mrbrown.com

Isaac's new camera

My friend Ivan gave an old Fuji Finepix 2300 digital camera to Isaac when I told him how much he likes to take pictures.

He would "borrow" my Nokia N95 and my wife's N73 in the mornings, while we were still asleep, and take all kinds of shots. We would only find out when we checked our phones and find photos we've never taken.

I've found shots of myself asleep (VERY unglam), Joy playing with my glasses while I was asleep (must stop that or she will mess up her eyes though), and photos of objects in the house, like our room light.

He learned very fast, figuring out the buttons and switches in a minute and while he is still learning how to frame his shots, his knack for composing a shot astounds me. This is despite the slow reaction time of my N95's camera too.

I am trying very hard not to tell him what to take or how to take photos. So far my instruction has been limited to basic things like turning on the camera, not to cover the flash and lens with his fingers, and not to chop off heads of your subjects. It is a parental urge I have to fight, not unlike grabbing a child's hand to colour within the lines for him.

Isaac took to Ivan's gift of a proper camera, like fish to water. I popped four Sanyo Eneloop AA rechargeables into it, dug up some old Smartmedia memory cards (from my old dead Fuji Pinepix 40i), and he was good to go.

It is intriguing to see what a 4-year-old considers photo-worthy.

So far he has taken photos of his mommy getting ready for work, and Faith getting her hair tied up in the morning, before she heads to Special School.

Wah! Got someone write academic paper about mrbrown.com and the mrbrown show leh!

Eva Tang Hsiang-yi, from National Cheng Chi University in Taiwan, presented a paper at AMIC 2008, Conference on Convergence, Citizen Journalism & Social Change : Building Capacity held at University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, March 25 to 27, 2008.

Abstract:

This paper examines the production of podcast by a Singaporean blogger Mr. Brown, who has been utilizing the outcome of a technological convergence — podcast, in a most creative way to express his political views. By his own unique style of satire, he has survived in this island state’s closely regulated Internet sphere. It remains to be seen, however, whether Mr. Brown’s citizen journalism can point to a way for alternative media in Singapore.

You can read the PDF version of her paper.

Just to clarify, the shows would not be possible without the team behind it.

Thanks and I hope you got an A-plus for your paper, Eva (do they give those out on papers? Sorry, I is not a academic). I am impressed you plowed through so many of our shows, and even transcribed some of them!

Muxtape update 31 March 2008

New muxtape at mrbrown.muxtape.com. Enjoy.

the wtf show (video): Creative Zen Stone Plus and Aurvana headphones

Check out our review of the second generation Creative Zen Stone Plus (now with speaker!) and the Aurvana X-Fi Noise-Canceling Headphones at wtfshow.com.

the mrbrown show: this is duh news 9

More focused and targeted news at mrbrownshow.com!

Earth Hour!

Mommy turned off the lights in the house during Earth Hour. Faith and Joy turned in early, conveniently before the Hour started. They were tired out from the day's outings with Grandma.

Isaac and I were out in the evening, with my brother and my niece, but we got home in time to enjoy some of the darkness.

The flat looked odd with all the lights off. Even the fish had to participate.

When it was time to turn the lights back on, Isaac remarked, "Don't turn on the lights, Papa!"

So we left them off a little longer, the only light coming from my handphone as I took a few more photos.

Rambo 5: Hillary goes to Bosnia

Hillary didn't misspeak! She really did dodge sniper fire!

Don't say "hikes price", say "revises pricing"

CNA headline: NETS revises pricing for NETS CashCard

Actual news article:

"Consumers are going to have pay more for their NETS CashCard come May, as it will include the cost of the CashCard as well.

They will have to fork out S$10 for a CashCard - comprising S$5 for the cost of the card and S$5 for the stored value amount.

...The new S$10 CashCard will be valid for five years."

You pay $10 for the card, you get $5 of value, and the card stops working after five years. Nice revision from, pay $7 for the card, get $5 of value, and a refundable $2 deposit.

"NETS said the revised pricing helps to cover the cost to produce and fabricate each CashCard."

Nice little arrangement you have there, NETS. We pay for your production costs, and with built-in obsolesence, we have to keep covering your costs with the next card we need to buy after 5 years.

The mixtape is baaaaack! With Muxtape.com!

I twittered this yesterday, but I thought it was too cool not to blog it.

Remember the mixtape you used to make on your tape recorder? You can now do your own online version at muxtape.com. Sign up, upload up to 12 songs, and you're ready to share your "tape" with others. Great way to listen to new stuff too.

My muxtape is at mrbrown.muxtape.com.

The simplicity of the site is astounding as it is fun. Kudos to developer Justin Ouellette. Looks like the sign-ups are astounding in the last 24 hours of its existence. You can track muxtape developments at muxtape.tumblr.com.

Some useful undocumented shortcuts: Use the left and right arrow keys to move between tracks, and use "return" to pause and play.

Those coloured squares with usernames in them, are random muxtapes you may not have listened to yet.

You can now show people how musically hip you are and pretend the muxtape you spent hours putting together, was something you threw together casually, for fun.

Reality bites: Product packaging vs reality

German site Pundo3000.com conducted a study of 100 food products to compare what they looked like on the packaging and what they looked like in real life.

You can see it all at their site. Or view the video below.

Or see some of the enlarged samples at Funtasticus.com.

See What Show: Be Kind Rewind, Redacted, and Step Up 2: The Streets

Reviews of Be Kind Rewind, Redacted, and Step Up 2: The Streets at seewhatshow.com!

And check out some really good "sweded" movies at this seewhatshow post too!

NTU wants students to try threesomes

Update: The scheme may not go through. (via CNA: "NTU may scrap plans to house three students in double rooms"). Maybe students will have to duke it out Spartan-style to win a hostel place. Or best flag day float winners get single rooms.

-------

As in triple sharing their hostel rooms lah.

A reader sent me an email about the NTU Student Affairs Office (SAO) proposing a triple sharing hall scheme. It seems that the scheme is still in the "consultation and proposal phase" and nothing is "confirmed". Surveys have been conducted and feedback taken from students.

Some students are so against it that parody videos have been done to protest this. Like this one:

But hor, in the midst of this nochet-confirmed scheme, suddenly got a sample triple room done up. See the video below.

Eh? I thought still in proposal phase? So fast got Show Room liao ah?

Reminds me of the time the gahmen asked us for our feedback on casinos and the compulsory annuity scheme.

Actually, I think the guys should have no problems adjusting to this triple-sharing hostel scheme. We have another term for this kind of room.

It is called Bunk.

(videos via Alvinology)

We haven't found him yet, but we arrested one of his buddies

Gotta love a Monday headline like this one:

Straits Times: Man plotting JI revival caught

A SINGAPOREAN earmarked to be a future leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah has been arrested under the Internal Security Act for his involvement with the regional terror group.

Rijal Yadri bin Jumari had been schooled in JI madrasahs overseas, sent for terrorist training in Afghanistan and even met Osama bin Laden.

The 27-year-old met the Al-Qaeda leader several times while attending training at Camp Farouq in Kandahar, Afghanistan...

We caught Mas Selamat ah? No lah, but almost as good what! We caught one of his JI buddies.

(I am not the only one who noticed, it seems.)

Earth Hour Singapore 2008

This SATURDAY, 29th March 2008, from 8pm to 9pm, I am going to turn off the lights in my home, because of Earth Hour. You can find out more about this movement at their blog.

In a strange coincidence, the wife and I were just talking about cutting down the use of our bedroom aircon last night. And we turned it off last night, and just used the fan. This morning, I find out about Earth Hour, and I think, cool, let's turn off the lights on Friday too, for an hour.

Now to tell my kids they have to cut down their tv hours because, you know, we have to save the planet (and also because Papa said so).

the mrbrown show: you are so champion

When people blame you for everything, and you are feeling down and out, sing sing sing at mrbrownshow.com!

Awareness Test

And after that, if you wish to know more, go here and here.

We haven't found him yet, but we can search 121 buildings in one day!

Mas Selamat, your days are numbered. We may have let you escape, and we may not have found you yet, but we have a damn kickass database.

With this database, our cops can search 121 empty buildings in one day. Although I am not sure in this property boom and en bloc fever, whether Mas can find an empty building to hide in.

Watch out for Version 2 of the Empty Building Database, when we can search 122 buildings in one day.

I also loved how efficient this article is, blending news about the database and some cop awards ceremony in one piece: "On a separate note, seven groups received the Home Team Achievement Awards at the workshop."

And the Mas Selamat news headline of the week belongs to the New York Times: "Terror Suspect Eludes Posse of 4 Million" (that I was quoted in it has absolutely nothing to do with it, honest)

From Channeled NewsAsia:

Key database useful in hunt for Mas Selamat

By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 March 2008 2014 hrs

SINGAPORE: Officers searching for escaped Jemaah Islamiyah leader, Mas Selamat Kastari, are using a database to make their hunt more effective.

Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre some three weeks ago. The 47-year-old is alleged to have been the mastermind of a plot to crash a hijacked plane into Changi Airport.

The database used in the hunt contains key information such as the location of vacant buildings in Singapore and possible hideouts used by illegal immigrants.

See What Show: 10,000 BC, The Orphanage, and Vantage Point

Reviews of 10,000 BC, Guillermo Del Toro’s The Orphanage, and Vantage Point at seewhatshow.com!

the mrbrown show: Malaysian lessons

Let Malaysia's elections be a lesson to us all! Find out at mrbrownshow.com!

The LTA CBD Taxi Stand fiasco

So, after businesses, taxi companies and the public screamed bloody murder, the Land Transport Authority had to adjust the new rule that said taxis could only to drop or pick up passengers at taxi stands in the CBD.

Now taxis can use side roads where buses don't ply.

But of course, it's not that the Land Transport Authority screwed up by not thinking through the impact before implementing the half-baked idea, but that they were flexible and consultative by "tweaking" the rule.

The news report called it "LTA Fine-tuning".

I think most people would call it "LTA tries to fix f**k-up". But you can't print swear words in a family paper.

From the newspaper report:

Asked if LTA should have anticipated the problem, Transport Minister Raymond Jim said, "We need to look at this issue in context. LTA's principal consideration in imposing this rule is safety, and this remains a key concern."

That totally answered the question, Minister.