Hottest year in Singapore and globally

2016 is the hottest year in Singapore and globally. This is serious.

What is more serious is that the earth will get hotter and hotter each year from now on. It is called Global Warming or Climate Change.

http://news.asiaone.com/…/2016-was-hottest-year-ever-spore-…


Really bad!

How to prevent fraud and corrupt practices

Ang Mo Kio Town Council is now being investigated for corrupt practices.

Here are my tips on how to prevent fraud. They are useful for:
a) External auditors
b) Internal auditors
c) Management

http://www.tankinlian.com/…/How-to-carry-out-an-annual-data…

Three envelopes for Donald Trump

When a leader of a country passes power to his successor, he usually gives three envelopes to his successor. They contain his advice on what to do when he meets with a major crisis.

The words of advice contained in the envelopes are:

Envelope 1 - Blame your predecessor
Envelope 2 - Blame the economy
Envelope 3 - Prepare three envelopes for your successor.

I don't think President Obama will pass the three envelopes to Donald Trump because each person strongly dislike the other person.

I think Donald Trump has three envelopes that he prepared himself.

Envelope 1 - Blame Barack Obama
Envelope 2 - Blame China
Envelope 3 - Resign to run Trump Organization

Use of buzzwords

Whenever there is a big failure in oversight leading to corrupt practices, you can count on the MIW (men in white or PAP) making a statement with the buzzword - "We have zero tolerance for corruption".

http://theindependent.sg/was-letter-on-overpriced-renovations-under-hip-trigger-for-cpib-investigations-of-amktc-gm/

The previous buzzword used by the MIW, to ape the PM, was "We take a measured and calibrated approach towards handling problems". I have not heard this buzzword being used for some time. Perhaps, the MIW were embarrassed when I pointed it out a year ago?

The detention of the SAF Terrex vehicles

Did the defence minister Ng Eng Hen handled the issue of the detention of the SAF Terrex vehicles well? He adopted a calm approach and asked for a "formal reason" to be given by Hong Kong for the detention. He is willing to wait for the reason to be given.
Give your views by voting here:
www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/vote.aspx

Google Now

I am trying Google Now on my mobile phone. It is able to recognize voice command very well.

 I asked - where are fireworks tonight in Singapore. It displayed a page of content. One of them is the fireworks at Singapore Discovery Center. 

I asked - where is Singapore Discovery Center. It displayed a page showing the address and map. 

I clicked on that page and it launched Google Map. I clicked on the button to find how to get there. It shows the route and travel time by bus, car and MRT. 

Wow! It is really well designed.

Flooding in Singapore

What or who is responsible for the heavy flooding in Singapore in recent years? Here is a chance for you to give your view.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/issue_det2.aspx

Risk of non-disclosure

An insurance company can reject your claim on the grounds that you did not disclose relevant facts. This is dangerous right? How can a consumer know what is or what is not relevant? He has to rely on the agent, right? What if the agent did not ask the question or choose to hide the fact? Who bear the consequences?

http://fisca.sg/Info/418/Non-disclosure-of-material-facts

Flooding in Singapore

During the Christmas holidays, many parts of Singapore were badly flooded. Some people blame the Marina Barrage for the flooding. Others blame the construction work. What do you think? Give your vote in www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/vote.aspx

Who should you buy life insurance from?

Most consumers buy life insurance from the following sources:

a) An agent or financial adviser whom they know personally or who is introduced by a friend
b) An agent whom they meet at a "road show"
c) A bank officer

You may be surprised that the biggest risk of being sold the wrong insurance policy comes from the road show or the bank.

http://fisca.sg/Info/420/Who-should-you-buy-life-insurance-from?

Rejection of insurance claim due to non-disclosure

A policyholder covered under a life or health insurance policy stand the risk of a claim being rejected on the grounds of non-disclosure of material facts, even when the non-disclosure is due to ignorance or to a mistake. It is important that they should ensure that your policy is in good order. Do not wait to find out when you make a claim. It may be too late.

http://fisca.sg/Info/418/Non-disclosure-of-material-facts

External auditors should use this tool to prevent fraud

Here is an effective tool for external auditors to help their clients to prevent staff fraud and to identify the frauds that have been committed. External auditors should use this tool rather than be exposed to the risk of negligence. This tool is more effective than the old way of verifing balances with the clients.

http://www.tankinlian.com/Info/1267/How-to-carry-out-an-annual-database-audit

Jerks in buses may cause the passengers to fall down

My friend said that taxis jerked more than buses. However, it does not cause as much problem as the jerks in buses. Why?

The passengers in a taxi are seated down. In a bus, half of the passengers are standing. A bad jerk is the cause can cause some passengers to fall down, if they are busy on their mobile phone and not holding on to the handrails.

It is possible to reduce the jerks in the bus. Here is the solution to a smoother bus ride.
http://www.tankinlian.com/Info/1266/Give-a-smoother-bus-ride

How to prevent this type of fraud

Two staffs working for a cooperative society were charged for fraudulently creating false loan applications and taking off $5 million over a period of five years. Their activities were not detected by the management or the external auditors.


This type of fraud could be prevented by carrying out an annual database audit. The management and external auditors should adopt this method of fraud prevention. This will avoid the loss of reputation and trust by the members and customers.

http://www.tankinlian.com/Info/1264/Carry-out-a-database-audit-to-deter-fraud

Merry Xmas from the Greenwich Meridien

Technology disruption in insurance

Will technology disruption reduce the price of insurance for consumers? Will it lead to lower earnings for agents and financial advisers.

I have created this 20 minute video to address this issue. Enjoy it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdIXofhMqkQ

Give a smoother bus ride

There are complaints all over the world that bus rides are jerky. This is largely caused by bad driving habits of the bus drivers. The drivers can drive more carefully and reduce the jerks in the bus.

I am developing a solution. It starts with a device that can measure the jerks in the bus. This uses the accelerometer that is present in each mobile phone. My prototype solution uses a mobile app to measure the number of jerks during the bus journey. I am testing a special algorithm that will identify what is a bus jerk, based on the readings of the accelerometer.

The mobile app can be placed in each bus. It will report the number of jerks during the bus journey and send the results into a server.

A weekly report will be produced showing the performance of each driver based on the number of jerks per kilometer of the journey. A prize can be given to the drivers with the best performance.

There is another report to show the number of jerks for each bus service. This is to identify the routes that give the most bumpy rides. The route could be an important factor in contributing to the bumpiness.

The drivers with poor performance, i.e. highest jerks per km, can also be identified and given special training to improve their driving habits. Once the drivers are aware of their performance, they are likely to pay special attention to improve their performance.

In the worst cases, the drivers who refuse to improve their performance can be terminated from service.

If the prototype is proven successful, it is possible to develop a special device to be placed in each bus. It will count and show the number of jerks during the journey and can be viewed by the driver. The results are sent to the server at the end of each journey.

I do not know if such a system is already operating in other countries. I think that the problem of jerky buses is quite common, and that a practical solution will be welcome. Do you agree?