I don’t usually comment on company matters, but the launch of Elegant Living magazine and website by Global Sources next month is, in my humble opinion, more of an experiment than an extension of its brand value. For those who are familiar with the business model of Global Sources, its foray into the consumer market… Read More: The rationale for Elegant Living »
“Necessity is the mother of invention. The father is unknown.” Luckily, there’s such a thing called “patent pending”. Otherwise, we’ll be flooded with silly patents like “Retractable Table Top for a Toilet” and “Penile Volumetric Measuring Device”. Patently Silly is a site that archives real patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for… Read More: You call that a patent? »
Several years ago when I visited Beijing, I remembered observing with a tinge of sadness the presence of a Starbucks joint within the Forbidden City. At that time, I already thought it was sacrilegious for a commercial entity to taint the Forbidden City’s historical significance. Good thing now the Seattle-based coffee chain has been banished… Read More: Forbidden coffee »
Blogger Yawning Bread recently wrote an article pointing out the possible inflated claims made in a Straits Times report titled “HDB rents at 10-year high” (21 July 2007 – just in case the link becomes inactive due to archiving, you can download a saved version in Word format). In it, he suggested that the media… Read More: S$2,500 to rent a 3-room flat? »
In case you don’t understand Mandarin, this piece of news is about a pregnant woman named Swee Lay Kuan who went to Raffles Hospital to deliver, then bled to death. After she delivered twins, she continued bleeding. The doctors ordered extra blood units for transfusion but this was disallowed by the hospital managers (as all… Read More: Singapore at the bleeding edge of medical services »
Diversified technology company 3M was so sure its “Security Glass” would stand a double-footed kick from a man with a 30ft head start that it stashed a large stack of cash behind it in a bus stop ad, as shown in the picture on the left. It’s a great advertising gimmick, but I wonder how… Read More: 3M puts its money where its mouth is »