iCuriosity

My 3G Speed Test: Telstra Vs Optus

These are the results of my cellular speed test between Telstra's 3G on my iPhone vs. Optus's 3G on my iPad.

The first result is from my iPhone on Telstra 3G network.

And this is from my iPad on Optus 3G network.

I did the tests approximately the same time and at the same place.

iPad on Optus 3G is average at: 612.6 kb/s
iPhone on Telstra 3G is average at: 547.6 kb/s

I thought the quality and speed of Telstra's network will be better and faster. Hmm. Not so true here. Maybe I need to run more tests from various locations. Any way, it is good that I did not end up with Telstra for both iPhone and iPad.

I went looking for 3G plan for my iPad on the weekend. The first stop was at Telstra shop. They made me wait for half an hour before they came and serviced me. When I told them what I wanted, they just said sorry all their SIMs have run out! @#!@#$!

I, then, visited Optus shop just 3 shops further. Sell rep came and explained all info to me and I made a purchase and left the store in less than 10 minutes.

Oh the software I used was CheckMyTubes by CBS Interactive. It is available from the AppStore for free.

iPad apps that survived

The iPad is amazing!

Got it two days ago. Day 1 was spent on setting up the iPad. Most of day 2 was on installing apps. First all the apps from my iPhone. Then the *free* apps specific to the iPad. Day 3 is the elimination process.

The big screen of the iPad was so good. So good that once I am familiar with the native iPad apps, the scaled-up iPhone apps just won't do any more. Most of them (the native iPhone apps) are down-right ugly. They are ugly to the point that I had to remove them. One surprising thing though! It's about many of the iPhone games. I've found many of native iPhone games are surprisingly good when scaled up to full screen mode on iPad.

And here they are - all the apps surviving my elimination process. In order of preference, first screen are for those apps I use the most. The lower they are on the screen the more frequent I use them.

The second screen is reserved for those I rarely use or apps under reviewed or under evaluation. I can't decide what to make of them. Some of them are quite good or attractive, i.e. Tweet Flow, but limited in term of functionality.

The last screen is for games. Most of them look and function quite well on iPad. Few others I can't find the equivalent replacement, i.e. SmartGo or iReversi.

Next week will be interesting as I will start using the iPad in real *professional* ;) work environment.

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What motivates us in our work life?

Is it the promise of monetary gains that motivates us? Or promotion to a higher hierarchical order in our company/industry?

In the past, "managers" believed that "workers" can be easily manipulated to do as they are told. For instance, rewards were given to those who performed as expected and those who didn't perform well were punished or ignored by the corporation.

However, due to technologies, workers now perform jobs that required more skills in creative thinking, problem solving and innovations. Research has found that "money" is no longer the only criteria in job satisfaction.

Children: Problem Solving Skills

Thinking Blocks : I've been searching the net for good maths website for my children and I found this site that I'd like to share with you as it has helped my children develop the necessary skills in problem solving.

Good or Bad - a relative state of being

I am touching on sensitive issues today.

"What does it mean when somebody says X is a good person or Y is a bad person?"

Consider a scenario of a hypothetical world. This world has 2 islands: island A and island B. Each island has limited supplies of food and resources - just enough to supply its own citizens. One day, island B was experienced with unfortunate natural disaster which caused them hardship and famine. Despite the best efforts of their leader, people of island B were suffering greatly and started to die, one by one.

Leader of B island sent a letter to A island asking for help. Island A refused to help as they too were hit by the disaster and having supplies just barely enough for their people. Many refugees were turning back and/or left to die.

A few weeks later, situation on island B worsened to the point of extinction of their people. Their leader must make drastic decision. The next morning, the leader of B island decided to raid A island. Island A put up a fight. Lots of people on both sides died. People of B island won and brought back some food and supplies.

With food and supplies they brought back, B island sustained and survived the hardship. Both islands eventually recovered. People of island B were so grateful of their leader and built a statue to worship and remember him - a hero!

Hundred years has passed, when people visited island B they would see a large monument built for remembering the great leader who saved the nation. Everywhere they went they saw and heard of stories, folklore of their beloved hero.

What do you think these visitors would see when they visit the other island?

Image: Philipines' Sunset

Obtained under Creative Commons licenses 2.0

Pheromone - Why Am I Stuck Here?!

I used to laugh at those insects like ants, bees, or termites where an entire colony dedicated their lives just for one queen. All work for one purpose - to serve the queen.

I remember being amazed looking at ants or termites. Day-in day-out, each insect would dutifully and orderly carried something and heading to its nest. Then, off it went for the next load. Never stopped. Just pick any day, after school, I visited their nests. Never failed, rain or shine, they would work away. I guess that is how they make their living. No stealing. No hoarding. Just kept on working. There must be something that was keeping them in-check.

That something is called 'Pheromone'.

When I grow up and if I become more powerful. I might want to colonize a world somewhere. I would then want to make sure to invent some kind of force/rules/or temptation that would make people of that world keep working - for me. Pheromone might work with low-level organism animals, but surely, for higher intelligent beings, I would need something more complicate. Something more powerful. Something to keep them working for me, without knowing. Day-in, day-out, they would wake up in the morning, kiss their love ones, get themselves into their vehicles, dutifully go to work, laboring their entire sunlight day working, dutifully come home, rest and make sure that they will be ready for work the next day. For me.

And when and if I could find something like that, I would call it -

"Money"

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Curious about Caffeine

www.afr.com|Lifestyle : Waiting Room

explored protC ©afr.combutCaffeine ... improved performance 65in longmemory, workattention, may occupationaeffectsperception, concept formation ©afr.comand reasoning.

Word of caution: as in everything, when taken in moderation caffeine can be beneficial to your health.

Searching for ET: Just Follow the Money Trails

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully spent 9+ years tried to prove US Government's cover-up in searching for extraterrestrial. But, I think the evidences are just right there - in plain sight.

Apollo Program, 1966 - 1972, cost $170 billion

wikipedia.org | Apollo Program: In 2009, NASA held a symposium on project costs which presented an estimate of the Apollo program costs in 2005 dollars as roughly $170 billion. This included all Research and development (R&D) costs; the procurement of 15 Saturn V rockets, 16 Command/Service Modules, 12 Lunar Modules, plus program support and management costs; construction expenses for facilities and their upgrading, and costs for flight operations
Voyager Interstella Mission, approved 1972, launched 1977, cost $876 million

voyager.jpl.nasa.gov | Voyager - Did You Know?: 'The total cost of the Voyager mission from May 1972 through the Neptune encounter (including launch vehicles, nuclear-power-source RTGs, and DSN tracking support) is 865 million dollars'
Viking, 1976 - 1983, cost $1 billion

wikipedia.org | Viking Program: 'The total cost of the Viking project was roughly US$1 billion.'
Mars Pathfinder, launched 1996, cost $440 million

space.about.com | Mars Pathfinder Mission Information: 'The Mars Pathfinder mission cost approximately $265 million including launch and operations. Development and construction of the lander cost $150 million and the rover about $25 million.'

I mean from investor's point of view, have you ever seen anyone invest in something with no return?
Millions of dollar. Billions of dollar.

Just follow the money trails...

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Children and Pets

Most children love animals. Be it a dog, a cat, a guinea pig, a rabbit etc, children love to hold and cuddle them. However, when a pet is not handled appropriately, that's when problems and injuries occur to both pets and children.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent such injuries. Teaching children the following behaviours will benefit them for many years to come.

* respect for others including animals

* show children how to be gentle and kind to others

* show restraint when expressing emotions such as love or excitement

* always be thoughtful of others

Tip #1: How to Decorate Rooms with Low Ceilings

To create an illusion of high ceiling, paint the ceiling lighter than the walls and the floor should be darker than the walls. If you like to use wallpaper, use ones with vertical stripes. When painting use combinations such as low-sheen vs. gloss; pearl-lustre vs. metallic shades.

Decorate the room with artworks that gives a hint of vertical lines and hang them high. Floor to ceiling seamless glass windows can also make the ceiling appear higher. Last but not least, choose furniture that are low-line and sleek in design.

Note & Analysis: Easter Island. Where are the roads?

Things I've found that don't make sense (to me) is the fact about how moais were built and transported to various locations around the island. My thoughts are as follow:

Moais are big and heavy
Each moai takes a long time to carve
Care must be taken to transport each moai to its final destination without breakage or damage. After point 1 and 2, above, each moai, when finished must be like a masterpiece.
Great number of people must be used for transporting each moai
Good collaboration is important to accomplish such a task
Long term planning and good management is required after all they would not plan to build and transport one or two moais but many (like over 800+)

Given the above observation, I expect to find the following:

Moai builders must start off with a plan (for the final location of each moai). I cannot perceive that any one would just raced to the volcanic mountain, carved a big rock into a giant statue, then dragged it around aimlessly.
Moai builders would likely started off with building good roads first. Once a resting place for each particular moai had been determined, their leader/project manager/coordinator would likely send out a force to start the carving job, while, in the meantime, sent out different task force to cut down trees and make the roads.
These roads must be used again and again, over and over. Therefore, at least, their trails should exist to these days. Even without any plan, after several ten or so of statues, it would have occurred to them that they would have to go up the mountain again, carved new statues, then moved them down to somewhere along the shores.
These roads would also be used for other purposes: delivery foods and supplies to the rock carvers; annually visiting moais (for whatever purposes, i.e. paying respect and etc); maintenacne of moais and resting sites (they can't simply ignore that statues, lawn to mow, grass to cut, and etc)

Yet, these are the odd things I've found:

There is no road and trail found

www.sciencedaily.com | Easter Island Discovery Sends Archaeologists Back to Drawing Board: "Fieldwork led by researchers at University College London and The University of Manchester, has shown the remote Pacific island's ancient road system was primarily ceremonial and not solely built for transportation of the figures."
There is no written plan or map or carving picture found. I was hoping to find evidence of map or written plan or artifact or anything that records how moais were built and transported. But none!
There is no picture of the moais exist! Not on the walls, not on the rocks, not even on woodcraft piece! This picture, if carved into the mountain wall, would serve as a blueprint for the next maoi. The islanders carved all sorts of pictures: fish, bird, and figures on rocks and stones, and yet, no moai picture!

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