I'm not exactly a fan of soccer, as alluded to before. I've been thinking and it occurred to me that if soccer adopted some of the rules in the NBA, it would be infinitely more entertaining to watch. It'll never happen, but I can dream, eh?
1. Defensive 3-seconds.
NBA: A defensive player must not remain in the lane for longer than 3 seconds unless he is actively guarding an offensive player.
Soccer: The goal area of a soccer pitch is significantly larger than the key of a basketball court. So perhaps we can extend the time from 3 seconds to 9 seconds. A defensive player must actively be guarding a player in the goal area. This means no more 11 defensive players dispersed throughout the goal area.
2. No off-side penalty.
NBA: There's no such thing as off-side. If there was, there wouldn't be any fastbreak opportunities.
Soccer: Having the off-side rule makes scoring even harder than it already is. Getting rid of it would introduce fastbreak opportunities, which are always fun to watch.
3. Nature of disqualifications.
NBA: If a player is ejected for whatever reason, he is disqualified but his team can still have 5 players on the court.
Soccer: Currently, if a player is ejected, his team goes from having 11 players on the pitch to just 10. The team should not be penalized for the actions of a single player.
4. Different types and values of goals.
NBA: The value of each goal is in proportion to the difficulty of the attempt. A free-throw is worth 1 point. A field-goal within the three-point-arc is worth 2 points. A field-goal beyond the arc is worth 3 points.
Soccer: Currently, everything is worth 1 point. Penalty kicks and normal goals should not be valued the same when the former is infinitely easier than the latter.
5. Shot clock.
NBA: The offensive team has 24 seconds to attempt a field goal on each possession. If they fail, they turn the ball over to the defense.
Soccer: No such thing as a shot clock. A possession can last as long as possible. This makes some matches unbearable to watch. If a team is up by several goals and have possession of the ball, they just play hot-potato with the ball in the back and middle field to burn time. They don't press the action and the defense is unlikely to get the ball back to attempt a comeback. I would propose they have a 60-second shot clock. The offense must attempt a shot within the 60-second time limit. A shot attempt would be if the ball is either scored, touched by the goal keeper, bounced off the goal post, or sailed out of bounds behind the goal line.
6. Back court violation
NBA: once the offense advances the ball past the mid-court line, the offense may not cross back into the backcourt. Doing so will result in a turnover.
Soccer: Currently, there's no such rule. If there was, the game would be faster, spacing would be better, and there would be far greater number of possession changes.
7. 8-second violation
NBA: The offense has 8 seconds to advance the ball into the frontcourt.
Soccer: Currently, no such rule. If there was this rule, the offense would be forced to push the pace. Again, if the rule was adopted, it would likely be lengthened due to the size of the field (perhaps 20 secs)
8. The game should be officially timed.
NBA: Nothing is above the game timer. If a shot attempt was released 0.1 seconds after time expired, it doesn't count. Once the timer counts down to 0 seconds, the game/quarter is over.
Soccer: The length of the match is at the sole discretion of the referee. That makes no sense to me. If a match is seconds away from being over and the team that is down recovers possession and is in position to run an offensive play, the referee would allow the play to continue even though it clearly ran over the time limit.
I'm all for stoppage time. I think it's necessary since the game clock never stops during play. But if the amount of stoppage time is determined, then it should be strictly followed. If at the end of 90 minutes the officials decide that there should be 6 minutes of stoppage time added, then there should be 6 minutes, no more no less. The teams should manage the clock with their play. The referee should not be managing it with his judgement.
9. No penalty shootouts
NBA: If a game is tied at the end of regulation, there's no free throw contest to determine the winner. That would be idiotic. Overtime is the way to go.
Soccer: A penalty shootout at the end of a tied game is similarly idiotic. The game of soccer is one of athleticism, endurance, coordination, etc. Just because the game is tied doesn't mean it needs to be reduced to a penalty shootout. Just go to overtime indefinitely. The team with the best conditioned players will prevail, as they should.
10. Stop touching each other and play by the rules.
None of my proposed rule changes will likely even have a chance of making it into the official rule book. So how about this? No rule changes; just enforce the current rules. Specifically, I'm talking about the excessive amount of physical contact in the sport. In every play of every game, the players are always grabbing each other for position. When jousting for position, players sometimes even get body slammed. There's pushing and shoving everywhere. Strange enough, the rules say that pushing, holding, and tripping are not allowed. Yet, they happen ALL THE TIME. Everyone is breaking the rules at every moment of every game!
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Thursday, April 14, 2011
10 situations that are only possible in TVB dramas
1. The Elevator Baby Delivery
Pregnant woman plus elevator equals elevator failure and emergency delivery.
Reality: See here for details. This one deserves it's own little piece.
2. The Ankle Sprain
A female character suffers an ankle sprain while chasing/running in the street. It's not just a minor sprain too. It's a major sprain where the person requires assistance just to stand.
Reality: It's impossible for someone with any motor-skill coordination to suffer a major sprain just from running on smooth pavement. You might trip and scrape yourself, but never to the point where it's difficult to stand.
3. The Rubber Burn
Cars always slam the brakes and burn rubber when they stop. I'm not even referring to chase scenes. I'm just talking about regular pedestrians driving casually.
Reality: It's as if the effects guy gets paid a commission every time he uses that screeching sound bite.
4. The Homemade Takeout
If the breakfast scene is at home, the characters always have homemade congee, fried noodles and fried dough for breakfast.
Reality: I can understand homemade congee and maybe fried noodles. But there's absolutely no way that people fry their own dough at home for breakfast. It's just too much effort and not practical.
5. The Concussion-caused Amnesia
Every concussion injury leads to retrograde amnesia (ie, loss of memories formed before the injury).
Reality: Concussions are fairly common. If all concussions lead to amnesia, a lot of professional sports athletes would be wandering the streets wondering who they were. Besides, even if the concussion lead to amnesia, it's more likely to be that of anterograde amnesia (ie, inability to create and save new memories).
6. The Imaginary Restaurant
Characters always meet at a particularly weird non-existing type of restaurant. The entire restaurant consists of small square tables that can only accommodate a party of 2. The lighting is usually dim. Upon sitting down, a waiter (usually dressed very formally) approaches and asks the person what they would like to have. If the fictional restaurant is meant to be a "cafe", the waiter would specifically ask what they would like to drink. The answer is usually coffee. If the fictional restaurant is actually meant to be a restaurant, the main character wouldn't even look at the menu. They'll always have the "set lunch".
Reality: The type of restaurant described simply doesn't exist. There's no other way to put it. There's no restaurant that primarily serves beverages in the format described. And there's no restaurant where there's only 1 set lunch. There has to be at least a choice of appetizer, main course, and drink.
7. The Scenery Shift
In a conversation between two characters (usually romantically involved), one of them might say something like "We need to talk" or "I have something I'd like to say to you". The content of what needs to be said is usually dramatic enough to warrant a change in scenery. Suddenly, the scene shifts to another location which might be miles away.
Reality: Either they teleported there to continue their conversation or they commuted there in awkward silence.
8. The Broken Glass Cut
An item shatters (usually glass). The first person to go ahead and pick up the pieces always gets cut. Always. Seriously. Always.
Reality: In my experience of cleaning shattered messes, it's pretty difficult to cut yourself unless you purposely take a sharp piece and squeeze into it like an idiot.
9. The Imaginary Hospital
Medical surgeries take place in a hospital that can't be found in the real world. If a character requires surgery, the character's family/friends wait directly outside the operating room. There's always a couple of benches but the hallway is always empty except for the family/friends. The door to the OR always has this box with the words "Operation Room" on it and it's always lit from the inside with a fluorescent tube. The light switches off to signal the end of the surgery, the family/friends stand up and the surgeon comes out accompanied by one or two nurses to discuss the outcome of the surgery.
Reality: This type of hospital doesn't exist. Every hospital hallway is always crowded with people and staff. I've never seen that "Operation Room" light indicator in any hospital I've been to. And surgeons never immediately address family/friends right after the surgery.
10. The Incompetent Car
Cars routinely malfunction and break down while being driven. There's only two types of problems. One is a brake malfunction which usually leads to an accident (often crashing into a light pole or road sign). The other type of problem is when the engine sputters and white smoke emit from the hood. Oh, and every single male character is a mechanic. They always pop the hood as if they know exactly what's going on.
Reality: Cars just don't fail that easily. Every car goes through annual inspections to ensure that they are still road-worthy. The brakes are one of the main parts of the car that is heavily inspected. I'm no expert, but the "white smoke from the hood" issue appears to be the radiator overheating. The radiator is also heavily inspected and is routinely flushed. Besides, the radiator never just suddenly fails. There's a temperature gauge on the dashboard that warns the driver of any problems ahead of time. (In fact, I knew someone who drove around a 10-year-old car for months with a leaky radiator. Every hour or so, he would need to refill the radiator with tap water. That car's engine never failed.)
(Bonus)
11. The Unfocused Accident
Characters have dramatic things happening in their lives and often, the show producers would like to illustrate that a character is mentally preoccupied with something. Perhaps the character is deciding how to reject a marriage proposal from a millionaire or if she should arrest her fiancée who is a crime boss. The only effective way to show a character is unfocused is to have her handle a knife and food. She would stare straight ahead while chopping carrots or peeling an apple. She will inevitably cut herself with the knife. This is the only way the audience would know that she is unfocused.
Reality: This is just like #8. You really have to be an idiot to cut yourself with a knife. This just doesn't happen to adults.
Pregnant woman plus elevator equals elevator failure and emergency delivery.
Reality: See here for details. This one deserves it's own little piece.
2. The Ankle Sprain
A female character suffers an ankle sprain while chasing/running in the street. It's not just a minor sprain too. It's a major sprain where the person requires assistance just to stand.
Reality: It's impossible for someone with any motor-skill coordination to suffer a major sprain just from running on smooth pavement. You might trip and scrape yourself, but never to the point where it's difficult to stand.
3. The Rubber Burn
Cars always slam the brakes and burn rubber when they stop. I'm not even referring to chase scenes. I'm just talking about regular pedestrians driving casually.
Reality: It's as if the effects guy gets paid a commission every time he uses that screeching sound bite.
4. The Homemade Takeout
If the breakfast scene is at home, the characters always have homemade congee, fried noodles and fried dough for breakfast.
Reality: I can understand homemade congee and maybe fried noodles. But there's absolutely no way that people fry their own dough at home for breakfast. It's just too much effort and not practical.
5. The Concussion-caused Amnesia
Every concussion injury leads to retrograde amnesia (ie, loss of memories formed before the injury).
Reality: Concussions are fairly common. If all concussions lead to amnesia, a lot of professional sports athletes would be wandering the streets wondering who they were. Besides, even if the concussion lead to amnesia, it's more likely to be that of anterograde amnesia (ie, inability to create and save new memories).
6. The Imaginary Restaurant
Characters always meet at a particularly weird non-existing type of restaurant. The entire restaurant consists of small square tables that can only accommodate a party of 2. The lighting is usually dim. Upon sitting down, a waiter (usually dressed very formally) approaches and asks the person what they would like to have. If the fictional restaurant is meant to be a "cafe", the waiter would specifically ask what they would like to drink. The answer is usually coffee. If the fictional restaurant is actually meant to be a restaurant, the main character wouldn't even look at the menu. They'll always have the "set lunch".
Reality: The type of restaurant described simply doesn't exist. There's no other way to put it. There's no restaurant that primarily serves beverages in the format described. And there's no restaurant where there's only 1 set lunch. There has to be at least a choice of appetizer, main course, and drink.
7. The Scenery Shift
In a conversation between two characters (usually romantically involved), one of them might say something like "We need to talk" or "I have something I'd like to say to you". The content of what needs to be said is usually dramatic enough to warrant a change in scenery. Suddenly, the scene shifts to another location which might be miles away.
Reality: Either they teleported there to continue their conversation or they commuted there in awkward silence.
8. The Broken Glass Cut
An item shatters (usually glass). The first person to go ahead and pick up the pieces always gets cut. Always. Seriously. Always.
Reality: In my experience of cleaning shattered messes, it's pretty difficult to cut yourself unless you purposely take a sharp piece and squeeze into it like an idiot.
9. The Imaginary Hospital
Medical surgeries take place in a hospital that can't be found in the real world. If a character requires surgery, the character's family/friends wait directly outside the operating room. There's always a couple of benches but the hallway is always empty except for the family/friends. The door to the OR always has this box with the words "Operation Room" on it and it's always lit from the inside with a fluorescent tube. The light switches off to signal the end of the surgery, the family/friends stand up and the surgeon comes out accompanied by one or two nurses to discuss the outcome of the surgery.
Reality: This type of hospital doesn't exist. Every hospital hallway is always crowded with people and staff. I've never seen that "Operation Room" light indicator in any hospital I've been to. And surgeons never immediately address family/friends right after the surgery.
10. The Incompetent Car
Cars routinely malfunction and break down while being driven. There's only two types of problems. One is a brake malfunction which usually leads to an accident (often crashing into a light pole or road sign). The other type of problem is when the engine sputters and white smoke emit from the hood. Oh, and every single male character is a mechanic. They always pop the hood as if they know exactly what's going on.
Reality: Cars just don't fail that easily. Every car goes through annual inspections to ensure that they are still road-worthy. The brakes are one of the main parts of the car that is heavily inspected. I'm no expert, but the "white smoke from the hood" issue appears to be the radiator overheating. The radiator is also heavily inspected and is routinely flushed. Besides, the radiator never just suddenly fails. There's a temperature gauge on the dashboard that warns the driver of any problems ahead of time. (In fact, I knew someone who drove around a 10-year-old car for months with a leaky radiator. Every hour or so, he would need to refill the radiator with tap water. That car's engine never failed.)
(Bonus)
11. The Unfocused Accident
Characters have dramatic things happening in their lives and often, the show producers would like to illustrate that a character is mentally preoccupied with something. Perhaps the character is deciding how to reject a marriage proposal from a millionaire or if she should arrest her fiancée who is a crime boss. The only effective way to show a character is unfocused is to have her handle a knife and food. She would stare straight ahead while chopping carrots or peeling an apple. She will inevitably cut herself with the knife. This is the only way the audience would know that she is unfocused.
Reality: This is just like #8. You really have to be an idiot to cut yourself with a knife. This just doesn't happen to adults.
Pregnancy and the Elevator in the world of TVB dramas
A common criticism of TVB dramas is that they're basically all the same. They follow a predictable plot. They're full of cliche lines. And they're all played by young aspiring (ie, bad) actors/actresses.
Most importantly, they don't portray the real world and there's no better example of this than the dynamics between the elevator and the pregnant woman.
In the TVB drama world every time a pregnant woman steps into an elevator, the following is true 100% of the time:
1. Shortly after the elevator doors close, the elevator fails due to some technical glitch or power outage.
The probability of getting stuck in an elevator is once in a lifetime for a person using elevators on a daily basis. In other words, this just doesn't happen as often as depicted.
2. The pregnant woman suddenly cringes in pain, her water breaks, and goes into emergency labor where the baby has to be delivered right away.
Labor typically lasts several hours, sometimes days. But on TV, the water breaks and the woman sits down in a pile of sweat in about 5 seconds. This is then followed by 15 seconds of panic to hype up the drama. Then 10 seconds of pep talk. About 30 seconds later, the woman is ready to start pushing.
By the way, the woman is usually in her late 3rd trimester of her pregnancy when she enters the elevator. But this doesn't really matter. She could very well have just conceived the night before and all of this would still happen.
3. A protagonist assists with the delivery of the baby.
The protagonist is never a doctor. Yet, he/she seems to know exactly what to do. He/she just puts his hand between the woman's legs, implores her to push, and then catches the baby as it comes out. Labor is that easy, eh? Makes you wonder why we even need doctors and medical equipment?
4. The baby and mother always turn out alright despite the unsanitary conditions and the inexperience of the protagonist.
Nobody's hands are washed/sanitized. The elevator floor is dirty. There's no clean water supply. Yet, there's no risk of infection. If a woman really experiences such an emergency labor, I'm willing to bet that there's at least some sort of complication with the baby and/or mother. Yet, this is just never the case.
5. Only after the delivery of the baby can the lift doors be possibly opened.
This is like a rule chiseled in stone. Never will you see firefighters pry open the doors during the delivery of the baby. It could be the most epic grueling labor in the history of mankind lasting several hours (breaking rule #2). But by the time the doors are opened, the baby is already neatly wrapped in a mysterious towel of unknown origin. Where did the towel come from? How was the umbilical cord cut? What about the placenta?
6. The father is never in the elevator.
The father character is never the main protagonist. So if he's in the elevator, our protagonist doesn't get enough screen time.
7. The dramatic event sparks a relationship between the protagonist and the romantic interest.
The elevator doors open. The baby and mother leave with the paramedics. The protagonist and the romantic interest character looks and nods at each other. Somehow the experience changes them and they have a new found respect for one another.
Any more that I missed?
Most importantly, they don't portray the real world and there's no better example of this than the dynamics between the elevator and the pregnant woman.
In the TVB drama world every time a pregnant woman steps into an elevator, the following is true 100% of the time:
1. Shortly after the elevator doors close, the elevator fails due to some technical glitch or power outage.
The probability of getting stuck in an elevator is once in a lifetime for a person using elevators on a daily basis. In other words, this just doesn't happen as often as depicted.
2. The pregnant woman suddenly cringes in pain, her water breaks, and goes into emergency labor where the baby has to be delivered right away.
Labor typically lasts several hours, sometimes days. But on TV, the water breaks and the woman sits down in a pile of sweat in about 5 seconds. This is then followed by 15 seconds of panic to hype up the drama. Then 10 seconds of pep talk. About 30 seconds later, the woman is ready to start pushing.
By the way, the woman is usually in her late 3rd trimester of her pregnancy when she enters the elevator. But this doesn't really matter. She could very well have just conceived the night before and all of this would still happen.
3. A protagonist assists with the delivery of the baby.
The protagonist is never a doctor. Yet, he/she seems to know exactly what to do. He/she just puts his hand between the woman's legs, implores her to push, and then catches the baby as it comes out. Labor is that easy, eh? Makes you wonder why we even need doctors and medical equipment?
4. The baby and mother always turn out alright despite the unsanitary conditions and the inexperience of the protagonist.
Nobody's hands are washed/sanitized. The elevator floor is dirty. There's no clean water supply. Yet, there's no risk of infection. If a woman really experiences such an emergency labor, I'm willing to bet that there's at least some sort of complication with the baby and/or mother. Yet, this is just never the case.
5. Only after the delivery of the baby can the lift doors be possibly opened.
This is like a rule chiseled in stone. Never will you see firefighters pry open the doors during the delivery of the baby. It could be the most epic grueling labor in the history of mankind lasting several hours (breaking rule #2). But by the time the doors are opened, the baby is already neatly wrapped in a mysterious towel of unknown origin. Where did the towel come from? How was the umbilical cord cut? What about the placenta?
6. The father is never in the elevator.
The father character is never the main protagonist. So if he's in the elevator, our protagonist doesn't get enough screen time.
7. The dramatic event sparks a relationship between the protagonist and the romantic interest.
The elevator doors open. The baby and mother leave with the paramedics. The protagonist and the romantic interest character looks and nods at each other. Somehow the experience changes them and they have a new found respect for one another.
Any more that I missed?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
10 habits of Hong Kong drivers that boggles the mind
In no particular order:
1. Sabotage the effectiveness of the seatbelt.
This really applies only to taxi drivers. I've never seen a HK taxi where the driver's seatbelt is properly worn. It's always worn too loose with the help of a wide assortment of tools. I've seen the following items used to keep the seatbelt loose for the driver: binder clips, bag sealers (ie, those things that you use to seal an opened bag of chips), folded pieces of cardboard, tape, safety pins.
He's essentially not wearing the seatbelt at all. It's just draped over him. In an accident, it would probably be a choking hazard (if he's not thrown through the windshield).
2. Flash emergency lights when hard braking.
I suppose the driver's intent is to warn the car behind so that it doesn't slam into him. But the logic just doesn't make any sense. If the car behind is going to rear-end you, blinking yellow lights at him won't do anything. Besides, every car already comes with a feature that warns other drivers when brakes are deployed. They're called brake lights. If the driver behind isn't pay attention to your brake lights, they sure are not paying attention to your emergency flashers. How's this for an idea? If you want to minimize the risk of someone rear-ending you, don't hard brake.
3. Flash turn signals when going through bends.
Turn signals are meant to notify other drivers of changes in directions of your vehicle; not changes in directions of the current road. Steering left through a bend is not the same as making a left turn. It's not like you have the option to go any other direction. It's like telling the drivers behind "Hey, the road is bending left. Rather than driving my car off the road and down the cliff, I will be following this bend. I just thought it would be good to let you know that."
4. Flash turn signals midway through a lane change or a turn.
Why bother? This is like calling someone 29 minutes into your appointment to say you will be 30 minutes late. Don't even call. There's no point. You've already pissed someone off, so you might as well just show up.
5. Shift to neutral and apply hand-brake when stopped.
I suppose the driver's intent is to save fuel. This is an ineffective habit and is often used in combination with numerous other fuel-wasting behaviors. For example, hard braking, hard accelerations and tailgating.
6. Fail to shift back to drive and release hand-brake prior to stepping on the gas pedal.
This poor habit just damages and shortens the lifespan of the transmission and brakes. If you're going to practice the ineffective habit of shifting to neutral and applying the hand-brake, the least you can do is to be able to properly reverse your actions to get the car moving again.
On a related note, I've seen some drivers shift to park as an alternative to shifting to neutral and applying the hand-brake. They do so even in stop-and-go traffic. I can't even imagine the type of wear-and-tear their transmission goes through.
7. Occupy two lanes for the longest possible time while changing lanes in stop-and-go traffic.
I can't even rationalize why people do this. When changing lanes in slow moving traffic, either do it by steering hard into direction of the lane you want to switch to or don't do it. Why do people think it's ok to merge gradually into a lane when it's obvious that they're just holding up both lanes unnecessarily.
8. Line plush dolls across rear window.
I don't mean one or two plush dolls. I'm talking about the entire cast of Winnie the Pooh and all the variations of Disney's Stitch. If it's a woman behind the wheel, this gives off the impression that she's childish. If it's a man, it makes him look like a sissy. In terms of safety, it compromises the driver's ability to see through the rear window.
9. Line figurines across the dashboard, often right on top of where the airbags deploy on the front passenger side.
Again, I don't mean just one or two of those bobble-head things. I'm talking about every single McDonald's Happy Meal toy ever made. First two sentences of #8 applies here as well. In addition, people who do this are just putting themselves at risk. In an accident, I can foresee two deadly possibilities. The driver/passenger may ram their head against the figurines. Or the airbag will deploy which will launch the figurines as high-speed projectiles in random directions at everyone inside the vehicle.
10. Flash the right turn signal when entering a roundabout.
The car is steered to the left direction when entering a roundabout; so why does the driver think flashing the right turn signal is appropriate?
In fact, why flash the turn signals at all? #3 applies here as well. There's only one direction to go. It's not like it's possible for the driver to enter the roundabout going counter-clockwise against the flow of traffic.
Perhaps the driver wants to signal to the cars already in the roundabout? If they flash the left signal, it won't be visible to cars already in the roundabout; so they flash the right signal. But it's not necessary to signal to the cars already in the roundabout! Your car is not invisible. They see your car. They know you're looking to enter the roundabout. It's not like they see your car and think to themselves "Hey, there's a car at the entrance to this roundabout. But he's not flashing his turn signal. I guess he's just parked there enjoying the show."
Obviously, not everyone on the road in HK do these things. But enough of them do (especially taxis) to be enough of an annoyance. Are there any more that I missed?
1. Sabotage the effectiveness of the seatbelt.
This really applies only to taxi drivers. I've never seen a HK taxi where the driver's seatbelt is properly worn. It's always worn too loose with the help of a wide assortment of tools. I've seen the following items used to keep the seatbelt loose for the driver: binder clips, bag sealers (ie, those things that you use to seal an opened bag of chips), folded pieces of cardboard, tape, safety pins.
He's essentially not wearing the seatbelt at all. It's just draped over him. In an accident, it would probably be a choking hazard (if he's not thrown through the windshield).
2. Flash emergency lights when hard braking.
I suppose the driver's intent is to warn the car behind so that it doesn't slam into him. But the logic just doesn't make any sense. If the car behind is going to rear-end you, blinking yellow lights at him won't do anything. Besides, every car already comes with a feature that warns other drivers when brakes are deployed. They're called brake lights. If the driver behind isn't pay attention to your brake lights, they sure are not paying attention to your emergency flashers. How's this for an idea? If you want to minimize the risk of someone rear-ending you, don't hard brake.
3. Flash turn signals when going through bends.
Turn signals are meant to notify other drivers of changes in directions of your vehicle; not changes in directions of the current road. Steering left through a bend is not the same as making a left turn. It's not like you have the option to go any other direction. It's like telling the drivers behind "Hey, the road is bending left. Rather than driving my car off the road and down the cliff, I will be following this bend. I just thought it would be good to let you know that."
4. Flash turn signals midway through a lane change or a turn.
Why bother? This is like calling someone 29 minutes into your appointment to say you will be 30 minutes late. Don't even call. There's no point. You've already pissed someone off, so you might as well just show up.
5. Shift to neutral and apply hand-brake when stopped.
I suppose the driver's intent is to save fuel. This is an ineffective habit and is often used in combination with numerous other fuel-wasting behaviors. For example, hard braking, hard accelerations and tailgating.
6. Fail to shift back to drive and release hand-brake prior to stepping on the gas pedal.
This poor habit just damages and shortens the lifespan of the transmission and brakes. If you're going to practice the ineffective habit of shifting to neutral and applying the hand-brake, the least you can do is to be able to properly reverse your actions to get the car moving again.
On a related note, I've seen some drivers shift to park as an alternative to shifting to neutral and applying the hand-brake. They do so even in stop-and-go traffic. I can't even imagine the type of wear-and-tear their transmission goes through.
7. Occupy two lanes for the longest possible time while changing lanes in stop-and-go traffic.
I can't even rationalize why people do this. When changing lanes in slow moving traffic, either do it by steering hard into direction of the lane you want to switch to or don't do it. Why do people think it's ok to merge gradually into a lane when it's obvious that they're just holding up both lanes unnecessarily.
8. Line plush dolls across rear window.
I don't mean one or two plush dolls. I'm talking about the entire cast of Winnie the Pooh and all the variations of Disney's Stitch. If it's a woman behind the wheel, this gives off the impression that she's childish. If it's a man, it makes him look like a sissy. In terms of safety, it compromises the driver's ability to see through the rear window.
9. Line figurines across the dashboard, often right on top of where the airbags deploy on the front passenger side.
Again, I don't mean just one or two of those bobble-head things. I'm talking about every single McDonald's Happy Meal toy ever made. First two sentences of #8 applies here as well. In addition, people who do this are just putting themselves at risk. In an accident, I can foresee two deadly possibilities. The driver/passenger may ram their head against the figurines. Or the airbag will deploy which will launch the figurines as high-speed projectiles in random directions at everyone inside the vehicle.
10. Flash the right turn signal when entering a roundabout.
The car is steered to the left direction when entering a roundabout; so why does the driver think flashing the right turn signal is appropriate?
In fact, why flash the turn signals at all? #3 applies here as well. There's only one direction to go. It's not like it's possible for the driver to enter the roundabout going counter-clockwise against the flow of traffic.
Perhaps the driver wants to signal to the cars already in the roundabout? If they flash the left signal, it won't be visible to cars already in the roundabout; so they flash the right signal. But it's not necessary to signal to the cars already in the roundabout! Your car is not invisible. They see your car. They know you're looking to enter the roundabout. It's not like they see your car and think to themselves "Hey, there's a car at the entrance to this roundabout. But he's not flashing his turn signal. I guess he's just parked there enjoying the show."
Obviously, not everyone on the road in HK do these things. But enough of them do (especially taxis) to be enough of an annoyance. Are there any more that I missed?
Friday, November 26, 2010
Darth Vader is a Wimp
It used to be that Darth Vader was a bad-ass. He defined the scary villian role. The American Film Institute lists him as the third greatest movie villian ever. His unmistakable breathing sounds and heavy footsteps were enough to cause shivers down people's spines.
But his character started to lose a lot of credibility after The Empire Strikes Back...
Bad-ass moments
From A New Hope
"If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?!"
In this early scene, Vader shows his superhuman strength by easily holding up Captain Antilles by the throat with one hand.
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
In this memorable moment, he casually Force Chokes an Imperial soldier just for talking back to Vader by simply pinching his fingers together.
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master."
Here, Vader just stood there as if Obi-wan played right into his hands. You can almost hear Obi-wan mutter "oh crap!" under his breath.
"Your powers are weak, old man."
This quote was shortly before Vader delivered the death blow to Obi-wan.
From The Empire Strikes Back
"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral."
These were the last words an Imperial Admiral heard before being Force Choked to death because he inadvertently came out of lightspeed to close to the Hoth system.
"Apology accepted, Captain Needa."
This was Vader's response to Captain Needa's apology for losing the Millenium Falcon. Oh, and Vader also Force Choked him to death.
"We would be honored if you would join us."
Lando betrayed Han by bringing him before Vader. Han shot at Vader with his blaster. Vader simply held up his hand to deflect the shot and Force Pulled the blaster from Han. Pwned.
"Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?"
This was Vader's response after Lando suggested that they had never agreed to hand over Han to Boba Fett.
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."
Vader had previously agreed to let Leia and Chewie stay in Bespin but he subsequently ordered Lando to hand them over to him. Lando is just being toyed with the whole time.
"The Force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet."
Here, Vader taunts Luke prior to their first duel, suggesting that Luke is simply just not good enough to beat him.
"You are beaten. It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."
As Vader predicted, he severs Luke's hand and defeats him.
From The Return of the Jedi
"I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
Vader is angry at the slow construction progress of the 2nd Death Star. Upon learning that the Emperor will be paying a visit, the Commander suggested that they will double their efforts.
Wimpy moments
From The Empire Strikes Back
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
So all this time, Vader was just a pet under the control of Palpatine?!
From Return of the Jedi
"Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side! I must obey my master."
Again, this just confirms that he's a slave.
"It is... too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now."
This was kind of like Vader admitting impotence to his own son.
"You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me... Tell your sister... you were right..."
Talk about letting all the air out. This had to be the most disappointing moment in the Star Wars saga. We finally get to see the man behind the mask and he's just an fat, old, bald dude.
From The Phantom Menace
"I can't do it, Mom. I just can't do it."
9-year old Anakin was just a momma's boy...
"Are you an angel?"
Seriously?
Actually, every line uttered by Jake Lloyd as 9-year old Anakin Skywalker just tarnishes more of Vader's legacy.
From The Attack of the Clones
"So have you. Grown more beautiful, I mean. Well, for a Senator I mean."
Smooth talker, eh?
"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love."
What?
"Excuse me, I'm in charge of security here, milady."
Anakin tries, unsuccessfully, to wrestle control of the situation from his future wife, Padme.
"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."
The all powerful Lord Vader has a soft spot...
"From the moment I met you, all those years ago, not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of you. And now that I'm with you again... I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you- I can't breath. I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating... hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me... what can I do?- I will do anything you ask."
I feel sorry for Padme. This has to be the most uncomfortably awkward moment ever...
"You're going to pay for all the Jedi that you've killed today, Dooku."
Unfortunately, Anakin just doesn't have the skills to back up his words and loses his arm in the process.
From The Revenge of the Sith
"You are so... beautiful."
Another smooth line by our powerful Dark Lord of the Sith...
"What? How can you do this? This is outrageous, it's unfair."
What a brat...
"I will do whatever you ask. Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her."
Ok. There are two wars going on. One is between the Republic and the Seperatists and the second is between the Jedi and the Sith. Anakin is a Jedi Knight serving the Republic. He decides to prioritize his dream of his wife dying ahead of these 2 wars? That's a bit iffy isn't it?
"You underestimate my power!"
Apparently, Obi-wan knew exactly how capable Anakin was. Immediately after this line, he completely sliced up Anakin's limbs.
"Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
It's just very odd hearing Vader say this with his mechanical voice...
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Of course, how can I leave out the most memorable line of the movie. Like father, like son.
From The Force Unleashed
"I've trained you well, but you still have much to learn."
Vader was wrong as he gets completely owned by Galen Marek. His helmet gets sliced off and suit is all busted up.
From The Force Unleashed 2
"As long as she lives, I will always control you."
Let's recap. A couple of years ago, Vader lost to Galen Marek in all aspects of battle. It was obvious that Galen was superior in both lightsaber combat and in Force abilities. Now, Vader loses to Galen again (albeit a clone). Galen is holding Vader as captive. Considering the circumstances, Vader's words just don't really hold up.
But his character started to lose a lot of credibility after The Empire Strikes Back...
Bad-ass moments
From A New Hope
"If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?!"
In this early scene, Vader shows his superhuman strength by easily holding up Captain Antilles by the throat with one hand.
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
In this memorable moment, he casually Force Chokes an Imperial soldier just for talking back to Vader by simply pinching his fingers together.
"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master."
Here, Vader just stood there as if Obi-wan played right into his hands. You can almost hear Obi-wan mutter "oh crap!" under his breath.
"Your powers are weak, old man."
This quote was shortly before Vader delivered the death blow to Obi-wan.
From The Empire Strikes Back
"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral."
These were the last words an Imperial Admiral heard before being Force Choked to death because he inadvertently came out of lightspeed to close to the Hoth system.
"Apology accepted, Captain Needa."
This was Vader's response to Captain Needa's apology for losing the Millenium Falcon. Oh, and Vader also Force Choked him to death.
"We would be honored if you would join us."
Lando betrayed Han by bringing him before Vader. Han shot at Vader with his blaster. Vader simply held up his hand to deflect the shot and Force Pulled the blaster from Han. Pwned.
"Perhaps you think you're being treated unfairly?"
This was Vader's response after Lando suggested that they had never agreed to hand over Han to Boba Fett.
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."
Vader had previously agreed to let Leia and Chewie stay in Bespin but he subsequently ordered Lando to hand them over to him. Lando is just being toyed with the whole time.
"The Force is with you, young Skywalker, but you are not a Jedi yet."
Here, Vader taunts Luke prior to their first duel, suggesting that Luke is simply just not good enough to beat him.
"You are beaten. It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."
As Vader predicted, he severs Luke's hand and defeats him.
From The Return of the Jedi
"I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am."
Vader is angry at the slow construction progress of the 2nd Death Star. Upon learning that the Emperor will be paying a visit, the Commander suggested that they will double their efforts.
Wimpy moments
From The Empire Strikes Back
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
So all this time, Vader was just a pet under the control of Palpatine?!
From Return of the Jedi
"Obi-Wan once thought as you do. You don't know the power of the dark side! I must obey my master."
Again, this just confirms that he's a slave.
"It is... too late for me, son. The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now."
This was kind of like Vader admitting impotence to his own son.
"You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me... Tell your sister... you were right..."
Talk about letting all the air out. This had to be the most disappointing moment in the Star Wars saga. We finally get to see the man behind the mask and he's just an fat, old, bald dude.
From The Phantom Menace
"I can't do it, Mom. I just can't do it."
9-year old Anakin was just a momma's boy...
"Are you an angel?"
Seriously?
Actually, every line uttered by Jake Lloyd as 9-year old Anakin Skywalker just tarnishes more of Vader's legacy.
From The Attack of the Clones
"So have you. Grown more beautiful, I mean. Well, for a Senator I mean."
Smooth talker, eh?
"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love."
What?
"Excuse me, I'm in charge of security here, milady."
Anakin tries, unsuccessfully, to wrestle control of the situation from his future wife, Padme.
"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth."
The all powerful Lord Vader has a soft spot...
"From the moment I met you, all those years ago, not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of you. And now that I'm with you again... I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you- I can't breath. I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating... hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me... what can I do?- I will do anything you ask."
I feel sorry for Padme. This has to be the most uncomfortably awkward moment ever...
"You're going to pay for all the Jedi that you've killed today, Dooku."
Unfortunately, Anakin just doesn't have the skills to back up his words and loses his arm in the process.
From The Revenge of the Sith
"You are so... beautiful."
Another smooth line by our powerful Dark Lord of the Sith...
"What? How can you do this? This is outrageous, it's unfair."
What a brat...
"I will do whatever you ask. Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her."
Ok. There are two wars going on. One is between the Republic and the Seperatists and the second is between the Jedi and the Sith. Anakin is a Jedi Knight serving the Republic. He decides to prioritize his dream of his wife dying ahead of these 2 wars? That's a bit iffy isn't it?
"You underestimate my power!"
Apparently, Obi-wan knew exactly how capable Anakin was. Immediately after this line, he completely sliced up Anakin's limbs.
"Where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?"
It's just very odd hearing Vader say this with his mechanical voice...
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Of course, how can I leave out the most memorable line of the movie. Like father, like son.
From The Force Unleashed
"I've trained you well, but you still have much to learn."
Vader was wrong as he gets completely owned by Galen Marek. His helmet gets sliced off and suit is all busted up.
From The Force Unleashed 2
"As long as she lives, I will always control you."
Let's recap. A couple of years ago, Vader lost to Galen Marek in all aspects of battle. It was obvious that Galen was superior in both lightsaber combat and in Force abilities. Now, Vader loses to Galen again (albeit a clone). Galen is holding Vader as captive. Considering the circumstances, Vader's words just don't really hold up.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Star Wars III Revenge of the Sith: An odd observation
I was re-watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and noticed something in the duel between Count Dooku versus Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi that I've not heard mentioned before.
Did Palpatine assist Dooku by augmenting his Force attacks?I noticed that everytime that Dooku used a Force attack, the camera cuts to Palpatine who seems to be reacting ambiguously.
The 2 Jedi Knights attacked Dooku together at first. Dooku was able to fend off the attacks but it was obvious that Anakin and Obi-wan had the advantage.
So Dooku Force-pushed Obi-wan away so that he can focus on Anakin. Notice the camera had cut to Palpatine immediately prior to the Force-push.
Obi-wan quickly tried to re-engage Dooku. Dooku held off Anakin by kicking him against a wall and then simultaneously used Force-grip to choke and levitate Obi-wan. Again, the camera had cut to Palpatine immediately prior to this. This time, Palpatine's reaction is very odd. He gave a yelp.
Then Dooku viciously hurled Obi-wan against a wall and proceeded to use the Force to collapse the balcony on top of Obi-wan. This time, the camera cuts to Palpatine after Dooku's usage of the Force. Palpatine's expression appears to be a little strained.
Why would Palpatine assist Dooku in the duel?
Palpatine is unconcerned with Obi-wan. He wants Anakin to kill Dooku and replace him as his apprentice. Perhaps Palpatine wants Anakin to prove himself by defeating Dooku one-on-one. So, he helped Dooku to easily take Obi-wan out of the picture.
Why it makes sense that Dooku needed asssitance?
Dooku was a powerful Force-practitioner. But Obi-wan Kenobi was no chopped liver either. He was one of the more powerful Jedi Masters. I find it quite strange that Kenobi would allow himself to be Force-pushed aside or Force-gripped like he was a padawan. It seems to make more sense if Dooku had his Force attacks augmented by Palpatine's own powers.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Lebron James: Triple-double season? Not even close.
So, I've read that this year is suppose to be the year Lebron James may average a triple-double for the season.
- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/505623-miami-heat-can-lebron-james-really-average-a-triple-double-per-game
- http://nbaprimetime.com/lebron-james-set-to-average-first-triple-double-of-this-generation/3048/
- http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/07/14/lebron-james-could-very-well-average-a-trip-doub-next-season/
These articles all look at past stats and current trends in their analysis. But looking at these can only tell so much. Now that the season has begun, we have a better picture of what to expect.
To be on pace for a trible-double average, James needs to accumulate at least a total of 10 pts, 10 reb, and 10 ast per game.
Over 4 games, James is at 62 pts, 16 reb and 17 ast.
Quick math shows that he's behind by 24 reb and 23 ast. That's off by a huge margin. Label me a pessimist but there's no way Lebron averages a triple-double in a season.
Also, when I think of a triple-double, Lebron isn't even the first player to come to mind. Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul are the guys that I think of who are likely to get a triple-double on a nightly basis. A look at their stats shows that they're actually closer to a triple-double average than Lebron James.
Lebron James
Over 4 games, he's at 20.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 5.7 apg
Rajon Rondo
Over 3 games, he's at 10.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 16.7 apg
Chris Paul
Over 3 games he's at 17.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 11.5 apg
So if Lebron James, can't duplicate Oscar Robertson's triple-double average, then perhaps he can challenge the Big'O's other record, the top spot in total triple-doubles?
Nope. He won't even crack the top 3.
Lebron currently has 34 triple-doubles over 7 seasons. That's about 4.86 per season.
Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I'll assume he plays 20 full seasons while keeping up his current pace of collecting triple-doubles (this is highly unlikely which just strengthens my point). This will give him about 97 triple-doubles over 20 seasons, moving him past Wilt Chamberlain for 4th place.
3rd place is occupied by Jason Kidd with 105 over 16 seasons. To match him, James will need to increase his current triple-double production by about 12%.
2nd place is occupied by Magic Johnson with 138 over 13 seasons. To match him, James will need to increase his current triple-double production by about 65%.
1st place is occupied by none other than Oscar Robertson with 181 over 14 seasons. To match him, James will need to increase his current triple-double production by about 133%.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
My PC is finally piracy-free
A year after it's release, I finally made the jump to Windows 7 on my desktop. I've been using Windows XP ever since 2001. Skipped the Vista upgrade because of all the negative press around it. Other than getting a more modern and refreshed OS, this represents a significant move for me in terms of ethics.
I've made an internal pact with myself: No more piracy.
Back in the day, I didn't believe in purchasing software. I would buy hardware but I didn't believe in paying more money just to use the hardware. It just didn't seem fair.
Even to this day, it's a bit painful to shell out the HKD 1,550 for Windows 7 Home Premium. But since that's the only piece of software that I need to pay for, it's easier to swallow. For everything else, I'll stick with free and or open-source alternatives. Most work just as well, if not better. If I add up the cost of all the commercial software counterparts, the savings really add up.
Photo Editing
GIMP vs Photoshop
Cost of Photoshop CS5 is USD 699
PDF creator
CutePDF vs Adobe Acrobat
Cost of Adobe Acrobat X Pro is USD 499
Office Suite
OpenOffice and Google Docs vs Microsoft Office
Cost of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 is USD 149.99
Optical Media Creation
InfraRecorder vs Nero
Cost of Nero Multimedia Suite 10 is USD 99.99
Antivirus
AVG vs Norton
Cost of Norton AntiVirus 2011 (for one year protection) is USD 39.99
DVD Video Player
VLC vs WinDVD
Cost of WinDVD 2010 is USD 39.99
7-Zip vs WinZip
Cost of WinZip is USD 29.95
By staying away from the commercial stuff, I saved USD 1,557.91 (roughly over HKD 12,000). Suddenly the cost of the OS seems minuscule. For the first time, all my computing needs are satisfied while keeping a clear conscience.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Gadget Retrospective
What type of gadgets did you use to carry back in the day? Ever looked back at them and think to yourself, "Wow, I can't believe how I used to think that was cool"?
Late junior high years. I used to have a Sony Discman D-133. I thought it was terrible even back then. There was no memory buffer, so the audio would skip all the time. I remember I had to wrap a towel around it while I kept it in my backpack for shock-absorbing purposes. It had a tiny display which wasn't back-lit. It was overall ugly enough that taking it out to change tracks was embarrassing.
Early high school. I upgraded to a D-135 which had ESP (electronic skip protection). Basically, it buffers some of the audio in flash memory so that it can continue the playback even when the device was moved. This feature was pretty ineffective in my usage. I use to keep the device in my backpack and the audio would skip every time I stepped off a curb or went down more than 2 steps. To make matters worse, the ESP feature just absolutely kills the battery. It uses 100% more power than normal. Because of this, I hardly ever turn on ESP. It'll skip anyway, so I'd rather have long battery life. Oh, and the thing was a brick.
Later highschool years, I used to have a Sony MZ R-55 MiniDisc player/recorder. I used to love the thing. But now, the limitations of it are apparent.
Right when I started university, my R-55 ended up dead. I moved back to the US; in my attempt to charge the device, I forgot about the voltage requirements and fried the thing. I then switched to the MZ-E80 MiniDisc player. By then the MiniDisc days were numbered as the MP3 format started to take over.
Here's my trip down memory lane...
Early high school. I upgraded to a D-135 which had ESP (electronic skip protection). Basically, it buffers some of the audio in flash memory so that it can continue the playback even when the device was moved. This feature was pretty ineffective in my usage. I use to keep the device in my backpack and the audio would skip every time I stepped off a curb or went down more than 2 steps. To make matters worse, the ESP feature just absolutely kills the battery. It uses 100% more power than normal. Because of this, I hardly ever turn on ESP. It'll skip anyway, so I'd rather have long battery life. Oh, and the thing was a brick.
- Each disc was limited to 80minutes of audio which is stored in an uncompressed format. It would have made much more sense if it allowed for mp3 format. That way, you would be able to store 700 minutes of audio per disc.
- The ability to record music digitally was a big deal back then. Previously, you would only be able to record analog via cassette tape. However, getting digital media on MDs was a hassle. They record in real-time so it was slow. And you had to have the proper equipment (ie, optical cable & CD player that supports optical out, etc).
- Tagging music. Another big deal back then was the ability to label the audio tracks. But you had to do this manually one by one using a dial on the player. It was such a hassle but for some reason, I had put up with it.
- Formfactor. The device was bulky. Display was small. Buttons were small. Battery performance was acceptable if it was used only to playback audio. Once you use it to record, battery dies down after 2 or 3 hours.
For most of university, I had this on me most of the time: Creative MuVo TX MP3 player with 256MB of flash storage
Actually, this is one of my favorite gadgets I've ever had for the following reasons:
- Long battery life even though it runs on a single AAA battery (about 12hrs).
- It has a built-in mic which I used to record lectures.
- It's ridiculously small and light.
- Has a backlit display.
- It doubles has a USB flash memory drive.
- No wires or cables.
Even if I subject it to today's standards, it's not that bad. The only things you can really fault are:
- Lack of rechargeable battery.
- Insufficient storage capacity at 256MB. (But hey, flash memory was a lot more expensive back then)
- Tiny display
So, that's it. By 2006, I switched to iPods and then eventually smartphones.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Public posing on Hong Kong Police motorbikes
A funny bit of news in the paper today. Please see here and here for details.
Here's the quick & dirty rundown:
- Hong Kong Police were out conducting crowd control on the evening of Oct 1 (National Day).
- Members of the public decided to pose with the police for photos.
- Members of the public even mounted the police motorbikes for photos.
Whether or not this is acceptable is up for debate. But here's an excerpt taken from the South China Morning Post article.
A police spokesman said officers were on crowd-control duty at the time and the force required officers to be "lenient and pragmatic" to suit the festival atmosphere. He said officers were allowed to take photos with the public upon request, but police would look into the situation where some people sat on police bikes.Hmm, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that after careful deliberation, the police would not find themselves at fault for this...
Friday, September 24, 2010
McDonald's Rant 5 - Sausage McMuffin & Filet'O'Fish
I suppose this is less of a rant but rather a curious observation.
Why is it that these are the only McDonald's food items that are sold throughout the entire day? Filet'O'Fish is a lunch menu item and yet, it's available during breakfast. Sausage McMuffin is a breakfast menu item and yet, it's available during lunch. Who chose these 2 sandwiches? Why these 2? Why not the Big Mac or the Egg McMuffin?
(This applies to Hong Kong McD's only)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
McDonald's Rant 4 - Commercial
See here for the other rants.
My wife and I were disgusted by a recent McDonald's TV commercial here in HK. Video link here. The basic rundown of the commercial goes like this:
- Family of 4: Mom, dad, son, and younger daughter.
- Commercial opens with the son playing alone with his train set. His little sister interrupts him by taking the train off the tracks. He shows his dissatisfaction by telling his sister to stop. The mom sticks her head out from the kitchen and tells her son to yield to his sister.
- Son tries to show Mom a drawing he made. Mom is busy feeding her younger daughter and tells her son to go away to play by himself.
- The whole family goes to a park. Both mom and dad focus on their daughter while their son sits alone on the bench sulking. They then look over to their son and realize what they must do.
- They all go to McDonald's where the dad orders a Big Mac meal for his son.
- His son shows surprise and enthusiasm (because he's supposedly only expecting a Happy Meal?)
- His dad implies that he's getting a Big Mac meal because he's grown up and no longer a child.
- The son happily celebrates getting his "grown up" meal, having completely forgotten how his douche-bag parents treated him like dirt just moments ago.
- The parents completely neglected their first-born child with the arrival of a new baby.
- Instead of spending more time with their son, they decided to buy him out with a Big Mac meal.
- So now, the son is suppose to feel ok with that because he got a Big Mac?
McDonald's seems to be claiming their food is more important than parental care. If so, all parents should forget about giving their kids attention, encouragement or hugs. Just buy them all Big Mac meals. If you really want to show your love, super-size them.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
McDonald's Rant 3 - McNuggets Sauce
Here in HK, if you order McNuggets, the server gives you the default sauce. That is, sweet & sour sauce. They have several sauces. Sometimes, they have promotional periods where they offer special sauces. But even in normal days, they at least have barbecue sauce and mustard sauce as alternatives.
(Why they don't normally have honey mustard sauce is beyond me. They only have it during special promotional periods. At those times, they call it the Singaporean Honey Mustard Sauce. I have no idea how honey mustard is related to Singapore.)
So why is it that they assume that everyone wants sweet & sour sauce? Is it because we're Chinese and they feel we have to use a Chinese sauce for our McNuggets? If so, why not give us oyster sauce or soy sauce? Or perhaps they should just take McNuggets off the menu all together and replace it with McKungPao Chicken!
Ok, I'm not really being serious when I'm implying there's a racial issue to all this sweet & sour sauce business. Anyway...
Try asking for an alternative sauce to the sweet & sour. Rather than just giving you the alternative sauce, the server will replace the sauce they've given you. Even if your order was a take-out and the sweet & sour sauce is in your paper bag under 2 sandwiches with a bunch of fries, they will use their grimy hands to dig out that sauce before giving you the sauce you requested.
Good luck trying to get extra sauce. I can't verify this since I've never asked for more sauce. But apparently, they actually charge you for it.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
McDonald's Rant 2 - Napkins
See here for the other rants.
In many ways, my rant regarding the ketchup packets also apply to napkins. No matter how much food you've ordered, by default you only get 2 pieces of napkins. You could have ordered 3 trays of food and unless you've asked for more napkins, you only get 2 pieces.
But actually, the amount of napkins you receive should be the least of your worries at McDonald's. Pay attention to how you've acquired those pieces of napkins and you'll see what I mean.
1. The person handling the cash register is the one responsible for placing the napkin on your tray. That same person is responsible for handling the money which is incredibly dirty. And since that person is trained to give you 2 napkins only, each napkin has made contact with his/her filthy fingers. Wait, it gets worse...
2. If the orders gets backed up, the servers sometimes review what's outstanding for each tray. And each time they review a tray, they use their hands to tap on your piece of napkin. So if you think about it, your napkin has already been used by the time you get to it. Wait, it gets worse...
3. Let's assume your order is a take-out. When they've completed packing your order into the paper bag, they use all five fingers to grab your napkin and receipt and toss it into your bag. Congrats, your napkin has just been soiled further. Wait, it gets worse...
4. If your order is a take-out, sometimes they don't even give you a tray. They place your receipt on top of your 2 pieces of napkins and just place it on the counter. If there's a line, your order gets moved across the counter to make room for the next. That means, your napkin has now been used to wipe their counter clean.
Just remember this the next time you use that harmless looking napkin for anything...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
McDonald's Rant 1 - Ketchup Packets
I'm feeling rather antsy these days because of my wife's pregnancy. So I'm going to start a couple of posts on rants regarding McDonald's over the next couple of days.
Using just 1 minute searching on Google, I was able to find that I can buy a case of a 1000 ketchup packets for US $32.79. That's less than HK $0.30 per packet. Consider that a fast food chain as large as McDonald's would certainly buy in bulk and that price would surely be lower.
Then why is it that by default, you never get more than 1 pack of ketchup if your order contains fries here in Hong Kong? You always have to pop the question:
"May I have some more packs of ketchup please?"
By "some more", you would expect at least 2 or 3. Definitely not 1. Then why is it that the server keeps only giving you 1 more? It's just a waste of time and effort because then I would have to ask them for more again and they have to get me more again.
What's worse is sometimes they respond to your question with another question:
"How many do you need?"
That's the most stupid thing. Firstly, it's rude. Secondly, with the effort they made by asking the question and then waiting for my response, they could have filled my entire tray with ketchup packs. For this very reason, I never answer this question. I just repeat my request for "some more" packs of ketchup.
This whole thing just makes the restaurant look cheap. While McDonald's is certainly no 5-star restaurant, you would think they can afford to generously give away ketchup packets.
Maybe the next time I get asked how many packets of ketchup I need, I should say something like this:
"I'm not sure. I usually use about a pea-size amount per piece of fry. I think that will burn through about 1 packet of ketchup for every 10 fries. How many fries do you reckon there are on this tray?"
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Kevin Durant - Much Respect
I've never watched Kevin Durant play prior to the FIBA World Championship semi-finals game between USA and Lithuania. Meanwhile, I've watched Lebron James play numerous times. In just one game, Durant has done two things that Lebron has not. He led a team to a championship on the professional level and he's earned my respect as a basketball player.
On the professional level, Lebron James has never lead a team to glory. He's never won an NBA Championship. He's won an Olympic Gold Medal back in 2008 but he was clearly not the leader of the team; Kobe Bryant was.
Kevin Durant, on the other hand, was the clear leader on this World Championship team. His teammates deferred to him. He knew what his team needed from him and he executed. He risked his reputation by taking over the team. He knew that he would be the one to blame if Team USA lost but did it anyway because he had the courage and the heart to do so. This is something that you can't say for Lebron James (Remember, his kick-out pass to Donyell Marshell?).
Heart is difficult to measure. So I won't continue to question James' heart in the game. I'll question his skills.
In all my time of watching Lebron James, here's my breakdown of his game:
- He has excellent court vision primarily because of his height, he simply sees over the defense.
- He has never developed a post-up game. He has no back-to-the-basket moves.
- The way he gets to the rim is he just drives hard and powers his way through the defense. I've never seen him use deception on his moves.
- No change of speed moves.
- His perimeter shooting has improved but is unreliable.
- He's able to get perimeter shots off because of his length; not because of quickness or deception.
- His defense is over-rated. Uses his hands more than he uses his feet.
In my one game of watching Kevin Durant, his game was just beautiful to watch.
- Like James, he can see over the defense and makes excellent passes.
- He's 6-10 but naturally plays the 3 spot and prefers to operate on the perimeter. But when he's put on the low block, he has shown he has some nice low post moves (ie, shoulder fakes, spin, hooks, etc)
- He's tall but he handles the ball like a guard. His dribbles are low, wide, and most importantly, blindingly fast. Several times I see him with a live dribble walking up to the defender and he just simply shook him back several feet with just a couple of dribbling moves.
- He gets to the rim with finesse. The defender never even touches him because he faked him so hard that he's out of the picture.
- He has a beautifully clean shooting stroke for such a tall player. Very effortless even when far out on the 3pt line.
- Durant likes to use his step-back move to set up his jumper. And he sells the fake very nicely. Each time he does it, he successfully creates space between him and the defender to get a clean look. James also likes to use the step-back. But every time he does it, the defender is still right up on him and the only way the shot gets off is because of James' length.
- I've not seen enough games to comment on Durant's defense. But with his speed and length, he's definitely no slouch.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Looming problem for Hong Kong - birth rate
Ask anyone in Hong Kong about the most pressing issue that's bothering them about the city. Here are the answers that you'll likely hear:
Hong Kong is ranked last (223) globally in Crude Birth Rate (CBR). CBR is the average annual number of births per 1,000 persons at midyear. Hong Kong's score is 7.42. In comparison, even China which has strict population controls in place, scored 14.00 (rank 151). See here for source and scores of other countries.
In Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Hong Kong is ranked second to last globally (222). TFR is the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. Hong Kong's score is 1.02. Only Macau is ranked lower with 0.91. See here for source and scores of other countries.
For those who thought that an aging population is not something you will face in your lifetime, think again. It's coming at us faster than you might believe.
- Property prices are ridiculously high
- Non-democratic government
- Inadequate education system
- Worsening air pollution
Hong Kong is ranked last (223) globally in Crude Birth Rate (CBR). CBR is the average annual number of births per 1,000 persons at midyear. Hong Kong's score is 7.42. In comparison, even China which has strict population controls in place, scored 14.00 (rank 151). See here for source and scores of other countries.
In Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Hong Kong is ranked second to last globally (222). TFR is the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. Hong Kong's score is 1.02. Only Macau is ranked lower with 0.91. See here for source and scores of other countries.
For those who thought that an aging population is not something you will face in your lifetime, think again. It's coming at us faster than you might believe.
Overpriced products that we buy
Came across an interesting read from MSN Money today about products that are obviously overpriced and yet, we as consumers still buy them. Some main quotes taken from the article:1. Movie popcorn
Average markup of movie theater popcorn is a whopping 1,275%.
2. Greeting Cards
The markup is between 100% and 200%.
3. College textbooks
College textbook prices have skyrocketed 186% since 1986, and these expensive volumes of knowledge now account for 26% of the overall cost of college.
4. Bottled water
45% of bottled water comes from minicipal taps.
5. Printer ink
At $30, a 42-milliliter cartridge of black printer ink comes out to 70 cents per milliliter. On the other hand, the Red Cross charges $200 for 500 milliliters of blood, which comes out to 40 cents per milliliter.
6. Brand-name fashion
Often marked up 500% to 1,000%.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Agonizingly slow computer at the office
Damn, check out the specs of the computer I use at work:
The CPU is a Pentium 4 HT 3.0E. It's 3.0Ghz, 800mhz FSB with 1024kb of L2. It was released in Feb 2004.
I'm not asking for a Core i7 or even Xeons. But I'd expect at least a dual core. This damn thing is single core. Sure it has hyperthreading, but it's pretty much useless because of the next item.
It has 512mb of DDR2 in dual-channel.
Again, I don't have high standards. I don't need DDR3 or triple channel. At least 2GB of RAM would alleviate a lot of my frustrations. To add fuel to the fire, 8MB of the RAM went to the onboard graphics. (Even my smartphone has 576MB of RAM!)
Windows XP Service Pack 2
Oh my god. I don't expect any large corporations to be adopting Windows Vista since it was such a disaster. And Windows 7 probably still needs a couple years of testing. But Service Pack 3 released in May 2008!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Clipping nails in public
Is it just me or would most people agree that clipping your nails should not be done in public? To me, the grossness is about as much as it would be if someone was scratching their scalp such that their dandruff fell onto people nearby.
Yet somehow, this disturbing practice is becoming more and more common here in Hong Kong. I've personally seen it on trains and buses. On the ferry, I've once heard the distinctive clipping sound before I quickly got up and went to the other side of the boat.
Why do people think this is acceptable? First of all, it's littering because they scatter their clippings everywhere. So they should be fined. But most of all, it's seriously just gross. Nail clippings are bodily wastes. Certainly urinating in public is universally unacceptable, so why not clipping nails?
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