Category Archives: Personal Thoughts

Looking into the future of internet media sharing – Simon Tay

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I foresee the future…

In a few years time, there will be no more MPAA or RIAA or record labels or Hollywood.

In their replacement comes

1. Independent artists (Basically anyone with a talent)
2. Independent & outsourced technical specialist for music/movie production
3. Internet marketing via media portals like youtube, blip.tv and various other media streaming sites.

My suggestions to technical nerds listen up.

1. Advertise your expertise online on blogs or freelancer sites on music/movie editing/producing.
2. Showcase your works on youtube and or other media streaming sites and put a contact link
3. Put your price online

My suggestions to artist with talents

1. Kill your contract if any with labels or studios.
2. Become independent freelancer artist
3. Become your own producer
4. Learn as much as possible all technical know how from youtube to use softwares like garageband or iMovie.
5. Experiment with viral marketing

My suggestions to future streaming sites

1. Have a good automated system to check videos/audios upload to compared with registered copyrighted materials.

2. If found inform the uploader of the “Great” earning opportunity to put more descriptive “tags” of where the music/video is from, who the material belongs to, what quality it’s being copied (DVD/BlueRay/CD & etc), What category it belongs to (Horror, Comedy, Scifi Etc), self subtitle the video (more $)

3. Pay 90% advertising revenue to original copyright holders, 5 – 9% to media streaming host site, 1 – 5% to up-loader. (Depending on how much info the uploader provides like subtitles & above)

4. Uploader won’t get paid if the content (movie or audio) is duplicated content that’s already available at that site uploaded by others (of the same quality eg. DVD) but will remain payable to copyright holder & host (90% holder 10% host)

5. If songs are “covers” of existing songs e.g. youtube singers singing popular songs online will be given 30% ownership of the copyright holding of that cover while the original singer holds 70%.

6. If music are used for back ground sounds/music for videos then the same will apply 70% of the copyright goes to the music owner

7. If the music & movie are totally original from the uploader, the hosting streaming site gets 10% fixed & the rest goes to the content creator at 90%.

This system give the incentives to upload to servers in the future to be “employed” as “distributors” instead of illegal uploader.

The reason why this system works because without this system, with the terabytes of hard disk gets cheaper & faster bandwidth….it’s quite possible to host privately own servers at home with good encryptions shared download links with private individuals with password lock.

However, if websites/host pay users to upload self curated media contents to their servers…NO ONE will upload to torrent anymore…eliminating piracy totally.

Consumers will play streaming music & movies with advertising much like the ones on youtube or blip.tv now, with very specific targeted audience and information about “registered” users…advertisers will put more quality advertising to such media streaming sites!

Consumers can also PAY a monthly subscriptions to the service for no commercials when viewing but subscription pricing models like variable pricing model OR high fixed pricing model.

e.g.
Variable pricing model = (no. of video clips & music played per month) x potential advertising revenue
Fixed pricing model = High but fixed subscription cable tv pricing model per month
Free viewing = short videos have bottom pop up ads, medium length videos can have video advertising that can be skipped after 5 seconds, long videos can have full 25 -30 seconds advertising in between 30 minutes intervals.

THERE WILL BE COMPETITION to such online streaming media sites and the competition will be fierce depending on the infrastructure and user base.

1. Youtube – already established online viewer based both on desktops & mobile (Faster to approve videos but lower quality)
2. Amazon – Video purchase/subscription can easily add advertising model
3. Netflix – Same
4. iTunes – Same but with better curated contents by both uploader & content creators & Apple (Slower to approve but better quality)
5. Others – streaming sites are popping up everywhere

Other pirated sites in other countries have no choice but to follow the same system.

Objectives
1. Piracy – Eliminated
2. Content accessibility - GLOBALIZED.
3. Profitability – EVERYONE WINS.

My First Duct Tape Wallet!

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The power of inspiration!

Today is my birthday and I looked around google & youtube for “amazing wallet” and found a couple of really interesting “Duct Tape Wallet” and their instructions on how to make one!!

My brother ultimately bought me a new wallet for my birthday but I am very inspired by those 14 – 15 years old making a living selling duct tape wallets!

So comes my decisions to buy two rolls of duct tapes (black & white), a box cutter, plastic name card holder and the rest of the already have materials like cutting mat, ruler, zip lock bag and a little aluminum foil.

Total cost is about $15 but can be cheaper if I didn’t buy the box cutter haiz.

So first I decide the design and immediately make the cut! 

Then I cut many 0.5 cm strips for later use :D

I never follow other people’s measurement but my own new wallet instead! More strips!

I taped up the front of the strips and proceed to make the woven checker box design!

The beginning I’m struggling to keep it tight

Eventually I managed to tighten all the strips after many many rough touches and eventually it worked!

Now for the standard folds for the bill notes :D

The center fold for more credit cards

I inserted some aluminum foil to prevent RFID credit card theft but not sure if it will work.

Added 4 credit card slots! Nice!

The checkered design suppose to be at the back making one more folds for more bill slots

I.D. slots preparation, eventually I didn’t go with the frame method but just taped the sides as it’s really difficult! hehe.

More credit card slots! Total of 8 slots!

Finally completed the duct tape wallet with a zip lock coin bag!!

False Advertising Website

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Recently, a friend of mine sent me a seemingly real consumer warning site that showcase a get rich quick scheme in SINGAPORE that WORK?

The link is here http://www.consumerwarningsreport.com/2011fallreport.php

But it’s FALSE, everything in that page is not about warning the people about scams but to advertise for that “work from home” and get rich quick scheme.

Warning Signs

  1. instead of warning it’s overly positive report is my first indication that it is not a real consumer report
  2. I check the home page, there are NO OTHER posts…this is the ONLY post making this “consumer report” fake
  3. Last I checked, there are no way to embed photograph on the comment section unless it’d placed there by web owner
  4. At the very bottom, the disclosure mentioned “This is an advertisement for Online Trade Training
  5. Click on the header, you will not be directed to the main page of consumer report

There are so much false advertising in the text descriptions & fake photograph of women holding a cheque (of some sort) which obviously from google adsense payment and not from the “Online Trade Training”.

DO NOT FALL FOR THESE FALSE NEWS ADVERTISEMENT!

The big clue to me that it was fake was when they asked for money. A legitimate job will not ask for money but will direct you in how to get quality assignments.