Sui Generis People in the world today, especially in Singapore, are too willing to settle for fitting in with the status quo and just doing what they are told to do. Here's my thoughts on society, education and life in general; and my views on being significant. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 37 1940

Articles from Sui Generis

You Have A Choice 2007-09-16 23:13:00 A lot of people tend to say "I have no choice." I'll use the example of students because at my age, the majority of people I interact with are students. I can't count how many times my friends have complained about school being boring or a waste of time, etc, but said they're staying in school because they "have no choice".Chris Brogan put it quite well in his post on choices.clipped from grasshopperfactory.comRemember this: you control your choices. The phrase “I had no choice,” means simply that you have chosen the action that was most compelling, for whatever circumstances surround it. You and all humans choose every day, thousands of times a day. You always have a choice. It's only a matter of whether you're willing to take a gamble on a risky choice.What choices are you making today?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

If It Ain't Broke... 2007-09-16 12:04:00 Don't fix it.I'm sure you've all heard that saying before. The problem is, if you look deep enough, everything is broken, even if its a small way. Most people just don't look that closely. Nothing in this world is perfect, and everything can be improved.The best way for society to progress is to look as closely as possible. At everything. And to attempt to fix them.What breakages do you see around you today? And how can you set out to fix those?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Benefits of P2P for Video 2007-09-16 11:55:00 NewScientist says that P2P would reduce the cost of putting video online.Democratizing content could benefit everybody. Companies should be trying to find ways of implementing P2P in a legal way, the place content in the hands of the users, but legally. Instead of trying to limit and hinder it.A lot of good can happen when content is in the hands of the users. It's just up to distributors to harness that power.Link via Slashdot: Researchers Suggest P2P As Solution To Video Domination of The InternetLike my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Google's 10th Birthday 2007-09-16 09:41:00 Google has just turned 10 (okay, it turned 10 yesterday, but well, close enough). I'm quite a big admirer of Google, for its innovation and culture especially.Its still quite young for such a huge company. What made it successful? CNet News says is its ability to deal with failure. Which I think is really true. Above just the hardware failure which CNet reports on, I think what set Google apart is its innovative culture. And that culture could only have happened if they were willing to accept failure and dealt with it well - seeing it as a learning opportunity.And that's the first thing I want to highlight about Google, its innovation.Google's CIO Douglas Merrill tells us more about innovation at Google, and gives some tips about how businesses can apply innovation. It's a really good video and despite its length, I think you should watch it. It really shows some of the "secrets" behind GoogleI really love the 20% concept, where Google engineers are allowed to work on any project t ... Google

PlentyofFish 2007-09-15 11:42:00 LifesPerspectives reflects on the success of PlentyofFish.com.clipped from www.lifesperspective.comThus my conclusion on PlentyofFish and Markus Frind is this, he saw what was missing at that point in time and positioned himself to be at the right place and at the right time. Full credit goes to him for identifying the loophole in the online dating industry with the absence of free dating sites. Thus, unsurprisingly, if one starts a website that was completely new and improved existing websites, it will be hard not to become big. Perhaps it’s just me, but I think that it is so much harder these days to spot unfilled needs on the internet. Anyway, apart from my proposed drastic thought of dropping my sites, the search goes on for me. With all my envy and aspirations, I know that I need to invent something new. That is one of the most common thread that runs through most success stories. They created something that people need and the rest comes easily (relative to the process of findi ...

Alarm Clock 2007-09-15 10:09:00 Seth Godin shares an idea for alarm clocks, a chip that tells the day, in addition to the time. It wouldn't be very hard to do, but it would help a lot. I know I would love something like that.clipped from sethgodin.typepad.comSo why doesn't every alarm clock have this feature? Because most people in that business are busy doing their jobs (distribution, promotion, pricing, etc.), not busy making products that people actually want to buy--and talk about. There are very few products and services that wouldn't get a lot better if people just tried to make them better. He makes a really good point. And as usual with Seth Godin, there's really nothing much for me to add. People have become too focused on doing what they are told, on just doing their jobs, instead of really doing something to make a difference.What product/service can you improve today? What difference can you make?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

The Intangibles 2007-09-14 11:30:00 I've been reading Break From the Pack: How to Compete in a Copycat Economy by Oren Harari. Even though I'm only two chapters in, the book already mentions some good stuff.He mentions that "the key predictors of corporate success and shareholder value are not the size of a company's tangible assets, but the size of its intangible assets like its speed in execution and customer care, its culture of constant innovation, and its mobility and agility in capitalizing on fresh, fleeting opportunities. As the Brookings Institution found, 80 percent of shareholder value generated by the S&P 500 can be traced to intangibles. In other words, to predict who's going to break from the pack, look at who's got the quickest adaptivity and imagination, not who's got the biggest on the balance sheet."The reason (I believe) why this is the case is that the tangibles (the balance sheet) reflects results of the past. But results can be achieved in a variety of ways, and results of the past might not a ...

Now Available on Mobile 2007-09-14 09:41:00 I've been making quite a few changes and improvements (at least I hope you see them as improvements) to my blog over the past month or so. Over the past month or two, I've implemented a new template, made my blog available through email, and added book recommendations via Amazon.Now, for the latest improvement. Something that I've been wanting for quite a while, but never figured out how to do. Until today. So as of now (thanks to FeedM8), Sui Generis is available via mobile. Just go to the "Mobile" section on the right, and either click the button, or just enter your number.The mobile site is ad-supported, at least until I find another alternative. But it works, and for now, that's good enough for me. =).To you bloggers, should check out FeedM8 too. Just click the button below and follow the instructions. It's simple, and will help further the reach of your blog.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Submit Your Story 2007-09-14 09:37:00 Tom from LifeGoalAction asks for your stories.It's a really good initiative, and I'm really looking forward to the stories that will be submitted. I believe everyone has a story to tell, and telling it benefits everyone. Others can be inspired. And for you, well, Tom puts it quite well.clipped from www.lifegoalaction.comHaving your story posted for the world to see can be a very encouraging and motivating experience. Even if you decide to keep your identity anonymous, you will still be in the spotlight and that can spur you on to even greater things.Go on, submit your story. It's worth it.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Redefining the Dictionary 2007-09-13 11:30:00 Erin McKean has a really good TED Talk about "Redefining the Dictionary".It's a really interesting talk, and I think she has quite good presentation skills as well. Listening to her talk, you can just sense her passion about what she does. And above all that, I think the content is really good. She tells us to challenge the traditional thoughts and ideas we have about the dictionary.Her thoughts can be applied to other fields as well, I think. The "ham butt" problem she talks about, for example, really typifies the problem with blindly following tradition. On a whole, it's just a great talk, that you really should watch.What are you redefining today? ...

K2 Gyrator Snowboards 2007-09-13 10:48:00 Hailey Eber on Men.Style.com tells us about the K2 Gyrator Snowboards.It's not really a place I'd normally get post ideas from, but there's a first time for everything, I guess.With the Gyrator boards, K2 pays tribute to their debut board, with designs which (in Hailey Eber's words) "[echo] the garage-born style of the sport's first generation of tinkerers."From the article: ' "I was inspired by photos I'd taken of bathroom graffiti at a favorite downtown dive bar while visiting New York," says Gyrator designer Cory Little. 'Bathroom graffiti. More example that you can get inspiration from everywhere.Where do you get your inspiration from? ...

Recommended books 2007-09-13 01:31:00 In accordance with the upcoming "Buy a Friend a Book Week" I mentioned yesterday, here are 4 books (non-fiction) that I think are really good.On a related note, there is now a new section in the sidebar for my recommended books (currently these 4). It's been something I've been considering for a while. The format/appearance of the section might be changed, and the titles featured might change depending on other books that I read. But the basic idea is there. It'll be a section of books that I recommend.There will be no automatic computer-generated ads. These are handpicked books that I've read (and likely mentioned on previous posts), related to topics I blog about, and that I think are really good. You don't have to buy from my blog if you don't want to, they are just books that I think you should read.[edit and add-on] The list on books will probably stay at 4, or maybe go to 6, depending on the layout and how I think it looks, and the list will be changed every so often. Proba ...

Michael Schumacher's Driving Style 2007-09-12 11:11:00 Michael Schumacher is no doubt one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Formula One drivers of all time. He's a 7 time world champion, 5 of them consecutive titles. Wikipedia says that "According to the official Formula One website, he is 'statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen' ". Learning from a champion is always a good thing to do, so here's a video about his driving style. It's only 5 minutes, so there's no excuse for you not to watch it.Notice what he says in the final segment. He himself says that what sets him apart is his ability to push the car to the limit, 100%, all the time. The statistical analysis showed that as well. He went closer to the edge than his competitor.Risks are more often than not essential to success. To truly succeed, especially in the highly competitive world today, you need to take risks. You've got to go right to the very edge.How much are you willing to risk?Link via Haha.nu ...

Buy A Friend A Book Week 2007-09-12 10:54:00 Apparently October 1st to 7th is "Buy A Friend A Book Week".This is the first I've heard of it, and I think it's a really good idea. I suggest you take part in it. I'm probably going to.Reading encourages a person to learn for him/herself. When you read, you're gaining knowledge by yourself, you're experiencing something for yourself, not depending on someone else to provide you with that knowledge or that experience. And that's lacking in society today, I believe. Too many people seem to be too busy to learn by themselves.What books have you read lately and what have you gained from them? ...

Bacn 2007-09-11 10:37:00 clipped from www.trendsspotting.comBacn (pronounced bacon) is “the term given to electronic messages which have been subscribed to and are therefore not unsolicited but are often unread by the recipient for a long period of time. Bacn is email you want but not right now”.I think the Bacn buzz can teach us a lot about the making of internet buzz. I followed its seeds from the first few days (see the chronological overview). I learned that the combination of appreciated bloggers (as Chris Brogan), a twitter buzz, and a scoop in Wired were the milestones of its rise, all in less than 4 days. In 8 days it received the attention of The New York Times (it did take them long..).Remember the formula: a catchy word + 1-2 influential bloggers + twitter (or other sms style spreading mechanism). Trendspotting blog reports about Bacn.I first read about it on Chris Brogan's blog and then on Seth Godin's blog as well.It's an interesting concept, but I think the biggest thing of note is how fa ...