Monthly Archives: September 2010
Business essentials
- Understand & control your costs and your market, both will evolve and so must you.
- Avoid ambiguity in communications, misunderstandings will hurt you.
- Hire the right people, use them efficiently, reward them appropriately.
- Control quality or it will control you.
- Work hard, play hard, rest hard. Forget any of these at your peril
Android OS upgrades and 18 month mobile phone contracts
Mobile network operators increasingly try to lock thier subscribers into 18 or even 24 month contracts. Why?
Is it that in order to subsidise the cost of expensive mobile phones they need longer contracts to avoid a loss? Is it that with the increasing number of attractive offers the networks are scared of customers being poached to other networks
Regardless of the reason, when I purchase a subsidised android device and am locked to a contract for 18 months then I expect during the lifetime of contract when possible that my mobile device will be upgraded new versions of android where practical. I am purchasing a service from the mobile operator and personally I believe that software upgrades SHOULD be a key aspect of that service.
What price should one place on having the latest software, and more importantly, what long-term cost to mobile operators that do not provide such upgrades.
Facebook phone seems unlikely
It makes no sense for Facebook to create their own phone.
Design improvements for Samsung Tab v2
- I do not understand why tablets have to have almost an inch of margin padding around the screen. Get rid of that and it will fit in my pocket without making the screen smaller.
- Why only have 2 stereo speakers on one side of the unit? When held landscape for watching movies they are both on the right.
That is not stereo… it would be far better to have a speaker at each corner ( ie 4 of them ) and have the OS use the device orientation to decide which speakers to use for left and right. - On a phone that is tablet size its a shame they could not include a jack for a wired headset to use when one’s blue-tooth headset runs out of juice.
- One would think by now the usb standard bodies would come up with a standard usb connector that could be used for quick/hot dock/undock without each manufacturer inventing their own custom dock plug.
Nigeria 419 Scammers must have a sense of humour
I know that the email below is a 419 scam designed to steal money but still it made me laugh when I read it.
UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF INTERNAL OVERSIGHT SERVICES
Internal Audit ||Monitoring || Consulting and Investigations Division
From: Mr. Kim Hak-SuSir/Ma,
My names is Mr. Kim Hak-Su Under-Secretary General with the United Nations. I write to inform you that I came to Nigeria yesterday from America, after series of complains from the FBI and petitions against the Federal Government of Nigeria and the British Government for the rate of scam activities going on in these two nations the UN under my capacity mandated that I come for a first hand investigation and rule out possible solution to the problem. Mrs.Inga-Britt Ahlenius has gone back and by this weekend I will go back to London too which the payment will stop this Friday.From all indication, after due investigation as regards to this very matter, it came to the attention of the minister, federal ministry of finance and the accountant general of the federation that there is no cent existing on your favor as one of the legitimate beneficiary of the contract/inheritance amount you are struggling all this while to claim, but due to the dubious interest of some top officials they short listed your name as one of the approved beneficiaries that have not been paid, well my dear, I want you to understand that your name is not short listed in any contractual/inheritance payment and you are not going to receive any money as regards to this subject, it all forged in order to extort
money from you by some officials that derive joy from doing so.Meanwhile, I have good news for you, the only place your name appeared as one of the legal beneficiary of any money in our list which bears your name, is as one of the scam affected persons to be compensated with the total sum of Eight Hundred Thousand United State Dollars (US$ 800,000.00 ) which incidentally came as a result of your involvement in dealing with some people that claims to have some huge amount of money for you which I must say is a very big lie. I have met with President GoodLuck Jonathan of Nigeria who claimed that he has been trying his best to make sure you receive your fund in your account. This is part of the resolution that was deliberated on when he visited America to see President Barrack Obama shortly before he took over still as the vice on 10th of April 2010, and immediately he took over the presidential position on May 6th 2010 he repeated the visit.
The UN secretary general Mr. Ban Ki-Moon has directed that we work in collaborations with the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission and have decided to waive away all clearance fees/Charges and authorize the Government of Nigeria to effect payments without prejudice to affected victims with Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars each with immediate effect. The only fee you will pay in other for you to receive your fund is the UN Notarization fee, after which the “UN Bill of Right” certificate will be issued to you that will supersede any injunction whatsoever.
Sincerely, you are a lucky person because I have just discovered that some top Nigerian officials like Professor Charles, Dr. Adams just to mention but this few and some British Government Officials are interested in your fund and they are working in collaboration with some faceless individuals to frustrate you and thereafter divert your fund into their personal account. I have a very limited time to stay here so I would like you to urgently respond to this message so that I can advise you on how best you can receive your fund within the shortest possible time without spending unnecessarily.
Sincerely yours,
Mr. Kim Hak-Su
United Nations Under-Secretary
General for Internal Oversight.
Burning books.
Burning anything is disrespectful whether it is draft papers, flags, korans or people. It always reflects more on the person doing the burning than it ever does on what is being burned. Equally arguing that is ok to offend provided those people will not retaliate is also disrespectful.