mrbrown.com

100 episodes of the mrbrown show: Kim Huat reads the news!!!

On the 7th of July, 2017, about six months ago, I quietly rebooted the mrbrown show on the Anchor podcast service. On the same month, my youngest daughter, Joy, made me this mrbrown show keychain for my birthday. Which I thought was serendipitous.

It was small little project, something I restarted because I missed the days of doing audio podcasts. So I just did it without fanfare.

I was not sure if I was going to keep doing it, so I didn't make a big announcement about it on my blog. I figured, if I could not sustain it, then I would just let it go.

But here we are. 100 episodes in.

There is actually more content on the, er, new mrbrown show besides "Kim Huat reads the news", like sketches, interviews and talk cock sessions with Marc Nair, my family, and Mr Miyagi. But "Kim Huat reads the news" remains the anchor of the new mrbrown show. Oh look, a pun.

I did the show daily at first, seven days a week, but eventually realized I needed to do other things with my life too, like see my children and sleep. It is currently a show that happens a few times a week. I suppose you can call it the (Almost Daily) mrbrown show.

I was so serious about doing this show as frequently as I could, that I brought a mini recording studio with me.

Below you see what I used on a trip to Japan in July 2017, a kit created around the Shure MOTIV™ MV5 microphone, that looks like a little golf ball.

Below is a photo of my gear on a trip to San Francisco in September of 2017. I used a Shure MOTIV™ MVi interface with an ElectroVoice dynamic mic.

At home, I created a small recording space, complete with mic and all, in case I wanted to record something for the show, and was not free to go to the office studio.

I know, it is a little obsessive. But I love making the show and I love serving the fans who listened in loyally.

If you want to join the merry band of listeners who tune in every time I post a show, you can do so in a few ways:

1. Download the Anchor app, and follow my station: mrbrown. If you have the app, you can tune in and listen to current shows and older episodes this way.

2. Subscribe to the podcast. The show is also available on iTunes and Google Play as a podcast. All the shows are there, because Anchor helps me to put it in the podcast library:

iTunes link: http://mrbrwn.co/mrbrownshow

Google Play link: http://mrbrwn.co/mrbrownshowgoogle

I have embedded this 100th episode in the Soundcloud link below. But do listen to all past and future shows on Anchor or via subscribing to the podcast.

Here's to the next 100 shows!

Kim Huat and Chinese New Year Customs (with UOB Stash Account)

Kim Huat shares the common CNY customs on how to make your money grow, including a new pro tip. Earn up to 1% P.A. on your money in a UOB Stash Account, which is more than most savings accounts out there."

For more details go to: http://bit.ly/SureWinAngpao

#sponsored

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/jEaluEVWRDk

mrbrown tries the Tefal Air Force™ 360

It is Chinese New Year again, and mrbrown needs to do his spring cleaning. This time he has a new weapon to combat the dust bunnies: The Tefal Air Force™ 360. Watch what happens when mrbrown is volunteered by his mother to do his spring cleaning duties. Tefal's latest Tefal Air Force™ 360 vacuum cleaner is powerful enough to suck up an apple (the fruit, not the computer), versatile enough to cover all surfaces with one head, and has performance features like an always-on one-click button, quick charge, and 12 minutes of use in BOOST mode and 20 minutes of use in normal mode.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/Ukv6BpEQi_I

Kim Huat and the Singapore Budget 2018

Kim Huat gives you a piece of his economic mind.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/DoDmhZHSqjs

Kim Huat, morning person, greets 2018

Kim Huat, Singapore's Number One Morning Person, welcomes the new year.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/ergZMnHBvx4

The Story of mrbrown and BlueSG

This is the story of my family trying BlueSG, Singapore's first large-scale electric vehicle car-sharing programme, as told by my youngest.

The service will start with 80 Bluecars and 32 BlueSG charging stations, and by the end of 2017, the aim is for 110 Bluecars and 42 BlueSG stations with 165 charging points, islandwide.

By 2020, the aim is for 1,000 Bluecars and 2,000 charging points. That is a LOT of Bluecars and charging points, which is something to look forward to, as the more of the cars are available, the more accessible it will be for users.

Singapore will be the second largest deployment of Bluecars and charging stations — the largest being Paris — where the system began. And we are the first in Asia to have the service. For more details, and to sign up for membership, head on down to www.bluesg.com.sg

My family had a lot of fun filming our experience with the Bluecar. Mom, Isaac and Joy were my sporting participants in this adventure.

I think this will add to the choices available for public transport, and that is always welcome. The fees range from 50 cents per minute for regular membership, to as low as 33 cents per minute for Premium members (subject to a minimum rental of 15 minutes at $5).

One of the major attractions for me is the flat standard rate 24/7 with no peak surcharge. So this means your rental fee is the same throughout the day, even during peak hour. No surge pricing!

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/TjVlPc4sCnA

Kim Huat talks about Upgrading

Kim Huat tells you how to be a better version of yourself. Upgrade, upsize, upskill now: Kim Huat tells you how to be a better version of yourself. Upgrade, upsize, upskill now: bit.ly/upskill-SkillsFuture

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/fc59WsvNdvU

Kim Huat and Private Hire Cars

Kim Huat shares his own and his friends' horror stories in this new sharing economy.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/C2pe4X8n6uk

Kim Huat and PSLE Results

Today is the release of the 2017 PSLE Results. Kim Huat has some words to share with you.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/hcQ3eM_FDuo

Video: mrbrown meets the Justice League

Batman said he could not save the world alone, so mrbrown went to join the Justice League. And sits on the Flash's second-favorite chair.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/7gi_AeMsjmM

Kim Huat and the iPhone X

Kim Huat tries out the iPhone X and his favourite feature of them all.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/APn0TxyifJQ

The Big Question: iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, or iPhone X?

I am in San Jose at the moment, recovering from a mad day of covering the 12th September 2017 Apple keynote at Apple's HQ, Apple Park. And since I am still jet-lagged and awake at 2.30am, I thought I would write my thoughts on the iPhone 8 series vs the iPhone X.

I am sure you by now, you have seen or read about the Apple keynote, and questions are flying around.

Questions like, where is iPhone 9?

Dunno man, maybe 9 sounded too much like Dog in Cantonese. Microsoft Windows also skipped 9 and went from 8 to 10, to be fair. Poor number 9. Nobody likes 9.

Or questions like, how many kidneys do I need to afford the iPhone X 256GB?

To be fair, the prices out there are without contract, so you are forking out S$1,888 for the iPhone X up front unless you don't plan to get it from the telcos.

Also, do remember that this is for a 256GB model. When the top-of-the-line 256GB model of the iPhone 7 Plus came out in 2016, it wasn't cheap either, selling at SGD1,588 without contract.

And finally questions like, is the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus good enough or should I wait for the X?

That is a the golden question, isn't it?

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are fine phones, and they are a significant upgrade from the iPhone 7 series (wireless charging being one of them). They are essentially the matured second-gen models of the 7 and 7 Plus, and you should see the 8 series as such.

If you own a 6 series or 6s series, the 8 series is a nice jump.

But the iPhone X. It is not a jump. It is a leap in iPhone design.

Besides Face ID, I am looking forward to the X because of the gorgeous Super Retina screen that displays HDR. The entire phone is all screen. And because of that, it has a bigger screen but smaller body than the 8 Plus.

The 8 series HD Retina screen is an LCD IPS screen while the X screen is the latest OLED screen. The OLED screen of the X has darker blacks and better resolution and colour. I've seen it in person and that screen, oh so nice.

My only gripe is the little notch where the TrueDepth camera is. When you watch a movie at full screen, you have that little notch there blocking it a little. I hope Apple has a mode that lets me shrink my movie screen to just below the notch. (Update: The TrueDepth camera will not get in the way when watching a movie in regular aspect ratio, so you'll be fine. Only when you go full-screen and wrap the movie to the edge of the screen does the notch block part of your movie.)

Also, the cameras of the X are BOTH optically stabilized too. On the 8 series, only the Wide angle one is.

The tele lens of the X is f2.4, slightly better than the f2.8 aperture of the tele lens of the 8 Plus and 7 Plus series.

Face ID is very cool tech too. I know other smartphones have had Face Recognition before, the implementation of it isn't as sophisticated as the iPhone X's. It recognizes you with or without your glasses, or if change your hair.

It won't unlock if someone uses your face while you're sleeping (because your eyes need to be open). Though I cannot say if Face ID will be thrown off if you go for drastic plastic surgery.

Face ID isn't fooled by a photo of you. And, this is important, it doesn't send your facial info to any servers out there.

The entire facial recognition is done in-device. Apple went through a whole lot of trouble to design a neural engine — the A11 Bionic chip, and additional software, to do keep the Face ID processing within the iPhone X instead of handing it off to a cloud. So no, Apple doesn't store a copy of your face on their servers.

Because of that TrueDepth camera on the X that Face ID uses, you will also be able to do Portrait mode with BOTH the back and the front cameras. The 8 series can only do Portrait mode with the main camera. With the X, your selfies will be macam got bokeh.

Portrait Lighting, the advanced version of Portrait mode, will also work on both cameras of the X. Meaning your selfies can also have dramatic lighting.

The Animojis are very fun to do too. Only the X can currently send Animojis because it needs the TrueDepth selfie camera to read your face. I'm so going to send my wife messages with the talking chicken.

Finally, battery life. The X has a longer battery life (partly because of the OLED screen). It is rated at 2 hours more than an iPhone 7. Assuming the 8 series is about the same battery life as the 7 series, that makes the X the battery life king. And who doesn't like more battery life?

So there you go. My early thoughts on the iPhone 8 vs the iPhone X debate. I like the entire new lineup but if you ask me, is the X exciting to me? Yes, it is.

The X had me at Hello, I can read your face.

Related: Kim Huat's take on the new iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X.

'

(Photos are all mine, don't take without asking.)

the mrbrown show: Talk cock with Mr Miyagi, 9th September 2017

mrbrown and Mr Miyagi return for one of our talk cock sessions. In this 18-minute episode in four parts, we talk about the coming Reserved Presidential Election, presidential hair products, sponsored weddings, and Bidets.

Episode link: https://anchor.fm/mrbrown/episodes/cba3a4

Subsribe to the mrbrown show podcast on Apple Podcasts
Subsribe to the mrbrown show podcast on Google Play

Kim Huat on the NSL Disruption

Kim Huat feels your pain during the MRT line disruption at the North-South Line today.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/kAX9MqAmcgM

Kim Huat on 38 Oxley Road

Kim Huat weighs in on a family feud. (Available in 4K)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/eyu0hjBqIVs

mrbrown (and Kim Huat) goes to Apple WWDC 2017

It was another good WWDC 2017, this time in San Jose. A bit ulu compared to downtown San Francisco, if you ask me. But I am a city boy.

I enjoyed meeting my tech media friends again and hearing the new announcements for macOS, AppleOS, iOS and WatchOS. I even saw the famous Walt Mossberg, who is retiring from the tech journalism world.

What excited me the most?

1. The game Monument Valley 2 is out.

2. Apple Watches will have Toy Story faces.

3. The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

4. The new Apple HomePod speaker.

5. The new insane iMac Pro.

6. AR and VR coming to iOS and macOS devices.

and most of all, the iOS 11 improvements that will make iPads even closer to a laptop replacement. Drag and drop all the things!

I was going to do the video presentation myself but I will leave Kim Huat to give you the executive summary in this video because he hijacked my video production when I was in the toilet.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/_cbrneR4_k0

More Kim Huat Facebook Reaction Gifs? Win!

I was fooling around with stickers and gifs in my iPhone's iMessage and made some new Kim Huat gifs in the Tumblr iMessage app, feat. Kim Chan.

I think it is time for a new set of Kim Huat Gifs. The last time we did it, many of you seemed to like it.

You can see the new set of Gifs at Giphy:

http://giphy.com/channel/mrbrownlah

Or if you are the kind who die die must download it and own it, you can download a zipped folder of all the new gifs at:

http://mrbrwn.co/kimhuatgifs2

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Kim Huat and Baywatch

Kim Huat shares his love for life-saving.

(Subtitles available, turn on Captions if needed.)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/ZFMwRGzF7KA

Kim Huat and NDP songs

Kim Huat does his patriotic duty and gives his two cents on the 2017 National Day song. (Subtitles available, turn on Captions if needed.)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/wgWbCeFnwwY

Media link:
Channel 8 News: mrbrown挑战下个国庆主题曲创作人 不要再用“新加坡，和谐，国家”等词

Kim Huat and Milk Powder

Kim Huat investigates the dark world of baby formula. (Subtitles available! Turn on Captions!)

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/XAseOzqrfDI

Media link:
Channel 8 News: 【本地奶粉课题】Mr Brown视频“探讨奶粉界黑暗面