whatchamacallit

I’ve been using SwiftKey as my default input method for...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:36:53 +0800

I’ve been using SwiftKey as my default input method for some time now on my Android Nexus S. SwiftKey 3 was recently released and according to their homepage it “learns the words and phrases you use” and ”predicts your next words.” Time for a fun experiment.

This is what happens when I just use the primary prediction SwiftKey offers (in this photo, the next prediction is soon). They start with, what I presume to be, a generic happy sentence followed by what seems to be an advertisement which becomes gibberish. And then it repeats.

For researchers like myself who use Google Scholar almost...

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:27:45 +0800

For researchers like myself who use Google Scholar almost everyday, the new modern look has an awesome quote at the bottom of their front page. Why is it so awesome? Well, they’ve answered what it means on their Help page.

Why are you asking us to “Stand on the shoulders of giants”? Are you really giants?

Not even close. That phrase is our acknowledgement that much of scholarly research involves building on what others have already discovered. It’s taken from Sir Isaac Newton’s famous quote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

“All Dogs Descended From Daschunds” - Designer Aaron...

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:03:49 +0800

“All Dogs Descended From Daschunds” - Designer Aaron Draplin at @Portland_CM

"I’m fascinated by the discussion of how Jobs developed what became known as the Reality..."

Wed, 02 May 2012 21:00:46 +0800

“I’m fascinated by the discussion of how Jobs developed what became known as the Reality Distortion Field. Apparently Jobs had a lifelong battle with reality and won.”

- Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert.

"As a scientist and educator, my goal, then, is not to become President and lead a dysfunctional..."

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:46:36 +0800

“As a scientist and educator, my goal, then, is not to become President and lead a dysfunctional electorate, but to enlighten the electorate so they might choose the right leaders in the first place.”

- My man, Neil deGrasse Tyson, on what he would do if he were President

"Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold..."

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:31:00 +0800

“Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You didn’t place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible.”

- Jamie Raskin, as a law professor testifying to the Maryland State Senate in 2006. He then ran for Senate, and in 2012 cast one of deciding votes for marriage equality in Maryland.

"The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot..."

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:25:45 +0800

“The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

- Alvin Toffler

"You don’t come to my show and fight, you come to my show and fucking dance."

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:14:50 +0800

“You don’t come to my show and fight, you come to my show and fucking dance.”

- Dave Grohl kicking a fan out of a Foo Fighters gig for fighting

So how much news does a country as big as Singapore...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:42:35 +0800

So how much news does a country as big as Singapore need?

Today’s Saturday Edition of The Straits Times is massive. At a price of SGD 1 (~INR 40), the island country’s primary print news source needs a whopping 236 pages to fit all the content. In order, the various sections are The Straits Times (46 pages), Special Report (14 pages), Life (26 pages), Recruit (40 pages), Classifieds (64 pages), Home (24 pages), and World Sport (22 pages).

Note that this is the weekly Saturday edition, and weekday editions are smaller (still over a 100 pages each).

"Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean that I don’t understand."

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:10:03 +0800

“Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean that I don’t understand.”

- Homer J. Simpson

The BEST Christmas gift EVER. A retweet from Lamb of God!

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:48:54 +0800

The BEST Christmas gift EVER. A retweet from Lamb of God!

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been..."

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:22:15 +0800

“In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”

- Douglas Adams

"He is a second Dirac, only this time human."

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:48:54 +0800

“He is a second Dirac, only this time human.”

- Robert Oppenheimer in his letter recommending Richard Feynman to the Physics Department at Berkeley.

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to..."

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:35:30 +0800

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

- John Lennon

Ra.One Is Like Tron With Dance Numbers and Crotch Punches

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:51:00 +0800

Ra.One Is Like Tron With Dance Numbers and Crotch Punches:

Hilarious review of the movie Ra.One by Wired.com (via @a85)

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 22:09:19 +0800

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me.

Asher, Sukarno and Fahmy left the Lovotics team today....

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:55:15 +0800

Asher, Sukarno and Fahmy left the Lovotics team today. I’ll miss you guys.

After reading Delivering Happiness, I thought Zappos had awesome...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:49:35 +0800

After reading Delivering Happiness, I thought Zappos had awesome core values but then I found this. Stanford’s d.school manifesto fits on a napkin.

The Calypso Bar in Bintan, Indonesia (also known as randonesia...

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:38:36 +0800

Calypso Bar, Bintan, Indonesia

Sunset at Calypso

The Calypso Bar in Bintan, Indonesia (also known as randonesia for Lamb of God fans) is literally in the middle of the ocean. The bar is built on wooden stilts and extends into the ocean. Go there just before sunset, order a drink and listen to the ocean.

Photos taken with an iPhone 3G. Seriously. I’m not kidding.

"It’s times like these you learn to live again, It’s times like these you give and give..."

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:06:24 +0800

“It’s times like these you learn to live again,
It’s times like these you give and give again,
It’s times like these you learn to love again,
It’s times like these time and time again”

- Foo Fighters