Amir's Blog of Unfathomable Quirks

A quirky journal of technology, gadget hacks, offbeat news and my love affair with web development.

[amir-hamid]

Straightforward? Think again

Over the years, I have developed a stoic impatience over all kinds of behaviours. One habit which I have come to dislike is the strident claim: "I am a very straightforward person."

Almost every person I meet these days will lay down this condition: "I am a straightforward person, so what I say can sometimes hurt you."

I mean, come on! I personally think it is plain laziness. Instead of cultivating some basic courtesy, you warn people that you basically don't have enough sense to see how certain words can hurt. Bravo!

[amir-hamid]

My constant and I

When I was younger, I mixed with friends whom I considered the personifications of cool. I tried hard to be like them; too hard, I think. Cool-ness remained an alien concept, so it was almost like a science to me. I had to learn the techniques of cool- how to walk, how to talk and most of all, how to cut the queue when buying food.

Inside, I suffered. There is a constant in all of us. It is like a seed that holds everything that makes you, you. Personality, values, likes, dislikes. If a constant is weak, then it follows the whims of other people. I learned later that constants have to be worked at. Nurtured and grown like a temperamental bonsai plant. I finally let my constant guide me, and it brought me to a sanctuary of geek.

Now, I am not ashamed to admit. I am comfortable in geeky environments like:

the library

bookshop

game store

comics store

computer store and/or technology event

in front of a monitor screen

It's who I am. And I am not going to give that up for all the gold in the world. I am happy. At last.

[amir-hamid]

As a defense mechanism, this African succulent plant is good at playing dead. It's called Mother's Tongue, and resides in the Flower Dome conservatory of the Gardens by the Bay.

[amir-hamid]

A dazzling spray of of Baby's Breath, residing in the Flower Dome conservatory of the Gardens by the Bay.

[amir-hamid]

A lovely patch of an Australian garden, replicated in the Flower Dome conservatory of the Gardens by the Bay.

[amir-hamid]

A healthy specimen of a brain coral, called such because its curvy exoskeleton resembles the wrinkles on the surface of a brain.

[amir-hamid]

This strange-looking creature is called a Nautilus. Just floating creepily about in the deep ocean, the Nautilus is also known as a living fossil because its basic shape has remained unchanged for millions of years.

[amir-hamid]

In India, bracelets are still made the traditional way, over a hot stove of charcoal embers.

[amir-hamid]

In India, bracelets are still made the traditional way, over a hot stove. Arrayed behind the craftsman are thousands of bracelets.

[amir-hamid]

Navigating the culture clash in teams

In a globalised world, it is impossible to avoid working with foreigners at the workplace. Leaders increasingly find themselves managing teams that consist of different nationalities.

The international team is immediately expanded, not only in terms of skills, knowledge and experience which exist in ordinary teams anyway, but also by unique geographic perspectives.

Leaders who manage such variegated teams must acquire and apply habits that are anchored in openness. In practical terms, this means investing the time and effort to listen to people who will express ideas in either unfamiliar accents, or novel styles. Most of all, leaders must develop patience to mediate a potential clash of cultural assumptions.

[amir-hamid]

Leaders who create high-performing teams that are greater than the sum of their parts value difference as opposed to merely tolerating it.

Beth Brooke, The Art of Developing Truly Global Leaders, Harvard Business Review, November 2012, pg 34

[amir-hamid]

Singaporeans get to buy Windows 8 for S$18

Yes, it is true. Microsoft is offering Singaporeans- yes, us lovable nerds- the chance to buy and download a perfectly legal copy of Windows 8 Professional for the unthinkable price of S$17.99! What's more, you can even pay for the purchase through Paypal. Just scoot on over to http://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-SG if you don't believe me.

In any case, I did buy Windows 8 professional and installed it into my Asus Zenbook ux21. The Zenbook is an anorexic notebook that holds pretty impressive specifications, so with Windows 8 in the driver's seat, I expected quite a ride.

Well, it's fast, there's no debating that, but I loathe the cutesy new Metro interface that Microsoft has forced on its loyal users. Instead of a clean desktop, Windows 8 now throws up pretty boxes, or widgets, that just calls for your fingers to do some serious screen-walking. Unfortunately, the Zenbook is not touch-enabled, so the Metro interface does absolutely squat for me.

A quick search on Google quickly unearthed a solution. A nifty utility called RetroUI that restores the desktop immediately after booting, and also a comforting START button, which all but disappeared in Windows 8. RetroUI costs only $4.95. Get it. You will need it. Seriously.

[amir-hamid]

I love traditional Indian dances, where both the dancer and the musician seem to talk to one another- one through immaculate movements of the body, and the other through the hands beating on a simple instrument like the tabla in the photograph.

[amir-hamid]

Whenever I watch an Indian dance, my eyes are invariably drawn towards the dancer's feet. Every foot placement is articulate; a combination of grace and purpose.

[amir-hamid]

Borrowing books from National Library and loading into Kobo eReader

There are many things to like about the Kobo Touch eReader. The Kobo store at kobo.com accepts credit cards from all over the world, even offering the option to pay for books through the ever-useful Paypal. The device also accepts the epub format, which in the ebooks universe, is relatively more open than Amazon Kindle’s proprietary AZW format.

Kobo’s ability to read epub means that an owner can borrow books right from the National Library. Here is how I accomplished it in 11 steps:

Download and install Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) from http://www.adobe.com/products/digital-editions.html.

After installation, the software will force you to accept a license and register an account with Adobe. Just follow the on-screen instructions. If you have set everything up nicely, you probably do not have to fiddle with ADE's settings again.

Connect the Kobo Touch eReader to your desktop by the standard USB cable. The Kobo device will prompt you to select either Connect or Charge. Choose Connect.

ADE will automatically detect the device. Just follow the on-screen instructions to authorise it. The Kobo Touch eReader will appear as an item in ADE’s Library, as outlined by a red box in the picture below.

Next, visit the National Library’s eResources page at: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/browse.aspx?browse_by=Type. Click on the Login button, as outlined by the red box in the picture below:

Login with NRIC number, the first word of your full name, and your date of birth:

You will return to the National Library’s eResources homepage, but this time, you are logged in as a borrower. The homepage provides a list of eResources. Scroll down until you see Overdrive: digital media collection.

After arriving at Overdrive’s extensive library of e-resources, you can begin to browse for books that you would like to borrow. Click on the book that you like, and search for an option called Adobe EPUB eBook, as outline by the red box in the picture below:

Click on the link Add to Cart. Once you are done, visit My Cart, and checkout. The eBook will be downloaded into your desktop.

Open Adobe Digital Editions, locate where you saved the eBook, and drag the eBook into the main window of the software. This will authorise the eBook, and the image of its cover will appear in the right window.

To upload it into the Kobo device, simply drag the authorised eBook from the right window into the Kobo eReader’s icon on the left. This is the final step.

Remember, eBooks borrowed from the National Library functions just like any physically borrowed book. It will have to be returned to the Library after a period of time. Fortunately, this process is automatic. The eBook will simply expire on the Kobo eReader.

[amir-hamid]

A sea star clinging to a rock in an open tank that allowed visitors to touch, feel and interact with hardy sea critters. This innovative exhibit at Resort World Singapore's Marine Life Park allows children and adults to learn more about marine life, and appreciate the beauty and diversity of the sea.

[amir-hamid]

A diver cleaning the glass of the aquarium at Resort World Singapore's Marine Life Park.