We are all members of the human race on a pale blue dot
We are aware of a recent video that is making its rounds where a Singaporean of Chinese ethnicity is seen
Category: Singapore
All about living a life one degree north.
An interesting justification for use of TT data – the case for a Digital Bill of Rights.
[image from https://www.searchquotes.com/quotes/about/Broken_Trust/%5D I was pointed to an opinion piece in a local paper about a reason for the justification
Of trust, transparency and privacy – TraceTogether
It was announced in parliament on 4th January 2021 (first time the proceedings were livestreamed which means item 7 in
Being part of a tradition
I am really glad that I am able to contribute something back to the community and society around amateur/ham radio.
Holding up half the sky
That is a statement that I can agree with even if I totally disagree with the politics of the person
The reality of standing up for my country – part 1
It has been 17 days now since the Singapore General Elections. Enough of time to put thoughts into electrons and
Hiding in plain sight
[photo from https://rangerrick.org/ranger_rick_jr/hiding-in-plain-sight/%5D In the Inconvenient Questions interview done by Viswa Sadasivan (recorded 3rd July 2020, and released 5th July
Seriously? NRIC for TraceTogether?
[Image from https://www.solarwindsmsp.com/blog/what-pii-and-phi-and-how-do-you-secure-them and added NO to it using gimp.] I wrote earlier that asking for a phone number when
Looking forward to a recyclable, open sourced, wearable, contact tracing device
So, the other shoe is about to drop. Gov is planning on providing everyone a wearable contacting tracing device to
Jit.si if you care and Zoom if you don’t.
So, last week, from 8th April onwards, the Singapore Government imposed a partial lockdown (PL) – or as they say
Mailed in ballots
[photo above from https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2018/04/08/california-counties-testing-voting-centers-to-boost-anemic-turnout/%5D With all of the talk and tentative actions by the ruling party in trying to hold
No. Internet voting is still a No Go.
I was asked by a friend why is it that we can’t do voting over the Internet. With all of
BuildTogether – data, code, people for the world
The Singapore Government Technology Agency released, at the end of last week (Friday 20 March 2020) a mobile phone app,
Handwaving. No surprises.
So, the Singapore Parliament and the Ministry of Communication and Information replies to my question about the plan to track
Fa(r)cial Recognition + Parliament = Smart Parliament?
If the Singapore Parliament aspires to be a smart Parliament, it should live stream proceedings in full on the Internet with no delay (Facial recognition system to track MPs’ presence in Parliament, Nov 8). By doing that, MPs’ attendance can be tracked using software that is already available.
And Election Kakis gets underway
I am really pleased to have been able to hold the first (or many, many more) training sessions of volunteers
Majulah Singapura
I truly love how Ramli Sarip delivered the national anthem at this year’s National Day Parade. It was stupendous, visceral,
Democracy is a participatory sport, not a spectator sport!
Over eight years ago, I helped out a political party by volunteering to being their Polling Agent. It was a
Railway Records
My sons and I had a chance to attend a wonderful evening play written by my wife’s sister-in-law’s sister, Sharmila.
Electronic voting and trust
There was s series of letters published in one of the daily papers here in Singapore about the apparent anomaly
Defending my country
As a former reservist officer, I am deeply concerned with the kind of language and propaganda that is being put
Simple life hack
Turn your mobile data to the OFF as a default when out and about. Why? Read on. Since about October
NASA Space Apps Challenge 2018 – Singapore
It was wonderful that Red Hat’s Open Innovation Labs is a sponsor of this year’s NASA Space Apps Challenge event
A healthcare IT foundation built on gooey clay
Today, there was a report from the Solicitor General of Singapore about the data breach of the SingHealth systems that
What I’ve learned in 15 years at Red Hat
[image credit: https://goldenageofgaia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Spock-shades.jpg%5D In September 2003, I was asked by Gus Robertson to consider joining Red Hat – essentially to
Why is 10 million people the target for Singapore?
This is a number that keeps coming up every now and then. Sometime in January 2013, a white paper
The value of independence
As we approach the 53rd National Day on 9th of August 2018, Singaporeans have all reasons to be happy and
SingHealth, PDPA, Smart Nation, sigh!
Looks like I am clear from the data breach at SingHealth. My Mom’s data, however, is not. This is the
About that data breach at SingHealth
PSA Notice Please go to https://datacheck.singhealth.com.sg/ and click on the log in button to check if your data was exposed
And, they are online now
Over a week ago, I was pinged by @l00g33k on twitter with a picture of a description of a piece
You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep**
Lots of what we take for granted found expression in the thoughts and writings of John Perry Barlow. He crafted
Seeking a board seat at OpenSource.org
I’ve stepped up to be considered for a seat on the Board of the Open Source Initiative. Why would I
My submission to the proposed changes to the Films Act
[The submission deadline is 5pm Singapore time Saturday December 30, 2017. Image above from http://www.newlovetimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/the-godfather.gif ] I have sent the
It takes time to apologise. I get it. But …
It has taken full NINE days for the CEO of the SMRT to come out and take ownership of the
Transparency is good. Really.
I got a call from Christopher Tan, the Senior Transport Correspondent of a local MSM earlier this afternoon. Kudos to
Is this a failure of leadership?
Saturday, October 7, saw heavy rainfall and as expected, rain water got into everything. That’s what water does. We know
The ongoing spinning
PAP ministers and surrogates spinning the racially oriented presidential election.
No, Halimah, You Are Mistaken
I just saw this article online on one of the MSM sites. In it, the former speaker of parliament, Mdm
What if no one came?
So, there was this shop that was set up to give a chance for those who like pancakes to go
The next president and Singapore at 200
So, we are now in the silly cycle of “electing” the next president. This year’s election is very controversial. The
Some updates on “who’s my MP”
I have not received any reply from the person who is supposed to be the MP for my place on
On being an engaged and responsible citizen
I sent this to my MP on July 5 and am awaiting a reply (if there is a reply, I
Thank you, Uncle Sar, and Rest In Peace!
I’ve always known him as Uncle Sar. He was a teacher, a biology teacher no less. When he used to
A better model to work with citizens
I have been putting off installing the SGSecure application on my phone. I finally decided to do it via the
Congratulations NUS Engineers Class of 2016!
My speech at the Commencement of NUS Faculty of Engineering on July 12, 2016 at 3:00 pm. Mr Neo Kian
As the silly season starts
By noon on September 1st, we will know who are running for the 89 seats in the parliament. As voters
He probably is indeed telling the truth! (info graphic updated on Aug 29)
It would appear that ESM Goh Chok Tong is indeed telling the truth that “checks and balances are a seductive
The need for a independent Electoral Commission
I am reading the Candidate Handbook for Parliamentary Election 2015 for the first time. I don’t have any of the
What I want for the future of Singapore starting today.
Fifty years of being an independent country and having seen how we have evolved over the years with my fellow
Here be the dragons!
I cannot believe that the MCE planners did not think things through. Of how the traffic is to flow from
Sparks of brilliance and WTFs!
The Land Transport Authority is the agency charged with all things land-based transport. 2013 is a busy year for them.
First impressions about the new Marina Coastal Expressway
I decided to take a spin onto the new Marina Coastal Expressway today. And my first impression is that it
I know more than you do
I cannot help but continue to be baffled by the way the G responds to some of the continuing challenges
Will we ever have engineers?
As noted by Vivian, the first of three key ingredients before anything starts is to have engineers, engineers who are
Things to be thankful for as we celebrate 48 years of independence. Majulah Singapura!
I’m thankful for: If we were ever at war, it was under the Union Jack, not the Crescent and Stars.
Getting a good grip on the haze conditions
I feel that with DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s speech this past Monday, June 17 2013, at the eGov Global Exchange event
Proceedings from the “The Singapore Computer Society’s Internet Regulations Workshop” – August 1996
I used to head up the Internet SIG of the Singapore Computer Society back in the 1990s. When the then
The Town Council IT System Tender
[This was originally written on March 26, 2013, but kept as a draft giving the powers that be time to
Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) aka Selling Out To Big Business talks in Singapore this week
I was very surprised to see two items that appeared right next to each other in the Straits Times on
Tender for Town Council Management System – updates
Looks like the PAP-run town councils have put out a call for tender on February 4th with an advertisement in
It’s not about *taxing* anyone
By and large, Singaporeans accept the value and import of National Service. Yes, there are genuine situations where things can
Walk the Talk!
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” – Albert Einstein It is a mockery of the Parliamentary
“practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist.”
I just love the heading of this post. It is from John Maynard Keynes who wrote it in his The General
And “Parliament Passes Motion …”
Before my comment, I found this picture on a walled garden site and thought I should share it here: How
Finally, a PAP MP making a considered and sane proposal
I am really glad to read the speech that PAP MP Inderjit Singh gave in Parliament about the Population White
“If there’s a war, why should we fight for Singapore?”
These two questions have been asked before and I am sure my two sons will ask them again: “Do I
In a word, wow!
I am not sure if this is a report that contains stuff taken out of context, but if its true
It was obvious to me
Congratulations to Ms Lee Li Lian in winning the Punggol East seat on January 26, 2013. With 16,038 from 29,832
The Value of Checks and Balances
The Punggol East by-elections will be on Saturday, January 26 2013. Let’s look at the choices Punggol East residents have:
They don’t get it.
The Punggol East by-elections are underway with the polling happening on Saturday January 26, 2013. Today, January 22, at the
Anonymity and Feedback
For the record, I will defend the right of anyone to engage in any discourse anonymously. Anonymity is a very
Doing the right thing and a proposal
I am glad to read the the Prime Minister has decided to probe the sale the applications (built and paid
It’s not a contest per se, it’s a Sahana-moment!
So, my 3 am post from January 3rd 2013 is now on http://www.tremeritus.com, probably not a good thing, but then this is
Why Open Standards and Open Source Matters in Government
I have offered to the powers that be (TPTB) running the various Town Councils in Singapore an opportunity for the
My Conscience Is Bugging Me
I cannot let the media statement put out by the “Coordinating Chairman of the PAP Town Councils” regarding the sale
Software for Public Sector Applications
The ongoing egg-in-the-face of the PAP over the “tender” (thanks to Alex for posting it via an anonymous source) awarded to AIM
Open Source and Government
[11:05 am Dec 26th: updated to reflect some clarifications given to me via other walled-garden social media] The recent events
Much to think about
PSLE A week ago, my younger son got his PSLE results. I must congratulate him on doing very well –
The Primary School Leaving Exam
On Thursday, September 27 2012, the Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE in short) will commence. Over a period of 4
What a disappointment
I am deeply disappointed with the announcement that the Media Development Authority has asked Google/YouTube to block access in Singapore
Open Letter to Transport Minister Liu
This is a post that I am taking the liberty to include here. It was written by Steven Choy, but
A helper note for family and friends about your connectivity to the Internet from July 9 2012
This is a note targeted at family and friends who might find that they are not able to connect to
A proud moment
This Hougang by-election was a foregone conclusion as far as I am concerned. I was only looking to see an
Why the vote in Hougang matters
It might look like the by-elections in Hougang is not an important event; it is after all, an election of
Who cares about the outcome of the decision of a mere 23,368 people?
On May 26th, 23,368 eligible people in the Hougang constituency, will be casting their votes for someone to represent them
What’s at stake in the Hougang by-election
Now that the by-elections for Hougang has been called, it is interesting to see how the ruling party is trying
No, LHL did not listen to me!
What a pleasant surprise to be sent an email by a friend saying: Bro, They heard you very well. Pap
What changed?
It’s just over a year and a day since the Singapore General Elections 2011. Many things have been said about
ACTA 2.0? Are more secret negotiations underway?
So, is the ACTA now failing and governments secretly doing a version 2? I don’t know and the fact that
ACTA in Singapore
It is a little annoying to see the same acronym ACTA having two meanings in Singapore. A lot of people
What does it take?
I am an organizer of a programming contest that will be using some really cool technologies (HTML5, Python, OpenShift, just
The Value of being Heard and Consulted
Some of you would know that I am employed by a company called Red Hat since September 2003, it will
Really hard to fathom the naive logic of a PAP MP
I did not read this February 24th 2012 article written by a PAP MP, Hri Kumar Nair when it was
By-Election in Hougang Constituency
The Speaker of Parliament has declared that the seat of Hougang vacant following the explusion of the MP from his
Math 101 for Singaporean Ministers
MEDIAN is NOT the same as MEAN also known as average. Mean is the average of a set of numbers.
O Captain, my Captain!
So, the see-sawing of leadership credibility of the SMRT has reached an interchange. The CEO has quit (or euphemistically “to
Good Salary Review Report
I must confess that I was skeptical that the Committee to Review Ministerial Salaries would do a fair and good
Public consultation on proposed Data Protection
I am really glad to see that call for public consultation for the proposed Data Protection act in Singapore. The
Why bother voting for the president?
Indeed, why bother? The President of the Republic Of Singapore is 95% ceremonial and 5% custodial. Does it matter who
Presidential Elections is August 27
As we get closer to August 27, it has been evidently clear to me that this presidential election will be