1 2 3

When people says it is "as easy as 1 2 3", it means that it is very simple. The numbers "1 2 3" are referenced in more places that you can imagine. Here is a list of them

1. 1, 2, and 3 are whole numbers or integers.

2. They can only be divided by itself or divide by 1. (They are not all prime numbers. The number 1 is actually not considered as Prime number.)

3. They are stepped increments of 1. 

4. If you add or minus two of them you will get the third as a result. 1+2=3. 3-1=2, 3-2=1.

5. They are next three sequence of Fibonacci Number starting from 1.

6. People always use 1, 2, 3 as a signal to start something.

7. A chart pattern called 1-2-3 formation is used in liquid markets.

8. People always say "testing 1 2 3" to test microphones.

9. Foxtrot dance is 4/4 time signature but dancers often use 1_23 (slow, fast, fast) to teach the rhythm.

10. Waltz dancers usually learn the steps as 123.

11. The first few numbers in a Partition Function is 123.

12. It is the first few numbers of "Square free numbers".

13. If you search https://oeis.org for "1,2,3", you get 1659 pages of integer sequences that contains the numbers.

14. If you search Google for "1,2,3" you get about 25,270 million results.

Sharing files between phones

Previously I could easily transfer files between two Nokia phones easily. When I switched to Android, I have a problem. There is no such facility.

Now, Android have a few hundred thousand apps. Could any of them be used for this purpose?

First I tried Bump. The gimmick is to knock the two phones at the same time to get a respond to connect. My HTC responded to bumps easily but my 2  LG could not respond till I set the sensitivity to 100%. Once both get a respond, you could then do a connection and select a file to transfer.

Well, I somehow managed to connect and transfer the file to some one else. Weird. Besides this, the transfer worked quite well without a hitch.

It is then that I found out the fact that both must be connected to the same network. That is a flop. If I am outside with a friend on a different Telco, there is no common networks around. Thus this app was limited in its use.

Next, I tried Bluetooth FIle Transfer. Like Nokia, I need to setup connection first. The trouble is that Bluetooth in Android automatically switched off from being "discovered" after 120sec. Although this is good for security, it is quite a hassle when I am playing with two phones alone. After a few tries I managed to pair two phones.

On one phone, I start the app. Then I choose a file. From the menu I choose "send via blue tooth". The other phone automatically responds with a notification to allow connection, then it prompts me to accept the file. It worked just fine. I did not install the same app on the other phone. It is the bluetooth service that responds.

Now, that is weird. How is it that Android can receive files via blue tooth and has no facility to send one without having to install any app? Well, it really hurts to know that the BT is actually meant for phone to PC connection. All the action is done at the PC. Therefore, transfer from phone to phone is actually not required as considered by Android.

Next, I tried to use a normal file manager to tranfer files. Again, file managers are not standard app. The app  I choose is Astro. I choose the file by touch and hold method. Choose "send" then "via Bluetooth". The bluetooth setting appears. I choose the paired device and it sends ok.

Then I discover that there is a module of Astro called "Astro Bluetooth". I installed it and repeats the procedure. Now I have two choices. "Send by Bluetooth" and "send by Astro Bluetooth". Tried both. They are very similar. The only difference is that Astro is more like Bluetooth File Transfer app. I can now send and receive files using Astro. I think I can go without "receiving files". Therefore, Astro Bluetooth is not really needed.

I also evaluated "wifi transfer". Like Bump, you need to be on the same network. Which is no good.

I tried "sonicshare". This one is quite unique. You can do one-to-many transfer. Actually it is using a very old technique. It transmits/receives the data via sound. I can't hear anything when the transfer is going on. Probably using the ultrasonic range.  It worked qute well except that this version has a file size limit. There are two other version from the same company. One thing I don't like is it also send "system generated" files (ads from the company).

There is yet a new file sharing app. It works via wifi. It's called  "Wifi File Transfer". This means you have to have a network connection. The sharer runs the app and it will indicate an IP and a port. On the receiving end, you just need to start a browser and you will be able to download what ever file you like on the sharer. I have not tried uploading but it sure is convenient.

GPX in relation to auto-pause

GPX is a XML formatted data to record the GPS locations that was logged by an application. It could contain data other than GPS information plus date and time. For example it could contain Heart Rate data.

I would not want to puzzle readers with the XML format. It is something which I myself don't want to dwell into. Let's just take it as a format that records data in a particular way so as to allow for data manipulation.

Now, sports trackers stores the logged data in their own ways. It might not even store the data in the XML format. However, most will allow the data to be exported as GPX (a text file that has .gpx as extension). My interest here is to analyse what it does in relation to auto-pause.

A typical data log is as below (note this is not the actual XML as FB cannot display the original code  properly)

[trkpt lat="1.2921916666666666" lon="103.78459"]

      [ele]76[/ele]

      [time]2012-08-29T14:54:43.72[/time]

[/trkpt]

The first line stores the lon and lat information as attributes.

The next line stores the "elevation" as data. The date and time is stored as data in the next line. Both lines become the data of the first line.

The last line indicates the end of the data for the first line. The whole thing consists of one set of data or in lay man's term " a record".

Initially, I was mistaken that the datetime information is the real datetime. The sports tracker simply ignores certain data that falls below certain speed limit. I was totally wrong.

The sports tracker reads the GPS data at regular intervals. It will record the location and the date time information at regular intervals. The auto-pause was done between two readings. If the speed falls below the speed limit setting. It simply ignores the entry. Thus, you get a datetime that is not real time. If you move at a speed below the speed limit then the location will not be recorded. The location and time will simply freeze till you move beyond the speed limit.

Thus, instead of recording datetime, it actually records the time only. Datetime format is used simply because certain sports take more than one day to complete. It also removes the trouble to distinguish between real time recording (no auto-pause) and the auto-pause feature.

Now I am in a dilemma. Originally, I though I could use the logged data as evidence in case of accidents. With the auto-pause, I cannot use it as evidence as it is not real time. But if I turn off the auto-pause, every stop (e.g at traffic light junction) adds extra time to the sports I do thus reducing the speed record. I just can't have the best of both world.

Luckily, the two sports-tracker I use allows me to adjust the overall distance and time so as to calculate the overall speed. With this, I could do a real time logging then adjust the overall time taken to get the desired speed. This means that I need another data logger that has auto-pause feature turned on. Well, it is still better than having a pseudo real time data logging right?

Since I subscribe to two sports tracker site. I might as well use two device to track real and pseudo time record and adjust the overall time and distance on the real time recording so as to get the correct reading for the real time logger. But then I would be labeled as paranoid sports person. Ah... You win some, you lose some. It all depends on how you look at it.

Are you coerced to buy new over hyped computer products?

When we buy digital camera or handphone with camera, we always go for high megapix one. However, is that all necessary? How many of you will print a 2592x1944 (5MP) picture real sized all the time? Put it another way, how many of you would print a picture more than 5R [2100x1500] at 300dpi (equivalent to 3MP [2048x1536])? More crude question is "how many of you actually prints the picture you took with a digital camera?"

If you are not one of those rare people who dons professional or specialist skills, then what is the use of having a high MP camera? Of course, some may argue that if there is an occasion that requires higher MP pictures then they can't do it. True! You happened to be one of those camera geeks. The majority of the people don't.

Now, lets talk about the cost of having a high MP camera. It takes about 1MB to store a 5MP picture. If you only have a 4GB memory, you can take 4000 pictures. That's is a lot of pictures for one trip. No problem while you are on a trip. The real problem is posting it online. Facebook, Flickr generally automatically shrinks it for you. Picasa allows you to post real size pictures. But if you want it free then you can only post 1000 pictures (5MP). Beyond that, you have to pay. In order to get it free you will need to post 800 pixels or less. That is actually below 1MP.

You can have your own web sites to store/show the pictures. True. The cost is that you need to pay every month for the storage. How many of you actually have a personal web site?

I am sure you normally want to view the pictures on your computer or tv. HDTV 1080i can display 1920x1080 pixels. That is only less than 3MP size. What is the use of 5MP then?

I once saw and ads about Canon printer. It can print a picture with a sequence of actions with the same background. Nice huh? How often do you do such a print? Rare right. Would you buy one just for this rare feature?

Smart phones. A phone that can use to surf net, take pictures, make calls, send sms/mms, navigate via GPS etc. Very nice feature. You need to pay for the phone call, sms/mms and Internet separately. Many people don't mind paying. Many others could not even afford the phone bills alone. Cuba as surveyed in 2011 has only 12% mobile phone in use compared to its 11 million people. Erricson reported in 2011 that 65% of world population had mobile subscriptions. Looking at the other end - there are 35% who never have a mobile phone not to mention smart phones. In USA and Singapore the smart phone penetration rate is only 50%. and 54% respectively. To those who never have smart phone, NFC, 3G, 4G, ICS, iPhone5 is nothing. They don't really need them.

Windows OS. It almost monopolized the market. XP, Vista, Wn7,Win8, looks like it keeps on having new things - or is it. Would you be surprised to know that Microsoft even advice user to turn off Vista Sidebar? I used 3 out of the 4 OS listed. I turned all new features off so that it works like an XP. Why? It is useless to me. Would you rather concentrate on using the applications than worry about how it looks in the background?

3G vs 4G. What is the difference? It is just an improvement of the Internet speed. For those who find that they cannot live without internet on mobiles, maybe this will be good. For general users, it is just something nice to have. Just wait till you go to a place where there is no network access or when you go overseas then you tell me whether it is good. Singtel "bridged dataRoam Unlimited" cost $20 a day.

It feels good to get a new device. When your warranty expires, it costs you a bomb to repair it. I had a HTC phone which breaks down after one and a half year. It is estimated that it costs hundred plus to repair it. A new subsidized one costs around the same price. For all you know, local hanphone workshop don't even want to repair my hand phone. So, the policy is use and discard. You just need to keep paying. Those of you who have plenty of money to spare will not feel the pinch. Those who had not, will think thrice of getting a new device. "If it is not broken why fix it"?

What makes a good manager

First I must stress that this is not a description of a true good manager. It is only a reference in another person's perspective. In actual fact, I am going to tear down the "goodness".

While taking a cab to the city, the talkative driver talked about his cab company's manager who was a "good" manager in another cab company before he moved to current cab company. He lamented that the manager has since changed very much once he is in the current company. He then revealed that the manager actually pulled a group of the drivers to move to the current company with him.

In my mind, this is a typical tactical move to job hop for the manager. He must have been planning to job hop. Thus, he is kind to every driver under him. Granting them requests to make them see him as a very good manager who will take care of them. In actual fact, he use his position to do things for his people at the company's expense.

What makes me think so. The driver mentioned that after they moved to the new company, the manager becomes a "no" man. A lot of the requests which the drivers made was turned down. The driver even quoted one specific case where a senior driver asks the manager to change the bald tyre. The manager replied that the tyre can still be used. That senior driver went to LTA to ask them whether the tyre can be use. LTA actually wrote to the company asking why the tyres in question are still in use.

If it come to that kind of extent to save money, it is impossible to say that the manager is "normal", not to mention "good".

Why the extreme change? The following is my speculation.

In order to be "good", the manager must have easily agree to the drivers' requests. This makes the drivers happy because they get what they wanted. The manager has nothing to loose because it cost him nothing to do so. He already planned to job hop thus career path with the company is not even a concern. He incurred extra expenses, so what? It is the company that pays the bill.  Meanwhile, he gathered good followers thinking that the manager did "take care" of them very well. Thus, when he makes the move, he is able to bring a number of the drivers along with him.

However, once he job hopped (probably to a higher position), he cannot continue to please the drivers. This is because he has the responsibility to keep the cost down. Thus, you see a change of attitude towards the drivers.

This is a typical make-use-and-discard strategy. With a manager like that, you will be in "luck". The next time you want to change job, your resume will tell the prospective company that you have been involved in a "mass" job hop. This lowers your chance of success application. Who then is the winner? You?

Separation

We get plenty of separations in our live. It started when we are separated from our mother at birth. It ended when we leave the world's connection and depart into the next one. It is always sad when separation occurs. Some people get through it easily. Some others never forgets. Some even throw away their lives. It is important that we realize what is "separation".

Separation occurs when love ones departs into the next world. It is unimaginably sad. The memory will linger on for life. However, being sad does not bring back the departed. Also, the departed may not want you to be sad. They probably want you to live on and be strong. It will sadden their heart if they know that you are no longer yourself since their departure.

Chances of us being ditched by the opposite sex is high. This type of separation is most painful when you already given all your heart to the other person. It is even sadder when both still love each other but due to circumstances when both have to separate. Think of it this way, if separation is inevitable then you must be strong to accept it. At least you know that the other person still loves you. Loving each other does not means staying together. The other party may be sad if you do not live on as before.

Obviously, there are separations that occur between two person whereby the other person ditches you because they love some one else. It is still sad to be separated. It is simply wrong to waste your future live because they don't love you anymore. They probably don't even bother whether you throw away your life. Therefore, why do stupid things? Wasting your life because of someone who don't love you is simply not correct. Would you die for a stranger? Then why do you bother about some one who don't like you anymore?

The last type of separation occurs when you ditch the other person. It may break your heart to do it. Since you are the one that does the ditching, you need to be strong to live on. You made the decision then why behave as if you are the hurt party?

Separation is always sad. The memory will lingers on. One does no live on memory alone. There are still many other connections that you will have. If you are down, you will make even more people sad. Pull yourself up and live on. The sadness will lingers on but in time, it simply fades away. You may not forget the separation but you will accept it and live on.

Heartbeat and coffee

Being conscious of the stress on heartbeat during exercises, I constantly monitor my heartbeat. It become so habitual that even on normal days, I tends to measure it by doing the Chinese SinSeh style of measuring pulse by checking the pulse on my wrist for ten seconds then multiply by 6.

Through this constant measurements, I come to realize the effects of caffeine on the heartbeat. My usual resting heartbeat is 60 bpm. After a continuous consumption of one cup of coffee a day for a year, my resting heartbeat has increased to 75 bpm. that is a hefty jump of 25%.

Assuming I rested a whole day. The number of heartbeat at 60 bpm is 86400 beats. At 75 bpm, the number of heartbeat is 108000. The difference is 21600. Now one of my regular exercise heartbeat is 152 bpm average for 2hrs 22min. That is 21584 beats. Look how close it is to the 21600 extra beat by consuming coffee? It looks like the caffeine makes my heart do exercise for 2 hours plus EACH day.

There is a hypothesis going on about the limited number of heartbeats every living creature has (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartbeat_hypothesis). Increasing my heartbeat by 25% means my life will be shortened by 25%. That is something to chew on.

It took almost one week after the coffee cold turkey treatment that my heartbeat goes back to 60 bpm. That is really a long term effect of caffeine on me.

I will still drink coffee but at a very reduced rate of  maybe a cup or two a week. Perhaps my life span will be lengthened.