Oil and Water

I've been following the BP Oil Spill - wait a bit: it isn't a spill so can we stop calling it that? - saga with some interest. Not just because of the scale of devastation it is causing, nor because of how it highlights our over-reliance on fossil fuels, but also for how stupid some Americans can be in blaming Obama for this and asking him to step in and take charge.

I think these guys should just stop watching Bruce Willis movies and think for a bit:
What could the navy/coast guard/army/airforce/GI Joe/Obama do that BP can't? Besides cleaning up that is, which is already being done. Yeah, well, nothing is just about the right answer. In this instant-gratification age, we all just seem to live in a kind of la-la-land where titanium-clad space shuttles and leaping moon rovers exist, and where a bit of bravado, machismo and derring-do always saves the day and the hunk always gets the girl.

Well, sorry guys, it doesn't work that way in real life.

The crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is bad. In fact it's worse than just about any other environmental disaster ever. But there's no quick solution, no 'you're the disease and I'm the cure' (OK that's Stallone, not Willis) speedy fix. The best guys to do the job are, ironically and much as we all might hate it, the guys who caused it in the first place. So let's quit with the posturing, OK? It's beginning to grate on this non-American's ears.

Now on to something quite different - I thought I'd throw something into the mix. Water. Yeah, yeah water and oil and all that...

I came across a couple of really good books recently. Green Design, ISBN 978-1-55643-836-3 is a really cool book with all sorts of green solutions and ideas.

Coincidentally, I was sent a link to a TED talk on clean water which showcased the Lifesaver water filter which is a remarkable device that can alter the way we approach the care of the victims of natural disasters like the 2004 Asian Tsunami or Hurricane Katrina. In both cases, and almost all like them, water becomes a scarce necessity. Or I should say 'clean and safe drinking water' becomes scarce. The Lifesaver filter is one such solution which is remarkable as it has also been scaled up to provide water for a family unit rather than an individual.

Watch the TED talk here:


I immediately recalled a similar personal device in the Green Design book and dug up this info on the Lifestraw. A truly remarkable device shaped like a straw and through which you suck up clean, safe drinking water from virtually any water source including muddy puddles and standing water.


Read about it and even watch a video demo here:
Lifestraw: A $5 water filter
Or check out the site of the organisation that made it possible:
Vestergaard Frandsen

There are heaps of other great ideas in the book too - including a water drum that makes fetching water from miles away a much simpler, safer and less arduous task. There are also some beautiful designs for lights, seats, interiors and much more. You can buy the Green Design book online:

Oi, Najis!

On the matter of the recent Sibu buy-election and the failed blatant bribery attempt by the PM, this is what I have to say to you, Najis Razak:
Pffffffffffffffffffftttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Revolution of the mind, yeah!

I've been checking out the Jom Bangkit! song entries and kinda like this one. What do you think?

Who's calling me 'Dummy'?

If you read the ‘alternative media’ in Singapore, e.g. The Online Citizen, Temasek Review and so on, you’ll find that a whole heap of Singaporeans have quite a bit to say on the subject of ‘the elites’. I can’t even bring myself to capitalise the ‘e’…

These are essentially the so called ‘men in white’ - thus named for the preferred uniform of the PAP politicians. The elites is a grouping that covers these ‘men in white’ as well as others in the civil service who have the distinction of having been government scholars and/or are in charge of prominent bodies, government-linked companies or statutory boards.

These elites have been getting a fair bit of stick recently for their dismissive and self-congratulatory tone. Dismissive of the general populace that is.

All too often recently, however, quite a fair few have been making real boo-boos. The Minister of Education recently implied that the problem of many students’ stress in learning their mother tongue would be dealt with by a reduction in the weightage or importance of the language in the overall assessment. Now he says he didn’t imply that at all and that he was misunderstood. However, the telling point is that it took many days before he claimed that, and then only in conjunction with an official announcement that mother tongue would not be less important at all. Yeah, right, Mr Minister.

The one that really got my goat however was Philip Imbecile Yeo, the Chairman of Spring Singapore who, in an interview, basically called people who buy all sorts of apps on Apple’s App Store ‘dummies’. Look, I have an iPhone 3GS which I love dearly and for which I’ve downloaded more than a few apps. I’ve paid for some but also have many free apps. Needless to say, I take great umbrage at his remarks.

One of the apps which may seem frivolous and which cost me $0.99 is Talking Carl. This would clearly fall into the category of being a ‘dumb’ purchase but let me tell you something, Philip Idiot Yeo, not only did Talking Carl provide endless hours of amusement during the recent Chinese New Year (and I have the family videos to show that) it also did something much more amazing.

My mother suffers from Parkinson’s and Dementia. I have written about this previously. She has her good moments and her less good ones. She still laughs at things she finds amusing and I have rarely seen her laugh as much as when I passed her the iPhone and Talking Carl. She tickled the cute character (it laughs uproariously), she poked it (it goes ‘Ouch’, “Ooh’ or ‘Ow!’), and she spoke to it (it repeats what you said in a squeaky voice). She spent many happy minutes playing with it, smiling broadly. I have rarely seen her as engrossed as when she played with Talking Carl.

So, Philip Nincompoop Yeo, what do you think now, eh? 

You want to know what I think? I think you’re too full of self-importance. You’ve been surrounded by sycophants for so long (and the reporter who conducted the interview clearly was one, judging by his laugh at your very unfunny comment) you’ve lost track of who normal people are. You think you can get away with your dismissive disdain. 

Well, the sad thing is that you probably can. Despite how abhorrent you are, Philip Cretin Yeo, nothing will probably ever happen because somehow, despite all the boo-hooing and gnashing of teeth, ranting and raving online, we all kinda suspect that when it comes time to make a difference, most Singaporeans become sheep who tick the ‘white’ boxes at the ballot. 

Perhaps Singaporeans really deserve the ‘dumb’ moniker after all.