Australia Daylight Saving ends 6 Apr 2008. Are your laptops, mobile phones and PCs ready for daylight saving changes?
Daylight saving ends on 6 April in NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS and SA, a week later than in previous years. It recommences on 5 October 2008.
All Windows Mobile, desktop and server systems need to be updated by 30 March to reflect these new dates and future events such as Outlook calendar entries and scheduled tasks need to be checked after updates are applied. Windows Mobile devices will require an update to ensure they continue to operate correctly.
News.com reported (”Apple pushes Safari on Windows via iTunes updater“) Apple’s sneaky attempt to increase it’s Safari web browser Windows install base. It accomplished this by adding Safari as as a default component of the iTunes software update.
(Apple)
I think it is would be reasonable for Apple to offer an update for people with Safari installed. However to try and install unrelated software as a blatant abuse of the customer’s trust and lack of respect for the customers.
Following last year’s Manly Ocean Swim attempt, I took part in the 2008 Balmoral Swim for Cancer and achieved an improved timing - 24:40. I’m started to look beyond half marathon and beginning to pick up swimming. Ocean/ open sea swim is a new challenge to me and I want to get better at it while I am still able to do so.
Balmoral swim is a 1km sea swim situated at Balmoral beach. It is a great event to get started with open sea swim because the water there is generally calm as it is protected by the harbour and the several inlands. It is a small community, very family event situated on the lower north shore which makes it easy for me to get there compared to Manly, or the eastern suburbs beaches. Mums, dads, nippers and even grandparents took in the swim which I thought was very admirable. A great day out, indeed.
Following the 2007 Singapore Day in NYC success, the Overseas Singaporean Unit is organising this year’s Singapore Day in Melbourne (Sidney Myer Music Bowl) on 4 Oct 08.
Based on last year’s news article and this personal blog post narration (Part 1 and 2), it looks like a fun free day all of all Singaporean food, news, Gah-men people, fun and quirks. Check out http://www.singaporeday.sg/ for more information and to register for updates.
I wonder if the Melbourne event would have getai singing too? I bet the ang moh will love it
A report by the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (University of Canberra) has shown that income has failed to match the pace of growing house prices, which jumped 400 per cent between 1986 and 2007 while income increased just 120 per cent.
According to the report “Wherever I lay my debt, that’s my home” (pdf), Australian households needed 7.5 times their annual disposable income to buy a typical house in 2006, up 53 per cent from 1996 when households needed five times annual disposable income. The report key findings include the following startling facts:
Australia has one of the least affordable housing market
Out of all English speaking industrialised countries, Australia has one of the least affordable housing markets, with nearly 90 per cent of areas surveyed considered severely unaffordable.Western Australia’s Mandurah is one of the most unaffordable places surveyed, ranked sixth, behind centres such as Los Angeles and San Diego. Gold Coast and Sydney are both ranked 11th.
“Quite extraordinarily, it’s actually more expensive now to live in Sydney than in New York, relative to income.” — Professor Ann Harding
Home ownership drops across all ages
Over the past decade outright home ownership dropped from 42.9 per cent to 34.3 per cent. The most dramatic home ownership decline occurred for those aged 45-59.
Housing stress highest for Gen Y
In 2006, Gen Y (15-29 years) households had the highest levels of housing stress at 35.3 per cent, while 31.8 per cent of Gen X (30-44 years) households were in housing stress compared to just 18.8 per cent of baby boomers (45-59 years) and 9.5 per cent of builders (over 60 years).
The lion approached a fox, and suggested that they form a partnership for the purpose of hunting deer.
The lion explained that each had particular talents that would lend themselves to such a partnership. The fox was wily, swift of foot and could trick the deer into the open. This way he could direct the deer to where the lion lay in wait to complete the kill.
After some discussion, the fox agreed to enter into a partnership with the lion.
All went as planned and a deer was killed, but when the fox tried to share in the kill, the lion challenged him. He stood by, helplessly, and watched the lion devour the entire carcass.
Afterward, he asked the lion why he had only left him a few scraps. The lion replied, “All I took was the lion’s share.“
Last week, Project GAPc, an initiative by the South West Community Development Council (a Singapore grassroot group) delivered a hundred brand new PCs to low-income familiars at the cost of S$80 (USD $5 and three years of broadband connection for free.
The aim of the project is to help low-income families with school-going children bridge the digital divide. It also involved the local technical college to give training to these families. Besides helping participants learn the different parts and functions of a PC, organisers also hope the experience will help them break through the psychological barriers associated with information technology.
Apple has released a software patch for the MacBook Air, hoping to fix overheating issues that have plagued the super-thin laptop since launch.
The update “fine tunes the speed and operation of the internal fan”, Apple said, but some users have found the fix useless.
It follows user reports that the under-performing fan caused the MacBook Air to overheat and eventually lockup, leaving the machine intermittently unresponsive. Countries with warmer climates, such as Australia, appear to compound the problem. Continue reading the article “Apple fans burned by hot Airs” (SMH)
BERNO: I’m honestly surprised that the heat dispersion issue for MacBook Air was not properly addressed before mass manufacturing. I wonder if the Straits Times came across reports similiar issues in Singapore.
The Overseas Singaporean Unit organises a distinguished business leaders series around the world and the next event is in Sydney - 14 Mar 2008.
The guest speaker is Mr Alan Chan, who wears multiple hats in the Singapore commercial sector as CEO of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Board Member of Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Power (SP). Mr Chan will talk about SPH’s transformation from a print to multimedia company, URA development plans for Singapore and SP’s business plans for Australia and Singapore.
(Apple)
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and three years of broadband connection for free.
