Enjoy the Colours!

Every so often a blog post gives insight into another world like this one.

Americana

BBC 's Americana - consigned to history. I've lived here for about 3 years and, it struck just the right tone. Pity.

Insecurity

Piers Morgan had Mark Sanford on his show last night.

Sanford was squirmish - as anyone would do having to talk about his private life on TV.

In any case, he said one line in particular that I remember. While quoting the bible, he said that the only thing women need is a feeling of security in a relationship.

Inferring that the defining characteristic of women is that they are insecure.

What an idiot.

Net Positive Karma

It blows my mind how the people I have met through being a blogger and have only really known over the 'net are willing to be so generous to me.

I asked this Brandon over at the Java Jive to write give a little advice for my sis about teaching in Indonesia, and he took the time to a really nice reply.

This has happened to me over and over again. Pity I am not the blogger I once was, it's such an incredible medium.

Love Hate

I just read about how a Saudi diplomat enslaved an Indonesian maid in Berlin.

A German human rights organisation made a good point - human rights should trump diplomatic rights every time.

I started reading the comments next to the article. The commentators are rightfully outraged.

This story comes on the back of several brutal cases concerning Indonesian maids in Saudi Arabia. Torture (girl's faces being destroyed beyond recognition), slavery, rape, death sentences (the accusation was black magic, after a family's son left home).

The place sounds like a hell hole.

Many issues arise which have been written about elsewhere.

One is pertinent to me however, after reading the comments. Many in the west believe Islam is a monolithic religion, which is of course a gross over simplification. For example, Indonesia's Muslims have a love hate relationship with the Middle East. On the one hand, it is the ancient source of Islam on the other it can be the modern day heart of evil, which devours so many young innocent Indonesians.

Unity in Diversity/Adversity

From a nation where they risked being persecuted by Muslims, they headed for the world's most populous Muslim nation: Indonesia.

Libertarianism

(HT, Greg Mankiw)

Ablogaboutcrisps

Check it!

The Marmite City

My parents are coming to visit me in New York City this week.

New York, is an acquired taste. I hope they end up liking it!

Haiku No. 2

What a GREAT wknd! : )
Here's to many more bright moons,
Muffins and teaspoons

My First Haiku

Irish New Yorker;
In sunken delirium;
Asian desk steps o'er

(Happy St. Patrick's day!)

The Battle of Algiers

I just saw The Battle of Algiers - excellent movie.

A Toast

Here's to a democratic Middle East!

Back Home

My grandad died and I came back home for the funeral.

I think it's only the second funeral I ever remember attending.

I was not too close with him, but it's a kind of testament to him that his family gets on so well together.

Tetris

I watch Stephen Colbert most nights. His jokes can land knock out punches and reach people in a way that Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity and their po-faced pundits could only dream of.

Satire is about analogy, it's about putting serious issues next to whacky larger than life characters who drive their points home in a garish hilarious way. Sneaking important messages into jokes - like mystic messages in flamboyant fortune cookies.

Economics and finance often use analogies. Maths models are stories about real life but with fewer jokes.

I wonder whether we could put an algebra model under a game of Tetris, so that while fitting blocks together kids are solving equations; perhaps embed stock dynamic models into how space invaders fly at you; maybe Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 could have a macro economic model underpinning it, so that volleying a ball would be like minimising inflation while maximising employment.

Obviously, you would have to pick your model and game mechanics wisely - otherwise you could have soccer balls looping round and round rather than having realistic ball goes up then comes down physics.

I love the idea that people playing Angry Birds might be sucked into intuitively understanding something completely serious and kind of useful.

Then again, you have to ask the question, even if you understand how to hit a baseball how much will you understand Newton's law of universal gravitation? Is intuition enough?

Nevertheless it could be a lot of fun!

The Power of Images

I went to a talk recently where the person talking opened up with:

We value and understand the power of images

To which my contrarian mind replied - but what about the impotency of images? Their weaknesses. That seems like a more interesting topic.

Start Up Weekend

Fantastic idea!

My Favourite Band Are No More

Ah well...

Intersection

Would you date a person of a different race? A different creed? A different sex? Different politics?

~~

I've been thinking of the intersection between people's views on society and their views on being intimate, loving someone.

What does the choice of partner (or self-imposed restrictions) say about you? What does it tell you about your culture?

New Year's Resolutions

I quit beer for 2010. A year of hard liquor has done me well. I've found a new appreciation for whiskey - although I can't say the same for much else. I am Irish after all though.

I also quit the Beatles, which was good, cos I am sure I'll appreciate them much more now.

Unfortunately, looking at my Last.fm most listened to chart for 2010 I'm still listening to a lot of old bands. But then again mainly their new albums, so that's probably OK (I won't consult my inner-conscience, too afraid of what it has to say).

On the plus side my 10th most listened to album was Homocide Indonesia's The Nekrophone Dayz, which is all about Indonesian genocide in the sixties (an antidote to too much of The Beatles over the years?) and then there's Kill The Moonlight by Spoon. I haven't the foggiest who Spoon are, so that has to be good, they got be sorta indie-edgey-cool if I have listened to them for a year and still couldn't name a single song, eh?

I quit Facebook last year. Not as a new year resolution, but after a realisation that no one had much interesting to say. It's also refreshing not having someone Facebook you and dispel any mystery when they realise that yes, you too look stupid when drunk.