The Power of the Positive
Now we have settled down to what will be (again) a challenging year, we really need to look for the positive elements we have in our lives and take special care to find things we can change for the better – and do them! At the macro-city level we can see that the real estate

Who Are “They”?
In my opinion, the Post-It note is one of the simplest and cleverest inventions of the 20th century, but it was invented by a couple of dumbasses. Unlike most inventions, which are usually brought into being by geniuses as solutions to problems, the Post-It note was actually an accidental solution to a problem that nobody knew

The Beauty of Volunteering
Is it just me, or is the world going crazy? Every time I turn on my TV, scroll down my Twitter timeline or leaf through a newspaper, it certainly does feel that way. Photo courtesy of Pexels/NOW!JAKARTA To be honest, the state of the world is quite frustrating, if not depressing, at the moment, but

The Benefits of Working Together
This issue celebrates the great intentions of ASEAN, the Association of SE Asian Nations, who went from rival neighbours to close allies working together to seek peace and the opportunity to trade with the world from a stronger position as a compact group of nations. While rivalries certainly still exist and of course competition does

Procrastinating, GO-JEK Style
With the expanding services of GO-JEK, there is hardly any need to leave the house anymore – or is there? On a recent Sunday, I decided to do a little experiment: not leaving the house for a whole day and fulfilling my needs using the GO-JEK app only. Try to live a day with Go-Jek

Party Animal
One Friday night when I was 15 years old I persuaded my folks to let me go to my first party at a friend’s house. I promised on pain of death I would catch the last bus home at 10.30, but of course by that time I was hopelessly drunk after two glasses of cider

Is Indonesia going deaf?
Down every street literally every day, often every hour, sometimes every minute, a motorcycle passes roaring, blasting, rasping and belching its unrestrained voice to all it passes. I suspect maybe up to one in ten bikes have no effective exhaust system and inflict serious damage on the surroundings. In countries where sound is actually considered

The Elusive Mr X
Mr. Preecha was giving me some very useful information and I was taking copious notes, but it was very hard for me to understand what he was saying because his hand was constantly in front of his mouth. He would speak while holding up a strategically placed cigarette or he would hide his mouth behind

We Don’t Need No Education
Theez dayz edukashun trewly is a compleet waist of time. Don’t need lern proper english anymore cz we can abbreviate and every1 undrstds anywy. Don’t need maths cz we hv calculatirs. Don’t need histarey, jeografy or syence cuz we hv Google. So y r we still sending are kids to skool? Search Engine is the

An Enhanced Culinary Experience with Traveloka Eats
Online travel booking platform, Traveloka, recently introduced a new application which helps users explore culinary spots around a city, which it believes will make it easier for tourists and locals to plan their dining experiences. Vita Datau Mesakkh, Head of Acceleration Team for The Development of Culinary and Shopping Tourism of the Ministry of Tourism

Enjoy Jakarta
Many years ago I undertook a very serious study for Jakarta City Government : to find out what visitors to the city, and the organisations which welcome them: hotels, restaurants, airlines, travel agents, etc. thought were the main strengths and weakness of the city. We polled 2,000 hotel guests in 4 and 5 star hotels,

Is Artificial Intelligence a Threat or an Opportunity?
Whenever I hear the words “artificial intelligence” I immediately think of Donald Trump. He has all the traits you would expect to find in an intelligent person, but you can tell that he’s not. However, I’m afraid the reality of “artificial intelligence” could be even worse than having an orange charlatan in the White House.

After Surabaya, What Lies Ahead?
The response to a string of attacks across Indonesia in May is commendable but do these attacks signal a worrying new direction for the country. The directors, management and staff at PT Phoenix Communications regret the tragic incidents around Indonesia in May and extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families. We also wish those