Is email dead? Under 25s abandoning 'cumbersome' mode of communication for social networking sites

Posted to UK Daily Mail (24/12/2010) on 25/12/2010 at 1:30 AM

Commenting on “Is email dead? Under 25s abandoning 'cumbersome' mode of communication for social networking sites”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1341365/Still-sending-emails-Youre-showing-age-popularity-young-users-plummets.html#comments

There may be 1.5 million people signing up as new users, but there could be more than 1.5 million just become dormant, inactive or dead. Many users register to Facebook due to peer pressure, but never interact after the process. Many could not be bothered anymore after the initial fad is over.

Not unlike air travel, its popularity does not spell the end of shipping – ships are still being used for cruises and heavy cargo transport, Facebook will not spell the end of email, which will still have a place in many organisations where business communication rather than social networking is the primary concern.

Merry Christmas from Julia Gillard

Posted to Herald Sun (25/12/2010) on 25/12/2010 at 1:45 AM (Not published)

Commenting on “Merry Christmas from Julia Gillard”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/merry-christmas-from-julia-gillard/story-e6frf7l6-1225976010750

“Christmas is also a time when we reflect on what’s been” – how true! Australia would have been a better place if Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan have not been around to stuff up this country.

Since Julia Gillard is so good in peeling the potatoes and carrots, she should stick with what she is good at instead of messing up the issues on illegal boats arrival, ridiculous NBN proposal and idiotic comments on WikiLeaks’ founder.

Julia Gillard must go for the good of Australia!

Council staff hard at work - on Facebook: How employees use site more than any other

Posted to UK Daily Mail (24/12/2010) on 25/12/2010 at 1:09 AM

Commenting on “Council staff hard at work - on Facebook: How employees use site more than any other”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1341245/Council-staff-hard-work--Facebook-How-employees-use-site-other.html

Misusing or stealing an organisation’s resource is an offence which SHOULD lead to the dismissal of the culprit. Spending excessive hours on Facebook, in short, is misusing or stealing the Council’s time, the most valuable resource in any organisation. These staff should be dismissed without any hesitation.

Girl's death prompts plea for car sensors

Posted to The Age (11/12/2010) on 16/12/2010 at 10:40 PM

Commenting on “Girl's death prompts plea for car sensors”

http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/girls-death-prompts-plea-for-car-sensors-20101210-18sv9.html?comments=12#comments

Why do parents let their toddler play in the driveway unsupervised? Not only a reversing car can knock it down, but also a deranged stranger can come along and take it away. In a less serious case, the toddler can pick up filth and dirt from the driveway and may become sick.

Many parents pass on their responsibilities to other people in the society at large to raise their children; if it is not the teachers at school not paying enough attention to their precious children, it is the government’s fault of not having police on patrol to deal with drug issues or hooliganism.

It is a good move to make wearing seat belt compulsory, even for the passengers; then came along the introduction of airbag for the driver. Unfortunately, from ridiculous to sublime that some cars have six to eight airbags for the front and sides. I have not heard reports about lives being saved because of the multiple airbag features.

Reversing camera / sensor is a good idea, but making it compulsory is unacceptable proposition. There are other more appropriate options, like what we used to teach children and adults that never walk behind a car, because we have to assume that the driver cannot see the rear properly. Alternatively, a driver can always sound his horn before reversing his car, or reverses his car when parking in the driveway.

If a driver does not take heed when he / she is tired or has too much to drink, which causes an eventual accident killing other innocent people, he / she should be charged for premeditated murder. We cannot be too reliant on technology, because over reliance creates complacence.

Life is far too precious and we must treasure every second of it.

Pushing bricks and mortar

Posted to The Age (13/12/2010) on 14/12/2010 at 3:36 PM

Commenting on “Pushing bricks and mortar”

http://theage.domain.com.au/home-investor-centre/pushing-bricks-and-mortar-20101213-18ull.html

1. Economy is not as robust as what ABS reckoned, and the real unemployment rate is much higher than reported. Many people face financial trouble in meeting mortgage payment, and more mortgagee auctions will take place;
2. Closing the loophole of allowing the foreign investors to invest in secondhand properties without FIRB approval results in the collapse in sale price in many suburbs due to lack of competition;
3. Change of government policies in international education results in drastic drop in international students coming to Australia, thus kills off student accommodation rental demand. Many properties used for such purpose will be forced to sell;
4. Change of policies also results in closure of international colleges, which normally lease commercial buildings used as classrooms. Many of such buildings will be vacant;
5. 2010 Christmas retail sales will be below previous years', threatening the survival of some small businesses. Unemployment will shoot up beyond many economists' forecast in Jan and Feb 2011. Businesses for sale will be increased;
6. The median price across the board in Melbourne will decline to around $550,000 by June 2011;
7. In general, there will more listings than sales from December onwards;
8. 2011 is not a year for the rookies - only the experienced survive

ASX index will be below 5000 points for another few more months, likely up till March

Pushing bricks and mortar

Posted to The Age (13/12/2010) on 14/12/2010 at 3:36 PM

Commenting on “Pushing bricks and mortar”

http://theage.domain.com.au/home-investor-centre/pushing-bricks-and-mortar-20101213-18ull.html

1. Economy is not as robust as what ABS reckoned, and the real unemployment rate is much higher than reported. Many people face financial trouble in meeting mortgage payment, and more mortgagee auctions will take place;
2. Closing the loophole of allowing the foreign investors to invest in secondhand properties without FIRB approval results in the collapse in sale price in many suburbs due to lack of competition;
3. Change of government policies in international education results in drastic drop in international students coming to Australia, thus kills off student accommodation rental demand. Many properties used for such purpose will be forced to sell;
4. Change of policies also results in closure of international colleges, which normally lease commercial buildings used as classrooms. Many of such buildings will be vacant;
5. 2010 Christmas retail sales will be below previous years', threatening the survival of some small businesses. Unemployment will shoot up beyond many economists' forecast in Jan and Feb 2011. Businesses for sale will be increased;
6. The median price across the board in Melbourne will decline to around $550,000 by June 2011;
7. In general, there will more listings than sales from December onwards;
8. 2011 is not a year for the rookies - only the experienced survive

ASX index will be below 5000 points for another few more months, likely up till March

Cabling for NBN rollout cut back

Posted to The Australian (10/12/2010) on 10/12/2010 at 2:47 AM

Commenting on “Cabling for NBN rollout cut back”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/industry-sectors/cabling-for-nbn-rollout-cut-back/story-e6frg97o-1225968560255

What a nonsensical statement that "...how many people will be out of a job because of this". NBN has not been implemented yet, and no one has been employed to date to roll out the fibre optics. Whether copper wire or fibre optics is laid in those greenfield areas, it still requires people to do the job. The difference is likely to be their skill requirement.

Melbourne woman wants Oprah Winfrey to give her second chance

Posted to Herald Sun (10/12/2010) on 10/12/2010 at 1:34 AM

Commenting on “Melbourne woman wants Oprah Winfrey to give her second chance”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/special-reports/melbourne-woman-wants-oprah-winfrey-to-give-her-second-chance/story-fn795l53-1225968533838

Karen has a few more kilos to shake off. In fact, Oprah has put on a fair amount of weight since her previous highly publicised weight loss.

Big Oprah investment is a canny move

Posted to Herald Sun (5/12/2010) on 5/12/2010 at 10:58 AM

Commenting on “Big Oprah investment is a canny move”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/big-oprah-investment-is-a-canny-move/story-e6frfhqf-1225965747527

The AUD45 million is a complete waste of money. OK over 200 years ago this was a country filled with convicts transported from POME land, but history just repeats itself telling the world that even an Australian kangaroo can commit a crime like stealing the World Cup from FIFA.

The presentation does not depict logo of FIFA, excitement of a soccer game, venues, and support of the game by the people of Australia. Instead, yesterday's heroes, who are not soccer fans, are endorsing the bid. Using Julia Gillard is such a bad idea - she needs a lot of training on her voice and acting.

Big Oprah investment is a canny move

Posted to Herald Sun (5/12/2010) on 5/12/2010 at 10:57 AM

Commenting on “Big Oprah investment is a canny move”

Many American television program presenters have more dynamic personality; in addition, the warm-up people in the shows seem to be doing a much better job than here to excite the audience. Even talk back shows and late night marketing segments can be fun to watch and to some extent I would regard them as inspirational and motivational.

Not only does Oprah give away generously large part of her wealth, she also gets many sponsors to provide gifts or samples to her audience - from McDonald’s burgers to expensive items like cars.

I do watch her shows whenever possible. There are always enough segments to attract my attention – some make me laugh, some make me cry, and most importantly, I feel that there is hope in the world to rid off illiteracy and ill health if Oprah’s actions and deeds can “infect” other good Samaritans to do likewise.

Oprah appears genuine and sincere and lacks the air of arrogance, but not perfect. Yes, she did lose a fair bit of weight, but has put some back on.

Lobbies dying on China's docks

Posted to The Daily Telegraph (1/12/2010) on 1/12/2010 at 2:13 AM as SphericalThinker (Not published)

Commenting on “Lobbies dying on China's docks”

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lobbies-dying-on-chinas-docks/story-fn6e0s1g-1225963508569

Australia's economy is over dependent on China, the largest trading partner of Australia - China relies on our iron ore and coal.

Australia is holding a trump card at present, but probably until China owns enough mines in other offshore countries. The decline in students coming from China is a huge blow to our economy, but has been swept under the carpet.

Now, out of the blue, Chinese are banning the lobsters. What's next?

Ted Baillieu in feud on health reforms

Posted to The Australian (1/12/2010) on 1/12/2010 at 2:05 AM as SphericalThinker (Not published)

Commenting on “Ted Baillieu in feud on health reforms”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/victorian-election-2010/ted-baillieu-in-feud-on-health-reforms/story-fn6wlyrv-1225963572854

Deals must be broken. Ted Baillieu has a tough job ahead, not only on health reform, but also on hospital culture reform.

There are wards in some hospitals not open, tying up many beds. There are no doctors and nursing staff to service them due to lack of funding. If remains status quo, these wards will never be opened.

When Brumby opened "additional" new beds in hospitals, old beds were shut down, and the staff were reshuffled. In fact, there were hardly additional beds opened during election time.

New wings or buildings of hospitals were not well thought out and lack accommodation. In addition, some hospitals placed unnecessary emphasis on certain racial needs, wasting valuable funding resource.

Like many public services, unused monies before end of financial years are squandered on unnecessary renovation or replacement of furniture.

Former shadow health minister did not want to know many of things mentioned above before. I hope Ted Baillieu will look into these matters with the greatest urgency, before promising any more new hospitals or additional new beds!

Chinese ban imports of Australian lobsters

Posted to Adelaide Now (1/12/2010) on 1/12/2010 at 12:52 AM

Commenting on “Chinese ban imports of Australian lobsters”

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/chinese-ban-imports-of-australian-lobsters/comments-e6frea6u-1225963412699

Australia's economy is over dependent on China, the largest trading partner of Australia - China relies on our iron ore and coal.

Australia is holding a trump card at present, but probably until China owns enough mines in other offshore countries. The decline in students coming from China is a huge blow to our economy, but has been swept under the carpet.

Now, out of the blue, Chinese are banning the lobsters. What's next?

Bill for myki rises again

Posted to The Age (26/11/2010) on 26/11/2010 at 10:04 AM

Commenting on “Bill for myki rises again”

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/state-election-2010/bill-for-myki-rises-again-20101125-1895g.html?comments=47

MyGod, it's myki in the news again! The money spent on the modernisation of ticketing system could have been spent on new trains and tracks

House hunting tips

Posted to The Age (9/11/2010) on 10/11/2010 at 2:34 AM

Commenting on “House hunting tips”

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/blogs/talking-property/house-hunting-tips/20101109-17l4e.html

Carolyn Boyd, can we believe in what you have been writing so far? Buying a property as a home is different from buying it as an investment. While the latter exercise can be accomplished in a matter of hours, the former requires a lot more than a week, unless you are the buyer and decision maker, not subjecting to any influence from another party, and have additional reserve money to cope with surprises.

Many people are clouded by irrational reasons and ended up in spending substantial sum of money fixing up the defects. Magnificent big trees near the house or belonging to the next door neighbour grown close to the shared boundary can mean a root system which can cause problems to the house foundation, driveways, old style terracotta drain pipes, barren ground unable to grow lawn or beautiful flowers.

End Part 1 of 2

Things like blinds, curtains and flooring, are normally mentioned in just a single line as an inclusion in the vendor statement and sales contract. Replacing such old, dirty or dated can offset the budget by thousands of dollars.

Many people still buy a house with a bath tub which is hardly used. It is undesirable and dangerous for the aged and very young to "climb" over the edge of and stand in the tub to take a shower. This introduces an additional risk, and future removal will lead to expensive bathroom renovation.

When buying an old house, be prepared to replace the hot water unit, toilet cistern, tap valves, wires, stoves, exhaust hoods, kitchen cabinets, low-energy light bulbs, etc. There may be other nuisance such as clearing of blackberries and ivy; filling up disused ponds with soil; removing upground pools; repairing / repainting the decking, etc. These can cost a lot more than you think - well, tradesperson's call out charge is formidable.

Glad to be able to shed some light on what to watch out before digging into the hard earned reserve fund.

End Part 2 of 2

Auction super Saturday

Posted to The Age (22/10/2010) on 22/10/2010 at 10:51 AM

Commenting on “Auction super Saturday”

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/auction-super-saturday-20101021-16w2m.html?comments=27

When buying many things ranging from a dress to a car, potential buyers research from various sources, e.g. Google, magazines, friends; then shop around, feel and touch the items, test them, and ask about the warranty. However, many home buyers are quite happy to write out a deposit cheque at an auction after looking at the property for a total of no more than 3 hours (including prior inspection).

If one spends a few hundred thousand dollars without going through a proper evaluation process, then he/she can blame no one except himself/herself for his/her irrational behaviour due to arrogance and stupidity (definitely NOT ignorance).

Perhaps some people do have money trees growing at their backyard!

PM accused of stooping to 'bastardry'

Posted to The Age (11/10/2010) on 11/10/2010 at 10:02 AM

Commenting on “PM accused of stooping to 'bastardry'”

http://www.theage.com.au/national/pm-accused-of-stooping-to-bastardry-20101010-16e01.html?comments=77

Sincerity comes from the heart, not the mouth. With Gillard and Tony as leaders for Australia and opposition respectively, God save Australia!

Jobs surge stokes rate rise fears

Posted to The Sydney Morning Herald (7/10/2010) on 7/10/2010 at 12:18 AM

Commenting on “Jobs surge stokes rate rise fears”

http://www.smh.com.au/business/jobs-surge-stokes-rate-rise-fears-20101007-168lu.html

Seasonally adjusted figures are the quick fix for employment rates. What about the job losses during the month, particularly those part time teaching jobs from colleges resulting from drastic fall in international students coming to study? These employment figures always seem rubbery.

One in 10 would vote differently in election

Posted to The Sydney Morning Herald (31/8/2010) on 31/8/2010 at 11:58 AM

Commenting on “One in 10 would vote differently in election”

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/one-in-10-would-vote-differently-in-election-20100830-147eq.html?comments=124

Independents are more concerned about local issues, and therefore it is more appropriate for them to contest in State or Local Council elections.

Election 2010 will go down in Australia history as the joke of the century, with the independents holding the balance of power, thus holding the future governing party and Australia to ransom. The Fathers of Democracy must be rolling in their graves as they are witnessing the current showdown.

If the independents are given a chance to announce their policies relevant to the national interests, I believe their speeches will be delivered in entirety just in seconds and highly inaudible!

Kevin Rudd unveils national health funding deal

Posted to Adelaide Now (20/4/2010) on 20/4/2010 at 11:42 PM

Commenting on “Kevin Rudd unveils national health funding deal”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/hospital-talks-remain-deadlocked-after-first-day-of-coag-meeting/story-e6freooo-1225855647887

Soon, Brumby and other State Governments will use the argument of loss of 1/3 GST will lead to budget deficits, and have excuses to increase state taxes such as land tax, stamp duty, etc. as a form of compensation.

There is another thing to watch out. After health funding, the next will be school funding. Will the states be approached to give up more GST?

Retail sales in surprise fall

Posted to The Age on 4/2/2010 (not published)

Commenting on “Retail sales in surprise fall”

http://www.theage.com.au/business/retail-sales-in-surprise-fall-20100204-nepc.html

The RBA Governor, statisticians, economies and bankers alike should go back to school to learn critical thinking and mathematical analysis. The December 09 retail sales are indeed better than forecast, and NOT as bad as these ignorant people try to make us believe.

Many departmental stores and non-food outlets were concerned about the economic downturn, and attempted to have Sales before Christmas. As a result, the item unit prices were lowered, and therefore more sales volumes must be generated to compensate the eventual sales value.

For example, if a $100-item is sold at 20% discount, it is required to sell 1.25 (i.e. $100/$80) items to achieve $100, or an increase of 25% sales volume. With only 0.7% drop in sales value, or $99.93, the number of units sold is 1.2496 (i.e. $99.93/$80), or close to 25% increase in volume.

In general, cafes, and food outlets don’t drop prices, and that explains the increase in sales revenue. If the retailers in question were game enough not to drop their pries during the peak season, they would have made hefty profits.

In short, these gurus’ interpretations are just nonsensical!

Dye v Hawkins: a fatuous argument over slim women

Posted to The Age and Herald on 5/1/2010 at 4:18 PM

Commenting on “Dye v Hawkins: a fatuous argument over slim women”

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/dye-v-hawkins-a-fatuous-argument-over-slim-women-20100104-lq1h.html?comments=154#comments

At long last, Consumer Affairs have testimonies from magazines producers that many photos of models have been digitally modified. This implies that many advertisements using human models included in magazines, newspapers, catalogues, flyers have been doctored to promote their products. This is in breach of Fair Trading Acts of using misleading and deceptive advertisement, and should be dealt with in the court of law.