Rubenerd

This check-in was imported to the Annexe from Brightkite, one of the first geolocation social networks.

Checked into Wheelock Place (501 Orchard Road, Singapore, Singapore 23, Singapore).

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It's interesting how I'm often asked things in the street and in coffee shops here in Singapore about things that only a person who lives here would know. Tourists say they can tell I live here because I'm caucasian but not drenched in sweat when I walk around!

I was in a coffee shop this morning (no, really?) when a guy at the table next to mine noticed my SingTel EVDO USB modem poking out from my MacBook Pro. Why did that sound wrong? Anyway he wanted to know if I had the same problem as he did on his Mac when using the modem whereby it will sometimes claim no devices can be found or that a carrier can't be detected.

Given I was able to bring up a screenshot of the error message he described, it's clear I've had the same problem from time to time. The extremely high tech solution I've found is to… wait for it… unplug the modem, wait a few seconds then plug it back in again. I've also noticed it helps to wait for a good minute or so before attempting to make a connection after you've plugged the modem in.

And some people claim this blog isn't useful, can you believe it? Grilled cheese sandwiches.

Links shared from del.icio.us today:

Head Down Eyes Open: Gaza: 1.5 million people trapped in despair

Not good. "Last March, as the international community grandly pledged an impressive U$4.5 billion dollars for the reconstruction of Gaza, HDEO welcomed the support but – based on a long list of previous and direct experiences – cautioned against optimism. Why so skeptical? Because recent history has shown the detached intransigence of Israeli authorities to allow the transit of vital goods and materials to meet the needs of long-suffering Gazans. Regrettably, we were not wrong."

(categories: news middleeast blogs)

This check-in was imported to the Annexe from Brightkite, one of the first geolocation social networks.

Checked into Laurent Bernard Chocolatier (80 Mohammed Sultan Road #01-11 Singapore, Singapore, Singapore).

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This check-in was imported to the Annexe from Brightkite, one of the first geolocation social networks.

Checked into PastaMania (Cineleisure) (8 Grange Rd, Orchard, Singapore 23, Singapore).

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This is the third time I've written this post! All I wanted to say is, if I tell people I'm an atheist and they say "they'll still pray for me", I find that to be a backhanded compliment at best, and condescending at worst. They might not mean it, but motive doesn't negate the result.

Since posting version one of this though I've learned religious people are allowed to offend atheists, scientists, biologists, doctors and geologists whom they passionately (or often tacitly) disagree with, but if we're offended and explain why as I did with my post, we're called out as being rude and intolerant, along with several strings of four letter words.

It's interesting that people can discuss their favourite music, author, politician and grilled cheese sandwich and discussions can occur, but if it's about faith there's an untouchable social taboo. Often being religious is enough; if most Christians meet a Hindu for example, they'll get along just fine. If a religious person meets an atheist (or agnostic, or another non-believer) though, it's automatically expected the atheist has to defend his or her position, and then to take insults without responding. It's downright weird.

There's also a popular analogy that "atheism is just another religion". Even if we weren't to assist in the suicide of this fatuous proposition (thank you Christopher Hitchens for that line!) and we played along, why is it unique amongst religions in that it's the only one that's allowed to be criticised? If the answer is because atheists reject religious teachings, don't different religions reject each others teachings too?

Given it was just recently the 4th of July in the United States, I'm reminded of that infamous passage in the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Apparently though the next passage states that if you believe your creator was the beautiful and elegant universe which evolved in space and time, this does not apply. Good to know!

As I've said before, I don't think the world would be better without religion per se (I love cultural festivals for example!), I just want the ability to one day have honest and meaningful conversations about them. I suspect that day will come, but it won't be for a while. I'm guess I'm just sick of apologising!

Oh yeah? Well that's what SHE said! I have to remind people I'm hilarouous otherwise they'd forget.

For those using text browsers, the error message reads:

Unable to burn [disc]. The device failed to calibrate the laser power level for this media.

In all seriousness though, in all my years of burning optical media I've never come across this problem before. I'm crossing my fingers it's because the disc is dodgy and not a sign the laser mechanism is on its way out.

For those interested, I was burning a copy of FreeBSD to a DVD-R disc. Usually I use DVD+R media but this particular coaster was destined for an older machine.

I was asked by a friendly person this afternoon who's writing a book what I thought of the importance of mentors to young people. In 140 character Twitter goodness:

I’d say mentors are applied educators that take help young people develop. You can’t learn such experience from books or classes.

I can really attest to this. When I left high school in 2005 I got a job a Veritas writing Perl and MySQL code for a friend of my mother here in Singapore. I drew a paycheck, I had a desk in their offices, I worked alongside other people, and I reported to someone who was genuinely interested in my progress and offered patient help and guidance. I learned more from studying and working with Mr Whiting for several months than I have from several long years of university education that are still ongoing. It's absolutely, 100% true, and I suspect a great number of people who've experienced both would agree with me.

Unfortunately the prestige bestowed upon people with a magical piece of paper that says that person completed a university degree is still far higher than those who developed experience and character in the workforce under the watchful eye of a mentor. I think this really needs to change.

Twitter has become such an integral part of my life that I sometimes forget most people don't use it. Probably everyone else has this thing called a "life" which I hear so much about.

This was a photo I took outside my bedroom window yesterday afternoon after I'd finished a coding session. Since the last time I was in Singapore back in March I can count two new apartment buildings and several more under construction. Time-lapse photography over a period of months would be pretty cool from here, I can tell you that!

What gobsmacks me is how ridiculously tall some of these apartment buildings are becoming. In Australia there's the Eureka Tower and Q1… and that's pretty much it. Then again, Australia isn't trying to cram all it's population into a minuscule island dot!

Just got another newsletter from Apple talking about some of the features of their MacBook Air notebook computer:

The advantages of a solid-state drive. With no moving parts, solid-state drives enhance durability and use less power. And now with MacBook Air, this 128GB option is more affordable than ever. Learn more

Don't get me wrong Apple, I absolutely adore your products and would love to own this device your advertising, but referring to anything about the MacBook Air as "affordable" is like The Governator saying he's helping the environment by using hybrid Hummer… in context it doesn't really mean much!

As a token of apology, I would gladly accept a MacBook Air from Apple. If you work in their PR department, feel free to contact me. Cheers :-)