Why not attach a GPS to the debris?

It is with great sadness that till now, MHA370 is still not found and every passing day, it seems like we're getting further away from finding the reason why the plane ended up in the South Indian Ocean.

Currently there are both planes and ships scouring the area for the debris. It makes sense because planes travel faster than the ships and so the planes supposedly is able to narrow down the search area. However, what I did not understand is why did they not try to mark the debris with some form of GPS so that the debris can be tracked.

For example, isn't it possible to load some sort of raft into the airplanes and deploy those rafts whenever the debris is found, attaching some kind of GPS to it so that the ships can track the signals? The currents are forever moving the debris away from the location and all the satellite images can tell you is the previous known location. Why can't the planes mark the debris so that the ships can follow the trails? They have done it to wildlife to track them, why not to the debris?

Walking on the right road

I quote from C. S. Lewis:

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

Sometimes stopping what you're doing and restarting on a totally different path means you're progressing more than others. Do not lose faith.

Obamacare did not take into account integration complexity

The more I read about Obamacare in the news, the more I think that the intention is good, but it did not take into account the extreme complexity of such implementation.

From what I understand, state exchanges in Obamacare means that the state allows different approaches in handling healthcare and other welfare systems. However, I do not think that they have taken into account how the main exchange is going to take into account all this information.

If there is integration, there must be a common denominator among all the different healthcare plans. If there is no commonality between all the different plans, then what's the use of integrating them together? Therefore, it's not possible to have a total different approach in handling the healthcare plans.

Any plans in the exchange needs to have that same base. If not, the integration cannot happen. That's a fact. I believe the base plan which was defined caused some of the implementation issues because many healthcare plans provided by the companies did not meet the declared minimum requirements. I believe that is why some people are not able to keep their plans.

The intention is good but it is difficult to get this intention across if the people are not earning enough to afford such coverage. That is why some choose to have lesser coverage because it is better than no coverage.

Integration is never easy...

Inflation is up 0.4%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2014:
January: 1.4%
February: 0.4%

Healthcare is once again leading the pack rising by 4% followed by Education & Stationery, rising by 2.9% respectively year on year. Transport inflation again went down similar to last month but the effects are more pronounced due to the high base last month. Housing inflation was also more tamed compared to last year.

As mentioned previously, food inflation will be persist higher for some months but inflation will be lower due to the high base, which will persist for a few months, especially if the housing and transport inflation continues its current trends.




It will not last for long though.

What is wrong with Newstand?

Similar to most of the iPhone users, I have always wondered why we cannot exit Newstand in the iPhone like how we exit folders. Just tap somewhere outside and it should bring us out, back to the main screen.

One particular day, I finally understood why Apple is not able to make Newstand behave like the folder in the iPhone. The reason is because Newstand is an app... It's not a folder. The only way to exit an app is to press the home button. That is also the reason why now Newstand can be dragged into a folder.

Now, if Apple redesign Newstand such that it does not act like a folder, and that it doesn't replace the main screen similar to the AppStore so you can close it, no one will criticize it any longer.
 

Own your career

I quote from Earl Nightingale:

The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career! 

Looking for job? Or looking for ...

Recently I've been wondering that for most of us, are we really in the market to look for a job, or are we in the market to look for a career in a line that we feel that we excel in?

Most of the time, I believe most of us are looking for a career. If a certain job is not being filled up, I think the employers must start to reflect if the job scope really provides a career path to whoever who applies for it.

A career in a certain job scope will mean that there is progression and the job applicant will learn new things. It's often the learning and skills progression that keep an employee interested in their job.

Actually, there is a simple rule of thumb. Just imagine you're someone with that skill set and will you apply for that job if you're that person.

If the boss will not even apply for the job, why do you think others will?

Security Breach is not a form of advertisement

Recently read an article that could even suggest that security breach is a form of advertisement for the company.

Some have looked at the number of people visiting a website that had a security breach and found that more people visited the website after the news. Ask anyone and they will tell you that they rather not have any news than to have negative news spread about the company.

Yes, you may have more visits to the website but that doesn't mean that the visitors are interested in the company, or even buying any products or services. In fact, it is highly possible that they are checking out where this company is and to avoid it where possible.

Even suggesting that a security breach is a form of advertisement for the company is ridiculous. Will you buy from a company that loses your data, which may result in payment for goods/services that you never bought?

Take Responsibility for yourself

I quote from Edward Zwick:

I look at modern life and I see people not taking responsibility for their lives. The temptation to blame, to find external causes to one's own issues is something that is particularly modern. I know that personally I find that sense of responsibility interesting. 

Seems like many here are falling into this habit of blaming others instead of looking at themselves for the answers. Sometimes it seems very easy but very often, the issue may lie with yourself. Blaming others is easy. Take responsibility for yourself.

Show Russia that the world will act against aggression

I feel that the world is moving too slowly against Russia and that there is a need to send a strong message to them that you should not use an excuse that your people are "endangered" in order to send troops in to other countries. The world should bear in mind that this is one of the reasons Nazis used to attack in World War 2.

In fact, I'm surprised that the paralympics still continued in Russia. The acts of Russia goes against the grain of the meaning of Olympics and the world should boycott the whole event to show that they mean business.

In addition, WTO should also act against Russia and all the assets overseas for all the Russian parliament who voted for the intrusion should be frozen. Let's show Russia how the world can act against such aggression.

There's no place in this world for this kind of third world thinking.

Leadership role is different in other organisations

Recently, it was remarked that NSFs learn leadership during their stint in national service. I do not deny that leadership capabilities are required if you're placed in command of some people. However, do not think just because you have such experience and therefore you're well suited for leadership.

The problem is that different organisations require different types of leadership and sad to say, the top down kind of leadership that works well in the army does not work well in other organisations.

New style of leadership requires leaders to collaborate with their team members and able to do and understand the operational work that is being done. Many organisations are now based on an almost flat hierarchy where the layers of bureaucracy has been cut to the minimal.

Yes, being a leader in schools and national service helps, but do not think it's the end of the story. The role of leaders is changing, and you'll have to be aware of those changes.

Time is eternity for those who ...

I quote from Henry Van Dyke:

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. 

Are scores useful?

I was reading an article where the Senior Vice-President of People Operations for Google, the guy in charge of hiring in Google, has remarked that Google had determined that "GPAs (grade point averages) are worthless as a criteria for hiring and test scores are worthless ... We found that they don't predict anything".

It should not be a surprise that test scores do not predict anything. Test only proves that the person taking the test is able to answer the questions, but it does not prove how the person can react to situations, often unexpected and how to relate problems in similar situations so a solution can be reached quickly, in my opinion.

I also never did like tests because the tests here do not tell you what is the correct answer. In fact, you can finish your exams and tests and yet you do not know if your answers are correct or wrong. You can live with those answers all your life until someone, maybe from your working life, finally tells you what is the correct answer.

That is why I never like tests.

Earth Hour: 29 March 2014, 8.30pm

Earth Hour 2014 will take place at 8.30pm on Saturday, March 29, when Singaporeans are encouraged to switch off their lights for an hour.

For one hour, the community, businesses, celebrities and government agencies will be encouraged to switch off lights for Earth Hour and show that Singapore is committed to the planet with the rest of the world. This year, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Jamie Foxx will be coming to Singapore to celebrate this year's global flagship event for Earth Hour. The stars will be helping to switch off the lights across Singapore's Marina Bay skyline at 8.30PM, at The Float@Marina Bay

You do not need to wait for Earth Hour in order to do your part. Reducing energy wastage is good for the environment and your wallet. For more tips on how to conserve energy, you can refer to their website here. Start now.