The Rugged Cat B100

Caterpillar are known for their rugged machinery – and now they have rolled out an equally rugged new phone said to be drop proof and waterproof and built to stand knocks, scratches and dust. In other words, the Cat B100 handset has been designed to ‘withstand the rigors of the real world'. 

Their makers claim it can work in temperatures of between -25°C and 55°C and survive a 1.8 meter drop. It can also be submerged in up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes, has a talk-time of up to 10 hours and can be on standby for up to 23 days using a single charge. Better still, it was built to be used in noisy environments because it has a noise cancelling microphone and a high-quality loudspeaker. 

Unlike the latest generation of thin touchscreen smartphones, the Cat handset (dimensions: 12.3 cm x 5.6 cm x 1.8 cm, display: 2.2 inches, memory: 128 MB /64 MB,camera: 3MP with 4x zoom and weight: 136 g) has large buttons so that people can use it even when wearing gloves. 

“The Cat B100 is a practical and tough mobile phone, designed for people who demand ultimate reliability”, said Dave Floyd, Co-CEO of Bullitt Mobile, which licenses CAT phones. 

“Its rugged features, long battery life and talk time make the B100 an ideal choice for tough conditions”. He added: “This is a phone that won’t let you down”. 

The handset has gone on show at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA. The handset comes with a screen protector and belt clip, as well as a charger and will be available in Europe, yet pricing and availability has yet to be announced. 

I was at KL Sentral (again) today to attend the SPAD Toastmasters meeting. I was there to be a speech evaluator for the hard-working VP Education Priyadarshini Thillainathan and she acquitted herself well. 

Generally speaking, it was a good meeting but the General Evaluator was very tight-lipped and he did not really help to add value to the said meeting – SPAD Toastmasters must not stay fenced in. 

I fear the members are settling into their own comfort zones and seem contented. I hope they don’t get into the routine of delivering speeches and evaluations that are unremarkable – they must challenge themselves if they wish to improve and grow! I would give this meeting a score of a 5 over 10. 

Yasmin Ahmad Doodle

 



The Google doodle – The Malaysian Insider, January 07, 2014

Search engine Google today paid tribute to renowned Malaysian film director, writer and scriptwriter, the late Yasmin Ahmad, with a doodle on its homepage logo to commemorate her birthday and achievements. 

In a statement, public relations officer Rene Leow said Google had chosen today to commemorate Yasmin, who had sought to bring together Malaysians of every gender, ethnicity and persuasion through her work. Google doodles have been produced to celebrate international holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of noted artists and scientists. 

A special team of doodlers at Google design the doodles based on the suggestions of Googlers and its users. It is visible to users who visit the www.google.com website. 

Yasmin, who died in 2009, produced many commercials and films, which were well known for their humor, heartwarming message and love which cut across cultural barriers. Her commercials for national oil giant Petronas for the festive seasons, were eagerly awaited and talked about and they won multiple awards both locally and internationally. She also directed award-winning movies such as Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin, Muallaf and Talentime 

Although it has been four-and-a-half years since her death, Yasmin's work still touches Malaysian hearts and she is still fondly remembered. Thank you Yasmin! 

I was at Puchong’s Bandar Puteri yesterday to take on the role of General Evaluator for the Puchong English Toastmasters meeting. The meeting room was overflowing with members and guests and when you have that, you know you can expect a rousing meeting. That is so true and I had a really good time. Moreover, the meeting kept to time and I can readily confess that generally-speaking, the quality of the meeting was above-average. Surely, the club deserves a score of an 8 over 10 insofar as this meeting is concerned. 

Oh yes, I forgot to mention there was a contingent of Sunway University Toastmasters who came to the meeting as well.

Tartan Turn On

On January 01, 2014, stage and screen legend Julie Andrews hosted the celebrated annual New Year’s do with the Vienna Philharmonic, under the direction of Daniel Barenboim from Vienna’s Musikverein. The venerable concert is the largest worldwide event in classical music reaching millions of people annually through radio and television in over 80 countries.

Alongside waltzes, polkas and marches from the Strauss family and their contemporaries as well as specially filmed performances by the Vienna State Ballet, choreographed by Ashley Page and even better, with costumes designed by Vivienne Westwood – the British designer, who is best known for her punk-inspired fashions.

Examples of her signature piece  are shown below and I love them because the outfits possess a certain charm that is appealing, attractive and alluring! ‘Tartan that is a turn on’ is how I would describe the Vienna State Ballet dancers who were decked in tartan kilts and plaid leg warmers.

Image credit: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/ballet-punk-vivienne-westwood-article-1.1559448

Contrary to popular belief, you are never too old to have a career! And I am not talking about those of you who work for the money but rather you work because you enjoy it.

Actress Kim Basinger (left) showed the way when she signed a modeling deal at the ripe young age of 60! She was snapped up by IMG Models and joins her 18-year-old daughter, Ireland Baldwin on the established agency’s books. Isn’t that just amazing?

Kim’s not new to modeling. She was a model before she went into acting. In case you didn’t know, movies she had starred in include Never Say Never Again (1983), Batman (1989), The Getaway (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), 8 Mile (2002) and While She Was Out (2008).

A Dog of a Story

A story has gone viral that North Korea’s (Dr) Kim Jong Un did not have his uncle executed by a firing squad, as is typical. 

Rather disgraced Jang Song Thaek was stripped naked, thrown in a cage and mauled by a ravenous pack of 120 hunting dogs that had been starved for five days. And Kim and 300 officials reportedly watched the blood-soaked hour-long production. 

North Korean soldiers with military dogs take part in drills in an unknown location, on April 06, 2013. Photo: KCNA/Reuters

The hearsay(?) started when a Beijing-linked Hong Kong newspaper, the Wen Wei Po – supposedly close to the North Korean leadership – ran the story and this was then picked up by Singapore’s The Straits Times on December 24, 2013 before it found its way to the Western media. 

Of course, there is no way to confirm the gruesome details of the super-villain-style execution – but it reads like a grisly script for a B-grade horror movie! 

Whether it is true or not, I don’t think it matters. If you have to die by someone’s hands, you don’t have much of a choice in terms of deciding how you wish to die! But we know that living conditions in North Korea caused untold suffering – even words like ‘grim’ and ‘harsh’ cannot begin to adequately describe life there. In that type of environment, perhaps dying would seem preferable to living. 

Celtic fired in four goals during an impressive second-half performance to dismantle St Mirren and extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership (to 14 points). Charlie Mulgrew poked home the opener in the 53rd minute and this was followed by Anthony Stokes' inch-perfect shot five minutes later. Kris Commons headed in the third in the 69th minute and blasted home the fourth two minutes later from close-range.

Fruity Flavors and Fireworks

Reuters pic 

AFP Photo /Leon Neal 

A feast of fruity flavors including peach snow, edible banana confetti and orange-scented bubbles descended on revelers at London's New Year's Eve celebrations. 

They experienced what is billed as the world’s first multi-sensory fireworks display as Vodafone, in partnership with the Mayor of London, created a magical display on the banks of the River Thames that allowed partygoers to taste and smell, as well as see and hear. The midnight pyrotechnics itself was an eleven minute spectacular showcasing twelve thousand fireworks that sent 50,000 projectiles into the night sky.

Where else but London can you get a wonderful show as this?

This morning, I attended the MIMKL Toastmasters meeting, where I again delivered my twelfth round CC speech titled “Helping Me, Helping You”. And I was again voted Best Assignment Speaker – and given the dearth of quality speeches, this is not surprising.

But I am rather disappointed with this meeting – as a club, we have become tired, lazy and indifferent! We didn’t start on time and we didn’t finish on time either. There were insufficient chairs for members and guests. And one member delivered an Advanced speech that was clearly off-the-mark as far as its objectives go and the accompanying evaluation was no better. (I hope it is not the case of Toastmasters who cannot read in English or if they can, they don’t pay any attention to reading their manuals before they undertake to do their speeches and evaluations). 

The President and VP of Education must buck up before MIMKL becomes just another club afflicted by middling mediocrity. I am saddened by this state of affairs. This meeting earned a score of 1 over 10. 

HELP Doctorate Recipient Executes Uncle

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) with his uncle, Jang Song Thaek. Image credit: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/northkorean-leader-kim-jong-un-sacks-powerful-uncle-and-has-his-aides-executed-8980437.html

 










Jang Song-Thaek, the uncle of its leader Kim Jong-un, is escorted into court on December 12, 2013. YONHAPYONHAP/AFP/Getty Images

The world heard about North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s execution of his uncle Jang Song-Thaek last month. It was startling if not shocking because the ousted Jang was considered instrumental in Kim's rise to power in December 2011 and, until very recently, was regarded as the second-most powerful figure in North Korea.

 

But the young leader turned his back on his uncle in spectacular fashion by having him shot before a firing squad on charges he tried to overthrow the government.

 

With his dispatch, Kim may have removed the only man who may have posed any real threat to him.

 

The death of Jang, who was married to Kim's paternal aunt Kyong Hui – she is a daughter of founding leader and “eternal President” Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994 – was announced in an unusually public declaration by the reclusive regime. Purges and executions of senior officials are believed to have taken place under the country's previous leaders, Kim's father and grandfather, but without the public trumpeting.

 

North Korean state media attacked Jang's character and detailed an extensive list of his alleged crimes, describing him as "despicable human scum."

 

Anyway, Kim’s New Year’s address on Wednesday praised Jang’s removal.

 

"As our Party detected and purged the anti-Party, counterrevolutionary factionalists at an opportune time and with a correct decision, the Party and revolutionary ranks were further consolidated and our single-hearted unity was solidified to the maximum," Kim said, according to the text of the speech carried by North Korean state media.

 

Oops, I forgot to refer to him as (Dr) Kim Jong-Un! Hmmm, I wonder if there is an enormous portrait of Kim at HELP University!

"Freeze 'Em All"

Image credit: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/metallica-20110426

On December 08, 2013, metal titans Metallica partnering with Coca Coca Zero, performed a little show to a little crowd inside a dome on the heliport at the Carlini Argentine Base. In Antarctica.

 

[December is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so Metallica is playing during the warmest time of the year].

Image credit: http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-plays-the-most-unique-show-in-antarctica-first-photos-posted-online/

And this mini-concert featured 10 songs and solidified them as the only band to play all seven continents! Fans listened to the show not through amps but "via headphones with no amplification".

 

Now the whole show has been posted online, and you can watch it here.

This is said of Metallica’s music: “When a person gets rocking to their music, everything else disappears, and that person is just one with the rock. It is an inexplicable, awesome thing”.

 

The only other concert to take place in Antarctica was Live Earth, which held festivals on all seven continents in 2007. Only one band played – a group of environmental scientists called Nunatak. The head count for their audience was just 17.

Here Comes 2014!

And here’s a good song to usher in the New Year!

Dina Carroll recorded her version of "The Perfect Year" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" in 1993. I believe it is the perfect song for the perfect year, i.e. 2014! That's what I am hoping for anyway! 

More importantly, “Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” 

In respect to my 2013 resolutions, again, I fell short. I could only achieve two out of six. Oh well, I will just have to try, try and try again! I really do want to stay positive about this business of New Year resolutions. 

My 2014 wish list: 

1.   Work hard to be happy. 

2.   Start my PhD 

3.   Self-publish an anthology of short stories 

4. Make it to the District-level (i.e. National-level) Toastmasters Contests 

5. Complete the eighteenth round of the Toastmasters’ Competent Communication manual 

Terry Tempest Williams said it very well: “This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek.” 

And Scotland beckons.