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Hmm haven't been here for some time. I guess nothing much is happening in real life. Or maybe I'm too busy to update here?
Have just started driving lessons not long ago... they're going well, though not as frequent as I would like them to be. Still have problems with my half-clutch, but everything takes time. I must be patient. Have recently developed an interest in lossless music and good speakers/sound cards... so far I've invested in a good 2.1 sound system and with lossless music, the difference is quite amazing, even without a dedicated sound card. When I get some more money I'll be getting one. Quite broke right now, what with all the going out and driving lessons and all >< In other news, someone's flying off next weekend. Rrr. Enjoy your trip man. A few thoughts.
Moore's Law states that computing power will double every 18 months, and this has held true for a long while now. That led me to think, how are computers really different from people? The difference lies in the ability to accept contradictions. When faced with a contradicting command, the computer will loop and crash; in contrast, the human will simply shrug it off and continue on as though nothing happened. Thus, ironically, what makes us human is the ability to be hypocrites. Got a lift from my sergeant to Bedok today. Went by way of Kranji, through Kranji industrial area and eventually passed the Singapore Turf Club. What struck me was the size of the place (never been there before), and by extension, the size of the gambling industry in Singapore. What with the IRs opening soon and all. Why has gambling been institutionalised in Singapore? The reason to take it out in the open, rather than keep it personal (ie. among friends) or worse, in illegal gambling dens, is so that these activities can be taxed. Okay, beyond the frankly juvenile ravings about how governments are greedy and just want money (I'm guilty of that too), I am greatly disturbed by the implications of taxing, not eradicating, an activity (from my viewpoint) purely detrimental to society. How can you put a price on human suffering? Because that's precisely what the government is doing, by taxing gambling, in the thin logic that such additional cost will make up for what we call the negative externality (the damage to society) in economics terms. I shudder to think how I will ever sleep at night if I venture into politics. Valuing the cost of a person (or group's) happiness, weighing it against another, judging and determining the more valuable one. Making policy decisions knowing that your every move can have a very real impact on tens of thousands of people. That's a scale beyond most human minds. It scares me. |
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