Saturday stroll through rainy Changdeokgung garden

After weeks of sunshine it started to rain in Seoul today. We had a day off and decided to have a look at the Changdeokgung palace, close to our home.… Continue reading... | 2 Comments

Biggest Korean newspaper Chosun hopeful about their digital future

When will we see foldable e-paper on the street? Will advanced algorithms and Internet eventually put publishers out of business? – Nobody knows… But we do witness a devastating momentum for traditional publishers, how can these companies reinvent themselves? Are they doomed?… Continue reading... | 1 Comment

[Pictures] View over Busan city from hotel

We decided to head out to Korea’s second largest city – the harbor city Busan. Very moist and clear upon arrival, but dark and foggy when we woke up. I was curious about Busan because I like cities next to the sea, we spend some time on the beach, had an interesting night.… Continue reading... | 1 Comment

Why embracing mobile VoIP is vital for carriers

How and why mobile carriers focus on their current revenue model too much and why this will lead to missing the emerging global VoIP market.

VoIP technology was initially used on desktop computers. When these PC-to-phone applications came out there were no big differences or major problems for mobile carriers. The uprising of Wi-Fi and 3G bundled mobile phones are creating a market that did not exist before. Actually, mobile VoIP created a need of which the late majority of customers are not aware of yet today. Continue reading... | 9 Comments

Did Europe fall of the map?

How do you explain the location of your home to a fellow city-citizen? You probably refer to the area or street you come from but someone from another city would initially be interested in the name your city. More extreme, A Greek in Italy would probably refer to Greece as one’s home location. One step further; what if that particular Greek travels to another continent like South-America, would the Greek… Continue reading... | 19 Comments

Living abroad? Think about your (future) wife!

Ask yourself this: What things would you consider if you had an opportunity to work abroad? For many top executives and engineers, its not only the job they are thinking about. The main challenge is usually their free time, wife (or husband) and family. Ask yourself the question: if I will work in this country how will my wife and family been taken care of by the company in… Continue reading... | 6 Comments

Video-conference with a former president

15th Korean president and Nobel peace prize winner Kim Dae-Jung visited us at the Korean Development Institute today. Amazing, what a circus! Our university is already surrounded by a 4 meter wall, and security posts. Today I noticed FBI style security guards on rooftops and entrances! The event was well organized, interesting approach on the day was that not all participants of the event were actually inside our school. With the help of video-conferencing, students… Continue reading... | 2 Comments

Blind mavericks; Why Apple will be the next Sony

Here’s why Apple can’t sustain their leading role. It’s complicated, but stay with me for the next two paragraphs and it makes sense. Let’s start off with an example of another key player to introduce the problem here, our friend from Redmond. Statement: Microsoft’s Office Suite business-model is outdated today. Here’s why: The initial version of Excel fulfilled the essential requirements for spreadsheet work. Then came updates to the… Continue reading... | 6 Comments

‘Build to last’ is bullcrap, consultants repeat and Startups suck.

Today we live in a world that is innovating exponentially. As a result, companies need to innovate more aggressively. In the old world, a company could “catch a next train” to catch up innovative developments. In the “new” world, that would be impossible. What’s the difference? Gary Hamel explained that already a decade ago… companies are either ‘in’ the innovation or you have to buy a company to be… Continue reading... | 6 Comments

Learn to read and pronounce Korean Hangul in 2 days

You don’t need a black belt in Taekwondo to master the Korean language, actually… reading Hangul (Korean writing) is surprisingly easy!

That’s the main point I am trying to make in this post. While the Korean characters seem complex at first, they are easy to read within one week. Skip the touristic English metro maps, and start learning the way the correct way!

Truth is that this information applies for… Continue reading... | 12 Comments