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I just saw a gigantic pink bra hanging at the corner of a building somewhere in Kannai. Breast cancer campaign?

Just spent the last couple of days in Incheon attending an international road conference and exhibition. Got to see what’s been done in New Songdo City in the last few years. The 10-year development plan to make it a truly ubiquitous city is pretty ambitious. When the project’s done in 2015, Songdo shin-dosi will be one of the world’s first cities in which all information systems - residential, medical, business, government etc. are linked up together. Expect to see large-scale use of RFIDs, smart cards and sensor-based devices throughout the city. To give you an idea of what that means - one smart card will give you access to your house, get on the subway, pay a parking metre, see a movie, borrow a bike, or rent an electric car that will be distributed around the city. It’ll be really interesting to see how people will adapt to this ubiquitous lifestyle. No doubt some services will take off and gain wide acceptance, but I think lots of applications are bound to fail due to security and privacy concerns. Nonetheless the city will be a good testing ground for ideas that are pushing and blurring the boundaries!

Anyway, on a lighter note, I’ve got one whole day to detach myself from work and spend some time in Seoul before heading off to Tokyo tomorrow. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in a place where nobody knows you? Come to think of it, perhaps an ubiquitous, always-on, always-connected city is not my cup of tea. Geeky as I may be, I still have the need to unplug every now and then, and get away from all things digital to keep my sanity. Believe it.

Real-time, commercial-free CNBC in my ride! This is by no means the perfect solution but it will have to do until mobile TV takes off in the country, which I guess isn’t anytime soon.

I’ve been using the Viliv S5 for two weeks now. I really enjoy its pocket-sized form factor while being able to execute desktop-grade software. Its built-in 3G modem makes it a great time-filler when I’m stuck in traffic or waiting for my dinner to be served. It’s also a pretty good e-book reader with its crisp touchscreen and strong battery life. The only gripe I have so far is the on-screen keyboard. While it’s okay for simple input like keying in your username and password for websites, it’s awfully inadequate for writing emails or jotting down notes.

But that’s not a problem anymore with the Logitech diNovo Mini. I was really surprised these two devices go so well together. It’s as if they were made for each other. Pair them once and you’re good to go. Just flip-open the keyboard and rest the S5 on it when you need to type, Bluetooth will do its thing and you’ll be ready to type away within seconds. Real slick. All the keys are backlit too.

The long-awaited cat is finally here! I don’t think I need to tell you how awesome this operating system is. But I suggest you check out the Snow Leopard Compatibility List and make sure the software you can’t live without are compatible with the new big cat before you make the jump!

This is the new iPhone 3GS. It looks and feels exactly like the iPhone 3G that’s lying next to it. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. There’s no denying that the iPhone 3G is a solid smartphone and has a good form factor, so why screw with it right? True. But I still wish they’d changed the hardware a little bit. Maybe make it thinner. Or at least give me more colours to choose from. Anyway, the main difference of these two is obviously speed, which is what the “S” stands for. You might not feel it if you’re a first-time user. But if you’re using the iPhone 3G or even the first-gen iPhone right now, everything is noticeably faster on the 3GS. App loads up much faster and switching from one app to another has virtually no lag whatsoever. Other subtle changes include built-in video camera, digital compass, Nike + iPod support and voice control function. So, is it a worthy upgrade? Definitely. Especially if you’re impatient like me when it comes to technology. The speed bump will make you fall in love with the iPhone OS all over again. But if you’re happy with the performance of your current iPhone, I have to say there’s really no other compelling reason to upgrade.

Sometimes, buying the latest gadget is a lot like love. I spent months trying to get my hands on the Viliv S5 UMPC ever since it was announced but to no avail. Not even in Korea which is where Viliv’s based in. I went all the way to Yongsan (Korea’s answer to Japan’s Akihabara) but no luck at all. Those guys haven’t even heard of Viliv! So I gave up and stopped looking for a while. And guess what, I bumped into this baby while I was strolling at Funan yesterday. Apparently they’re gonna have a big official launch event here in Singapore tomorrow. Talk about perfect timing.

I’m going for the big screens these days. Just set up two Dell 27-inch Full-HD Display in my office. They have really superb colour reproduction (110% gamut!), extensive connectivity (VGA, DVI, HDMI, Component, Composite, and of course, the new industry-standard DisplayPort) and come fitted with a stand that tilts, swivels and slides up and down like no other!

Meet my new 17-inch MacBook Pro. It’s HUGE! But not that huge. Apple has created a very sturdy laptop (gotta love the unibody construction!) with a giant 17-inch screen and still managed to keep it highly portable and lasts more than 6 hours on a single charge. If you look at other 17-inchers out there, you’ll find most of them extremely bulky and won’t last longer than 2 hours. Not much of a competition really. I’m kinda disappointed Apple didn’t throw a Blu-ray drive in there though, but I guess that’ll come in the next revision. There’s not much to talk about in terms of performance ‘cause you know this thing can handle anything you throw at it - being the fastest laptop ever from Cupertino. And did I mention those 1920x1200 little pixels are sooo awesome?

I just bought a perfectly useless gadget at Narita Airport - USB meets LOVE. A dog that starts humping frantically as soon as you plug it into your USB port. No no no, it’s not a flash drive, there’s absolutely no functionality at all. Just a dog humping your USB port like there’s no tomorrow.

Went to check out the 1:1 Scale “Life-Size” Gundam in Odaiba. The amount of detail on this robotic behemoth is just incredible. Only in Japan I guess.

Glad to be back in Yokohama. This has got to be one of the most well thought out and well developed cities I’ve ever been to. A perfect balance of systematic urban development, highly efficient and intelligent transportation system, a good mix of cultural heritage and environmental preservation. What more could you really ask for?

By the way this photo was taken from a bathtub I was in a little while ago. What?! I was just testing to see if my new camera’s really waterproof!

Another unusual place for golfing - rooftop of a shopping mall. These folks just wouldn’t miss any chance to swing a club. I kinda like this though.

Anyway, WELCOME TO THE WORLD, Baby Lauryn! It may not be in the best of shape right now, but Uncle Aaron will make sure he does everything he can to make it as beautiful for you as you have for all of us in the family!

I’m in Seoul hitting some golf balls in a 500 sq. ft. indoor golf range. No, not the advanced golf simulator type. Those are pretty cool stuff. This is just a piece of cloth hanging on the wall. No sensor, no camera, no infrared. And you know what, most gyms here have one of these room. Just goes to show how Korea as a nation has really gone golf crazy!