Steamshovel Harry

Everything is better with Auto-Tune.






You won't get it unless you play the game first...

Steamshovel Harry Song
----------
by Brad Sucks

Lyrics:

Watch out for that gravity, watch out, watch out.
Gravity, watch out... watch out for that gravity.

Science times mass equals gravity.

Gravity is gonna kill you, Harry.
Gravity is gonna kill you... gravity.

It's time to learn about astronomy.
It's time to learn about astronomy.
It's time to learn about astronomy. Hey...

Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.

Asteroids are smaller than planets.
Asteroids are smaller, wo oh wo oh.

Asteroids are larger than meteorites.
I meant to say meteroids then, wo oh wo oh wo oh wo oh.

Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.

That meteor is gonna kill you, Harry.

Physics are gonna kill you, Harry.

Physics are gonna kill you, Harry!
Physics are gonna kill you, Harry!

It's gonna kill you and make you dead.

Physics gonna pull out a gun.
Shoot you right in the head.
BLAM oh no, look out now! Hey...

Physics.

Oh yeah. Oh...

Oh...

I can't wait to make love... to physics.

Gonna love her all night long.
Making physics love, singing the physics song.
Throw another downwards to double jump.
Or throw it up to not jump as high.

Do it Harry, do it to win.

Punch that missile right in the face.
Punch that missile all over the place.
One two three four, punch that missile!

When we open the door...

Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.
Steamshovel Harry, Steamshovel Harry.

Physics are gonna hunt you down and kill you in the middle of the night.
Physics are gonna hunt you down and make everything all right.


Would you like to know more?

About the Steamshovel Harry game:
- Steamshovel Harry flash game
- Steamshovel Harry music

What the hell is going on!?!!:
- Metagames: Games About Games

Gong Fu, Noh, And A Magical Robot Unicorn

During the 1990s, the 80's must have seemed like the gayest decade in human history, with its big shiny clothes and big multicoloured hair.

Little did we realize that the 90's turned out to be even gayer than the 80's.

Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you the Year 1994:



And with the advent of free flash games, kids today are rediscovering the gayness of the 1990's all over again, one high score at a time...



Would you like to know more?

- The Gay '90's

- Robot Unicorn Attack flash game by [adult swim]

- I want to be a magical rainbow unicorn, chasing neon butterflies and flying dolphins through a purple marshmellowly land! OH YES!

- I am secure with my masculinity.

Le mariage est il la tombe de l'amour

Another piece of biting satire from the Onion News Network, this time parodying the same-sex marriage controversy in California, USA:



Ha ha ha... imagine the total chaos that would result when they try to enforce the law.

What is the legal definition of love (or lovelessness) anyway?

Gravity Is Just A Theory

Evolution is just a theory. You know what else is just a theory?

Gravity.



There you have it, an object that rolls uphill - "Gravity" has been debunked.

Now buy my snake oil!


Would you like to know more?
- Defying gravity: The uphill roller

Counterintuitive Science: Fast Speed, Fat Shape

In popular science fiction, fast spaceships are often shown as streamlined, sharply-pointed vehicles: such as the X-wing in Star Wars or the Colonial Viper in Battlestar Galactica.

Sleekness has long been associated with speed, at least since the dawn of rocket science in the early 20th century.

This is hardly surprising because an aerodynamic shape is necessary to attain high speed on Earth, becoming increasingly important at speeds over 200 km per hour.

By the 1950s, human beings were on the verge of space travel, and the popular conception of a spaceship then (and even now!) for both professional engineers and the general public alike, was the sharp-nosed spaceplane.

A good example of this was the X-15 hypersonic research plane.













Striking resemblance to a you-know-what.

However, the reality that awaited spaceflight enthusiasts was somewhat less svelte...












How did needles turn into fat cones and bells?

It turns out that pointy-nosed spaceships perform well on their way out of the atmosphere, but not when they have to come BACK.

The re-entry speed of a vehicle coming in from low Earth orbit is about 27,000 km per hour (over 7 km per second!) or about 25 times the speed of sound.

Clearly, the vehicle has to lose a lot of speed in order to descend safely into the atmosphere, but how should this be done?

It is impractical for an Earth-launched spacecraft to reduce most of that speed using retro-rockets, since the large amount of fuel required becomes an additional burden to the launch vehicle.

So the returning vehicle must decelerate mainly by atmospheric friction using the atmosphere itself, and this is where the pointy-nose shape becomes a disadvantage.

At hypersonic speeds, a sharp object generates only a thin shockwave, allowing the intense heat of friction compression to come very close to the surface of the object contact the leading surface of the object. Thus, during early wind tunnel tests, the noses of the test vehicles simply melted away.

No known material could withstand such high temperatures.

However, when a blunt object is subjected to hypersonic speeds, due to much higher drag the air molecules ahead of the object cannot move away fast enough. A thicker shockwave forms, acting as a cushion of air that shields the leading surface from much of the intense heat, and lowering peak temperatures to within the limits that can be tolerated by existing materials.

Thus, only with the development of fat re-entry vehicles did human orbital spaceflight become a possibility.

Initially, Russian designers used a cannonball shape for their Vostok space capsule, which could safely re-enter the atmosphere in any orientation, but had a steep ballistic trajectory that was very harsh on the cosmonauts.

They later developed the "bell on a bowl" shape for their Soyuz, while US designers developed the "cone on a bowl" shape for their Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. These shapes have a similar function - to provide some lift and self-righting ability, allowing the spacecraft to re-enter with a shallower and more comfortable trajectory.

For 20 years these fat and aesthetically displeasing spacecraft had the counterintuitive honour of being the fastest manned vehicles in history.

Not everyone was satisfied with this and there were numerous designs of spaceplanes (eg. Sänger, Hermes) to replace them, but most of them were unable to proceed beyond test phases.

Then, with the arrival of the US Space Shuttle (1981) and the Russian Buran (1988) the age of spaceplanes appeared to have finally arrived, though with their fat noses and thick bodies neither of them can really be considered sleek-looking. Unfortunately, Buran was cancelled after just one flight and the Space Shuttle is slated to be retired next year.

So for the foreseeable future at least, the vision of a sleek needle-shaped spacecraft stays bogged down in the realm of fantasy, while the cutting edge of real manned space exploration is delivered by the venerable, and fat, space capsule.


Would you like to know more?
- How the Spaceship Got Its Shape (Air & Space Magazine)

If Corporations Can Do It, So Can You!

Some things in life are really weird if you think about them a little.





More American Workers Outsourcing Own Jobs Overseas

You can outsource your work to a cheaper party, but then who would want to hire you?

It doesn't make sense for individuals, but somehow, it works for companies and countries.

More, More, Not Enough, Still Not Enough

If you like the webcomic "Cyanide and Happiness", you may like their latest short video:





As some guy once said: "Success is a menace. It fools smart people into thinking that they can't lose."

Some William guy.

Can Delusions Be True?

YouTube skeptic Nykytyne2 discusses the definition of the word "delusion", and some nuances of its meaning.





I like the clarity of his thought process and I find two aspects of his analysis especially interesting.

1. The Importance of Social/Cultural Context on Mental Disorders

Mental illness is often considered to be a problem within an individual himself or herself, but here it is clear from the DSM-IV that social/cultural norms is a major component of the definition of delusion.

Actually, if you think about it further, social norms and expectations are a big part in the definition of any disease!

Imagine a group of people who spend most of their lives in dark caves, searching for food and communicating via sound and touch. Loss of sight due to eye injury would be a minor inconvenience, not a serious pathology.

Conversely, imagine another group of people who for some historical or religious reasons find freckles to be absolutely vile and diabolical. They would shield children from sunlight to avoid the formation of freckles and advocate aggressive treatment once the freckles develop. Scarring caused by freckle removal is more culturally acceptable than the freckles themselves. In such a case, the term "freckles" would be defined as a serious skin condition, a type of disease.

2. The Importance of End Result in Social Perception

I find it fascinating that delusions can be about things that might eventually be shown to be true, like the micro-organism example mentioned in the video. So to Nykytyne2, the thought process is more important than the result when trying to determine if a belief is a delusion.

Still, an army friend once told me, "Money talks. Bullshit walks." For many people, the end result is of paramount importance, whereas the means is not so important or relevant.

But how can you get a "result" without a process?

This differing appraisal of a goal-directed process is very personality-dependent thing; there are people who are impressed by wealth and power and instantly confer respect based on these results, while there are others who cannot confer respect no matter the wealth and power, unless the process used to achieve the results are impressive.

For example -

a. Someone might say: "Hats off to Larry. He caught my heart. He has 12 billion Dollars and is the Head of a big company."

And the other might say: "Hellooo... he is an investment BANKER! He'll tell you lies, and then it's your turn to CRY CRY CRY-Y."

Alternatively -

b. Someone: "She's not an actor, she's not a star. She doesn't even have her own car. Therefore she is a loser, QED."

Other: "Not only that, she also tried unsuccessfully to be a pole dancer. That's why I'm hoping so much she'll stay. And that she'll love me anyway."

**********

Wait, that doesn't sound right.

I wanted to write some sort of MacGyver story for Example b, but I heard singing in my head and wrote that down instead.

Was that an auditory illusion?

*gobbles a handful of pills*

Photo Gallery Fourteen

The photos for this week's gallery were not chosen for any artistic quality, but for their ability to mildly amuse me.

I hope that they will make you smirk too - in a "heh" sort of way.

Heh.



















Chope
(2009) Fuji J10

Someone dropped a tissue paper pack - at a strangely appropriate place.















Clumsiness
(2009) Fuji J10

Hmm... think I might go for the chance to excel in clumsiness and learning disability...















Giant loaf
(2009) Fuji J10

Now all we need is a giant jar of kaya.















Manicure disaster
(2009) Fuji S6500fd

"See! I TOLD you to leave it to the professionals!"



















Moustaches and women
(2009) Fuji S6500fd

The main thing that define the 1980s is Mario... and Luigi.

TWO things that define the eighties - Mario, Luigi... and Tom Selleck.

Wait... THREE things that define the eighties include Mario, Luigi, Tom Selleck... and George Lam.

No, amongst the things that define the eighties are such things as Mario...

I'll come in again...















Moving on
(2009) Sony Ericsson K630i

Whatever happened, it's time to move on...



















Throw Felicia
(2009) Sony Ericsson K630i

Why Felicia? What did she do to you?


Would you like to know more?
- Photo Gallery Thirteen

Third Year

It's been three years down the road, and I would like to thank fellow Clearthought Singapore veterans and all my regular readers for staying on this channel.

I'll probably write a more substantial post a little later, because I went to the Darwin and Wallace talk in late June and took extensive notes, but right now my situation is not conducive to serious blogging.

So, to mark this third blogiversary I'll leave you with this little piece of Socratic dialogue, inspired by the post "don't need doctors anymore" at Angry Doc's site.

I hope you'll find it funny and interesting.

**********

Geordie: "Did you know that Steve McCurry, the photographer who took the famous 'Afghan Girl' photo came to Singapore and gave a talk at SMU?

Freddie: "Dang, I missed that. I went to John van Wyhe's talk at NUS instead. So, anything interesting?"

Geordie: "Somebody asked him what brand of camera he used. Ha ha, can you believe it?"

Freddie: "Heh, don't tell me it's the Nikon vs Canon dickfight again. Or is it Leica vs Zeiss?"

Geordie: "It's the Nikon vs Canon. I think that marketing hype is making people stupid. Nobody would ask a famous painter what brand of paintbrushes he used, so why should people care about the brand of camera that a famous photographer used? As long as the picture is focused and well-exposed would it have mattered if he used a disposable camera?"

Freddie: "I think that tool worship is common to people who don't understand or are not interested in the process. Perhaps the professionals themselves are contributing to this misunderstanding by making the process look too easy. The tool IS the profession. I can totally see it from that point of view."

Geordie: "What are you talking about? Are you saying that a camera can walk by itself to Afghanistan, endure the hardships of a wartorn environment, seek out interesting people, interact with them and produce a well-composed and expertly-timed shot?

Freddie: "Look, a camera is what takes the photos, right? If Steve McCurry didn't have a camera with him when he saw the Afghan Girl, the photo could never happen. You can consider him merely as a vehicle to bring the camera to the Afghan Girl and then press the shutter button. All he did was to travel to a remote place, turn some dials and push some buttons - the camera did all of the 'real' work."

Geordie: "Ha ha, that's a pretty twisted way to see it. The facts are the same but the emphasis is backwards. From such a view you can dismiss the photographer as an incidental, or even an irrelevant aspect of the photographic process!"

Freddie: "You don't need photographers any more, you just need an expensive brand name camera. The photographer only pushed a button! Anyone can push a button."

Geordie: "From that perspective you can pretty much dismiss the work of any professional. Teachers? Anyone can talk and write something on the whiteboard. The textbook IS education. Scientists? Anyone can push buttons and transfer liquids from one tube to another. The PCR machine IS research. Oh man..."

Freddie: "There you go."

Geordie: "Who could see it that way? Apart from a few strange people? I mean, that can't be a prevalent view, right?"

Freddie: "I suspect that it is more common than you think. To a society that is obsessed with results and performance indicators, most people can't be bothered about the process behind anything. What they want are results, now now now! Don't care how you do it. Just tell me what I want to hear."

Geordie: "But without the process you cannot have results."

Freddie: "But even with the process, you may not have results. So why care about the process? As long it produces a result that you like, it must be a 'good' process, whatever it is."

Geordie: "Ha ha, this must be a personality-dependent thing, because I don't understand how anyone can think that way. I suppose it is some kind of superduper mental shortcut. Good photo = expensive branded camera. Expensive = good. Cheap = lousy. Quick and easy."

Freddie: "Easy on the brain, but difficult on the wallet!"

Geordie: "Yeah, which reminds me of that neverending treadmill of earning and spending. If the price is the primary gauge of what is 'good' then people must keep buying more and more expensive stuff in order to feel a sense of improvement in their lives."

Freddie: "That's good news for the marketing people."

Geordie: "For the Nikon marketing people, Canon marketing people, or the disposable camera marketing people?"

Freddie: "Ha ha... suffice to say that happiness is not free, but it is surprisingly inexpensive.

Geordie: "It is meaningless to talk about the 'expense' of happiness. It's a process. You can't just stuff happiness into a bottle and slap a brand label on it."

Freddie: "Actually I think you can. And someone will pay real money for it."

Geordie: "Someone?"

Freddie: "Everyone."

How To Do It

Have you ever wondered why professionals in technical fields can become so grumpy and pessimistic?





Yes it would be sooooo nice if one simple, quick solution can be found for everything, such as "Just believe in success and you would achieve success!" or "Just vote for us and we'll guarantee job security and societal stability!" or "Just stop eating animals and you can prevent heart attacks, cancers and achieve world peace!" or "Just believe this book and everything will finally make sense when you attain eternal life!"

Pollyannas are especially annoying.

Not only because they keep shifting goalposts to make everything look cheery.

Not only because they dismiss the difficulties that technical people face with cute soundbites or the mere wave of a hand...

But most of all, because they are not the ones who have to take any real responsibility when their over-optimistic and simplistic plans end in utter failure.

It's never the "Vision" that is flawed!

It's always the workers "down there" - they are too complacent, they don't work hard enough, they are not resilient enough, they are not sufficiently hungry for "Success", they don't "believe" in the "Vision"...

The world is ruled by obscenely wealthy and well-connected people who are impressed by "The Secret" or "Who Moved My Cheese?" or "The Purpose Driven Life", while other people who make their opulent lifestyle even remotely possible with the blood and tears of their toil are marginalized and fed table scraps.

This is not a sustainable situation.

Photo Gallery Twelve

The photo gallery returns with a slight difference; rather than focusing on the artistic aspect, this week's selection is a quick survey of some bizarre sights around Singapore, with a touch of black humour.















It's difficult to find graffiti in Singapore, what with all the constant scrubbing and whitewashing of public areas.

But those few that remain are no less arty or profound than the ones found in any other large city.

It's hard to tell what this example here is trying to say; it may be an expression of personal frustration, or a biting social commentary.

But we do know for sure that the painter is a fan of Don Hertzfeldt.



















Sometimes words can achieve what pictures will never do. Unlike the crass "Johnny loves Carmen" or "For a good time call XXX-XXXX" variety, this set of scribblings is appropriately composed upon a lamp post, a source of earthly light that serves as a metaphor for the heavenly light of God.

Within these words, we can feel the frustration of those who yearn to see by heavenly light what they are unable to see by earthly light.

The anguish of those tasked to convince others to see what they themselves cannot see.















But we do see many things around us, with exquisite clarity. A tiny glitch in the System reveals the Matrix that underlies everything.

As the great German philosopher Hans Oberlander once said: "We're all going to be computers soon you know. Thank goodness!"

After they are confronted by another tedious object hunt or the mythical "wall of air" for the nth time, do avid gamers start to question if they are playing the computer game, or is the game playing them?

Which is the Tool, and which the Master?



















Here's another burning question. If there are so many "registered" soccer players in the great US of A, then why do they suck so bad at it?

Perhaps sheer numbers will impress... no, distract people from the searing reality that the best soccer players in the world never did spend their formative years spending top dollar to consume bottles of glorified sugary water.

Or perhaps the Gods of yesteryears have been replaced by the Gods of Red, White and Blue - the mother of all brand names.















It only takes a spark, to get the fire going. And soon all those around, may end up as charred corpses.

The first few foreign particles on the leaf may be attractive, even beneficial additions, but as more and more of them arrive, their behaviour changes and the leaf is severely compromised.

Not unlike how adding some carbon particles can strengthen iron into steel, but add too much and you will produce a fragile piece of cast iron that will shatter to pieces when hit with a hard knock.



















The cost of diversity is vigilance, a perpetual awareness of the social boundaries that allow a people of various cultures to work together with some semblance of cooperativity.

This is heightened when a huge population is confined to a small geographical area, resulting in frictions that occur on a daily basis.

An appearance of nonchalance on the surface cannot fully mask the suspicions beneath.

Like the models above who look at the shoppers with disturbing stares, people are always watching.

Judging.



















Defining social progress by primarily economic terms, there are many who seek the use of Darwinian principles to justify their actions in what they perceive to be a dog-eat-dog, "survival of the fittest" world.

But Nature is a tinkerer, and much of biological evolution has proceeded via stochastic, neutral events.

Many things persist, not because they are superior to the competition, but because they are irrelevant to the competition.

Take a look at this rusty old weighing machine with creaky analogue levers and spinny wheels. Once a staple of shopping centres everywhere, this one sits alone in a corner that time forgot.

Who would spend 20 cents to receive her weight info stamped onto a card? What is the cost-benefit ratio of such a machine today?

Yet it lives on, oblivious to the rise and fall of digital technologies around it, maybe due to nostalgia, or more likely because nobody really cared enough to get rid of it.

An artifact of the past; now reborn as a metaphor in an obscure science blog.















A shining future of opportunities awaits you! No doubt decked out with flashy new gizmos and catchy new slogans.

But an astute outside observer will ask: "The train only has two sides. Why would you need a display to point out where the doors will open?"

The observer may have failed to appreciate the crushing mass of humanity during rush hour that would impede a person from reaching the other door, if she had inadvertently picked the wrong side of the train to stand at.

More importantly, the observer may have failed to realize that the future does not belong to the last person who is still standing, but to the last person who is still breathing.


Would you like to know more?
- Photo Gallery Eleven

A Link Between Straits Times And Violence?

Sometimes, a news article produced by the mainstream media reveals more about the media itself than the incident it is trying to report.

Here is one such article (subscription required) :

A link between gaming and violence?

Experts say there is no direct link but in extreme cases, multiple risk factors are involved

By Jamie Ee Wen Wei
Mavis Toh
Huang Huifen

Three gamers were in the news last week for the wrong reasons. Two are dead and a third is in jail after they hurt themselves or others.

Is there a link between gaming and their aggressive or violent behaviour?

Studies by Iowa State University's Distinguished Professor Craig Anderson, one of the world's foremost scholars on media violence, show that playing violent video games causes people to think and act more aggressively, but he does not not believe playing video games will turn "normal 12-year-olds into school shooters".

Social psychologist Angeline Khoo, said that the link between violent computer games and aggressive behaviour is co-relational rather than direct.

Dr Khoo, who is the National Institute of Education's associate professor of the psychological studies academic group, explained: "When people read sensational news like this, they tend to think, it must be the evil game. But there are many people who play violent games and are perfectly normal."

What most people fail to understand is that physical violence, like stabbing, is only an extreme form of aggression. It rarely happens, she said.

More common manifestations of aggression are verbal, like raising voices or spurting vulgarities, she said. "The aggressive tendencies tends to be short-term. They can dissipate. For example, if you listen to soothing music after playing a violent game, you will calm down."

Experts agree that in extremely violent cases, there will usually be a convergence of multiple risk factors. There include gang involvement, anti-social parents and peers, substance abuse, poverty and media violence. Males are more at risk.

On the ground, psychiatrists and social workers are reporting more gaming-related problems among youths. At Touch Cyber Wellness and Sports, counsellors have seen more than 140 cyber-related cases in the past three years.

Dr Brian Yeo, a consultant psychiatrist at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said he sees at least one patient daily who has gaming or Internet related issues.

"Some of them have avatars, and when their avatar dies or gets killed, they can become very angry, and in extreme cases, they may throw things or scream at their parents, or threaten to commit suicide."

Gamers are, however, upset that violent games have been fingered for the recent incidents.

Referring to the stabbing incident at Nanyang Technological University last week, Mr Nicholas Khoo, 31, co-founder of the Cybersports and Online Gaming Association, said: "Such incidents happen to a minority of gamers... In this incident, there could have been other reasons that led him to do it, so why was gaming blamed?"

Those interviewed also said they have not experienced any violent behaviour, although they said their relationships may have suffered.

Ms Sabrina Ong, 25, a blogger and avid gamer, said: "I don't become violent, but I tend to be more engrossed when I'm killing a character in shooting games like Left 4 Dead. I will shoo people away when they come and talk to me."

Technician Eddy Zhang, 28, said: "I became a bit reclusive. My girlfriend also broke up with me as she felt that I was spending more time playing games than with her."

Dr Khoo said studies have shown that parental involvement is vital in managing the violent effects of gaming.

"For instance, if someone utters a profanity in the game, the parent can tell the kid, we are not going to imitate this person's behaviour. There will at least be some guidance."

AsiaSoft, publisher of games like Maple Story, has created pop-up messages to remind gamers to take breaks. By the fourth hour, the gamers are asked to quit the game. Its spokesman said: "It's all about moderation."

David Hartanto Widjaja, 21

Online activities: A fan of the computer game World of Warcraft, the Indonesian student from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) spent as much as six hours a day in front of his PC.

What he did: He stabbed his lecturer, Associate Professor Chan Kap Luk, 45, in the lecturer's office last Monday.

What happened to him: Shortly after the attack, Mr Widjaja fell four floors to his death at the NTU campus.

Captain (Dr) Allan Ooi, 27

Online activities: The Singapore Armed Forces doctor was an avid Warcraft player who became one of the top 10 Warcraft players in Singapore, and was among the top 100 in the world.

What he did: He had been absent without official leave since last October, reportedly cutting off all contact with people close to him.

What happened to him: He was found dead in Melbourne last Tuesday.

Xia Yun, 19

Online activities: He played games from the multi-player online gaming site, AuditionSea.

What he did: Two years ago, he met a 10-year-old girl at the gaming site, and eight months later, they had sex.

What happened to him: He was charged with two counts of carnal connection. If he is not granted probation, he faces jail of up to five years and a fine of up to $10,000 for each charge.

**********

This is the most incredible Straits Times report I've read all year.

Based on all the expert opinions in the article itself, the heading should be "Experts say: no link between gaming and violent crime"

But yet it is "A link between gaming and violence?"

Eh???

The experts have clearly stated that the aggression displayed by engrossed gamers is short-term and there is only correlation data to show that violent computer games are "linked" to violent behaviour, not to say violent crime.

Correlation does not imply causation; this sort of "link" has no predictive value.

Let me illustrate this concept using an example given by Stanford professor Jerker Denrell.

The three men mentioned in the article not only played computer games regularly, but also brushed their teeth regularly.

Does it mean that toothbrushing is "linked" to violence?

To underscore how ridiculous this sort of insinuation is, let's rewrite some parts of the original article to reveal yet another apparently sinister, but utterly meaningless "link":

A link between newspaper-reading and violence?

Experts say there is no direct link but in extreme cases, multiple risk factors are involved

Three newspaper-readers were in the news last week for the wrong reasons. Two are dead and a third is in jail after they hurt themselves or others...

... Experts agree that in extremely violent cases, there will usually be a convergence of multiple risk factors. There include gang involvement, anti-social parents and peers, substance abuse, poverty and media violence. Males are more at risk.

Oh my!

Now I know why many people are so irate when they read our mainstream media articles - they become angry because of the violent news that is reported in the papers!

Or perhaps it's because the newspapers sometimes perform bizarre stunts, like trying to draw such a tenuous connection between three disparate cases and gaming.

To their credit, the Straits Times seemed to know that a single case cannot tell us much, and attempted to do a comparative analysis of these three cases.

However, a cursory look will reveal that even the correlation is not there:

Online activities:

1. David Widjaja = WOW (MMORPG with combat element - possibly violent)
2. Allan Ooi = WOW (MMORPG with combat element - possibly violent)
3. Xia Yun = AuditionSea (Online dancing game - violent???)

What they did and the aftermath:

1. David Widjaja = Apparently stabbed lecturer and committed suicide, investigation underway (violent)
2. Allan Ooi = AWOL, found dead under a bridge in Melbourne, investigation underway (violent???)
3. Xia Yun = Underaged sex with 10-year-old girl, charged in court (violent???)

Also, their interviews with various members of the public do not suggest any such correlation:

a. Nicholas Khoo: "Such incidents happen to a minority of gamers... could have been other reasons..." (disagreed with correlation)
b. Sabrina Ong: "I don't become more violent, but I tend to be more engrossed..." (disagreed with correlation, engrossed = violent???)
c. Eddy Zhang: "I became a bit reclusive. My girlfriend also broke up with me..." (reclusive = violent???)

What the hell is going on?

**********

At first, I could not believe that I was reading this sort of rubbish in our mainstream media.

On closer reading, I realized that practically nothing in this article supports the suspicion that gaming is linked to violent behaviour.

In fact, it almost seems as if the writers had set out to disprove this connection, but a subeditor decided to slap on a heading that is 180 degrees opposite to their assertion.

Which brings us to this crucial question that is glaringly omitted in the article:

Who is claiming a direct link between gaming and violence?

Experts don't claim this and the people interviewed don't claim this.

Is this report spurred by a massive discussion on online forums about the role of gaming in recent cases of violent crime (which I doubt because netizens tend to focus on the scholarship issue)?

Or did the Straits Times receive a huge influx of letters from concerned parents regarding gaming (which they have decided not to publish for some reason)?

Someone wanted to push the angle of computer games and violence.

Who?


Would you like to know more?

Proponent of association between violent games and violent behaviour:

Actual viewpoint of Prof. Craig Anderson (Dept of Psychology, Iowa State University)
- Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions (APA Online)

Opponent of causal link between violent games and violent behaviour:

Viewpoint of Prof. Jonathan Freedman (Dept of Psychology, University of Toronto)
- Evaluating the Research on Violent Video Games
- Jonathan Freedman, deputy provost

Another article that revealed more than its author intended:
- A Uniquely Singaporean Letter

Golly, I Just Love Superhero Movies!

Here's the amazing trailer of the brand new Hollywood Visionary Extravaganza based on the Most Celebrated Graphic Novel of All Time - WATCHMEN!



Oops... I meant the Most Celebrated Sitcom of All Time.

Wow, this movie is so big that our mainstream media has even devoted a whole lifestyle section to it. The TORTURED Superheroes! The BANG-yo-momma Special Effects! Everybody will WATCH it!

Which is why I won't*.



Would you like to know more?
- The real Watchmen trailer

*Which, oddly enough, would be in line with the spirit of the original comic.

Ray Comfort Disproves Darwin!

Ray Comfort has discovered Darwin's lost writings about the incredible mechanism behind human evolution!




Heh, not quite.

More like he totally made up a new mechanism of human evolution to bash, which if it was true would actually support special creation because no other mammal reproduces in such a bizarre manner.

I don't really know what to make of Ray Comfort.

Putting religious tracts on the back of million-dollar novelty bills is such an extreme expression of cynicism and misanthropy that I wonder if we should call Poe's Law on his entire career.


Would you like to know more?
- Ray Comfort gets it half right (Pharyngula)

No More Bush!

This is not a brazilian wax advertisement...

Heh.

We live in a very odd world.

In this world:

1. If you rob 15 dollars from somebody, you will get three-and-a-half years jail.

If you rob billions of dollars from thousands of people, you will get million-dollar annual bonus.

2. If your small business fails, you will go bankrupt.

If your big bank fails, you will get a government bailout worth billions, and everyone except you will have to pay for it.

3. If you kill one person, you will be hanged.

If you kill hundreds of thousands, you will get generous retirement benefits, official fanfare and a helicopter to fly you home when it's all over.

Hmm...

Book me a ticket on the next space shuttle!*


*This is not a shampoo advertisement either...

Ex-patriot

A very strange letter to the Straits Times today, so bizarre that it is most likely some form of satire:

Can Singaporeans be as patriotic?

I COULD not help but feel the patriotism of Chinese citizens here in China as many marched in protest against recent foreign intervention in events leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

News reports showed many Chinese taking up flags and protesting against foreign outlets, especially the French superstore Carrefour, in response to the aborted torch relay in Paris.

But the protests were peaceful and non-confrontational. I could feel the protestors' nationalistic fervour.

Their patriotism puts me to shame. I feel that I would never take to the streets to protect and honour my country's name at the risk of my own personal safety. What if there was a riot and I was trampled to death? There are too many risks involved in taking part in a demonstration.

The moments when I do feel patriotic are during National Day when the President stands to attention as our national anthem is being sung.

I fear that many Singaporeans will leave the country if there really is an impending confrontation with another country.

Will we stand up and defend Singapore? Do we fear for our own personal safety and that of our families and flee the country at the first whiff of danger?

The feeling I get from the Chinese here is that they are willing to die to defend their country.

We have much to learn from them.

Gilbert Goh
Hubei, China

A straight reading of this letter indicates that Mr. Goh is impressed with the nationalistic spirit displayed by Chinese protesters and hopes that Singaporeans will learn from them.

However, there are two main clues suggesting that there is a satirical twist in this letter.

First, check out this paragraph:

Their patriotism puts me to shame. I feel that I would never take to the streets to protect and honour my country's name at the risk of my own personal safety. What if there was a riot and I was trampled to death? There are too many risks involved in taking part in a demonstration.

Odd.

Why would anyone's display of patriotism put someone else to "shame"? To take one example, Singaporean supporters of sports teams also show strong displays of national pride complete with flags and loud cheering during international events.

Perhaps Mr. Goh believes that patriotism is some kind of dickfight where the country with the most impressive display, the most supporters, biggest flags and loudest cheering becomes the winner. Then the other countries can only lower their heads in "shame".

Also, since Mr. Goh admits that he will never take part in a street demonstration, citing "risks" to his personal safety, how can he turn around and question the courage of other Singaporeans? He seems to be expecting others to do what he would personally never do.

Which bring us this to the second clue:

I fear that many Singaporeans will leave the country if there really is an impending confrontation with another country. Will we stand up and defend Singapore? Do we fear for our own personal safety and that of our families and flee the country at the first whiff of danger?

Note that Mr. Goh is now based in Hubei, China, which means that he himself has left Singapore. Perhaps he smelt a whiff of danger?

It is extremely unlikely that someone would have so little introspective ability to miss the hypocrisy of this stand.

It is extremely extremely unlikely that someone could believe that a person who left his own country suddenly has the moral high ground to teach patriotism to Singaporeans who stayed in Singapore trying to make things better.

More likely Mr. Goh has crafted his letter as a satirical device lampooning Singaporeans who are too timid to take a stand, always waiting for somebody else to take the initiative, and always complaining that nothing ever changes while not personally willing to make any changes.

So my short response to his letter (in an equally satirical, jokey vein):

Fuck you.

You think that just because you are now making peanuts by quitting to China means you can use your elite uncaring face to teach us how to eat mee siam mai hum then brush it aside and say just move on because what to do it happened you better show accountability and not be complacent by explaining what you mean or else we'll fix you when you come back.

Lim Peh,

Lim Leng Hiong
Singapore

Look Around You: The Brain

Interesting facts that you may not know about The Brain.






I've lost count of the number of insider jokes.

I think it's probably 55 54.

(Pipette tip to Pharyngula)

You Want Creativity? I'll Show You Creativity

That MDA "rap" that I mentioned in my previous post - at first I just felt that it was an embarrassing, campy attempt at connecting with young Singaporeans.

Then I thought about it more and became rather annoyed.

What do a bunch of highly-paid senior managers know about Art?

I'll tell you what Art is NOT.

Art is NOT what you plan in a board meeting, in between a power lunch and a round of golf.

Art is NOT corporate-friendly namby-pamby political correctness.

Art is NOT pastel-coloured inoffensive mass-appeal happily-ever-after.

Art is the expression of a tortured soul crushed by a repressive environment.

The last blood-curdling scream of the fucking nobody who has nowhere to hide and no more energy left to run.

Now I'm supposed to be a scientist - don't make me come down from my ivory tower and teach you what Art is...












It is a product of despair.












The hate-child of angst.












The last teardrop of anguish.













The unnoticed cry of the desperate - silently and efficiently crushed between the well-oiled gears of bureaucracy.












A gasp of sheer terror - someone is always watching, waiting.

You want creativity? You can't handle creativity!

[/End rant]


*Update (24 Nov 2007):

An interesting letter in the Straits Times forum today, relevant to this topic...

Get S'pore creative? Action speaks louder than words

I REFER to the article, 'Clever video or bad rap?' (ST, Nov 22), which discussed a four-minute video depicting the Media Development Authority (MDA)'s head honchos rapping in an effort 'to get Singapore creative and connected'.

I applaud the MDA for reaching out. However, action speaks louder than words. Thanks to it, Singapore is now known as the only country that banned the video game Mass Effect. Yes, it repaired Singapore's reputation somewhat by retreating swiftly and applying an age rating - but the message is the same.

Singapore has to decide whether it wishes to join the 21st century, or whether it wishes to cling to 'traditional values'.

Creativity promotes economic development, but it also offends. So long as MDA does not accept that fostering creativity can succeed only when it does not reach for its censorship scissors the moment it sees anything remotely offensive to the sexual mores of the supposedly conservative Singaporean society, all its efforts will remain less than successful.

John Rachmat

The only creativity that they want is the soft, sanitized, meaningless and soulless kind. Creativity that can be strictly contained and tightly controlled.

Which when you think about it, is a type of creativity that won't impress the world.

Section 377A Dickfight!

You know, I used to think that Singapore is filled with completely boring, poker-faced people.

Now... it's still filled with completely boring, poker-faced people.

But our comedic talents are highly underrated.

Not to be outdone by repeal377A.com (see earlier post), proponents of criminalizing homosexual conduct have set up the keep377A.com website to let the "majority" have their say.

Although I doubt that the administrators of either website will admit it - this has turned into a classic dickfight!

So... who has the longer penis now?

As of 11.00am this morning, repeal377A has 6957 signatures and keep377A has 6444 signatures, so repeal377A is currently in the lead.

However, we must bear in mind that keep377A is only one-day-old, so it's a strong showing for the new upstart!

Concerned with the phenomenal growth rate of keep377A, the administrators of repeal377A has decided to extend their deadline from 19 to 21 October.

The webmaster has also sent an email to people who signed their online petition to encourage more family members and friends to sign the letter.

Wha...? Has this turned into a numbers game?

Eventually the whole purpose of this exercise will be forgotten and people will be so busy comparing penis lengths that they'll won't even remember what Section 377A means.

Or maybe they never knew what it means to begin with.

Just look at the comments section of both websites!

To be fair, many people seem to know what's going on, but it won't take you long to uncover gems like these (my comments in parentheses):

from Repeal377A...

"Dear PM Lee,Please also repeal the laws against bestiality, necrophilia and sex with minors! Afterall, those people are also like us and cannot help the fact that they are born this way! Let's all be GAY together and turn Singapore GAY! Yay!" (Wrong website, buddy.)

"Please maintain this law. " (Wrong website, buddy.)

"HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SICKNESS. GO SEE A PSYCHIATRIST ! DONT CONTAMINATE OUR CIVILIZED WORLD" (Wrong website, buddy.)

"What's next? Allow pedophile to roam freely just because they cannot control their urge or they are "born" with it?" (Wrong website, buddy. Look people, this is now a dickfight, so don't help your opponents by bolstering their numbers OK?)

"Our integrity sells for so little but it's all we really have. It is the very last inch of us but within that inch we are free."(Leave my integrity and my last inch out of this.)

"There has to be a certain limit to things." (Some things are limitless.)

"This act if passed will be a case of human rights violation in sunny singapore" (Section 377A has been around since 1938. So you didn't pass.)

"Everyone is born differently in different environments. Including albino. Right?" (Wrong.)

"Whether a person is a robber, a thief, a homosexual or a lesbian, he or she can carry on with their activities. Just don't get caught, for, you'll be charged under Section XXX of the Penal Code. Think about it!" (No thanks.)

from Keep377A...

"I do not subscribe to discreminate ing condemnation and judgement of private activities. They are private in nature and are so are private matters. And also being aimed at one particular group and act, while ignoring like Lesbians, etc. And so this Penal Code should not have been around in the first place. Please see my comments under the same in under repeal377A to find out more." (Wrong website, buddy.)

"Having 2 lovely children have given me a stronger resolve to anchor my beliefs and what I want my Singapore to be when they grow up. Imagine where we would be if our parents were single sex and had a dog instead. I will love the person but will NOT support the lifestyle." (Something sounds seriously wrong here...)

"What succession will there be in a nation if there is no natural pro-creation in a family unit?" (Good question. See the above comment to see how it'll work.)

"Yes, I don't support gay lifestyle. Anyway sex is a private affair and if they want to do it, will anyone know if they both agree to keep to it and are agreeable? Why should they repeal the gay sex laws and make gay lifestyle mainstream? As a straight guy, I feel threatened and vulnerable. Who knows one day if some horny gay man will sneak up on me and try to rape me? And I can imagine the law letting the rapist go because he did not break the law ... " (He would have broken the law. So go read a book.)

"Absolutely a no-go. First and foremost and divinely authoritative, God utterly condemns homosexuality. He created man and woman, Adam and Eve, and commanded them to multiply. He did not make Adam and STEVE and surely he did not issue any such commandment to Adam and Steve because there was no Adam and Steve." (Leave Steve out of this.)

"God abhor homosexuality and may destroy the city that condones or practise homosexuality. Thus, please retain Section 377A, Penal Code to protect the people in Singapore. Thank you." (Ho ho, is that right? Are you expecting a divine catastrophe that will destroy USA, South Africa, UK, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and China? Tell you something, my friend, a catastrophe is already happening. It's called global warming. And we are not exempt.)

"The Universe move forth in just ONE direction. Anything that tries to go against it is just going for destruction." (Which direction is that?)

"If man is supposed to have sex with man, then why have woman?" (Another superb question. If woman is supposed to have sex with woman, then why have man, you sexist pig.)

"It was Adam and Eve God created. Not Adam and Steve. :)" (What's with the obsession with STEVE!?!!)

This is turning into an embarrassing black comedy.

Wait... that gives me a great idea!

If you are fed up of all this dick-waving, go to Piahzui377A and leave a *wink* there.

Don't be a silent silent majority!


Would you like to know more?

Critiques of NMP Thio Li-Ann's speech regarding Section 377A in parliament:
- NMP Thio Li-Ann and her intellectually inferior arguments - In the land of the blind, one eye man is king. (Easy to read)
- Hiding behind rhetoric - Used brains for sale (With additional legal insight)
- Thio Li-Ann's speech in Parliament - La Nausée (Intellectual rebuttal with some difficult words)