the past is still relevant to the present

There is a Chinese saying that goes "The past can still be used in the present."

My interpretation goes beyond the literal that says traditions should be still practised in modern days. My thoughts are that the powerful at present make use of the dead to keep themselves in power.Whether their bodies are mummified or even their mere picture inspires blind obedience,the dead can be powerful tools to be used by the present to serve their purpose.Can the dead ever rest in peace ? when can they be let go of?
the pharoahs wanted to extend their power from the afterlife,the dead leader is preserved forever,the dead is immortalised or expected to enrich the present?

asus computers are lousy

I bought an asus laptop and the pc model sucks.The screen black out within less than 24 hours and when it was supposedly repaired with a torture test done .I took it back to the shop at Kendo,and the next day the screeen went black although it was on direct current.I took 7 videos on my instant camera and I'm going to send it back to asus to show their poor quality control in terms of manufacturing.Manufacturers who don't improve should not expect repeat customers or any customer loyalty.I have no faith in products that don't work after 24 hours. Period.My acer has been consistently more reliable when my boy has used his for 5 years with no problems at all.

technocracy

Technocracy would utilize specialists in the field to solve problems on a public scale.

Presumably it assumes that technology can resolve many complex economic,scientific problems but some issues have multiple effects on ethics,moral,environment,humanism.Some problems have effects that would be apparent only after a long time.

Quality of life would be better if the population growth is manageable based on the resources available to sustain a decent life.Unfortunately ,since reproduction is a human right,then how would governments deal with balancing population growth with economic growth?

A parliamentary system has elected representatives based on geographic locality .How about one that is based on diverse age groups,ethnic groups,occupational representation with workers and employers each having equal representation?


Despite all that rhetoric ,at the end of the day the real power behind the throne is still money talks.


If technology replaces human labour,then who would be the consumers of goods and services produced by technological advancement? What would be the consequence on society if human labour is redundant? Work adds meaning and purposeto life and if one doesn't,then why are humans here on earth?

where is Msian ranking in PISA

PISA is a test that measures the average performance across the population for 15 year old secondary school students.

Tests are set by the OECD nations and even includes countries in eastern europe.

Surprised to see that the average scores for maths,science and reading as conducted in 2009 across 65 countries.


1. Shanghai
2. Hong Kong
3. Finland
4. Singapore
5. Korea
6. Japan
9. Taipei
43. Isreal

Malaysia did not participate in the survey.

What does this speak of the international ranking of our public schools,the quality of education when it comes to international benchmarking on a global scale?

steel mountains and concrete banked rivers

It's quite a paradox to see us levelling high mountains and damming rivers ,then cutting down huge swathes of natural forests in the name of development and progress.Then we ask architects and engineers to build artificial steel mountains,recreate the very landscape we've destroyed by putting in artifical rivers and reconstruct metallic trees.
We destroy that which took millions of years to evolve and rebuild it according to our own interpretation of "nature".

As we move from the agragrian economy,with its dependence on the natural cycle of the seasons to the built environment,what have we gained and what have we given up?

As a small nation,should it be like a sapling protected by growing beneath the mammoth tree or a parasitic plant that draws its life force by a symbiotic relationship with the mammoth tree?

humanoid

If the natural resources are finite,closed loop engineering would reduce insatiable exploration of resources that mar the landscape and pollutes the environment.



Can a human be implanted with a nanochip is his ear that receives information which is directly transferred to the brain and processed.

Will an external device like the mobile phone be replaced by such a smart chip implant but when it can be infiltrated by hackers,what would the humanoid be turned into? a remote controlled human?

tony judt

A line struck as the history of modern europe unfurls



"We are consumers of goods and illusions"
We are voters of dreams and delusions
We are the masters of the universe
We are the slaves of our desires so diverse

We are the wheels that keep the economy humming
We are the strings stretched taunt that keep the guitar strumming
We are consumers of goods and illusions
We are voters of dreams and delusions


We are that which we dare
We are that which we care
We are consumers of goods and illusions
We are voters of dreams and delusions