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SingaporeAccording to the Magellan SporTrakColor handheld GPS, Singapore is a bit south and east from Kuala Lumpur. The latitude is 1 degree 17.582 minutes North and the longitude is 103 degrees 51.202 minutes East. That makes it 9,485 miles from home. Singapore is a tiny island compared to the size of Malaysia but the strategic position it has from a shipping perspective has enabled it to grow and prosper for many years. My photographic skills did not do justice to the splendor of the city. The first morning was spent discussing Internet technology with some IT staff and management at Singapore Airlines and this was followed by an interesting lunch with their CIO to discuss issues facing the airline industry. In the afternoon I was privileged to meet with executives at SingTel Communications to discuss WiFi and other issues. It was then a special treat to present to the Singapore Computer Society. The next morning I had a little bit of time to myself and so I decided to head for Sim Lim. 
It was a late arrival in Singapore from Malaysia and there was no time to go out and enjoy the great restaurants of the city. One the second night, though, I had time to take a nice twenty minute walk through the city to Boat Quay. The quay is nestled along the river and appointed with dozens of restaurants where a large number of people dine outdoors and enjoy the boats traversing by. The humidity was so high that I chose a restaurant with indoor seating where I could cool down. The Maharajah North Indian Tandoori Restaurant turned out be a very fortunate choice. I had never before experienced Indian bread — called Naan. The dough is mixed with a small amount of coriander leaves and egg and then it is slammed onto the inside wall of a charcoal pit which burns at 440 degrees. The resulting hot and moist bread was delicious.
On my last trip to Singapore, I had visited the Funan plaza which contains many PC and electronics stores. I later learned that Funan is mostly for tourists and that those in the know go to Sim Lim for their gadget and technology needs. On the way, the D’Lemon Tree, a neighborhood Thai restaurant, tempted me to stop in for to cool off and have a Diet coke. The menu was loaded with many choices with pictures of each. I chose the Laap Gai (chicken salad) and Goong Puk Pong Karry (stir-fried curry prawn). It was *very* spicy food and I loved it. On to Sim Lim.
There were six floors of all things electronic. Dozens of camera shops offering the latest and greatest and most willing to negotiate the price. Several shops were showing a new Panasonic D-snap super-thin profile camera that was almost too small. The 2 megapixel device also included an MP3 player, swivel lens, and numerous other capabilities. At Sim Lim you can see the beginnings of the convergence where all devices do everything. Prices on 128MB SD Ram cards ranged from 75 to 115 Singaporean dollars ( $42 to $65 U.S. dollar). The prices generally were not much different from the U.S. but there is no sales tax and no shipping. The 4% Value Added Tax is reimbursable at the airport.
Wednesday evening was the kickoff of the IBM CEO Conference. More than 100 CEO’s from all parts of Asia attended. Speakers the next day included Frank Kern, IBM’s general manager for the Asia-Pacific region, Professor Lester Thurow from MIT, Martin Wolf from the Financial Times, and yours truly. Professor Thurow’s talk was scintilating. His theme was about how wealth can be created by companies and countries if they recognize the shift to knowledge as a base of power and then act boldly to capitalize on it. I am looking forward to reading his new book, "Fortune Favors the Bold : What We Must Do to Build a New and Lasting Global Prosperity". Martin Wolf discussed the global economy and his theme was the emergence of China as a major superpower. He predicted a big fall for the U.S. dollar. My talk was about the future of the Internet and how expectations are rising rapidly. I asserted that we have only seen five percent of what the Internet has in store for us. The day was wrapped up with a panel discussion among the speakers moderated by Bettina Chua from CNBC-Asia. That evening there were a half dozen dinners at local restaurants organized by vertical segment — financial services, manufacturing, communications, government, etc. I headed from the Pontini (Italian) restaurant after dinner to Changi International Airport for the long flight home.
The first twelve hour leg arrived in Amsterdam at 6 AM. I was anxious to replicate my email and upon entering the Singapore Airlines lounge I asked, "Do you have wireless Internet?". "Oh, yes, I was told, just dial "0" first. So much for WiFi at this airport! After a two hour layover, the Boeing 747-400 Megatop headed for Newark, New Jersey.