Code Xtreme Apps 2008!

Update: RESULTS!!
31 July 2008
Still haven’t found the time to blog but I’ll just write this here. THe results are out!! And no, we did not get top 3 but…. we got the Merit Award! I’m really excited coz this is my first “coding” competition and getting shortlisted for the finals was already a great enough surprise for me but to win an award as well? Yay! ^___^ Thanks everyone for your support and believe in this person who used to hate coding. Promise to blog about my experience within the next few days ya!

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t been blogging for a loong while… been busy with both my internship and various activities including having just spent 24 hours of my weekend at Code Xtreme Apps 2008, a 24 hour coding competition. Still don’t really have time to blog but I just got some very exciting news I should share with you guys!!

My team got shortlisted for the Code Xtreme Apps finals!!!

Will promise to blog about my experience once I have more time. In the meantime, gotta go prepare for the final presentation! Wish me luck guys!! ^___^

The NUS Facebook Module: A student’s perspective

Exams have just come to an end for me today! (Woohoo! FINALLY!). It has definitely been an interesting semester with me being in the pioneer group of 2 subjects, one of which is the famous Facebook module. Reflecting on all that’s happened in the past 5 months, I thought some of you might be interested on how the Facebook module went considering the many pre-semester “speculations” about it. So here’s a quick write-up of my experience and thoughts. All comments and questions are welcomed!
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Quick introduction (skip if you already know what the module is about…)
For starters, the official name of the module is CS3216: Software Development on Evolving Platforms. The main objective of the module wasn’t so much to teach students how to create Facebook applications but rather to learn how to use Application Programming Interfaces(APIs) of various web platforms (Friendster, Open Social) to create applications. As Facebook is one of the rapidly growing platforms among students in Singapore, it became the choice of this module. Class is very small with a total head count of 51 students from various faculties (including Law). For more info, read the official introduction here.
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The class structure…
Many thought that non-computing/engineering students won’t be able to contribute much as they can’t code but this turned out to be quite different because of the way the class is structured. The assignments are very open ended with only minimal requirements. By requirements, I don’t mean concrete things like “Your application must be a wall that people can scribble on” but rather “Your application should allow interaction between users and those interactions should be visible to others“.

Grading for the assignments is not based on technical aspects alone either with 70% awarded for meeting stated requirements and 30% for creativity (Final project is FREE FOR ALL with no requirements). Hence having a team with technical prowess alone is not enough to do well in this module. It takes a combination of various skill sets like creative-thinking, design, marketing and coding which gave room for everyone to contribute in their own respect.
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Opportunity to explore
To be honest, I didn’t do much coding even though I am a Computing student (I hate coding!! ^^;;). I contributed more in terms of idea-generation, conceptualization, user interface and incentive design. The way the class was structured allowed me and I believe others to really focus our skills in where our interests truly were and take the leap to try out new things. For example, I got a first hand experience at game architecture and mechanics design which was waaay more brain-draining than I expected. (If I’m not wrong, some musically-inclined people got to show their composition skills as well)

However not everyone had the opportunity to delve deeper into their interests. I know a few who wanted to improve their PHP coding skills but as there was a shortage of talent (e.g: design), they ended up doing what they do best for the benefit of the team. I guess I was lucky to be in teams where both my interests and skills were complementary to the rest of my team members.
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Do what you like for homework
Yea!! This is the part I can’t stop loving. I used to complain and whine about how university assignments take up so much time that I hardly have any left to work on my own ideas. This module was an opening for me. Due to the open-ended nature of the assignments, we could literally do ANYTHING we wanted for homework. From the list of applications created for the final project, one can see that majority of the class’ interest lied in games (guess it goes with the class being composed of more guys than girls). How many modules allow you to work on your dream idea and earn credits for it?

Some cool games: Farm Wars 2, Ant Rush, Alt Real and Law School (Haha the concept behind Law School is interesting.)

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Exposure exposure exposure…
I’d say that the learning curve is extremely steep for this module not in the technical sense but in the post-production segment. Being on Facebook, most of our applications are exposed to the public and hence there is a lot of work to be done once user feedback and statistics start trickling in. I find myself spending more time cracking my head on how to convert user feedbacks into changes that lead to improved user experiences than development. Of course this is not a bad thing because how often do you get to show your homework to the world and know what people think of it? This is definitely one of the most practical module I’ve taken at NUS thus far.

Another element that my professor and teaching assistants have been working hard on was getting exposure for our work and skills among business people. There were many sessions where we could meet with company CEOs, form potential partnerships and showcase our work to them. Even though not many teams took up the deals offered during the company pitching session, it resulted in a few interesting outcomes:

- MTV MyCribs which is a Facebook version of yes, MTV Cribs haha.
- RateMyTurban, Facebook version of RateMyTurban.com.

(And of course not forgetting the free lance project opportunities out there from the exposure…)
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Lastly, is this module for everyone?
The workload was definitely heavy towards the 2nd half of the semester when all the other module deadlines started clumping up leaving most of us with sleepless nights. With 3 assignments, 1 application seminar presentation and 1 final project, I have to say it was quite a handful for many to handle including myself but most of us pulled through in the end. Then again, the module is still new and many things are being changed as more feedback is provided. I heard that the next time this module is offered, the workload will be 2 assignments and 1 final project and they will be less open-ended (and it’ll be using Adobe AIR? Cool!). To tell you the truth, MOST OF US stressed ourselves out not because the module was hard but rather because we had high standards to meet set by our classmates. After seeing stunning applications created in Assignment 2, most of us tried to create even better quality work for Assignment 3 which burnt out a lot of us.

Personally, I think the module is more oriented for students who love a challenging and risky but creative environment. With no bell curve, no exams and open-ended assignments, brute hard work is not going to help much in this module without the passion and creativity for your projects. The module’s focus is not about creating viral Facebook applications with 100K users(but of course if you do I’m pretty sure you’ll definitely get an A) but more on helping students learn be it in terms of coding, design or even communication. Hence I believe students who like to explore new things and challenge themselves in a rather open environment focused on practicalities will be well suited for this module.

Note: If you want to check out all the applications created for the final project, go here.

Nokia’s new 14 Days campaign = not that interesting

Got a request to check out the new “Nokia NSeries 14 Days” campaign.

Its this new initiative where Nokia will show viewers some out-of-box things they can do with the Nokia N95, with a new trick introduced every 14 days. Their first trick is already online showing how you can create your own “Fast & Furious” car racing scenes.

Wow, how do you do that with the miserable camera phone?

Those were the words that ran through my head until I watched the demo video. According to the instructions, all you need to do is strap 7 N95s to 7 different locations of your car using ONLY double-sided tape. Sounds relatively simple if you ask me but I wouldn’t even dare try this out with one N95, what more 7.

I have to admit that they really got it going on the creative side, opting to show what the phone is capable of by pushing its boundaries rather than using the age-old hard-selling strategy. However, I didn’t find the video or the campaign particularly interesting. (Sorry guys, I know the host was hawt but not enough to compensate for the downsides). Fellow blogger DK says its mainly due to the fact that the trick is too unrealistic to excite any of us to try it at home. I agree with this but I believe there’s more to our lack of excitement.

This lack of excitement is because of the campaign’s lack of participatory opportunities for the viewers. The most viewers can do is watch the video and comment on it. *yawn* How boring! In this age of web 2.0 and social media, Nokia should be doing something to get viewers more involved. Let me throw a simple random idea from what other companies have done. For example, instead of just giving ideas, they should invite viewers to submit their non-conventional ideas as well. The person who submits the most popular non-conventional idea will get a free N95 and the gadgets needed to try out the idea. Now wouldn’t that be much more engaging? People might even talk about the feat after the campaign.

Nokia, you have the creative juices flowing with the concept behind the campaign but something is still missing from making it truly memorable.

Qik.com – Live video streaming straight from your phone

Quick quick update, not really an article but some new cool technology I found: Live video streaming/casting straight from your handphone! Cool eh? I just did a quick write-up about it on the TDM blog, posting it up here as well to share it with you guys.

Side note: Oh yea, those of you who would like me to give you a live tour of NUS / my hall, just drop me a note! ^_~ If I attend any conferences/meet any cool people soon, I will do an impromptu interview and live-stream it for you guys.

Here’s an excerpt from the write-up I did:

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When we talk about live online video streaming, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is Ustream. Ustream was a great service that enables users to conduct live video streaming online with just a web cam and Internet service. However, it is not very convenient in terms of mobility because you have to carry your web cam/laptop wherever you go (and, you had to make sure you have an Internet connection).

One company in California decided to take this further by creating a technology that enables users to do live video casting easily from the convenience of their mobile phones via any 3G/GPRS/Wi-fi Internet connection. This company is Visivo Communications which created Qik.com. Recently, the guys at Qik contacted us to help them source for testers from Singapore. As it is still in the alpha stage, they’ll need all the feedback they can get to improve their service. So, if you’ve always been wanting to livecast events or have been waiting to try your hands on some, this is the time to start.

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For instructions and more info, hop onto the full write-up here.

Enjoy! ^_~

Applying “2.0″ to art?

Recently I had the privilege of attending a talk from the University Scholars Seminar series by Mr. Kwok Kian Chow, director of the Singapore Art Museum. It was a talk on the challenges faced by the museum in obtaining rare pieces of art, portraying non-conventional pieces like seal carvings as art to the public and bringing more awareness to various art forms around the world.

One of his points which caught my attention was how art pieces no matter how minuscule, are dramatized and enlarged when they are placed within the frame of the museum. Art pieces showcased in a museum are perceived as having a greater value and recognition than before. This made me wonder, as the idea of “art” is so subjective and obscure, how does the museum select pieces that qualify to be showcased? I got the impression that the museum is similar to an examination body which passes and fails its candidates (in this case potential artists) based on performance. Those who pass get their pieces showcased and labeled as artists while those who don’t, remain as “aspiring” artists.

Frankly speaking, there are many art pieces (especially MODERN art pieces) which leave me wondering “Is this art?” and “How is this worth hundreds of thousands??”. In this era where everyone’s talking about web 2.0 being the new way the world works, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we took a “web 2.0” approach to art, one where the public is given the freehand to define art, one where they can nominate and vote for art pieces they believe deserve to be showcased in a museum.

In my opinion, a few things will happen:

1) No more kindergarten looking doodlings!
The following art pieces will definitely be left out in the cold. I personally don’t understand how these pieces can be considered as art. To me they are just a bunch of random scribblings which you commonly see little kids produce.

2) Picasso’s work left out in the cold?
I’d say that Picasso is one of the well-known artists among the populace who was the bridge between conventional and modern art. Picasso’s works consist of both modern and traditional art. However, when you talk to people about “art”, the image that goes into their heads are those of Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and beautiful imageries of landscapes.

Imagine we showcased some of Picasso’s more modern works without his name attached to it. Will the general public still consider them as art?

3) A BORING and biased museum?
Think about it, we might have a museum of very conventional, European-styled paintings and sculptures similar to the likes of Da Vinci, Rembrandt and Michael Angelo. Most of the pieces will be realistic looking, aesthetically beautiful, peaceful and non-radical. Non-radical because people in the past have been known to avoid/shun/despise radical pieces of works. E.g: The book on the Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin.

The museum will be a more boring place than it already is because we might end up having very similar-looking/themed art pieces for DECADES. There will be no art pieces that make you work your brain like the INFAMOUS dot in the middle of a black canvas. Everytime I look at the piece, I try to understand how critiques came to claim that the dot depicts life. I stress my brain to find a connection even though I find it utterly ridiculous that people consider that art.

Coming to biaseness, As the general public’s perception of art is very European, we might leave out various lesser known art forms and styles from the rest of the world like Chinese and Batuan paintings.

These art styles and forms are very beautiful but as time goes by, they may be forgotten because people are less aware of their existence. Ever heard the saying that people are like herds of sheep, just following the masses?

Taking a “2.0″ approach to art may be both a good and bad thing. On one hand, the museum will be showcasing pieces which the public would like to see but on the other, there will be a tendency to favour the more conventional and widely accepted art forms and styles. Then again, I may be wrong. It’d be fun if someone tries this “2.0″ approach for an art exhibition some day soon, then we can see what the masses really think is art.

PopOut’07: Bezurk (The “Google” of travelling)

2 days ago, the TDM team and I organized PopOut’07: Emerging Web Startups which is the very first episode of a series of startup showcases to come! At PopOut, we got local web startups which we thought had rather interesting initiatives to strut their stuff and share their personal stories.

I won’t be writing about what happened as fellow TDM’er Angela live-blogged about it here along with a few other bloggers. Instead, I’m gonna write about what I thought of the companies who participated (both presenters and showcasers on the side booths), starting with Bezurk. If you want to read about what happened during the presentations, read here, here and here.

Bezurk – Travel Search Engine

I’ve never heard of Bezurk before PopOut but after Ross’ presentation (which left me quite clueless with all the technical jargon), I decided to check it out myself. All these while, I’ve been using STA Travel to get my cheap student tickets since its the brand name for students with tight budgets.

The very first thing I did was to search for the same trip on both STA Travel and Bezurk to compare prices. Yes, I’m a cheapo! What will keep me is the service that will give me the best price.

Trip: Singapore to Chicago
Bezurk’s Price: SGD1645 on Northwest Airlines
STA Travel’s Price: SGD 1670 on Turkish Airlines

Although the price difference wasn’t much, Ross is right. Bezurk’s concept of searching and returning results from all travel websites instead of just one database produces better results. Also personally, I’d go for Northwest over Turkish anytime. So test 1 has been passed!

Next came the interface which utilizes a lot of AJAX, reducing the amount of page loads and having results updated on-the-fly even when you’re still browsing a page to ensure you get the best and latest prices. In fact, their usage of AJAX is a huge advantage over other boring, static travel websites making it extremely navigatable and swift in returning results.

Bezurk’s simple, straight forward front page

The super user-friendly interface!

Apart from just flights, their search engine caters to hotels and tour packages as well. What I particularly like is how detailed their filtering system is. You can filter your results by pricing, airline, hotel star-rating & etc. My MOST favourite filtering of all is “Features the hotel MUST have” which of course for me was the broadband Internet access. Too bad they couldn’t take this filtering a step further to “FREE broadband access”.

As I’ll be going to Shanghai soon, I searched “Activities” for Shanghai and it returned a variety of tour packages offered by travel agencies within Shanghai itself which makes things a lot cheaper. Upon clicking the “Book Now” button, Bezurk redirects me to the travel agency’s booking page for that particular tour, saving me the effort of navigating the travel agency’s website. This is also a useful feature for people like me who CAN’T SPEAK Chinese and probably won’t be able to buy the right tour packages in Shanghai without help.

Jade Buddha Temple anyone?

Bezurk really seems like the solution many travellers have been looking for. It saves the trouble of having to go through Google search results individually to find what you want (and the best deals of course). In fact, I would call Bezurk the “Google” of travelling. As mentioned before, the big plus point for me is the friendly and efficient user-interface.

The only additional feature I hope Bezurk would have is a comment/rating system of each travel agency associated with the hotel and travel packages. I don’t mean to be a prejudice but there are numerous stories going around on how Chinese businessmen cheat tourists, and hence I’d appreciate it if I could get a feel of which travel agencies are the more reliable ones from fellow travellers.

Other than that, I’d say “BYE BYE STA TRAVEL! You’re OBSOLETE!! “. Bezurk’s the new way to travel!

Side note: They’ve recently been named “31 of the world’s hottest startups” by Fortune Group Inc, putting Singapore on the web2.0 map! ^_~