Last Message

Dear Readers,

Recently certain events have prompted me to re-evaluate the role & relevance of the Intelligent Singaporean in the Singapore socio-political blogosphere. These events have forced me to reconsider whether continuing my aggregation work furthers the original cause of IS.

The original intention of IS was that it would act as a mutual ground of exchange and to facilitate civil discussion about socio-political issues in Singapore. The blogosphere has however evolved rapidly in the intervening year and IS is no longer able to serve the changing needs of the blogosphere today.

I have therefore decided that this would be an appropriate time for me to redefine the nature of my participation in the blogosphere. Unfortunately, this includes the discontinuation of IS as it currently stands. Rest assured all previously published content will be retained and will continue to be accessible to the public-at-large.

It has been a privilege to have been involved in the undertaking of such a project. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to IS in one way or another, including all the readers who have supported my work. My only regret is that I will no longer be able to provide you with the same convenience in navigating the socio-political blogosphere that I have been able to with the Intelligent Singaporean.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding.

InSp.

Suspension

This Blog is Suspended Until Further Notice.

All Inconvenience Caused is Regretted.

It’s Official: The Singapore Government Has Blasted Off To Cyber Space!

Man it had to happen – it’s bound to happen – and now it’s finally happened. What am I talking about? The Singapore Government has decided to put on their space suits and magnetic booties to explore cyber space big time. It’s all here in this article:

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_150344.html

Nope it’s not just talk this time, it’s real and just in case you have any doubts, I have even gutted out the juicy bits just to show you how serious they are in projecting into the virtual:

“AN IT-SAVVY government agency here owns an island – but one which does not exist in the real world.

Along with at least two other agencies, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) has bought real estate to operate in a universe that exists only online.

This virtual world, called Second Life, is visited by more than 8.9 million residents from about 100 real-world countries.

Besides the IDA, the Singapore Tourism Board and Economic Development Board have bought stakes there – not for commercial gain, but to reach their audiences, or to explore operations in a virtual world.

Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts Balaji Sadasivan, revealing this yesterday, noted that life in this digital age was making the world increasingly porous, so it was important for people to ‘exploit the opportunities opening up’ in the cyberworld.”

Now I know most of you don’t really know what the virtual is – it remains the stuff of I know, but not really. So I am going to spend a few minutes just laying it out.

Deconstructing the Singapore Dream

This essay talks about the Singapore Dream. It will be integrated into Christopher’s current project Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity, a beginner’s guide to personal finance

There is a lot of talk about what the Singapore Dream is. Books have been written about it but there are seldom any specifics on what it really is. Could the Singaporean Dream be one where a person becomes a millionaire? Is it the accumulation of all the 5 Cs? Or is it is a complicated journey involving Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and reaching self-actualization?

“Living the Singapore Dream”, a book written by Tan Yong Soon, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, attempts to highlight the lives of 23 Singaporeans who are living the dream. The stories were originally meant to inspire fellow Singaporeans to stretch themselves to achieve personal success and happiness in their lives.

The original intention of the author was a very good one. His chapter headlines were all universally good advice. We are encouraged to “Triumph over life’s imperfections” and “Pursue your goals with passion and persistence”.

But sadly, this piece of work failed to inspire me.

Aug 21

• City of Immobilities

  from Sheep City

• OPQ 16 July 2007: Economic Development Board

  from Siew Kum Hong

• PM’s Rally Speech and Endangered Malay Families: A…

  from Singapore Angle

• Alternative Rally: Bhimbo Day Rally

  from To Fix a Mocking Peasant

• Minister George Yeo’s speech at the opening ceremony…

  from BEYOND SG

• Of the PM’s Speech

  from Winter Is Coming

• PM Lee & The Aging Population

  from Mr Wang Says So

Why Only Dummies Search For God in the Net? – A Cautionary Tale

Some articles are easy to write, others are just painful – this is the latter. I had it lying around in my inbox for months rotting away, but it seems like a good time now to just let it go when all the confetti about the ND speech has settled. It’s a very personal take on what happens when we go on-line to search for God – a cautionary tale even about how a good idea can go so very wrong so bear in mind though the message may even be humorous, the message is dead serious. If you’re not in the mood for the personals this Tuesday, skip it.

National Day Rally 2007

• Speech By Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, At National Day Rally 2007
  

  from SingaporeSurf

• Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally

  from SingaporeSurf

• Singapore National Day – PM LHL Rally: Budding Tensions?

  from SingaporeSurf

• Bloggers’ reactions to PM Lee’s National Day Rally…

  from theonlinecitizen

• Extreme Makeover, CPF edition

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• Singapore, Break My Heart

  from SingaporeSurf

• A good speech – but some points to keep in mind

  from theonlinecitizen

• NDP Rally- Blue Shirt; Blue Heart?

  from The Anti Neo-Democracy Theorist

• Another set of conflicting figures on university enrolment

  from theonlinecitizen

• The pariah in the National Day speech 2007 http:/…

  from My sketchbook

• Initial thoughts on National Day Rally 2007

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• Did the PM mention the old flats in Hougang and Potong…

  from nofearSingapore

Aug 19

• Towards a Citizenship and Constitution Day

  from Singapore Angle

• On The ‘Dire’ State Of The Singaporean Blogsphere

  from SingaporeSurf

• PM Lee’s National Day Rally Speech

  from SingaporeSurf

• Greedy landlord + helpless tenant = UGLY SINGAPOREAN

  from nofearSingapore

• Suicide Rate Climbs Despite Good Times

  from SingaporeSurf

• Shame on the Police

  from Mr Wang Says So

• The anticipated rally speech on Sunday

  from My sketchbook

• Race, religion and Negarakuku

  from Yawning Bread Sampler

A Guide For Socio-Political Bloggers to Survive The Extinction Event

What’s the Dodo program again? – The proposition: that socio-political blogging accomplishes nothing because it’s sorely lacking in affirmative action.

This is gloss from a two part series, albeit with my own personal twist on how Socio-political bloggers can survive the extinction event. If you have not read the two part series please do so, as it will provide you the foundation to understand much of what I have to present in this article.

Part 1 and Part 2

This is my first attempt at “machine” writing with the kind guidance of my colleagues who have both been patient and very helpful to give me insightful tips. I has always been one of my dreams to write for the brotherhood press and this is a debut article.

The general theme is to tie in many of the loose ends mentioned in Part I and II of this series. Along with this I have also highlighted the importance of setting the right expectation, perspective and strategy for both blogger, readers and researchers if they are to thrive in this brave new age of the internet.

I hope all of you enjoy it. Happy Reading. Aurora.

Is it the “end” for Socio-Political Blogging? – Nailing the Dodo, Part II

This is the second of a 2 part essay.

You can really call it what you want. For me, the whole idea of floating the balloon “socio-political blogging doesn’t accomplish anything just because it’s a wind bag” is as close to buying into Dodo software.

The term deployed is precise, premeditated and deliberate because taken to its logical end Dodo software is just lousy and unimaginative thoughtware – follow it to the ‘T’ and don’t be surprise if it you end sitting in a cave picking ticks off your mate while the rest pick entrails to make sense of the destiny of mankind’s fate.

The whole proposition of linking socio-political blogging with affirmative action or even doing something is flawed because firstly, it imposes a corseted definition on ‘usefulness’ in the context of how it’s able to solicit real and meaningful change. It’s not so different from saying anyone who is over six-foot is tall and useful, and those who fall short of this criteria must simply be relegated to the ranks of “useless.” That’s hardly a new theme. Every age crafts their own respective measures of what constitutes an effective means to solicit social change. Even in ordinary speech, it’s to be seen every where often taking the guise, “get on your bike” – “go and do something useful” – don’t just talk, make it happen” – it’s appears cogent, persuasive even to suggest seeing to be doing something remains the only to effect real change.

However, there is a fatal flaw in holding on to this logic as it elides whole sale the need to first address the first protocol of reasoning: Where are we? What is our environment? What is the best way to cut the cake?

Aug 18

• Market Hazards

  from Perspective Unlimited

• Police declare joggers an “illegal assembly”

  from Yawning Bread Sampler

• Natural For Citizens To Criticise, As Well As Praise Govt: George Yeo

  from SingaporeSurf

• En Bloc’s Greed

  from My sketchbook

• The Big Picture Viewpoint

  from Stressed Teacher

• $150 per month for severely disabled elderly – extended…

  from theonlinecitizen

• Of social mobility and university education

  from Hear ye! Hear ye!

• Social Political Blogging: Singapore vs US

  from Simple is the Reason of My Heart

Is This “The End” For Socio-Political Blogs?

You all know what Dodo birds are don’t you? The Dodo aka Raphus cucullatus was a flightless bird which once lived a placid existence on the island somewhere in West Indies. The dodo has gone the way of the dinosaur since the mid-to-late 17th century. It is commonly used as the archetype of describing lousy thoughtware that leads to inexorable extinction. The phrase “it’s history like the dodo” means undoubtedly and unquestionably dead beyond all possibility of recall. The stuff of gone with the wind, kaput, habis, finito etc. The verb phrase “to go the way of the dodo” means you’ve just bought yourself a one way ticket to the end of the road.

Recently, I came across a Dodo statement, don’t ask me where I read it, but it’s probably very near a place where the road runs out and after that a cliff follows. The statement goes like this:

“I share a common view with Alex Au (aka Yawning Bread) that there is an over optimistic view that the internet is the answer to the tipping point for political change in Singapore. In reality, it does not work for a few reasons. First of all, there is no direct translation of activity from social political blogs to the real world. Most of us (including myself) are armchair critics. If Martyn See’s video is that effective, the political parties involved should all be helping those poor people out there. Has there been any action taken to help those poor people? Has anyone alerted the authorities that we need to help those people? It is the lack of action that convinces me that the social political blogs in Singapore do not have an influence in the off-line world.”

Do you really want to know why I believe this statement deserves the Dodo award of the year?