

Microsoft will support the Zune launch with a massive advertising and marketing campaign expected to be heavily artist-centric, including several live performances nationwide. Stephenson says the total effort will be on par with that of the Xbox 360 launch, which cost a reported $500 million.

I am sure we will hear more about Zune in the coming months and I think it should be a highly interesting product.

The Microsoft Giant takes a bite of Apple.

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Updated : Photos and more solid info from engadget.
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Full article : Reuters
A comprehensive article "ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ZUNE" at engadget.
The Zune viral marketing site ComingZune.com

Technorati: Zune, iPod, music player, technology.