Risk is part of parcel of life

I quote from William Shedd:

A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.


In whatever we do, risks are always existent. The moment we wake up to the moment we sleep. The point is whether the risk is acceptable to you and to the situation you are currently in. Everyone's risk tolerance is different and you'll need to find the amount of risk that you and/or your family is willing to accept.

Cellular Data Bug in iOS v4.1

I've just upgraded to iOS v4.1 and unfortunately, I've found a bug in less than half an hour. Not everyone will encounter the bug though. I have a habit of turning off my Cellular Data unless I need to use data. This has been working since iOS v4. However, after tapping the Cellular Data on (non-3G) after I've upgraded to iOS v4.1, I am unable to get an Internet connection even though the iPhone indicated that I'm connected to the data network.

There are only 2 ways that I know to resolve this. One way is to enable the 3G. The Cellular Data will work even after disabling the 3G. The other way is to tap on and off the Data Roaming under Settings > General > Network. Somehow it works after that.

Hope they resolve this bug in iOS v4.2.

Apple has finally released the AppStore Guidelines

After so much hoo ha over Apple's very vague guidelines on what applications are permitted in the AppStore, they have finally released the AppStore Review Guidelines. Note that they are guidelines although they are quite comprehensive, and it is stated the guidelines are living. Translated, it can change depending on circumstances. You can refer to the Apple's link here. Do note that only Apple Developers are able to see the guidelines.

The guidelines are split into the following categories as of today:

• Functionality
• Metadata, ratings and rankings
• Location
• Push notifications
• Game Center
• iAds
• Trademarks and trade dress
• Media content
• User interface
• Purchasing and currencies
• Scraping and aggregation
• Damage to device
• Personal attacks
• Violence
• Objectionable content
• Privacy
• Pornography
• Religion, culture, and ethnicity
• Contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, and raffles
• Charities and contributions
• Legal requirements

They have also revised the agreement and they now allow third-party converters (e.g. Adobe) to create AppStore Apps, subjected to conformance to the guidelines of course. Maybe we'll see more interesting apps in the AppStore soon. Judging from the reaction by Adobe, I think it'll be quite soon that CS5 will have the functionality to convert Flash programs to AppStore Apps.

Why is Dell still pushing products out based on Android 1.5??

I find it extremely weird that Dell will release Dell Aero smartphone based on the Android v1.5. Mind you that they released Aero recently in Aug 2010, when Android v2.2 is already out.

It's widely known ( I even thought it's common knowledge) that the reason for releasing products with the latest software/firmware because it usually contains:

1. Bug fixes
2. New features
3. Security fixes

By releasing an old version of Android, aren't they endangering the users of the smartphone? What happens if someone exploited a security vulnerability based on the older version? Furthermore, based on what I heard as of now, upgrading Android OS is not that straightforward and loss of data seems to be quite normal, unlike the iPhone.

So what's the reason for releasing Aero on Android v1.5? Bloatware issue? I'm afraid only Dell can answer this question.

Why is IT failure always the IT's fault?

I don't really understand why people think that when an IT project fails, it's always the fault of the IT vendors. Based on what I've seen all these years, it always take 2 people to clap.

There are of course instances where it's the vendors' fault. Some common problems that come to mind are:

1. Poor programming practices and architecture design
2. Inability to understand the requirements
3. Inability of the vendors to translate the requirements to application functions and conveying this to the customer.

However, there are also possibilities where the customers' actions caused the project to fail. Some of the common problems are:

1. Not knowing what they want, and thinking that IT can do anything
2. Changing their minds frequently that results in frequent changes to the system design
3. No support from higher management

Building an application is no different from building any physical device. Just imagine that you're renovating your house and you requested your contractor to build a customised study table cum bed. You agree on the blueprint and materials(translated: requirements, functional and design specifications) but halfway through, you find that it is not what you expect. You request the contractor to change the specifications and for some reason, the cycle continues. Do you think such a table will turn out nicely designed, useful and sturdy? I think not. Building an application is similar.

On the vendors' side, you'll need people who are able to gather and translate requirements to an application function and on the customers' side, you'll need people who are able to understand the IT side of things and explain that systems cannot do anything and everything. Business operations and processes always drive the IT, not the other way around.

Therefore, I personally think that in a project failure, both sides need to take responsibility. Remember the 3 constraints of any project: Scope, Cost and Schedule = Quality. The 3 points, Scope, Cost and Schedule forms a triangle. Any changes to any sides of the triangle will cause the quality to change.

This will never change for any project, regardless of how important or how insignificant your project is.

Finding Yourself

I quote from Thomas Szasz, "Personal Conduct":

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates.


Don't expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter. Things are never easy.

We complain too much?

Seriously, I don't think we complained too much about the overcrowded MRT and car parks simply because there is always a reason why the "uproar" occurred in the first place.

Did many people complain about the MRT when the overcrowding first started? Not really. Overcrowded MRTs during peak hours are a fixture for a very long time. Most of us take it because it's normal. However, the problem came when someone said that the train is not overcrowded and try to push out statistics to prove it. That was the breaking point. Anyone who takes the MRT knows for the fact that it is overcrowded. By insisting there isn't such a problem means that the person does not even know what's happening on the ground! How would you feel if you face a problem day in day out and someone comes up to you and say, "What problem?"?

I do not have any personal experience in overcrowded car parks but from what I heard, it happened after the COE prices dropped to an average of $10,000. Just imagine that you have a car and you've purchased your season parking slot for the nearby car park. You're coming back home after a long day at work and upon reaching the car park, there are no parking lots available for you. Worst still, all the nearest car parks are all occupied and you know that the "friendly" auntie will not care that you couldn't find a space to park. By the way, it's not easy to get a season parking slot too in some of the estates?

Do we complain too much? Or the "service" that we're getting is not in line? I rest my case.

The true value of an invention is its usefulness to the public

I quote from Andrew Grove:

"The true value of an invention is its usefulness to the public," he said, quoting Thomas Jefferson. The system in place in the Valley today is moving further and further away from this principle, he added. "Patents themselves have become products. They're instruments of investment traded on a separate market, often by speculators motivated by the highest financial return on their investment." 

Grove called this a break from past practice. "The most important invention of our industry, the invention of the transistor, was licensed by AT&T for $25,000," he said. "This allowed the transistor industry to develop and become a flourishing manufacturing industry in the United States." Grove continued: "By the time the integrated circuit arrived, the industry largely operated by cross licensing between companies so it really didn't matter, if the (Robert) Noyce patent or (Jack) Kilby patent prevailed--the result was the two companies could go on do their work." 

Not today, in his eyes. "The patent product brings financial derivatives to mind," he said. "Derivatives have a complex relationship with an underlying asset. While there's nothing wrong with them in principle, their unfettered use has damaged the financial services industry and possibly the entire economy.

"Do these patent instruments put us on a similar road?" he asked. "I fear our patent system increasingly serves those who invest in the patent products... It may be time to use Jefferson's principle as a test and ask if we meet it."


That is one of the main reasons why I think patents are a waste of time. The true value of an invention is its usefulness to the public. All those patent troll companies that are formed just to milk the royalties out of other innovative companies are in fact restricting innovation. If you allow easy access for others to build on top of each other's technology, you'll see more interesting technologies now.

iOS v4.1 Features

There was an update to the iOS v4.1 in yesterday Apple's event. Seems like they will fix the following bugs:

1. Proximity Sensors issues on the iPhone 4
2. Bluetooth connectivity issues
3. iPhone 3G performance issues

They will also add some new features in iOS v4.1:

1. Game Center
2. iTunes TV show rentals
3. iTunes Ping (Apple's social networking)
4. HDR Photography for iPhone 4
5. HD Video Uploads to YouTube and MobileMe for iPhone 4

That's one advantage about getting the iPhone. You'll get new features free of charge every now and then. :)

iOS v4.1 is suppose to be released some time next week. No exact dates were given though. You can refer to the features of the iOS v4.1 here.

The days of printer drivers will be over?

Back in April, I actually mentioned here that the acquisition of WebOS by HP would usher in a new way of printing. I didn't realised that I was dead right.

The new platform by HP, called ePrint, allows users to print from any device to a Web-enabled printer using e-mail. Each printer gets its own unique e-mail address, and designated users can use their smartphone, tablet or laptop to print remotely--no drivers necessary.

The days of installing printer drivers will be over and I will have no problems printing anything from any device. Yes, I'm talking about the iPad and iPod too.

Anyway, HP intends to have this for the cloud and it really does make sense. How else can you print documents from the cloud? E-mail will be the easiest. I am assuming of course that the printer recognises SSL enabled emails. Standard security concerns?

Since I actually mentioned this idea (except for the cloud portion) way back in April, I wonder if they copied the idea from me? :)