iphone7: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Gaia will kill you!

ThinkProgress: Storm victims kind of had it coming, didn’t they? « Hot Air

If you reject the notion of human-caused global warming, the earth will kill you. And what happened to Tuscaloosa proves it.

A secular case against same-sex marriage

MIT student offers a secular case against same-sex marriage « Wintery Knight

A frequent criticism one reads of the president and his administration is that he and his officers are inept. Their manifold and multiple failures result from the fact that they just don't know what they're doing.

This criticism has the virtue, one supposes, of crediting the White House with good intentions, though pursued with bad execution.

Nonsense, responds another set. Obama and company in fact know exactly what they are doing. The ruination of America's economy, energy infrastructure and standing in the world are exactly what this administration wants to do. Far from being stricken with ineptitude, they are carrying it out expertly.

Barry Rubin weighs in on this, presumably on the former side rather than the latter: "Yes, Virginia, Obama Foreign Policy Is Ignorant and Stupid Rather Than a Conspiracy." It begins:

The most common question — or remark — that I get from readers is to say that I’m wrong to talk about how Western policymakers (and especially the Obama administration) are ignorant, ideologically deluded, and unable to learn from experience. They claim that these problems arise from a deliberate malevolent effort to destroy America.

It tells something about how bad a lot of the administration’s policies are that such a conclusion is possible. Nevertheless, it’s not correct

Yet by the end of his essay, Rubin has not persuaded even himself of his own position.

... the mess does result from arrogance, stupidity, ignorance, inexperience, and ideology of those who are making the final decisions.

Of course, it is also true that the ideology guiding these decisions — which is supposedly so wonderful — is objectively quite destructive of U.S. interests. A reader wisely suggests the maxim that there are those who know what they are doing and those who don’t. For those who really understand the ideology they are promoting, it is intended to weaken the U.S. role in the world because they think it has been bad, to end U.S. leadership because they think it has been bullying, and to empower various people in the Third World because they think that they’ve been oppressed and exploited by the United States.

They are thus doing a huge amount of damage and dismantling — hopefully only temporary — much that American diplomats and soldiers have spent decades in building.

Yes, they are doing the best they can. And that’s precisely the problem.

So which is it, Barry? I'm going with the latter.

Gas Coupon! Print and Use!

Found at Extreme Couponing In the Near Future @ AMERICAN DIGEST

Taiwan 2011 Summary

Day 1

[1.1] 出发去台湾

[1.2] 高美溼地

[1.3] 逢甲夜市

[1.4] 旅人行館 [ Rest Place ]

Day 2

[2.5] 旅人行館 Same with day 1 [ Rest Place ]

Day 3

[3.1] 東豐后里鐵馬道

[3.2] 酒乡埔里

[3.3] 纸箱王晚餐

[3.4] 清境歐風小鎮民宿 [ Rest Place ]

Day 4

[4.5] 日租王 [ Rest Place ]

Day 5

[5.6] 台北猪窝 [ Rest Place ]

Day 6

[6.5] 台北猪窝 Same as day 5 [ Rest Place ]

Day 7

[7.1] 台北101

[7.2] 离开台湾

Friday, April 29, 2011

How To Root Acer Iconia Tab A500 On Gingerbread

Acer Iconia Tab A500 that released merely few days ago already gets a root! Thanks to XDA user who utilized ‘Gingerbreak’ app developed by ‘Chainfire’ for achieving the root. The root is simple to get. You need to only figure out a way to transfer the app to your Tab’s memory as the app is not released to Android market.

Here goes our guide for rooting the Acer Iconia Tab A500 on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.
ROOTING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Download Gingerbreak 1.20 for Acer Iconia Tab A500.

2. Somehow move the downloaded app to Acer Iconia Tab A500. There are couple of way for moving the app to the A500 memory. You can push the app using ADB commands http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifprovided you have the ADB setup on your computer.

If you new to ADB stuff, you can install the app by alternate method without ADB. Follow our guide on how to install off-market apps in Android.

3. So once you are done with the Gingerbreak App installation, launch the app.

4. Hit the ‘Root’ button and wait for process to complete.

In few seconds your Acer Iconia Tab A500 will be rooted.

The Best Advice for Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

As a former speechwriter, publisher, and frequent presenter, I understand what drives many people to buy books about public speaking: Fear. I know because I’ve shared it.
I remember times when I walked up on a podium and took my place at the lectern in front of an audience, and suddenly felt dry mouth, sweaty palms, shaking hands, pounding chest, even my voice ringing in my ears. I’d prepared a slick speech, but not my brain for the inevitable shock of taking the stage.
Anxiety about public speaking is most commonly rooted in our past negative memories and experiences, according to Randolph and Kathleen Verderber’s classic text, The Challenge of Effective Speaking. The authors–emeritus management professors and communications scholars–say that typically people will relive those times in their past when they were criticized, admonished or deemed in some way as unworthy of the center stage.
My book shelf contains a couple of books on overcoming fear of public speaking, and they all recommend these strategies:

Practice, practice, practice: You need to desensitize yourself to the panic and fear of failure you associate with public speaking, Practice not only to become more comfortable with your material, but to experience the gamut of emotions that come with speaking. Rehearse in front of friends and family members who will give you constructive feedback. Steve Jobs reportedly has become a world-class presenter through over-practicing. ”Few speakers rehearse more than Steve Jobs,” Carmine Gallo writes in his excellent book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs (McGraw-Hill 2010). ”His preparation time is legendary among those closest to him.” Gallo’s book recounts how Jobs begins preparing weeks in advance, and typically spends two full days rehearsing, asking for feedback, making adjustments, and tightening his flow.
Memorize and make eye contact. Familiarize yourself with the stage or space where you will speak, and commit key points to memory so you can make effective eye contact with your audience. By connecting with your audience when you speak, you will benefit from the feedback of their reactions and you will find your voice. Experts also advise: don’t practice to the point that you are bored or exhausted with the material.
Visualize a Positive Outcome: In Small Message, Big Impact, author Terri L. Sjodin recommends visualizing how you will feel when you’re done with the speech, “on the other side” in that “space of completion, invigoration, and accomplishment.” By visualizing a job well-done, you replace negative self-talk and put the speech in its perspective–as one event among many.
Connect with the Audience: In Harrison Monarth and Larina Kase’s The Confident Speaker, the authors suggest speakers visualize what they have in common with the audience and collect information about your audience–from their jobs to their likely questions. By doing so, you will replace the anxious self-talk in your own mind with a new externally-focused challenge: what are the people like I will be speaking to? If you are speaking in front of an audience that is unfamiliar to you, get an attendee list, learn about a few of the people on the list, even call a person or two who will be in attendance. or ask your host about the group. This process is about easing your preparatory anxiety by presenting your brain with a visual and cognitive challenge–put real people and real faces in those chairs, not executioners.
Rewrite the Negative Script: Write down the negative or fearful thoughts you have about your abilities as a speaker, including criticism you’ve heard in the past. Then note how you felt after previous presentations were over, and how you’ve addressed or changed certain behaviors so that you are thinking more positively. I remember being told that I spent too much time leaning away from the audience during a presentation, and I’ve consciously visualized the satisfaction of correcting that in my next speech.
Remind Yourself, You’re Communicating, Not Performing. If you see your speech as a chance to communicate with a group of people about something important to you, rather than a performance, the experience will feel more familiar. In fact, the audience is far more interested in the substance of what you are presenting, than how theatrical you are in your presentation. Remind yourself of that, jotting down what you consider to be the best aspects of your speeches–in content and style. Monarth and Kase call this creating “positive expectancy”: develop a few words “that exemplify the way you want to feel as you’re talking.”

The experts also agree on these basics, which bear repeating:

Get enough sleep for a few days ahead
Thoroughly check out the technology you’ll be using a day ahead
Lightly exercise a few hours before the presentation
Never, ever drink alcohol before your appearance

How have you managed the butterflies and fears of public speaking?

.

What I hear I forget,
what I see I remember,
what I do I understand.

.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

12 bids received for site at Hillview Avenue

SINGAPORE : The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the tender for a commercial and residential site at Hillview Avenue closed on Thursday with a total of 12 bids.

The highest bid of S$289.77 million came from Tuas Technology Park, while the joint bid by Sing Holdings Limited and Fragrance Group Limited came in second at S$282.21 million.

Sim Lian Land and Sim Lian Development jointly handed in the third highest bid of S$268 million, while the lowest bid was S$175.80 million from Leng Hoe Development.

Colliers International's Director of Research & Advisory, Chia Siew Chuin, attributes the healthy number of bids to the site's proximity to the upcoming Hillview MRT Station and an established private residential area.

She added that it will also enjoy "future potential spill-over benefits" from upcoming land developments along the railway track.

"The highest bid price at S$673 per square foot per plot ratio (ppr) received for the tender of the subject site is generally reflective of the market expectations, where the land price gaps between the top three bids are about 3 to 8 per cent apart," Ms Chia said.

She estimates breakeven for a new project at the site at S$1,100 per square foot.

The 99-year lease site measuring 14,294.3 square metres has a maximum permissible gross floor area of 40,025 square metres.

It was launched for public tender on February 28. URA said the decision on the tender award will be made at a later date after evaluating the bids.

- CNA/ms

[ By Millet Enriquez | Posted: 28 April 2011 2124 hrs ]

Mapletree Commercial Trust debuts on Singapore Exchange

SINGAPORE : This year's second-largest initial public offering (IPO) has a flat showing on its first trading day on Wednesday.

Mapletree Commercial Trust opened a tad higher but soon gave up early gains to end at its IPO offer price of 88 cents.

The real estate investment trust (REIT) is the most actively traded counter in the Singapore Exchange during the session, with some 140 million units changing hands.

The counter rose briefly to 89 cents, and reached a high of 90 cents but the buying sentiment fizzled out causing the stock to end its first trading day at 88 cents.

The REIT had offered about 713 million units to institutional and retail investors during its IPO.

REIT manager Mapletree Commercial Trust Management said the total placement tranche and public offer was about 8.38 times subscribed.

The offering of 712.89 million units consist of a placement tranche of 548 million units for institutional investors, and a public offering of 164.8 million units.

Cornerstone investors, including the AIA Group, Hillsboro Capital, Itochu Corporation and NTUC FairPrice Cooperative, have subscribed to a total of 302 million units.

These are separate from the offer.

Distribution per unit for the first year of the Trust's listing (2011/2012) is 4.97 Singapore cents, and 5.42 Singapore cents in the second year (projection year 2012/2013).

The REIT owns VivoCity and office buildings such as the Bank of America Merrill Lynch HarbourFront and PSA Building.

Part of the S$893 million in IPO proceeds will be used to pay for the acquisition costs of the two office buildings.

The proceeds will also be used to fund loans, issue and debt-related costs and working capital.

The IPO follows the mega US$5.4 billion offering by Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPH) last month, and the S$3.45 billion offering by Global Logistics Properties late October.

The performance of these two other mega IPOs have been dismal.

At press time, HPH closed trading at 7 per cent below its offer price $1.01 and Global Logistics Properties closed two cents below its IPO price of S$1.96.

- CNA/ch

[ By Linette Lim | Posted: 27 April 2011 2131 hrs]

Two words: In. Sane.

The guys behind the camera are lucky to have survived. I'm just saying

YouTube - 4/27/11 - Tuscaloosa Tornado: ""

Barack Obama: “Not Spending Money Is Mortgaging America’s Future” | The Gateway Pundit

Barack Obama: “Not Spending Money Is Mortgaging America’s Future” | The Gateway Pundit

"Wait a minute, I thought a mortgage was borrowing. Now not borrowing is mortgaging? And they wonder why we want to see his college transcripts."

Flash Image GUI Lets You Easily Flash Custom ROMs, Kernel Images

Owning a android device, it’s common to do flashing stuff like ROM installations, Kernel installations, so on and so forth.
A dedicated flashing app is now available for few supported android devices. Developed by XDA member joeykrim, the free android app lets you easily flash image, kernel, or ROMs at ease.

The interface is very simple and there should be no problems in understanding it. The current version of Flash Image GUI only supports few devices including rooted Samsung Intercept, Transform, Moment, Acclaim, HTC Evo and HTC Shift android phones.

Support for more devices will be added as the developer gets more flash image binaries of the new devices. You may support his work or simply grab the latest version of the app from the XDA thread and simplify flashing.

HTC Incredible S In Italy Gets Gingerbread Update

HTC is reportedly started rolling out Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread update for the HTC Incredible S in Italy. By releasing this update,
HTC has not only kept the promise, but also are well ahead of the release schedule. The Gingerbread update for the Incredible S came at a lightening speed, considering that the device was launched just a month ago to the entire world.
If you are one of those lucky ones in Italy, your device will get the update notification shortly.

Is Your Staff Too Nice?

There is a condition afflicting organizations that often goes undiagnosed because it is perceived as benign. The truth, it is corrosive.

I call it the “disease of nice.”

To those of you more accustomed to working in offices where people are more often thrusting daggers than smiles, the very mention of too much niceness might seem laughable. A bad joke. It’s not. When I say “niceness,” I don’t mean politeness. Niceness in an organizational setting is the avoidance of conflict.

Note I said “avoidance,” not absence.

Dag Hammarskjold, one-time head of the United Nations, got to the heart of why niceness is a problem when he said, “It is easy to be nice, even to an enemy — from lack of character.” In other words, those who act nice lack backbone; they are either pretending not to care or really don’t care about the issues or worse the organization for which they work. Both are unhealthy.

While non-confrontation may seem more desirable – and it is on an interpersonal level – when it becomes part of the culture, it can wreak havoc. Case in point is General Motors. For a generation at least, its senior management avoided addressing the key problems facing the company – high fixed costs in manufacturing and a bloated distribution system (too many brands for too few customers). Both issues would have involved tackling labor costs and dealer relations; failure to address either sank the company into bankruptcy.

How do you know if your company has fallen into the too-much-niceness syndrome? Here are some tip offs.

People say, “Oh wonderful.” A lot. We all like to get a pat on the back but when affirmation is constant, then you know it is nothing more than “happy talk.” Utterly meaningless.

In meetings, people say, “Hmmm.“ That means the other person does not really like what you have to say or do, but is reluctant to voice his doubts or opposition.

“Yeah, okay,” is common feedback. We all want to hear that people like our work. But when all you get is fine, fine, fine, then it means that no one is really thinking about what you have to say.

Colleagues frequently say, “No matter!” This may be the worst symptom of all – apathy. When employees cease to care, then the team is in trouble. They are tuned out and are only along for the ride until they can find something better to do.

Conflict has a positive role to play in every company. Very often it is referred to as “creative tension,” that is the jostling over issues that are vital to the future of the organization. Once upon a time an executive said that if you have two direct reports who always agree with you, you do not need both of them. While not wholly true, the adage underscores the point that bosses may be served best when their subordinates feel they can debate the issues with them.

Failure to address conflicts creates a non-confrontational culture that is complacent. And in today’s world complacency is a recipe for slow decay. Organizations thrive when its members feel they can voice their ideas even when those suggestions may be contrary to the way others think. You don’t want employees throwing stones, but you do want them to have a pebble or two they can hurl when the status quo needs breaking.

Have you ever worked in an organization with too much “niceness”? Would you add any other red flags to my list?

Getting a Good Start to a New Job

A Simple Plan to Turn Meeting Blah-Blah into Effective Action

If something is important enough to meet about, don’t waste that time by not following through.

Here are four steps you can take to ensure your meetings come to a productive close and result in effective action. Don’t overthink this stuff. The list is simple because the solution is simple.

Create an action plan. The plan should include key decisions made, next steps, who is responsible for each step, and due dates. Keep it to a page or less.
Send quickly. Get it in the e-mail to meeting participants within 24 hours after the meeting, to ensure momentum is not dissipated.
Follow up. As deadlines approach, send reminders to make sure people are on track.
Report back. Once all the tasks have been accomplished, inform the group and outline next steps, if any.

Make these steps a part of every meeting you run and you will never again be accused of wasting people’s time.

For more on effective meeting management, HBR.org sells a Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter.

How do you ensure that meetings end in effective actions?

Related Reading

The 7 Dirty Tricks That Bosses Play (and How to Cope)

This post is based on an ancient, dog-eared, xeroxed document that I recently discovered in the bottom drawer of the desk of a middle manager who died of a sudden ailment.

That document, which had clearly been passed from hand to hand for decades, contained seven secret ways to get employees to do what they’d rather not do, without the hassle of paying them more.

The document was stamped — in red letters — with the words “DO NOT REPRODUCE” and “FOR MANAGEMENT EYES ONLY.” Even so, I have decided, at vast risk to my career and life, to post its contents for all to see.

Fortunately, the document also contained (in the form of warnings to the boss) advice on how a smart employee can overcome the trick and even play it to advantage. So get ready to have your eyes opened, and learn how to make sure your boss doesn’t play you like a used accordion.

Method #1: The Development Opportunity

The Problem: You need an employee to take on an unpleasant assignment that he would normally avoid like the proverbial plague.
The Solution: Turn the onerous task into a “development opportunity.” It’s easy! Explain that doing the awful job will increase the employee’s value to the company and enhance long term career prospects. Paint a rosy picture of how impressive the project will look on the employee’s record and resume.
Helpful Hint: If you position the donkey-work effectively, the employee may actually feel grateful towards you… an emotion that you can later use to extract further concessions!
WARNING: If the employee in question is savvy, he’ll be suspicious the moment use the term “development opportunity.” He’ll ignore your blandishments and look at the intended work with a jaundiced eye and refuse to do it. If you force him, though, get ready for trouble, because he’ll insist that he can only pursue the “development opportunity” at the expense of other projects that are just as (or more) important. If this happens, you’re probably better off letting the employee off the hook and assigning the “opportunity” elsewhere.

Method #2: The Sacrificial Lamb

The Problem: You’ve got an important meeting where you want to float a controversial idea, but don’t want to get shot down by your peers or your own management.
The Solution: Find an employee who is ambitious but a bit insecure. Ask her to present at the big meeting, positioning it as way for her to “gain some visibility” with upper management. Help her prepare her slides, and neatly insert the controversial proposal so that it looks as if it is her idea. In fact, convince her to “own” the idea. Then, if the excrement hits the fan, the odium gets blown on her, not on you.
Helpful Hint: If the lamb gets shot down, act surprised that she presented such nonsense and apologetic for bringing her to the meeting. However, if by chance the proposal gets kudos rather than brickbats, immediately insert yourself into the presentation and make it clear that it was your idea all along.
WARNING: A smart employee may accept the invitation, but will refuse to be sacrificed. Instead, she’ll establish that YOU are the source of the controversial proposal and insist that YOU answer any questions about it. What’s worse, your top management will probably “get” what just happened… and consider your employee to be clever and savvy for not letting herself be sacrificed.

Method #3: The Rock Fetch

The Problem: Your employee is pressuring you to make a decision that you don’t want to make. For example, an employee has a pet project which, if approved, might raise his visibility to the point where it threatens your own. But if you don’t approve it, the employee may get pissed off and try to leave his job.
The Solution: Explain that you definitely plan on making a decision shortly, but before you do, you need some “additional information”, preferably something that will take a long time to gather. When the employee finally brings the requested data, ask for more informaiton, or for buy-in from somebody off-site, or for a detailed analysis, or whatever…
Helpful Hint: Pour on the praise every time something is correctly fetched. Think of the employee as a being like a dog who runs off and fetches things and then returns, panting, for a nice pat on the head.
WARNING: An employee who’s wise to this ploy will be aware, from the start, that a decision isn’t going to be made, no matter how many rocks he fetches. He’ll try to bring matters to a head by insisting that he needs a decision now, and that, if a decision can’t be made right now, he’ll assume it’s “no.” Then you’re stuck, because he’s forcing the decision that you’d rather not make.

Method #4: Promising the Moon

The Problem: You’ve got a valuable employee that you’re afraid of losing, but can’t pay what she’s worth. What’s worse, she knowsshe’s a valuable employee (uh oh!) and is beginning to see the disparity between the value she provides and the reward she gets.
The Solution: Management is all about having a vision, right? So you need to create a vision in that employee’s mind of a future where she’ll get all the wonderful things she deserves.
Helpful Hint: Your vision must be free of actual commitments, details, and timelines, but short of that, feel free to make whatever vague, wonderful-sounding promises you think will keep her happily working away for the peanuts you’re paying her.
WARNING: A perceptive employee will try to pin you down on details. When you make vague promises of a bigger salary, for example, she’ll want to know exactly how much and when her salary will change. If you say that you can’t make specific commitments, she’ll realize that unless you’re willing to talk specifics, nothing is going to change. In that case, she’ll probably start making future career plans based on the (entirely true) assumption that you were just making it all up anyway. Which you were, of course.

Method #5: The Boogie Man

The Problem: You understandably want your employees to work longer hours for less pay. However, you’re afraid they might leave for another job if you ask them to do so.
The Solution: Keep them in a state of constant fear. Distribute any and all articles you can find about high unemployment and the bad economy. At every employee meeting hint at the possibility of a layoff… by denying that a layoff is imminent! (It works!) Purchase a copy of “The Black Book of Outsourcing” and leave it on your desk where your employees will notice it.
Helpful Hint: Long term, be sure to support political candidates that are against universal healthcare, because God knows the last thing you want is for your employees to have health insurance if they dare to leave your company.
WARNING: Intelligent employees will figure out right away that you’re simply trying to amp up the level of unreasoning fear. Worst case, they may start to wonder why you’re attempting to manipulate them in this way. After all, why else would you bother, if things were really as bad as all that? Chances are they’ll start networking to find a new job. Of course, the rest of the dunderheads will remain quaking in their office chairs.

Method #6: The Professionalism Ploy

The Problem: You need employees to work 50 or 60 hours a week but you only want to pay them for 40 hours a week.
The Solution: Convince your employees that they’re “professionals” and therefore are expected to put in long hours. Even if they’re doing rote office work, or your customers are paying by the hour for their services, make certain that employees think that they’re like lawyers or doctors, rather than workers who’d probably be much better off if they formed a labor union and demanded paid overtime. Think of it this way: getting your employees to work an extra 20 hours a week is like increasing your staff by 50%… without costing you a thin dime!
Helpful Hint: Always position the demands for unpaid overtime in the context of a “competitive threat”. Makes sure they know that the extra hours are “standard practice” in your industry, as if that somehow makes it OK to steal time from people’s lives and turn it into profit margin.
WARNING: Some employees know enough about the world to realize that, unless you’re a doctor or a lawyer who owns his own practice, you ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL. They realize that they’re being paid to do a job, and that their actual salary is the money they make, divided by the hours they spend to make it. They will feel that, since you are insisting on unpaid overtime, they have the right to reclaim some portion of their personal lives. They’ll make personal calls at work; take long lunches, etc., because, frankly, they feel you owe it to them. Which, of course, you do.

Method #7: The Tied Hands

The Problem: You have to power to give your employee something that she wants, but would prefer not to give it to her. Example: he wants and deserves a big raise, but you’d rather keep the bulk of the yearly salary increase for yourself, or for somebody you like better that the employee in question.
The Solution: Pretend that your hands are tied. Cite vague, unknown forces (e.g. “our salary guidelines for this year”) that prevent you from doing what you’d “really love to do if you could.” If that doesn’t work, cite your own boss as the “bad cop” who won’t play along. (e.g. “Bill says we have to tighten our belts this year and I can’t possibly confront him without possibly using my job.”)
Helpful Hint: Be as vague as possible, because (after all), it’s hard to pin jello to the wall.
WARNING: Even if you’re vague, your employee, if he’s smart, will demand the truth, in the guise of wanting to understand the situation more clearly. He’ll ask to see the salary guidelines in writing, for instance. Or he’ll ask exactly what the big boss said to you. Or he’ll demand to speak to the HR group. Or whatever. If that happens, you may end up truly helpless… when it comes to stopping him from getting his way.