Working From Home

The Ministry of Works is starting a work-from-home program for selected members of its staff. Thirty nine (39) ministry employees, many of them are draftsmen, will begin an experimental work-from-home program for three months starting in January 2010 (read the news here). It makes sense to let people work from home especially if the nature of their work requires minimal face-to-face contact with customers. Many occupations fall into this category such as analysts, designers, writers, draftsmen, programmers, and animators. The key success factor is to select employees who are consistently reliable and can work under minimum supervision. I am sure the ministry has taken that into consideration before starting this program. I don't know how much the private sector in Malaysia supports work-from-home practice. I believe at the moment, the people who work from home are mostly freelancers. Working from home will bring considerable amount of cost saving especially if you live in the Klang Valley where a lot of time is spent commuting between home and office. By working from home, you eliminate commuting time and make use of the extra time available for more productive purposes. Obviously, the biggest benefit is having the flexibility to manage your time so that you can juggle between work, family and other commitments. The Ministry of Works is the first government agency to introduce such program. I must congratulate the ministry for taking this initiative. I hope the experiment works and eventually the work-from-home program can be expanded to other agencies in the public sector.

New HD Broadcast from Astro

Astro is launching a new high-definition (HD) broadcast service called Astro B.yond. The first broadcast is starting on December 18. Read about it here and here. Existing Astro subscribers can upgrade to HD service for additional fee of RM20 per month. In order to get HD broadcast, you need a new set of Astro devices including decoder, satellite dish, smart card, remote control, and HDMI cable. Of course, you also need a high definition TV (HDTV). According to Astro, subscribers can exchange the current decoder with a new one for free.

In the beginning, the HD broadcast will start with only four channels: Astro Supersport, HBO, National Geographic and History Channel. ESPN will start broadcasting in HD from January 2010. This should be good news for football fans as they can expect to watch 2010 FIFA World Cup in high definition.

Astro B.yond is broadcasting at resolution 720p and 1080i which is pretty high quality although not as good as Blu-ray discs at 1080p. If you don't have a HDTV and is considering to buy one, you should watch this video on Crutchfield to give you a better idea on selecting a suitable HDTV.

Astro's goal is to get 1 million subscribers to sign up for the new HD service. If Astro is successful, that should translate to an additional revenue of RM20 million per month or RM240 million a year. I hope the extra revenue will be used to bring better TV programs for Astro subscribers.

Power Nap at the Office

While driving my car this morning, I heard a discussion about Power Nap on the radio. Power Nap is basically a short sleep (between 15 to 30 minutes) that is intended to refresh you. Usually people feel sleepy in the afternoon (after lunch) and a short nap can help them recharge. But many people feel guilty about sleeping at the office. So if companies have a policy that allow workers to take short nap during office hours, then employees can take Power Nap without the guilt. The benefit will be improved concentration and productivity.

There are research evidence that a short nap can improve your mental performance (read about it here and here). I personally take a short nap if I get really sleepy while driving on the highway. For me, 15 to 20 minutes of short sleep is good enough. After sleeping, I would take a cup of coffee to boost my alertness and I am ready to go again.

However, taking Power Nap at the office may be a little difficult. If you have your own room at the office, you can lock the door and take a nap. But if you work in a cubicle, sleeping may not be a good idea because it can be embarrassing to have customers or visitors walk in and see you sleeping on the job.

Try talking to the boss and see if you can convince management to set up a private lounge for employees only. This would be the perfect place to take a nap (good luck talking to the boss).

But if you can't find the time or the place to take a Power Nap, try other solutions. Rearrange your tasks so that the ones that require higher mental concentration is scheduled in the morning and other tasks is moved to the afternoon. Make sure you get enough sleep at night so that you are well rested and fresh when you start you day.

CSL Mobile Phone Survey

A student at Raffles Design Institute is doing a survey on CSL mobile phone. She left a comment on my blog post CSL Mobile Phone With Two Sim Cards. If you are interested in doing the survey, please go to www.cslmobile.speedsurvey.com.