The NS Song

YouTube Link

Let's sing along to the NS Song. "NS is for everyone. NS is a crime. NS is a must for all. NS waste of time. Civil Defence and Police. Don't forget Armee. We cannot escape and we don't wanna go DB." Damn. This is funny and the Evil Bunny is cute.

(via Disgruntled Singaporean)

The Carputer Project

Dude successfully built a computer into his Toyota FJ. The Carputer as he calls it, has navigation, internet, plays mp3s, dvds, etc.

Damp Cats

A blog about wet cats? Crikey! I thought the site describes itself best: "Damp Cats is teh ultimate collection of wet, soggy, undry and generally damp cats on the web. If there wasn't a market for this kind of content, we wouldn't have done it so it isn't US who are sick.'

Comex 2007 Showgirls

There's more to Comex than just IT products and consumer electronic goods. Don't forget to check out the Comex Showgirls! I love Shinco! Ahem. Comex 2007 is on now till 2 September at the Suntec City Exhibition Centre. Admission is free.

(Thanks Johnny Q)

The Simpsons Star Wars

YouTube Link

This Simpsons Star Wars intro clip is so brilliantly done that you would be forgiven for thinking that it was made by the same folks that brought you The Simpsons. Doh! It's actually a parody done by animator Rich Cando.

Metal Slug style Flash Game

Special Mission is a Metal Slug style flash game where you control a character to shoot enemy soldiers and rescue helpless bearded men. The instructions are in Chinese but I guess it's pretty straight forward to play. Lot's of fun!

(Thanks Mr Big)

What should I do in Singapore?

Spotted this on Ask Metafilter. Dude asks what should he do when he is in Singapore. From Ask Mefi:

I want to go to Singapore. I dont know anything about Singapore. I want to experience Singapore. What is there to do? I'm 18 years old.

I'll be leaving late-December, and returning mid-January. Looking for cultural hints (e.g. greet everyone with 'Singapore Hello!') and tips on what to do. I'll be staying with aunt and uncle, but I can roam the city by myself.

He has received some good replies but I like this one the best:

Do not bring, buy, sell, or take illegal drugs while you are there.

Today's Topix Singapore News

I've been editing the Topix Singapore News page since few days ago. These are the Singapore news just posted today:

Separating bona fide fans from freeloaders: Not all anime programme downloaders in Singapore are equally at risk of being found liable for copyright infringement. Some of them will be in a stronger position than others to invoke the 'fair dealing' provisions of the Copyright Act. The challenge for the copyright owner is to separate the bona fide fans from the bogus freeloaders.

Singapore Medical Council in tiff with journal over right of reply: The Singapore Medical Council is taking issue with medical journal The Lancet for not running its letter rebutting allegations made against it in an article by a neurology professor sacked from his Singapore post in 2004.

Ports competition: Don't worry lah, Rafidah tells S'pore: Singapore need not worry about the development of Malaysia's ports and logistics services as a significant amount of goods were being brought in and sent out via Singapore.

Anti-malaria pills replaced after NS man's death: A common anti-malaria pill given to about 30,000 servicemen every year since 1985 has been taken off the inventory following the death of a full-time national serviceman who developed complications.

Lee Kuan Yew, founder of Singapore, changing with times: Vigorous and strong-minded and on the verge of his 84th birthday, Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew talked at length about his country's vulnerabilities, its slow movement toward a more open, worldly society and the influence of China, India and the United States in world affairs.

Read them all at Topix Singapore News.

Btw, if you've got breaking news, or just an interesting story you'd like to submit to the Singapore News editors, just use the tools found here. Alternatively, you can email me at izreloaded[at]gmail[dot]com.

Pics of Panda cub growing up

Photos documenting the first three months of a panda bear's growth. Awww. He is so cute!

(Thanks Shy)

Darth Vader Transformer

Everyone's favourite Sith Lord, Darth Vader, is now part of the Transformers toy family! Presenting the Darth Vader Transformer. I must hand it to the Hasbro toy designers who came up with this idea. Darth Vader is a very popular character. And to have him transform to the Death Star is just brilliant. I think he looks far more menacing than Megatron. The Decepticon should have him as their new leader.

Enter The Dragon: First Pics of the new HP Notebook PC

On Monday, I got my hands on the new HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Series Notebook PC, aka the Dragon courtesy of the lovely folks at Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific and Burson-Marsteller (SEA). Btw, if you're a company planning to start a blogger relations program, you just have to look at what HP together with BM are doing - they are first class! This is my second time working with them. The first time was for the HP iPaq rw8828. Ok, back to the Dragon. I was told that I'm the first blogger in the region to use it. What a huge honour aye! The Dragon is not even out in the market yet. It will be launched sometime middle of next month, if I'm not wrong. Here are some pictures first:









The Dragon is the most awesome notebook I've ever used. Will blog more about my experience using it. Anyway, the strangest thing happened when I brought the Dragon home. The Toshiba notebook that I'm currently using refuse to work as soon as the Dragon got into my study. I got a feeling that the Dragon does have the ability to make other notebooks jealous. Hmmm.

Get your hair cut by Japanese maids

YouTube Link

Over at Moesham, a hair saloon in Akihabara, Tokyo, you get your hair cut and cleaned by maids in frilly aprons and bonnets. Check out their maids here. The saloon is targeting otakus and people who obviously have a maid fetish.

Track your life using Pile of Index Cards

Dude teaches you how to track your life - everything you see, feel, think, discover, do, hear, and read - by using index cards. It's like blogging minus blogs! Kinda like old school diary writing but supposedly improves your productivity and creativity in daily life. Flickr set here.

Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse!

Photo by cosmosjon.

A total eclipse of the moon will be visible today for those in North and South America, the Pacific, eastern Asia and Australia. Unfortunately for us in Singapore and our neighbours, totality will be over when the moon is about to rise. Darn! Click the following link for maps and eclipse timings. From NASA:

August's lunar eclipse is well-placed for North and South America as well as the Pacific, eastern Asia and Australia. All of North America will witness some portion of the eclipse, but western observers are favored. The early umbral phases will be in progress at moonset for observers in Maritime Canada. From the eastern USA, the Great Lakes region and Ontario, the Moon sets in total eclipse. Only observers to the west of the Rockies (including Alaska) will be treated to the entire event. All phases of the eclipse are also visible from islands of the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and eastern Australia. Various stages of the eclipse are in progress at moonrise for eastern Asia. No eclipse is visible from Europe, Africa and western Asia.

Those who are living in countries where the total lunar eclipse isn't visible, can head to Discovery Channel's Live Streaming of the eclipse from 5.30pm. Discovery Channel Asia (Starhub Cable TV Channel 12) will also have a 2 hour moon special featuring documentaries "95 Worlds and Counting" and "If We Had No Moon" from 5pm.

A Field Guide to Office Workers

Check out the Field Guide to Office Workers to find out what kind of people are working together with you in the office. I'm in the Smoke Breakers group but minus the obnoxious odour, of course.

Classic Cassette Bag

This Classic Cassette Bag looks so damn retro cool that I don't mind carrying one, eventhough it is for ladies. The bag even has handles that look like tape coming out of the cassette.

(Thanks Larry A)

One of the biggest penis in the world has been auctioned off

A 4 1/2 foot fossilized penis belonged to a walrus, believed to be one of the biggest in the world, has been sold to Ripley's for $9,600. From MSNBC:

Although it is believed to be the biggest ever found, the Walrus member sold for
less than the $12,000 to $16,000 it was expected to go for.

"I'm glad the penis went to Ripley, so everybody will have an opportunity to see it. It is definitely interesting," Chait said. "It's one of the biggest penises in the world as far as I know."

It was discovered in the frozen tundra of Siberia and dates back 12,000 years to the Pleistocene Period. The mammal's manhood is mummified, with a layer of perfectly preserved skin intact, according to Chait.

Basketball anyone?

I saw this in my neighbourhood. Didn't know there's a shortage of basketball courts in Singapore.

The Power of Photoshop

Metacafe Video Link

Amazing video showing how Photoshop can be used to transform a fat girl into a sexy chick. Wow!

Car Crash Test Videos

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety in the US has been doing crash tests on various car models to determine their safety performance. Watch the videos of the crash tests here. Lots of car models to choose from.

World's Highest Escalator

The 40 storey Umeda Sky Building in Osaka, Japan has the world's highest escalator which connects the building's two towers. Pictures here.

Nintendo Necklace

Here's a necklace that every girl gamer would want to wear. The necklace has a 2 faced pendant - one side has a feminine cherry blossom design while the other has a classic Nintendo NES controller!

(Thanks mistyz)

Miwa Asao: Japan's hottest beach volleyball player

YouTube Link

I think I should go to Japan, find my favourite Jap girl Risa Niigaki and Miwa Asao, Japan's sexy beach volleyball player, and propose to them both. LOL. The 21 year old Asao has set off a new craze for the sport in her country. It's not hard to see why. She's so hot aye! Check out those, mmm... hands of hers. Ahem. Here's another video. Dang! I wanna take up beach volleyball soon.

I love HMV!

I was browsing the cartoons section at HMV CityLink and guess what I found?

These gems!









He-Man, She-Ra, Visionaries and Transformers - my favourite cartoons from the 80s on DVD! I love HMV!

Related: Watch intro clips of 1980's cartoons

Space and Astronomical Art Journal

I've just added Astrona to my bookmarks. The blog contains a collection of artists resources and developers who's specialising in space and astronomical art, science fiction art, visions of future worlds, design and visualization of technologies for living in space, space exploration, spaceships, starships, space colonies, etc. Lots of out of this world artwork to marvel at.

Singapore Airlines installs Linux PC in every seat

Here's another reason why Singapore Airlines is the best airlines in the world. It is putting a Linux PC in every seat of its newest planes - even the economy seats! From Linux World:

The latest version of KrisWorld is based on Panasonic Avionics Corp.'s eX2 in-flight entertainment system and was jointly developed by the two companies. The system consists of a central Linux server that connects to a network of PCs installed in every seat on the aircraft. The KrisWorld software offers an improved user interface and each economy-class seat is fitted with a 10.6-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screen that offers resolution of 1,280 pixels by 768 pixels.

They are larger in business and first class, where each seat comes with a 15.4-inch and 23-inch screen, respectively...

KrisWorld can also be used as a PC and includes Sun Microsystems Inc.'s StarOffice application suite, which offers a word processor, spreadsheet, and a presentation program. Every seat is fitted with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port that lets passengers access documents carried on a thumb drive or portable hard disk. The port can also be used to connect a USB keyboard or mouse, making it easier for business travellers to create and edit documents without having to dig out their laptops and power cords.

Odex loses in court against PacNet

I can hear a lot of otakus and Odex haters in Singapore rejoicing at this amazing news. From AsiaOne:

In a court ruling, a judge has decided that Pacific Internet (PacNet) does not have to reveal names of subscribers who allegedly downloaded pirated versions of the Japanese cartoons to Japanese anime distributor Odex.

Odex has been demanding the names of up to 1000 PacNet downloaders.

This latest ruling has raised eyebrows because two other Internet service providers (ISP) - SingNet and StarHub - were earlier ordered to give up the names of their subscribers accused of similar violations.

Finally, a judge who isn't afraid to rule the right way! Kudos to the judge and PacNet for standing firm against Odex.

Previously:
Downloading anime may not be illegal
Odex wins suit against Starhub and stands to win millions
Hardwarezone forumers exposed Odex director?
Odex vs Singapore Anime Fans

Optimus Prime PC

There are a lot of cool computer mods at this year's Case Mod Contest but I like this one best - the Optimus Prime PC. Even the eyes glow. So cool! I want one!

(Thanks GeekGod)

Superman exposed!

Who's Superman? Cover Browser takes a look at the comics that revealed Superman's secret identity. Seriously, I don't understand why people can't tell that Clark Kent is Superman just because he takes off his glasses everytime he dons the blue spandex.

Abstract Paper Sculptures

These abstract sculptures are pretty amazing but what's more amazing is that they are made of paper. It's origami on steroids!

(Thanks bosque)

China's Beach Volleyball Babies

Photos of the Beach Volleyball Babies performing their dance routine at the 2007 FIVB Beach Volleyball Women’s Challenger held at the Chaoyang Park in Beijing. Yummy!

(Thanks xXx)

Google Sky!

I have yet to download Google Earth since it was released but I guess I will be doing it right away because Google just announced a new feature that enables users to view the sky as seen from planet Earth. Now that's what I've been waiting for! From the press release:

With Sky, users can now float through the skies via Google Earth. This easy-to-use tool enables all Earth users to view and navigate through 100 million individual stars and 200 million galaxies. High resolution imagery and informative overlays create a unique playground for visualizing and learning about space.

To access Sky, users need only click "Switch to Sky" from the "view" drop-down menu in Google Earth, or click the Sky button on the Google Earth toolbar. The interface and navigation are similar to that of standard Google Earth steering, including dragging, zooming, search, "My Places," and layer selection.

As part of the new feature, Google is introducing seven informative layers that illustrate various celestial bodies and events:

Constellations - From Cassiopeia to Andromeda, the Constellations layer connects the points of constellations through space, labeling each with its given name. Users can learn about the stars that make up their favorite constellations.

Backyard Astronomy - The Backyard Astronomy layer lets users click through a variety of placemarks and information on stars, galaxies, and nebulae visible to the eye, binoculars and small telescopes. This layer is useful for the amateur astronomer who may benefit from a comprehensive, organized way to reference fragments of the night sky.

Hubble Space Telescope Imagery - The HST layer provides users with over 120 high-resolution images provided by the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA/ESA's renowned orbiting telescope.

Moon - The Moon layer displays animations of two months of both lunar positions and moon phases.

Planets - The Planets layer illustrates the seven official planets and their positions in the sky two months into the future.

Users Guide to Galaxies - The Users Guide to Galaxies layer enables users to go on virtual tours through different types of galaxies, from Ursa Minor Dwarf to the Milky Way.

Life of a Star - The Life of a Star layer takes the user on a tour through the different stages of a star's life cycle.

Don't run in a group if you are gay

A group of joggers at the Singapore River were stopped by the police because they are gays. From Yawning Bread:

So there they were early on Saturday morning, 10 of them. Most were lurking in the shadows, but it was obvious to Miak, Ethan and the rest that they were the police. One of them in the shadows might have been the officer in charge. According to one of the runners, that guy was quite senior in the police force. The runner recognised him as an old classmate.

After identifying himself, Kelvin Yeo informed Ethan that the run would be considered an offence under the Miscellaneous Offences Act. Ethan asked him to cite the specific section, but Kelvin was unable to. Instead, the officer said it would be considered an illegal assembly.

At some point, Ng Yi-Sheng, one of the runners, walked up to join Ethan, to act as a witness to the conversation. He was shooed away by the police.

Since the police had declared it an illegal assembly, Ethan told Kelvin he would cancel the Pink Run. "But as individuals, they can run, right?"

Both Kelvin and the female officer beside him said yes.

Here's another report of the run. Crikey! Singapore: a free and open society? Maybe not so when you are gay. I don't see why those people are not allowed to do the run as a group. It's not as if they run around shouting "Gay sex is the best!" or "Let's all be gays!". I'm beginning to think that our police force has nothing better to do nowadays. Maybe crime rate is down. Not many murder cases, etc. So let's harass these gay joggers then. Geeesh.

2 year old girl says the Singapore Pledge

YouTube Link

"We the dizizens of Singapore..." So cute! 2 year old Rachel says the Singapore pledge way better than I can.

(Thanks Mr Big)

Ronald McDonald Comic Book

This is a gem! Ronald McDonald starred in his very own comic book published by Charlton Comics in the 70s. We all know Ronald is a clown, and clowns are dumb, but I think drawing him with birds making a nest on his head, makes him look even more stupid. No wonder McDonald's decided to cancel the comic. More stupid comics here.

Cheap Slut at Raffles Hotel

Sluts are cheap but I didn't know they are this cheap. Slut for only $6.25? Wow! Take a look at this receipt. At Raffles Hotel's Seah Street Deli, the Slut is even cheaper than Peanut Butter Jelly! So now you know where to get your cheap slut aye.

(via Tomorrow.sg)

Save the Kranji Countryside

Ivy of Bollywood Veggies wrote to me recently to highlight a potential problem happening in our countryside:

We seek your support in helping us save our Countryside. The Kranji Countryside is the last remaining natural oasis left in Singapore, that has not been blemished by skyscrapers or anything remotely related to the building of skyscrapers.

If the govt were to go ahead with the dumping of granite on arable land, earmarked for agriculture, the soil will be permanently damaged, and will be deemed useless. The natural surroundings in the area will become polluted, neighbouring farms will be affected by silica contamination, and the peace and tranquility that us as Singaporeans come to the Countryside for, will diminish.

If you care about what happens to the Countryside, to your future or your children's future, where food is concerned, then please log on to our online petition and support our cause.

Help her out will ya? Here's the link to the petition. I've been to the Kranji Countryside once last year. I was there to check out Bollywood Veggies. It's so lovely and peaceful there. I even fell in love with the entire area. Let's hope the dumping of granite there will not pollute the land.

Animal Furniture

Scans and text of Animal Furniture (part 1, 2), a story about animal trophies transformed into furnitures, taken from the Strand, vol. XII (1895). It's really cruel what they did to these animals. I'm glad such practice doesn't exist today.

Audio Tape Cassette Nostalgia

Remember these? Boy, I sure miss them. Tapedeck.org currently has 138 audio tape cassettes from the likes of Agfa, Sony and TDK.

Super Chick Sisters

This is fun! Help the Super Chick Sisters rescue Pamela Anderson from the evil Colonel Sanders and his KFC minions in this Mario-like flash game by PETA. You can download the game to your computer too.

(Thanks GeekGod)

JC Sum: Singapore's David Copperfield

If David Copperfield can do it, so can JC Sum. Recently, the local magician teleported himself from the ground to the roof of the 50 storey OUB Centre. From JC Sum:

The venue was Raffles Place, the heart of the business district in Singapore. The skyscraper that J C teleported was the iconic OUB Centre.

J C vanished from a specially constructed elevated launch platform that was literally surrounded by thousands of spectators on street level.

Seconds later, he made an incredible reappearance on an identical teleportation platform on the 50-storey roof terrace of OUB Centre. This reappearance platform was surrounded by a committee of witnesses that included audience members and pre-selected individuals that included lawyers, media professionals and radio personalities.

The entire teleportation took less than 5 seconds to complete. That’s right; 50 floors of time and space covered in less than 5 seconds!

The illusion occurred in real time and the entire audience witnessed the illusion live, assisted by giant video screens throughout the venue.

I love magicians like David Copperfield and David Blaine. It's nice to have a home grown talent in this field. There's one illusion that I would like JC Sum to try. I remember David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty vanish once. Maybe JC Sum can do a similar vanishing trick on one of our tall buildings like the Swissotel or the Merlion at Sentosa.

Dead Chinese Marshalls Matchbox Set

I saw this dope matchbox set called "The Top 10 Marshalls" during a recent trip to Chinatown. The Chinese Marshalls featured on these matchboxes are all dead.

Premiership weekend

There are two cracking games this Premiership weekend - Man City vs Man Utd and Liverpool vs Chelsea! From The Football Pundit:

Liverpool vs Chelsea: Chelsea will lose defender Carvalho tonight so it will be interesting to see if they bring John Terry back for this game. I think that's their only "problem" tonight. Liverpool will be at their full strength. Gerrard will play despite fracturing his toe. I have not been convinced by Chelsea so far. I think they will concede goals this season and teams playing them do not see them as invincible as they were two seasons ago.

BBC Pundit Mark Lawrenson's prediction: 1-1
The Football Pundit says: 2-1

Australia's Defence Jobs Games

The Australian Defence Force hopes that its new kick ass gaming portal will help recruit more youths into the Army, Navy and Air Force. Defence Jobs Games is really one hell of an amazing site. There are 6 cool games to play. You can keep track of all your gaming experience, battle online with others and make your way up the ladder with achievements and player ranks. I have yet to play all the games but I can tell you now that I'm hooked on Battleships Extreme. I reckon it's the mother of all Battleship games!

Ghost Hunter Dax

Ghost Hunter Dax is a 3D animation co-produced by Singapore's Studio Bizarro and Infinite Frameworks and Canada's Mainframe. The show is currently in the beginning of pre-production stages and is slated to hit televisions in late 2007 or early 2008. Ghost Hunter Dax is a story about a bi-racial Chinese American boy who moves to China with his family only to find that he's the decendant of an ancient Chinese ghost hunter named Zhong Kui. Due to his relation to the ghost hunter, he ends up having to take up the mantle and go into the Land of Shadows and vanquish the threatening evil forces that lurk there. Watch the cool trailer here.

World's most disturbing children's book

This children's book is about a young boy who was unhappy at home because his parents fought all the time and his dad did not spend time with him. One day, his uncle came over to his place and taught him some lessons about the male body. LOL. Then he grew up thinking he was gay. Highly disturbing children's book.

(via lancerlord)

The USB Tie cools you down

The USB Tie (product page in Japanese) is perfect for you guys who are feeling hot and grouchy in the office. Just put the tie on, plug it into your computer and you will feel much cooler thanks to the built in fan.

The Flinstones theme and other songs played using hands

Dude plays the theme for the animated TV series "The Flintstones" by squeezing air through his hands. You can watch his other works here. This little known art is called Manualism. It is extremely difficult to do and one can take many years of practice to master it. From Wikipedia:

Just as a trumpeter makes sound by blowing air between the lips, a manualist makes sound by squeezing air between two hands.

The hands are held together, trapping a pocket of air between the two palms. Using the fingers of the dominant hand, the air is squeezed out the top, between the base of the thumb and the opposite hand, to form a musical note. The pitch is determined by the force used to hold the hands together. The tighter the grip, the higher the note.

Bass notes may be produced by squeezing the air pocket out the opposite side, near the pinky finger.

Even with years of practice, manualism is very difficult to control. It may be one of the hardest "instruments" in the world to play, and live stage performances are extremely rare.

Squeeze my zits!

Turn on the volume of your pc and enjoy playing this game. How many of my zits can you squeeze? Let me know your scores in the comments. Don't lie ok. Top zit squeezer gets to meet me in person and squeeze my zits. LOL.

Chinese couple wants to name their baby "@"

A couple in China has decided to get creative and name their baby "@", the symbol used in email address. From Shanghai Daily:

Translated into Chinese @ means "love him," the couple said, according to Li Yuming, deputy director of the State Language Commission.

Li did not say whether @ has been given the green light.

However, if it is approved the child will have terrible trouble when it comes time to receive email - @@ just won't compute.

The Chinese language has no alphabet, instead using thousands of multi-stroke characters to represent words.

The "@" symbol is familiar to Chinese email users and they often use the English word "at" to sound it out. With a drawn-out "t," @ sounds something like ai ta, or "love him," to Mandarin speakers.

Animax Fashion-Ability Malaysia 2007

Those of you reading this up north in Kuala Lumpur, don't forget to catch Animax Fashion-Ability, the first-ever fashion design competition organised by Animax for all students in Malaysia, this Saturday at One Utama, High Street from 2pm till 8pm.

Students were invited to use their imagination with the inspiration of the hit fashion anime, PARADISE KISS, as their guiding light and submit their designs based on butterfly and flower motifs.

On Saturday, Animax will be showcasing the top finalists in their bid for the top prize which consists of a cool RM3500 cash from Animax, Bausch & Lomb Education Sponsorship worth RM8000 and 1 year F.A.C.T scholarship worth RM18,000. Check out the cool designs by the finalists here.

Oh, not only did the aspiring designers have to produce their apparels in just 3 weeks, they had to work with aspiring models, all of them without any prior modelling experience. Two days ago, I had the privilege of looking at those models and oh boy, they are hot! Ahem.

So guys and gals, you got to check out those hot models and the cool outfits by the finalists at One Utama this Saturday aye. The event will be a blast!

Sandwich Art

I love sandwiches, especially my favourite egg and chicken mayo sandwich from Delifrance, but these sandwiches are just too cute for me or anyone else to eat aye.

Miniature Japanese Sex Doll

Here's a miniature Japanese sex doll set that you can abuse and eat! Comes with a hand stick for you to do your groping. I think the middle part of the doll is made of jelly. (Link may not be safe for work - contains doll nudity)

(Thanks xXx)

Shawn Barber's Doll Series

Artist Shawn Barber draws amazing oil, acrylic and water colour paintings of sad and creepy looking dolls. Really spooky stuff. I like.

(Thanks Enid)

Downloading anime may not be illegal

I've been waiting for someone in our local papers to write a different perspective to the Odex saga. I had enough of Odex saying downloading is bad, downloading affects their sales number, blah, blah, blah. So it's a welcomed surprise today to read a Straits Times (yup ST!) story by writer Andy Ho. In it, he says that downloading fansub anime may not be illegal. From Asiaone:

Under Singapore's law, copying is permitted for educational and news reporting purposes (as well as other specified ones). But only an unimaginative reading of the law would conclude anime downloading is clearly illegal.

A 2004 amendment to the copyright law here introduced a new, open-ended exception to make it possible for copying - in whole or part - to be construed as fair use depending on five factors.

First, is the work copied creative in nature or not (like a phone directory)? Secondly, how much is copied? Thirdly, is the copying for profit?

Clearly, anime is creative work and fans copy the whole work, but they don't do it for profit. Even Article 38 of Japan's own copyright law allows parties to 'distribute by wire a work already broadcast for non-profit purposes'.

Fourthly, can the work be obtained within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price? The most popular anime titles take about six to eight months to be released here on VCDs or DVDs but they are now competitively priced when they do appear here.

The fifth and final consideration is the effect of copying upon the work's potential market here. That is, the anime firm must show that future harm is very likely, not that actual harm has occurred. Local fans say they do go online to buy anime DVDs from foreign distributors. US experience suggests that this is not all empty talk.

Fan activity is more akin to taping a show from TV than pirates doing it off a cinema screen. Clearly, taping movies off TV has not led to pervasive and huge home libraries and history shows that sales of movies on tape and DVD have not been impacted by the video cassette recorder.

The upshot: Fan activities could well be building a market for anime here.

Previously:
Odex wins suit against Starhub and stands to get millions from anime fans
Hardware Zone forumers exposed Odex director?
Odex vs Singapore Anime fans

Kimura Wasabi and Curry flavoured drinks

I think the flavours of some of the drinks in Japan are getting weirder and weirder. Take a look at these wasabi and curry flavoured drinks (product page in Japanese) by Kimura. Who wants to drink a curry or wasabi drink? Definitely not me!

Nerd Watches

Here's a collection of nerd watches - vintage digital watches made by the likes of Casio and Citizen. I used to have a few of these when I was a kid. I remember back then it was so damn cool for us boys to show off these watches to the rest of our friends.

An Everquest Wedding

Couple got married in real life and immediately after that, they exchanged their wedding vows in the game Everquest! I especially love the Storm Trooper wedding march led by none other than Darth Vader. Watch the video here.

The Football Pundit takes on BBC's Mark Lawrenson

The Football Pundit continues his battle with BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson. From The Football Pundit:

Portsmouth vs Manchester United: Man Utd needs to win this one after surprisingly drawing their first game with Reading. They are without Wayne Rooney which is a big blow but Teves looks like he will get his debut. I am still not convinced of Man Utd's system of playing Teves or Rooney upfront alone but they will have too much quality for Porstmouth who looked very shaky in their opening game.

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson's prediction: 1-1
The Football Pundit says : 0-2

Odex wins suit against Starhub and stands to get millions from anime fans

Odex doesn't look like it will stop its efforts to pursue anime downloaders in Singapore. In the latest news, the company says it has won a suit against Starhub to release the names of 1000 of its subscribers that have been downloading anime illegally. From AsiaOne:

StarHub had earlier resisted Odex's efforts to obtain the data, citing "an obligation to protect our customers' information."

"In the instance of Odex, they have satisfied the court of their need for the information. As such, we will comply with the court order," said StarHub spokesman Michael Sim.

Once Odex obtains the identities of the Internet users alleged to have downloaded the anime videos, the company will likely contact them and seek compensation of up to 5,000 Singapore dollars from each, Odex Director Stephen Sing said. The users will also have to destroy any stolen content and stop further illegal downloading.

"Singapore's downloading situation is very bad," Sing said. "We have engaged companies to track illegal downloads in Singapore, and ratio-wise, we're actually right up there in the illegal downloads in the world, in terms of Japanese animation."

Let's say Odex is able to get $5000 from each downloader. Hmm, that means it stands to get $5 million max, from those 1000 illegal downloaders - and that's not counting the other downloaders using Singnet or PacNet. No wonder those guys from Odex are desperate to take this drastic action. It's all about the money.

Previously:
Hardware Zone forumers exposed Odex director?
Odex vs Singapore Anime fans

Sex dolls that make orgasm sounds!

I think in the not too distant future, man will no longer need a woman for sex. Just look at the Honey Dolls from Japan. These almost life-like sex dolls, are now equipped with sensors that will produce all the moans, groans and orgasm sounds that one would love to hear from a woman during sex. Damn the Japanese! (Link not safe for work - contains doll nudity.)

Super Mario Sleeve Tattoo

Dude has 3/4 of his left arm tattooed with art from Nintendo's Super Mario. Awesome pics here. He's also going to get a full length Zelda sleeve tattoo on his right arm and then fill the last 1/4 of his left arm with some more Mario goodies. Cool!

How to make a Harry Potter wizard wand

All aspiring wizards need a wand like Harry Potter's. Well you can't go around casting the Expecto Patronum spell without one aye? So here's how you can make your very own wizard wand using a piece of paper, glue and some paint. Finally you can have a wand that even Harry Potter himself will be proud of.

Dude with super tight jeans

I don't really like to make fun of what people are wearing but I cringed then laughed when I saw this photo. Crikey! That must be the world's tightest pair of jeans he's wearing. You can even see the shape of his willy clearly.

(Thanks xXx)