The price you pay for wanting everything to be convenient

Our walk back from lunch was rudely interrupted by a crowd in front of our Building (HSBC Jln Bukit Bintang) 5 Car accident. Apparently a white Mercedes Benz had crashed into 4 other cars parked illegally in front of the bank. Here's pictures: (taken as usual with my Motorola V3i)









I understand that people want to do their banking and do it fast. But is this worth the price you pay for it? granted that Bukit Bintang is busy but these fellers have been parking, obstructing traffic and causing traffic congestions for years!.. Padan Muka (serves you right!)

On the flip side tho, our Analysisbot MC, had this to say about the whole affair:

"analysis : some butts can earn money, which allows them to own cars. but butts dun have brains attached to it which implies it has no intelligence. butts also have no means of autonomous movement. they must park very near to their destinations in order to decrease the length of movement"

'Nuff said.

The Hipster Nano PDA

Right now in the US, one of the exploding phenomenons (apart from ditching your Mach 3 and picking up a DE shaver) is GTD. What is GTD I hear you ask? Simply put, it stands for Getting Things Done. Very popular among geeks, this is a trend that I have not really seen take off in Malaysia in a magnitude similar to what's happening in the US (found these links in Malaysia tho': Spoonfork, Bernie's Ramblings & the requsite IT Tutor Forum posts ) A better explanation can be found here, the website of the writer of the original GTD book David Allen and from Merlin Mann's site. Part of the premise of GTD is simple, ditch the pda, smartphone, [insert name of electronic gadget that does the same thing here] and move on to a simpler (usually paper-based, DIY'ed) "gadget".

Following this line of thought, Merlin (who has a uber cool site) introduced to us the Hipster PDA. What a brilliant concept!! Cheap, no batteries required and stays on all the time! As time went on tho, some people began to 'mod' their Hipster PDA, adding a hole, covers made out of sailcloth (whatever that is) and securing a pen to the PDA via a small carabiner. Then came the Hipster Mini. This great idea replaced the 3x5 index cards with blank business cards. Merlin's original binder clip made a reappearance (albeit being smaller). Cool for people who hate carry such bulky things in their pockets (like me).

So, here's where I come in. I STILL think that the Hipster Mini is too big. So I came up with something even smaller......The Hipster Nano. The inspiration for the Hipster Nano (yes... i hear G1 StarScream's screechy voice saying "how original") was from a study aid long used by Japanese language students. Called Word Cards or Flash cards, these come with a Green and Red plastic film. Details as to how they work can be found from this link . Mine however came from Isetan (Japanese Shopping joint) near my office.



(this is how mine looks like)



(Pictured with Green and Red check sheets)

I originally bought them for work purposes (not explaining further cos its now become a company trade secret) So when i came across a batch of them in the stationery section, i bought every one of them at RM 4 (thats around USD 1.16) by then I had seen the various Hipster posts and thought "maybe I can make a smaller version" thus, the Hipster Nano was born! Found a smallish Paper Mate Kilometrico Sport Mini pen for RM 1.20 (USD 0.34), which I think is cheaper than buying a Fisher Space Pen (bullet and all that) This serves as my 'Stylus'. I have also extra smaller rings like these

('scuse the sucky photos - myMotorola V3i camera sucks)

so I can make smaller stacks of cards instead of the 111 sheet monster that I carry around these days. I even managed to use the detachable red and green check sheets as my dividers. If you live in Malaysia, hunt around the Isetans for the Flash cards. If you live in the US and other countries, you can always order it from this link. Scroll down till you see the "Kutsuwa Study Flashcards w/Check Sheet". I feel this looks cooler, smaller and cheaper to boot. At the moment I'm using just a simple rubber band to hold my stuff in place but there are plans to make a clasp with some velcro and a lil holder for the pen. Have I become more productive from using my Nano? Err... I just put it together today so look out for an update one of these days. Ok, 'nuff said, here come the pictures



(you can clip the pen on the ring)



(With optional Rubber band securing system)

Update 04072007

It has been a long time hasn't it? er... i have millions of posts to do (ok.. maybe a least 15) about Robotcon 2007, TransMy's 3rd gathering, the long delayed lamb chop post, Philipino Taxi drivers and yes.. those fellas (see picture in previous posts). But here's the thing, I'm NOT doing the Robotcon 2007 post (not until i can lock myself in a dark room and do a 'proper' report) nor am I doing the TransMY one (I think it'll be bundled with the Robotcon one). The lamb chop one needs to be scrapped until I make the next batch (didn't take a picture of the finished product) and i'm scrapping the rest for good cos I've lost interest. There ya go.

Did I hear you ask about the Transformers Movie review? It was mind blowing. Review done.

So back to normal as I'm finding more time to blog (and tumbleblog... hopefully). I'm starting off with a GTD post next featuring the Hipster Nano PDA... watch for it...