mrbrown.com

My first short film: Singapore Rabble

Update 2: Idler wrote a film review!

Update 1: Now available! Singapore Rabble: Director's Cut (more compatible version, and now with Titles! Wah!)


I was at Raffles Place for lunch when I spotted a certain Opposition politician selling his party paper and asking the Shenton Way lunchtime crowd to "support democracy".

I then shot this short film, which I entitled Singapore Rabble, on my mobile. When I say short, I mean it, it is only 7 seconds long. I had no agenda, motives, or even anything resembling a plot when I shot this. It was only meant as an artistic project (I was testing my mobile phone's video feature).

It is NOT, I repeat NOT, a political film, and does not contravene the Films Act. Singapore Rabble is a just 7-second short film of the Shenton Way lunchtime crowd.

So please don't haul me up for questioning, or confiscate my mobile phone, or haul up my friends who SMSed me. Even though it was all Mr Miyagi's idea (his exact words were, "Eh, shoot leh, use your phone the video and shoot leh. Hurhurhur.").

And of course, no need to start a petition for me.

Link to Singapore Rabble: Director's Cut (more compatible version, and now with Titles! Wah!)
(Quicktime MOV movie file, 381.19kb, 00.00.15)

Original raw Singapore Rabble short film (also available at this mirror)
(Quicktime 3GP movie file, 60kb, 00.00.07)

Too bad, KT, we coulda been friends

But your label EMI has this Copy Control thing on your CD, so I decided not to get it. I spent the money on a James Blunt CD instead, which did not have this blight on it. I listen to my music on my iPod, you see, and if I cannot rip a CD to listen to it, I ain't buying the CD. I prefer to give my money to companies who do not penalise their customers or treat them like criminals.

Running Day: many legs make light work

Potluck Running Club.

200Gb iPod Nano: instructions inside

Are you already filling up that new 4Gb iPod Nano? Here are instructions on how to make your very own 200Gb version of it! Sure, it makes the Nano a little bigger, and the battery life goes right down to 6 minutes (ATA Hard disk drives do suck up a lot of juice), but getting 50 times more space is worth drilling your iPod Nano for, surely.


Instructions at Uncyclopedia (via Gizmodo)

Fewer retrenchments in Singapore now, kinda

Interesting Sammyboy forum reply to a ST forum letter on being terminated.

This Miss Boon recently wrote to the ST Forum about her Notice of Termination:

Is it common for companies to sack older workers

I had been a loyal employee of McDonald's Singapore for the past 22 years and had risen from a Trainee Manager to Senior Restaurateur.

I had a reasonably good performance record over these years. In the past 12 months, my performance rating was excellent.

Recently, I was shocked to find myself given a Notice of Termination and was told to leave the company immediately without being given any reason...

Which prompted lambaste from Sammyboy's forum to write his own reply to her:

Dear Ms Boon

So sorry to hear that you have lost your job after 22 years with MacDonalds. It must have come as a bit of a shock for you, but the truth is that termination of service contract is common practice in the market place. You will understand that you are considered a junior managment staff. And as such ,you are proabably not protected by the labour laws that protect ordinary workers.

Even so there is really not much protection for the ordinary worker here. Singapore is very much an "employer advantaged market" compared to many places. In Malaysia for example to sack someone you literally have to be certain of the grounds or you face a lot of problems from the authorities.

Credit Card Oops

In a Sunday Times piece where their reporters used fake signatures to test the vigilance of local stores, the front page image used as a lead-in to the article showed the back of a reporter's real credit card with:

1. The reporter’s real signature
2. The reporter’s credit card number and all other details on the front of card (which you can see, because of the indentations) and
3. The credit card’s CVC code at the back of the card.

(The reporter has since deactivated the card.)


Caught by the eagle eye of Dominic Soon, found via Tomorrow.sg

The Making of an Arcade Champion

I start my kids young on the path to arcade greatness. King of Fighters after he masters this soccer game.

What happens when you play too much World of Warcraft

Play too much World of Warcraft and you start seeing images like this when you walk behind your running toddler son.

(Yes, that's my Isaac on a quest of mischief.)