Finally, a bot that can do all the kiasu-ing for us — we’re too busy worrying about World War 3 and our Chinese New Year haircuts, anyway.
A Redditor with the username Inspirited recently announced on the Singapore subreddit about a handiwork: an automated service on Telegram called Kiasubot that’ll hunt for promo codes for food delivery apps. This, on top of listing a bunch of food deals available either near you (meaning you gotta allow location tracking) or islandwide.
If you’re wondering about the bot’s profile icon — a mynah — Inspirited wrote that it was inspired by the bird’s habit of flocking to hawker centre tables to peck on leftovers. Much like how Singaporeans “flock to food deals”. Eh, fair enough.
In a move to increase interest and awareness of the potential of 5G, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and StarHub have partnered to launch a new NYP-StarHub Application & Experience Centre for 5G (APEX 5G) today.
The APEX 5G Centre will see NYP, StarHub and various industry partners, such as Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Microsoft, STMicroelectronics, George Fischer, Senquire, Yitu, BHG Singapore and Avetics develop and implement use cases for 5G in Singapore.
NYP also plans to work with StarHub and industry partners to identify the skillsets in demand for young talents to ride this 5G wave and incorporate them into the curriculum of selected courses. Located at NYP’s School of Engineering, the NYP-StarHub APEX 5G Centre is expected to see over a hundred students annually, training in 5G and related technologies and working on use cases spanning across industries.
NYP does not currently offer any courses or modules with 5G but said that reviews are carried out every 18 months and 2 years to determine what skills students of tomorrow will need and the courses are adjusted accordingly.
SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines said on Wednesday (Jan 8) it was diverting all flight routes from Iranian airspace.
The move comes after Iran said it launched a missile attack on US-led forces in Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday in retaliation for a US drone strike on an Iranian commander whose killing has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
“All SIA flight routes are being diverted from the Iranian airspace,” the airline said in an e-mail, without giving a reason for the diversion.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was closely monitoring events in the Middle East and coordinating with US airlines and foreign authorities about aviation safety after Iran’s attack.
Teheran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from Iranian territory against at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US-led coalition personnel, the US military said.
Several airlines had flights over parts of Iraq and Iran at the time according to FlightRadar24 data.
SINGAPORE – Visitors to this year’s River Hongbao can expect an interactive festival that celebrates tradition and technology.
For the first time since the annual festival’s inception in 1987, the event will be transformed into a virtual playground from Jan 23 to 27, the first five days of River Hongbao (RHB) 2020.
Using their mobile devices, visitors can embark on a hunt to “catch” virtual Chinese zodiac animals at The Float @ Marina Bay in an augmented reality game called #HuntYourZodiac.
The game was developed by homegrown bank POSB – River Hongbao 2020’s key sponsor – with Sqkii, creator of the popular cash hunt called Hunt the Mouse.
“The first of its kind to be introduced at RHB, the game combines Chinese New Year traditions with technology to deliver a new immersive experience that families and friends of all ages can come together to enjoy,” said Mr Jeremy Soo, managing director and head of Consumer Banking Group (Singapore) at DBS Bank.
To play the game, visitors must log on to the game’s web application via Facebook. They can then roam the event grounds to hunt for the 12 virtual zodiac animals.
SINGAPORE – There is nothing wrong with drinking water, but the advice that is circulating on how to protect yourself against influenza is not from the Ministry of Health (MOH).
The advice, purportedly issued by the MOH because “the influenza this time is serious”, tells people to constantly sip water as “once your membrane in your throat is dried, the virus will invade into your body within 10 mins”.
There is no truth to this, said the MOH: “Keeping one’s throat moist does not prevent influenza.”
The message making the rounds on WhatsApp and other platforms claims that it is a notice to the public by the MOH that the current outbreak is serious.
The poor grammar alone would have indicated that the message is not from the ministry.
The message also says: “Till end of March, do not go to crowded places, wear mask as needed especially in train or public transportation.”
It does not say why masks can be discarded from April.
When asked about the rest of the advice given in the fake message, the MOH gave the usual advice: that the flu is spread mainly by droplets through an infected person coughing and sneezing.
SINGAPORE – The number of cases of people scammed by impersonators on social media has jumped by more than nine times in the past three years, with many victims – six in 10 – aged in their 20s to 40s.
The number of cases rose from 71 in 2017 to 672 cases in the first 11 months of 2019.
Furthermore, the amount cheated ballooned by nearly 43 times, from at least $168,000 to about $7.2 million over the same period.
The scammers in these cases often use compromised or spoofed social media accounts to pretend to be a victim’s family member or friend to trick victims.
The trend of young people being scammed by impersonators also bears out in findings for other scams which Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam revealed in a written parliamentary reply on Monday (Jan 6).
China officials impersonation scam cases have more than doubled, from 188 cases in 2017 to 401 cases between January and November last year.
The amount cheated also rose sharply, from at least $12.8 million to at least $18.8 million over the same period.
More younger victims were targeted in 2019 too, with more than half below the age of 30.
Here’s a painful experience everyone surely had some trouble with before — getting a bad haircut right before a big event.
Though the male population could simply laugh it off and just let our locks grow back, it’s the difference between night and day for the fairer sex, if we were to quote Fleabag. “Hair is everything. We wish it wasn’t so we could think about something else occasionally, but it is,” according to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character.
It’s something that caused a Singaporean auntie to go postal outside a hair salon apparently located in Braddell. In a clip shared by the All Singapore Stuff Facebook page earlier today, a woman can be seen tossing anything and everything she could get her hands on as passersby gawked and stared nearby.
“I cut hair I come down here my hair so long five years and two years, she cut until so short for me,” the clearly upset lady can be heard yelling in the middle of her tantrum. Translation: she’s mad that she got a such a short hairdo after keeping her mane long for seven years.
Instead of binning them, why not consider giving them a second lease of life. Just because they don’t inspire us doesn’t mean they can’t spread some cheer to others.
Naturally, most places (save for one which we found) request that we be decent enough human beings to not give soiled, torn, or unwearable garments. Remember, your donation should not be a burden to others.
SINGAPORE – In applying Singapore’s fake news law, the focus is on whether there is a falsehood and whether it is in the public interest to act against it, rather than the identity of the person or entity responsible for the falsehood, said Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran on Monday (Jan 6).
The fact that the first few directions to correct the falsehoods, issued under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), were made against individuals who are either politicians, affiliated with political parties or political parties themselves is a “convergence, some might say an unfortunate convergence or coincidence”, he told Parliament.
“If you look at it in totality, we have to take into account the overall impact, then we have to consider what is the proportionate response, and then be prepared to take it.
“If it so happens that some of the people involved are politically affiliated, that’s just the consequence of their actions,” he added.
He was replying to Nominated MPs Anthea Ong and Walter Theseira on the use of Pofma, which has been invoked four times since it came into effect on Oct 2 last year.
SINGAPORE: An abandoned baby boy was found alive at an HDB block in Bedok North on Tuesday (Jan 7).
The police told CNA it received a call for assistance at about 9.10am at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3.
“A baby boy was found at the said location. Paramedics attended to the baby at scene,” the police said.
There were no visible injuries on the baby, who is in a stable condition, said the police.
Authorities are seen at a neighbourhood in Bedok North. (Photo: Cindy Co)
Chinese news channel 8World reported that the baby was found inside a rubbish chute bin at the bottom of the block by two cleaners about 9am.
The cleaners were clearing the garbage when they saw the baby wrapped in a bloodstained supermarket plastic bag, 8World reported 24-year-old cleaner Patwarishamim as saying. The baby was crying when the cleaners found him.
Authorities are seen at a neighbourhood in Bedok North. (Photo: Cindy Co)
The baby has been taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).
KKH said in response to queries from CNA that it is “unable to confirm, deny or share any information” due to patient confidentiality.
Several police vehicles and officers were at the location when CNA arrived at about 1pm.
Residents told CNA that police officers conducted door-to-door interviews and asked them if they had “heard anything”.
“The police asked if I had heard anything, if I heard anyone who threw something. Police also asked if I knew anyone living here who was pregnant,” said 74-year-old Sin Ah Moi, who lives on the second floor of the block.
Ms Fatmah Salim, 62, who lives on the third floor of the block, said the police came to her flat at about 11am.
“They asked if I had heard anything, but I said I didn’t hear anything,” said Ms Fatmah.
She said that the police entered her home to “look around” before leaving.
A resident on the fifth floor told 8World that she had heard something being thrown down the rubbish chute at about 5am.
She thought she had heard a baby crying but dismissed it as she didn’t know anyone who was pregnant and living in the block.
