Best Way To Get Internet in Tokyo for Travelers While the terrestrial internet so fast in Tokyo, it is difficult to get good wi-fi access.  Mc donalds and some cafe have Yahoo BB but you need to have an account to access them. I have a Yahoo BB account still the wi-fi tends to be weak and not everywhere. My favorite method is to rent the eMobile mobile router. Telecom Square, the company that rents it out calls this device Data Card (WiFi). Telecom Square has counters in both the terminals of Narita Airport, Kansai Airport and couple others. The device itself is tiny and pocketable. It will give you about 4 hours of wi-fi on a single charge. The rental is 1,575 Yen per day  (about 18 USD) and gives you access to unlimited data. It supports upto 5 connections so you can run your iPhone and computer on it with some more devices to spare.  You will need a credit card to put on hold while you are renting the device. They will charge you when you return the device on your way back. Telecom Square counters at Narita Get current equivalent of  1575 Yen in US dollars Doing the check in on Narita Express via Telecom Squares wifi data card. The card works well, even on the trains except for some underground areas.   iPad Launch in Tokyo At Apple's Ginza Store   Waiting All magazines talk about the iPad   Un-conference in Can Tho, Mekong Delta Region of Vietnam I was in the Vietnamese delta region for couple of days. While there, I attended the first ever tech un-conference that was held in the region. The event was in Can Tho, the biggest city in the delta region. I was in this city five years back and it was good to be back. The participants talked about technology, the environment, general lifehacks etc. Such a lunch. Active discussions Friends from Saigon also came over Thomas enthralling people with his iPad Local fruits for the breaks Driving back from Can Tho to Saigon     Such Nice iPhone Stand Mousan got this for me from Tokyo. Such a simple idea. It is a suction based stand.  Kuala Lumpur Barcamp, Malaysia It is always nice to be in Malaysia and meet the amazing folks. I was at the barcamp KL. We talked about the future and changing landscape of education.  It was not all about tech though, here people trying out light sabers.  More images on my Flickr Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam Travel Meetup Yesterday, we gathered at the Woodlands Regional Library in Singapore to talk about travels in Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. Our friends Jack, Cookie, Sue and Yan came over to do presentations and answer questions.  Jack talking about the actual name of Bangkok.  We had a good turnout as these places in South East Asia are visited often by people in Singapore. The National Library is a great venue as they have resources to compliment our travel topics. Yan spoke about the joys of Yangon. You must try the local tea shops when you get there.  Sue explains the Burmese water festival. The Thais, Laotians and the Cambodians also celebrate this festival We had lots of interesting discussions about the history and culture in South East Asia Thanks to all those who participated. Your interest is what encourages us organize such events   My own presentation was on a trip I did to Central Vietnam last year. I visited Hoi An, a lovely city.    We also had some snacks and desserts from Myanmar and Thailand to try out  Larger and more pictures at http://preetamrai.squarespace.com/photos/travel-meetup-for-april-2010/ Barcamp Singpore 5 Was Good Fun We has such good fun at the Barcmap Singapore5http://barcamp.org/BarCampSingapore5>.Thanks first of all to the lecturers and students at the Centre for Social Media at Singapore Polytechnic http://www.sp.edu.sg/> for the venue and helping put up an awesome Barcamp. Those wanting to speak came in the morning and posted their topics on the wall. People then voted on the topics they want to see. Image from Pittaya. We then create the schedule. We have two sessions for lightning talks. Each speaker gets 5 minutes each for their presentation. Image from Pittaya. Professor Jolyon Caplin enthralled all with his fascinating gadgets Thanks to all those who came from Singapore and half a dozen other countries and shared your ideas. Thanks also to Interunix for sponsoring the prizes http://www.interunix.my/> for the lightning talks. Shawn and Rolly, two of the Apple Distinguished Educators with Alan from IDA.  Weiwei at the lightning session talking about "taste based marketing"  Engaged audience. This is why we do barcamp Bernard, explaining why you will always find two people with same birthdays in a medium size crowd Ben on the mathematics behind origami Nostalizing Russia on a Rainy Day It rains today, all the children put their hand out and try to touch the rain. Don't know why I remember our Russia and "nostalize" on YouTube. Here is a tune that keeps playing ever since Mousan got me to hear it.  This is by a Kazak band called A-Studio. A stands for Alma Aty. Below is the 1978 original by Alla Pugacheva, who is probably the most popular singer in Russia since the 1970s. One bit of trivia. It was Alla Pugacheva who first introduced A-Studio on her television show back in the 90s. Wikipedia Links Alla Pugacheva A-Studio Nostalgising Russia on a Rainy Day It rains today, all the children put their hand out and try to touch the rain. Don't know why I remember our Russia and "nostalgising" on YouTube. Here is a tune called "Так же как все" (Tak Ze Ka Vse) that keeps playing in head ever since Mousan got me to hear it.  This is by a Kazak band called A-Studio. A stands for Alma Aty. Below is the 1978 original by Alla Pugacheva, who is probably the most famous Russian singer since the 1970s. Wikipedia has one bit of trivia. It was Alla Pugacheva who first introduced A-Studio when they were still new. It was on her television show back in the 90s. Wikipedia Links Alla Pugacheva A-Studio What Makes Dear Leader Happy? Milk?  Are you mad? Fish?  not at all Biscuits? do you want to go to re-education camp? Warcraft?  Amusing but not really More fish?  To the mines!!! you! Ginseng Vodka?  Now you are talking my friend.   Reminiscing the Old Country - Many Videos from North Korea A French gentleman has posted so many videos from Pyongyang and other places in the North on Flickr. View the videos at VideoHDBank's Flickr page. Some still images from the video.    Talking to students New pizza shop in Pyongyang   Budget Accommodation, Hostels stays, Transport, Mobile plans and Mobile data in Singapore Many of you are coming to Singapore for the upcoming Barcamp Sg 5. Here are some basic stuff regarding transport, accommodation and connectivity. Accommodation A wide range of accommodation is available in Singapore. Check these hotel booking sites. Agoda.com,Wotif.com. Octopustravel seems to throw up the best rates for hotels in Singapore.  These are two budget places (from 15 to 50 S$ any they are close to the Arab Street and Bugis MRT) 1. Superb Hub Hostel, no website, email them at superbhub@yahoo.com.sg Some reviews of Superb hub here  2. ABC Backpackers Hostel (Around 18$ for dorms and upwards) A little further away is the  3. City Backpakers Another place that has received good reviews from travellers is the Mitraa  hostel near the Little India/Balestier road area. (Around 25$ for dorms and upwards) 4. Mitraa Hostel Check out this Google map search for hostels in Singapore   Mobile voice and data  Starhub Maxmobile Prepaid Card – Buy at 7/11 stores and mobie phone shopsSingtel also has a prepaid mobile data and voice SIM, you can buy them at Singtel kiosks.M1 - You can buy M1's pre-paid data sim from M1 shop at Bugis Junction. $18 for 3 days unlimited mobile internet usage. All three providers have a voice only SIM pre-paid SIM cards too. You need your passport for identification. Most mobile shops and kiosks will sell you these cards.  Singapore also has a free island-wide wireless network - wireless.sg but you will need a mobile phone with singapore number to receive the passwords once you register for this network.   Public Transport You can buy a Singapore Tourist Pass for use in Bus and the MRT service. The card is available in 1,2 and 3 days options. It costs 8$ per day. The pass is available at the Changi airport MRT station (terminal 2). The fastest way to reach the city is via the MRT (at terminal 2). Off the train hours, you will have to get a Taxi.  Budget Accommodation, Hostels stays, Transport, Mobile plans and Mobile data in Singapore Many of you are coming to Singapore for the upcoming Barcamp Sg 5. Here are some basic stuff regarding transport, accommodation and connectivity. Accommodation A wide range of accommodation is available in Singapore. Check these hotel booking sites. Agoda.com,Wotif.com. Octopustravel seems to throw up the best rates for hotels in Singapore.  These are two budget places (from 15 to 50 S$ any they are close to the Arab Street and Bugis MRT) 1. Superb Hub Hostel, no website, email them at superbhub@yahoo.com.sg Some reviews of Superb hub here  2. ABC Backpackers Hostel (Around 18$ for dorms and upwards) A little further away is the  3. City Backpakers Another place that has received good reviews from travellers is the Mitraa  hostel near the Little India/Balestier road area. (Around 25$ for dorms and upwards) 4. Mitraa Hostel Check out this Google map search for hostels in Singapore   Mobile voice and data  Starhub Maxmobile Prepaid Card – Buy at 7/11 stores and mobie phone shopsSingtel also has a prepaid mobile data and voice SIM, you can buy them at Singtel kiosks.M1 - You can buy M1's pre-paid data sim from M1 shop at Bugis Junction. $18 for 3 days unlimited mobile internet usage. All three providers have a voice only SIM pre-paid SIM cards too. You need your passport for identification. Most mobile shops and kiosks will sell you these cards.  Singapore also has a free island-wide wireless network - wireless.sg but you will need a mobile phone with singapore number to receive the passwords once you register for this network.   Public Transport You can buy a Singapore Tourist Pass for use in Bus and the MRT service. The card is available in 1,2 and 3 days options. It costs 8$ per day. The pass is available at the Changi airport MRT station (terminal 2). The fastest way to reach the city is via the MRT (at terminal 2). Off the train hours, you will have to get a Taxi.  Cambodian Tech Girls at Hackerspace.sg Neararath and Kounila visited us late last week and spoke about the tech inCambodia. Cambodian Tech Girls at Hackerspace.sg Neararath and Kounila visited us late last week and spoke about the tech inCambodia. Presentations on Cambodia at Hackerspace.SG Our friend John Weeks was here from Phnom Penh. John has been studying and talking about Khmer comics. He brought some of these comics for us and spoke about Khmer comics history. Below, a Khmer folk tale that talks about a myth related to origin of some mountains. Below, a love/family story. A Khmer language horror comic John's Khmer Comics links John's account of the visit Presentations on Cambodia at Hackerspace.SG Our friend John Weeks was here from Phnom Penh. John has been studying and talking about Khmer comics. He brought some of these comics for us and spoke about Khmer comics history. Below, a Khmer folk tale that talks about a myth related to origin of some mountains. Below, a love/family story. A Khmer language horror comic John's Khmer Comics links John's account of the visit Global Voices Global Voices Online - Bringing the world to you via Translation View more presentations from Preetam Rai. Nokia N900 in Singapore Got a chance to try out Nokia's upcoming Maemo based N900 phone. Seems it will be launched in late March in Singapore and slightly later in South East Asia. No updates on the pricing yet. The phone feels solid with nice keyboard.  Bright screen. There is a stand at the back.  Geeks will love the fact that the phone allows you to open an unix terminal window and type away commands.   The phone can drive an external display or projector via a video out socket.   Nokia N900 in Singapore Got a chance to try out Nokia's upcoming Maemo based N900 phone. Seems it will be launched in late March in Singapore and slightly later in South East Asia. No updates on the pricing yet. The phone feels solid with nice keyboard.  Bright screen. There is a stand at the back.  Geeks will love the fact that the phone allows you to open an unix terminal window and type away commands.   The phone can drive an external display or projector via a video out socket.   Personal Mobile Wi-Fi In Tokyo, many people use these little gadgets. It is a 3G data modem coupled with a little wi-fi router. You turn it on, put it in your pocket or bag. It creates a data connection via the 3G data sim card. Then it uses the built in wi-fi router to create a wi-fi network. Now you have your own personal wi-fi network that goes with you.  The battery lasts for 4 to 5 hours. It supports 5 computers/mobile devices. Many iPod Touch users like this device as they can connect to the internet from anywhere.    I got my own via Ebay. Similar device to the one I had seen in Japan. Both are made by Huawei and the model number is Huawei E5830.  I have been using it for last couple of days and it works fine.  Personal Mobile Wi-Fi In Tokyo, many people use these little gadgets. It is a 3G data modem coupled with a little wi-fi router. You turn it on, put it in your pocket or bag. It creates a data connection via the 3G data sim card. Then it uses the built in wi-fi router to create a wi-fi network. Now you have your own personal wi-fi network that goes with you.  The battery lasts for 4 to 5 hours. It supports 5 computers/mobile devices. Many iPod Touch users like this device as they can connect to the internet from anywhere.    I got my own via Ebay. Similar device to the one I had seen in Japan. Both are made by Huawei and the model number is Huawei E5830.  I have been using it for last couple of days and it works fine.  Yangon Barcamp 2010 Yes, big thanks to the folks in Yangon. Had a great time at the Barcamp Yangon 2010 So many topics A talk on OpenOffice We had couple of thousand people joining in for the two days It was nice to see so many confident presenters talking about a wide variety of tech topics. And the local organisers and the volunteers did a great job keeping the event running smoothly. and the dinners    Shwedagon at night Yangon Barcamp 2010 Yes, big thanks to the folks in Yangon. Had a great time at the Barcamp Yangon 2010 So many topics A talk on OpenOffice We had couple of thousand people joining in for the two days It was nice to see so many confident presenters talking about a wide variety of tech topics. And the local organisers and the volunteers did a great job keeping the event running smoothly. and the dinners    Shwedagon at night Magic Ball and Recycling Machine, Interesting Things in Japan Some things I found in Japan This magic ball opens up and changes colors Recycling used paper cups and getting back money Magic Ball and Recycling Machine, Interesting Things in Japan Some things I found in Japan This magic ball opens up and changes colors Recycling used paper cups and getting back money Prepaid Mobile internet for Travelers to South East Asia I am often traveling in South East Asia so I keep a few SIM cards handy. Here is a lost of prepaid Mobile internet services offered by mobile telcos in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malayasia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam Cambodia Cellcard offers a tourist 2.5 G SIM for short stay use. It costs 10$ and comes with 10$ worth of data usage. (The data rate is 1USD for 5 MB) Indonesia (thanks Rezwan) Indosat: A new IM3 brand SIM costs between 10000Rp-20000Rps (Apx 1-2 USDs) including 5000Rp balance. There is a Internet voucher which is sold in many outlets Internet charges – toll based or volume based: * Toll INTERNET = Rp 5000 voucher. Customers duration settings based & internet access for 45 seconds. So will be charged Rp 20, Toll INTERNET balance = Rp 4980. * The volume of customers change settings based & Internet Access 1 Mb. So will be charged Rp 1100 (1100 Kb x Rp 1.1), SHG balance of voucher Toll INTERNET = Rp 3880. http://www.indosat.com/Mentari/Mentari_Update/Voucher_Internet_Indosat Tariff of XL: http://www.xl.co.id/XLPascabayar/XLInternet/Tarifdanlayanan/PaketXLInternetInstan.aspx Malaysia Celcom Broadband Prepaid™ Pack at just RM25 with preloaded credit of RM20 and be among the 1st to enjoy: The widest and fastest Mobile Internet Service in Malaysia so you can get more done wherever you are.? Hassle free access, with no registration needed.? Affordability from only RM20 per week with no fixed monthly charges. Myanmar Prepaid SIM card is available for 20 USD from mobile shops in bigger cities but there is no data. The Phillipines Thans Mike Aquino for .Ph info The Philippines has two main prepaid line providers – Smart Buddy and Globe Prepaid. Both of them have data services, too. SIM data dongles like Smart Bro and Globe Tattoo are pretty cheap, and getting cheaper. Singapore Starhub Maxmobile Prepaid Card – Buy at 7/11 stores and mobie phone shops Singtel has a pre-paid mobile but their Flash laden site, makes it difficult to search M1 - You can buy M1's pre-paid data sim from M1 shop at Bugis Junction. $18 for 3 days unlimited mobile internet usage. Singapore also has a free island-wide wireless network - wireless.sg but you will need a mobile phone with singapore number to receive the passwords once you register for this network. Thailand I usually buy the 123Go Sim card from the 7/11 stores. Vietnam Most of the cafes and budget hotels offer wi-fi. Thanks to Dave A who posted the following in comments VIET NAM Vinaphone has 100mb for 50000vnd (about $3us)per 30 days you have to enable gprs by texting GPRS ON to 888 after recieving confirmation text M50 ON to 888 and the data plan is activated and will deduct this amount every month. there are other plans with other activation codes, including an unlimited plan for i think 300000vnd but i dont know those codes. i have been completely satisfied with the service, have had coverage everywhere in the mekong delta, even way out in the countryside, and quite often full 3G in cdecent sized towns. hope this helps! Prepaid Mobile internet for Travelers to South East Asia I am often traveling in South East Asia so I keep a few SIM cards handy. Here is a lost of prepaid Mobile internet services offered by mobile telcos in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malayasia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam Cambodia Cellcard offers a tourist 2.5 G SIM for short stay use. It costs 10$ and comes with 10$ worth of data usage. (The data rate is 1USD for 5 MB) Indonesia (thanks Rezwan) Indosat: A new IM3 brand SIM costs between 10000Rp-20000Rps (Apx 1-2 USDs) including 5000Rp balance. There is a Internet voucher which is sold in many outlets Internet charges – toll based or volume based: * Toll INTERNET = Rp 5000 voucher. Customers duration settings based & internet access for 45 seconds. So will be charged Rp 20, Toll INTERNET balance = Rp 4980. * The volume of customers change settings based & Internet Access 1 Mb. So will be charged Rp 1100 (1100 Kb x Rp 1.1), SHG balance of voucher Toll INTERNET = Rp 3880. http://www.indosat.com/Mentari/Mentari_Update/Voucher_Internet_Indosat Tariff of XL: http://www.xl.co.id/XLPascabayar/XLInternet/Tarifdanlayanan/PaketXLInternetInstan.aspx Malaysia Celcom Broadband Prepaid™ Pack at just RM25 with preloaded credit of RM20 and be among the 1st to enjoy: The widest and fastest Mobile Internet Service in Malaysia so you can get more done wherever you are.? Hassle free access, with no registration needed.? Affordability from only RM20 per week with no fixed monthly charges. Myanmar Prepaid SIM card is available for 20 USD from mobile shops in bigger cities but there is no data. The Phillipines Thans Mike Aquino for .Ph info The Philippines has two main prepaid line providers – Smart Buddy and Globe Prepaid. Both of them have data services, too. SIM data dongles like Smart Bro and Globe Tattoo are pretty cheap, and getting cheaper. Singapore Starhub Maxmobile Prepaid Card – Buy at 7/11 stores and mobie phone shops Singtel has a pre-paid mobile but their Flash laden site, makes it difficult to search M1 - You can buy M1's pre-paid data sim from M1 shop at Bugis Junction. $18 for 3 days unlimited mobile internet usage. Singapore also has a free island-wide wireless network - wireless.sg but you will need a mobile phone with singapore number to receive the passwords once you register for this network. Thailand I usually buy the 123Go Sim card from the 7/11 stores. Vietnam Most of the cafes and budget hotels offer wi-fi. Thanks to Dave A who posted the following in comments VIET NAM Vinaphone has 100mb for 50000vnd (about $3us)per 30 days you have to enable gprs by texting GPRS ON to 888 after recieving confirmation text M50 ON to 888 and the data plan is activated and will deduct this amount every month. there are other plans with other activation codes, including an unlimited plan for i think 300000vnd but i dont know those codes. i have been completely satisfied with the service, have had coverage everywhere in the mekong delta, even way out in the countryside, and quite often full 3G in cdecent sized towns. hope this helps! Should we update the Alphabet Chart? I heard a kid sing the Alphabet song the other day. I think we have not kept up with times when it comes to alphabets. Seriously, don't we type more compared to writing. My wrists start hurting if I try to write something more than two pages. And going forward I feel kids would be typing more. So here is what I have devised. We need to fill in some of the gaps. Also should it be Y for Yahoo! or YouTube. OR W for Wikipedia or Windows? And as June san says, we need a Qwerty song. F for Flickr or Firefox. Some twitter responses to this and my responses. natthefatcat: @preetamrai If we have to teach them in QWERTY order, that means we - the teachers- gotta learn in in QWERTY order as well. LAZYYYY. about 4 hours ago from web Preetam: Yes, so I made this chart above. ?theurbanrant: Qwerty was solvg a probm with manual typewriters RT @preetamrai: Why don't we teach kids alphabets in QWERTY order.no reason2 do ABC order. Preetam: Yes, but I think Qwerty is here to stay until the keyboard (both on screen and physical) are around. misscalamity: @preetamrai then what would become of the alphabet song?! Preetam: Lets make a Qwerty song ?kengggg: @preetamrai what about DVORAK? Preetam: I think Qwerty is the most popular one. nhklein: @preetamrai You mean those under the British imperial history & the USA? The French, Germans, Spanish & other ABC users to not use QWERTY Preetam: But don't the French and the Germans have their own alphabet charts anyway. The French can have an Azerty chart. Should we update the Alphabet Chart? I heard a kid sing the Alphabet song the other day. I think we have not kept up with times when it comes to alphabets. Seriously, don't we type more compared to writing. My wrists start hurting if I try to write something more than two pages. And going forward I feel kids would be typing more. So here is what I have devised. We need to fill in some of the gaps. Also should it be Y for Yahoo! or YouTube. OR W for Wikipedia or Windows? And as June san says, we need a Qwerty song. F for Flickr or Firefox. Some twitter responses to this and my responses. natthefatcat: @preetamrai If we have to teach them in QWERTY order, that means we - the teachers- gotta learn in in QWERTY order as well. LAZYYYY. about 4 hours ago from web Preetam: Yes, so I made this chart above. ?theurbanrant: Qwerty was solvg a probm with manual typewriters RT @preetamrai: Why don't we teach kids alphabets in QWERTY order.no reason2 do ABC order. Preetam: Yes, but I think Qwerty is here to stay until the keyboard (both on screen and physical) are around. misscalamity: @preetamrai then what would become of the alphabet song?! Preetam: Lets make a Qwerty song ?kengggg: @preetamrai what about DVORAK? Preetam: I think Qwerty is the most popular one. nhklein: @preetamrai You mean those under the British imperial history & the USA? The French, Germans, Spanish & other ABC users to not use QWERTY Preetam: But don't the French and the Germans have their own alphabet charts anyway. The French can have an Azerty chart.