New "Thingy" for National Day 2013

Photo credit:  gov.sg  - calendar

Almost everybody in Singapore, especially among the young and not so young,  use a "thingy" smartphone these days to get connected to make mobile phone calls, send SMS or surf the Internet online.

Stuff like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram was unheard of 48 years ago when we had our first National Day celebrations in 1966.

Communication technology in the past was undeveloped and primitive because these new "thingy stuff" were not invented yet.  So please don't blame our grandfathers or grandmothers. They are not "suaku"!

With a burgeoning population of over 1½ billion users between them, Facebook and Twitter are still the undisputed leaders in social media. But the two environments are about as ‘similar and different’ as PC and Mac:  The developers of these two cyber-landscapes have been intent upon making their networks as distinct as possible from each other.

In June 2013, Facebook introduced a new ‘lingo’ as an online social networking service, and followed by Twitter.

Facebook appeals to people looking to reconnect with old friends and family members or find new friends online; the mashup of features like email, instant messaging, image and video sharing, etc. feels familiar.  Twitter on the other hand, encourages you grab ideals in byte-size chunks and use your updates as jumping off points to other places or just let others know what you’re up to at any given moment.

Many of them have both, Facebook and Twitter, whichever is for their specific purposes and effectiveness to choose for their own convenience.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is updated with Facebook, Twitter addresses. As part of efforts to reach out to more Singaporeans, Prime Minister launched his own Instagram accounts.

Photo Credit:  Straits Times

The Prime Minister delivered his National Day Rally 2013 speech on the evening of August 18, at ITE Headquarters and College Central, Singapore.

Thanks to the Channel News Asia to watch the videos in segments based on topics in "bite-sized" portions which is easy to digest and understand for everyone; anytime, anywhere to access the Internet.

The Prime Minister's speeches made during the National Day Rally 2013 in Malay, Mandarin and English with translated subtitles on different TV channels.  The translator with sign language appeared at the bottom corner of the video screen for the help of the deaf and mute viewers.