Anniversary of fallen Berlin Wall

From CBC,

“We achieved reunification together, with peace and freedom and with the support of our neighbours,” [former German chancellor Helmut] Kohl recalled.

“We don’t have many reasons in our history to be proud,” Kohl said. “But those years when I was chancellor, … I have every reason to be proud. I have nothing better, nothing to be more proud of than German reunification.”

Designing Obama – The Book

The crowd-funded Designing Obama – The Book. Check out their Kick Starter funding page with video. (Note: They’ve already met their funding goal of $65,000 with 1,074 backers.)

A word about crowd-funding, it is not just about money (although it is about the money). It is about the connections that people have with the project they care about.

It is about the people, each and every single one of them, making something possible.

They, through their individual small “pledges”, make a project (a book, a song, a film, a creative endeavour) possible.

They create.

P.S. A great way of funding, I hope something like this will launch in Canada soon. Currently according to their site, “Due to current Amazon Payments policy, projects can only be started by people or entities with a U.S. address and bank account.”

[via BMD]

A picture of some other Kick Starter projects.

The Last Days of The Polymath

Very interesting article from The Economist’s Intelligent Life, “The Last Days of The Polymath“. A bit I like,

“Polymaths possess something that monomaths do not. Time and again, innovations come from a fresh eye or from another discipline. [...] But breakthroughs—the sort of idea that opens up whole sets of new problems—often come from other fields.”

[via Lance]

CRTC’s Globalive decision – A big NO

CRTC has handed down its decision (Telecom Decision CRTC 2009-678 or PDF). A scan of the CRTC decision leads me to look at the last two pages of charts plus  107, 108 and 119 summing up the decision,

“107. The concentration of debt and equity in the hands of a single entity can create an opportunity for influence. In circumstances such as the present, where a company is heavily debt financed, this opportunity can translate into significant influence over the venture by the debt holder.”

“108. The magnitude of the debt provided by Orascom, the relative debt to equity financing, and the fact that the debt is concentrated in the hands of a single entity cause the Commission concern with the loans as a source of Orascom influence. The modifications to the covenants and terms of the loans do little to reduce this concern. Furthermore, the Commission notes that covenants similar to those deleted from the Orascom loan agreements are still contained in Schedule A to the Shareholders’ Agreement.”

“119. In light of all the above, the Commission finds that Globalive is controlled in fact by Orascom, a non-Canadian. Therefore, the Commission concludes that Globalive does not meet the requirements set out in section 16 of the Act and is not currently eligible to operate as a telecommunications common carrier.”

I think less competition is bad for Canadian consumers. By the way, in the happier times of Sept 2008, I conducted a phone interview with Tony Lacavera, CEO of Globalive, after they launched a few interesting initiatives that I thought would be good for Canadian consumers.

From CBC,

“The commission found it particularly important that Orascom owns 65.1 per cent of the equity, has entered into a strategic technical arrangement with Globalive, controls and holds the ‘Wind’ brand under which Globalive will operate, and holds the overwhelming majority of the outstanding debt,” the regulator said.

“The commission therefore determines that Globalive has not met the requirements of the ownership and control regime and is therefore not currently eligible to operate as a Canadian telecommunications common carrier.”

The CRTC prescribed a list of changes the company could theoretically make in order to bring itself into compliance, which would include amendments to the composition of its board of directors, liquidity rights and the threshold for veto rights.

However, the fact that Orascom controls almost all of the company’s debt is a factor that cannot be easily resolved.”

More report and analysis from Toronto Star.

From WIND mobile‘s own press release “A Bad Day for Canadians and Wireless Competition in Canada“,

“In its decision, the CRTC came to a different conclusion than Industry Canada and has indicated that Globalive Wireless is not in compliance with the Canadian ownership and control requirements set out in the Telecommunications Act.

“Having already received approval from Industry Canada, we are extremely disappointed that the CRTC has come to a different conclusion,” said Anthony Lacavera, Chairman, Globalive Wireless Management Corp. “This is a bad day for Canadian consumers. Canadians deserve competition in wireless and this decision represents a major step backwards.””

*******

Oct 29, 2009 Morning: Looking forward to the CRTC Globalive decision to be announced later today after markets close. Here is an excerpt from a Canadian Press report,

If the CRTC decides that Globalive is Canadian enough to compete as a new national cellphone company, it’s a decision that’s likely to shake up foreign ownership rules.

Toronto-based Globalive wants to be Canada’s fourth major wireless carrier and compete with Rogers, (TSX:RCI.B), Bell (TSX:BCE) and Telus (TSX:T) for consumers who want to buy cellphones. But before Globalive can go ahead with its launch later this fall, it must survive a CRTC ruling expected Thursday on its ownership and structure.

[... RBC Capital Markets analyst Jonathan] Allen said if the CRTC approves Globalive’s bid, it will likely launch in Toronto and Calgary next month.

$10m for ideas to change the world

Project 10¹⁰⁰ is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible.

Really cool that Google created Project 10¹⁰⁰, and will be announcing the winning big ideas soon.

[via Kevin]

A Historical Perspective on Semiconductors and Moore’s Law

Intel’s former CEO and Chair Craig Barrett has given an interesting podcast, “A Historical Perspective on Semiconductors and Moore’s Law“. Enjoy.

Description
Intel Corporation legend, former CEO, and Chairman of the Board Craig Barrett discusses his personal career path from a Stanford Associate Professor, to Silicon Valley consultant, to a 35-year career inside one of the globe’s most prominent players in technology. His talk concentrates on Moore’s Law and the myriad factors in place to ensure its continued progeny.

Snow Leopard Chinese Input System Demo – (using the lyrics of a song by Sandy Lam)

In the following YouTube video, I used the lyrics in Sandy Lam’s (林憶蓮) song “願” to demonstrate Apple Snow Leopard’s Chinese input system. I hope you and other Snow Leopard users will enjoy it.

林憶蓮 – 願(電影”晚9朝5″主題曲) 作曲：許願/黃偉年,

填詞：林夕, 編曲：符元偉

P.S. It should be noted that the word “隨” took me a long time to write without success in the above demo. Since it would be rather boring for you and me to see me write the word “隨” for much of the demo, I eventually gave up after trying for about 38 seconds. As for the rather simple word “生”, I got stuck again. It proves that sometimes simple words also tricks me.

I think sometimes it was my pen stroke and other problems that lead to the system missing the words.

P.P.S. For the record, in this demo, I used Snow Leopard 10.6.1. This video is shown in real time, only two edits were made for the words “隨” and “生” to make it fit into the YouTube 10 minute per video limitation.

P.P.P.S. By the way, here are the words I typed in the demo.

最美一幕 還未閉幕
最闊的路在塵世遠方
最好知己永在身旁
聽我講 我從不說謊

我想相聚 誰便再聚
我想歡樂便?(隨)意去追
我想相信我做得對
想到人極疲累

* 我自信有日如願
縱使天高地厚 仍被我逆轉
假使一?(生)會沒了沒完
總有日會如願 *
REPEAT *

當結局未揭穿

Astro Boy – Interviews

Because of the proximity of Hong Kong to Japan, I grew up watching many Japanese cartoons and children shows. And the original Astro Boy (dubbed in Cantonese《無敵小飛俠》) was one of many Japanese cartoons that I enjoyed.

So when a friend (a former publicist of CIFF) reached out to me and told me that she has promotional audio interviews/chats of some of the cast members of the new Astro Boy film (see HD trailers), I jumped at the chance to have a listen.

After checking out the four interviews (streaming audio and downloadable mp3), I found them all very interesting and enjoyable to listen to. Since the chats are actually fun to listen to (and not just “advertising”), it is my pleasure to share with your the following four audio interviews (streaming & mp3),

- Bill Nighy (voice of Dr. Elefun, love him since his performance in Love Actually and then Underworld, The Girl in the Cafe, etc)
- Eugene Levy (voice of Orrin, he is a super funny man with a long list of credits, a cool Canadian)
- Freddie Highmore (voice of Astro Boy, he was the boy in The Spiderwick Chronicles)
- Kristen Bell (voice of Cora, the charming Kristen also plays Elle Bishop in Heroes)

Twitter Evan Williams @ Web 2.0

[via John Battelle]

U2 Live Concert – Now

I am enjoying the U2 Live Concert as I type this blog entry. In the coming days, I am curious to find out and think about,

• How many people around the world have watched this concert?
• What kind of internet traffic has been generated?
• What can we do with the technological infrastructure we have available to us?
• The business and economics behind hosting this concert live.

P.S. The question for each of us may be this: What will we, each of us, willing to do to change our world for the better. To make it a better place to live, for everyone.

P.P.S. Some news for the record, “The masses descend upon Pasadena for U2′s Rose Bowl gig“,”U2 concert-goers get an early start at the Rose Bowl“,”U2 to stream L.A. concert live on YouTube tonight“

Re-invent the syringe (Reuse of syringes kills 1.3m each year)

(TED Video) Reuse of syringes, all too common in under-funded clinics, kills 1.3 million each year. Marc Koska clues us in to this devastating global problem with facts, photos and hidden-camera footage. He shares his solution: a low-cost syringe that can’t be used twice.

Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father

Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father (with trailer)
Sunday October 25, 2009 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld

On November 5, 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby was murdered in a parking lot in western Pennsylvania; the prime suspect, his ex-girlfriend Dr. Shirley Turner, promptly fled the United States for St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she announced that she was pregnant with Andrew’s child. She named the little boy Zachary.

I first saw Dear Zachary by filmmaker Kurt Kuenne (Andrew’s childhood friend) at the Calgary International Film Festival.

Just got an email from Kurt where he mentioned this important news. I hope the bill get some serious considerations by the parliament of Canada.

Scott Andrews: ANDREWS introduces his first Private Members Bill – October 23, 2009 (Facebook link)

Bill C-464. Introduction and first reading

Mr. Scott Andrews (Avalon, Lib.): moved for leave to introduce Bill C-464, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (justification for detention in custody).

He said: Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise here today to introduce my first private member’s bill for the protection of minor children of persons who are accused of a serious crime. This has been an issue in my area for a long time. There was an inquiry on this on Zachary Bagby Turner. This Sunday, there will be a documentary on CBC at 10 p.m. eastern time that outlines the story and the history behind this bill.

It is a pleasure to introduce this bill, and I look forward to having it debated here in the House of Commons.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Note: Here is Scott Andrews’s parliamentary contact information (phone numbers and emails) if you want to send him your words of support and encouragement.

P.S. After you watch the film (there are spoilers), you can check out my interviews with Kurt (audio) and Zachary’s grandparents (video), David & Kathleen Bagby in this site.

White House Photostream

Part of what a politician must do in the age of social media is to communicate visually.

Human side of the Canadian economic crisis

My friend Matt Palmer shot a few NFB “Human side of the Canadian economic crisis” short documentary, very well done. Highly recommended.

1. Savers Club (Sisterhood is frugal)
2. A New Paint Job
3. Wish You Were Here

Edmonton hostages & CBC Journalism

Edmonton hostage taker called CBC Edmonton, and Esther Enkin, CBC’s executive editor of news operations, writes about her views and the thinking behind some CBC decisions.

“Gareth Hampshire, who is News Coordinator in Edmonton, did an excellent job of deconstructing the episode on The Current Thursday morning.” (highly recommended)

I am glad that CBC News got the call and not “Cox” News.

Now, here is a hypothetical question.

What if the hostage taker actually had the capability to broadcast live video or tweet live? What would then be the appropriate thing for the media to do? What if individuals are spreading the news themselves already? You see, we would not only be dealing with the media (which may or may not exercise their journalistic integrity), we would then be dealing with anyone who has a Twitter account or YouTube account and news/rumours will likely spread fast like a wild fire.

In the age of Twitter and Youtube and other social media tools, we collectively will have to learn how to act appropriately. There are no easy answers but we need to think deep and hard.

[via InsideTheCBC]

Hostages standoff by armed gunman ends

Wonderful news (with video) that no one was hurt,

A gunman who held hostages at the Workers’ Compensation Board building in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday has surrendered to police.

All the hostages were released unharmed, police said.

In Canada, you can watch full episodes of Flashpoint (stories about a tactical police unit) here at CTV. Also check out this video where the creators of Flashpoint talk about their CTV/CBS series.

Digital Emily explained at TED

Paul Debevec talks about animating Digital Emily, a photo-real digital face at TED.

GQ as an iPhone App

After reading the AdAge article “Conde Nast Launches IPhone Platform With GQ App” (see attached), I suspect putting every page of the a GQ issue in an iPhone app with easy navigation to “watch related videos, hear audio and visit advertisers’ sites without leaving the app” is not something “wow” and “cool” enough to make regular iPhone app users to rush to download and try out an issue of GQ.

In short, I agree with AppGuy’s central ideas in the rather harsh and blunt comment (see below).

What I disagree with AppGuy is that I think it is important for Conde Nast to get its hands dirty in the iPhone platform as I believe in Andy Grove’s idea of “make mistakes faster”.

I am willing to bet a shiny Canadian Loonie (a Canadian dollar) that Conde Nast’s current GQ experiment will fail (may be even rather miserably). But so what?

Conde Nast may need to rethink, redesign, and re-imagine better user experience for its GQ iPhone Apps users. And failing at its first iteration is sometimes a necessary first step to get to something better. Only time will tell.

P.S. In all fairness to Conde and GQ, I am basing on my comments and critiques on what Conde President-CEO Mr. Charles H. Townsend said in a presentation to reporters. Hopefully Charles presented the best and most convincing bits, the “wow”s of the GQ iPhone app.

Nov 22, 2009 Update: Pretty informative review, here is an excerpt from “GQ for iPhone Previews Smarter Digi-Mag Approac“

“The GQ app tries to sweeten the multimedia deal with a handful of extra photos for some features and two short video clips. If there is a glaring weakness to the app it is the obvious dearth of interactivity. There are no content-sharing mechanisms or even rudimentary bookmarking. On the one hand, the app tries to recreate the feel of a magazine environment, which is a worthy ambition. But on a digital platform, how insulated do we want to be? Without content sharing or customization of some kind the app lacks the personal feel that is vital to mobile content. Wouldn’t it be great if a user could turn an image from the magazine into his own iPhone wallpaper or send the page to his girlfriend to consider as his next birthday gift? Doesn’t a multimedia platform deserve at least an audio greeting from your friendly editor, perhaps some background music here and there? As a decade of “digital magazines” have already demonstrated handily, the concept of electronic facsimile can be overdone.

[...] GQ for iPhone is a smart first step toward re-imagining the magazine for digital. Its priorities still are weighted heavily toward older media and trying to capture that print feel on another platform. For now it is safe to say that recreating print in digital is more of a publisher’s fantasy than it is a demonstrated desire on the part of consumers. Only time, and perhaps larger display formats, will tell us whether readers will consider even a smarter digital magazine a welcome extension of a brand…or just a neat and disposable trick.“

 

*******

For the record, here is the original AdAge article.

Conde Nast Launches IPhone Platform With GQ App -Downloadable $2.99 December Issue Paves Way for Future E-Reader Ambitions
by Nat Ives 
Published: October 20, 2009

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Conde Nast is introducing a slick platform for selling, displaying and enhancing its titles’ regular print issues on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Issues rendered for the iPhone screen will sell as apps, starting with this December’s issue of GQ, priced at $2.99 in the app store.

Vscan: pocket-sized, ultra-smart ultrasound

Read more about GE’s Vscan (check out this video), a pocket-sized, ultra-smart ultrasound. Doctors should also be careful and not let tools like Vscan trick them into focusing too much of their attentions in small small details and missing the bigger pictures.

P.S. With the unhealthy focus of Indians and Chinese parents wishing to have boys and aborting girls, the Vscan can be really bad because it will be almost impossible to monitor and control the use of devices like Vscan.

H1N1 info at Flu.gov

Some H1N1 info at Flu.gov. Here are some H1N1 flu symptoms (comparing to seasonal flu).

Will there be a at least a Canadian government site that links to all provinces’ H1N1 flu information sites? We will find out soon. Ah, the joy of health care under provincial jurisdiction!