A Realistic Assessment – The Descent
Aug 29th
I seldom write or update this blog. Whenever I do, it’s got to be something that I really need to get off my chest. So obviously, it’s about Arsenal this time.
I picked Arsenal as my team when i was 8 years old. I did it without watching them play. I read extensively and found the Arsenal model to be self sustaining, strategically smart and it did show a few years later where it bore fruit. At that point, Man Utd was the by far the leading team. Occasionally, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds were shoo ins. Even Aston Villa one season. I went for the underdog as usual. The Arsenal that I knew was a superb counter attacking team. It comprised of a solid back 4, fast wingers, and 2 physically combative center mids. We had no center forwards. We had a forward that dropped back in the hole to provide for a second forward that broke through the flanks. That was something I subscribed to, I am a sucker for solid foundations and I view teams from defense up. I believed that counter attacking was a really smart move. You save energy because you make the opposition run at you continually, and you take them down in quick bursts where they are vulnerable from throwing players forward.
Fast forward to today, things have gone 180. Arsenal is a victim of its success in the late 90s/early 2000s. It evolved from a simple counter attacking team to a ‘foreigner only’ team, to a stylish ’sexy’ team and to a team that doesn’t know how to win. One has to remember that the solid foundations were not built by AW. They were laid by George Graham. He built the back famous back 4. AW’s introduction to the team enabled a special balance as he kept the original back 4. This balance saw the team through its finest seasons. AW had, at that point, developed a knack of beating Fergie. Scroll through the records, Arsenal was Man Utd’s most feared opponents. We even won the league at their backyard. But AW’s obsession with attacking football is the cause of its downfall.
Downfall.
It is not money. It is Wengerball.
Wengerball is beautiful to watch but physically exhausting to carry out. In economic terms, the marginal rate of return (in goals) was poor when compared to the effort put in. In playing this exciting brand of football, AW started seeing the number of injuries in the squad rise. If you think along these lines, there’s no surprise why we always seem to have brittle players. We bought flashy players who couldn’t stand up to the harsh conditions of English football. We made them dance samba on hard bruising rocks, when they could’ve simply walked.
The problem about Wengerball was that it did not work against big teams. And, it took too much effort against smaller ones. Arsenal, still after all these AW years, have nothing close to a Plan B. He has forgotten the roots of his success beacuse the seeds were planted by Graham.
The downturn of Arsenal was not brought about by United. It was brought by Mourinho. I believe that Mourinho was the man who changed English football and will do so in Spain if given sufficient seasons. Mourinho was an archetype of the old Arsenal. Remember ‘1-0 the Arsenal’? It was ‘1-0 to Chelsea’ during the Mourinho years. It is no surprise that the game play we built our success on in the past was turned against us. Everything you saw in the Arsenal of the late 90s were found in the Chelsea of the late 2000s (strategy wise). AW did not adapt. Fergie did. United changed into a more defensive minded team focusing on a strong midfield with direct forays in attack. You could see them as a balance between an ultra defensive Chelsea to a suicidal attacking Arsenal. AW stubbonly stucked to Wengerball. Even till now.
Let’s not look at money, let’s not talk about young players. For even if we buy over the entire City team (which imo is the best team in the league currently), Wengerball will be their downfall. AW is a trained Economist, a field very familiar with me. Unfortunately, it has not yielded a solid strategist. AW was prudent in the market, a true mark of his qualifications. However, nothing in his strategic plans in the English game showed foresight and understanding.
I do not write this in reflection of the worthy trashing handed by United. I write what I have been saying for many seasons. Wengerball must go. Wenger has to return to the counter attacking team he fused when he first came.
AW should not be fired because he didn’t spend money. He should not be fired because he didn’t win trophies. He should be replaced because he failed in crafting the right strategy for the league he is working at.
AW is a fine man. You hear ex players call him a ’second father’. He is after all a second father to many at Arsenal. Unfortunately, no one really talks about his managerial abilities. Because there is none to speak of.
P.S. With the current batch of talent, Wengerball is nearly un-doable – as we’ve seen for past months. Yet he still tries to force square pegs into round holes.
Thoughts on LKY & GCT Stepping Down from Cabinet
May 14th
I realise that I have been commenting a lot on Twitter and Facebook to hardly have time to clearly write what I think exactly. I might have come across as overly anti PAP or otherwise. Something that I definitely do not stand for.
1. Removing the MM and SM post is a good move
A leader must be given a free role to lead his party and if elected, his country. While I fully respect the contributions of LKY and GCT (without which Singapore would not be what she is today), good leaders know when to call it a day and step down for another to freely lead. On multiple levels, from school to corporate and even in governments, old leaders do more harm than good staying on as ‘advisers’ in the leadership. They burden the current leader with old mindsets and old ways of doing things. The team never gets a chance for a refreshing change of direction. It hinders development and renewal. LKY mentioned many times he could not find a fourth generation leader. One must question why is a first generation leader finding the fourth? What happened to the second and third? Did they not assume full leadership? GCT and LHL are perfectly capable leaders but they were burdened by the legacy of founding father of modern Singapore. Like it or not, in the eyes of many Singaporeans they led in his shadow. For if they had not, such news of LKY and GCT stepping down from cabinet will not be met with such anxiety.
2. LKY is not the PAP
When I voted for the PAP, I voted for the Jurong GRC team, I voted for Tharman S. to continue being my MP and I voted for the PAP to lead Singapore under the helm of LHL. I felt that LHL was getting closer to understanding the ground than his father did. Read every line that LKY has mentioned before and after the election. He, in his own words, dwells on the past. His statements have gone increasingly untactful angering not only the electorate but also shakening racial ties. Singapore was led from a fishing village into its modern state city by LKY. But whatever LKY had achieved with Singapore was not solely out of his pure brilliance or hardwork. Every one here in this land put their bit to build this country up. LKY with assistance from key members like GKS (who was the mastermind behind most of Singapore’s economic development) and with the support of tireless citizens built this country. While the role of LKY must be respected and remembered, it cannot be given an overbearing amount of reverence to the point of forgetting who this country belongs to. This country belongs to the people, its citizens, you and me.
3. So what now?
Point is, this news will rock Singapore (especially the older voters) for a week. Then people will realise, nothing much has changed on the outside. GCT and LKY will remain to serve as MPs being elected in GE2011. LHL will have a freer hand. For decisions that are made in the next 5 years, LHL will bear full responsibility for them. This is something that should have happened earlier. I have faith in LHL and whether or not that faith continues depends on the way Singapore is led in the coming years.
It is a time of change and people will always look behind their shoulders, fearing the unknown that stands before them. But I say – embrace change boldly and step forward. There is no use looking behind because what is behind cannot be shouldering you all the time. It is an exciting time for Singapore, I am glad to be here and I want to be part of this. This is my country; even more so now than it is of my forefathers.
Happenings on Public Buses
Jul 5th
I was told I have quite an experience to top off my bus taking routine daily. I don’t know if I’m a jinx or jinxed but I will compile the more memorable happenings on the bus.
Bus 154
This actually inspired me to write this post. On the way back from Church I was sitting at the backseat waiting to get home when the bus stopped and a smart looking mid to late twenties guy got down the bus. He then proceeded to run towards my direction, jumped up to reach my window and smashed his arm twice into it. It was like an attempt to punch me through the window. He then walked away quietly from the bus. I don’t know if that was some stunt, or he was trying to let off some steam, or he was on some dare but the bus driver did get really pissed and got down to confront him only to find that he had walked too far off. I don’t think I offended anyone but one can only imagine if he had punched me directly, I could have sued him for a sweet amount.
Bus 199
I got onto the bus feeling grouchy that the aircon was down and it was stuffy. The smell wasn’t good either, it smelt like overdone BBQ. So I sat on the top deck ready to take a nap when the bus driver got up and tapped my shoulder to ask me to get down. He spoke in Mandarin which more or less meant I couldn’t understand and so I just got down and looked at the back of the bus. Holy ****! The bus was on fire.
Bus 240
Getting to work in the morning, I sat close to the front on this feeder like bus and was again half asleep when I woke up to realize that everyone was standing behind me and the seats in front of me (bar an old man) was completely empty. I sat up to see a gross mis act of self pleasure that the old man was indulging in which got him to be sent off the bus by a half bewildered and half angry bus driver.
Bus 197/154
These buses ply the AYE and I’ve witnessed 3-4 accidents happening right as my bus was passing by. It’s pretty usual for me to look out of the window and see vehicles go at each other leading to a bloody metal mess. At least my bus won’t be held back in the resulting jam
Bus 96
I was taking a trip back from school when a student had a bug that was at least as big as my thumb (not a cockroach, more like a huge beetle that was mud coloured and had really weird hairy legs) creep up on her from the backseat of the bus and clung tightly to her hair. It was a mess to remove and there was ample screaming to go around.
Bus 199
The bus was again full not because it was at capacity but because some Caucasian chap did not move it and everyone else did not bother. Another Caucasian was trapped outside the bus and badly needed to board it (or so it seemed to be). So he shouted into the bus, ‘Can you guys ****ing move in? Stop being such ****ing *******s.’ He got on finally when the former Caucasian moved in and then realized that he knew him and casually went ‘Ey mate, I didn’t know you were one of them.’ Hold your tongue before you swear.
Bus 240
I’m sure many have seen this before but I got onto witness a long distance conversation spanning between a guy at the backseat and another near the front. It was so bad that everyone was staring them down but they never bothered to tone down or just use the damned phone to call each other. I’m sure the entire bus knew what they were talking about except me cause the conversation was held in Mandarin.
Who said a bus trip had to be boring?
Brazil. So nearly perfect.
Jul 3rd
I will start off this post by saying that I am one of the converts who prefer solid, consistent and organized football as compared to flashy and near sucidal styles. I think what makes a great football team is one that can tighten its midfield and turn the game with quick forays to the final third. It is a little bit like the Arsenal of 1997-2002. Strong defense, tight midfield, quick wingers, fast strikers. It gives the team a hell lot of confidence.
So naturally in this World Cup, I picked Brazil. A different Brazil from the past. One that did not rely on ’samba’ football but was more European like and very organized. Brazil did well in every game until Netherlands. This will not be a long post but after watching the game, I’d like to post a few points.
1. Incapable Backups
Brazil’s first team would beat any team in the world. But not when Elano and Ramires were out. The second strings did not live up and Melo was not even close to becoming Gilberto Silva’s partner in the key part of its formation. Melo self destructed under pressure (most Juve fans would not be surprised).
2. No Plan B
I was surprised at the quality of the substitutes or tatics used when Brazil was down 2-1. You would have thought they would replaced one of the DMs (probably Melo) to bring an extra attacking midfielder. But a one for one change of Nilmar (what? no Pato?) for Fabiano meant that Netherlands did not need to really sit tight at the back with 10 men. Brazil had awesome first touch but while that brought them past 1 or 2 defenders, they did not have sufficient firepower upfront. More or less the team remained more or less the same even when 2-1 down. More urgency yes, but ineffective tactics.
3. Too defensive
Arsenal fans know this best. Sitting on a 1-0 lead and losing in the end. Brazil simply did not press or close down the Dutch fast enough after a 1-0 lead. I’m surprised because that was what they did effectively to Ivory Coast, Portugal and Chile. Instead they kept sitting back. Their team is more than capable to play a continual pressing game to shake the confidence of the Dutch attackers who grew in confidence as they were allowed to continually raid the flanks. It changed after Brazil fell 2-1 down but that could have been easily adverted.
So what’s left? What’s next? Spain is probably hot favourites now but Chile has shown how frail they can be. Press them and deny them space and their defense will crack. Argentina has a multitude of talents but are not well drilled defensively. The Germans look well balanced but inexperience can cost them at this knockout level. Netherlands may have beaten Brazil but what they showed in that game was more of continual pressure and hoping the other team cracks. Their forwards, chiefly Van Persie have been playing poorly (Netherlands had a good chance to turn this game 3-1 or 4-1 but they sat on the ball even when 1 on 1) and they rely a lot on Robben and Sneidjer. When denied space on the flanks, they are in serious trouble.
Quite frankly I believe the World Cup is heading to Europe but there are no clear favourites now. This actually it a good cup to watch actually.
Argentina vs Germany would be a cracker to watch. Go Germans!
Podcasts! (Why I stopped listening to music)
Jul 3rd
I have a 1st Generation 8GB iPod Touch that I got free in 2006/7 with a SingNet plan. It has been working fine till now and continues to do so. 8GB used to be huge especially coming from a 128MB Creative MP3 player and then a 2GB iPod Nano. But with a 10+GB music collection not counting videos and movies, its definitely too small for anything.
However, instead of splashing more cash to Apple, I discovered podcasts. Podcasts are perfect for everyday commutes and after being around for 5 years or so, the quality and content is exceptional. Basically I listen to about 5-6 different podcasts over the week. Some last about 20mins some take 2 hours. Whichever the case, it fits perfectly to my listening needs whether I’m on the train or at work, etc. Better still, you take in a lot of info and keep yourself current without needing to put man hours at it.
So less talk and more lists. Nearly all of my podcasts are IT related so just a heads up.
Buzz Out Loud (30mins)
A round up of IT and science news of the day by CNet. Hosted by a very commendable team that keeps things enjoyable and alive.
Tech News Today (30mins)
Similar to above but it done under the TWIT network. Tom Merrit anchors it and delivers a great show daily with some of his companions.
This Week in Tech (2hrs)
A weekly show hosted by the very talented Leo Larporte. A must listen to if you are interested in the tech world. His panel showcases some of the finest minds in the tech and journalism industry. Also part of the TWIT network.
Maximum PC No BS Podcast (1hr)
I started listening to this after first downloading the PC Gamer Podcast. A good focus on PC based news (the above podcasts mainly mention about consumer electronics instead of PC hardware). Gordan’s Rant of the Week is funny but can be crude at times. A definite highlight. Part of the Future Publishing network.
This is Only a Test (1hr)
Will Smith and Norman Chan were people I listened to at PC Gamer / Maximum PC’s podcasts. They moved to Whiskey Media to start a more general technological test based site with really interesting tips that end users and minor geeks would be interested in. Not a very high quality show as I can’t really grasp the style and they are new but definitely worth to listen weekly. Check out their site. It’s very well made and frequently updated. Great content.
Security Now! (1.5hrs)
A weekly show also from the TWIT network brings security guru Steve Gibson who tackles security issues in a very simplistic manner. Great for those who need a non tech speak update of security news and what they can do to bolster their networks, etc. Again, anything from the TWIT network is naturally top notch in terms of production. However, this podcast can be a little dry at times so watch for it.
PC Gamer Podcast US (1.5hrs)
The first every podcast I listened to and am still listening to after 3-4 years. Well produced and hosted and covers everything I need to know about PC Gaming. They also interview developers and designers and if you’re a gamer, this is the podcast to listen to.
Freaknomics Radio (20mins)
An uncanny look at life and routines from an economist’s standpoint. Very interesting but sadly not very frequently updated.
How Stuff Works (30mins)
I would say the podcasters sound kind of lazy and not very professional in this podcast. But the content covered is great. A good general knowledge show to listen to.
Well, that’s all! I get my podcasts from iTunes but you can really get it from anywhere. Just google for it.
Putting Apple In Perspective
Jun 25th
One would be living under a technological rock if the rise of a certain tech firm from Cuppertino is not noticed. In the recent years led by their hugely popular music players, Apple has been rapidly gaining market share in the consumer electronics market especially when it rolled out its iPhone based on the same operating system as the iPod Touch. It is always nice to have an underdog rise up to challenge a technological mammoth but many do not understand that this is not an Apple vs. Microsoft fight. It is far from it.
The iPods, iPhones and iPads are not in competition with 95% of what Redmond delivers. The iPods competed against brands like Creative, iRiver, SanDisk and the likes. The iPhones against Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung amongst others and the iPads against virtually no competition unless you count the much maligned JooJoo as one. But you could say that ‘hey there are Microsoft products in these arenas too!’. Definitely, but let’s put this into perspective. Microsoft has always been a small player in the above markets. Microsoft’s music player which is in its infant stages and has only 2 revisions – the Zune and the Zune HD still falls behind the market share of other brands including Apple and they are not making any push for it. For mobile phones, the Windows CE or Windows Mobile OS has always been a laughing stock falling behind Nokia’s aged Symbian OS and RIM’s popular Blackberry devices. This was before the iPod Touch was even conceived. Tablets? There has never been a good one before the iPad. The point I’m making here is that Apple is stomping on new ground but has not directly challenged Microsoft.
I am not defending Microsoft. Personally, they are a company that is struggling under the helm of Steve Balmer who seemingly has no vision or direction for the company. But that’s for another story. I’m just pointing out that the chatter on the street is for from informed or accurate to say the least.
Before I continue, it is important to differentiate the market and not mix up everything that has buttons and a screen under a category called ‘computers’. Mobile phones, music players and tablet computers are NOT pure computing devices. Computing devices as I see it are highly functional and versatile devices that can be use in a multitude of ways in both content creation and high end content consumption. These machines, recently termed ‘dinosaurs’ by Steven Jobs are capable of doing hundreds times more in terms of magnitude than the iPhone OS or Android can ever imagine. In this market you have the PCs vs. the Macs.
Then we move on to consumer devices, simple and easy to use gadgets for the mainstream crowd. These are very restricted in functionality but are aimed at simplicity. These are devices for the non tech savvy who just want to get day to day tasks done like checking their emails or surfing the net. These devices can never dream of playing high end games or create rich multimedia content, run Photoshop, etc but they are sufficient for a non tech savvy consumer as a side device, not the main tool. This is where Apple is huge and its competitors are as those mentioned in paragraph 2.
Computing
This is the arena I’m most familiar with and sadly Cuppertino stands not much of a chance against Redmond. Apple has stopped focusing on OS X of which its market share dipped after the launch of Windows 7. It has also stopped its ‘I’m a Mac’ commercials as this is a market it cannot perform well at. Fundamentally, the Mac OS is a well developed platform that suffered from inadequate developer exposure at its early stage which saw 90% of the applications in the market favouring the Windows OS. No prizes for guessing who the giant here is.
Consumer Electronics
The fight here is Apple vs Google for time to come. Microsoft may be launching its Windows 7 Phone Series but I have no expectations of it being able to carve a portion of a market for itself which is heavily dominated by Apple and Google. After all, Windows Mobile 6.5 and before have been so poor even Steve Balmer admitted Microsoft screwed that up. Apple is in the clear lead in this area but how the future develops is still very much unknown. While Mac fans may call it a rise of the half bitten fruit, I think differently.
On the Closed Platform
The iPhone OS, a closed platform completely controlled by Apple for the main reason of ensuring top notch consumer experience currently works. Under its closed OS the chance of installing malware is low but loopholes in these devices are not small in number. Mobile Safari has been hacked into very easily and it remains the main backdoor into the iPhone devices. Adding to that data encryption is not currently available and that 4 digit password lock can be easily broken if you do a simple search online. It is just a matter of time when attacks would occur if the iPhone OS reach a significant enough international user base. My take on the above is simple. Apple will remain a giant in the mobile market for the next 3-5 years. However, if it fails to innovate on its iPhone OS which currently is already lagging behind Android in terms of functionality, its time in the limelight would be short lived. Google and Andriod lack the charming touch that allures consumers the way Steve Jobs is able to deliver its products. If and when Google manages to push out a polished user interface on its Android it would technically be a much superior platform than the iPhone OS in all aspects. The features that Apple has showcased for its OS4 are dated technologies that not just Android but Blackberry and the like already have it for years.
Apple is in a unique position where it is a closed system but has the majority of applications in the mobile space under them. This is a lesson they learnt from Microsoft and that is to woo as many developers as possible and dangle carrots in terms of app profits before them. Going forward, the gap between apps on the iPhone and apps on the Android has been and will continue to diminish. Developers find the Android an easier and more powerful platform to develop for which also gives them more freedom. On the other hand, Apple offers a much larger market audience.
So we basically have 2 things in mind here. Market audience of which Google is quickly catching up with and OS technology which Google has been ahead for quite a while and Apple seems to be sitting on.
One would hope that Jobs will not sit on his lead and suffer the same consequences as he did in the computing market. To the uninitiated, Apple produced the first PCs (yes before IBM and Microsoft) back in the day but failed to extend its lead due to its business model which can arguably be said to be similar in its current strategies for its mobile division.
An Economic Standpoint
An economist will always tell you that open and free is better and this argument will obviously side with Android and Google. While Apple has shown that some hand holding and wall gardening is also needed, what most economic arguments end with is – a balanced approach. Apple must find a way to hold the hands of its less tech savvy consumers while leaving itself open enough to continually attract innovation and better iterations of its iPhone OS that would lead to better applications. On the other hand, Google with its huge lead in OS technology needs to find ways to woo the mainstream crowd that prefer form over function. The first company to find that balanced approach will become a mobile giant for years to come. We watch in glee as this unfolds.
One (Three) Last Thing(s)
Those, including Steve, who believe that PCs are in trouble must remember 3 things:
- The corporate sector. No one is using iPads to do day to day work and the PC market is largely driven by the corporate sector.
- The future. Kids right up to the young adults are incredibly tech savvy and are very efficient at handling computers. Jobs might want to think twice before concluding that everyone will continue, in the time to come, to prefer hand holding.
- We would also demand a lot more from our apps in future. Simple apps that run on low powered devices like the iPhone iPod etc will no longer suffice. Steve is looking at a market that will mature very quickly and will demand more intensive applications to satisfy consumer’s never ending desire for higher quality content.
Back From the Dead!
Jun 23rd
Man it has been a long time since I blogged. What can I say? School was much tougher in Sem 2 and I had many side running projects as well. Semester 2 went ok in terms of results. Economics is just Mathematics seriously. Micro was like E Maths and Macro, A Maths. And to top it all off, Econometrics is simply Statistics. So that’s Economics in NUS for you.
I’m not going to write long posts as I had before. Actually the thought of writing long posts has put me off blogging for a bit because I simply have no time to do so. Expect the following to be covered in the next few weeks:
- World Cup, World Cup and more World Cup
- IT stuff. I’m probably getting the iPhone 4 and nVidia and ATI should be releasing new GPUs in the coming months.
- How podcasts have taken over my music.
- Twitter, Facebook and the privacy debacle
Well, a short update. I’m working now and will be working till mid July or so after which I seriously need a break and have to prepare for the next semester.
Till the next update, adiós.
First 2010 Post… In March
Mar 2nd
Busy busy year. Had no time to update and frankly been squeezed out in every way possible way. It has been an extremely quick moving year and I’ll attempt to round up every less sensitive information around me, right here.
Studies – Semester 2’s Summary
Back to school and 4 economics modules
I’m taking 5 modules as usual, 4 economic centric modules (3 core + 1 elective) and 1 elective module to cover my final faculty exposure requirement. Basically, the modules I’m taking are:
- EC2101 – Microeconomics 1 [1 Bid Point: Preallocated]
- EC2102 – Macroeconomics 2 [1 Bid Point: Preallocated]
- EC2303 – Foundations for Econometrics [1 Bid Point]
- GEK1018 – Economic Issues in the Developing World [300+ Bid Points]
- EL1101E – The Nature of Language [1 Bid Point]
It’s hard to compare the workload of this sem to the last. Last sem I was highly preoccupied with covering content for GE1101E and SN1101E which yielded very positive results for me. This sem, none of my modules are content heavy but rather concept and practice heavy. If no one has told any ‘A’ level / poly kid who want to be an economics major – Economics in NUS is a whole bunch of Mathematics. I have never manipulated more formulas and graphs as I have done right now. It’s frankly not that hard, comes across as a little shocking in the first few weeks but it gets much better in the end. EC2101 is really basic, EC2102 is made to sound ‘cheem’ but its doable, EC2303 is ‘A’ Level stats which I did not do in my ‘A’ Levels but that’s where I’m catching up now. GEK1018 is a god sent module if you are updated on current economic issues and have studied a particular region in the world marked as developing. That’s where I have reaped the benefits of SN1101E. Very good complimentary module. EL1101E has nothing to do with English but linguistics on its own. It studies the structure both in letter and voice of any language, pretty interesting but can be technical at times.
So here I am facing my mid term exams and I will be doing 3 of them (EC2101, EC2102, EL1101E) in these 2 weeks. Hopefully I can do well in all of them. I’ve cleared some projects, etc so I’m looking to clear this to get some breathing space.
My modules are basically afternoon modules so I have avoided the 8am fiasco of last sem’s mathematics slots. I still do have an 8am slot but the rest of the days allow me to have some late mornings. Sleep. Damn bloody deprived.
IT – Screens and More Screens + Thoughts on Fermi
Add the Samsung T260HD to Dell's Ultrasharp 19" and a future Fermi card...
Have a pretty much dived into the display area early this year and trust me it is the greatest factor in increasing productivity when using the comp.
First up, I got a Samsung T260HD for a really low price which offered a 1920 x 1200 resolution, a big upgrade over my Samsung 2232GW (1680 x 1050). 2 documents side by side is great. I don’t game much and frankly although people swear they have a greater gaming experience with a bigger screen, I don’t feel much of a change but yet again I have no time to fully immerse myself in it. Productivity and work wise. Awesome.
Second, I took my 6 year old Dell UltraSharp 19″ monitor and rotated it to portrait orientation (1024 x 1280). Put it to the left of my T260HD and voila, even better productivity. I’m getting news feeds, updates, social networking on that screen together with running Outlook there while doing my main work on the T260HD. Again no gaming gains because I’m not running a dual screen gaming setup, but productivity wise… awesome. (And free!)
Fermi is finally going to be released in end March 2010. About time too. It has been an insane wait for nVidia’s challenge to ATI’s 5xxx series. My graphics card is a good ol’ 8800GT (3-4 years old now) which holds up really well even now running 2 monitors. The G92 infrastructure is nothing short of impressive but nVidia’s GT200 series have not been able to better innovate on it. You get increased clocks, more cuda cores, better memory (and more) but not a quantum leap. I’m hoping Fermi does different. I skipped the entire GT200 lineup due to that. Save up the cash for a better product. ATI’s 5870 is tempting but I’m waiting on Fermi to deliver a good challenge to ATI and I’m looking to see how their product performs with the premise of better drivers, PhyX and Cuda support. Hope my 8800GT hangs on for a wee bit more. Most of my tech friends have warned me that 8800GTs are dying at the moment as it has been around for a bit too long in a tech cycle.
Football – Trauma and Topsy Turvy-ness
Get Well Soon Ramsey
This season must be the most exciting season for neutrals. There is no runaway leader at this point. Arsenal as much as they have been patchy this season – can still challenge for the title at this stage because Chelsea and Man Utd have not been consistent on their end. More upsets, more underdog wins mean only 3 points separate the top 3. The race for 4th place is also interesting with Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham close in that department. Interesting topsy turvy season. Anything can happen.
On a sadder note, Aaron Ramsey suffered what is the worst injury of the EPL this season so far with a broken leg. It looks like a clean break of 2 bones at the calf area and many football fans feel for him. He’s only 19 and its hard to say what the long term effects are. Arsenal fans took to him because of his talent and more importantly his feverish work ethic and how he was perfectly balanced in both offense and defense. The good thing is he seems to be keeping well and the support of both the team and the fans have encouraged him to quickly recover and be back on the pitch. You can follow him on Twitter – @aaronramsey1. I’ve verified with trusted UK sources and yes, that is his account for sure. I won’t label Shawcross as a villain but come on, don’t go down 2 footed with a high sliding tackle and say – ‘I never meant that’. Learn to control your legs a bit maybe? Recklessness. Gah.
CNY – Taking too much time
Tiger Year - Where has the time gone?
This year marks the longest preparation and celebration of Chinese New Year for my family. The spring cleaning of the entire house took nearly a month. We cleaned out like nuts and scrubbed nearly every surface available. Then came the celebrations, we had like extra visits to our place and that means (pre cleaning, preparation, hosting, post cleaning). Trust me its tiring as hell and although it is great to meet relatives and old friends, it was draining on my end and it affected my time for other priorities a lot.
NUS’s pretty deviously placed the term break on the CNY holiday week. Really a lot of time lost which again explains why the early 2 months of this year have come and gone so quickly.
Endnote
Some site building..
I will be updating more frequently but before I go, here’s a shout out to 2 small sites I’ve done for corporate customers. Have a look and send me some feedback. Frances Beauty Clinic & Will Events.
Till then, take care.
2009 – The Year In Review
Dec 30th
This blog is over a year old already and it is still alive which makes this a new blogging milestone for me. I remember hitting up a post like this before 2008 ended and here is 2009’s edition. Time really flies.
2009 was a largely satisfying year with few hiccups
What Went Right
- Studies: I’m very happy with my performance in Sem 1 in NUS, a 4.4 CAP on first try is an encouraging point to start off with. Hoping to push on further. Getting into good groups for all my team based assignments.
- Geekish: Core i7 Desktop and an incoming Core i7 laptop. Having all my systems run efficiently with no hiccups.
- Soccer: Arsenal is probably doing the best they have done so far in comparison to the last 4 years. Verminator was simply a revelation at the back. More than replaced Toure. Song is maturing into a sold DM that we lacked since Flamini left.
- Health: My sinus operation in 2008 made things better. I seldom had flu or cough this year.
- Family: Improved ties
What Went Wrong
- Studies: Taking Maths as a breadth. Mathematics is not difficult but I was not consistent in the first half of the semester causing me to plunge nearly 80% of my time into Maths during the second half to make up. If you want to take Maths in NUS, you have to bear up with double number of lectures, quadruple the workload and quintimple tests and exams. CAP would have been higher without it.
- Geekish: Loss and theft of my laptops.
- Soccer: Adebayor not being shot in the leg yet. RVP’s injury.
- Health: Lack of Sleep. Slight ringing in my ears when I am sleep deprived. I am eating way too much. Need to cut down.
Aims for 2010
- Studies: Pushing my CAP to 4.6 with better time management now that I learnt from my mistakes in Sem 1.
- Geekish: No more losses and thefts please. Better physical security measures. ATI 5870 or GT300 when Fermi actually lanches.
- Soccer: Either the EPL, CL or FA Cup would be a nice bonus. No more injuries please.
- Health: More sleep! (yea right) Better diet (has to be right)
- Family: Stronger ties
Here’s wishing everyone Happy 2010 and may the year ahead be a generally smooth sailing one (gotta be realistic).
Some Desktop & Cloud Tinkering
Dec 23rd
I have been posting a couple of apps on Twitter/Facebook in regards to Cloud services and desktop management. It’s amazing how such little apps can really spruce up your window/desktop/files/synchronization needs. I’ve added more here, so have a look.
Outlook Syncing without Exchange
Outlook Synchronization Without Exchange Server
Syncing outlook data files and folders is a pain without exchange or Google Apps but it is doable. My method may not work for everyone but here’s how it goes for me. I manage 5 email accounts (personal/business/school/work/etc) on my outlook account and am using shared calendars.
Emails – I receive all emails via POP usually and what I do to ensure I have the same mails on both my laptop and my desktop is to get my laptop to never delete mails from the server and set a 3 day gap for deletion on my desktop. It’s a workaround that has been really smooth so far. Point is, you have to ensure both computers get the mails within 3 days of each other.
Sent Emails – I use the free version of Easy2Sync for Outlook to ensure both laptop and desktop Sent Mails folder is in sync. Very important if you are tracking emails.
Calendars – I mentioned Google Calendar Sync before and both my computers sync from Google. All changes, new/deleted entries are drawn from Google and updated to both computers. Syncing to Google has its benefits. You can share your Outlook calendar (synced to Google) to other users since they can add it via Tools > Account Options > Internet Calendar. Just give them the private URL of your Google calendar (Ical)
Contacts – I use the free version of OsaSync which is a little troublesome to setup but does the job perfectly. I used to try Soocial but their Outlook plugin is pretty unstable.
Mirror'it easily
Files Synchronization
Documents – I use Allway Sync to ensure both computers have the exact same documents folder
iTunes – Allway Sync again. 2 folders are kept in sync. The Music folder under your user folder and the folder where all music is stored. The good part is both iTunes are perfectly identical and you can sync your iPod on either without have issues.
Backup - Allway Sync dominates. I sync to both an additional hard drive and my NAS.
Dropbox - Simple and easy like stickmen
File Sharing
DropBox. Perfect solution. I covered this in my last post. Downside is uploading speeds in Singapore is crap but there’s no work around to this, unless you launch your own satellite, plug in your own transmitter and…
Deskspace in action
Desktop Enhancement
Multi Desktop Management – There are tons of freeware to manage multiple desktops. I ain’t using any of them and went with Deskspace instead. Beautiful and works great. You can customize just about everything possible (default launch locations for programs, different desktops and different widgets for each desktop, etc etc)
An Alt+Tab Replacement – One thing I envied about OS X is their style of switching windows. Aero Flip and the improved Alt+Tab thingy in Windows 7 couldn’t cut close to that. But thanks to Switcher you can do exactly what the Mac Fanatics are preaching… on Windows Vista/7. Oh the blasphemy.
Folder Customization – Rainbow Folders allows you to colour folders in Windows easily so you can mark folders out.
That’s all for now!
