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Thursday 25 April 2013

Study mozzle control market

- 020713 got another sale after she sees my mother passes the 2 lamps to the aunt.

- meet her. Bad breath. Every one has weak points.

- 300613 got 2 sale from mom's friend again. 010713 Spoilt 3 lamp and led. It won't light up. 020713 buy last 2 lamp. Use minimum changes. Replace led and seal up white lights. It works. And it is easy.

130614
- a new way to use credit card led. Place it near my head or body.

010613
- find my lamp not working at redwood central. Needs direct line?
- look like there is still a lot of work to be done. Lots if testing.


To make 50 units of SG Mosquito Delight
- print label on yongcheck 180513 - 21
- buy 50 lamp and led
- soldier them
- print flyer
- buy plastic bag
- distribute


It will be my first product for mobile widget ads. 250413

Mosquito control
Mosquito delete
Mosquito wipeout
Good night sleep
Mosquito zone
Moscontrol
MosszieControl
Mosquito Crazy

Magic Lamp is an easier way to call. It is used to keep mosquito away my sleep. I have invented it because I get annoyed when the nozzles comes in the dawn. Since Singapore has broken record to have 500 cases of degue last week, I have email the authority and request a presentation of my simple solution. Sadly I do not have a meeting.

I tested it for about 2 years. My recent trip to kota tinggi confirms again that the magic lamp is effective against mosquito :) only thing is no one believe in my invention.. It is not easy to open people mind that a simple solution is all you need to avoid mosquito bites in your home.

Live uk train tracker has 15 download.
UK train time live has 50 download.





Website development 2013

It begins as a static site and grows into dynamic site with user content. Now it moves from .com to Facebook page with like reputation. And paypal has a link to make purchases in page.

Page replaces the need to
1. Get a domain name
2. Host a website
3. Develop ability to receive payment
4. Email to friends
5. Update fans on new product release

Decline in domain register, web hosting, developer for payment, email list.

Facebook like replaces reputation. How popular a politician is depends on how many like he has. It is very democratic!

YouTube replaces training. I learn my sg mrt delight path finding from YouTube simple pencil and paper video.

Young people has the advantage of being eager to try new things. They brings new ideas to a company. Only weakness is they could hardly sit down and think.

Monday 22 April 2013

Sg buses delight site test 230413


Android
- add stopName for search stopid k 2404
- add edit stopName for add favorite k 24
- gps location add expiry date k 23
- remove toast on add fav
- site test k

iOS
- add GPS accuracy best k
- add expiry date k
- add feedback, email to friends k
- site test k

Sg mrt delight
- preload map k 2404
- scroll view k 2504
- map from stop k
- site test k
- at bugis, it says city hall till stadium.
- nearby to route is wrong k
- duplicate route at nearby k
- locate 2 times to get paya lebar!

Overall ok except at bugis commercial complex, its GPS struck at kallang. Use Google map and the GPS location is updated.

Under smu first floor, it uses network as hidden by GPS.





As for iOS, the GPS is totally off to geylang. Look like there is some work to be done on iPhone version. It has to be 5m accuracy.

Sg mrt delight still ok on first try. Try at bras basa mrt platform, it shifts to city hall then esplanade. At paya lebar basement platform, it says still at Mountbatten. Up to b1, I try google map, it shifts to paya lebar after refresh location. Then my app goes to paya lebar on second try. :)



I really envy smu student. They have such a nice environment to study. Coffee shop, basement hall, nature park. They only lack a 40 story hostel where student can stay and do their project and unintentionally cultivate her culture.

Saturday 20 April 2013

Sg mrt site test 210413

Timing at paya lebar towards dhoby ghout is schedule. And same at stadium. Schedule timing is inaccurate except at stadium.

App crashes when I want to see route from stadium to marina bay. It has only to dhoby ghout. K 230413

GPS does not update from paya lebar to stadium. The GPS time still need to be used.



Prudent

Especially in business, it is prudent to begin with products that you are ready. I did not think our firm was strong enough yet. Young people often become filled with enthusiasm for some project, throwing themselves into it with gusto and energy, but finding that without careful judgement and prudence they come face to face with failure.

1922 hold
1929 start
1937 largest

Remark: he can wait 7 years before he go into key socket. That is a long wait. He is open enough to see he cannot fight the competition in 1922.

Can I do ads? Google and Singtel is very strong. No way to fight them. But they are not serving ads on widget. Can I start one that has no competition yet? But is there a demand except my widgets. Do f&b want to advertise in my bus widget? How to make my business pay?

2015 great apps
- sg buses delight
- sg mrt delight
- sg traffic delight

Great app from Taiwan..

Finally I see a well design and useful train app..! I am amazed by its dynamic animation.





Wednesday 17 April 2013

Problem of a new product

I have accidentally discover that having a way to drive away mosquito easily. Interrupted by a man who ask for money for his cash card. I say sorry and don't have. I feel not safe. :) if it happens in Johor, things will be different.

The problem is that I am not able to sell it. I could not find buyers. My family does not believe in my discovery. If I advertise, will I get buyer? My friend tests it and find it effective. No more mosquito at night. But then again, his family is scared. What causes these mosquito to flee?

I got a user. He does not test it when I give it to him. Nobody believe that it works or is safe.

Can it be a delivery sale? How can I patent it? I use it in my own house. I would like to help in the dengue situation but I do not know how.

If 20 000 knows about it, will they buy? If I put on Facebook page, can people buy? If I put in a full refund. Can I talk to the ministry of health?

Could I see the bend ahead?

Mosquito control


Business is a cross road between art and science.

Engineering students are always the worst dressed. Art students look sexy. Engineers make things work. Designers make thing look beautiful. Art makes thing human.

In a company, engineers build product. It is not enough. Artists are needed to make them beautiful. Beauty is nature. A law that if a girl is very beautiful, she will have tons of guys going after her. This is universal law. Any girl who accept this law will have no shortage of men in her life. Actually this law also applies to men.,but many men does not accept the truth and continue to be ugly. Look at the peacock.

It applies to product too. If it is ugly, no one want to buy.

Business is make and market. To make needs engineering. To market needs art. Make it beautiful is to sell.



A strange happening between iOS and android

I study the market for London bus. I find that there are better developed london bus app in iOS than android. These look better apps are developed by existing medium companies. They are not interested in advertising on their app. They want to create a portfolio on the app environment. I think they are more towards software design studio.

Over at android, there are more apps developed by individual. They are not well designed but have huge good reviews.

It seems that iPhone gives a up class image while android has image that corporate wants to avoid.

If that is the case, then there will be less update on these iOS app and I will still focus on usability and design in London bus.

Marketing effort for SG MRT Delight

I will be working on the marketing. I want to use Facebook to easily share the app.

240413
1. Develop app to use paging.
2. Test app gps at various mrt station.
3. Send all feedback and sharing to Facebook.
4. Create a link for users to download app from Facebook.
5. Put route on first tab. Route. Nearby+search. Favorite.

www.facebook.com/SGMrtDelight

- I am worry about using fb pages as it takes 25 sec to load over wifi. Too slow to be useful.
- 030513 only 9 likes. Used for new version release?

Making of server

I will be doing a very simple server. The use of server is huge in the future. It will be talking to MTA and other servers. It can be used for game server. For now, it is to be used for only a simple location based ads server.

170413
- thinking. Ruthless low cost. Intend for free ads for individual. Install python 2.74 and read Django 1.5 tutorial 1. K

180413
- read rest of tutorial k
- set up simple database. K Set up a mobile website for ads entry.

----- table
- userId
- text
- link
- count

220413
- create ads for yongAds k
- create ads for mosquito magic lamp k
- create ads for 99 food k

230413
- mobile app serving ads k

After reading twitter has release an app for music. Follow band equal music lover. Sell them music.

Using bus means people who want to save money. They love great deal. Sell them breakfast, lunch and dinner.

230413
- first 24 hour ads test. Ok

How am I going to sell my good night sleep lamp? Who is going to buy? Use PayPal again?

Will put in location.. I don't think there are going to be many advertiser. Will make it free. Blogshop does not need distance, maybe targeting office crowd. F&b will need distance factor to make the ads useful.

- add location
- add image
- add lunch time

My idea for ads is that it must be useful to the user. As I check my bus time, I want only ads that tell me where are the good food offer. I want a ads to tell me a product that can prevent the dengue fever mosquito.

To tell me where is the good food. It has to know my location. If Ads location and my location is less than 1 km, serve the ads. If user time is 10am to 1pm, serve a lunch promotion ads.

Serve my sg mrt delight app with no restriction on location and time. It is something related to bus app.

LBA


Note on server experience

- tomcat apache jsp is very difficult to use.
- php apache and MySQL is less difficult. But it gets complicated with its front end.
- Microsoft access and window server is the quickest to setup but difficult to customize. I find that ebay and pof starts with Microsoft and has the advantage to quickly deploy their website. They cost.
- python, sqlite and django server is the best so far. Quick to setup. Totally free. Easy to edit.

The only problem with python is that android uses java. And mta server uses java for its data feed. And a bus operator need java module to access its timing.

Try a python server. See can link to mta server and local server. It seems to be possible to me for java:)






Server ads launched in 020513. The next development will be java server to talk to mta and others.

Friday 12 April 2013

Apple iWatch

News about apple smart watch. I will need to get ready for them. It is more convenient than taking out the phone. But then again, many people don't wear watch anymore..?

Pepple is first to release but it has a few issue to tackle. I don't want a watch and a phone to go jogging. I don't want to charge my watch every 7 days. The technology is still not good enough. The value is there only if the watch can replace phone.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Factors

Very fast, very simple and very beautiful. That is all I ask..

I fear that I cannot see the growth.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Train map future

Just read that London tube map is going to be very complicated in 2016. There is not enough space to put in information such as wheel chair station, partial closed station, night map.

It seems to me that an app is a perfect solution to dynamic map that changes to users requirement :)

- day or night stations.
- zoom to view lift for wheel chair

A map that draw on google am has the advantage of better journey planning. It shows the real distance.

Maybe the cost of travel in path finding should uses distance insteads.



Monday 8 April 2013

We do no market research

We do no market research. We just want to make great products. When we created the iTunes Music Store, we did that because we thought it would be great to be able to buy music electronically, not because we had plans to redefine the music industry. I mean, it just seemed like writing on the wall that eventually all music would be distributed electronically. Why have all those cost when you can just send electrons around easily.

Life

The fact that everything around that has life is build by someone who is not smarter than you.

Such thinking allows Steve to go into music player, phone and tablet. He thinks people who create life like Nokia, Sony, Microsoft are people who is no smarter than he is. And he changes life by creating new products that ride the power of Internet.

Is it possible to build an ads server that can better serve people?

When Polaroid dies, Kodak also dies. It is an environment change that kills all. Intell is going down and so is Microsoft and dell. Unless they can create a new products that can replace the old in another market.

Apple and google has gone up. They are all company. They have product. Apple cannot fight in desktop and laptop. It is forced to find new path. And she goes into music player, phone and pad.

Microsoft dominates PC. A monopoly will rises among individual and small companies. It will then decline and replace by company with new product. The new product replaces the old monopoly's. so the phone replaces the PC.

Steve is smart to know he could not fight in PC and got into music player. He fights Sony instead. Sony has monopoly in music player but is too new to Internet music services.

Nokia has monopoly in phone but is totally new to phone that surf the web, GPS with map, Internet services like music and YouTube.

A better ads

If it can tell me where are the good food near me. And provide me a discount. I want to eat there. What to eat today?

The only problem is that there is not enough users at all.

If there are 1 million users a day, then business will want to come in. And to advertise based on users location.

A server is inevitable to continue serving people for free.

If the ads can answer my daily question on what to eat for lunch, I will be very happy.

If I check a word on a dictionary app and gets distracted by its irreverent ads, I will be annoyed!

If I check my mrt route, and get a recommendation for the good food at my destination, I will be very happy too.

Location and good ads.

The problem is that I receive ads that are useless to me. It distracts me from my work. I hate it when it is SMS ads. I do not mind if it is an alert from the bank or library.

If it is property ads, if it is more than 1 km away, I will not receive the ads. 80% of my ads will fall off.

If it is a food ads, it is less than 1 km, it will appear on my widget.

A dictionary that I use. The word that I check, if it is not bid, then do not show ads.

The ads and app does not share enough data. The person who does app and ads will be able to provide useful recommendation.

Bus app has info about user location, where she want to go, what time she travel.

It is better to provide no ads than to show ads that irritates users.

The property app know what type of house that I search for.. Hdb, ground, landed, location. Only ads that satisfy my search will show.

Taipei trip effect

If it can have an offline app to tell me where are the good food. Some photos. And user recommendation. A map that tells me where is it.

If it can tell me how to walk to the temple. A app to let me take photo and upload to share.

Over 100 download and yet 50 rating

There is really something that I have to study on staten.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Remaking of SG Buses Apr 13

The last time that I work on SG Buses is 3 months ago. There are some new developments and I will putting in
1) menu to add favorite, goto stop or bus remaining time alert
2) better GPS locator. User pin. Site test.
3) better way to identify the bus instead of bus stop. Direction info.
4) better timing and osm.
5) format for old people and people in a panic mode..:)
I will be working on Android first as I have a stronger hold. Then I will do better marketing on iOS. My app is as good as if not better than the competitors.
Every thing is free. Cost of using. How many clicks to get the answer? No need to open app at all. Ads on widget. Ads that answer difficult routine questions such as what to eat for lunch today?
The users only care if it brings what she want. To see the last train time. No scrolling. No thinking. No open of app. Just the widget. Waiting is a sin.
I would be happy if an app will recommend me what to eat today as I check my bus time. It uses my location to give suggestion on good food. Any f&b will need to give discount in order to get published.

090413 done
- added nearby os k
- add feedback and rate k
- add route and favorite menu at stop k
- site test for gps location k

100413
- add bus remain time alert k
- fix wab k
- fix timing k
- no abs bus list in stop 1824. 4x. - no bus list 1827 4x - k

- search bus code has no stop name k
- both single widgets hang 1832 but ok at 1835 reinstall widgets
- more than 10 SEC nearby.. limit 5 sec k







110413

- tab logo to clear and to refresh k

- fix map stop bug k
- nearest stop page k



I have worked too much hours today. I am trying out a daring nearby where the nearest stop is taken and show all the bus services. It has timing, add favorite and route all from this page. It is very hard but it is fun. 120413.

120413
- edit bus alert arriving k
- set default 5 min alert k
- on stop stop tasks k
- fix nearby page k
- add timing web k
- use London tube design k
- open when tab notification k







130413
- add last bus menu k
- 10 sec last out k

150413
- slide for next nearby stop k

160413
- change green to yellow k
- add user pin k
- a 1x1 favorite, a 3x2 favorite k

Future
- marketing on iOS
- large font for old people and panic mode
- return stop at route
- favorite and stop in group table

160413
Manage to finish my design for this round from 090413 to 160413. Today some incident happens. It turns out one of my latest version causes crashes in widget and app. 4 users give me 1 star. 2 users email me. After 4 hours, I figure out there is not bug in my code. The crash is caused by google play. It is changing to a new site on today too. And my app is some how damaged while I upload to her new site.

Wow! I could really feel my users. I hope they quickly get up and start using sg buses delight 2 again. And the question returns, where do I go from here next?

:)

030513. It takes about 2 weeks before I can make my latest changes good to use. And users are giving 5 stars again. From 130413 to 010513. Almost 3 weeks. I suffers about 5 1 stars. Drop to 4.2 but now is gaining reputation and download rate. I really thank my users for their faith in my work.

260513
Once again Joselyne has helped me see why my users is struck with my app. She could not see the menu at the bottom of the screen. I added a context menu. There is no way a user can miss the menu especially the arrival time.

Summary of her helps
1. See what to do with the app -> hint to tab bus number for waiting time
2. See which is the right bus stop -> open to the nearest stop with destination
3. See what happen to tab the menu -> use a context menu

Connie has helped
1. See blank when use indoor -> alert to open location setting
2. See what is the C sign -> use image in text

It is so easy. All it take is a user willing to use my app in my presence.

Innovation

Are we prepared to not only merely tolerate but to welcome and celebrate the kinds of questioning, disruption and even disobedience that come with innovation?

Since questioning of authority, disorder and disobedience are forbidden in most confucious society, innovation does not happen. If Confucius values past over new, old over young and order over innovation, what can we do? South Korea is a Confucius society but she is doing very well in making new smartphone like Samsung note 2. What can we learn from her?

You cannot separate innovation from disobedience. If you are an innovator, compliance is not in your nature. I often want to chart a new path but I have my father business to continue. I admire people who comes from a working family. He can choose his own path. Thing should not be a problem as many great people run several companies.

It strikes me why the American app is way more innovative than Asian. The uk app is so serious. And the Japanese so orderly. Singapore app is so boring. App is still a new thing. Lets see which country will create the best.

Failure is still seen as a career-ender and not as a step on the way to developing a successful business.

Many people want success but success is made up of 99% failure. Yet I see so many young people are successful. Maybe they are minority, just that they appear on the newspaper. Most people are not successful in number.

If I can fail quickly, I would. What is consider failure? Is it when one cannot continue further, it is called a failure.




Friday 5 April 2013

Music, Internet and creativity

I feel there is a link between music, Internet and creativity.

Music is flow. Internet is flow of information. And creativity is something new that make things better.

I see that US has the most number of song online purchase. And similarly, japan and South Korea has the most song download.

Thursday 4 April 2013

Summary of app design by country

I know it is too general but it is fun to the see the culture of apps made in the world.

1. US design is creative, innovative, simple and sleek. Color for line. Arrow for northbound.
2. UK app is advance, serious but complex. Widget, under 300k in size, osm.
3. Japanese is orderly and clean. Every detail is there. Lots of team work. 300 people to build an app.
4. Chinese is practical and math incline. Routes for latest departure, least transit etc. Quite ugly.
5. Singapore is structure, traditional and practical. So many tabs.

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Competition

The company being shut down comes as no surprise, considering the fact that two of the best Star Wars games have been developed by outside studios, namely Pandemic and BioWare.

Disney strength is in movie and Disneyland. To go into game, it will need a different talent and passion. Asking employee to work on it will not succeed. Competition with high passionate artists is tough.

Lesson is that mta has not go into developing its own bus app. It regulates its data to individual developers.

Tfl has opened its bus and train data. There are 25 bus apps and 100 tube app. How is one going to win?

First the selling price is free. Second the ads revenue is too little. Creating innovative app requires lot of insight to what customer want.



Sg trains delight site test 5

Need to write over node parent with the lower cost. See photo. The EW line has a lower cost to outran park.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Economist strategy

If I work on the magazine economist, I will work on the 2 principle.

1. Anyone who control the server, control the standard.
2. A percentage of a large number is a large number.

I will create a great app. It is free so that people will keep it in their phone. The more user, the more valuable the app is. I will have live advertisement. People can click into the advertisement. Pay reader will receive a physical version. Business will pay for the advertisement.

The danger is clear. By making it free online, she may lose current paying customer. Why buy when you can get it online? She has thousand of employee to feed. And the advertisement model may take time to work.

A 20 000 readers only bring $10 worth of ads revenue on admob. If she uses her own advertisement service, she may get $10 000 ads revenue from her business client.

To go after as many reader as possible or to go after as many physical magazine sold as possible?

NYC bus time secret

Yesterday I was still wonder about my low rating in NYC bus app. From the user comment, it is mainly cannot find bus stop or no timing. It all brings down to checking bus time for manhattan which is not available. I got a 2.9 rating in play.

I put up a alert box when app starts. And I change the name to follow the official name.

The next day I got 2 positive rating and it goes up to 3.1

The important is the name and the alert that tells what the app covers, saving the users some frustration. I will do it for NYC subway time.

I feel that my admob income for UK train free drops as I change it to Live UK Rail Tracker. The click volume is remains.

Today's thought

- Newspaper in physical form. If all needs money, why not give it free. It will still be around. For long reading, it is more comfortable on paper. Economist offers some free content. National graphical needs payment. New York Times and Wall Street journal need money. CNN is free but slow video connection supported by advertisement. She can be better by using YouTube video which is faster. But then, she will not be able to place her advert.

CNN does it right. Often an item in the video is good buy option. Offer it at end of video. I see a video of $35 PC, offer to buy online. I see a news on Myammer, offer a tour package. I see a video on batchata dance, offer a nearby lesson or the boot camp from the main dancer in the video. Let personal dance instructor to advertise for free after the video. And a fee to listed on the top. If I watch a movie sex and the city, offer the fashion for online purchase, or link to store locator, or a dating site, a marriage package, a woman car or bag. Anything that is filmed can sell.

- server for mta and smrt both uses java for android. :) Use window tomcat for quick start. A web server for mta train time. The demand is high. But few people can make server. Too much work. Give them free. Charge only 5% of users. Supply a route, a stopId and direction, return a time.

- server for my advertising. A database to store text and image. Location is coming. Give a simple way to link advert to location. Give advertisement free. Charge only the top 5%. Enter text, location and serve ads. All individual advertisement is free. Only business need to pay for click and bid for location.

- server to bring traffic map widget to android user. In driving, seconds count. I think iPhone will have widget by July 2013.

- map is the locator to the buyer. People has intend to buy when they search for store location. And why are there so many locator app like Mac Donald and 7 eleven. There is menu, promotion, loyalty and diet facts.

Prediction 2018

I feel that iPhone will still be around by 2018. We have Google vs Apple in 2013. They will keep fighting until 2018.

Smart watch and glass will not catch on with the mass. The health potential with watch will only come in 2038.

Based on my prediction, I will continue working on transport app. And I will invest on a strategy game. There is not a good strategy game on iTunes and play.

Mobile is the world from 1999 to 2009 Nokia, from 2009 to 2019 iPhone and android.

Location advertising is coming strongly with transport app. Strategy games will provide location advertising.

A new advertising platform will rise if Google does not innovate on phone advertising and keeps to its website cash cow, adsense.

Advertising mobile will come in 2015.

I will need an unlimited server. Server is going to be very important.

Monday 1 April 2013

People skill

Teach them and they will respect you.

Recent trip shows technology use

My short retreat to Kota tinggi opens my eyes on how technology is being used in small business.

A popular local dish is written on blog. As we go to find its location. We cannot find it. Using google map we found one. Things are no possible 10 year ago. There is no way to carry the whole map of Malaysia. Now with iPhone we can easily know our location and direction.

Then we found a YouTube video that tell us the actual way to the local dish location. It makes things easier.

1. Google search 2. Blogs 3. Google map on iPhone 4. YouTube on iPhone

Booking is done cheaper on the Internet. We still go travel. The only different is the tools that we have now make things easier and people a little freer.

Remaking of NYC bus time

Bronx is already in use. Next is manhattan by end of the end. Next apr will be for Brooklyn and queens.

010413 - setup feedback by email. Fix an email does not go away bug.

- read customer complain.
1. Near stop is far away. Use sort by distance. K
2. No location. Alert users of no location. Use wifi location? Wrong location. K
3. Timing need more 12 min, 23 min
4. No sbs 79! ?
5. Test 3 location k
6. Use route to determine agency. K

The main reason is the users use it for manhattan. I have put up a sign.

- NYC MTA has done a great job. Look at it in android. It is sure too work.

- ensure my nearby work. The differentiation is the nearby feature. K

- add select bus service start 030413 K will upload a screen shot. The mta provides SBS bus location and other bus that nBus left out. The android use is ok and submitted but then it feels flimsy.

- add remaining time alarm. Working on it since 040413. It is a small step towards notification. It is something new for me to learn. And a must feature for NYC since the bus can come like 30 minutes! Finish on 050413.

I am using a service to get the timing and compare to the desired alarm time. It plays a sound and vibrates when bus is coming. :) It is my first small steps towards notification.