Snippets of Dre

The History of the Internet in a Nutshell

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:24:16 +0800

A very nice walk down memory lane. Click on the link to read the article.

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"I do not wish to fight any mobile device makers who want to create a software ecosystem and act as..."

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:32:46 +0800

“I do not wish to fight any mobile device makers who want to create a software ecosystem and act as the gatekeepers for that ecosystem. What I do want to fight for is the viability of the mobile web. Developers are rushing to create native apps, meanwhile letting their mobile web apps atrophy (I have certainly been guilty of that myself). Web technology is still relatively weak, and improving slowly. At this pace, what will the mobile web look like in 10 years? Will we wake up and find that the next generation of great software companies have incredibly powerful native apps, but mobile websites that are little more than “About” pages? In short, the mobile web needs better tools, better standards, and better browsers, and it needs them fast, before the only technologies that matter are the ones controlled by the gatekeepers.”

- On Middle Men by Joe Hewitt

Google Wave: In Theory vs. In Reality (via furk) I actually...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:05:01 +0800

Google Wave: In Theory vs. In Reality (via furk)

I actually never bothered to ask for a Google Wave invite. I thought it had enormous potential when I first saw the announcement, but after reading the early reviews, I figured it was ahead of its time. Google threw Wave out there for us to figure out the best way to use it. I don’t think we have discovered it yet.

Thoughts on Palm vs. the Smartphones Big Boys

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:35:21 +0800

While Android is getting a lot of attention because it has attracted so many phone makers, those companies, Mr. Rubinstein [CEO of Palm], argues “have to depend on the kindness of strangers” — meaning Google — for their software.

“The companies that will deliver the best products are the ones that integrate the whole experience — the hardware, the software and the services — and aren’t getting one piece from here and one piece from there and trying to bolt it all together,” he said.

via nytimes.com

I really do root for Palm to succeed and I do believe their model of providing both the hardware and software is superior. They are in this camp together with Apple and RIM against the likes of Microsoft Windows Phone and Google Android. Why do I think Palm’s model is better?

Google Android may have the biggest buzz right now, but I think in a few short years we will see the OS forking into many versions as handset makers and telco operators make customizations to fit their own needs. Developing for Android will be a nightmare and users will be just as frustrated when they find out their apps stop working when they switch to a different Android phone. I think what we will see with Android is how Linux is right now, where each distro is just different enough to confuse a non-geek and discourage him to use it.

Google themselves are vague about the strategy between Android and Chrome OS. Listening to CEO Eric Schmidt’s interview at CNET Conversations, I get the feeling that Google prefers to throw both Android and Chrome OS into the market to see what develops before making a decision on which OS to put their weight on. While this strategy works fine for a company with Google’s resources, it doesn’t mean well for the end users.

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What is the answer to Jakarta Traffic Chaos?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:39:43 +0800

An MRT for Jakarta is completely irrational,” Penalosa said. “The land acquisition and the huge investment needed are enough to provide for more buses and the ability to transport more people through many more routes.

via thejakartaglobe.com

The quote above is from Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Columbia, who was interviewed by The Jakarta Globe while visiting Jakarta recently. I wish The Jakarta Globe would get deeper on the articles. It’s not clear to me how subway requires more land acquisition if it’s underground. Living in Singapore, it’s obvious that MRT/LRT can transport more people faster compared to busways. Additionally, you can’t create many busway lanes in Jakarta because the existing (narrow) streets are not built for it. Even if the money for MRT/LRT is converted for more buses, putting more buses on the busway lanes won’t necessarily make waiting time shorter for passengers. If the number is too many, the buses will just wait on each other (the buses can’t pass one another in the busway lane).

Penalosa also said that “the upper-classes will start using public transportation when it moves faster than cars.” Well in Jakarta, a lot of the upper-classes don’t live in areas where a busway stop is within walking distance. A lot of them would need to take other means of public transportation — inconvenient, cramped, dirty ones — before reaching the air-conditioned, safe and clean busways. I doubt the uper-classes would want to convert to public transportation before the whole network is upgraded.

I agree with Penalosa, however, that political will is crucial to handling Jakarta’s traffic problem. The current stall with the MRT project is a perfect example of lack of political will.

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Chart: Newspaper Circulation - the Last Two Decades

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:13:26 +0800

via steverubel.com

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iPhone 3G S vs Palm Pre vs Motorola Droid

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:49:05 +0800

via florianseroussi.posterous.com

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BBC NEWS | Technology | Universal phone charger approved

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:10:36 +0800

A new mobile phone charger that will work with any handset has been approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body.

via news.bbc.co.uk

They should have agreed on a standard years ago, if you ask me. Currently, even one handset maker cannot maintain a standard for their own product lines. I have two different chargers for all the Nokia phones in my household. Even the industry-standard USB chargers had an iteration from mini to micro. So, good job, ITU!

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Awesome Flash Mob at Raffles Place, Singapore, 23 October...

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:47:00 +0800

Awesome Flash Mob at Raffles Place, Singapore, 23 October ‘09 (via @singapore_news)

Hey, apparently Singapore knows flash mobs too! The story behind organizing it is not clear, however. Some people commenting on the YouTube page suggest that this is a marketing campaign. It’s not surprising given GV Cinemas did something similar before. I want to think that this is just simply a group of Singaporeans deciding to break from their 9-to-9 jobs and do something fun on a Friday afternoon.

By the way, if you’re wondering why I wrote that last sentence, check this out: TheOnlineCitizen.com also picked up on this video. A commenter on that site, called “curious citizen” wrote the following on the comment section: “i am curious if the people involved have applied for the proper permits. i count more than 5 people involved.”

I know I’m being unfair, but that’s your stereotypical Singaporean.

Google it

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:13:14 +0800

via community.livejournal.com

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How The World Wakes Up on Twitter

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:47:35 +0800

via steverubel.com

Take a look at GoodMorning!, a Twitter visualization tool that shows “good morning” tweets around the world.

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via (rom:d.yimg.com)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:42:02 +0800

via (rom:d.yimg.com)

Excellent Presentation by Leo Laporte On Media, Tech And Journalism

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:11:40 +0800

via paidcontent.org

Leo Laporte is probably best known now as the host of This Week in Tech (TWiT) podcast. When iTunes introduced the podcast feature, TWiT was the first podcast I added and it’s still the podcast I never fail to catch. It’s always funny and insightful, and Leo brings great guests to the show. I’ve been following Leo Laporte since his days at Tech TV, an obscure cable TV channel (I was living in the United States then, during the internet boom of late 90’s). In the list of web personalities I will follow anywhere, Leo is at the top. He is my favorite person on the internet.

The video is from the Online News Association conference earlier this month (October 2009). It’s about 40-minute long, but I couldn’t stop watching it until the end. It’s a really must-see for journalists and anybody interested in internet and technology. My favorite part of the presentation is when Leo shares his revelation that network TV does not want to sell ads to smart people. Smart people do their research and largely ignore ads. Thus, network TV does not want their audience to be smart. It really makes a lot of sense now to see the kind of programmings shown on TV (Indonesian sinetron, anybody?).

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It's Twitter's World: The Second, Parallel, Internet

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:06:58 +0800

Like it or not, Twitter has become the standard for short communication. For the many of us who liked our own favorite service which we believed did more and had more flexibility or options, we were vastly outnumbered by the masses who are drinking the bright blue Kool-aid. Even as I, and others, may drag our feet reluctantly, we know we don’t have a choice. Businesses who scoff at the usefulness of “The Big T” now recognize it is just another marketplace, and everybody is selling something - be it a real product, or a personal brand. Spammers love it. And that’s a sure sign that you’re on to something big.

via louisgray.com

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Mark Zuckerberg: The evolution of a remarkable CEO

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:26:13 +0800

About six months ago, critics pummeled Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

He’d made questionable management decisions, or so it appeared from the outside. He’d fumbled the site’s redesign and botched the company’s terms of service agreement — moves that whipped up negative publicity and user backlash. Some people asked whether it was time for Zuckerberg to go.

Six months later, those critics have gone. The company is enjoying astounding momentum — blowing through user growth forecasts and becoming cash-flow positive earlier than expected. Recent management hires make the company look more impressive than ever. Zuckerberg remains firmly in charge.

via venturebeat.com

An interesting piece on the Facebook CEO by VentureBeat. It goes well with the Zuckerberg interview (http://www.businessinsider.com/zuckerberg-facebook-staying-competitive-2009-9) that I linked to yesterday.

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juliasmola: Everyone seems to be really excited about Google...

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:44:18 +0800

juliasmola:

Everyone seems to be really excited about Google Wave and its potential to change the web. Still, understanding what Wave is all about — and why you should use it — can be difficult to grasp. Thanks to Epipheo Studios, you can now understand how Google Wave works in a way that even your grandma can understand.

Geek T-Shirt: You Are The CSS To My HTML [buy.] (via...

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:04:44 +0800

Geek T-Shirt: You Are The CSS To My HTML

[buy.]

(via thedailywhat)

For fellow introverts out there (via staree:ronmarks)

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:04:44 +0800

For fellow introverts out there (via staree:ronmarks)

eMail vs. Google Wave (via soupsoup)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:56:38 +0800

eMail vs. Google Wave (via soupsoup)

What the World Eats

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:06:48 +0800

united states: the revis family

china – the dong family

mexico – the casales family

ecuador – the ayme family

mali – the natomo family

via becomingminimalist.com

Click on the link for more information.

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