Robotic pets as companions

‘During the APEC TEL Workshop & 9th IAC forum held at NUS today (16 Jun), the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) told the media on the sidelines it is exploring high-tech gadgets like robotic pets to keep the elderly company.

IDA said that it is looking into using high-tech gadgets like wearable monitoring devices, robotic legs and pets to help Singaporeans cope with ageing.

The forum aims to use technology to improve daily living for seniors….

Paro is modeled on a baby seal and has been listed by Guinness World Records as the most effective therapeutic pet of its kind. It has an array of sensors, and is said to be capable of developing a personality over time that corresponds with how people interact with it. It is priced at close to US$6,000 per unit.

However, not everyone is agreeable to using robotic pets as company for the elderly. Thw Wall Street Journal reported that Paro is being used in some nursing homes in the US [Link].

“If you give me a robot that helps perform mundane tasks associated with care giving, such as vacuuming or doing the dishes, I’m all for that,” says Dr. Thomas, founder of the Green House Project, a campaign to make nursing homes smaller and more like regular houses. But “if we wind up with nursing homes full of baby-seal robots, the robots will be trying to fulfill the relationship piece of care giving, while the humans are running around changing the beds and cooking the food.”

Sherry Turkle, a professor in the Science, Technology and Society program at MIT, warns against regarding it as a companion. “Why are we so willing to provide our parents, then ourselves, with faux relationships?” she asked.

Lakewood Manor, a continuing-care retirement community in Virginia state, borrowed a Paro from the distributor but sent it back after 3 months. A spokesperson said, “I think the staff took to him more than the residents did.”’


My simple comments would be to design human like robots for the seniors to keep them company. If we as humans, or children, could not be near them, give them some realistic humanoids to keep them company, to amuse them. I am sure hugging a male/female humanoid to sleep beats hugging silly robotic seals or pet dogs?

Are we that crazy or naïve to think of spending $6,000 on a robotic seal toy?

Oops, my apologies, this whole thing is meant to be a joke. Don’t take it seriously. Those who are serious need to visit the IMH.

I heard that this robotic pet idea came from Japan. But I think they prefer real comfort women but selling expensive robotic pets to the daft in exchange for their money.

PS. Sunday is time to relax and be dumb for a while.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Cognitive Dissonance is a national psyche

I wrote earlier about how the people in this democratic state are not ready for democracy and how the govt too is not ready for democracy in an article, Singapore is a Democracy. This is a kind of Cognitive Dissonance in the people’s psyche. This could be an Asian think, having been seduced by the western concept of democracy but unable to unload the centuries of reinforcement in the idea of authority and the fear of authority.

In democracy, the authority of the state is transferred from a kingship or dictatorship to the people, or at least in a temporal mode and vacillating to and fro at different stages of political change. This concept of having authority over the ruler, personified in an individual or a few individuals represented by a political party is still a very scary and confusing thought to the masses. They did not know how to use this authority and fear the power of this authority and would be most happy to hand it over to the people they elected to power and to obey as their psyche expected them to. The rulers elected to power also assume power like a mandate of heaven and have no qualms in using that power, even believing that it is there for good.

This state of inexplicable balance in the rulers wielding exceptional power in a democratic state, and a people so docile and so used to defer to the power of the rulers has been in existence since the island became an independent state and professing democracy as the nation’s guiding political philosophy. The state is comfortable in wielding the power the people willing surrender by default, governed by their sub conscious of being and a cultural upbringing. It is just like that and all is well. The state decides, dictates, and the people accept and abide by the decisions of the state. Compulsion becomes an acceptable norm in policy making. The people need not know, the state knows best and there is no need for the state to be transparent in all things. Some of the naughty people may ask insensitive questions or questions that they know would not be answered. They will ask and they will be ignored.

The CPF saving scheme is all about compulsion and the power of authority. It started with a compulsory saving scheme introduced by the state with a reasonable set of terms and conditions. There was limitation of power despite the compulsive nature of the scheme and it was accepted as a necessary instrument of living a life with some financial certainty. Over the years many terms and conditions were changed, authoritatively, decided unilaterally by the state, with little or no resistance from the people. More and more compulsory schemes were introduced as a matter of fact and right of the state to do so.

After the 7 Jun Return My CPF rally in Hong Lim, things begin to change. There were articles saying that Singapore is at a cross road, there is a more compelling reason for change, a change of govt and all its unpopular policies. The CPF Protest Rally is not about the CPF alone. It is a challenge to the conditioned psyche of the people. It is the thinking of the people that is at a cross road. They have been dragged by their noses, not to question the power of the state, how far could the state go in compelling its people to accept policies without the need of the people’s consent.

The people are demanding their right to run their own lives, to manage their own money, to limit the state’s unbridled monopoly to decision making that affects their lives, from cradle to grave. The people are pushing back the power of the state, demanding the state to redefine the limits of its power over them. The state or the political leaders are rocked out of their comfort zone. They have been making decisions without the need to consult the people, to decide first and no need to talk later. The Govt or state knows better and shall decide what it thinks is best. Some even openly declared that they would do it the way they think best, no need to listen to the people, a kind of superior beans or more than mortals. They have all the answers.

How far would this discourse and challenge to what the govt or state can do, how much power they are allowed to possess, and whether can they afford to do as they pleased without the consent of the people, is just emerging. The people are taking cognitive resonance to their rights and the rights of the rulers. The rulers too would have to re assess how far they can go it alone, ignoring the wishes and interests of the people. The balance has been shaken and things are getting shaky. Would there be a new balance or would it be all the same after this flash in the pan labour pain? Is there an awakening of the people to what democracy is all about, that power over the people is not absolute and unrestrained, unlimited?

Is Singapore at a cross road, a psyche change in the making?

Kopi Level - Yellow

Medishield Life - Monthly Premiums (2019)

According to a table presented by Channel News Asia titled, Medishield Life – Monthly Premiums (2019), Singaporeans are classified under four categories by income. These are Low Income for those earning $1,100 and below, Lower Middle Income, $1,101 to $1,800, Upper Middle Income, $1,801 to $2,600 and Upper Income for those earning above $2,600.

The table is based on per capita income and very likely to assume that each household has two working adults or two incomes. It is very generous and a compliment to claim a household income of $5,200 as belonging to Upper Middle Income. At $5,200, many are struggling to own a car or to live comfortably if they have two school going children, and hopefully don’t have parents to look after. For a household with only one income, a $2,000 household income is barely above subsistence level or just above the poverty line for a family of four.

To make the classification less realistic, put them in comparative terms like poor, average, rich and very rich. I don’t think anyone will agree that a household income of $3,600 to $5,200 can be considered as rich. So is a household income of more than $5,200 as very rich, Upper Class. Ok, Upper Income is not necessarily upper class.

I am wondering what they have in mind or which country’s standard of living are they referring to. It cannot be for Singapore to call someone as very rich or Upper Class/Income if the household income is a paltry $5,200. A $5,200 household income of four is the new poor in this super expensive island.

What do you think?

Kopi Level - Red

Great Leap of Faith in Singaporeans

Every Singaporean has to be forgiven for having the impression that our politics is actually petty politics of individual attacks and character assassinations. It is always about how to argue or talk cock to win a brownie point at best, nothing substantive or meaningful, and nothing constructive towards the well being of citizens and a better future. And every encounter almost without failed ended up in the gutters with both parties ending up dirty with mud and shit all over. There is no dignity in this kind of political scuffles even for the winners.

Oh, there were big issues being talked about but always a one sided affair. There seems to be a conscious effort to avoid discussing anything important or anything that will affect the people and the future of this island. Don’t believe me, check, any real discussion on the CPF issue or it is a case of I said so and it is now the law. So get on with your life.

What about the PWP, was there any discussion, or serious discussion? Oh yes, they discussed and voted for it in Parliament. Really? Then why was there a big crowd at Hong Lim and why are the people still so angry about it?

What about the cost of health care, the number of Singaporeans PMETs losing their jobs to foreigners, etc etc, were there really discussions, political discussions by political leaders?

When would our politics take a leap forward to a higher plane, to really talk and discuss about serious issues and not personal attacks and ignoring the contrarian points raised? Maybe there were some school boy debates going on. I am wondering if they were serious discussions that men and women in leadership should be doing, or simply the blasting and pushing aside of someone without any attempt to listen? No need to talk, no need a second look, anything coming from the other side must be bad and not worth the time to look at.

And serious discussions are not like kopitiam talks, when two parties just shoot it out and whoever can talk better, even when talking rubbish, would look good and clever. Serious discussions require serious and deep thoughts and take times to consider. The main stream media should take the lead to publish these thought processes in full not only for the authors to express their views fully but also to educate the masses of the opposing intellectual thinking. So far this appears to be the reserves of a few select academics and individuals. A few politicians may enjoy such a privilege to have their thoughts printed in the media, and rarely, if there was any coming from politicians from the wrong camp. In general, politicians did not seem to have serious ideas worth printings or to share with the public. Only academics are intelligent enough for this kind of works.

Isn’t this strange, that the million dollar politicians don’t have better or worthier ideas than the academics to be aired in the media? It is high time that the MSM put in effort to allow our super talents to have a say in the press, at least to prove that they are really intelligent. It is also time to show the world that our super talents can think and their ideas are worth printing and reading and bestest.

Why allocate so much valuable media space to foreigners that often have an agenda that could be contrary to our interests? Why allowed foreign propaganda and agenda to have so much space in our MSM, often written by dounces?

There is a need for national issues to be aired in our media, by our thinkers, academics and politicians. Nevermind if we only have a handful of thinkers. Nevermind if only the thoughts of Mahbubani, Tommy Koh, Chan Heng Chee and Barry Desker are good enough for the time being. There must be others that have ideas that are worth reading and sharing.  Oh, I nearly missed out on Han Fook Kwang, Warren Fernandez and Chua Mui Hoong. This island cannot have only these few local thinkers, and the thousands of highly paid foreign correspondents to fill our pages telling us their coloured views of local and international events.

We need to fill our pages with serious local issues, political issues, written by our very own thinkers. Please, spare us the new citizens. It is quite insulting to think that there is no works of local thinkers worth printing and only views of new citizens and foreigners are superior. Or it is true that we have no talents except the few in political office?

When will we take this great leap of faith, to openly talk and discuss about our own affairs and our own futures? Can start with CPF, PWP for the moment. Or there is really nothing to discuss, or too sensitive to discuss, or they are state secrets? Or there is no good enough or talented enough Singaporeans to discuss them? Or they are all too busy counting their money?

Kopi Level - Red

Mean testing – Still testing?

How many of you remember this mean method of testing people when they are admitted to hospital to determine what ward they should be warded? Mind you, if I am not mistaken, it is still in practice. Now what is this mean testing all about?
 
Mean testing is to make sure that those who are richer, can afford higher medical bills, should not be allowed to be admitted to lower class wards. The lower class wards are reserved for the poorer patients because of greater subsidies. So, if they mean tested you and concluded that you can pay for it, you go to a more expensive ward with less subsidies. You cannot decide to spend less even if you want to save some money. So, how to use less of your CPF when they mean tested you and say you must use more? Can Lim Swee Say help out on this when the patients want to save and did not want to spend?
 
And mine you, because of the higher subsidies for C class wards, the percentage of C class wards available is not determined by demand but decided by the hospital and can be like HDB flats, determined by ‘market forces’.
 
And Gan Kim Yong telling the people not to worry when Medishield Life comes into effect, there will be enough hospital beds for everyone. Now what did he mean by that? No more tents in hospitals under normal supply and demand situation? When there is a sudden epidemic the hospitals can be excused for not having enough beds and needing to pitch tents in the car parks or any space available.
 
In normal circumstances, would the hospitals have enough beds for the patients or would the patients have to wait in the corridors? Or would the patients have to upgrade to higher wards to get a bed? What would the situation be when the demand for hospital beds increases with more people aging and with more demands for beds when the Medishield Life kicks in?
 
Sure got enough beds and no need to worry? Don’t forget, other than the aging population and the mentality of Medishield Life taken care of the bigger chunk of medical fees, the population is going to go up and up, to the planning numbers of 6.9m or could be more.
 
What do you think, Minister Gan, everything ok and planned for? Sure got enough, no need to worry?
 
PS. Can anyone confirm that mean testing is still in practice?

Kopi Level  - Yellow