6/29/2014
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
6/28/2014
Medishield Life - Monthly Premiums (2019)
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
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
6/27/2014
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
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