With our famous kaisu mentality, Singaporeans always want the best, the brightest, the fastest, and we want them all yesterday. Even if we don’t need it!
Singapore is currently trying to update our island’s internet network to a new ultra-fast fiber optics broadband network and over the past few weeks, there has been complains about how Singaporeans has to wait for up to 6 weeks to get their ultra-fast fiber optics broadband network installed. People, you can wait for the next 2-3 years more and it still would not make a difference.
Currently, Singapore has a pretty strong network for our internet and this upgrade to fiber optics is for our future. As internet speed increases in the next few years, it is believed that fiber optics will be needed to keep up with the increased speed. What the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is doing right now is preparing for the future; the future as in 3-5 years later. The fiber optics cables are not need right now. In fact, they will not be needed for at least another 2-3 years.
So for the people complaining about a 6 weeks delay to install your fiber optics, get a grip. Considering when you will need it, a 6 weeks delay for your fiber optics is nothing.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
A Downgrade But...
Last Friday, the stock markets in Singapore took a beating due to Wall Street falling 512 points in overnight trade. During the weekend, it was more bad news as Standard & Poor's downgraded U.S. credit rating.
Cue another bloodbath on Singapore shares!
The Straits Times Index (STI) was down 4.8% on heavy volume the downgrade by S&P added more uncertainty to an already jittery outlook for the world economy. Frankly, I think it’s overdone.
The S&P downgrade was expected and is the right decision. However the downgrade doesn’t really change anything. I know I’m playing devil’s advocate here but the global economy is still depended on the U.S. Countries like China, Japan, the Middle Eastern countries; all of them still need to buy U.S Treasury bills (even with the downgrade) because their economies depend on it. They can’t stop buying T-bills even if they wanted to!
In simple terms, nothing has change due to the downgrade. The world economy is not suffering due to the downgrade and the collapse of share prices is overdone. Unless the world suffers another financial shock, like Italy needing a bailout, I don’t expect share prices to go too much lower than they are now.
Cue another bloodbath on Singapore shares!
The Straits Times Index (STI) was down 4.8% on heavy volume the downgrade by S&P added more uncertainty to an already jittery outlook for the world economy. Frankly, I think it’s overdone.
The S&P downgrade was expected and is the right decision. However the downgrade doesn’t really change anything. I know I’m playing devil’s advocate here but the global economy is still depended on the U.S. Countries like China, Japan, the Middle Eastern countries; all of them still need to buy U.S Treasury bills (even with the downgrade) because their economies depend on it. They can’t stop buying T-bills even if they wanted to!
In simple terms, nothing has change due to the downgrade. The world economy is not suffering due to the downgrade and the collapse of share prices is overdone. Unless the world suffers another financial shock, like Italy needing a bailout, I don’t expect share prices to go too much lower than they are now.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Comics this week
DC Universe Online: Legends #13- Oh…now we are going somewhere. Picking up where they left off last issue, writers Marv Wolfman and Tony Bedard are slowly but surely putting Brainiac’s plan into being. Showing how Brainiac managed to outfox both Lex Luthor and the heroes of the DCU is half the fun in this series and on that level, this series is going on nicely. I just hope the payoff is as good as the buildup.
S.H.I.E.L.D #2- This issue end the war between Isaac Newton and Leonardo Da Vinci and, more importantly, finally gave Leonid something worthwhile to do! Of course all this is overshadowed by the confusing, senseless end of the issue which even in the context of this maddening series made no sense. And that take some doing.
Secret Six #36–With this finale, writer Gail Simone closed the series with a big bang. I wasn’t surprised with the tragic end of the Six, betrayed by one of its own, and I wasn’t disappointed by it. The Secret Six will in all likelihood go down as legends in the supervillain community for what happen in this issue. Great end for the series and one more reason for me to hate the new DC revamp!
S.H.I.E.L.D #2- This issue end the war between Isaac Newton and Leonardo Da Vinci and, more importantly, finally gave Leonid something worthwhile to do! Of course all this is overshadowed by the confusing, senseless end of the issue which even in the context of this maddening series made no sense. And that take some doing.
Secret Six #36–With this finale, writer Gail Simone closed the series with a big bang. I wasn’t surprised with the tragic end of the Six, betrayed by one of its own, and I wasn’t disappointed by it. The Secret Six will in all likelihood go down as legends in the supervillain community for what happen in this issue. Great end for the series and one more reason for me to hate the new DC revamp!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Falling Off A Cliff
Asian stock markets plummeted in early trade today as stocks in Europe and America fell off a cliff. Result from Wall Street was especially bad as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4.3% (512 points) and the Nasdaq dropped over 5% in overnight trades.
What is the main reason for this severe drop? You can thank the politicians in Washington. The recent nonsensical debt ceiling debate showed the world a divided government in the U.S. and this eroded hope that the American government can pull together to help the world economy. In the wake of that debacle, traders have lost all confidence in the markets and are now selling everything.
Now there are some people who believe this is the start of a new global recession, a new "double-dip." With the Dow losing more than 1,300 points (10.5 %) in just 2 weeks, that is a scenario that seems more likely by the day.
What is the main reason for this severe drop? You can thank the politicians in Washington. The recent nonsensical debt ceiling debate showed the world a divided government in the U.S. and this eroded hope that the American government can pull together to help the world economy. In the wake of that debacle, traders have lost all confidence in the markets and are now selling everything.
Now there are some people who believe this is the start of a new global recession, a new "double-dip." With the Dow losing more than 1,300 points (10.5 %) in just 2 weeks, that is a scenario that seems more likely by the day.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
PAP Vote Spilt
The wait is over and the date has been announced. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced 17 August as Nomination Day for the Presidential Election with Polling Day set on 27 August.
With at least 4 Presidential hopefuls this time, this Presidential Election is set to be the most hotly contested in Singapore’s history. Now everyone, including me, fully expects Dr Tony Tan to win the election but there will be a question of how big of a win he will get. 3 of the 4 Presidential hopefuls are former members of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) with only Mr. Tan Jee Say being the sole opposition candidate. Yes, I know the candidates are not supposed to have any party affiliations but everyone who see Dr Tony Tan is going to think PAP.
Frankly, that’s a problem. Right now, there are 3 different PAP candidates in the election and 2 of them were in Parliament on a PAP ticket. There had been murmuring about how the PAP votes are going to be spilt between the 3 candidates and I don’t think that’s idle talk. Dr Tony Tan is still the overwhelming favourite but I’ll be very surprised if he get an overwhelming victory margin.
With at least 4 Presidential hopefuls this time, this Presidential Election is set to be the most hotly contested in Singapore’s history. Now everyone, including me, fully expects Dr Tony Tan to win the election but there will be a question of how big of a win he will get. 3 of the 4 Presidential hopefuls are former members of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) with only Mr. Tan Jee Say being the sole opposition candidate. Yes, I know the candidates are not supposed to have any party affiliations but everyone who see Dr Tony Tan is going to think PAP.
Frankly, that’s a problem. Right now, there are 3 different PAP candidates in the election and 2 of them were in Parliament on a PAP ticket. There had been murmuring about how the PAP votes are going to be spilt between the 3 candidates and I don’t think that’s idle talk. Dr Tony Tan is still the overwhelming favourite but I’ll be very surprised if he get an overwhelming victory margin.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Water Cloud
One of the reasons given by non-believers of alien is the lack of water in outer space. Critics believe that as water is the base of life, it is essential for water to exist or there is no way alien life could exist.
The non-believers need to come up with another reason because astronomers have discovered a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud in outer space that is harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined. Water in that amount could wipe out any fears we have about water shortage on Earth in the future.
Although water has been found before in outer space, this is without question the largest quantity we have ever found. So there we have it; there’s a lot of water in space. And I do mean a lot!
The non-believers need to come up with another reason because astronomers have discovered a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud in outer space that is harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined. Water in that amount could wipe out any fears we have about water shortage on Earth in the future.
Although water has been found before in outer space, this is without question the largest quantity we have ever found. So there we have it; there’s a lot of water in space. And I do mean a lot!
Monday, August 1, 2011
No Big Deal
Over the past few days, there has been some talk about how Presidential hopeful Dr. Tony Tan had used his position to help his son escape military National Service (NS). His son, Patrick Tan, stopped his NS halfway and went to Stanford for medical studies.
A lot of Singaporeans are unhappy as disruption from NS is very hard to get and disruption for overseas medical studies is almost unheard of. Now I can understand why some Singaporeans are unhappy about the situation but people; why is this a big deal?
Dr. Tony Tan is a high-ranking member of the government so his son has certain…privileges. In Singapore, we call the son a “white horse.” If any Singaporean out there says they do not know what a white horse is or if they are surprised by Patrick Tan’s disruption; you are naïve beyond hope.
Is there any Singaporeans out there who is truly, seriously surprised by this? I mean come on! There is no reason for this to be an issue now when it has been happening for decades and everyone knows it. I want to also add that Patrick Tan went for medical studies. Compare to the son of another high ranking member of the government who skipped the chain of command and sent a letter directly to a former Minister of Defense, Patrick Tan is almost saintly in comparison.
So let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. What Dr. Tony Tan did for his son is par for course in this country and anyone for say otherwise is lying to himself.
A lot of Singaporeans are unhappy as disruption from NS is very hard to get and disruption for overseas medical studies is almost unheard of. Now I can understand why some Singaporeans are unhappy about the situation but people; why is this a big deal?
Dr. Tony Tan is a high-ranking member of the government so his son has certain…privileges. In Singapore, we call the son a “white horse.” If any Singaporean out there says they do not know what a white horse is or if they are surprised by Patrick Tan’s disruption; you are naïve beyond hope.
Is there any Singaporeans out there who is truly, seriously surprised by this? I mean come on! There is no reason for this to be an issue now when it has been happening for decades and everyone knows it. I want to also add that Patrick Tan went for medical studies. Compare to the son of another high ranking member of the government who skipped the chain of command and sent a letter directly to a former Minister of Defense, Patrick Tan is almost saintly in comparison.
So let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. What Dr. Tony Tan did for his son is par for course in this country and anyone for say otherwise is lying to himself.
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