Archive for April, 2007
Playing IQuiz
So I bought the new game on iTunes store. Its called iQuiz and as the name suggests it is a quiz game to be played on iPods. Like other games on the iTunes store this game works only on the Video iPod. it is also the cheapest game on the iTunes store. 99 US cents. It comes with a few built in quizzes like a enhanced version of music quiz and a movie quiz etc.
I like the fact that I can load and play my own quiz (and other quiz files i download from somewhere else). The last quiz in the list on East Asian History was created by me.
Here it is playing on my ipod. The questions can be multiple choice or True or False.
I use the iQuiz Maker software to create the quiz. It is a free download from Aspyr.
This software publishes the quiz as a quizpack to your iTunes library. The next time you sync the iPod, the quiz shows up on the iQuiz menu.
There are already sites coming where people are listing quiz packs that one can download and load onto your ipod. Check out iQuizzes. (Update: Check out iQuizlibrary too)
If you are just interested in loading quizzes made by other and not interested in creating your own, you can download iQuiz Installer (also free from Aspyr)
Technorati Tags: ipod, iquiz, iquizlibrary, iquizzes
An Electronics Mall and Internet Messaging in China and Skype Prime
Last week I was in Akihabara - the gadget mecca of Tokyo.
This week I am in the gadget mecca of southern China, in Shenzhen. There are few of these blocks full of electronics stores.
Inside there are rows and rows of gadget shops.
These OEM guys sell you the latest gadget that factories in the region have come up with. You can order these according to your specifications and they even give you your choice of language on the menu.
“Ipod nano and shuffle”.
Discussions and bargaining everywhere.
ipod speakers galore
Most of the stores are like cubicles with one or two young people manning them. Almost everyone has a screen in front of them and from time to time they look up the screen.
Almost all the screens have some internet messaging software on. In this picture it is QQ. QQ is the most popular internet messaging platform in China.
Sales people think that I am one of foreign buyer coming here to order some electronics. they pass me their business cards and tell me what they have on offer.
Most cards have the person’s MSN or QQ id.
This girl was packing some things and again she has her chat window open.
There two kids are busy with Nintendo DS and the boy at the back is busy on QQ.
Here this guy is playing a QQ game. These games can be played along with your QQ contacts. Sometimes when you ask them for a product, if they don’t have a product, they will message their contacts to find the stuff you are looking for.
Often in my talks I recommend that companies and schools not block internet messaging. They often say that IM is very distracting. I argue that IM is better than a phone call as on most IM clients you can specify if you are busy or free. Often my friends in China and Vietnam message me to ask for suggestions and ideas on something they are working on. I am used to getting a random phrase on my IM window and a question below if the grammar in the phrase is correct or not.
I bet the bosses of these companies are glad that their staff have access to IM.
This chat thing is changing the way we work and learn and maybe even earn. I just activated Skype’s new prime service. This service works over Skype. You specify can specify what you are good at and offer to answer questions on that topic for a fee.
You can advertise your expertise and the service on your blog.
As I have many posts about travelling in China, people searching for some info might land up my blog and if they like the content I have they might call me for a quick answer.
SeoulGlow - A Video Podcast From Korea
Taking a break from Japan blogging here and let me introduce an awesome podcast about Korea. I was missing Korea and ran a search on itunes for a Korean podcast and came across a video podcast called SeoulGlow. Its awesome. They cover street food, popular culture and other cool stuff. Very professionally done. I liked an episode where they interviewed kids cheering their seniors who were going to write their college entrance exams and the two part episode where they interview a future Korean astronaut. Seoul Glow is certainly one of the best video podcasts I have seen. Very professionally done..from the title sequence to sub-titles to the interviews and the girl doing the food reviews is great. Now I am missing Korea even more.
Search Keywords more popular compared to URLs in Japan
If someone asks me for the address of my website, I ask them to Google for my name. I tell them that searching my name on Google is the fastest way of getting to my web. I do that for my class too. If some one is looking for a software product or a tutorial, I just tell them to search for the name of the product on Google. I feel giving some one the URL (web address) is so 90s thing. Most of the time it is hard to remember the URL. Of course the problem with Google search method is that your site may not be search optimised enough for your visitors to able to find it as the first couple of hits on Google.
I found Japan also prefers keyword search. URLs are not so east to type on a mobile phone and URLs are harder to remember are they are written in English and not Japanese characters.
Check out this advertisement on a Tokyo train.
The ad is asking people to type in the keyword and search for their keyword to find their site.
Here is another train ad. Again you see the search keyword prominently displayed.
Here is another one.
.jpg "Japanese Mobile Phone")
It is easier to load the default search engine and type in a keyword compared to actually typing an URL.
Technorati Tags: business
Ticket Restaurants in Japan
One of the interesting things in Japan are these ticket restaurants.
You order your food at at ticket vending machine outside the restaurant. The machine will issue a coupon or ticket with your order printed on it. Give this ticket to the person inside and you will be served in a short while. The restaurant does not need a cashier and there are less chances of them getting a wrong order from you.
Here I am ordering curry rice at Shinagawa station. I am using my train card to pay but one can use cash also.
You may not be able to see the video if you are using a feed reader. Click here to view the video Ticket Restaurant in Japan.
Technorati Tags: shokken