Taking stock of our tech lives
In a couple of hours, the world will end and humankind as we know it will cease to exist. That is, if you believe the Mayan doomsday naysayers.
And what happens when the end is near? Your whole life flashes before you, that's what! Alright, that's a tad melodramatic but taking stock of 2012, the tech industry in this part of the world has seen a year punctuated with sex, lies, and accusations.
Singapore's IT community was abuzz when news broke in February that female IT executive was the center of bribery allegations involving two top-ranking government officials. Later revealed to be 36-year-old Cecilia Sue, the former sales executive of HDS and Oracle was alleged to have offered her "personal time" in exchange for lucrative government IT contracts.
Who knew the IT industry could be so sexy.
And in August, as Singapore celebrated its 47th birthday, rumors were swirling furiously on Twitter that the country's founding father and first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew had died. At the celebratory parade, many across the island waited in bated breath to see if the elderly statesman would make his appearance. It suffices to say his demise was, exaggerated--a timely reminder yet again that not everything we read on the Internet is true.
But even without the lies, there will always be the online rants like the one from Amy Cheong, who posted comments on her Facebook wall which were widely deemed racist. Eventually sacked from her job at NTUC, Cheong demonstrated the importance of restraint when venting online.
But the highlight of the year has got to be the love-hate relationship between China and the United States, well, these days it seems more like a hate-hate relationship. Already tensed, the relationship between both countries was further tested when the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee in October released a report accusing Chinese telecom vendors of spying. China denied the allegations, calling the report "subjective guesswork" based on "untrue evidence" and a protectionist attempt to block Chinese vendors from competing in the U.S. market.
It sparked much anti-China rhetoric and got me some of the most intense hatemail ever in my time as a journalist. Such jolly folks.
What IT milestones will you mark 2012?