http://undergroundsquare.com/ Talking where the sun don't shine en Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:31:11 +0000 http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=294#post-3969 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:11:50 +0000 dienasty 3969@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Well I don't think it's an awesome photo for ... two reasons. One, the caption's rather snooty:</p> <blockquote><p>I saw this man stopped his walking for a while to take rest during passing through this shaded way. the area was barely visible after coming through hard sunlight I needed 800 ISO with max aperture in my kit lens to take it. even after that thank god ! there was IS which helped me to get a good pic even in 1/10th sec. the one legged man was looking towards remaining long way &amp; that seemed very symbolic to me.</p> </blockquote> <p>I am more interested in what a photographer has to say - as a storyteller - than what he used to capture a picture. You would not be particularly interested in reading an article if the journalist constantly stopped - mid-article - to boast about how he did the research for his writing. The same rule applies here.</p> <p>Second, there's nothing particular special, or compelling, or meaningful in the picture. It's an old man's back. Standing in the darkness. With crutches. Looking to the left. To be honest, <em>I</em> can shoot that - it's not too special, and it doesn't say anything powerful that the viewer can take back and reflect upon.</p> <p>Now if you had told us about his life-story, on the other hand ...</p> <p>But you didn't. And so I'm not interested. Why should I care? What's so special about this old man? And if he's not special, what's going on within the frame that I should think about? Shouldn't you go up to him and shoot him from the front? Capture his eyes, and what they tell you? Ask him for his life story? Maybe if there was someone spitting at him; that would be an interesting story to capture. Or if he was looking at a couple of kids playing football in an alley. That would say something interesting, too. How did he lose the leg? Where is he going to now? There are a hundred and one questions you can ask that would help you take the right picture, to best capture the story behind the missing leg. An old man's back standing in the semi-darkness just doesn't cut it. </p> <p>Also: the best street photography always has some visual narrative going on, that says something important about whatever it is it captures.</p> <p>It could be the reflection of a dark and brutal truth:<br /> <img src="http://files.myopera.com/gdare/blog/1968_Shot_in_Head.jpg"></p> <p>It could be the humanity of a moment:<br /> <img src="http://apphotnum.free.fr/images/cartier-bresson01.jpg"></p> <p>It could be irony:<br /> <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2145/1543468460_e1b2ae2797.jpg"></p> <p>It could be the political spirit of the times:<br /> <img src="http://worldcity.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/arbus-1.jpg"></p> <p>Or even the political spirit of a country:<br /> <img src="http://www.labnol.org/wp/images/2007/06/green-eye-afghan-girl-national-geographic.jpg"></p> <p>Or even subtle racist commentary:<br /> <img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_E2iwZHb-3vU/SA1T_THm8DI/AAAAAAAABfQ/JYB-5AtGyg0/s1600/coupleatzoo.jpg"></p> <p>The point I'm trying to say here is this: street photography is more than just pretty pictures. Or simple shots of old men standing in the semi-darkness, looking to one side, which you captured from a distance because you didn't dare to go up to him to take a better photo, one with his face in it. As a photograph, I don't think it's particularly bad. But as a street photograph ... it could've been better. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=4#post-3968 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:34:28 +0000 orenzai 3968@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>I study in my own room on my bed. And my computer room WAS neater than my room. Now that I have cleared my room, its no more the neater of them two :D </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=296#post-3967 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:22:46 +0000 dienasty 3967@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Google recently released a <a href="http://www.google.com/publicdata/directory">set of tools for data visualizations</a>. I know that sounds boring, but there are a couple of cool things you can check out with it. For instance:</p> <p><strong>Internet users per 100 people</strong><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8975210_94a39acaf6.jpg" alt="Screen shot 2010-03-11 at 12.26.29 AM" /><br /> Yay Malaysia's not as addicted to the Internet as Singapore is!</p> <p><strong>Net Migration</strong><br /> (Net migration means total number of immigrants minus total number of emmigrants)<br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8975211_973b78b8ce.jpg" alt="Screen shot 2010-03-11 at 12.28.40 AM" /><br /> This graph doesn't really tell us anything except that people aren't coming into Singapore and Malaysia as much as they once were, though that's nothing in comparison to the number of immigrants to Canada, and what seems like a mass exodus out of Indonesia.</p> <p>But the next one, in all honesty, is the one that perplexed me the most:</p> <p><strong>HIV Prevalence in percentage of population aged 15-49</strong><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8975208_b9ec14ff97.jpg" alt="Screen shot 2010-03-11 at 12.22.49 AM" /></p> <p>Full data set may be found <a href="http://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&amp;ctype=l&amp;met_y=sh_dyn_aids_zs&amp;scale_y=lin&amp;ind_y=false&amp;rdim=country&amp;idim=country:SGP:MYS:IDN:CAN&amp;tstart=631152000000&amp;tunit=Y&amp;tlen=17&amp;hl=en_US&amp;dl=en_US">here</a>.</p> <p>Now here's my question: Malaysia is an Islamic, conservative, moderate country. Why the above graph? I can't figure it out. Any ideas? </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=156#post-3966 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:52:30 +0000 Samsi 3966@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>I should've just named this thread news. But meh!</p> <p><a href="http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/816601-man-marries-pillow">A Man. Married. His. Pillow.</a></p> <p>ZOMFGBBQHEGOTISSUES! </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=270#post-3965 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:45:26 +0000 Samsi 3965@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>I love the person above me because she's going to help me take my results tomorrow right right right? </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=28&page=5#post-3964 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:44:16 +0000 Samsi 3964@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>and they decided not to bother bringing their little ugly toy dog </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=291#post-3963 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:42:45 +0000 Samsi 3963@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>ZOMG, these posters are quite effective I wanna watch Up in The Air already! </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=294#post-3962 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:42:10 +0000 Samsi 3962@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>I like this shot.<br /> <img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs165.snc3/19233_266248978552_154899758552_3381696_7504182_n.jpg"></p> <p>I think it is quite awesome. Cedric disagrees.</p> <p>What about you? </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3961 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:41:17 +0000 Samsi 3961@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Hahaha KC, your computer room is marginally neater than your room.</p> <p>I for one would have a hemorrhage before being able to study in there though XD Dyu study in there or in your room? </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=28&page=5#post-3960 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:29:59 +0000 tsar 3960@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>and then our lovely couple bought two tickets on the Arks (reference to 2012) </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3959 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:16:26 +0000 tsar 3959@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p><blockquote>at the moment, not many academic studies exist as to why McDonalds fries are so resistant to decomposition</blockquote></p> <p>Wow really! But it's like, so very important to know what we eat at McDonalds, cos like, yeah!</p> <p>Sarcasm aside, the comment at Boing Boing blog post was good, particularly these parts:</p> <p><blockquote>Specifically, mold growth is a function of a variety of things, not just how many chemicals are in the food</blockquote></p> <p><blockquote>In other words, the slower mold growth on the McDonald's food could easily be the result of it not having as much (or any) contamination in the first place. A clean kitchen, where the food is cooked to high temperatures, would result in this, neither of which are necessarily a bad thing</blockquote></p> <p>I like how it was commented that in the end, the McD fries were exposed to the diner fries and were found to decompose faster after that, implying that the diner fries were more contaminated, which basically means McD fries are, dare I say it, healthier. </p> <p>Then in that case, we should try different oils (palm, sunflower etc) and try different machines (KFC's, SugarBun's) and do a proper experiment. Lol. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3958 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:29:26 +0000 orenzai 3958@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p><img src="http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k242/orenzai/DSC_7293.jpg"></p> <p>Lets see. This is a 'non-peak' desk condition. Usually it'll be loaded with MY cables and my MOM's books coz she uses the computer to set questions while I try to destroy it all the time. Router modem non-working digital clock and... thats about it. Oh and it looks so messy coz its placed in my store room. SO, my store room=computer room. :D </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3957 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:24:49 +0000 dienasty 3957@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>@Nick: Did some more research at your prompting - at the moment, not many academic studies exist as to why McDonalds fries are so resistant to decomposition, however I've found a couple other interesting things that you might enjoy. </p> <p>First, a <a href="http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/uncategorized/mcdonalds-fries-good-for-a-lifetime/">blog post in a doctor's blog</a> (also warning people to take the video with a pinch of salt ... pun not intended hehehe) and a <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2005/06/10/microbes-bugs-prefer.html">Boing Boing blog post</a> with commenters saying the same things (not a controlled experiment, glass jars aren't sterilized before use, however: lots of anecdotal evidence on both blogs as to finding McD fries in cars that have been there for a couple of months, looking perfectly crisp and new, even though obviously being in the car for a long time).</p> <p>I also stumbled on this article that was originally published in <em>The Atlantic</em>: <a href="http://www.rense.com/general7/whyy.htm">Why McDonald's Fries Taste So Good</a>. It's a really good read, and quite meticulously done. Turns out I was wrong on a couple of base assumptions: the only difference between McDonalds fries and that of other fast food chains are the cooking oil used to fry them. The fryers, potatoes, and processing plants are all the same. So it stands to reason that either: a) something in the cooking oil produces this effect, or b) other fast food fries (sourced from the same plants) have the same resistance to decomposition. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3956 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:28:32 +0000 tsar 3956@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Again, we're speculating. This argument would not hold in a court of law, or in a journal. :) </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=295#post-3955 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:59:25 +0000 dienasty 3955@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvO_Fxfx16M" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvO_Fxfx16M</a></p> <p>I don't even know how to react to this. o.O </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=26&page=9#post-3954 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:12:28 +0000 dienasty 3954@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>The person above me loves doggies! </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=28&page=5#post-3953 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:36:41 +0000 dienasty 3953@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>and then the soy milk were put in containers and it became a national pastime to watch the soy milk curdle (<em>unlike McD super fries ...</em>) </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3952 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:35:04 +0000 dienasty 3952@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <blockquote><p>For one, where does McD source its fries?</p></blockquote> <p>McD makes its own fries. It's part of the franchise agreement - you open a McD store, you get preprepared items that you can fry on the spot like the McD fries. They fry the fries (what a word) in a very typical machine ... though I believe there are slight adjustments such as timers to time the frying to precise seconds.</p> <p>So, no. If you take a bunch of fries from the outside and fry them with the exact sam McD equipment, in McD oil (which are really not different from external fryers), I believe you'll get the same results (see video above, where the fries they got from outside turned black in a week). Because oil and frying technique can't possibly contribute to super longevity ... right? (That's speculation, but for the record I have <em>never</em> fried anything that lasted as long as 10 months...)</p> <p>I think Wen Qi's got a point, though, when she says the salt content must've preserved the fries. Though frankly I don't remember McD fries as being <em>that</em> salty.</p> <p>(I think it's rather strange to disclose this, but I felt like eating the 10-month-old fries, just to find out how the heck it tastes like.) ;-)</p> <p>@Wen Qi: I like the quote by Paracelsus. I'd forgottenn basic things like that, really. =) </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3951 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:59:31 +0000 tsar 3951@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Good idea. I might do that for Part II</p> <p>Anyway, one also has to compare McD's preparations with other providers. Perhaps McD's friers are super efficient at displacing ALL the water molecules within the fries, hence rendering them unsuitable for bacterial life? Highly unlikely, but yeah, I suppose it might happen. </p> <p>This whole experiment lacks controls. For one, where does McD source its fries? From the local supermarket like the seller on the street? Does McD make its own fries? A good test would be to fry "McD fries" and "normal fries" on the same machine, and then leaving them to rot. I think only then can we make a justified conclusion. There are just too many variables uncontrolled. </p> <p>*Stats and epidemiology are getting to me, oh well. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=28&page=5#post-3950 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:58:27 +0000 sun flower 3950@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>and then the whole world will drown in soy milk.. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3949 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:57:07 +0000 sun flower 3949@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>I should clarrify that most of the time I don't do my h/w on the floor (your right, it hurts like hell even after a short period!) but rather it's my 'creative' space..(that sounds very corny xD)</p> <p> I do most of my art in my room because it's the most creative room in my whole house --can you believe every other wall in my home is beige -_- I can't think with beige walls around me ahaha </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3948 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:40:59 +0000 wandkey 3948@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p><blockquote>Wen Qi, I can't study with messy tables either *OCD* face </blockquote></p> <p>Sam: Yay, ada kawan. Yea when I saw your table, I was just thinking that it looked quite similar to mine...</p> <p>And wow, how does one work on the floor? I'd get backache and buttache if I did that for prolonged periods... </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3947 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:33:36 +0000 wandkey 3947@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>If McD's fries were really that resistant to mold and fungus and bacteria, hey somebody better check out its potential as an antibiotic agent. Haha. </p> <p>But yea, probably just the amount of salt preserving it eh...</p> <p>Last but not least, as Paracelsus would say, all things are poison and nothing is without poison, it's the dose that determines whether something is poison or not<br /> So, depends on how much you eat, I personally wouldn't worry too much about eating McD's occasionally... Worrying on the other hand, can be deadly ;) </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3946 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:29:46 +0000 dienasty 3946@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>@Pam: My room's tidy and untidy in sporadic cycles. For most of the year, it's awesomely clean and neat and tidy. Then come exam-time, and BOOM I've got a pile of unironed shirts on my bed, piles of books on my table, and an overflowing inbox/outbox. Terrible stuff, I tell you. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=26&page=9#post-3945 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:48:35 +0000 one_gurl16 3945@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>The person above me has one of my fave flowers as her username. =D </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=26&page=9#post-3944 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:20:47 +0000 sun flower 3944@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>The person above me should hope it's not McDs super fries:P </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3943 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:42 +0000 sun flower 3943@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>no need to apologize! you fixed it up :]</p> <p>I don't know how living without one lol My stuff is in piles everywhere.. a sort of 'organized chaos'. Either way I wouldn't know where to put it --my room is tiny! </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=294#post-3942 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:12:07 +0000 dienasty 3942@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>I recently submitted a couple of entries to Canon's street photography competition. I wasn't good enough. =/ </p> <p>Just thought I'd share the nominated entries, in particular, my favourites:</p> <p><img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960869_e51624f2db.jpg" alt="19233_266253538552_154899758552_3381732_5494382_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960868_03e03e2b42.jpg" alt="19233_266251203552_154899758552_3381709_2710511_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960867_e3e2b98568.jpg" alt="19233_266251198552_154899758552_3381708_7789675_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960866_dd65f425cf.jpg" alt="19233_266248983552_154899758552_3381697_566741_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960863_4baa369b59.jpg" alt="19233_266242718552_154899758552_3381647_8021708_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960864_68f4204182.jpg" alt="19233_266242733552_154899758552_3381648_2127168_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960865_ed917166e0.jpg" alt="19233_266246018552_154899758552_3381684_61893_n" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8960862_b44e321563.jpg" alt="19233_266237888552_154899758552_3381608_1605214_n" /></p> <p>The full album can be <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canon-Powershot-S90-Street-Photography-Challenge/154899758552#!/album.php?aid=137719&amp;id=154899758552&amp;ref=mf">found on Facebook</a>, and the competition details are <a href="http://www.canon-asia.com/pss90/streetphotography.html">here</a>. I'm a little =( that nothing of mine was accepted, but all's well that ends well, I suppose. </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=291#post-3941 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:49:28 +0000 dienasty 3941@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Incidentally, <a href="http://www.collegehumor.com/article:1802286">from College Humor</a>: </p> <p><strong>Politically Incorrect Movie Posters</strong><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970369_f621e8f551_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.f8c8e00339e0cdfce8afdf8744591a5f" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970368_62d89e8349_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.bcf605c319c8eb286bd38e11622b3ae9" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970367_20177266f2_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.bcbdfc5bde6c68092e9abb25fab2ae77" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970366_48ac45b09f_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.4257bb84118ec6dc9b80abb5a68c1d23" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970365_92ec0a73c2_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.3517c24f47cac0bd8997ed145067b6bc" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970364_11157585f1_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.9ad304cd7fade9f2b7efd57751c50db9" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970363_523193d9df_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.7c487d3397a4ec8f4c7f668927def6ef" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970362_da56cb4ab2_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.4d9bf2fa7449de837c2272170e16f9da" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970361_637031a4b0_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.02b8286c9b7216cd4c8c19206d9d987d" /><br /> <img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970360_1b7c641841_o.jpg" alt="collegehumor.2a9c7881cb854e592eb6a0259bfd6d37" /><br /> Hilarious la! </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=293#post-3940 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:35:53 +0000 dienasty 3940@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>@Nick: It's not doctored. There was an exhibition not too long ago of McD burgers that had been kept in containers for years and years, and they looked <em>exactly</em> the same as the day they had been bought.</p> <p>Ahh, found <a href="http://bestofmotherearth.com/2008/09/24/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger.html">one link</a>, can't find the blog post of the exhibition anymore. =(</p> <p>Also, see Food, Inc:</p> <p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJ79HWTRHM" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCJ79HWTRHM</a> </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3939 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:13:04 +0000 dienasty 3939@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>@Pam: edited. Don't worry about codes that don't work - if they don't, I'll go in and correct them for you. In this particular case you accidentally put the image url in between two url tags, and in your second post you left it inside two nested img tags. I've taken the liberty of reuploading your image to my image hosting account - the best size for images in UGS is 500px wide. =/</p> <p>Sorry bout that.</p> <p>PS: You don't have a desk per se?! <em>NO!</em> Everyone must have their own desk! </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=28&page=5#post-3938 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:45:44 +0000 LiZaRdboi88 3938@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>And then they were greeted by Robert Mugabe himself when they reached Harare... </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=28&page=5#post-3937 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:06:12 +0000 tsar 3937@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>Isn't "elopement ceremony" a paradox? The whole point of an elopement is to do it discretely and quickly before you get caught.</p> <p>Anyway, </p> <p>and then their Greenland PR applications were rejected, so they opted for Zimbabwe instead </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3936 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:07:52 +0000 sun flower 3936@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p>oops.. well i guess this isn't working ..<br /> Cedric you should add a preview option on comments; it would help us check the codes we use ^^; </p> http://undergroundsquare.com/topic.php?id=283&page=3#post-3934 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:00:40 +0000 sun flower 3934@http://undergroundsquare.com/ <p><img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/8970290_36986c7469.jpg" alt="DESKSPACE" /><br /> Carpeted floors are awesome:D only when they don't smell like sweaty, dirty clothes of course. I find myself sitting on the floor more often then not than using a table!</p> <p>I don't have my own desk per say, but I've taken over the never-used-dust-collecting dining table. Ironically it's the place with the worst lighting, but sacrifices have to be made to have a huge workspace </p>