What Transparency?

Here is a good article covered by Yawning Bread on Singapore's apparent lack of transparency.

Parliament sessions have started and PAPpy dogs are saying we should not fall into Europe's welfare system and see what is happening there now. Occupy Wall Street movement had a goal, to let governments know that Capitalists should not be the ones controlling the Government, their policies and the finance market. They resulted in losses which now is spreading across Countries with fingers pointed everywhere but themselves. Back are the huge bonuses and pay packages for these corporate jackasses, but more mortals are moving into the poverty line. Governments to blame or bankers? They are of the same breed.

PAPpy MPs are now defending policies but not reflecting on the failed investments made by our SWFs. As this turmoil unfolds, get ready to observe more of our Sillyporeans hard earned $$$ go up in smoke as China and India unfolds. Without transparencies, how can we be sure our own internal governance is doing work?

Time will tell. Let's just hope that when our time to retire, there is still CPF monies left.

NBA Lockout due to greed

From one of the best rebounder to ever play the game and also the reason for my nick and blog name - the worm himself commenting on the league lockout.

"Most players don't give a damn about the game," he said. "They want the money and all of a sudden they want unity. I'm not taking the owners' side. I think the players should look at themselves."

Read more. 

In these economic times, every man for himself. So we consumers have no basketball to watch?
Anyway I still think at least NBA players are not as Superstar attitude compared to soccer players. Soccer players salaries are also obscene with "gamblers" paying top notch for EPL and thus the root cause of making consumers pay so much to watch sports..Thank God stupid Singtel took EPL off the hands of Starhub and now we have cheaper NBA TV but damn, barely just a season, now no more NBA because of greed.
But luckily we still have ABL. And this season we have 3 more teams on board (Additional Thai and Philippines teams - San Miguel Beermen and Bangkok Basketball holdings and new Asean country Vietnam entrant Saigon Sports Academy) though Brunei Barrucudas pulled out, making it a 8-team league. Singapore Slingers are still playing and going into the 3rd ABL season since 2009. Well, let's hope they/ESPN broadcast these games given a probable no show from NBA.

Technology Cannibalism

In my earlier post on Steve Job's influence in today's well connect world, we see his wildly popular gadgets slowly killing off many other devices and businesses.

Here's an article talking about the end of digital compact cameras akin to the end of photo developing studios, or CD shops and bookstores. Perhaps one day, everyone will be working for Apple as its shares continue to grow and outstrip Dow Jones.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/9890146101/how-smartphones-are-changing-digital-photography

For now I am staying on the dark side - as much as I love to adopt and go with the norm, my mind always sticks to David, and silently cheering on the underdogs or those who support open-source. Like all my political post goes - Transparency at the end of the day, is the only real truth.

Here is more alternative news of late on the dark side of Steve - not everyone thinks he is visionary.

http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/10/06/the-dark-side-of-steve-jobss-dream/
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/10/08/26940-the-other-side-of-steve-jobs-how-he-neutered-the-free-press-/
http://gawker.com/5516149/the-dark-side-of-steve-jobs

Not just the Chinese.

The Chinese are saddened by Job's passing and are displaying bratty characteristics. But I think it's not just isolated to China.
The Daily Illini :: What Jobs’ death means to the Chinese

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iBye Steve

This man brought about change in a world which noone else has done before - in terms of making the world more savvy, more demanding.

I am not an Apple fan, though I have been willing to try. Had 2 Shuffles, thinking it would make good jogging companions, both died at very young age compared to my China made replacement or even the small capacity 1st generation Thomson or Creative MP3 players, which are still working well after over 10 years? But my iPhone 2G is still in existence, perhaps now a valuable antique sitting on my iPhone compatible speaker.

Yes, Steve was not a Green conservationist unlike Sony who led the world on a Green Partner movement, making all their suppliers "Green" friendly. Yes, Steve was more concerned with making things for the masses, so that people can afford made cheap iPhones, iPod players, though many would think otherwise. But seriously think about what you can do with your mobile device, MP3 players or tablet now, and effectively people are buying less handheld gaming devices, compact cameras, GPS, laptops, even CDs etc  - Steve killed PSP, NDS, Netbooks and a slew of other gadgets as well as bookstores and CD shops. He made every other mobile maker especially Nokia to wake the hell up and rethink their own slogan - Human Technology.

Steve also drove the suppliers' margins, making his army of gadgets in China out of factories which drove many employees to commit suicide. His fault? But it is the very same factory that churns out your HP/Dell laptops etc. Why has the price of your technology gadgets never seem to rise despite all the new features? Why does it seem that newer gadgets seem to have shorter shelf lives? Well something has to give in order to cater to our cheap replaceable consumerism attitude of late, which mobile phones are accessories which are changed on a yearly, for some - it is a monthly basis. We've even heard of young kids selling their organs, or prostituting themselves just to pay for the latest iPad.

These cannot be Steve's fault -  it is the evolution of consumers these days, be it gadgets, technological devices, even clothing, shoes etc. It is the high pace life we have chosen to live by, and the importance we have placed on these silly "things". So no blame should come to Steve, because in the end he did make the world a savvier place - people are more connected; musicians are finally paid for easier music downloads, companies are making easier-to-use devices; life somehow seems more innovated with a focus on simplicity and catered to the masses. People are more demanding wanting things to be like Apple gadgets, is the touchscreen as sensitive and nice like the iPad? Is the phone as thin as the iPhone 4? The list goes on.

He made everyone - Think Different.
Now go revolutionize heaven so that mortals can wake up and think different.