A quick glance at Apple's share price now shows USD450 bucks a share. Thats a long way down from less than a year ago when Apple was trading at nearly USD750.
People are starting to say the same things that I was saying a few months ago - what is Apple going to do different from the past, to make their products desirable again. Apple themselves is sending out reassurances to the public with Tim Cook saying things like new products will be launched and promising shorter release cycles for new products. There have been rumors of lighter iPads, bigger iPhones and even an iWatch.
Will any of these increasingly desperate looking maneuvers work? After all, what has Apple done in the past to make their products desirable in the first place? Was it to copy what other companies were doing and releasing products faster to meet customer demand and competitor moves? The answer is no.
Steve Jobs understood that his purpose was not to build stuff that people wanted. His magic was to build stuff that people thought was crazy and did not feel they wanted. I still remember five years ago when the iPhone was launched. Apple a phone company? Bah. And a phone without a keyboard? Like what was that about?
I guess the Apple boffins would be thinking hey, we've done a phone, what else can I get consumers to buy and I guess a watch is a great idea since most people use watches and phones on a daily basis. Do I think an iWatch is a good idea? You know what, I think it would appeal to boffins but I dont get a sense that it would catch on in a big way. I could be wrong though.
I personally think Apple will lose the Phone and Pad war. Samsung's copy drones will just copy the heck out of anything Apple comes up with. Apple will become a middling USD200 dollar company soon. However, Apple has bales of cash in its war chest. If I were Tim Cook, I would be looking to move to another green field to apply Apple's transformation and design genius to.
If I were to give a suggestion to Apple on what would work, it would be for some iCar accessories. Cars are notoriously sucky when it comes with user interfaces and interior design and some manufacturers just do not get it. Like have you seen the interior of the latest luxo barges e.g. Jag XJ, Cadilac etc. A lot of wood, a loot of leather and outdated looking dials and clocks. Apple's expertise on UI would transform how we would interact with a car. Can you imagine a really large iPad like screen in the dashboard area in the middle of the car? Cars of the future would be like the deck of the Starship Enterprise with just a few panels and could be operated using "touch". Now that would cool won't it? Apple, are you listening?
Friday, March 15, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The core reasons behind Singapore's population problems
With all the talk about the population white paper in Singapore, I think a lot of people have lost sight of the bigger issue at hand - the thorny issue of why Singapors are not having more children.
The government recently announced their Marriage and Parenthood Package which gives up more cash handouts for babies born and also announced some changes to parenthood leave - namely dad's can have one week of leave and parents of kids will have a priority while applying for government subsidized flats. They also announced plans to create more childcare facilities, better pre-schools etc.
Will such schemes help? I think the answer is a resounding "No" as the problem in Singapore of why people are not marrying and having children lies much deeper and I feel is linked to policies made in governments past.
First of all, National Service. This is a weird one you might say, why would making men (and not women) do two or two and a half years of National Service cause a parenthood and baby problem? The issue is that all Singaporean men will start their careers much later than Singapore women and non-Singaporeans. A couple things will result. One, the Singaporean woman will have time to concentrate on their careers as a priority and also to get further education. Two, Singaporean women will interact more with foreigners and get married to foreigners (as stated in the population white paper, 40% of marriages occur with foreigners). This number sounds small and not all of the 40% are by Singaporean women I am sure, but what this means is that the Singapore man will have less choice in terms of meeting and marrying a spouse in Singapore. The more sophisticated, educated and some might say better groomed Singapore female has a much higher likelihood to attract a foreign spouse compared to a Singapore male. Three, Singapore men will chase their careers that much more to catch up with the women and thus place less priority on settling down and having kids. The solution to this? Shortening National Service to one year might work and the earlier we do this, the better.
Secondly, the drive towards economic progress. This has been raised several times in the past, that Singapore's endless pursuit of economic growth and increasing GDP has made their citizens focus so much more on their jobs and careers rather than having families and children. Singaporean couples are having either one kid or no kids. Looking around me, it is clear that the demographic of people who have more children now vs in the past has changed. The rich are having more children (or keeping at the same rate of childbirth) vs the poor. Why, the cost of having a child has increased and the rich can afford it for one. They can focus less on their jobs and careers. Most importantly though, their parents i.e. the kids grandparents have more time and energy to help the parents take care of their children. Childcare centers don't raise children, families do. In the past, many families have the pattern of having a working dad and a stay at home housewife. They could afford to do so for one - things were cheaper. Houses were cheaper. Education was simpler. Raising two or more kids without grandparent support is a daunting proposition for families who are not financially well off. There have been calls recently (by the Workers Party no less) to make people work longer and raise the retirement age. This is a serious mistake. If Singapore had a better system to ensure that old people didnt have to worry so much about their own retirement expenses (the existing CPF system is outdated - a pension scheme such as the ones used by countries like Switzerland), my reckoning is that Singaporean couples will be more willing to have children since they would have a support structure i.e. their parents to help take care of their kids. This will never happen though if the Singapore government is so fixated on the economy.
Thirdly, and this has not so much to do with babies but more of taking care of our elderly. One of the big reasons why a country needs population growth is the replacement theory that you need X people to take care of the elderly e.g. 2 children with two spouses to take care of 2 sets of parents. There are several problems in Singapore. Based on observation, Singaporeans largely do not take care of their health or they think it is less important (as compared to their careers maybe) - i.e. they spend less time on healthy activites, exercising, they eat unhealthy. Despite the statistics, I dont think Singaporeans are living longer and healthier and happier especially the men. If both spouses lived longer, they would (theoretically) need less support in their old age. More old age homes is not the answer. Again, some type of a pension scheme would help and not just the CPF Life annuity which is rather half hearted in my opinion. The Singapore Medisave scheme needs to revamped as well. Currently, there are too many restrictions on how we can spend OUR hard earned money. Singapore is already enough of a nanny state without having to nanny its citizens when they are 75 years old!
The government recently announced their Marriage and Parenthood Package which gives up more cash handouts for babies born and also announced some changes to parenthood leave - namely dad's can have one week of leave and parents of kids will have a priority while applying for government subsidized flats. They also announced plans to create more childcare facilities, better pre-schools etc.
Will such schemes help? I think the answer is a resounding "No" as the problem in Singapore of why people are not marrying and having children lies much deeper and I feel is linked to policies made in governments past.
First of all, National Service. This is a weird one you might say, why would making men (and not women) do two or two and a half years of National Service cause a parenthood and baby problem? The issue is that all Singaporean men will start their careers much later than Singapore women and non-Singaporeans. A couple things will result. One, the Singaporean woman will have time to concentrate on their careers as a priority and also to get further education. Two, Singaporean women will interact more with foreigners and get married to foreigners (as stated in the population white paper, 40% of marriages occur with foreigners). This number sounds small and not all of the 40% are by Singaporean women I am sure, but what this means is that the Singapore man will have less choice in terms of meeting and marrying a spouse in Singapore. The more sophisticated, educated and some might say better groomed Singapore female has a much higher likelihood to attract a foreign spouse compared to a Singapore male. Three, Singapore men will chase their careers that much more to catch up with the women and thus place less priority on settling down and having kids. The solution to this? Shortening National Service to one year might work and the earlier we do this, the better.
Secondly, the drive towards economic progress. This has been raised several times in the past, that Singapore's endless pursuit of economic growth and increasing GDP has made their citizens focus so much more on their jobs and careers rather than having families and children. Singaporean couples are having either one kid or no kids. Looking around me, it is clear that the demographic of people who have more children now vs in the past has changed. The rich are having more children (or keeping at the same rate of childbirth) vs the poor. Why, the cost of having a child has increased and the rich can afford it for one. They can focus less on their jobs and careers. Most importantly though, their parents i.e. the kids grandparents have more time and energy to help the parents take care of their children. Childcare centers don't raise children, families do. In the past, many families have the pattern of having a working dad and a stay at home housewife. They could afford to do so for one - things were cheaper. Houses were cheaper. Education was simpler. Raising two or more kids without grandparent support is a daunting proposition for families who are not financially well off. There have been calls recently (by the Workers Party no less) to make people work longer and raise the retirement age. This is a serious mistake. If Singapore had a better system to ensure that old people didnt have to worry so much about their own retirement expenses (the existing CPF system is outdated - a pension scheme such as the ones used by countries like Switzerland), my reckoning is that Singaporean couples will be more willing to have children since they would have a support structure i.e. their parents to help take care of their kids. This will never happen though if the Singapore government is so fixated on the economy.
Thirdly, and this has not so much to do with babies but more of taking care of our elderly. One of the big reasons why a country needs population growth is the replacement theory that you need X people to take care of the elderly e.g. 2 children with two spouses to take care of 2 sets of parents. There are several problems in Singapore. Based on observation, Singaporeans largely do not take care of their health or they think it is less important (as compared to their careers maybe) - i.e. they spend less time on healthy activites, exercising, they eat unhealthy. Despite the statistics, I dont think Singaporeans are living longer and healthier and happier especially the men. If both spouses lived longer, they would (theoretically) need less support in their old age. More old age homes is not the answer. Again, some type of a pension scheme would help and not just the CPF Life annuity which is rather half hearted in my opinion. The Singapore Medisave scheme needs to revamped as well. Currently, there are too many restrictions on how we can spend OUR hard earned money. Singapore is already enough of a nanny state without having to nanny its citizens when they are 75 years old!
Friday, February 08, 2013
Why Singaporeans drive the way they do
There have been a whole bunch of news of how bad drivers in Singapore are and theres a perfectly reasonable explanation - you have the
- rich towkay or expat who drives like he (or she in the case of the towkays or expat wife or wives),
- you also have the typical harrassed executive who after a whole day of being pissed on at work wont take any crap from other drivers,
- then theres the totally irresponsible taxi driver and bus driver (why would they they dont own their own vehicles) and
- the crazy lorry/pickup/van driver who gets paid by trip;
- worst of all, you have the women drivers who are just plain dangerous - sudden and/or persistent braking and generally driving with little road sense and awareness of whats happening around them.
- Most Nissan sedans - especially the Sunny and those people who moved on to Latios, Sylphys and Cefiros. Bad drivers who dont know what a good driving car is buy Nissan sedans.
- Mercedes E-class drivers - they jolly well act like they own the road dont they?
- Alfa Romeo drivers - these guys and girls think the road is their speedway. Also most likely to "jam brake" to test the reflexes of the drivers behind them.
- Honda Stream/Toyota Wish drivers - especially those that have been "benged" up.
- Large SUVs e.g. Toyota Fortuners, BMW X5s - who will swerve into your lane probably because they cant see you while sitting so high up
- Drivers of a small French make e.g. Citreon C4, Renault Megane tend to be shitty drivers. Same Nissan syndrome as above.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The most expensive piece of paper in the world
Before you buy a new set of wheels in Singapore, you have to get a Certificate of Entitlement - a piece of paper which accompanies each vehicle that basically allows drivers to use the car for 10 years on the road.
The price for that piece of paper has recently risen to almost SGD100,000 (about USD80k). The last I checked, USD80k could buy your a nice Porsche 911 in the US or the UK easily. USD80k could even get you a house in some places.
That piece of paper is just the beginning. Cars themselves are slapped with a 150% tax when they arrive on Singapore shores. The result? Even a relevatively modest set of wheels like a Honda Civic costs SGD163,000 here.
I must confess that I love cars. My favorite programmes to watch on the telly are the UK shows such as Top Gear, Fifth Gear and Wheeler Dealers. But at the current state of affairs, getting a nice car in Singapore is pretty much the doman of the uber rich or the expats with a fat car allowance.
I have thought several times of leaving this island to go somewhere where sense prevails - somewhere like Australia or New Zealand where prices of things are on a more sensible scale. I guess thoughts like these probably cross the minds of most Singaporeans occasionally. What holds us back is the thought of family that we would leave behind. When push comes to shove, I am sure many of us will reconsider our options in the years to come.
The price for that piece of paper has recently risen to almost SGD100,000 (about USD80k). The last I checked, USD80k could buy your a nice Porsche 911 in the US or the UK easily. USD80k could even get you a house in some places.
That piece of paper is just the beginning. Cars themselves are slapped with a 150% tax when they arrive on Singapore shores. The result? Even a relevatively modest set of wheels like a Honda Civic costs SGD163,000 here.
I must confess that I love cars. My favorite programmes to watch on the telly are the UK shows such as Top Gear, Fifth Gear and Wheeler Dealers. But at the current state of affairs, getting a nice car in Singapore is pretty much the doman of the uber rich or the expats with a fat car allowance.
I have thought several times of leaving this island to go somewhere where sense prevails - somewhere like Australia or New Zealand where prices of things are on a more sensible scale. I guess thoughts like these probably cross the minds of most Singaporeans occasionally. What holds us back is the thought of family that we would leave behind. When push comes to shove, I am sure many of us will reconsider our options in the years to come.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Singapore Punggol East by-election Analysis
I do not want to politicize this blog however, Singapore politics, or at least talking and thinking about politics, has become a hot topic with the recent conclusion of the by-election in Punggol East - a tiny area of land in the north east of the island. The Workers' Party i.e. "the Opposition" in Singapore has been whittling away at the dominance of the PAP over the last few years and with this latest victory in Punggol East - it has won more than just a single seat in Parliament; in my mind, it has sent a very strong signal to the PAP of how disgruntled Singaporeans have become on the current state of things in the country.
There are many reasons being mooted about why the PAP lost - housing prices, the current economic lull, and the malfunctioning transport infrastructure.
To me, one the major reasons why they lost is the issue of the ongoing influx of foreigners. Singaporeans do not want to lose their jobs to foreigners. We do not have any beef with foreigners but when there is a job that can be done by a Singapore worker - a job that he or she could excel at, chooses to do and would have passion in doing if allowed to - we would prefer that the job go to a Singaporean thank you.
I do not have the actual facts and figures but my sense is that foreigners have taken a large chunk of top and mid-level jobs in companies based in Singapore (except the government) and Singaporeans are left holding the scraps. On a side note - homegrown Singapore companies and entities like F&N are being sold to the top foreign bidders. Singapore icons like the Raffles Hotel have been sold to overseas companies with scarcely a thought on why they must be held in Singapore hands.
Some examples where top leadership positions are occupied by foreigners - the CEO of DBS, OCBC and SGX, the new CTO of Mediacorp, the ex national coach of the Singapore national football team. In my current company based in Singapore, there are approximately 30 people in the office and out of that total - only 5 are Singaporeans.
The fear that I would be replaced by a foreigner or that I could not find a new job in Singapore without being told that the company I wanted to join would rather source for people in other countries for that job keeps me up at night.
The government has always said that it does not believe that social media will self moderate for the greater good. I think that Singaporeans are starting to believe that the current government run by the PAP might not be able to self moderate for the good of Singaporeans.
There are many reasons being mooted about why the PAP lost - housing prices, the current economic lull, and the malfunctioning transport infrastructure.
To me, one the major reasons why they lost is the issue of the ongoing influx of foreigners. Singaporeans do not want to lose their jobs to foreigners. We do not have any beef with foreigners but when there is a job that can be done by a Singapore worker - a job that he or she could excel at, chooses to do and would have passion in doing if allowed to - we would prefer that the job go to a Singaporean thank you.
I do not have the actual facts and figures but my sense is that foreigners have taken a large chunk of top and mid-level jobs in companies based in Singapore (except the government) and Singaporeans are left holding the scraps. On a side note - homegrown Singapore companies and entities like F&N are being sold to the top foreign bidders. Singapore icons like the Raffles Hotel have been sold to overseas companies with scarcely a thought on why they must be held in Singapore hands.
Some examples where top leadership positions are occupied by foreigners - the CEO of DBS, OCBC and SGX, the new CTO of Mediacorp, the ex national coach of the Singapore national football team. In my current company based in Singapore, there are approximately 30 people in the office and out of that total - only 5 are Singaporeans.
The fear that I would be replaced by a foreigner or that I could not find a new job in Singapore without being told that the company I wanted to join would rather source for people in other countries for that job keeps me up at night.
The government has always said that it does not believe that social media will self moderate for the greater good. I think that Singaporeans are starting to believe that the current government run by the PAP might not be able to self moderate for the good of Singaporeans.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Olympus OMD camera
Being late to the game, I recently bought an Olympus OM-D EM-5 camera. Like a lot of people, I hate the name so I'm just gonna call it the Olympus OMD for the rest of this review.
Back in 2009, I bought a Panasonic GF1 camera. At that time, I was looking for a smaller camera compared to a DSLR however I wasnt willing to compromise on picture taking capability by using a compact camera. The GF1 was, to me, a perfect choice. It was light, had great picture quality and could do videos better than my DSLR. What drew me to the GF1 most of all however was the fact that it looked retro. It looked and worked (mostly) like a mini digital rangefinder would.
Mid last year, the Olympus OMD was announced and it drew rave reviews from the Olympus faithful but for some reason, I wasnt that interested. I have always been a Nikon user, with occasional dabblings in Canon, Pentax and Fujifilm. I did however love my old Olympus Stylus Mju. So much so that I still have it even though I havent shot a roll of film in years. And I also had an Olymus C5060 briefly which I was ever so impressed with.
With that in mind and also because my GF1 was showing signs of being long in the tooth i.e. the low light capability really isnt that good and the AVCHD format was just giving me fits in terms of editing - I decided to get an OMD.
Playing with the camera briefly, I purchased it in Hong Kong as a body only kit, some things immediately become clear and some things start to annoy me.
First, the really good stuff, the picture quality in low light is really good and the IBIS ("in-body image stabilization") is one of the best of its kind. The picture quality is not Nikon D4 good but its borders on being as good as a D90. Olympus added a small flash in the kit however the power output is rather poor and after a few shots I packed it carefully in the box and do not intend to use it again bar some urgent need for fill in flash. I intend to use the OMD using existing light.
The OMD is probably the fastest micro four-thirds camera that Olympus has ever produced. For years its Pen line, Olympus AF systems had a weird "hunting for focus" behaviour which my Panasonic GF1 never had. AF-speed wise and responsiveness wise, I dont think anyone will complain much about the OMD. Features-wise, the OMD has lots of other cameras licked - it has a pretty good EVF plus LCD, a "virtual horizon" feature, 9fps, tiltable LCD, light weather proofing, a magnesium alloy body - you could go on and on.
Onto the negatives - my biggest grip is regarding the ergonomics and usability. Unless your hands are small, you will find the grip to be slightly awkward to use. Its a little bit like I have to learn how to hold the camera vs having a camera grip being moulded to fit my hand. The eyelet for the shoulder strap eats into my palm each time I grip the camera tightly. Its more of a finger hold camera vs a full in your palms type of camera. The buttons are fiddly.
Olympus (to be fair - the same holds true for all pure play camera manufacturers) is not and has never been good at UI. The OMD has a lot of configurability and settings hidden and disabled. When I first got the camera - I couldn't figure how to set the ISO. One of the first things you have to do when you get this camera is to enable the Super Control Panel (go [Camera] Control Settings in Custom Menu > section D > and enable LIVE SCP). For some reason Olympus thinks that you would want a different setting for each exposure mode - a sure sign of a programmer making a decision vs a photographer. My advice - do a google search on "OM-D tips" and setup the camera once according to how you like to shoot.
To be honest - for all my complaints - I do not think there is a better camera for me. Its retro (check out this pic of my OMD with an old Nikon) and it takes good pictures. Enuff said.
Back in 2009, I bought a Panasonic GF1 camera. At that time, I was looking for a smaller camera compared to a DSLR however I wasnt willing to compromise on picture taking capability by using a compact camera. The GF1 was, to me, a perfect choice. It was light, had great picture quality and could do videos better than my DSLR. What drew me to the GF1 most of all however was the fact that it looked retro. It looked and worked (mostly) like a mini digital rangefinder would.
Mid last year, the Olympus OMD was announced and it drew rave reviews from the Olympus faithful but for some reason, I wasnt that interested. I have always been a Nikon user, with occasional dabblings in Canon, Pentax and Fujifilm. I did however love my old Olympus Stylus Mju. So much so that I still have it even though I havent shot a roll of film in years. And I also had an Olymus C5060 briefly which I was ever so impressed with.
With that in mind and also because my GF1 was showing signs of being long in the tooth i.e. the low light capability really isnt that good and the AVCHD format was just giving me fits in terms of editing - I decided to get an OMD.
Playing with the camera briefly, I purchased it in Hong Kong as a body only kit, some things immediately become clear and some things start to annoy me.
First, the really good stuff, the picture quality in low light is really good and the IBIS ("in-body image stabilization") is one of the best of its kind. The picture quality is not Nikon D4 good but its borders on being as good as a D90. Olympus added a small flash in the kit however the power output is rather poor and after a few shots I packed it carefully in the box and do not intend to use it again bar some urgent need for fill in flash. I intend to use the OMD using existing light.
The OMD is probably the fastest micro four-thirds camera that Olympus has ever produced. For years its Pen line, Olympus AF systems had a weird "hunting for focus" behaviour which my Panasonic GF1 never had. AF-speed wise and responsiveness wise, I dont think anyone will complain much about the OMD. Features-wise, the OMD has lots of other cameras licked - it has a pretty good EVF plus LCD, a "virtual horizon" feature, 9fps, tiltable LCD, light weather proofing, a magnesium alloy body - you could go on and on.
Onto the negatives - my biggest grip is regarding the ergonomics and usability. Unless your hands are small, you will find the grip to be slightly awkward to use. Its a little bit like I have to learn how to hold the camera vs having a camera grip being moulded to fit my hand. The eyelet for the shoulder strap eats into my palm each time I grip the camera tightly. Its more of a finger hold camera vs a full in your palms type of camera. The buttons are fiddly.
Olympus (to be fair - the same holds true for all pure play camera manufacturers) is not and has never been good at UI. The OMD has a lot of configurability and settings hidden and disabled. When I first got the camera - I couldn't figure how to set the ISO. One of the first things you have to do when you get this camera is to enable the Super Control Panel (go [Camera] Control Settings in Custom Menu > section D > and enable LIVE SCP). For some reason Olympus thinks that you would want a different setting for each exposure mode - a sure sign of a programmer making a decision vs a photographer. My advice - do a google search on "OM-D tips" and setup the camera once according to how you like to shoot.
To be honest - for all my complaints - I do not think there is a better camera for me. Its retro (check out this pic of my OMD with an old Nikon) and it takes good pictures. Enuff said.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Doomsday prepping
During the latest family trip out of Singapore, I happened to have some time to watch some telly. The hotel that we stayed in had two TVs, which meant that I was able to watch some other channels other than the Cartoon Network.
National Geographic has a series called "Doomsday Preppers" where preppers (in some cases "loonies") prep for some end of the world scenario e.g. super volcano, collapse of the economy. Recently, as part of daily YouTube fix of watching videos, I have been watching a lot of of gear reviews around prepping.
One of the hot topics at the moment is Dec 21st and the Mayan prediction of a new phase in the world. Some people have taken this prediction to mean the end of the world and some even have linked this date to the "three days of darkness" prophesy in the Bible.
Against the backdrop of all this doom and gloom, I have been doing a little prepping myself, better to be safe than sorry right?
Some stuff I have been doing:
National Geographic has a series called "Doomsday Preppers" where preppers (in some cases "loonies") prep for some end of the world scenario e.g. super volcano, collapse of the economy. Recently, as part of daily YouTube fix of watching videos, I have been watching a lot of of gear reviews around prepping.
One of the hot topics at the moment is Dec 21st and the Mayan prediction of a new phase in the world. Some people have taken this prediction to mean the end of the world and some even have linked this date to the "three days of darkness" prophesy in the Bible.
Against the backdrop of all this doom and gloom, I have been doing a little prepping myself, better to be safe than sorry right?
Some stuff I have been doing:
- Packed a "bug out bag" - which contains stuff like tarps, ponchos, rope, camping oven, flashlight, knife, first aid kit etc
- Started stocking up on water and basic foods like rice, canned food, dehydrated soups.
- Since a human being needs about a gallon of water a day to survive, I have also bought a few types of water filters in case I need to filter rain water to drink. It is possible to extract pure drinking water from any water source using a solar still in the worst case scenario as well.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Ironies in life
"Isn't it ironic.. dont chiu think?"
According to foreigners, Singapore is one of the most attractive places to work. People from other countries are beating a path to the door to work and live in Singapore.
What Singaporeans have to get used to is being told that a position based in Singapore is better placed by foreigners. Sounds drastic, but it is actually the plain truth. Foreigners are taking jobs not just at the upper echolon of companies but also at the lower rungs and in the middle.
My wish for Singapore policy makers is for them to experience the same rejection in their jobs. Let's import foreign talents to replace civil service and garment positions.
According to foreigners, Singapore is one of the most attractive places to work. People from other countries are beating a path to the door to work and live in Singapore.
What Singaporeans have to get used to is being told that a position based in Singapore is better placed by foreigners. Sounds drastic, but it is actually the plain truth. Foreigners are taking jobs not just at the upper echolon of companies but also at the lower rungs and in the middle.
My wish for Singapore policy makers is for them to experience the same rejection in their jobs. Let's import foreign talents to replace civil service and garment positions.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Stringing 101... for dummies
I have been stringing my own tennis rackets since 2000. I was fed up with some questionable stringing jobs from stringers in Singapore. When one "reputable" stringer broke my beloved racket at the time - a vintage Dunlop Max 200g, I decided to invest in my own machine.
Now the machine I bought isnt one of those fancy electronic types that tensions the string for you using a motor. I bought a manual Gamma spring tension machine instead. I have been using it for all this while and it hasnt given any problems. Made in USA does stand for something.
I am not a pro-stringer by any means but after stringing hundreds of rackets for myself and my friends, I feel that I at least can give some advice to budding stringers or people who want to get into stringing.
Firstly, buy a machine and learn how to use it. I would suggest that you buy a machine that will last you for some time, at least as long as you retain your interest in tennis. For me, manual is better - either a drop weight model (around 200-400USD) or better still - a spring tension model (around 700-1500USD). Get a model that has 6 mounting points. The electronic models are great but pricey and have the potential to break. Motors do break. Although stringing saves money in the long run, you have to string lots of rackets to make up the cost of the machine. I estimate about 6-12 dollars saved per racket strung depending on the string that you choose. My Gamma cost me about 800USD incl shipping and I think it has only made up the cost in the last few years (I typically do around 20-30 string jobs a year). There are plenty of guides to stringing out there and YouTube has plenty of videos as well. In addition to the machine, you will also need a sturdy table or stand (stands are usually additional), some cutters (standard wire cutters will do), a pair of pliers (I use the bent nose ones), an awl (to act as a pathfinder for new holes) and lastly a measuring tape (I tape the tape to my table).
Types of string and stringing methods. In addition to the machine, you need to buy string. Hopefully by now you would know a little bit what types of of string you like - what thickness or "gauge" you prefer. There are literally hundreds of string out there, and they come in single pack or in reel form. For the sake of economy, I usually buy reels of string. As a rough guide, I usually stock a big reel (600-700feet) of a good and cheap synthetic - for me I use Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g or 17g. Gamma and Prince make great synthetics as well. I also have a reel or two of polyester string - I currently alternate between something by Luxilon or Topspin. For the last few years, most of my stringing jobs have been using the 2 string method and I have been doing hybrid stringing jobs with poly mains and synthetic crosses. My current Wilson rackets are mostly strung with Topspin Cyber Flash 17 on the mains and using a synthetic like Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g or Gamma Synthetic 16g on the crosses. I use a thicker gauge cross as the synthetic cross will usually break before the polyester main. Stringing using the 2 string method has several benefits - the stringing jobs typically take less time and there is also a little bit less wastage compared to the 1 string method. I usually dont do any fancy patterns "Round the world" or no shared holes. For maximum economy, I usually measure and cut the optimal lengths to string a particular racket e.g. my Wilson 85-90 sq inch rackets typically only require 18ft for the mains and 16ft for the crosses. I usually take 35-40 minutes to do a single racket (a tip - dont be too fixated about speed when you first start).
Maintenance. My Gamma has largely been maintenance free. The only thing I do once in a while is to use a tension calibrator to make sure that the tension is correct and do a rough wipe down.
Has stringing my own racket helped me in my game? Well to be honest, not really. Putting the best stuff on your racket wont make you the next Federer. Some times I get the urge to just throw my racket at a stringer and get it done. You get the convenience of stringing anytime you want or whenever you break string. For me, I save some time by not having to travel to the stringer location and make another repeat trip to collect the strung racket.
Does it make sense to have your own stringing machine if you only have one racket and you only play once a month? No. I would say that you should only do this if you play frequently (about 1-2 a week minimum) and you break string often. The general advice is that you should restring your racket annually as often as you play a week e.g. if you play once a week you should restring once a year.
Let me know if you have questions and I'll try to help!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Auto gearboxes a cause for bad driving
A colleague of mine TW recently made a remark that the prevalence of cars with auto gearboxes on Singapore roads has resulted in driving standards getting worse.
His logic was that drivers using traditional manual gearboxes would be more in tune with what the car was doing. Also having to operate a manual would mean that behaviours such as using a mobile phone while driving would not be possible (not taking into account contortionists who are able to hold an iPhone between their shoulder and neck ;).
I tend to agree with his theories. Drivers are getting lazier nowadays. Even signalling is become rarer on Singapore roads. Alas, with the demise of manual cars (you can't actually buy a manual car anymore unless a special order is made) this theory is a moot point.
His logic was that drivers using traditional manual gearboxes would be more in tune with what the car was doing. Also having to operate a manual would mean that behaviours such as using a mobile phone while driving would not be possible (not taking into account contortionists who are able to hold an iPhone between their shoulder and neck ;).
I tend to agree with his theories. Drivers are getting lazier nowadays. Even signalling is become rarer on Singapore roads. Alas, with the demise of manual cars (you can't actually buy a manual car anymore unless a special order is made) this theory is a moot point.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Hitting the foreign talent (FT) wall in Singapore
Desperation or despair kinda sneaks up on you in mid life.
When you are young, and if you are a graduate, you have the feeling that the world is your oyster. You feel that you are able to get a job in any company, get a good job and start enjoying the feeling of making money. You have plenty of headroom to climb - or so you think - to the upper echelons of a corporation.
Where I am now - solidly in mid-life - middle aged, mid career, life doesn't look or feel so rosy anymore, especially in this place called Singapore.
You see my friend, companies are typically top heavy creatures. Lots of entry level jobs doing the real work, a moderate number of middle level jobs for people to middle manage others and then, a tiny few top level positions. In the company that I work for, a software product company, it is no different.
In a typical homogeneous society like Japan or Europe (this is slowly changing however), this would still bode well for mid career managers. You should have similar thinking similar background people above and below you in the organizational hierarchy. Your bosses should understand you, know that you are aiming to move upwards, and also understand the societal norms i.e. what holidays mean in terms of importance e.g. never scheduling project deadlines near Chinese New Year, for example and other responsibilities that parents face e.g. taking leave to accompany children during exam periods (admittedly a Singapore idiosyncrasy).
In Singapore, however, if you are working in MNCs and not a government organization (which is pretty homogeneous i.e. typically all Singaporeans) or are pretty lucky, this situation will not typically happen. "Foreign talents" fill the upper spots of the company hierarchy. They also fill the middle slots and the lower slots but the upper spots are typically all FT territory. They live a rarefied upper class life in Singapore, living in posh places, drive the Lambos and Ferraris, send their children to expensive private schools and don't know (or give a rats ass) what problems Singaporeans face. It probably wouldn't feel so bad if these FTs are smart and capable, fair and respectable but it sure stinks when they are nearly all stupid (cunning), lazy etc ones.
As a mid-career worker and in a middle level position in Singapore, you feel stuck. I feel that there is no way that you will rise further in a corporation as the FTs are entrenched there and will never give up their positions to others anymore. Its like a glass ceiling however it feels more like a brick wall. So this is what the future looks like.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Moving from the iPhone to an Android
iOS and Android don't mix, its quite clear about that. On the other hand, I also think iOS is for dumb or lazy people and Android is for the nerd. After using an iPhone for three years, its pretty hard to move. But move I must.
One of the tasks I am doing during my planning to switch smartphones i.e. from my current iPhone4 to a Samsung Galaxy S3 is to make a small inventory of things that I need to migrate and how I will perform the migration.
Apps (now this is where it starts gets tricky)
- Bloomberg - I pretty much have to recreate my stock entries
- Watsapp (messaging app) - there is no easy migration path, your best bet is to export each message trail by contact to a txt file and archive it)
- Runkeeper (my exercise app) - not sure.. does Runkeeper migrate?
- Squeezebox Touch app - yes there is an equivalent on Android
Now you know why Apps are so important to phone companies. They lock you into the platform and make it difficult to unstick yourself from it. They are the main reason why a smartphone is great though.
One of the tasks I am doing during my planning to switch smartphones i.e. from my current iPhone4 to a Samsung Galaxy S3 is to make a small inventory of things that I need to migrate and how I will perform the migration.
- CMPV (contacts, messages, photos and videos) - Apparently there is a free app that does just that called Easy Phone Sync https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.galaxysync.android.app
- Music - copy these out and drag them to the new phone
- Favorites (on Safari) - pretty easy, just type these in
Apps (now this is where it starts gets tricky)
- Bloomberg - I pretty much have to recreate my stock entries
- Watsapp (messaging app) - there is no easy migration path, your best bet is to export each message trail by contact to a txt file and archive it)
- Runkeeper (my exercise app) - not sure.. does Runkeeper migrate?
- Squeezebox Touch app - yes there is an equivalent on Android
Now you know why Apps are so important to phone companies. They lock you into the platform and make it difficult to unstick yourself from it. They are the main reason why a smartphone is great though.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Taxi drivers in Singapore don't drive in the rain
A recent study of 80 million GPS record recording Singapore taxi driver driving patterns shows that taxi drivers here are afraid of rain. A large proportion of taxi drivers will just sit out the rain by the roadside or seek a hidey-hole.
This is in line with my previous post about the professionalism of the Singapore taxis driver.
Singapore taxi drivers are in a limbo state. They aren't salarymen like the bus drivers here and they don't own their own taxis. Instead, they rent their taxis from the taxi companies at a rate of 80-200 SGD a month. This explains why they have no incentive to drive on days when they don't need to. Either when they have already met their quota or exceeded it. Even though taxi drivers here are not supposed to reject fares, it is a fairly common occurrence, often with the reason that they are changing shifts.
Which brings me to the possible methods to curb this unprofessional behaviour of taxis drivers. First of all, there are too many taxis on the road. Singapore has over 28,000 taxis plying the roads here compared to 18,000 over taxis in Hong Kong covering a much larger area in Hong Kong. Eliminating 8,000 taxis would still mean Singapore would have more taxis than Hong Kong. Make taxi drivers fight for the right to drive by setting high standards.
Which taxis to remove? Obviously the taxis that have poor record in terms of serving the community (put a happiness meter in every taxi for passengers to rate each ride and allow the public to easily rate or mark any taxi on the road based on its driver's good or bad driving) should be fired and prevented from driving ever again. Taxi drivers who loiter and do not put in a sufficient time on the roads should be fired. Make taxis the responsibility of their drivers by making taxi drivers own their own taxis with a low repayment rate. This way, the drivers will be incentized to drive more and more safely.
This is in line with my previous post about the professionalism of the Singapore taxis driver.
Singapore taxi drivers are in a limbo state. They aren't salarymen like the bus drivers here and they don't own their own taxis. Instead, they rent their taxis from the taxi companies at a rate of 80-200 SGD a month. This explains why they have no incentive to drive on days when they don't need to. Either when they have already met their quota or exceeded it. Even though taxi drivers here are not supposed to reject fares, it is a fairly common occurrence, often with the reason that they are changing shifts.
Which brings me to the possible methods to curb this unprofessional behaviour of taxis drivers. First of all, there are too many taxis on the road. Singapore has over 28,000 taxis plying the roads here compared to 18,000 over taxis in Hong Kong covering a much larger area in Hong Kong. Eliminating 8,000 taxis would still mean Singapore would have more taxis than Hong Kong. Make taxi drivers fight for the right to drive by setting high standards.
Which taxis to remove? Obviously the taxis that have poor record in terms of serving the community (put a happiness meter in every taxi for passengers to rate each ride and allow the public to easily rate or mark any taxi on the road based on its driver's good or bad driving) should be fired and prevented from driving ever again. Taxi drivers who loiter and do not put in a sufficient time on the roads should be fired. Make taxis the responsibility of their drivers by making taxi drivers own their own taxis with a low repayment rate. This way, the drivers will be incentized to drive more and more safely.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
What's next for Apple?
Apple is now the biggest company in the world based on market valuation.
Over the past few years, the iPhone has been their main seller, their número UNO product bringing in the most profit. Unfortunately, I think so many iterations of iPhone and shipping so much product I think the market is kinda tired of the iPhone. It has become boring especially with so many people having at least one generation of phone.
After the iPhone, the next major seller was the iPad. We had the iPad 1, iPad 2 and the ridiculously named "new iPad" which automatically made all the previous versions "old iPads". I guess "iPad 3" was probably a patented name which they couldnt use. Or maybe it was an unlucky number.
Apple is a design company. It's products aren't necessarily better in any way than it's competitors the iPhone when it came out didn't have the best battery life or the best camera etc.
My predictions for the next Apple products?
a) Apple iPhone - introduce the iPhone 6 obviously. However I have feeling that the smaller is better credo will come back and Apple will introduce a smaller iPhone - iPhone mini - smaller screen obviously and controlled mostly by voice - Siri.. ugh. After that.. its pretty obvious they will launch an iPhone Nano... and Pico... you heard it here first boys and girls..
b) Apple iPad - the iPad mini will be launched soon however it is definitely a strategic move by Apple henchies to match what the competitors are doing. If Steve Jobs were in the house still, he would introduce ever larger iPads until they were big enough to fill a wall...
Over the past few years, the iPhone has been their main seller, their número UNO product bringing in the most profit. Unfortunately, I think so many iterations of iPhone and shipping so much product I think the market is kinda tired of the iPhone. It has become boring especially with so many people having at least one generation of phone.
After the iPhone, the next major seller was the iPad. We had the iPad 1, iPad 2 and the ridiculously named "new iPad" which automatically made all the previous versions "old iPads". I guess "iPad 3" was probably a patented name which they couldnt use. Or maybe it was an unlucky number.
Apple is a design company. It's products aren't necessarily better in any way than it's competitors the iPhone when it came out didn't have the best battery life or the best camera etc.
My predictions for the next Apple products?
a) Apple iPhone - introduce the iPhone 6 obviously. However I have feeling that the smaller is better credo will come back and Apple will introduce a smaller iPhone - iPhone mini - smaller screen obviously and controlled mostly by voice - Siri.. ugh. After that.. its pretty obvious they will launch an iPhone Nano... and Pico... you heard it here first boys and girls..
b) Apple iPad - the iPad mini will be launched soon however it is definitely a strategic move by Apple henchies to match what the competitors are doing. If Steve Jobs were in the house still, he would introduce ever larger iPads until they were big enough to fill a wall...
Monday, September 24, 2012
The secrets to Federers longevity in Tennis
Sunday, September 23, 2012
iPhone 5 - a sign of things to come from Apple?
I had - in the quest for the latest and greatest - dutifully queued up at my local telco provider Singtel Apple iPhone "launch" events for the past 2 releases of the iPhone. This year though was different.
First of all, I was utterly disappointed with Singtel not getting its act together in their coordination of the registration process. Their website was inaccessible for most of the registration period and I pretty much gave up. For goodness sake, its not the first time you guys have done this. Time to leave and head for another telco me thinks.
When I finally got my hands (on a friend's) iPhone5 the disappointment deepened. Overall comments from the people who managed to get their iPhone5 was that there was nothing really new in the phone except for the speed increase from the faster processor and 4G support. Nothing new in Apps, except for the much reported buggy Maps application. Nobody really thought that the increased screen size was a big deal since rivals like the Samsung Galaxy and Sony's Xperia already have larger and, I thought, nicer looking screens. The longer screen actually makes the iPhone5 screen look narrower and more "remote control-like" than previous iPhones although this is a bit of an optical illusion.
The big draw of the old iPhones were (to me at least) their designs. I personally thought the iPhone5 was a little bit dull design-wise. There is absolutely no WOW factor. I actually preferred the design of my old iPhone4, with its glass back and aluminum sides. The color choices of only the white and black option show that Apple is unable to break the design protocol defined by Steve Jobs. The white iPhone5 has a really ugly looking two tone back, fussy chrome trim and a weird looking mutated "face" on the top of the phone (see below). I don't think you can find any existing iPhone users who actually prefers the new iPhone5 design over their previous phones.
However, if after my little rant you still want to get one, the black iPhone5 is definitely the one to choose if you really had to have a iPhone5.
So will I buy an iPhone5? Maybe - eventually - when my iPhone4 and/or its accessories die. A big turn-off for me is that the whole world and their grandmother has an iPhone and it has totally lost its cool and uniqueness factor. Apple is a victim of its own success.
I might get one of the Android phones in the meantime as they are significantly cheaper to pickup without a telco contract. The current crop of new Android phones give off a more innovative vibe compared to the iPhone5. Don't confuse me as a Samsung fanboy but anyone who has handled a Samsung Galaxy S2 or S3 will feel like the designers had a brief to be fresh and be bolder with their designs. As I said before in my last post - it really seems that innovation and good design has left Apple, after Steve Jobs left the building.
First of all, I was utterly disappointed with Singtel not getting its act together in their coordination of the registration process. Their website was inaccessible for most of the registration period and I pretty much gave up. For goodness sake, its not the first time you guys have done this. Time to leave and head for another telco me thinks.
When I finally got my hands (on a friend's) iPhone5 the disappointment deepened. Overall comments from the people who managed to get their iPhone5 was that there was nothing really new in the phone except for the speed increase from the faster processor and 4G support. Nothing new in Apps, except for the much reported buggy Maps application. Nobody really thought that the increased screen size was a big deal since rivals like the Samsung Galaxy and Sony's Xperia already have larger and, I thought, nicer looking screens. The longer screen actually makes the iPhone5 screen look narrower and more "remote control-like" than previous iPhones although this is a bit of an optical illusion.
The big draw of the old iPhones were (to me at least) their designs. I personally thought the iPhone5 was a little bit dull design-wise. There is absolutely no WOW factor. I actually preferred the design of my old iPhone4, with its glass back and aluminum sides. The color choices of only the white and black option show that Apple is unable to break the design protocol defined by Steve Jobs. The white iPhone5 has a really ugly looking two tone back, fussy chrome trim and a weird looking mutated "face" on the top of the phone (see below). I don't think you can find any existing iPhone users who actually prefers the new iPhone5 design over their previous phones.
However, if after my little rant you still want to get one, the black iPhone5 is definitely the one to choose if you really had to have a iPhone5.
So will I buy an iPhone5? Maybe - eventually - when my iPhone4 and/or its accessories die. A big turn-off for me is that the whole world and their grandmother has an iPhone and it has totally lost its cool and uniqueness factor. Apple is a victim of its own success.
I might get one of the Android phones in the meantime as they are significantly cheaper to pickup without a telco contract. The current crop of new Android phones give off a more innovative vibe compared to the iPhone5. Don't confuse me as a Samsung fanboy but anyone who has handled a Samsung Galaxy S2 or S3 will feel like the designers had a brief to be fresh and be bolder with their designs. As I said before in my last post - it really seems that innovation and good design has left Apple, after Steve Jobs left the building.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Apple's iPhone 5 - an expensive proposition in Singapore
Just received some news about a colleague who just collected her iPhone 5.
As most of you probably already know, the iPhone 5 has a new connector which means that all your existing pre-iPhone 5 accessories are made redundant. Ok, there is an adaptor but who likes using adaptors and does this mean you have to have multiple adaptors every where?
The iPhone 5 also has a new SIM card form factor - the nano SIM. The iPhone 4 which was introduced 2 years ago used the micro-SIM card which I guess is redundant now. Singtel - the telco I use in Singapore - is charging SGD39 (USD32) for a nano sim!
You have got to be kidding..
Since my two year old iPhone 4 is on its last legs - the home button died some time ago and the phone is seriously lagging - I was thinking of getting a iPhone 5 but I am now seriously reconsidering getting a Samsung S2 instead. Maybe all sense in Apple is gone ever since Steve Jobs left the building.
As most of you probably already know, the iPhone 5 has a new connector which means that all your existing pre-iPhone 5 accessories are made redundant. Ok, there is an adaptor but who likes using adaptors and does this mean you have to have multiple adaptors every where?
The iPhone 5 also has a new SIM card form factor - the nano SIM. The iPhone 4 which was introduced 2 years ago used the micro-SIM card which I guess is redundant now. Singtel - the telco I use in Singapore - is charging SGD39 (USD32) for a nano sim!
You have got to be kidding..
Since my two year old iPhone 4 is on its last legs - the home button died some time ago and the phone is seriously lagging - I was thinking of getting a iPhone 5 but I am now seriously reconsidering getting a Samsung S2 instead. Maybe all sense in Apple is gone ever since Steve Jobs left the building.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Stress in the Sin City
It doesn't take long for a visitor to Singapore to observe that this city is not like any other city. And I don't mean the greenery or the food or the shopping and the apparently orderliness of the place.
Singapore is an unnecessarily stressful place.
Just take this morning when I dropped off my kids at the childcare centre on the way to work (my kids have been to childcare since they were 18 months old.. since my dad died, I do not have the luxury of having family childgivers taking care of my kids for me). The childcare place we use is in kind of a childcare hub where there are many companies running pre-schools. What we have done (along with hundreds of other parents) is typically to stop by the small stretch of road running alongside the schools and drop the kids off.
Now, this road is also shared by the Singapore Police Force who has a branch in the area. They have always "co-existed" peacefully with the schools and parents in the use of the road for the past 2-3 years, primarily because they have two entrances to their building. Recently though, one of their entrances was closed for renovations. As a result, the SPF has suddenly decided to take over the use of the road that we used to share. They have deployed numerous policemen to patrol this stretch of road preventing parents from stopping their cars to drop off their kids. This morning, they even called in the LTA or Land Transport Authority - kind of a pseudo road enforcer type organization - to fine and issue summons to cars that have stopped along this stretch of road even temporarily.
Politicians in Singapore have been vocal in the media recently about the low birth rate in the country and wonder why Singaporeans are not having more children. As a result of this low population replacement statistic, the government has been importing immigrants and workers at a record rate. Since 2002, the population has grown from 4.1 million people to about 5.2 million in 2012 and has made Singapore the most densely populated country in the world with about 7300 people for each square kilometer (as compared to a country like the UK where there are around 400 people for each square kilometer, even Tokyo and Hong Kong have only 6000 people per sq km). People are literally fighting for space here. Property prices are a world high. Even having lunch here is stressful as people fight for places to sit down to eat. The train network is packed to the point that it keeps breaking down.
For a small country of roughly 700 sq kilometers this is ludicrous.
This is the country I live in.
Singapore is an unnecessarily stressful place.
Just take this morning when I dropped off my kids at the childcare centre on the way to work (my kids have been to childcare since they were 18 months old.. since my dad died, I do not have the luxury of having family childgivers taking care of my kids for me). The childcare place we use is in kind of a childcare hub where there are many companies running pre-schools. What we have done (along with hundreds of other parents) is typically to stop by the small stretch of road running alongside the schools and drop the kids off.
Now, this road is also shared by the Singapore Police Force who has a branch in the area. They have always "co-existed" peacefully with the schools and parents in the use of the road for the past 2-3 years, primarily because they have two entrances to their building. Recently though, one of their entrances was closed for renovations. As a result, the SPF has suddenly decided to take over the use of the road that we used to share. They have deployed numerous policemen to patrol this stretch of road preventing parents from stopping their cars to drop off their kids. This morning, they even called in the LTA or Land Transport Authority - kind of a pseudo road enforcer type organization - to fine and issue summons to cars that have stopped along this stretch of road even temporarily.
Politicians in Singapore have been vocal in the media recently about the low birth rate in the country and wonder why Singaporeans are not having more children. As a result of this low population replacement statistic, the government has been importing immigrants and workers at a record rate. Since 2002, the population has grown from 4.1 million people to about 5.2 million in 2012 and has made Singapore the most densely populated country in the world with about 7300 people for each square kilometer (as compared to a country like the UK where there are around 400 people for each square kilometer, even Tokyo and Hong Kong have only 6000 people per sq km). People are literally fighting for space here. Property prices are a world high. Even having lunch here is stressful as people fight for places to sit down to eat. The train network is packed to the point that it keeps breaking down.
For a small country of roughly 700 sq kilometers this is ludicrous.
This is the country I live in.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Taxi drivers as a model of good driving habits
There have been several conversations recently regarding the bad driving habits being exhibited by drivers on Singapore roads. Although there are no easy fixes, through my observations however as a driver, I feel that one way that driving standards can be improved is by making taxi drivers the benchmark when it comes to displaying good driving habits.
Taxis, due to the nature of their large numbers on our roads, are highly visible. As of Jul 2012, there are more than 28,000 taxis operating on Singapore roads according to data from the LTA. I would venture to say that all the typical Singapore driver bad habits e.g. horn abuse, abrupt changing of lanes without signalling, speeding up in lanes when someone signals, tailgating/road hogging, sudden stopping on roadsides are all exhibited in some way or form by taxi drivers here.
If taxi drivers were to show all the best characteristics of good driving, I feel that it would rub-off on other drivers on Singapore roads.
What are some of the ways of improving taxi driver driving habits you might ask? Besides the obvious way e.g. sending taxi drivers to good driving courses or other training courses, taxi companies should take a more active part in reprimanding bad driving and incentizing taxi drivers for good driving behaviour. Have a scheme whereby other road users can give feedback ok good driving behaviour shown by taxi drivers. Have a scheme where taxi drivers will face bans when they exhibit bad driving habits.
When I have taken taxis in Singapore in the past, the drivers who I spoke to tend to be a stressed lot who complain about business being harder now as compared to the past. The stress of bad driving habits on the roads as well as that of competing with others could possibly result in bad driving habits. As the ratio of taxis to population (and land size) in Singapore is much greater than in other countries, for example Hong Kong, one way to reduce this stress is to reduce the total number of taxis on our roads which would ensure that taxi drivers would not have so much competition in looking for fares and in turn exhibit bad driving.
My hope at the end of the day is for Singapore to have a model taxi force, which consists not just of the latest and most modern taxi fleet and systems, but also where taxi drivers display good driving habits which the rest of the road users will model themselves by. This in turn might also make Singapore a less stressful and dangerous place to be for other road users.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
A collection of Chinese Foldie Knife Specs
New hobby alert!
I currently have a couple of Swiss Army Knives ("SAK"s) and Leatherman multi tools and was contemplating to get some Chinese foldies (Ganzo, Sanrenmu, Bee, Enlan, Navy etc) on the cheap on ebay for EDC ("everyday carry") - was looking for some blades that were fairly distinctive in design. Didn't want a foldie that looked like a dinner knife! Guess what I got in the end?
Blade Length (inches) Closed Length (inches) Blade Steel
===========================================
Ganzo G704 3.35 4.48 440C
Ganzo G710 3.74 4.6 440C
SRM 763 2.55 3.66 8Cr13MoV
SRM 710 2.79 3.66 8Cr13MoV
Bee L05 3.26 4.4 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EL04 3.38 4.6 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EL02 3.46 4.72 8Cr13MoV
Enlan L02 3.26 4.08 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EM01 2.795 3.5 8Cr13MoV
Navy K631 3.74 4.72 440C
Although the Ganzos and the Navys supposedly use 440C - technical name X105CrMo17 which is a fairly good steel (much better than 420C which is softer and stains easier), some forums speculate that it is actually closer to 8Cr13MoV. Incidentally - CrMo stands for chromium and molybdenum, V stands for Vanadium.
I also compared the Chinese foldies to some popular American models
Blade Length (inches) Closed Length (inches) Blade Steel
===========================================
BM Mini Griptilian 2.91 3.87 154CM
BM Griptilian 3.45 4.62 154CM
Spyderco Endura4 3.75 5 VG-10
Spyderco Delica 2.875 4.25 VG-10
In the end, I realized what I wanted was to get some American blades as well so I only got 3 Chinese foldies:
SRM 763 - original Chinese design?, Axis lock, G10 grip and supports tip-up carry with the clip (tip up carry allows you to bring the knife out in one motion and flick it open).
SRM 710 - super hyped up blade so I guess I had to try it. Got the foliage colored scales and the black blade.
Enlan EM01 - didn't want to get the big brother the EL01 so decided to get the smaller brother. G10 handle and perfect dimensions for EDC. Also supports tip-up carry.
Pics to come when the knives arrive!
I currently have a couple of Swiss Army Knives ("SAK"s) and Leatherman multi tools and was contemplating to get some Chinese foldies (Ganzo, Sanrenmu, Bee, Enlan, Navy etc) on the cheap on ebay for EDC ("everyday carry") - was looking for some blades that were fairly distinctive in design. Didn't want a foldie that looked like a dinner knife! Guess what I got in the end?
Blade Length (inches) Closed Length (inches) Blade Steel
===========================================
Ganzo G704 3.35 4.48 440C
Ganzo G710 3.74 4.6 440C
SRM 763 2.55 3.66 8Cr13MoV
SRM 710 2.79 3.66 8Cr13MoV
Bee L05 3.26 4.4 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EL04 3.38 4.6 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EL02 3.46 4.72 8Cr13MoV
Enlan L02 3.26 4.08 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EM01 2.795 3.5 8Cr13MoV
Navy K631 3.74 4.72 440C
Although the Ganzos and the Navys supposedly use 440C - technical name X105CrMo17 which is a fairly good steel (much better than 420C which is softer and stains easier), some forums speculate that it is actually closer to 8Cr13MoV. Incidentally - CrMo stands for chromium and molybdenum, V stands for Vanadium.
I also compared the Chinese foldies to some popular American models
Blade Length (inches) Closed Length (inches) Blade Steel
===========================================
BM Mini Griptilian 2.91 3.87 154CM
BM Griptilian 3.45 4.62 154CM
Spyderco Endura4 3.75 5 VG-10
Spyderco Delica 2.875 4.25 VG-10
In the end, I realized what I wanted was to get some American blades as well so I only got 3 Chinese foldies:
SRM 763 - original Chinese design?, Axis lock, G10 grip and supports tip-up carry with the clip (tip up carry allows you to bring the knife out in one motion and flick it open).
SRM 710 - super hyped up blade so I guess I had to try it. Got the foliage colored scales and the black blade.
Enlan EM01 - didn't want to get the big brother the EL01 so decided to get the smaller brother. G10 handle and perfect dimensions for EDC. Also supports tip-up carry.
Pics to come when the knives arrive!
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