Samsung Limited Edition Accessory Pack

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Customers who preordered the Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGS4) and bought at launch were promised a Limited Edition Accessory Pack. It’s supposedly worth $160, and for those who were issued a redemption letter, the accessory pack is now available for collection, until June 30. This Limited Edition Accessory Pack includes three items: a desktop dock, a car charger, and a HDTV adapter. I would have hoped for a second battery. $160 seems to be a bit much. You might be thinking…

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State of 4G LTE in Singapore

Many, if not most, of us are gobbling down tremendous volumes of mobile data, and our appetite is insatiable. If you’re still on 3G, you will be thirsting for 4G. If you’re not, you probably haven’t experienced 4G. Or, you’re living somewhere else, outside Singapore, where your telco does actually give you decent 3G experience. What is the state of 4G here in Singapore? The short story is that all the three telcos in Singapore offer 4G coverage, and the…

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La Crosse Technology Battery Charger

I never thought battery chargers were so complicated. They just charge batteries, right? Oh yes, they do. But apparently there are many more things to expect out of a battery charger. Particularly one that you use generically across various brands of batteries you buy. Now, you might ask, don’t those cheap and simple battery chargers also just about charge all rechargeable batteries? Yes, they do. But it’s not so simple. Once, when I was buying a rechargeable battery, the salesperson…

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SGS4 Appears at Google I/O 2013

Last year’s Google I/O saw the launch of the Nexus 4. This year, Google doesn’t seem to have a new phone. Nor do they have a new tablet, media streamer, or any other hardware. This year is all about software and services. But no, not Android itself. It seems like a very uninteresting year at Google I/O 2013. Google, however, did slip in a small surprise. Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S4 (SGS4) will be sold by Google on their Play…

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Logitech MK220 Keyboard and Mouse

This is the Logitech MK220 wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s really a pretty ordinary keyboard and mouse combination. Just one thing spectacular about it. The keyboard is quite compact. The whole keyboard is not much larger than the actual space occupied by the keys, and in fact there is no bezel space at all below the keys. There is no dedicated cursor navigation section, and the row of function keys are somewhat smaller in size. This is a diminutive keyboard….

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Cathay Pacific Made Me Run For My Flight

I’ve had to hurry for my flight several times. Once, despite a three hour transit at Los Angeles, I only just barely made my connecting flight. Still, I didn’t have to run then. This would be my first time, flying Cathay Pacific from Singapore to Narita, when I actually had to run for my connecting flight at Hong Kong. My outbound flight out of Singapore arrived late. That led to a late departure. Late enough that the flight would have…

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Ian Goes Missing Briefly

That panic moment came to us recently. It’s the sort of thing you hope will never happen. Butt you know, no matter how careful you are, it’s still quite likely to happen at some point or other. Our boy was missing. We were at a supermarket and realised Ian was missing only when we reached the basement car park. We knew where we had last seen Ian. He was sitting in the trolley at the supermarket checkout counter. He had…

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Isaac at 13+ Months

I don’t know if it is because we’ve gotten a lot more experienced, or it really is that #3 is much easier to manage. He’s a lot more sociable than his elder siblings, the most ready to want to be cuddled by his grandfather (much to the latter’s delight). He doesn’t fuss a lot, easy to feed, and doesn’t leave drool all over the place. Isaac, the #3, makes it easy for me to bring out all three kids on…

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S.E.A. Aquarium

The latest additions to Resort Worlds Sentosa are the S.E.A. Aquarium and Adventure Cove, two attractions of the Marine Life Park. The S.E.A. Aquarium boasts to be the world’s largest oceanarium. They boast over 100,000 marine animals of some 800 species in 45 million litres of water. They also have the world’s largest viewing panel (36m wide x 8.3m high). It’s something that we need to visit. Ian, my #2, was so awed by the aquarium at Ocean Park when…

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Expectations of a Computing Professional

A recent anonymous post, on a certain social media website, lamented about the quality of our Computing graduates. The poster gave examples on how some are unable to create/code websites, and the poor quality of released apps. Not surprisingly, many people rose to defend Computing students, the school, and the profession in general. The OP has, of course, made some very broad generalisations. A fundamental assumption was that every Computing graduate should be able to write programs. Some respondents argue that…

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Running Shoes

I’ve not bought running shoes in quite a long while. No, to be more correct, I’ve not bought running shoes from outside an SAF e-mart for a long while. I don’t qualify to get free stuffs from the SAF anymore, which is supposed to be a good thing, since it means I’m done with my ICT and IPPT. However, it has suddenly left me a void when I needed to get a new pair of running shoes. My last pair,…

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Rewarding NSmen

All NSmen, fall in now! The time has come for you to stand up and be recognised for your contributions to our nation. Stand by your computers, go to ns45.safra.sg, and claim your reward! You can get vouchers worth up to $100. Some may even qualify to get a free club membership! In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few months and haven’t heard the news, here’s the scoop. MINDEF, in a one-off recognition initiative to thank…

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Regulating Cyclists

I’m glad someone decided to write this article. If I wrote it, however nice I try to put it, I’d quite likely incur the wrath of many cyclists. Now, the wrath is upon Alphonsus. I can just ride along and comment on his suggestions which, interestingly, are somewhat related to what I also had in mind. One of the things that annoys the hell out of many people (the non-cyclists, of course), is that cyclists want to have the best…

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