Playing with Numbers

I was just going to write a new post, when I noticed that number of posts that I posted in my completely random rambling blog just hit 333. What a pleasant surprise to see another intriquing number to appear in this blog.

Anyway, just when I thought that was the end of it, I happen to check my profile page for fun. This is what I saw:


Notice that I had 666 profile views. Now 333 * 2 = 666...

Should I call it pure luck, or somehow I'm marked as the devil?

Hmm...

People Less Fortunate than Yourself

I just happened to stumble upon a local website called http://www.budpage.com which is a thai website talking about issues related with Buddishm in a rather modern and updated setting of the online realm. After reading an article poking fun about online gaming, I happen to stumble upon the picture above which is a stark reminder that there are so many people who are less unfortunate than ourselves.

"Appearing to be Busy is the most advanced form of Procastination"

~Pisal Setthawong

Worrying

"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere."

~Glenn Turner

Math Blues

On a short note, I'm having a fit of headache today. I had a long talk with one of the flunking students in my programming class after class, and I finally figured why he had such a hard time.

Here are some answers to questions I've asked him after trying to figure what is the problem based on a few simple programming assignment:

Part I
//Making a Money Exchange program
me: Okay, you withdrawn 1,512 THB (local currency) from the ATM. Now how many 500 THB bills will you get?
him: 20.
me: :o

Part II
me: What is 8 multiplied by 8?
him: 40?
me: ???
him: Not correct? 56?
me: :o
him: I'm sure now, its 48!
me: >:(

Part III
me: What is 11 divided by 2?
him: 6?
me: No?!
him: No its 5.5.
me: Assume you got 5, what is the remainder?
him: 2.

I'm starting to wonder if I'm teaching a undergrad class or either I'm a primary school teacher. Somehow I have a reason to believe there isn't much of a difference between the two levels ???

Teen survey: Fewer drug-free schools

I was just reading through CNN.COM when I stumbled upon an article titled: "Teen survey: Fewer drug-free schools". On a short note, I was tempted to ask the author to add the following to the article - "Teen survey: Fewer drug-free and gambling-free schools". On my own opinion, I think its time that the policy makers, parents, and educational institutes should take note of this trend and do something about it than turning a blind eye to it like now. Though having a standpoint in my blog, I still do admit I still haven't come up with any feasible solution other than cosmetic policies that are done of the present. Any great and practical ideas?

Looking for a Job in BKK in IT Related Field?

Someone asked me to post this in a job posting in the faculty website so I just thought about updating here also just for the heck of it :P

Blogger Toolbar for Microsoft Word

Interested in knowning how to blog by using your favorite word processor - M$ Word?

Look here: http://www.tipmonkies.com/2005/08/16/blogger-toolbar-for-microsoft-word

Stampede!

I just couldn't help but laugh at this. Yes this is a picture of a stampede that is caused when about 12k people were queuing up to buy 4 year old Apple IBooks for only $50 (which there were only 1k IBooks in total). My summary? All humans are greedy and greedy humans are willing to go to the edge of the universe for what they want.

Read more about it here:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/16/computer.frenzy.ap/index.html

Organizing GDXCON 2005

During this week I'm starting to look for sponsors for GDXCON (Game Developer Exchange Conference) 2005 in which is in the 2nd year. During the first year, I've teamed up with many other indie developers to hold a whole day seminar GDXCON 2004 on Game Development at Assumption University which had discussions from a wide range of topics - which was an immense success with a huge gathering from both game development companies, educational institutes, and the general public.

For this year, we are going to do things better by changing this to a 3 day event, and hosted in the middle of the City at the ICT Learning Center at Central WTC. Due to this expansion, we need to find more sponsors to help fund this event. We're currently are working on that, and hopefully things would be all right. Wish me and the rest of the team luck, and once things get settled I'll talk more about it here :)

Caught with Your Pants Down

What are you going to do if you are caught with your pants down? I just thought about looking at certain people in our society to see their response, and here are some conclusions I found:

Response#1 - Categorically Deny it Ever Happened ...

Chalerm Promlert - Ex Thailand Senator who denied emphatically that he never had sex with underage girls and was a very morally sound person as he regularly gave alms to temples. Later he was sentenced to jail to the maximum extend allowed by law after being found guilty.

Response#2 - Make Light of the Situation?

Prayuth Mahakitsiri - TRT executive who was detected lying about his total assets claimed that his Wife hid some money in case of a rainy day (e.g. he decided to divorce her) and that was why he didn't know about some of the missing money in his asset declaration. He was later found guilty and was bar from having a role in politics for 5 years.

Response#3 - Look at the Big Picture!

Thaksin Shinawatra- PM of Thailand who transfered huge amount of money to servants to hide a huge part of his asset. He claimed that it has nothing to do with his credibility and pointed that he wanted to do for the good for the country and didn't want this problem to derail his efforts. He narrowly won the court case, a clear case of double standard when considering the Prayuth Mahakitsiri and Sanan Kachornprasart were banned from political office for 5 years considering their similarity in offenses. At this moment, the PM is embroiled in a number of key major scandals.

Response#4 -Its the Latest Technological Innovation!

Transport authorities at Suvarnabhumi airport - At the construction site of the Suvarnabhumi airport, there were reports of huge cracks on the construction of the runway. To allay the fears, the PM hired a group of US engineers to inspect the cracks. The team resoundedly recommended a full reconstruction. Later the PM went out with the transport minister along with people from a local engineering association and told reporters it was normal, and it was a latest building technological innovation and nothing was worrisome. Somehow I just thought for the moment it might be fashionable to have cracks in the runway ;)

Thank You Rain!

Today there was a huge sudden downpour. I just love it. Thank You Rain!

p.s. If you don't understand this post don't worry, I didn't meant this rambling to make any sense.

Bad Spelling?

Today I had a meeting about intial talk about a collaboration project between my game lab that I set up in my University and a company when along the way around the Sutthisarn 4-way Intersection with Vipavadee Rangsit I found a poster in front of a shop that reads as the following:

BRA - B - Q

A case of bad spelling or intentional? I hardly can say O_o

Excess Energy?

Today I heard a rather queer news that make me wonder on a few things. They said that 70 policemen were sent to help keep order in a certain local University where students of the Engineering and Communication Arts department were caught fighting each other and could not be stopped by the local security guards. On my own personal opinion, I feel that it is pretty shocking to know that students of the same university could fight each other in such a fashion that the police had to be called to mediate. I mean instead of using the energy that was directed between each other, they could harness that to do productive things instead of using it to fight each other and bring their university to shame. Hmm...

Diamana Mousso

I just bought a new CD called Seckou Keita who was a traditional musician playing the kora (a traditional African instrument much like a guitar) from the country of Mali. The music was kind of strange, but reading through the notes of the songs there were many profound verses that are interesting which is much reflects the poetic nature of the artist. One of the songs that I like was Diamana Mousso and I want to share what he wrote there:

In any relationship, distance between partners will not stop them thinking of each other in a good or bad way. Our ancestors had a more difficult and tiring life but they were an example for relationships based on trust and friendship. We are in a world which has started with love and end with love. Love and friendship are based on trust. Mansali used to say that to listen to each other is very important and used to leave us saying "Good Bye! God give you somebody who stays and care for you."

Today people say, "I will love you for something and I want you for something."

This is not the way! Just love!

Diamana Mousso - Seckou Keita

Some 3D Graphic Programs

This semester I'm teaching a new subject called 3D Graphical Programming. In this course I've taught students the basics of 3D programming using DirectX. During the first half of the class I've asked the students to do different projects based on the material they studied from the start of the class, and the results were rather interesting far better than what I've anticipated. Topics for the first project is limited to simple 3D modeling, basic color (flat/gouraud shading), basic transformation, and basic lighting.

If you are interested, you could visit the project listing at http://forum.s-t.au.ac.th/viewtopic.php?t=1186 to see some of the things we have done so far.

I AM THE LAW!

Last night, I was watching a movie called The Head of State (2003) which stars Chris Rock as a guy from the Ghetto who is suddenly pushed into running for President of the USA. After finishing the movie, it made me ponder a few things. First of all, though some of the people who I know who watched the movie, they mentioned that they like Chris Rock and would want a streetsmart person to actually run their country who will speak their mind instead of rambling about law, protocol, and procedure in an alien like language for hours. Anyway, at the end of the film, I just suddenly had a cold chill down my spine when Chris Rock was talking with his girlfriend, and one quote really bit me hard when she asked him if it was appropriate to make her the First Lady. What Chris Rock replied in the film was a cany quote, that really turned me off:

That would be no problem, because I'm the LAW!

When I heard that word, somehow this phrase is an early sign of power corrupting people. As people gain power to the point of being able change the law to bend in what way it seems convinent, then it is a spark that will lead to the fire of corruption, nepotisim, and cronyism.

One quote come from Plato's Crito in which recollects Socrates last days sums it up nicely:

Socrates: Consider it in this way. Suppose the laws and the commonwealth were to come and appear to me as I was preparing to run away and were to ask, " Tell us, Socrates, what have you in your mind to do? What do you mean by trying to escape but to destroy us and think that a sate can exist and not be overthrown, in which the decisions of the law are of no force, and are disregarded and underminded by private individuals?" How shall we answer questions like that, Crito?

When talking about the movie again, another issue that repeatedly is popped up is that it seems education shouldn't be a huge factor in considering elected public officials. One of the things that popped into my mind is about how presidental elections somehow turn into strange affairs - and an example of how real life is so similar - we can see well in the Phillipines election in which Estrada and Poe were two popular megamovie stars in their country who ran for president. Both of these candidates had little education(primary), which makes them a huge contrast to their more highly sophisticated alternative which are usually old policians with high education. In the example of Estrada, he won the presidental race, and quickly had popularist policies up and running to appease the poor whereas he plundered the country with his cronies and was ousted a few years later.


In the example of Poe he lost the election to Arroyo, who currently is in hot water over her admission that she may have cheated by persuading election officials to help her out in the last election. As we noticed these are examples of poorly qualified candidates who has a huge voter base due to personal charisma. When talking about education, I do find that since most politicians cheat, education doesn't seem to be a big matter. The point that I find as a paradox is that the more clever and educated the candidate is, the more likely the scale of the the cheating would be. As noted, you don't need to look for for example of this. In Thailand, all Member of Parliment are required to have at least bachelor level education. Somehow by adding this requirement, we see new creative and more worrisome forms of cronyism and corruption budding on a regular basis, which I do assume isn't the intended result of the law.

As noted, education and moral don't really go hand in hand. Higher education doesn't guarantee better moral, its completely discrete.

If you talk about moral, we can easily power can corrupt a person's moral. Now some people will say if religion plays a huger part in the government, then morality would not be a big issue. However, I'm a huge opponent of that. One of the most dangerous thing that has happened in our World is the rise of fundamentalist elements. People who have strong religious conviction and are willing to go beyond normal means to achieve their goal, have little reasoning capability due to blind faith, and insensitive to the multiplicity in the world. Some good example of people who have moral that are straight and exact to the book could be pointed at the Taliban. In some cases, I feel that people following religion do it for unholy causes. From what I see donation is similar to investment to god. Praying for good fortune later, I feel its is like to withdraw some of the investment from god. Somehow it makes sense in financial terms doesn't it?

That brings to the other side of the spectrum, there is money that plays a huge part in swaying a person's moral to the dark side. Somehow I feel the hawks in Washington are calling to the call of Money, though claiming to be morally sound on a religious sense. Somehow I find it ironic, but as we note, even the question of moral, virtue, and the sense of right and wrong would go around in a full circle much like asking which comes first - a chicken or an egg?

So after a long and rambling talk, it just seems that I've just ran into circles and back again. Somehow I've come to the conclusion that most politicans are lying scumbags, and no matter what education and background they come from, they are usually corrupted due to the allure of power and the swaying influence of religious fundamentalism and/or money which makes it a deadly combination. The only difference that makes one politician look better than another usually lie on their ability to manipulate the media. As noted, you should know that appearing to be good is alot easier than being good, and it just seems that too many people are taking this approach these later lean and mean years.

Though I may sound quite sour at my inability to change how many of our politicans plunder our country, somehow it warms my heart when I read Plato's Apology when I came to a part in which Socrates mentioned about an episode in his short foray into public life as a politician and his dealing with an accuser that he was a corrupter of youth:

The only office of State which I ever held. O men of Athens was that of senator: the tribe Antiochis, whic is my tribe, had the presidency at the trial of the generals who had not taken up the bodies of the slain after the battle of Arginusae; and you proposed to try them in a body, contrary to law, as you all thought afterwards; but at the time, I was the only one of the Prytanes who was opposed to the illegality, and I gave my vote against you; and when the orators threatened to impeach and arrest me, and you called and shouted, I made up my mind that I would run the risk, having law and justice with me, arather than to take part in your injustice because I feared imprisonment and death. This happened in the day of
democracy.

Somehow at the end of this blog, I want to dedicated this to our PM, wish you another belated birthday (which was 2 days ago), and hopefully someday you can be the man you claim to be during your first steps into the Thai political scene without having to rely with all the media circus and spindoctors to cover your tracks.

Home Sweet Home

It just seems that every single year, my Birthday would usually fall on a weekday. As having a birthday on a weekday, one of the major problem is that it doesn't give you license to do just anything you want because the next day you just got to get back to work. One of the things that I've always wanted was to just spend a cozy day at home just relaxing and having a nice day dozing off and then eating whatever I like and forget about what is going to happen the next day - as you note my favorite birthday activity is just to spend the day at home.

Anyway the last birthday I had, somehow I had the luck that a few days after my birthday, there is an extended religious holiday which gives me 4 days off during the weekends. Strangely enough, during those time, somehow I got myself awfully sick and bedridden. So during those four days and a few days beyond, I spend most of my time in a self imposed exile at home recupperating. Strange, somehow I just didn't feel like it was like "Home Sweet Home!"

Meme

Nothing happened much of late, so I guess I haven't got much to write about. I guess I'll just do a meme for fun. Here are the results:


General

(1) Your gender: Male
(2) Straight/gay/bi: Straight.
(3) Single: Yes.
(4) Want to be: Hmm...
(5) Your birth day: July 19
6) Age you act: 60
(7) Age you wish you were: 16
(8 ) Your height: 175 cm
(9) The colour of your eyes: Black
10) Happy with it: Can't care more or less
(11) The colour of your hair: Black
(12) Happy with it: Can't care more or less
(13) Left/right/ambidextrous: Right.
(14) Your living arrangement: With my parents and brother.
(15) Your family: My parents, two brothers
(16) What's your job: Lecturer/Game Developer
(17) Piercings: None
(18) Tattoos: None.
(19) Obsessions: Hmm...
(20) Do you speak another language: Yes
(21) Have a favourite quote: Nope
(22) Do you have a webpage: Yes, many to be exact!

DEEP THOUGHTS about life and you in it

(23) Do you live in the moment: Hmm...
(24) Do you consider yourself tolerant of others: Yes.
(25) Do you have any secrets: Not many I think...
26) Do you hate yourself: No
(27) Do you like your handwriting: Its fast, but ugly :P.
(28) Do you have any bad habits: Yes.
(29) What is the compliment you get most from people: Intelligent
(30) If a movie was made about your life, what would it be called: A Lot about Something
(31) What's your biggest fear: Roaches
(32) Can you sing: Alot of Karaoke if it counts.
(32) Do you ever pretend to be someone else just to look cool: No.
(33) Are you a loner: Sometimes.
(34) If you were another person, would you be friends with you: Yes.
(35) Are you a daredevil: Matters.
(36) Is there anything you fear or hate about yourself: I think I might be crazy! LOL
(37) Are you passive or aggressive: I think I got many split personality inside me :P
(38) What is your greatest strength and weakness: Strength: Perception/Analyzing Situations. Weakness: Emotional
(39) If you could change one thing about yourself: Well just leave it the way it is ;)
40) There are three wells, love, beauty and creativity, which one do you choose: Creativity
(41) How do you vent: Karaoke/Play Computer Games
(42) Do you think you are emotionally strong: Yes.
(43) Is there anything you regret doing/not doing in life: Yes.
(44) Do you think life has been good so far: Yes.
(45) What is the most important lesson you've learned from life: Never forget there is always an alternative path.
(46) What do you like the most about your body: Me!
47) And least: Fingers(Too short)
48) Do you think you are good looking: I don't care but people say it, so I guess so!
(49) Are you confident: Yes!
(50) What is the fictional character you're most like: Hmm... can't really say!
(51) Do people know how you feel: Not really.
(52) Are you perceived wrongly: Sometimes.

Human Ingenuity

Over dinner one day, I used to talk with a group of friends about the topic human desires and how far we would go to trick ourselves. One of the question was about the Jay (Veggie) Festival which is a Chinese festival in which for a few weeks, people of Chinese descent would usually stop eating meat to cleanse their mind and body. Talking about such huge sacrifices made, sometimes I've wondered about the following question:

Is it ethical for a vegeterian to eat veggie imitation of meat?

As you know, one of the hot menus during the veggie festival are meat imitation products that are usually made out of soybeans. Now when talking about meat imitation products, eventhough it is not technically meat, sometimes I wonder if it was ethical for these people to even be eating imitation products when the festival specifically tells people to abstain from meat, and I think even the thought of eating meat should not cross their minds if they are seriously planning to stay clean. During the discussion, I brought this matter up, and it seems most of my friends told me that it was completely okay, as it was technically still a veggie diet.

Now staying on the same topic, I've found a related topic. Talking about alcohol consumption, it is known that a number of religion has specifically banned drinking alcohol in its doctrine. However as a number of people want to get high, there has been a number of followers that drink cough syrups that contain intoxicating elements to get high. Once I've asked this case, the table resoundingly said that this was wrong.

I just wanted us all to take a step back and look at the first topic and the second topic. If you noticed carefully, both of the cases are technically the same. Both of these people have been told that doing a specific action is sinful, and they should not do it. However due to human ingenuity, there was been workarounds available that would allow the people to have the pleasure of what has been asked to be abstained which is still technically correct to the doctrine. Strange isn't it?