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Tik Tok

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Calendata lightly dissed TikTok in a recent post (questioning whether it is surface tech or deep tech and worth its huge valuation) but, having had a closer look at it this past week, we are impressed with its freshness and content.

The (kawaii-ish) video on the left is a mashup up of a student dancing to Despacito, two girls doing 'Learn to Meow', a popular meme in North Asia, and last but not least, the delightful Wani Kayrie and friend (TikTok videos are typically 10-15 seconds in duration).

To attempt to understand why TikTok is getting attention, below is our rough comparison between TikTok and YouTube. [We are a fan of YouTube and embed many of its videos in this site.]

Comparison between TikTok and YouTube
TikTokYouTube
UsageSelf ExpressionEducation, Information, Marketing, Entertainment, Mass Messaging
AppMinimalist design which fully utilizes the screen (bezel-less)Clunky, crowded with suggestions of other videos
Special EffectsMeme music (for lip or dance syncing), bunny ears, edgy shaky logoOverlay boxes that cover the video amd which can or cannot be dismissed
ContentSpontaneousScripted, targeted at upping views, likes and subscribers (amateur producers seem to be getting fewer)
VibeExuberantBusiness-like
Started20162006
Valuation$75 billion$160 billion

Co-Square

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Co-Working Visit
Due to a couple of broadband interruptions, Calendata dropped in at a low-key co-working space recently to get some stuff done. On both occasions there, we noticed the space was 50+% occupied. Based on rough calculations, we surmised it is profitable though not necessarily a wild money spinner. The space has been around a couple of years, its sustainability could be due to getting the balance of price/costs and features/function right.

Co-Drinking & Co-Square
Co-drinking has been around longer than co-working. DrinkEntrepreneurs are having one this Thursday [8pm, 29-Nov-2018 @ Célavi, KL, pic above tix] with guests The Makerover Guys. At a pinch, one could also co-drink (and co-work) at the mamak (sidewalk café). Or more upscale, at The Square, which is set to launch mid-December with co-retail, co-farm, co-work (one floor pets ok, one not), artspace, restaurants, shops, academies, schools and gym. Teaser video here.

Co-Furry Friend
The Square looks set to host the first pet-friendly co-working space in Malaysia. Elsewhere, similar spaces include 25D (Manila), GarageSociety (Hongkong), Hun (Taipei) & Wotso (Singapore). Mamak stalls are generally also pet-agnostic if not pet-friendly, and typically come with a resident feline or two, and the occasional visiting canine.

Co-Incidentally
WeWork recently opened a space in Kuala Lumpur at Equatorial Plaza without much fanfare or publicity (and strangely, the blanket WeWork FB ads we see point to their Jakarta offices instead). Nonetheless, WeWork is having its drinks meetup on Thursday too [7pm, 29-Nov-2018 tix] at The Gasket Alley, right across the road from The Square. A case of event congestion, or an opportunity for twice the tipple (or beverage) and double the networking.

Canon Remix

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Electronic Music Composition with FL Studio [2pm-5pm, Sat, 8-Dec-2018 @ KL | MYR 105 | USD 25 tix] is a workshop for those interested in hands-on music composition and production. It is open to anyone who likes music and want to create their own songs.

Topicsinclude
  • Music genres (eg. rock, metal, rap, hip-hop etc)
  • Chord progression (building blocks of a song)
  • Plugins (instruments eg. sax, piano, techno)
  • Basic sampling(music's copy-and-paste)
  • Effects (eg. reverb, compressor, noise-reduce)
  • Lyrics writing (words, verses, rhymes to accompany music)
  • Basic mastering (like typing up an essay)
  • Music presentation (like presenting an essay to class)

Notes
  • The software used in the class is FL Studio, an example video is shown above. Prices start at USD 99, a free demo version is available.
  • Though generally not listing training events, Calendata supports accessible classes like this which help novices take their first step, cross the threshold.
  • One use of FL Studio is for remixing of which a showcase is presented below, best played in sequence with good quality speakers or headphones and with the volume turned up a bit.

Pick of Events (W2-Dec-2018)
1. Videos linked to or embedded in this site are indicative and may not necessarily be representative of the actual event content. 2. Calendata takes a break and will resume in a couple of weeks.

Arts & Science
Link Carnival Fest @ JB tix
Link Protein Folding @ KL
Link Fruit Bats @ KL
Link Cosplay Bats @ KL
Link Tell a Story @ KL
Link Jingle Mingle @ KL
Link Women Rock @ KL tix
Link DJ Producer @ KL also
Link B40 Bazaar @ KL stalls
Link Charity Show @ KL tix
Link Zee Carpenter @ KL video

General
Link HR Cybersecurity @ KL
Link HR Bank @ KL tix
Link Blockchain Hack @ KL
Link Blockchain Uses @ KL
Link Youth Weekend @ KL
Link Youth Export Day @ KL
Link Golden Content @ KL
Link Social Challenge @ KL
Link AI Economics @ KL
Link Call for 5G @ CJ info
Link Android IoT @ PG
Link Dropship Untung? @ KC tix
Link Ebay Crossborder @ IP

Around The Region
Link Grow Apps @ Bangkok
Link Social Sprint @ Bangkok
Link Lean Agile @ Jakarta
Link Product Vision @ Jakarta
Link Anti-Fraud AI @ SG
Link Go-Jek Hackathon @ SG
Link Startup Week @ Taipei

Canon Remixes
Remix 1: climbing up - hypnotic trance

Remix 2: hitting it - may startle neigbhours and pets

Remix 3: climb down - let's dance

Bonus: putting it together

Green Startups

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Aircon Challenge
As the climate gets warmer, more aircons will be used (more often and at higher temperature differentials). As more aircons are used, more fossil-based power will be required, which in turn makes the climate warmer. To forestall this self-reinforcing, vicious cycle, Richard Branson and the government of India are offering a bounty of USD 3 million for an aircon design that 1) uses one fifth the energy and refigerant 2) is no more than twice the cost. [ site | criteria ]

Green Startups12
These startups address the Aircon Challenge in an indirect way (and are thus ineligible to enter the competition which is specific to the aircon unit):
  • Elevate - Buildings built like shady trees rather than greenhouse boxes
  • BeeBryte - Manage electricity use by the suburb (vs by the house/aircon)
  • Choose - Allow consumers to choose between green and fossil-based energy
  • Physee - Solar panel glass windows (useful for gleaming, glass towers)
  • Biocarbon - Plant trees (eg reforest) using drones 10x faster than humans
  • Tado - Software optimisation of aircons (max improvement: 40%)
  • FirstLight - The race for fusion energy (clean, safe, limitless)

Traditional Architecture
Traditional Malay houses are airy and cool without air conditioning. Among the reasons are the use of wood (does not store heat to be released at night unlike concrete) and triple ventilation as shown in the image above.

Vertical Farming
Do you have the passion for Aquaponics / Hydroponics? Are you looking for a position where you can make an impact in Sustainable Urban Farming? The developer of 1Powerhouse is currently setting up a 16-storey Aquaponics Vertical Farm @ 1Powerhouse Bandar Utama to produce 100,000 fishes and 55,000 vegetables showcasing the Future of Vertical Farming! To apply, email your resume and work experience details to wi.ng@1utama.com.my! [ poster ]



Event Highlights

Beyond Cryptocurrency brings together leading organisations, thought leaders and scientists from to discuss how blockchain is changing society [Thur, 6-Dec-2018, 9am-5pm @ KL tix]. Topics (abbreviated topic titles, speaker names, job titles):
  • Growth Potential - Raja Kumar, Head of Research, Taylor's
  • Use Cases - Amarjit Singh, Country Head, PLMP Fintech
  • The Right Solution? - Maslan Mat Isa, Analyst, BTM Blockchain
  • Engaging a Project - Lee Yu Kit, Architect, IBM
  • Accelerating Depolyment - Bernard Lee, Consultant, Oracle
  • Hyperledger Fabric - Ahmad Zuhairi Ismail, Engineer, MIMOS
  • Intelligent Trade Finance - Ronald Fons, Financial Head, Huawei

Experiencing Industry 4.0 [Thur, 6-Dec-2018, 8:30am-1pm @ Cyberjaya tix]. Topics:
  • Cost Effective IoT for Manufacturing - MyIoTA
  • Energy Savings using AI & IoT - iCEE
  • Digital Transformation with Drones - SG Education
  • AR for Smart Manufacturing - MIMOS
  • Digital Twin & Industry 4.0 - Altair
  • Optimizing Manufacturing Processes - Tekmark
  • Industry 4.0 Trends & Events - Messe



Pick of Events (W2+Dec-2018)

General
Link AdobeXD UI/UX @ KL vid
Link Cloud for SMEs @ KL
Link IoT Motion Detection @ KL also
Link The Halal Market @ KL tix
Link The Leverage Game @ PG
Link Digital Marketing @ KC

Arts
Link Midnight Book Market @ KL
Link Perempuan: Our Stories @ KL
Link Different Ability ArtFest @ KL
Link Crowdfund Concert @ KL vid
Link Poets Curtain Call @ KL
Link Indie Film Festival @ IP tix

Around The Region
Link Building an IoT Data Estate @ SG
Link Just-in-Time Doctor Visits @ SG
Link Go-Jek Data Visualisation @ JKT
Link Capture Young Customers @ JKT
Link The Tea Ceremony @ HK
Link AI Bootcamp @ hkidphsgtw

Fintech 2018

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To wrap-up 2018, Calendata is clearing out its in-tray starting with Fintech.

Digital Banks

  • ClearBank - UK's first clearing bank in 250+ years. A clearing bank helps banks process cheques (eg. a HSBC cheque deposited into a Stanchart account), credit card transactions (liaising with Visa, Mastercard) and other back-office services. ClearBank adds to this repertoire by being a 'white label bank' for challenger banks, fintech startups and smaller financial institutions. [It's like iPay88 on steriods.]
    <newline>
  • Tide - A digital only bank that focuses on small and medium sized businesses, just when traditional banks are de-prioritizing them. Rather than being given the run-around and taking weeks to open a business account, Tide's accounts can be opened in minutes. In keeping with its agile character, Tide managed to not have to get a banking license by letting Barclays handle the money. [Similar initiative: OCBC]
    <newline>
  • Atom Bank - UK's fastest growing residential property lender reached GBP 2 billion [USD 2.5b | MYR 10b] in mortgages in just 2 years. Recently, Atom signed up Thinking Machines to power its core banking with new capabilities such as smart contracts (which will allow easier onboarding etc) based on a centralized, cryptographic ledger (not a blockchain).

E-Wallets

  • AEON Wallet - A check on ewallets local and foreign (including Venmo, Paytm) shows almost all of them slurp down permissions: reading contacts, phone info, SMSes and location. AEON Wallet stands out by needing none of these permissions. (Not a technical judgement call, or that AEON won't start using more permissions later.) Or you could use a card (prepaid, debit, credit).
    <newline>
  • Garmin Pay- In the world of ewallets, the smartphone is a weak link. It could be left behind, or be lost in an eatery (or drinkery). Garmin Pay, in collaboration with Siam Commercial Bank, MasterCard and Visa, is offering a wearable ewallet - a smart watch - which is less prone to misplacement and is more compact and convenient than a smartphone. [Apple Pay is similar but tends to be elitish (halfway between elite and elitist) in its rollout.]
    <newline>
  • Touch n Go - TnG is trialing a hybrid cashcard + ewallet concept. At selected merchants when the customer uses a TnG smartcard, it will first deduct payment from the ewallet, failing which it will use the balance in the smartcard. This offers the possibility of payment even when the network is down.

E-Wallet Awards
Based on Calendata's unsystematic, unscientific survey.
  • Boost - Most likely sticker to be seen at shop windows
  • Boost - Accepted at the pasar malam (night market)
  • Touch n Go - Best bunting at the door (about 4 feet tall)
  • Touch n Go - Accepted by a mom-and-pop grocery store
  • PayWave | PayPass | Card - Most ubiquitous acceptance (still)

SmartCity 2018

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Continuing with our 2018 wrap-up series. [top image: GiFlyBike]

SmartCity 2018

  • Belmont - Bill Gates is planning a smart city in a desert. Why? Cheaper land, plentiful sunlight for solar energy and to take on the water challenge. Due to climate change, retreat of mountain glaciers feeding rivers, over-consumption etc, clean water will be a mounting exigency.
    <newline>
  • Mars City - In another example of making the most of what one has or is given, UAE, located in the Arabian Desert, is proposing to build a prototype Mars City to test strategies and technologies for a possible future mission to and living in Mars - which is also desert-like.
    <newline>
  • Songdo - A business district near Incheon and Seoul that is being built ground-up to be eco-friendly by eliminating cars, having residences, offices, shops, schools and parks within walking distances, recycling water and building to LEED standards.


Mobility 2018

As we have covered all our high tech mobility snippets, this will be all about bicycles, the mobility solution that is green to manufacture and to use.

  • Gi Fly - First electric bicycle that can be instantly folded. Fold-ability (and weight) is an essential design consideration because it allows the bike to be carried on mass transit for first and last mile mobility. Unlike bike sharing, bike ownership leads to it being taken care of instead of ending up in a bike mountain. It also allows the bike to be carried into buildings making it safer and more community friendly than being left on the street. vid
    <newline>
  • HalfBike - A radically different bike design that is front wheel driven and steered by body lean and weight shifting. This requires learning to ride again which, according to the developers, adds to the rider's motor skills. vid
    <newline>
  • GM - General Motors is entering the bicycle market, and Elon is mulling it too. The stated intention of both is to apply new ideas and designs to the humble bike. [Good for green cred and exploring minimalist engineering too.]

Startups 2018

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Season 2 Trailer
Zooey Deschanel and The Farm Project are back to show us where our food really comes from.
Posted by Your Food's Roots on Monday, September 24, 2018

The embedded Facebook video above takes a few seconds to load and starts muted.

The embedded YouTube video above loads and plays as per normal.

WrapUp 2018: The in-tray for startups is packed, here are some random picks:

Startups 2018 varied sources
  • Attn: - News as informative entertainment 1st video
  • Peleton - Truck platooning for safety & efficiency 2nd video
  • Leia - Holograms from barely visible fog info
  • T-Pod - World's first live autonomous, electric truck info
  • CarbiCrete - Replace cement with steel slag + CO2 why

ArchiTech 2018via
  • PlayDesignHotel - Incubator, design space and hotel
  • HyperLoopHotel - The train as the hotel (sleep: NY, wakeup: LA)
  • SnoozeBox - Instant pop-up hotel (using containers)
  • ZokuAmsterdam - Hybrid hotel with built in office space
  • Aprilli - Door-to-door mobile hotel: skip the taxis, queues, check-ins

Bonus: Rice Bowl 2018 viawebsite has link issues
  • WeFit - A fresh look at ClassPass
  • Algaeba - Microalgae feed for aquafarming
  • 11tune - Music composition on demand
  • Morakot - Core banking for micro banks
  • Eunoia - Digital F&B: pantries to foodcourts


Pick of Events (W3-Dec-2018)
Link Algorithmic Crowdsource @ KL
Link Battersea Power Station @ KL
Link TusStar Enterpreneurship @ KL
Link Decentralised Mastermind @ KL
Link Women Entrepreneurs @ KL tix
Link Local Brands Festival @ KL tix
Link Stories of Service @ KL tix
Link What We Read in 2018 @ KL
Link Adieu 2018 Hackathon @ KL
Link Startup 2019 Outlook @ JKT tix
Link City Map Visualisation @ SG
Link Security Token Offering @ SG

Random 2018

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That's it for our Wrap Up 2018 series. There were two more sections: DLT 2018 and Green 2018; the first was too meh and the second will be left for another occasion. To conclude, we have two 'random' items. The first is the video above of a pianist who, for an hour, took random requests from twitch fans to play snippets of any song, and could recall over 200+ songs from memory. The second is some random rambling below.

Random Notes on previous posts

Won't EVs simply transfer pollution to power plants? 
  • Petrol engines 25% efficient, coal 30% , newer coal 40%, gas turbines 60%.
  • If a coal plant is upgraded to solar, EVs are automatically upgraded to solar.
  • Legacy vehicles discharge at closer range, eg. near residences.

Is Tik Tok decadent and rave parties hedonistic? calendata is family rated
  • Tik Tok: kids having fun with amateur art.
  • Rave parties: were giant networking events.
  • Wholesome or not depends on the event and organiser.

Why Ewallets?
  • Cash can be very unhygienic.
  • Better visibility of expenditure.
  • Cash can be faked, miscounted, dropped etc.

Why Cash?
  • Need to cater for the people who do not have ewallets.
  • Cash is a fall-back for ewallets (during network/power down, server crash).
  • Cashless Sweden is forcing the retention of cash use, for national security.

Ewallet Use Cases
  • Cash-free day once a month 
  • Cash-free foodcourt + e-ordering (sit, order, buzzed to collect food).
  • Hygienic, save on cashier, foodcourt must be popular beforehand.

2019: Consumer Technology

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In the first of a two-part 2019 trends series. we look at what could be hot in consumer technology in 2019 by examining exhibitor counts at CES 2019 [Jan 8-11, 2019 @ Las Vegas]. Further notes after the table.


CES 2019 Exhibitor Count by Product Category
Smart Home964
Wireless Devices •913
Other Technology •842
Vehicle Technology591
Wearables549
Software and Apps •546
Lifestyle511
Sensors and Biometrics •444
Audio439
Digital Health434
Smart Cities388
Artificial Intelligence •385
VR & AR330
Robotics289
Video286
Gaming244
Computer Hardware206
Telecommunications204
Digital Imaging197
Marketing Entertainment Content180
Education165
Cloud Services157
Drones143
Accessibility124
Sports Technology and eSports121
Tourism118
Fitness115
Sustainability115
Cyber Security and Privacy111
Payments Fintech E-Commerce106
3D Printing70
Government62


Notes

  • The bold items are categories which Calendata has been covering in 2018. The categories with a • as a suffix are possibly secondary categories, the ones exhibitors tick after they ticked the primary category box. Exhibitor counts are a rough metric, used here for light research only.
    <newline>
  • Ignoring the secondary categories, the top categories are smart home, vehicle technology and wearables. Not surprisingly, this reflects, market economy wise, people tend to spend the most on homes, rides and gadgets. [Smart home includes TVs, karaoke boxes, solar panels, mattresses etc.]
    <newline>
  • Sustainability and payments are near bottom. This could indicate 'not much interest', 'potential opportunities', 'not the right exhibition' or 'only in North America'.
    <newline>
  • The number of exhibitors, almost 600, for vehicle technology is noteworthy. The Detroit Motor Show (a week after CES 2019) lists around 80 non-car-brand exhibitors and the Geneva Motor Show (March 2019) 90 exhibitors. Note though these counts are not comparable: CES is an industry event, while the car shows are consumer orientated. But it goes to show CES is an emerging mobility show, and the takeover of engine blocks by silicon chips.

2019: Maunder Minimum

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Maunder Minimum
The number of sunspots observable on the sun's surface waxes and wanes in an approximate 11 year cycle as shown in the graph above. Also seen in the graph: the peaks are getting lower, which could be a sign of a coming mini ice age, similar to one that occurred from 1600s to mid 1700s known as the Maunder Minimum.

No Global Warming?
The jury is still out what will happen when global warming meets solar cooling. But it is unlikely humans are off the hook and can continue pumping out CO2 unabated because, in addition to atmospheric heat trapping, CO2 causes ocean acidification, so we might chill but our marine friends might not.

Outlook 2019
[Whimsical] The keen eyed will notice the solar minimums coincide with economic dips. And, for those into folklore, next year will be a porcine year. That animal doesn't do much around the farm unlike the ox (traction), cat (tigger's cousin, rodent control), horse (mobility), sheep (wool), rooster (wake-up call) and dog (guard duty). A case of double jeopardy. Prescription: more elbow grease.

Fire Fighter

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So others may live. [Video contains a profanity]

Modern Navidad

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For 2018's Christmas video, the pick goes to a TikTok style rendition of Feliz Navidad. Honourable mentions: 1) a journey back in time: a spark from a gift 2) an orchestra backed It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas 3) a rock cover of Feliz Navidad.

Pick of Events
That's it for us for 2018. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

W4-Dec-2018 &
Link Photo Editing @ KL
Link Wahdah Data @ KL tix
Link Aminaton Marto @ KL
Link Collectors Market @ KL
Link Coffee & Dessert @ KL
Link YouNified YouTide @ KL
Link Literary Social @ KL
Link TravelTech Pitch @ CJ
Link Coworking Party @ PG
Link Medini Tech @ JB

W1-Jan-2019
Link New Year Party @ KL
Link Mega Free Trade @ KL
Link Music Composition @ KC
Link Dating Challenges @ KK
Link Genetic Algorithms @ SG
Link Quantum Computing @ SG



Some left over snippets from previous posts:

Why Credit Card?
  • Established, widely accepted
  • Provides credit (can be good or bad)
  • Provides payment disputes, chargebacks, premium options

Why Debit Card?
  • Lower barrier to entry compared to credit card
  • Spending limited to account balance
  • Contactless capable (like credit card)

Why Cash Card? eg. TnG in MY, NETS in SG, Octopus in HK
  • Offline payment possible
  • Very low barrier to entry (just buy a card)
  • Can be anonymous, closest to cash

Why App-Based Ewallets?
  • Most flexible (due to being software based) fb
  • Has firewall (must top-up, good for noobs)
  • Many more features possible eg. Flux



Pick of CES 2019 Vehicle Technologyvia
  • ActLight - Low light vision that does not require amplification
  • Baraja - LIDAR that scan using a spectrum of colours
  • Boyo - License plate camera (for better vantage of the road and obstacles)
  • Guardian - Sensor for what's happening in the car: driver, infants, intruders
  • MetaMoto - Test vehicle virtually before testing on the road.
  • UVeye - X-ray like vehicle scanning for fleet management, car inspections etc

Pick of CES 2019 Other Technology
  • KeyInfuser - Robot UX/UI tester than can do swipes, taps etc
  • AntiLatency - Make gaming physical beyond the desktop
  • AfterShokz - Open earphone: hear the music & what's happening around you
  • Plott - Interior design using VR/AR (will this cupboard fit there?)
  • PiQube - Enterprise grade Raspberry Pi
  • Orqa - FPV (first person viewer) googles for drones (as if you are flying)

Modern Navidad

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For 2018's Christmas video, the pick goes to a TikTok style rendition of Feliz Navidad. Honourable mentions: 1) a journey back in time: a spark from a gift 2) an orchestra backed It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas 3) a rock cover of Feliz Navidad.

Pick of Events
That's it for us for 2018. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

W4-Dec-2018 
Link Photo Editing @ KL
Link Wahdah Data @ KL tix 
Link Aminaton Marto @ KL
Link Collectors Market @ KL
Link Coffee & Dessert @ KL
Link YouNified YouTide @ KL
Link Literary Social @ KL
Link TravelTech Pitch @ CJ
Link Coworking Party @ PG
Link Medini Tech @ JB

W1-Jan-2019
Link New Year Party @ KL
Link Mega Free Trade @ KL
Link Music Composition @ KC
Link Dating Challenges @ KK
Link Genetic Algorithms @ SG
Link Quantum Computing @ SG



Some left over snippets from previous posts:

Why Credit Card?
  • Established, widely accepted
  • Provides credit (can be good or bad)
  • Provides payment disputes, chargebacks, premium options

Why Debit Card?
  • Lower barrier to entry compared to credit card
  • Spending limited to account balance
  • Contactless capable (like credit card)

Why Cash Card? eg. TnG in MY, NETS in SG, Octopus in HK
  • Offline payment possible
  • Very low barrier to entry (just buy a card)
  • Can be anonymous, closest to cash

Why App-Based Ewallets?
  • Most flexible (due to being software based) fb
  • Has firewall (must top-up, good for noobs)
  • Many more features possible eg. Flux



Pick of CES 2019 Vehicle Technologyvia
  • ActLight - Low light vision that does not require amplification
  • Baraja - LIDAR that scan using a spectrum of colours
  • Boyo - License plate camera (for better vantage of the road and obstacles)
  • Guardian - Sensor for what's happening in the car: driver, infants, intruders
  • MetaMoto - Test vehicle virtually before testing on the road.
  • UVeye - X-ray like vehicle scanning for fleet management, car inspections etc

Pick of CES 2019 Other Technology
  • KeyInfuser - Robot UX/UI tester than can do swipes, taps etc
  • AntiLatency - Make gaming physical beyond the desktop
  • AfterShokz - Open earphone: hear the music & what's happening around you
  • Plott - Interior design using VR/AR (will this cupboard fit there?)
  • PiQube - Enterprise grade Raspberry Pi
  • Orqa - FPV (first person viewer) googles for drones (as if you are flying)



Postscript: Is TikTok sponsored?
  • This question possibly arose because of our recent mentions of TikTok here.
  • We run themes from time to time because of unexplored angles or topical interest. These themes may be coworking, tiger conservation, green initiatives, EV or in this case, TikTok.
  • We like TikTok's freshness. We also use TikTok for back-handed critiques of YouTube (still very good but leans towards professional content these days) and Facebook Video (interrupts videos at their most exciting point with ads that can't be diumissed).
  • TikTok is well known to youngsters though it may be new to more mature audiences. It doesn't do much promo in MY, or regionally as far as we can tell. If Calendata is indeed picked to be a stealth spearhead, we would be very honoured, but, alas, this is not the case.
  • Calendata is self-funded has no ads or sponsors. No ads because we are disinclined to show 'Robert Kuok-spoofed Bitcoin' and 'Forex' ads. No sponsors because we do not like dealing with PR - it wold take the joy out of our work. 

Public Holidays 2019: Kuala Lumpur & Selangor

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New Year’s Day01-Jan-2019Tue
Thaipusam21-Jan-2019Mon
Federal Territory Day01-Feb-2019Fri
Chinese New Year05-Feb-2019Tue
Chinese New Year06-Feb-2019Wed
Labour Day01-May-2019Wed
Vesak Day19-May-2019Sun+ Mon
Nuzul Al-Quran22-May-2019Wed
Hari Raya Puasa05-Jun-2019Wed
Hari Raya Puasa06-Jun-2019Thu
Hari Raya Haji11-Aug-2019Sun+ Mon
Merdeka Day31-Aug-2019Sat
Awal Muharam01-Sep-2019Sun+ Mon
Agong’s Birthday09-Sep-2019Mon
Malaysia Day16-Sep-2019Mon
Deepavali27-Oct-2019Sun+ Mon
Maulidur Rasul09-Nov-2019Sat
Sultan’s Birthday11-Dec-2019Wed
Christmas Day25-Dec-2019Wed

Fintech Accelerator

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Fintech Accelerator
Financial Innovation Lab, an initiative of UNCDF, BNM, MDEC & MetLife to promote digital financial inclusion, has open applications for its pioneer 2019 cohort. A briefing on the program will be held on Wed, 9th January, 2019, 10am @ KL.

Digital Receipts
One of the areas the Lab seeks to explore is the use of digital receipts, of which a brief survey follows.

Aggregated
Current ewallets record the date of payment, payee (eg. KFC), and amount. Though aggregated, this information can assist in financial management via apps that can broadly classify expenditure (eg. 10% on dining, 20% on groceries, 30% on entertainment etc).

Detailed
The next step up is full digital receipts like what is printed on paper receipts. For example, a visit to a an Asian fusion eatery (AFE) may result in the following receipt:
  • Char Kuey Teow with extra raw cockles and extra fried egg on top (MYR 15)
  • Double Cheese Burger with extra fries (MYR 20)
  • Milo Kau Ping Gah Dai (Iced Milo with extra Milo and sugar) (MYR 10)
The digital receipt would include the date, payee, total amount and the above details (preferably to a standard acceptable for claims and tax purposes). With this, expenditure can be more finely classified (eg. 10% on KFC, 20% on cigs, 30% on 4D etc). This level of data resolution is highly sensitive for both the user and merchant.

Traceability
A further step up is to include traceability in the receipt. Example, for the burger:
  • Double Cheese Burger with extra fries (MYR 20)
  • Bun: Lot 112233, Burger: Lot: 445566, Cheese: Lot 778899 etc.
Thus, if the user gets tummy ache after eating the burger and there are other cases of tummy ache, health investigators can check the lot numbers recorded in receipts. If all of them have Cheese Lot 778899 in common, the cheese might be the culprit.



Pick of Events (W2-Jan-2019)

General
Link Big eWallet @ KL
Link Sell to China @ KL
Link Inside Google @ KL
Link Uni Disruption @ PG
Link Unimas Pitch @ KC

Arts
Link Voices of Spring @ KL 1 2
Link Hacking Drawing @ KL
Link Haiku Photography @ KL
Link Arts Policy Meetup @ KL
Link Dating Stories @ KL why

Around The Region
Link Revolut Bank @ HK 1 2top image
Link Youth Startups @ HK
Link Data Dashboard @ SG
Link Resilient Software @ JKT

The Tropical Car

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The Temperate Car
Cars may 'look the same' these days (but less so compared to a decade ago) because the main design considerations seem to be low drag (streamlined, wind-tunnelled look), size (SUVs to the fore) and contemporary design trends (eg. swept lights). The design climate is largely northern temperate (eg at Stuttgart, Nagoya, Detroit).

The Tropical Car
By contrast, in its pioneer years, the local car industry had a tropical design flair: a noticeably more powerful aircon compared to other cars and factory-installed, roll-up, front windscreen curtains. Other examples of tropical friendly features, past and present, include the double roof, solar ventilator, parking umbrella, roof scoop (video above), quarter glass and extractors. [Tinting has issues and is not considered here.]

Related Events
Link Auto After Market @ Velocity
Link Grand Auto Expo @ Gateway tix
Link Auto Startup Fund @ Mines tix

Check Digit

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One of the challenges of payments, electronic or otherwise, is to ensure payment is made to the right party, as even Google and Facebook got hit for millions when they paid on dodgy invoices.

Binance and BitTemple are organizing a SAFU ('safe') pre-hackathon [Jan 12-13, 2019 @ SG] to address the issue of paying to the right party. The pre-hackathon, along with ones in US, KR and HK will culminate in a finale, which will be held as a prelude to the inaugural Binance Conference [Jan 21-22 @ SG | agenda | tix | USD 99].

Examples of payment risk controls:

  • Receipts: At payment counters, particularly at grocery chains, there might be a sign which says: 'If you are not given a receipt, call/text this number.' This is the business owner trying to ensure payments go into the till only.
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  • Purchase Orders: Payments are required to be matched with a Purchase Order (did we order this?), Goods Received Note (did we receive the goods?) and Invoice (has the supplier presented a request for payment?) before being processed. How secure this is depends on how rigorous the matching processes and systems are.
    <newline>
  • Check Digits: Bank account numbers typically have a check digit as the last digit. This check digit is essential because if one intends to remit payment to account 12345-6 (the last digit 6 is 12345 mod 9 i.e. the remainder after 12345 is divided by 9 ) but instead types 12355-6, it will be caught by the check digit, because 12355 mod 9 = 7. [mod is used here as an illustration of a check digit function and is not necessarily what is being used by banks.]

What the hackathon is looking for is likely more in the lines of Check Digits than Receipts or Purchase Orders. That is, how payee addressing can be made more robust and safe in itself.


Pick of Events (W3-Jan-2019)

General
Link Catch That Lorry @ KL tix
Link Understanding O2O @ KL
Link Double Tax Deduction @ KL tix
Link Residential Incubator @ KL 1
Link BigData & IoT @ KL tix
Link Industry 4.0 Ready @ KL
Link Quantum Big Data @ SG

Halal
Link Halal Tokyo 2020 @ KL 1
Link Halal Indonesia @ KL tix
Link Halal Certification @ KL
Link Islamic Finance @ PG

Art
Link What Book Defines You? @ KL
Link Jazz Piano Festival @ KL tix
Link The Tropical House @ KL
Link Starting a Cafe @ KL

Startup Festival

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StartmeupHK  [Jan 21-25, 2019 @ HK] is a week long festival for startups, entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, students and academics to exchange ideas, make connections and chart a course for the future. [HK not slowing down for the spring break.]

HealthTech O2O | site  | agenda | tix | USD 60 | Jan 21
  • Digital Therapeutics - Bayer
  • New Tech in Heathcare - IQVIA
  • Healthcare Economic Zone - WeDoctor 

TechLifeStyle Conference | site | tix | HKD 333 [USD 40] | Jan 22

Jumpstarter | site | agenda | tix | HKD 800 [USD 100] | Jan 23-24

Retail's Cutting Edge | site | agenda | tix | HKD 899 [USD 115] | Jan 23
  • Sustainable Fashion - H&M
  • Democratised Fashion - Yeechoo
  • 3D Virtual Shopping - PolyU

The Connected City | site | tix | HKD 899 [USD 115] | Jan 24

Smart @ HongKong | site | agendatix | Gratis | Jan 10  [Pre-Event]
  • Smart People: Roll Up Your Sleeves - Astri
  • Connected Cars: 4 Wheels 5G - HKPC
  • L4 Self Driving - AutoX

Other events include: F&BStartups and EdTech.

Managing Tourism

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Thailand Tourism Forum TTF 2019 [3pm, Mon, Jan 21st, 2019 @ TH tix]. Bangkok is the most visited city in the world. Is Thailand on the right path and is the planning sufficient to address the challenges of managing mass tourism? Come to TTF 2019 and get great insights into how managing tourism can lead to sustainable success.

Topics abbreviated
  • Managing Tourism - C9 Hotelworks
  • Importance of Retail, Entertainment & Hospitality - The Mall Group
  • Destination & Tourism Management Master Planning - Horwath HTL
  • Top Destinations of the World: Hotel Performance & Forward Look - STR
  • Destination Marketing: Thailand & Overseas Best Cases - QUO 
  • Train Kept a Rollin: Thailand’s Rail System Plans - Horwath HTL
  • A World View of Hotel Costs: Develop or Acquire? - JLL Hotels & Hospitality
  • Green Tourism: More Money More Problems or More Value? -  Greenview
  • Hey Neighbor, Can I Borrow Your Waterslide? - InterContinental Hotels Group
  • ChinIndia: 1/3 of the world’s population at Thailand’s Doorstep - Hotel Intel

Spring Roars

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There's a quote going around that reads:  I've decided my 2019 will start on February 1st. January is a free trial month. This could mean trial run 2019 in a month, or one more month to spring tidy. For the latter, if you have excess or impaired inventory, Zero Waste has compiled a handy map of places for recycling and repair. Or you could sell them at a collective market [Sat, Jan 12th, 2019, 1pm-11pm @ KL].

Pick of Events (W4-Jan-2019)
1. Events listed may fall before, during or after the indicated week. 2..Did this site call it quits a year ago? It's rolling on in maintenance mode. 3. How are events picked? No particular criteria, a bot potters around and returns with random events.

General
Link Digital Commerce @ KL
Link Positive HR @ KL 1
Link Digital NEC @ KL
Link AOL+Yahoo=Oath @ KL tix
Link WeWorkpreneurs @ KL
Link Asian Accelerator @ KL 1
Link Research Grants @ KL tix
Link Plant Genetics @ KL
Link STO Exchange @ KL 1
Link Diva Redefined @ PG
Link Startup Ecosystem @ JB

Arts
Link Friedrich Nietzsche @ KL
Link New Year Lepak @ KL
Link Fix It Not Junk It @ KL
Link Coffee Machines @ KL
Link A Paris Sabbatical @ KL
Link Crazy Fun Asians @ KL

Around The Region
Link CTO Meetup @ JKT
Link Sustainability @ JKT tix
Link Mobility Accelerator @ SG 1
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