now no fear to post at redbeanforum

Then please use the very same technology to banish all FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) about your IP address being traced. Regain your anonymity, freedom and privacy. Exercise your free speech in order to preserve what little freedom you have left. Do you like anonymity? Do you wish to circumvent MDA's or any censor's content filters for that matter? Then use Tor technology. It's a network of onion-routers operated mostly by private individuals (some .edus and non-profit orgs also do so). But coz no one person/company own/ have access to the entire network - a common pitfall of so-called "free anonymous proxies" - they can't store all details about you - even if they want to). Tor continually hops and cycles through thousands of IP addresses in its network before exiting your data stream through hundreds possible exit nodes. So unless you're being watched and timed at both entry and exit nodes, no one knows where you came from nor where you're going. Anyway, so what? You easily re-establish another ID using new hardware with fresh MAC addresses. And of course using a public hotspot helps, too. If you want to try out Tor, go to http://torrify.com/ and download Torpark and run that from your machine. Once you've got it running go to http://cmyip.com/ to verify that your IP is indeed masked. Better still go download the Firefox browser from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ and torrify it from http://tor.eff.org/download.html.en so you get the benefit of Privoxy as well. Allow yourself to speak out freely without any more FUD. So you see, Knowledge is Power and Information is Freedom in an information-controlled and fear-induced environment. BTW, Tor, Firefox, Privoxy software that power such technology is Open Source Software. Meaning it's FREE and LEGAL to be downloaded and used. So use and support OSS to enjoy a better tomorrow today. PS. don't complain if your surfing speed is now slower. That's the trade-off you make to enjoy anonymity and circumvent content filters. You choose if it's worth it. Anyway, there's the Tor button that toggles if off - if you feel safe to do so.

increase in postage rate

Increase in Postage rate. The increase in postage rate effective 18 Dec 06 will be from 23c to 25c, 70c to $1.10 and $2 to $2.20. Effectively the percentage increase ranges from 8.7%, 10% and 57%. There it goes!

littering no more

We have been very successful in cleaning up Singapore over the years until things took a drastic change lately. Singaporeans in general, except a few untrainable, have been accustomed to the non littering habit that have been instilled in them from young. Why the sudden turn of event? Have Singaporeans gone back to their third world mentality? It is pointless to tackle the problem if we failed to see the cause of the problem. Indeed some Singaporeans have returned to their ugly habit of littering. But that is not the major cause. Why are people so blind not to notice who are the littering our streets? It is not the Singaporeans but our foreign workers. Not too sure about foreign talents. Overnight, fields and playgrounds and footpaths were strewn with litters, papers for sitting on the ground, plastic bags, food wrappers, emptied drink bottles and cans were everywhere. For the situation to reach such a state, it means someone is sleeping. Someone who is tasked to do the job is not doing it. Is this a complain? To some arseholes, yes it is a complain. To the enlightened, it is feedback. And they would probably thank people who talked about such problems and start cracking. The problem is straightforward and the solutions too are quite simple. But if we do not understand the source of the problem, we are barking at the wrong tree.

myth 94

'Singaporeans don't complain' The word 'complain' must be wiped out from the Singaporean vocabulary. It is not only irrelevant, but to some can be hazardous. Singaporeans are afraid to complain about policies or the govt. But if it is something else, they will rise spontaneously like the Geylang roar. A good example is the NKF issue. Complain is a taboo word. It is politically unwise and risky. What Singaporeans should do when they are caught in a bind is to jump. But that is bad now after the last case. A copy cat jumper did not reap any financial reward subsequently. What Singaporeans should do, the politically correct way, is to seek help, or write in a feedback. But even the term feedback is not too appropriate. The new terminology is reach. Feedback, reach, complain, what's the dif? Anyway, Singaporeans who are not happy, please reach back, or reach will reach you. Feedback is out of fashion and complain is a definitely no no.

world class transport, according to who?

What is world class public transport system? My immediate response is to look at the best, the most efficient, the most comfortable and the most customer friendly, ignoring the cost for the moment. What comes into my mind is SIA first class or first class in the bullet trains. Plush upholstery, pretty hostesses, service with a smile, tender loving care, and a lot of room to move around, read the paper, a lot of fresh air to breathe, and getting to your destination on time. What is the Minister's definition of first class? More people using it. A preferred choice of transport. Quite brief but could encompass efficiency, fast, clean, comfortable etc but one thing to exclude, be prepared to be squeezed. The capacity must increase as most of the trains are not travelling in full capacity. Now what are the views of operators of public transport on being first class? Efficiency, fast and maximum capacity are the key words. Forget about comfort. They have just removed many seats to increase capacity. And they want the train to be 100% full at all time. Now what does this 100% mean? Cheek to cheek? Very likely. The current 80% peak time capacity is seen as under utilised. What commuters in Singapore can expect if public transport is indeed world class is a sardine packed, cheek to cheek kind of commuting, and not only during peak hours, but at all hours. What this means is that the commuters must be prepared to smell the unclean, unwashed body odour of the next person. Smell all the month long stale cigarette which a construction worker will not wash off from his uniform. And even the female commuters are not noted for washing their hair and you know what you will get. And there will be more meat in the train than air. And everyone is expected to share the little air in the packed to capacity cabin, exchanging bad breath. And they will have to stand practically all the way. And that is world class public transport system if the operators have their say. If that be so, I would recommend a standard attire for all commuters. Swimming trunks and a gas mask, and a body strap with a hook. And better to make it compulsory. The mask is necessary not only to shield against bad breath and body odour, but as a first line of defence against infection. And commuters better not try white shirt or designer togs. What is the body strap and hook for? To hang the body for the rest of the journey. Beats standing all the way.