Crisis of Credit explained

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.
Courtesy of EMY.


And then there's the Southpark version.. =D

Raising Cab fares the solution?

I have been avoiding taking taxis as much as possible simply because of the cost. Peak hour surcharges are ridiculous, midnight charges can be avoided. I generally take the cab a few times a month because of convenience and time-tight situations.

Suggestions to get rid of surcharges - Yay I say, I'll definitely be raising my hand for a cab DURING peak hour now, where I used to not do it after 5pm.

Suggestion to raise basic cab fare to minimum $4 - Is utterly ridiculous. They're milking the current taxi-taking customer base by forcing them to cough up more per ride. This is surely going to squeeze some out to decide that enough is enough, I'll put up with the public transport instead. This raises barriers to entry, you will NOT be bringing any new customers in this way. I wonder who did the study.. lower your fares, more people will take cabs. Its really that simple.

Cab drivers say, lowering fares will not help. I suspect cab drivers think they're providing an essential bread n butter service that they can just raise rates, sit back and take less fares. Nonsense. Where are the economists??

Here's a break down of some comments I got frm an online portal:
'I don't think lowering the fares will help because some people are out of jobs now, so they still can't take a taxi even if the fares go down.' - Taxi driver Sidik Satiman, 58
- people out of job number how many percent of the population? 5-10% unemployed?? And they want to target that market?? Stupid. Lower the fare and your 80% of WORKING people will think more about taking a cab la.

'I guess lowering both (rent and fares) will help. But I generally don't take cabs - public transport is much cheaper.' - Student James Ong, 18
- it takes a student to point out the fact - Cheaper = more customers.

'The main problem is that there are too few customers and too many cabs. But it's really up to the company whether they want to reduce rents.' - Taxi driver David Wong, 42
- too few customers because people are penny-pinching, saving on luxuries (ie taking cab) when they can take the alternative public transport, which is.. duh.. cheaper! Reducing rent/reducing charges surely offers a better solution than raising prices..

The Noob Comic

This is an ultra hilarious series about MMORPGs. Can't tell you how many times I LOL'd while reading this..

The Noob Comic

Detroit Metal City

This is an ultra hilarious over-the-top laugh-out-loud movie based on a Japanese manga. Gentle mild-mannered student who wants to make music (happy frivolous music), so people can dream. Follows this dream which goes so very wrong, turning his life upside down, and literally into hell. Basically, its about the power of dreams, through death metal.. We thoroughly enjoyed it! (Sherm bought the soundtrack immediately..)



Oh and err.. to get a glimpse of part of the humour in this movie... a scene from the animated version.. of Krauser... err.. raping Tokyo Tower. *ROFL*

"Chief of Germany's national police union wants to ban violent games", read it here.

This follows a violent school shooting in Germany. Chief of Police says there's a possibility that violent games trigger a reaction in people resulting in incidents like the shooting. Because of this remote possibility, thus violent games should be removed/banned.

I say, what happened to "gun control"?

Stan Bush's The Touch, going to Guitar Hero

My favourite song from the 80s Transformers: The Movie (animated), "The Touch" by Stan Bush, is going to appear in Guitar Hero! Woo! Not that I play that game, but I hear a lot of classics have made it there, and knowing that The Touch made it gives me a warm feeling in my heart - I know I'm not the only person who was moved by that movie and song way back when. lol..

Hear it here!
Article here, frm Joystiq.

Blood: the Last Vampire

I chanced on this trailer while looking for Christian Bale's head sculpt by Weapon X for upcoming Terminator toy (was looking for a cheaper alternative to the $215 Hot Toy).

Its based on a manga called Blood: the Last Vampire (??)... I think. Basically, I don't noe anything about the background, I just saw the visuals and I think they're really really cool.. Count me in when it comes out!

The new Mazda 3 (2010)

Exterior design - expressive and emotional styling

A distinctive new front fascia is formed by the 5-point grille and openings at the front corners. These design cues combine with the sculpted shape of the hood and the bold, expressive lines that connect the hood to the front pillars. All the lines seem to flow into the center just below the 5-point grille, which creates a stronger expression of power and dynamism. From the side, the front fender line smoothly morphs into the beltline, clearly identifying the vehicle as a Mazda and communicating dynamism. The line of the side sill curves up and seems to connect with the rear spoiler to emphasize the vehicle's compact size and express its agility. In order to make the surface more expressive, Mazda designers slightly elaborated the depth of the hood edge, front fenders and the three-dimensional shape of the protruding body sides, carefully crafting curves that subtly reflect changes in natural light.

-from here

This whole chunk of poetic description elucidates on how expressive the car's lines are. I say - just look at how happy it is......

*pukes*

Wolverine: Origins

Ok, so now that Watchmen has been watched, we move on to the upcoming, more action-oriented movie about everyone's favourite bad boy - Wolverine.

This should whet your appetite.. Recent Oscar Award debutante Hugh Jackman gets to show off lots of sinewy muscle, chest and facial hair and gets really feral on some bad guys and vehicles. The girls and boys will love it! And they made sure you don't get bored with just ONE mutant too; Sabretooth, the Blob and Gambit (!!) feature in it. You also get to see a few other X-men in there too, albeit younger versions!



Oh yes, Liev Schreiber (I think Sherm likes him) replaces the mangy-haired wrestler as Sabretooth from the Original X-men movie. I suppose this means there's gonna be more 'acting' involved. At least they highlight his claws alot..

And for the gamers, THIS 'God of War' improvement called 'Wolverine: Origins' looks really good - all the Wolvie-action you ever had your imagination perform for you, now plays out in a video (and video game)! Only thing missing is the Fastball Special (oh yes, Colossus was a teen in X2, so since this predates X2, he won't be seen here). From Joystiq.com. Click to watch the vid! NOW NOW NOW!

"Motorcycles help keep you young"

Quoted from this article. Thanks to Jesse, fellow motorcyclist.

Motorcycles help keep you young: software expert
AFP - Thursday, March 5

TOKYO (AFP) - - Riding motorcycles helps keep drivers young by invigorating their brains, the scientist behind popular "Brain Training" computer software said Wednesday, citing a new scientific study.
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"The driver's brain gets activated by riding motorbikes" in part because it requires heightened alertness, Ryuta Kawashima said after his research team and Yamaha Motor conducted a string of experiments involving middle-aged men.

"In a convenient and easy environment, the human mind and body get used to setting the hurdle low," he warned. "Our final conclusion is that riding motorcycles can lead to smart ageing."

Kawashima is the designer of "Brain Training" software, which incorporates quizzes and other games and is available on the Nintendo DS game console under the name "Brain Age" in North America.

A self-professed motorcycle fan, 49-year-old Kawashima cited a new study conducted jointly by Yamaha and Tohoku University, for which he works.

One experiment involved 22 men, all in their 40s and 50s, who held motorcycle licences but had not taken a ride for at least a decade.

They were randomly split into two groups -- one asked to resume riding motorcycles in everyday life for two months, and another that kept using bicycles or cars.

"The group that rode motorbikes posted higher marks in cognitive function tests," Kawashima said.

In one test, which required the men to remember a set of numbers in reverse order, the riders' scores jumped by more than 50 percent in two months, while the non-riders' marks deteriorated slightly, he said.

The riders also said they made fewer mistakes at work and felt happier.

"Mental care is a very big issue in modern society," said Kawashima. "I think we made an interesting stir here as data showed you can improve your mental condition simply by using motorbikes to commute."

No mention here about motorcycle fatality or accident rate that is contrary to the idea though =)


Edit:

On hindsight (actually, after Sherm's suggestion), have you watched the movie - Thank You For Not Smoking?

I quote:

Nick Naylor is .... the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, a tobacco lobby whose stated purpose is to research the links between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Unsurprisingly, the group, funded by cigarette companies, does not find any link between the two.

With reference to this paragraph, paying in particular attention to the bold:

"The driver's brain gets activated by riding motorbikes" in part because it requires heightened alertness, Ryuta Kawashima said after his research team and Yamaha Motor conducted a string of experiments involving middle-aged men.

Thank You For Not Riding... sigh.

The Watchmen - 06.03.09

This review of the upcoming (THIS FRIDAY!) blockbuster, The Watchmen, is biased to my liking.



After reading some reviews, it began to concern me that the Watchmen may not appeal commercially as the Dark Knight did. The Watchmen is a story that is hard to sum up in a few words. The book was a discovery, an exploration, and a revelation. It was something akin to a breath of fresh air, though slightly rancid. In the words of one reviewer, its also a daytime soap opera but with vigilante heroes as the protagonists. I admit I am a fanboy, and it is with this fanaticism that I am largely promoting this movie. The behemoth of a film is over 2.5 hrs long, and I really don't want to encourage my friends to watch it just cos I'm a fanboy. Cos if you don't get it, its going to be a waste of 2.5 hrs that you could've done something else with.

Anyway, I have 2 friends who got passes for the Media Preview of The Watchmen this night, and word is - "IT ROCKS!!!"

And I'll leave you with that.

Android O/S

Or why I don't need an iPhone:



And.. its OPEN SOURCE - Linux-based! Find out more about Android here.

I'll just bide my time till a good enough phone comes out that fits my requirements and runs on Android =) Meanwhile, I'm still getting my $8 discount off my Singtel bill every month till that phone eventually arrives.