2013
6 tips from an experienced traveller
As a frequent traveller, there are 7 rules that I live by when travelling by plane. For me these have become absolute laws of travel that make every trip easier and more enjoyable. Plan what needs to be planned Nothing is as stressful as realizing your forgot something so planing is very important. For each type of trip (business, conference, vacation, etc) I have pre-determined checklists to ensure I don't forget anything. If you don't have one ask a friend or email me.
Cortex Camera versus NightCap comparison on iphone
What is NightCap You can read my review about the NightCap app here. What is Cortex Camera The developer description ofCorex Camera (Cam) is Tired of the grainy photos you get when using your device’s camera in low light? Cortex camera combines dozens of images to create a sharp image without the low-quality noise that shows up when using the default camera. Please note that your subject must be still during exposure, which takes 2-10 seconds. The comparison I wanted to see how well each would perform in a low light situation.
Archives: A New Model To Consider When Hiring Employees
I will be posting links to older articles that seem to be fairly popular. Hopefully some of the newer readers will find the articles interesting and helpful. A 2010 blog entry that discussed the rent before you buy employee hiring model. Although this isn't anything new, many readers found it useful and some even started to apply this in their own companies. You can read the full article here.
How clean is airplane air
A question I get asked often is : "Is the air in an airplane safe? Am I at increased risk of infection in a plane?" Let's separate fact from fiction. The air in a plane is constantly circulating and it is passed through a HEPA filter. The highly filtered air is also mixed with clean outside air which further improves air quality. Every research paper I have read clearly shows that air contaminant levels during flight are well within acceptable levels.
Recordium record and edit audio on the iPhone or iPad (free today)
There are dozens of times each week when I use my iPhone as an audio recording device (meetings, ideas, etc) but typically finding relevant information in a long recording is difficult. Recordium is a clean little app that allows you to record, edit and find pertinent information all on your iPhone or iPad (it is a universal app). Once you have perfected your masterpiece, you can export it to Dropbox, Evernote and other storage services. Recordium is free until June 1 so go download it it from here now!
Avoid dehydration when flying
The air inside a plane in flight is dry. How dry? It is as dry as a dry summer day in a desert environment. This is often an issue inexperienced or casual travellers forget. Minor dehydration worsens jet lag symptoms but in severe cases can cause fainting and light headedness. Although having one alcoholic or caffeinated beverage is acceptable, remember that these tend to increase the level of dehydration so limit their consumption. How to prevent dehydration due to dry airplane air Remember that dehydration impacts your body inside and out.
Tekiki shows best free IOS apps
There are dozens of apps in the iTunes AppStore that help you find "the best free apps" on itunes but the number is dindling. It seems Apple is on a crusade to rid itself of this "evil" by using the terms of service developers accept when submiting apps. A couple of weeks ago Apple started its crusade by killing the AppGratis app and there is no sign Apple will stop until it get's every last one of the "free today" promotion apps.
An Olloclip for $10?
I wrote an article about the Olloclip here. I own the original Olloclip (that costs $US69) and love it. It seems some of my readers just learned about it from my blog post and love the idea but find the cost prohibitively expensive. They wanted to know if there are any other alternatives. WARNING: I haven't bought any of these so buyer beware If you want something like the Olloclip but don't want to pay the price of the original, you can always take a look at Olloclip "
Cook: Apple may port Apps to Android
Tim Cook presented at the WSJ All Things Digital conference yesterday. We learned that the Apple head honcho is open to porting Apple apps to Android as long as it makes sense for Apple and its users. We don't know if, when and what but this is still very encouraging. This could be a new stance from Apple because its competitors are moving cross platform (Blackberry messenger coming to IOS and Android, Hangouts coming to IOS, WhatsApp working on everything, etc).
Free Olloclip app for iPhone
I love my Olloclip iPhone lens kit. What is the Olloclip? The Olloclip is an add-on lens kit for the iPhone (4/4s and 5 versions exist) which includes: It looks like this: I use my iPhone more for photography than anything else so I love iphoneography accessories and the Olloclip is in my top 3. What is the free Olloclip app? The free Olloclip app is available now on Apple iTunes AppStore and allows you to edit pictures taken with Olloclip.
Archives: Leveraging The Paradox
I will be posting links to older articles that seem to be fairly popular. Hopefully some of the newer readers will find the articles interesting and helpful. A popular 2010 blog entry about companies using the paradox strategy of management to drive competitive advantage. Read the article here
Yellow fever vaccination booster not needed
Yellow fever is still endemic in 44 tropical countries in Africa and the Americas. As a frequent traveller to many of these regions, I was vaccinated against Yellow Fever a little over 10 years ago and was considering re-vaccination when I read the new guidance from the WHO about Yellow Fever re-vaccination. The Yellow Fever vaccine has been given since 1930 (about 600 million doses) and there have only been 12 reported cases of infection post vaccination which has lead the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization to declare re-vaccination not required.
Surface Pro heads to Japan with 256GB of storage
Everyone's favouring "tablet" (said sarcastically of course), the Microsoft Surface Pro, will be shipping in Japan on June 8th and come in a new 256GB storage model. The 256GB version will be available for 119,800 yen ($1,175) and customers will be able to pickup the touch or type covers. The Microsoft pressure sensitive pen is included with all bundles. Read translated release here.
Washington Post claims Chinese access defense information
The Washington Post claims to ahev gained access to classified documents stating that Chinese hackers compromised systems contrianing information about the USA's highly classified cutting edge defense products (like the F-35 and PAC3 PAtriot missiles). The report goes on to list other critical defense systems like the Aegis ballistic-missile defense system, F/18, V22, etc. Could this report be the reason the US Government has started to take a much stronger and much more public stance against Chinese hackers?
Blackberry Playbook may get Blackberry 10 in a few weeks
If you were unlucky enough to buy a Blackberry Playbook like I did, you quickly realized how bad an experience it is and how limited the functionality is. It is pretty much useless. Now we see a tweet from the official Blackberry Mexico account that promises an upgrade to BB 10 in the next few weeks. It offers some hope for an otherwise crappy tablet but it was strange that something like this wasn't announced at the last Blackberry live.
The White Nexus 4 is now official
After weeks of rumors, LG has now officially confirmed the white Nexus 4 phone and at the same time has said it won't be making another Nexus branded device for Google. The white Nexus 4 .... well... white and that's the only difference compared to the existing black one. LG said it will come to North America sometime in the next couple of months but didn't specify who will sell it (Google, carriers, etc). More shocking for me was the fact that they finally admitted that they did not want to make another Nexus device.
What is white, black and flat?
As we get closer and closer to Apple's WWDC (starts June 10), the rumor mill is speeding up. Everyone wants to hedge their bets and publish their predictions. It's no secret that responsibility for the User Interface of IOS (iPhone, iPad and iPad Mini) was handed over to Jony Ive (head of industrial design). Looking at his track record, it is clear he doesn't believe in skeuomorphism so we expect a heavy redesign of the next major release of IOS, IOS version 7.
Solar Kettle for hot water on the go
Are there are times when you absolutely need a coffee or some tea but don't have access to reliable electricity? then this product is for you. Whether you want hot water when travelling, camping or during an emergency, the Solar Kettle will let you enjoy hot water without any plugs or hassles. You simply fill the device with hot water, and position it under the sun. It can boil water anywhere there is sun. the company explains the magic as "
Chromium browser can clean-up after malware infections
Even the most careful internet user may find himself/herself on a questionable site that loads the browser with all kinds of "wonderful gifts" like toolbars, new search engines, extensions and the like. Normally recovering from something like this is painful and time consuming. A crafty and detail oriented individual, Francois Beaufort, discovered a new feature in Chromium called reset profile which resets everything back to factory defaults: homepage search engine cookies and disables the extensions Why is this interesting?
Real world: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Review
I have spent the last 15 years traveling the world as world as a business consultant (I have conducted business in at least 30 countries) and advanced PADI certified scuba diver. I picked up my first digital camera in Singapore in 2000 (a rectangular 2 megapixel device) and worked my way up various semi-pro Canon dSLRs and scuba diving cameras. The Trip Mid April, I was heading to CUBA for a beach vacation with my family (wife and 2.5 year old) and started to think about what camera I wanted to take.