For those out there who still remember the Serenity Movie and the Firefly television series would remember that the world in which our dear Captain Reynolds live in is predominantly conversing in the Chinese Mandarin language.
The reason for that is mainly because most of the traveling space people were equip with Chinese space equipment and technology.
With NASA and the European space agency sliding back their funding of space faring adventures, it is now the Chinese government that is pushing into this unknown frontier.
A new space station (tentatively named "TianGong" which means Palace in Heaven) is being built by them and will be the next platform for humans to explore further into space. The next spacecraft to reach Mars might not be coming from the US of A but from the China instead.
At least according to their public relations, China plans to put a man on the moon by no later than 2025.
Joss Whedon might not be a "prophet" but he is as close to any if you ask me.
Long live Joss Whedon.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Note to myself : 20110424 ...
The issue with programmers is this ... we are programmers.
We programmers tend to think in a way that is very much different from a normal user.
What is "usable" to a programmer is not always in sync with that of a normal user.
That is why most of the applications written by a programmer must go through a user acceptance test , UAT for short or commonly known as "You What?"
Most programmers don't understand the importance of UAT as they think that it's just a redundant process that over complicates the delivery of a product to market.
And that is a fundamental flaw in our basic understanding of a "useable" product.
I learned this lesson the hard way.
The key success factor to any deliverable is the user expectation of the product being delivered.
It is the user's that decides if a product is usable or not.
And that is what user experience and user acceptance test is all about.
One can argue that a user is never satisfied.
Users have a forever wish list that never ends.
There is always another feature that "if" it was there would be then be perfect.
So how can user expectations be used as a yardstick for product delivery goals?
There is a simple answer to that.
We don't.
We don't use their expectations but instead concentrate on their usability experience.
For whatever feature that us delivered, it is to be delivered with the best user experience possible.
For example, if the requirement was to build an application to capture photo's, then the final delivered product must be an application that allows the user to capture the "BEST" photo that they can ever imagine in the simplest and fastest way possible.
An application that not only delivers the ABILITY to capture photographs but to also provide the BEST USER EXPERIENCE in the process of photography.
And that is why USER EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION should always be part of the KEY KPI for product delivery.
Normal programmers seldom think in that perspective.
It's not their fault.
Its hard wired in our thinking pattern to find the best logical approaches to a task.
We are not trained to find the MOST SATISFIED AND LOGICAL path to a task.
It takes a while to even accept that user satisfaction as part of the design cycle.
Best user experience should now be a standard requirement for all product delivery.
Just make sure that it is based upon the practical identified requirements and not the fictional requirements that we conjure up.
It's a learning process.
But it's worth the effort to invest in it.
Only with good user experience would users come back for more of our products.
We programmers tend to think in a way that is very much different from a normal user.
What is "usable" to a programmer is not always in sync with that of a normal user.
That is why most of the applications written by a programmer must go through a user acceptance test , UAT for short or commonly known as "You What?"
Most programmers don't understand the importance of UAT as they think that it's just a redundant process that over complicates the delivery of a product to market.
And that is a fundamental flaw in our basic understanding of a "useable" product.
I learned this lesson the hard way.
The key success factor to any deliverable is the user expectation of the product being delivered.
It is the user's that decides if a product is usable or not.
And that is what user experience and user acceptance test is all about.
One can argue that a user is never satisfied.
Users have a forever wish list that never ends.
There is always another feature that "if" it was there would be then be perfect.
So how can user expectations be used as a yardstick for product delivery goals?
There is a simple answer to that.
We don't.
We don't use their expectations but instead concentrate on their usability experience.
For whatever feature that us delivered, it is to be delivered with the best user experience possible.
For example, if the requirement was to build an application to capture photo's, then the final delivered product must be an application that allows the user to capture the "BEST" photo that they can ever imagine in the simplest and fastest way possible.
An application that not only delivers the ABILITY to capture photographs but to also provide the BEST USER EXPERIENCE in the process of photography.
And that is why USER EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION should always be part of the KEY KPI for product delivery.
Normal programmers seldom think in that perspective.
It's not their fault.
Its hard wired in our thinking pattern to find the best logical approaches to a task.
We are not trained to find the MOST SATISFIED AND LOGICAL path to a task.
It takes a while to even accept that user satisfaction as part of the design cycle.
Best user experience should now be a standard requirement for all product delivery.
Just make sure that it is based upon the practical identified requirements and not the fictional requirements that we conjure up.
It's a learning process.
But it's worth the effort to invest in it.
Only with good user experience would users come back for more of our products.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
True colors ...
Just as I thanked Apple for ushering the birth of an affordable tablet, they go and do something like this.
Seriously?
The law suite sounds like Apple is trying to stifle their competitions.
Which to me is rather ludicrous.
The type of business that Apple pursues are that of quality and class.
Them going about suing people because others have the "audacity" to come up with a "similar" product smells like Apple is turning into a "Bad Guy".
But of course, one must acknowledge that they have the right to protect their intellectual property. So lets see what are they suing on.
The known list are as follows
Now that you have read it.
What do you think?
Its almost like Ford suing every single car manufacturer in the world for infringing on their patents of having "Circular Steering Wheels" on their automobiles handling designs.
I am beginning to think that Apple is liking its place at the top and realized that they have enough muscle to stay there by punching at every competitor in the gut.
Would this new "comprehension" of the fruit company hurt iGadget sales?
Of course not.
It sales will continue to soar to greater heights because who does not like "i" stuffs.
Frankly speaking, anyone who is easily "confused" between a Samsung and Apple phones should have their eyes examined.
How in the world can anyone have missed that overly big fruit logo on every one of their product?
Seriously?
The law suite sounds like Apple is trying to stifle their competitions.
Which to me is rather ludicrous.
The type of business that Apple pursues are that of quality and class.
Them going about suing people because others have the "audacity" to come up with a "similar" product smells like Apple is turning into a "Bad Guy".
But of course, one must acknowledge that they have the right to protect their intellectual property. So lets see what are they suing on.
The known list are as follows
1. The same rectangular shape with rounded corners on the equipment.
2. The silver edging around the equipment.
3. A flat surface face with substantial top and bottom black borders
4. Design for the slim buttons on the sides of its devices.
5. The gently curving edges on the back
6. The display of colorful square icons with rounded corners
7. Application icons on the devices for the phone, music player, notepad, contacts and settings functions
8. A cleanly designed trade box dominated by an image of the phone, with the device cradled in the box so it appears as soon as the lid is removed
9. The method of text messaging between two people appear in bubbles on opposite sides of the screen
Now that you have read it.
What do you think?
Its almost like Ford suing every single car manufacturer in the world for infringing on their patents of having "Circular Steering Wheels" on their automobiles handling designs.
I am beginning to think that Apple is liking its place at the top and realized that they have enough muscle to stay there by punching at every competitor in the gut.
Would this new "comprehension" of the fruit company hurt iGadget sales?
Of course not.
It sales will continue to soar to greater heights because who does not like "i" stuffs.
Frankly speaking, anyone who is easily "confused" between a Samsung and Apple phones should have their eyes examined.
How in the world can anyone have missed that overly big fruit logo on every one of their product?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Apple and Camelot ...
These days when I start reading tech news on the web, it is "Apple" this ... "Apple" that.
One would think that the entire Technological world is now revolving around JUST APPLE alone.
Everyone is trying to be the next "Apple".
My daily lunch discussions have the same pattern as well.
It is mostly about Apple and its path to world domination.
Remember the good old days when we use to say that Microsoft was taking over the world one PC at a time instead?
Does big corporate moguls always get portrayed as the one that will make the world kneel to their wishes? Or is it something that we put upon them ourselves?
Like the kings of old.
Arthur and Camelot.
Which people are saying to be fictitious.
No, Mr.Jobs is not Arthur.
He will not be delivering us from the brutal onslaught of bad user experience.
He is not the epitome of what it means to do things right.
He is just a man like us.
So please don't make him out to be the messiah reborn.
I do thank him for making my dream come true.
And that is the actual delivery of a workable portable tablet.
Because of him, I will be able to finally read from an electronic device that weighs less than 600 grams.
Thank you Steve Jobs.
One would think that the entire Technological world is now revolving around JUST APPLE alone.
Everyone is trying to be the next "Apple".
My daily lunch discussions have the same pattern as well.
It is mostly about Apple and its path to world domination.
Remember the good old days when we use to say that Microsoft was taking over the world one PC at a time instead?
Does big corporate moguls always get portrayed as the one that will make the world kneel to their wishes? Or is it something that we put upon them ourselves?
Like the kings of old.
Arthur and Camelot.
Which people are saying to be fictitious.
No, Mr.Jobs is not Arthur.
He will not be delivering us from the brutal onslaught of bad user experience.
He is not the epitome of what it means to do things right.
He is just a man like us.
So please don't make him out to be the messiah reborn.
I do thank him for making my dream come true.
And that is the actual delivery of a workable portable tablet.
Because of him, I will be able to finally read from an electronic device that weighs less than 600 grams.
Thank you Steve Jobs.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Fun down south ...
Once a while I do the Blogspot adventure thing.
That is to actually press the button on the top bar and get sent to an unknown site just to see who else in our world still post interesting topics.
And wow.
First click and I found her.
An interesting person who has a knack to say the simplest things and making them sound funnier than it actually is.
A mom.
A comedian.
A cat lover with huge guinea pigs.
Mission accomplished.
That is to actually press the button on the top bar and get sent to an unknown site just to see who else in our world still post interesting topics.
And wow.
First click and I found her.
An interesting person who has a knack to say the simplest things and making them sound funnier than it actually is.
A mom.
A comedian.
A cat lover with huge guinea pigs.
Mission accomplished.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
We are what?
According to this article, apparently we are the top in our English class.
I am surprised.
Very surprised.
As I am with the impression that our control of the English language is rather shabby.
Other than words used in cursing, which we seem to excel in leaps and bounds in all languages.
There must be a mistake somewhere.
We don't speak English.
We speak a mangled version of Malay, Chinese and English with a tint of Tamil just for spice.
Considering that most of us watch American Shows on a daily, I am surprised we don't all speak with an American accent.
Yet, I find most of us speaks with an Australian slang.
With the amounts of "No Worries" and "Mates" that float around, I could well be in Wollongong instead of Kuala Lumpur.
I am surprised.
Very surprised.
As I am with the impression that our control of the English language is rather shabby.
Other than words used in cursing, which we seem to excel in leaps and bounds in all languages.
There must be a mistake somewhere.
We don't speak English.
We speak a mangled version of Malay, Chinese and English with a tint of Tamil just for spice.
Considering that most of us watch American Shows on a daily, I am surprised we don't all speak with an American accent.
Yet, I find most of us speaks with an Australian slang.
With the amounts of "No Worries" and "Mates" that float around, I could well be in Wollongong instead of Kuala Lumpur.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
You're gonna take me home ...
This is the reason why I love youtube.
Seriously.
I can't stop listening to her.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
5 New ways ...
Take a look at what the future of blogging will look like ...
I am quite fond of the mosaic view but not as a blog but as a business tool.
It fills my mind up with potential possibilities.
I am quite fond of the mosaic view but not as a blog but as a business tool.
It fills my mind up with potential possibilities.
Friday, April 01, 2011
Coolmaster X2 ...
Just bought a cooler for my notebook and it feels a bit strange typing on an elevated keyboard.
It might take sometime to get use to this.
My hands feels like its hanging on air.
So I am using a towel to prop my hands up so that it does not feel so out of place.
It does feels more natural than it was before.
Most importantly is that the notebook seems to be less hot.
Lets see if this works out for all of us.
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