Interestingness Rediscovered

PG-13 for G environment

Running an ad at the side of the bus is a brilliant idea, even though the 'ad-buses' are causing sales-pitch version of diarrhea all over Taipei (or over any large cities). The benefits are too tempting even for those opposing the overabundance of advertisement because it taints the landscape of Taiwan. I think no one is complaining such stuff at this moment. Here are the benefits:

• Large. Very large. As in the above example, you may even put the entire body of models LARGER than their actual dimensions.
• The ad goes to the customer, not the other way around.
• Top-notch location (to interrupt busy customers by blocking their view)

Let's get into the details about this advertisement. It is a Playboy-brand perfume aimed at single men trying to get into women's pants. It is situated during a foreplay, which is, technically, a part of sex. On the side of a public bus, running on public streets, carrying anybody from age 0 to 100. Nevertheless, the whole premise is very familiar to us Taipei dwellers. It took me 5 seconds or more to realize what's wrong with this ad. Not because I was busy gazing at the model or looking for any store information or having a flashback about the 'I was almost there' moments.

The reason this ad does not feel (too) out of place and is not meeting any street protest is because PG-13 content is everywhere in Taipei. It is in the most-circulated newspaper, the Taiwanese version of The Sun (or Fox News). My Chinese teacher will raise her eyebrows when I call Apply Daily a newspaper, but well, es la vida. (Their web address is tw.nextmedia. What a self-fulfilling prophecy.) Each time I buy dailies at a 7-11 ( = as many as going to the bathroom), a semi-nude photo on the stacked magazine right beside the cash register welcomes me with a big smile. (But X-rated content is banned countrywide. I think they should limit the regions where adult content can be viewed, and "legalize" X-rated stuff. It is my personal opinion, but not coming from my personal reasons.)

The catch copy of that perfume ad is "press to play". Someone needs to drag the copywriter out to the streets of Taipei and make him understand what it feels like to have a cold chill running your back in the middle of summer. The whole point of a perfume is to make your partner (or target, whatever) feel "hot", isn't it?

Humble symbol

I like Taiwanese churches: the buildings (because I can see), not the system (because I haven't see any yet). In the world of look-at-me, me, me architectural showmanship, Taiwanese churches stand out not because they have tall structures -- as evidenced by the photo -- but because they do not shout at the top of their lungs.

As far as I know, Taiwanese churches do not emphasize their most important symbol: the cross. Well, at least compared to their counterparts in the West and Korea. When I visited Seoul, all the churches in downtown illuminated their cross at the top of the ceiling at night. That's it, yes, but since churches in Seoul are as ubiquitous as 7-11s in Taipei, the whole downtown looked like a graveyard (or landmine) for vampires.

The above photo shows a nice example of proudly representing the identity of Christianity but in a "stealth" manner, satisfying both Christians and anti-Christians (the passive-aggressive group of conservative people whose primary method of objection is to ignore and then to influence the authority. All in silence). I ever noticed that huge cross until one day I got so bored and cold in a rainy day, I just had to look for an object around me to take a snapshot...there it was.

Because that cross does not illuminate during the night, it might attract us the way the monolith did in 2001: A Space Odessey.

P.S. Regarding Christianity, is there any religion on earth which uses a torture device as its symbol? For the record, I don't think worshiping an electric chair automatically gives us a healing effect (but how cool is it). I just think if someone hands me a piece of paper on the street urging us to reconsider how we live and bow to an iron maiden, I would start giving out the paper on my own, right away.

When you realize it's recession

Eslite bookstore, Taiwan's finest example of creating an artistic windowshopping area by combining bookstore, boutique, and coffee shop, started serving a brunch set (above). This is a remarkable departure from their previous offering, in terms of price and quality:

• Before: a pot of tea with a fancy name (one of the breeds, presumably): NT$180 (US $5.5)
• After: fresh milk, bagel with jam and butter, two pieces of over-sized (according to Taiwanese standard) bacon, pickles, omelet with three eggs (over-sized...): NT$160 (US$5)

I lied -- that's not real. Actually, the brunch set also comes with a hot coffee or tea, freely refilled.

It was one of the Eureka moments for me. At the same time, I was slightly depressed by seeing a top-notch brand offering too-good-to-be-true (according to their standard) service to keep the customers. (The depression was swiftly cured by the bacon.) If they had to reach out this much, what do we, the mortals, need to do to keep our lifeline?

I am not willing to go back to the money-stealer-180-pot era (which will come back with a vengeance, pretty soon), but it is also true that the longer we stick to the attention-grabbing deal and not giving any look at the other, less impressive offerings, we cooperate in elongating this recession.

I know, this trend is not even worth mentioning because it is happening everywhere. A similar but different phenomenon called Web2.0 is already filled in the 'tired' category now that we have made Google, Amazon, Starbucks rich and killed thousands of mom-and-pop stores/offices. But it is time like this, when we really feel the difference with our whole body, that makes us realize the big trend, though intangible, is real.

Satisficing

The wave of interaction design is covering the whole industrial world. The movement has started from several sources.

• Trend-setter: Apple's tyrannical but extremely sophisticated design strategy is opening the corporate executives' eyes: Design makes money. The unfortunate consequence is, the same lame executives have thought they are Steve Jobs in their respective field, and started designing on their own (that is why we see lots of shiny but useless smartphones).
• Price wars: Lower price has to be taken out of the market strategies for most companies, thanks to China. Where is our competitive edge? Customer satisfaction! How do we satisfy our customers? By designing user interaction! After decades of make-whatever-and-sell marketing model, we are finally facing the simple truth: make something customers want.

Okay, I could think of only two.

What I want to say is that billiard chalk is made into cube while the tip of the cue is round, probably for ever. So it is amazing to see that the wave of optimization, the desperate attempt to squeeze 'competitive edge' out of every mundane aspect of a product, hasn't reached the billiard industry yet. Probably never?

Clearly not many people play billiard these days -- long gone the days of The Color of Money -- and the industry is obviously doing not much to revive its golden days. But it is also not ditching its style, which has worked for decades or even centuries. We play pool the way we used to for generations.

Not long into the future, the billiard industry might die, but I guess they will do it with dignity.

Lonesome Mannequin

I wouldn't be surprised if this thing turns its head and say, "Where is John Connor?"

How should I reply?

1. You're in Taiwan, dude.
2. Okay, where is the camera.
3. Please, don't kill me, please.
4. I am John Connor.

Answer: none of the above. I will be too busy hoping nobody will find my dead body until my pants dry out completely.

Daily fortune telling or gambling

Wanna do a quick check on your day's luck in the morning? At any of Taipei's traffic light, watch out for the scooters to come out at the front line (the way they sneak up the way through rows of cars reminds me of worms coming out of grounds always reminds me of Tokoro-ten, a Japanese sweet).

Wait until they have all lined up, and pick the one that is most likely cross the street first.

• Yes, the motorcycle reached this side first: Go ask the secretary for a date.
• He didn't make it but wasn't dead end either: It is just another day of your life.
• Dead last: Your boss is having a bad news with a killer smile on his face.
• Turned right/left: Is it time to change your career?
• Crushed by the car: Sing this timeless classic from R.E.M.
  
  
  

Tokoro-ten:

Masked identity

What is the most terrifying question a friend might ask me? It's this. "Hey, I am visiting Taipei next week. What should I buy for my families back in xxxx?"

Having lived in Taiwan for several years, I should be able to bombard my friend with a shopping list, compiled in an Excel sheet and attached to an email, right? The reality is, I still have no idea what to answer.

It's not that I live a secluded expatriate life (that is already realized by my avatar in Second-Life). There are stuff I would absolutely want to bring to other countries:

• Beef noodle
• Pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶)
• Steamed sticky rice with meat (粽子)

Technically, it is possible to bring them overseas. The problem is that they will start leaking strong odors while on the way back, forcing the plane to make an urgent landing due to potential biohazard.

What, moon cake has no problem? Here we had 1,000 cakes during last month. In my office, there were more cakes than complimentary packs of tea. Whoever mentions moon cake should be gunned down right now. Now.

But this dilemma will finally come to an end. Stupidly, I have totally forgotten Taiwan's secret weapon. The MASK. For what? For protecting your life from smogs and occasional insects jumping into your mouth when you are enjoying high-speed motorcycle ride, turning the whole joy into a suicide mission. It works, it is ubiquitous, it is cheap, it takes little space, and it is Taiwanese. Es perfecto.

The story of Rock-Mei

Anna Sui shows off their latest lineup, a flagrant (I guess) inspired by rock music, especially girls rock. On the surface everything works seamlessly -- what can go wrong about producing a series of cosmetics 'inspired' by popular culture? But alas, the devil is always in the details: what kind of a rock artist is she?

• Red electric guitar: 80s hard rock?
• Roses: Glam rock?
• Mirror balls: Disco?
• The non-square DVD jacket: Post-2000?
• The girl in the jacket: we need a close-up...

Hi, Rock-Mei. (Rock-Me vs. Rock-美[beauty in Chinese]) You wear a heavy-metallic leather jacket, more shiny badges than Michael Jackson, hairstyle of Roxette, and a fashion model makeup.

What about the record? Another close-up:

Wow, John Denver!

Therefore, this 'rock artist' is: a girl with fashion-model makeup and pseudo-metal costume spicing herself up with disco/glam flavor, singing John Denver (Song of Wyoming) while playing an electric guitar.

Sounds very real. Maybe she is the new hotshot in Russia's underground rock circuit or Japanese anime series about a university student enjoying her secret identity as a celebrity.

Bonus: Rock Me by Great White, one of the 1980s hair bands. Their visual appearance is at a competitive level with Ms. Rock-Mei. The song is great.

The world's largest MP3 Player

With analog meters and big, manual knobs.

History teaches us nothing

Nothing remains the same. People change, hard drive crushes, and billboards get overwritten. You cannot get away from your past, though. In the above billboard's case, they did their best to clean-install a new identity, but ended up creating a creepy 3d-like effects. Maybe they tried to embed two logos in one place. You know, the free gifts you find in a box of cereal...look at them from different angles...wow, Mickey (or Hello Kitty) waved his hand!

If I walk across the street and look up at the board again, I might be seeing Chinese characters in white with English ghosts in the background.

This billboard reminds me of the story I heard when I was visiting Israel. When they dig up an ancient monument (one of 1,000,000 in that area), they guess-timate its history by recovering the layers of old buildings. It is hard but not difficult, the guide told me, because the newcomers usually demolished the old buildings first and turned them into the pavement of the roads (who said modern humans waste much more than "conscious" ancient people?), then built new castles on top. This cycle occurred once in a couple hundred years, resulting in a nice Baumkuchen-like layer of bricks. I hope the same thing happen in that billboard too.

Israel is roughly as large as Taiwan. According to the Bible, Moses wandered around the wilderness for 40 years with millions of refugees behind. We tend to imagine they did something like crossing the Sahara desert, but probably everything occurred within the scale of...Taiwan? Here, a group of million people might occupy the area from coast to coast. Maybe the group of exodus just moved in circle, surrounding Moses.

I remember reading all the stories in the Bible as a child and bloating my imaginary Middle-Eastern landscape. Once I visited the holy places (Jerusalem, Nazareth, etc.) I saw almost all the historical events happened in the...neighborhood (sometimes even a walking distance). It is one of the best ways to realize that you have grown up.

I think I need to learn how to write with a consistent topic.

Why manhole covers are square?

Legend has it that evil Microsoft's evil boss, Steve Ballmer, once thought up this question while he was jogging with his bodyguards henchmen junior staffs. (why are psychopaths corporate executives always lonely and needy?)

Q: Why manhole covers are round?

A: To make it safe for plumbers and construction workers.

Is it so? Oracle 2 says yes, it is. I doubt it -- we all know Wikipedia is a playground for Big Brothers whose favorite activities is to replace journalistic articles with corporate jingles. I believe this is the real answer.

 "because manholes are round."

I did a mini-research while waiting for the swarms of motorcycles to go by (somebody with a mosquito net?) in an intersection. The city of Taipei disagrees with Oracle 2.

So is that it? No more rounds...oops, there is one. You've got another company, Ballmer.

神鬼XX

Using four pictographs is the norm for creating a proprietary name in Taiwan. Most of the idiomatic expressions (成語) consist of four characters, as well as names for restaurants, TV programs, and movies.

Wait, why four? Isn't 4 supposed to be an evil number in Chinese culture, because it is pronounced as "si", similar to death (死)? Shouldn't they choose 8, the lucky number, which sounds like spending (發)? Remember, the Beijing Olympics started at August 8th, 2008 (8/8/2008). Or it can even be 3, because most Chinese names consist of three characters. I think this topic bears a separate entry.

Today we focus on the movie titles. Movie distributors have a strange habit of trying to jack up the local (translated) title of Hollywood movies to make it more "sellable". The standard, easiest way: add 神鬼 (Gods and Demons / the Holy and the Evil) to the title. That's it.

Here is an example. 神鬼認證: God + Demon + Identity (認證)= The Bourne Identity. Even Google translation gives you this answer. So I did a small research, according to TrueMovie, a local site listing movie titles and synopsis. Try solving the mysteries on your own; you need quite an amount of imagination to figure out their names. (But yes, they indeed sound more dynamic compared to the originals). The answers are typed in white letters. If you select the space after the "=" sign, you will see them.

神鬼無間: Nonstop = The Departed

神鬼奇航: Strange Voyage = Pirates of the Caribbean

神鬼制裁: Sanction = The Punisher

神鬼剋星: Nemesis = The Brothers Grimm

神鬼傳奇: Legend = The Mummy

神鬼牧師: Priest = The Priest (okay, sometimes they make sense)

神鬼玩家: Player = The Aviator

神鬼二勢力: Two forces = Bandidas

神鬼第六感: The sixth sense = The Others (You missed this one, didn't you?)

神鬼交鋒: Battle = Catch Me if You Can

神鬼拍檔: Partner = Bad Company

神鬼尖兵: Vanguard = The Boondock Saints

Sometimes they use 神鬼 methodology to push up a low profile movie few people are going to watch... If you knew the English titles for all of the below films, you are already seriously wasting your life. I don't want to even mention about knowing BOTH English and Chinese titles.

神鬼教父: Godfather = Stander

神鬼妙計: Coup = Foolproof

神鬼帝國: Empire = Kaena: The Profecy

神鬼奇謀: Plot = Who is Cletis Tout?

La Cafe

Now, is "LA CAFE" the correct way to say "The Coffee"? -- Because that is what I believe this coffee shop was named after. Let's ask Google Translation, the Oracle.

• Spanish: el café
• French: le café
• Italian: il caffè
• Portuguese: o café

Maybe it was meant to be "The Coffee Shop". Oracle, please.

• Spanish: la cafetería
• French: la cafétéria
• Italian: la mensa
• Portuguese: refeitório

Lesson of the day: ask the Oracle before you choose your restaurant's name. Changing the name is not just about swapping the billboard. You need to replace hundreds of printed materials starting with the name tag and menu, and stick with a piece of blog mocking your choice for as long as the blog hosting service company keeps it or until you have enough money to hire a lawyer who knows 72 ways to blackmail your enemy.

The Oracle, by the way, is well-mannered, does not mind performing mindlessly repetitive tasks, has all the power of the wisdom of the crowd as well as its stupidity, and sometimes has a lazy ass.... but it's free, unless God decides otherwise.

Another reason to go to Japan (NSFW)

As a Japanese living outside of the country, I am supposed to shout patriotic rants about this photo, conveniently wiping out the memory of preaching equally disgusting opinions about Japan to anybody with ears when I was there. That's also my take on pseudo-patriots living away from their homelands, in general.

So is that photo another reason to go to Japan? No, it is THE reason to go there. Pack your stuff. Now.

The God delusion

Here are quotes from the (in)famous Richard Dawkins's book. It's title explains it all: do not believe in god.

I have only read the first few chapters but I already think he is full of himself; I won't befriend him (if there ever is a chance). I have also found no reason to disagree with what he says. This guy is controversial and amplifies his viewpoint in a planned, entertaining way - reminds me of Michael Moore - which always has a point. I might disagree with, but won't ignore, what he says.

Indeed, organizing atheists has been compared to herding cats, because they tend to think independently and will not conform to authority. But a good first step would be to build up a critical mass of those willing to 'come out', thereby encouraging others to do so. Even if they can't be herded, cats in sufficient numbers can make a lot of noise and they cannot be ignored.

A Gallup poll taken in 1999 asked Americans whether they would vote for an otherwise well-qualified person who was a woman (95 per cent would), Roman Catholic (94 per cent would), Jew (92 per cent), black (92 per cent), Mormon (79 per cent), homosexual (79 per cent) or atheist (49 per cent). Clearly we have a long way to go.

As to whether it is a symptom of a psychiatric disorder, I am inclined to follow Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, when he said, 'When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion.'

Taipei MRT: Card sensor

Check the angle of the card sensor -- it is tilted at the right angle so you can put the token or prepaid card in a natural way, without slowing down your walking speed too much. Well, that's it. My brain started overheating (after watching too many YouTube videos).

Dual security

Now we have two security cameras for a single ATM: one for watching out, another for focusing on what we are doing with our hands. Sounds like the security is enhanced. Really? Let's take one step back and think about it.

What is the job of the camera that is staring at our hands? It sees card numbers, passwords, transactions. It knows all the secrets (Well, the ATM keeps them anyway).
But for what? Isn't it enough to check if someone suspicious is sneaking behind me (using that second camera looking outside)? Ok, probably it is to make sure that the card and its owner matches. That makes sense.

In other words, the second camera says it loudly that passwords do not protect us. We need something more secure, more personal...like fingerprints. For the record, I am against using fingerprinting for identification, especially because my home country forces every so-called foreigners, criminal and non-criminal, to take fingerprints as part of ID registration. For the credit card, I appreciate the idea (Money changes everything). Surely, they will make the finger print scanner like the one in laptops. Then we don't need another security camera for ATMs, which means one fewer Big Brother.

Bonus: Cindy Lauper, singing the new version of Money Changes Everything. I think she is one of the most graciously aging people I have ever heard of.

Is Hollywood all about remakes and sequels?

For me, it is not a question anymore. Originality is dead, which is becoming the 'fact.' But is it so? Let's take a look at the box office history, the only reliable scale to measure success in Hollywood. From Box Office Mojo's database, the following is the breakdown of top 20 films in the past year (as of Oct 2009):

• Remake (reboot): Star Trek

• Sequel (including prequel): Transformers, Harry Potter, Ice Age, Madagascar, Wolverine, Night at the Museum, Quantum of Solace, Fast and Furious

• Original (adapted): Twilight, G.I. Joe, Marley and Me, Slumdog Millionaire

• Original (totally original): Up, The Hangover, Monsters Vs. Aliens, The Proposal, Gran Torino, Paul Blart, Taken

There are two surprises, both of which are positive for us moviegoers. First, there is only one remake: Star Trek (and it is an excellent movie in itself). Second, the number of totally original films (seven) almost matches the number of sequels (eight). If we add the number of adapted works, "original" (more or less) films contain more than half of the top 20 films in the past year.

The hope is not lost yet. As long as movies based on original screenplays make money, we can expect the local cineplex won't be just about showing Spider-man / Shrek / Pirates of the Caribbean.

Pandorum

I watched Pandorum the other day. It is a sci-fi horror movie about a group of humans fighting for survival in a giant spacecraft. It might just be me, but doesn't that sound exactly like the masterpiece movie taken nearly thirty years ago? Every piece of online review told me not to waste my time on it, but if rules are to be broken, critics are to be ignored.

So I took a look, and of course it was a mistake. That movie kept me (and the entire audience, I believe) frustrated for two hours. The movie has countless flaws, the followings being the tip of the iceberg:

• A hunger was cured by eating a bug
• They showed off a laser-razor shaver (It's 22nd century. Hair removal, hello?)
• Horrendously racist portrayal of Maori worriers with mighty skills, a heart of gold, and intelligence of a ten-year-old
• Yet another tough girl with white sleeveless shirt

But it is the pointless and over-used tricks, the gadgets that stops working at the most annoying timing, that frustrated us most. The director (and the writers) hopelessly believes these gimmicks add tention and thrill. I am happy this movie is tanking at the box office. Someone has to prevent these criminals from making another film.

Looks like it wasn't only me: someone made a brilliant compilation of cop-out moments in movies (originally via BoingBoing).

Why am I watching, and will keep watching, these cheap genre flicks? It's all because of you, Mr. Scott.

The old (masterpiece)

The new (shovelpiece)

FML

What would you do if you feel you are extremely frustrated for an unknown reason? It might be because you are walking your career path aimlessly, or having a dead-end (too good to leave, too bad to continue) relationship for over a year or so. No, it's not about my life. Not.

Let's laugh at life of others and get a brief, but a real, reassurance that we are doing pretty okay compared to these guys. We can enjoy a variety of the depth of life's pitfalls.

Your life rocks. Stop showing off while pretending to be a victim.

Today, three months after finally ending a long relationship with the love of my life because he was cheating on me, we are now seeing each other again. And cheating on our new significant others with each other. FML

That's not so bad. I do it all the time Grow up.

Today, at work, I noticed that my hand smelled really bad. I thought it was some new merchandise I was putting out until I realized that there was some poo in my fingernail from when I took a crap earlier that day. FML

Ouch, that hurts. Follow up with more stories -- you can do better.

Today, I was on the phone with my friend, when my four year old nephew came in, asking who I was talking to. I told him it was Santa Claus, so he insisted on talking to him. I handed over the phone and I hear, "Santa is fake. Grow up." I spent the next two hours with a screaming child proving Santa exists. FML

Wow I am so, so sorry. Thanks for the great entertainment.

Today, my boyfriend asked me out to dinner, which we never do. While at the restaurant he gets down on his knees, looks me in the eyes, and pulls out a little box. He opens it and inside is a note that says 'We're Done.' He then leaves me at the restaurant with the bill and the $2.00 box. FML

That's not funny at all. Have some humor, please.

Today, I had my leaving party after work to celebrate getting a new job. 3 people turned up. I'd invited 35. FML

Where should we start to be more eco-friendly

Pots above the logo; one of the employees might be taking care of them each morning. I naturally assumed she or he must be a happy worker (biased thinking, yes). If we look closer beyond the drab concrete apartments, Taipei has mini-greens all over the place.

The grass is always greener on the other side

At New York Times, Tim Kreider wrote an extremely thought-provoking piece for us mortals, who ponder at least once a week about our lost opportunities and reincarnated life. Tim Kreider is a 40-ish, single cartoonist. He bemuses about "The Referendum," a syndrome to compare one's life with others and wonder "what if..."

It is not a new theme at all, isn't it? Then what made his article resonate with thousands or even millions of people, judged by the number of comments (660 as of October 4th)? I believe it is his candid approach and an enormous amount of actual experience weaved into the article; this guy have done it himself, that is what I (and they) felt. It is a massive quality assurance for an article about choices in our life. The only missing assurance here is the fact that he has never been married, so he doesn't know what awaits on the "other side." But he doesn't hide from that fact. In fact, not knowing about the life we didn't choose IS the focus of this article.

Here is my favorite quote. So many books and people recommend married life, but no one as far as I know preached its advantage from the below point of view.

Some of my married friends may envy my freedom in an abstract, daydreamy way, misremembering single life as some sort of pornographic smorgasbord, but I doubt many of them would actually choose to trade places with me. Although they may miss the thrill of sexual novelty, absolutely nobody misses dating.

I recommend reading the entire article, especially if you are enjoying (or suffering from) "arrested adolescence" as well as "the naked 3 am terror of regret" as Tim does. The equally candid comments are also worth reading. Apparently candidness is contagious, just like sneezing. Here is an example of such comments:

A friend of mine once told me “There’s that one moment in your life when you realize you’re old.” I found that it wasnt so much about my mortality — although that’s certainly been on my mind a lot of late — but the lost chances, the missed opportunities, that endless streams of what-ifs and why-didnt-i’s. And if you think they’re bad at 42, Tim, wait till you’re in your 50s and start to realize, for the very first time, *all* of the roads not taken and the lives never lived. Because most of my friends are childless, it doesnt hit till a bit later in life, but when it does — it hits you with a sledgehammer.

The article was originally mentioned in this Japanese blog.

P.S. His other columns are also great read. Please give them a try.

A reality show or dollhouse

The "Pure" building appears in nude. It has gone one step forward from the ubiquitous translucent hair salon gimmick and decided to reveal itself and its tenants, completely, to the world. If they were "residents," we would be enjoying a reality show more real than anything we have ever seen.

So many buildings aspire to be cool, but few are as brave as the Pure building. Why don't we mandate transparency against all office buildings? Doesn't observing someone bullied by his boss from across the street add some consolation to our equally tasteless office life?

In a totally unrelated context, here is the film Welcome to the Dollhouse from Todd Solondz. I just needed to test the new video embedding function from Typepad, where you do not have to switch to direct HTML editing to insert a piece of YouTube video. It works, just like the movie itself.

Open-access

Below we see a fountain that is completely access-free, located next to Taipei 101. Fountains remain one of the few public resources with moving parts (sort of) that we can freely approach, touch, and play inside. Many entertainments are moving toward virtual reality, toward enjoying physical excitement while we are at our home. Escaping to the country shouldn't be the only option to 'connect' with whatever tangible environment.

Not many people are brave enough to run into the fountain (me neither), probably because there is no pond to throw a coin in nor a playground for children. It is a lonesome fountain, reinforced by the monotone surroundings. I wonder what it looked liked in the architect's sketch.

Chicken Metal

As opposed to Heavy Metal, Chicken Metal refers to the group of 80s songs that tried to appeal to both hardcore and mainstream audience. It has been defined just now.

Looked down on by the former, ridiculed by the latter, nevertheless a majority of them proved to be commercial success and a viable choice for resurrecting downhill careers of bands of yesteryear. Long story short - just watch the videos and you'll get the idea.

What's this?: Accept - I'm a Rebel

Actually this is a test measuring (y)our tolerance - can you stay until the end? Sit in a Starbucks, turn up the volume, and let everybody hear it loud and clear. They still proved that an ugly, fat guy who cannot sing can headline a band and be successful (in Germany and Japan, at least).

Nice try: Night Ranger - Four in the Morning

Confession: this song is still in my heavy rotation. Night Ranger had a tragic career path, sandwiched between Bon Jovi and the 1970s.

Getting better...: Deep Purple - Knocking at your back door

No embedding - please watch it on YouTube (Safe for Work). This song is nowhere near their masterpieces in the 70s but the melody is catchy and the video is nicely shot (for a hard rock). But something about the lyrics prevented this song to become truly mainstream. Why not? As the song says, "it's not against the law."

Not bad: Heart - Never

All fashion styles get reincarnated. But is there any chance for their hairstyle in this video would come back again?

It works! Van Halen - Jump

This song is so awesomely sticky that nobody cared it came from four hairy guys wearing psychedelic costumes.

Well, now you do.

Bonus: Some of these songs can be given a second life by being part of a movie soundtrack. We have a scene from Boogie Nights with Sister Christian (Night Ranger) as the BGM.

The Postman Must Ring Twice

Here is a photo taken 1,000m above the ruins of the lost alien city in a Roger Corman film, or 30cm away from a group of doorbells in Taipei. The central block connects visitors to whoever is in the room currently, and the surrounding parts...should be reserved for private conversation. Who knows.

The central block has two columns, left and right. If your friend lives in the "left" apartment, press the left bell button. Here is the question. Where is the room number? That does not exist. It is either left, or right.

I have never managed to remember the difference, even after visiting the same room for several times. But there is a proven methodology to manage this confusion. Press the right first, because it is the right one. Only when it fails, press the left, because it is the one that is left out. I might have received a hostile response for several times, even a hostile look upstairs, but it works.

P.S. One of the smaller blocks on the left shows "212." So that is how these doorbells evolve. The still-hanging umbilical cord shows it is fresh out of the womb. Soon it will mature like his surrounding brothers.

PR = Professional Relationship

Flipnote studio is a free add-on to Nintendo DSi where you can create mini-animations on the spot (virtual flipnotes). One more reason not to get any more closer to DSi... It is going to suck millions of hours and dollars out of our private life (or even professional life). According to the official website, the Youtube of Flipnote studio, as of Sep28 close to 2 million animations were updated for viewing. The invasion has already begun.

Nintendo UK is collaborating with Aardman, the animation studio behind Wallace & Gromit to promote it even further. 12 flipnotes will be created by their top animator, one per week, up until Christmas. It can't be possible...seriously, are they going to show the knit-loving puppy and his old pal once a week?

This is their first work. Hmm...I must admit I was disappointed a bit, but it is the first week, right? They must have something up their sleeve. Let's give them some time in respect for their wonderful creations.

This is their second work, which came out this week.

Did they just snatch whatever axxload of money they got and then threw the job to one of their underpaid, under-motivated staffs? Seriously, what was that? To be fair, we are not expecting something like this. After all, it is just a marketing campaign...

...But they could have done something comparable with this (which was not created by a 'professional' studio).  * Note: the video generates sound.

Merchandise coupon

Blurry but what is in the photo below was my first and last merchandise coupon issued by the Taiwanese government to stimulate the sagging economy. One of my Taiwanese friends paid me something back by the ticket, which ultimately went to another friend of mine.

Sadly but reasonably, they excluded foreigners like us from the recipients. I have paid my tax; Well, as long as Taiwan keeps the super-excellent health care system intact, we don't have much to complain. (fixing a cavity cost me NT $300 = US $10 at the dentist. They gave me a set of free tooth brushes and a mouthwash. The scary part is, I am not making this up).

For a while every shop, restaurant, and hotel offered special sales associated with the coupon. The "Buy one, get one free" was replaced by "Use NT $3,600, get another $3,600 free." (NT$3,600 was the amount allotted to each recipient). The question is, did it really stimulate the economy as expected? I am not sure. It certainly is a wiser option than merely spreading money to local governments (to gain loyalty from the voters rather than to offer them real benefit) like one of Taiwan's neighbor countries did(sorry no English link found). What I am really sure is that it did boost the printing and advertising industry.

The finger reveals how tiny the actual coupon is, compared to ordinary bills. It almost looks and feels like something out of a special edition of Monopoly.

Content is still the king

I was supposed to criticize this website from an artist including his tee designs, but instead spent 10 minutes enjoying all of their imaginative and playful designs. Treating a link as a separate window, not even a separate tab, amounts to a crime in the web usability critique world. But who cares? No matter how the Internet and all associated industries (SEO, user experience consulting, and a bunch of others) evolve, original content will always the king. That is what this website reminded me again.

Here is a snippet from the tee collection. Here's more if you want.

Say hello to your neighbors

For a reason known only to the architect, they decided to put the door sideways and put a big glass panel facing the street. Every time someone comes down, she is going to meet the pedestrians. When he goes up, someone is always going to see her off.

Is this apartment designed for minor celebrities who need a step up in their Bacon numbers by inviting paparazzi? Or just for anyone who likes showing off whatever prize he (or she) brings back to his (or her) bed?