Phones that announce the name of the caller

[Published on 28 February, 2003]

A new telephone device not only identifies the number of the
person calling you, but also shouts out the name of the caller.
The gadget, patented by United States phone company AT&T, uses the
caller's number to consult a central database of subscribers' names.

Once the name is found, it then activates a voice synthesiser on
the phone to announce -- like a butler at an embassy reception --
the name of the caller.

The invention also works the other way, by announcing to you the
name of the subscriber whose number you have dialled.

Many phones already provide caller ID in the form of a phone number.
But the new-fangled service will let a user screen out undesirable
calls, such as from salesmen, heavy-breathing stalkers and creditors.

And it could save money on misdialled numbers too, because you could
ring off before the call is answered.

Carpark surgery plan to cut hospital queues

[Published on 11 March, 2002]

British hospitals are preparing to use military-style mobile operating
theatres, which can be set up in their carparks, to reduce waiting lists.
The M*A*S*H (mobile army surgical hospital) style mobile theatres were
designed to treat battlefield casualties but have been adapted to deal
with up to 12 patients a day.

It can be set up in hours and connected to hospital supplies of oxygen,
water and electricity.

Hospital officials expect up to 500 cardiac patients could be treated a year.

The mobile theatres were named after the American Korean War film and
television series. They include an anaesthetic room, patient recovery room
and washroom for medical staff, alongside the basic operating theatre.

The units would help surgeons cope with emergency cases while existing
theatres were used for routine operations.

Government to release land for pet shelters

[Published on 14 June, 2003]

Stray cats saved from culling may get a new home at the Loyang Agrotech Park
near Pasir Ris, and sterilised strays picked up by town councils may be handed
over to animal welfare groups.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority will release five parcels of land for
animal lovers to set up pet shelters.

Any group interested in setting up such animal boarding facilities, which has
proven experience in taking care of and providing boarding for pet animals,
may bid for the land.

It was estimated that industrial users would pay between $8,000 and $10,000
a month in rent in the Loyang area for a 0.4ha plot of land. But that could
be halved if the bidders are animal welfare groups, which have smaller budgets.
The Cat Welfare Society, however, is convinced that shelters are not a
sustainable solution. It would rather the Housing Board did away with existing
rules barring cats from HDB flats, and believes sterilisation is the way to go
in the long term.

The society's president said: "There are many reasons why a shelter is not a
long-term or practicable solution. There is a limit to the number of animals
which can be sheltered and running costs will be crippling."

The Flexi-Works! Scheme

In 2007, a new scheme was set up to give companies up to $100,000 to
implement flexible or part-time measures at the workplace.
This $3 million government fund was aimed at coaxing housewives and retirees
to work again.

The money can be spent on any of these measures:

1. CONSULTANCY
Hire consultants to advise companies on how to implement
part-time/flexible work arrangements

2. ADVERTISING
Help pay for part of cost of hiring

3. HARDWARE
Buy machines and equipment to make the work easier

4. TRAINING
Pay for the cost of training workers in the required skills
and on company’s operations

5. JOB REDESIGN
Make it easier to implement part-time/flexible work arrangements

Do you feel ill on Mondays?

[Published on 25 February, 2002]

British scientists believe they have come up with the answer to what we
have always suspected: That going to work makes you ill. They believe
that even the mere sight of the office is enough to trigger depression,
headaches and a cold.

The classic Monday-morning feeling that makes people want to stay in bed
rather than get up for work may not be just imagination but a real ailment
triggered by the workplace.

'Triggers' could include sounds and smells, particularly in factories from
heavy machinery or flashing lights, or merely the sight of an office building.

The research, funded by the Health and Safety Executive, will also compare
levels of illness in industrial places of work with those in offices.

Companies taking part will have to keep a detailed diary over the course
of the year, recording frequency and severity of illnesses, as well as
information about jobs and type of work.

Of those taking part, a smaller group of 25 people will be asked to provide
saliva swabs, which will be tested for the chemical cortisol, a natural
steroid hormone produced in the body.

This will give researchers the means to study any chemical change in
volunteers' immune systems which may be caused by the working environment.

British motorists confused by even the most simple road signs

[Published on 22 April, 2001]

Sixty per cent of British drivers stopped for a survey believe that the
"Beware of Cattle" road signs indicate areas infected with foot-and-mouth
disease.

The survey by the RAC Foundation found that half of all British motorists are
baffled by road signs.

Misinterpretations included a sign for toads crossing that was identified as
indicating a French restaurant.

Only 10 per cent recognised signs that a dual carriageway had ended, and 20
per cent thought that those ordering them to give way to oncoming vehicles
meant "one-way street ahead".

Five per cent said that signs warning of side winds meant "kite flying area",
while 50 per cent did not recognise the sign indicating an end to a speed limit.


AND NOW, THE SINGAPORE VERSION...

What the sign means:
ACCIDENT AREA

What some wrongly think...

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What the sign means:
ROAD NARROWING

What some wrongly think...

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What the sign means:
SLIPPERY ROAD

What some wrongly think...

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What the sign means:  
ROAD LEADING TO QUAY/SEA

What some wrongly think...

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What the sign means:
ERP ZONE AHEAD

What all correctly think...

New stink-bomb for crowd control

[Published on 7 July, 2001]

The Pentagon is developing a stink-bomb that would drive away
hostile crowds by unleashing an odour that creates panic in the ranks.
The new device will be part of a growing arsenal to tackle the increasing
number of violent protests against globalisation.

Researchers working on the project said there was a close link between a
particular kind of smell and fear, and that a particular odour could activate
tissue deep within the brain.

The aim would be to use such a smell to send demonstrators fleeing in panic.
"It would give us an offensive capability against large and unruly groups of
people, if they are unwilling to move or are openly hostile," a Pentagon
spokesman told the New Scientist magazine, which published details of the
invention this week. "And it would minimise the risk to our people and to the
antagonists."

Resolving situations like out-of-control crowds can be a dangerous process
for the police, suspects and bystanders alike.
To reduce the risk, scientists have tried to devise weapons that can be used
without deadly force.

Sentosa Sensations

Highlights of the $3 billion plan to make Sentosa a more attractive getaway:

SENTOSA EXPRESS
A new air-conditioned rail system that takes visitors directly from the
HarbourFront MRT station at World Trade Centre onto the island.

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ENTERTAINMENT ZONE
The island’s most vibrant area, with features like a waterfront village and
specialty retail shops.

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SPA BOTANNICA (Beaufort Hotel)
Singapore’s first garden spa on a site the size of a football field.
It will have 14 indoor treatment rooms and six outdoor pavilions.

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DANCE OF FIRE AND WATER SHOW
A pyrotechnic extravaganza, which will replace the musical fountain show.
Special effects include 12m-high fire jets and 10m-high water fountains.

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MARITIME EXPERIENCE PREVIEW
Asia’s first interactive theatre show at the Images of Singapore forecourt,
it will take visitors on an "all sensory" journey through Singapore’s rich
maritime history.

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GREEN BELT
Highlights include nature trails, an equestrian centre and spa resort.
And treetop accommodation.