Just Kunil

After some talk at lunch yesterday, I agree with my colleague, I don’t think with this kind of condition WP (wireless-people) would last for long time. Or should I say, this is most likely to be my first year and the last one in Malaysia. Too pesimistic though, at least it’s too early to say so. But we should always prepare for the worst.

So the next question was : what would you do if WP failed ? My colleague looked like had a plan already. He said he wanted to open up new company selling and design embedded PC for industrial application. He’s been working on his ARM boards for at least this two months, I think.

But, I’ve been there. I was thinking the same questions before : if I could make cheaper embedded PC, would it lead to my company’s success ? I guess not. Since the OLPC boom, most of board producers are making smaller PCs for multimedia applications or OLPC compatible (If I’m not mistaken, the jargon is UMPC/Ultra Mobile PC..such as Via’s NanoBook). It’s going to be a price war soon. Besides, since 32-bits PCs are easier to design than ever before, what’s the barrier that I can use to block other competitors ?

So, here I am again, with empty minds looking the way that I should follow.

Actually, I still have some crazy ideas in my head. But I’m not sure whether I can live with it or not. Here’s some of them :

• Games and Multimedia software

The problem is these area is not mine. I’m more familiar with real-time systems than programming moving animation(though I admit that it’s quite interesting challenge).

• CAD (For electronic design and simulation)

This one looks promising, but it’s far from what I have now.
3) Fleet management
Interesting, since there’s a lot of Indonesian company that works in goods distribution area. But the players in this field are mature enough to kick new competitors.

• Instrumentation

Recent ideas that I got. Haven’t explore it yet. The interesting point is that every company (manufacturing / design) always need it. But instrumentation is very wide. There’s electronic area (oscilloscope/logic analyzer), computer network area, industrial area or …. bio-technology area (if it’s sound crazy enough..well it’s me anyway).

So, what instrumentation do these people in bio-tech use anyway ?

"Your name is Chihiro. Remember that, and don’t ever forget it or you will never get out from this place" -Spirited Away

I’ve seen two of their film : Howl’s Moving Castle and, just last Saturday, Spirited Away. They are really the master of anime.

Here’s some point that really makes their production different from Walt Disney or Pixar or most of anime studios :

• Theme

  Both Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away shows unusual theme. It’s simple, yet unpredictable until you see the end. Most of Walt Disney’s and Pixar’s production don’t have such theme. Just watch it 15 minutes, and you’ll know where the story ends. That’s why only kids that want to see Walt Disney’s and Pixar’s production.
  For other anime studio production, usually their theme is weird, but cannot really make you sit until the film is done. For example : Naruto (about ninja, and weird technics), Cardcaptor sakura (collecting cards).

• Emotion

  What builds emotion ? First one is dialog. Second, the soundtrack. This is the real challenge for anime production. Outside Japan, most of cartoons / animation film are being watched by children. In such case, the dialog should not be complicated enough (like using sarcasm or have dual meaning). But, adult audience expect that. It’s the key that shows the character’s soul. At least, we need to be convinced that we’re dealing with the real character instead of drawed picture.
  In my opinion, this is the one that makes Studio Ghibli different. Spirited away doesn’t use very complicated techniques to make the characters real. They speak like us..yet it’s still simple enough for young audience to understand it.

• Character

  OK, admit it, who really wants to pay for Fantastic-4 or XMan movies ?? I wouldn’t. They are the real animation movies for children, but filmed using real live human. We’re grown up that don’t believe there’s super person, that can do anything everthing without fear and so on…The only super heroes that I like is spiderman, since he’s the one that’s so close to the real human.
  But, I personally tend to like normal character who become heroes in the movies. He/she/it proves that you are heroes in your life. You don’t need to have super power to be hero. That’s the character that I see in Chihiro (Spirited Away) and Howl’s Moving Castle.

• Photography

  I think only Sinchan and/or Doraemon movies that don’t have good picture. Most of animation movies currently have it, specially Pixar. This is where Studio Ghibli should learn more.

If you want to see other quality animes, my suggestion is :

1. Howl’s moving castle (Genre : drama)
2. Spirited away (Genre : un-classified-able)
3. Samurai 7 (Genre : action)

Holiness is in right action, and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What God desires is here (head)….and here(heart)…

And what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man - or not.

-Kingdom of Heaven

But remember that, even when those who move you be kings or men of
power, your soul is in your keeping alone.

When you stand before God
you cannot say "but I was told by others to do thus" or that "virtue
was not convinient at the time.

This will not suffice. Remember that.

-Kingdom Of Heaven

Be without fear in the face of your enemies.
Be brave and upright that
God may love thee.
Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your
death.
Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong.

That is your oath
<slap on face>
And that is so you remember it

Raise knight

-Kingdom Of Heaven

I’ve been here, in the foreign land, for 3 months. Here is my report on what I have achieved.

As reminder :
* The purpose of my life : "What man is a man that does not make the world better"..
* Why I am here : "There in end of the world, I am not what I am born, but I am what I have in myself to be".

Technical skills:
a) Programming time out and retry (along with the error handling) in firmware
b) Programming multi-layer communication protocol
c) Concurrency and multi threading in firmware / software level
d) Robust firmware error handling
e) Diffusion and mesh network multihopping

Managerial skills:
a) Design demo to attract prospective customers
b) Analysis on technology platform

Entrepreneur ideas:
a) Fleet management system using WSN
b) Game / multimedia / CAD system
c) Industrial automated control
d) Industrial specific sensor interface

Project to be outsourced to Indonesia :
- None so far

Progress on date :
- None so far =)

Additional notes :
- Learning Design Pattern and ADT would add great benefit
- Need better OS than TinyOS to create more applicable WSN

This is my opinion, based on my current experience in this field.

• Hardware

In 1980s-1990s, most RF based applications were designed using discrete components (transistors, coil, caps). They were heavily influenced by the PCB layout. Hence only the master can do the black magic art in this kind of application.

Recently, with SoC technology progress, the need for a specialist to design RF-application has been reduced significantly. The RF SoC chips currently are more immune to PCB layout, since the chip designers have moved most of the critical path in RF design into the chip.

How easy is it ? As the rule of thumb, RF-base band determine the level of PCB layout design difficulties. Using SoC and high base-band RF (2.4GHz or more), PCB layout design rules are almost negligible. Using 415Mhz, 815Mhz, and 900Mhz, there’s special PCB layout guidelines that need to be followed (but it’s as easy as reading the SoC’s Application Note).

I have to say that most idiots nowadays can design RF application devices better than PhD students in 10-20 years ago. Of course, it doesn’t mean that the challenge in RF hardware is over. The challenge in RF hardware now has moved into chip level (or to be exact : ANALOG IC DESIGN level).

• Firmware

With the hardware progress, the bottle neck currently lies on the firmware side.

What good is it the RF application that works point-to-point ? The customers demand more intelligent devices. They demand devices that can talk each others. Plus, as always, they demand cheaper price.

Well, with the current trend, the RF hardware is cheap enough to fulfill customer needs. However, the firmware vendors for these markets are limited in number. Hence, the total cost reduction cannot be achieved significantly in the customer side.

So, whoever solve this problem, will become the next Bill Gates, because RF application devices will be ubiquitus that everyone on this planet will have it (with your firmware inside of it, of course).

Nothing describes better than this email.
—————————————————-
Dear NN,

Astagaaaa……saya sampai bengong barusan melihat pilihan NN, kenapa NN memilih 2 anak ini sebagai anak2 asuh NN, apa sudah kenal ?

Mereka merupakan kakak beradik & kebetulan waktu saya nyepi ke Kalikuning kemarin ini dengan D & RM, ditengah acara 17 Agustusan, tiba2 saya teringat 1 organ di biara Pakem yang mungkin tidak ada yang memakai & spontan saya tergerak untuk memberi kursus kilat bagi yang berminat untuk belajar organ supaya bisa mengringi suara2 malaikat suster2 PPYK & setelah saya umumkan, lha koq malah Cynthia yang datang pada saya, padahal, jujur sebenarnya saya mengharap untuk mengajar salah satu suster.

Cynthia adalah anak yang manis & bersemangat tinggi, setelah ayahnya kena stroke 4 tahun lalu, mereka yang dulunya agak lumayan jadi habis2an untuk biaya berobat ayah ini dimana menurut Sr, dulunya ayah ini agak psikopat, sering sekali memukul istri, yahhh…kasihan sekali istrinya, dikala punya harta, harus menerima siksaan suami, sesudah suami ini stroke dimana otomatis tidak bisa lagi memukul, harta mereka ikut habis juga hingga mereka saat ini sekeluarga kontrak 1 ruangan kecil untuk tempat tinggal mereka dengan 3 anak & untuk memenuhi kebutuhan sehari2, si ibu bekerja di salah satu panti dengan penghasilan sebesar Rp 480.000,- tiap bulan, bisa untuk apa ?

Tapi kesulitan itu tidak terlihat pada wajah Cynthia yang tetap ceria & cerita bahwa dia sudah diterima bekerja untuk menjaga 1 orang tua dengan bayaran Rp 500.000,- sebulan yang akan dia lakukan setiap pulang sekolah, Cynthia juga berbakat menulis, beberapa tulisannya sudah dimuat di majalah & saat ini dia sedang menyelesaikan sebuah novel, semoga saja novel itu laku & menambah penghasilan mereka.

Sayang akhirnya kita tidak ada waktu untuk mengajar Cynthia main organ selain kepala saya sakit sekali waktu itu. Kenapa saya salut & terharu dengan Cynthia ? karena hanya dia yang saya lihat masih ceria & tetap semangat sedangkan 2 adik apalagi ibunya terlihat seperti putus asa & menangis terus.

Kemarin ini Sr telpon cerita bahwa ibunya Cynthia datang & dengan menangis menanyakan kabar pengajuannya untuk bea siswa 2 anaknya ini & dijawab Sr Shanty bahwa semua tergantung pada kel XXX, ibu berdoa saja supaya permohonan ini dikabulkan dan mungkin berkat doa seorang ibu yang sudah lama menderita, ternyata 2 anaknya yang terpilih pertama kali dari 29 anak yang diajukan suster PPYK, yahhh…..kuat kuasa sebuah doa,
terima kasih sekali lagi ya NN

Salam kasih,
————————————————————

I never knew her, never met her, never seen her. But somehow, I know that’s my girl type.

The man was standing with sad looking face. The animal gathered around him and wondering why he was sad. One of them said "If we give him what we have, he might be happy".

The deer said to the man "Ask us, we will give what we have to you". The man said "I want sharper eyes". The eagle said to the man "You can have mine". The man said "I want stronger power". The bear said "You can have mine". The man said "I want knowledge of the underworld". The snake said "You can have mine". And so, it was happened until all the animals gave what was their best to the man. Then, the man left.

The deer said to the all of the animals "We have given the man all of our best. The man will be happy now". Suddenly the owl said to the animals "Now, since the man has everything that we have, I begin to worry". "Why ?" asked the animals. "Deep inside, the man has unsatisfied hunger. Our gift makes the man more hungry than before. He will asking, asking and asking some more, until our mother earth says to the man : I have given you everything that I have..There is nothing left from me anymore".

-Apocalypto - Mel Gibson

We have always been told to remember the idea, not the man, because man can fail. Man can be captured, killed and forgotten.

But you cannot kiss an idea, touch it or hold it. Idea does not bleed, it does not feel pain, nor can love.

It’s not the idea that I miss. It’s the man.

-Nathalie Portman
V for Vendetta