I should get into that. I was too young to understand what was happening when my cousins played it.

Crouching tiger was filmed in multiple locations. One part was filmed in the desert in Xinjiang province I think. Anyhow I assumed you're referring to the place I want to visit. In the final scene, Ziyi Zhang jumped off the cliff of Wudan Shan (mountain)
It's in Hu Bei province, which is two provinces north from HK/ShenZhen, where we land.

Edit: If you know anything about Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the area is also famous for the Battle of the Red Cliff. Although that was almost 1800 years ago, i think it'll be fun to explore the area.

Charlie, Crouching Tiger was filmed on the East coast, not the South.

We have 3 people. The bill comes to 25 dollars. In other words, the average amount each person paid is 25/3. That comes to ~8.33. Each took back a dollar, hence it makes 9.33. If we multiply the 3 people's bill, we get ~27.99 (or 28 if we round off) and add the waiter's 2 dollars. Hence it adds up to a total of 29.99 or 30 dollars. The suggested solution didn't account for those "missing 33cents".

The petals around the rose was a question that really doesn't require maths. When I saw the question, I knew we couldn't really get a maths equation out of it. Well, I couldn't be bothered anyway. The name of the puzzle beared no relations with roses and petals, so I assumed the name of the puzzle must be the clue/key to solve it.

EDIT: Lolz, Jono already answered it...

I couldn't get it so I cheated. Thats what the smartest person does.

Of course, Darren, of course.

What is the least gourmet way to visualise a rose and petals in relation to dice?

it took me more than a few hours to figure that out.

the key is to not analyse it too much.

Forget it char. All my NT-ness is doing me no good. I have tried to visualize the rose and the petal in the most gourmet way. Forget it. I need a ISTP co-processor.

Oh, I remember that puzzle.. got it after the second roll.. heh. Not because I am 'dumb', but because I am able to think like a 'dumb' person..

If only a thesis was as easy..

Lol that is some desperate measure.
I'll give you a hint. It's called Petals Around the Rose for a reason.

LOL. Yes it is char. And I am NOT going to try it again. Last time I did, I tabulated the results in Exel. Not pretty.

Lol James are you referring to this? I remember solving it within 30 seconds on first try a few years back. Solved it again within 30 seconds. Apparently the dumber you are the easier it is to get it.

These kind of things just make me feel stupid. You should look at my desk--there are bits of paper with I/O diagrams for $10 bills. I always 'mothball' (thanks Spain) small problems into big ones. And I still haven't figured out that Petals Around the Rose problem yet!

It didn't go anywhere, the three guys got 3 of the one dollar bills the waiter got the other 2, that makes 5. The restaurant has $25 so thats 30.

Something about the assumption of 10-1 = 9 is fallacious, in the sense of not accounting for the fact that 0.33 cents per person isnt coming back to the customers. That didn't answer the question :(

Ok after reading jonno's answer it kinda did answer, i just didnt have the words to express they owe 8.33

Despite my thesis being in dire straights i couldn't help but procrastinate.

After thinking about it a bit, my solution is on the wiki, so you don't need to read it if you don't want.
:)

PS Sorry james your 20 min benchmark boosted my competitive spirit...8 mins. :)

Well its quite straightforward.

You see, the extra dollar got sucked into a time vortex where it ended up in another restaurant on the other side of the galaxy and ended up as an extra tip.

Either that or its a simple number counting issue. Just like the 10 finger trick.

*show one hand* I have 5 fingers on this hand.
*show the other hand* I have 5 fingers on this hand. That makes 10 fingers in total.

Count backwards from one hand starting at 10 fingers and as soon as the fingers on that hand are done you get 6. Hang on? 6 fingers on one hand + 5 fingers on the other?! wtf?! I've got eleven fingers - I have to go to the hospital. Mental hospital.

This took me 20 minutes to figure out:

Brain Teaser
Three people go to lunch. The bill comes to $25. Each of the three people gives the waiter a $10 bill.

The waiter takes the $30 to the cashier, and brings back five one-dollar bills.

Each of the three people at the table takes back one dollar in change, leaving two dollars for the waiter as a tip.

After taking back their change, each person at the table spent $9 on lunch — a $10 bill minus $1 taken back in change — for a total of $27. The waiter got $2.

That adds up to $29.

Where’d the extra dollar go?

I spotted someone at nvidia's cafe today who with his head down looks just like Scott . At a presentation last week I saw a 1.8 metre tall version of Benny. He had the whole 'hands in pocket / shoulder tightened' pose too. But boy was it weird when he started speaking with an american accent. On the other side of my cubicle is a guy who reminds me of Darren. He has all sorts of interesting factoids.

Lolz, "I wear a suit, and belong to the tute"???? WTF?!

Unfortunately, I am aiming to enter a different tute...the CFA. So there!!! :p

there is lame but funny, and lame and just lame.

im sorry i couldnt even stick with it for 1min30secs

lol I thought you were referring to the CPA link.

Yea its nothing new, the writing was on the wall...so to speak. I hope they don't find out about CSE Basement toilets. Those seem to be the only gem still around.

that gay link [sic] is pretty messed up.

worse - "the library at the University of NSW" is on the list.

Gold, just Gold.

I think the highest resemblance their is Clive.

Check it out, yo! Its Eric! Gavin and Clive!

I find it quite disturbing that it was I and not Yi who posted this

No need to buy a paper mech.. make it yourself! just download the patterns, print it out on heavyish paper, cut them out and assemble!

Heres my holiday project along those lines..

Completely unrelated, RAAF's Richmond base is featured here.

That's because they were tools. If i was leading them, the Inner Sphere will be kneeling before me! And that paper "Timber Wolf" is nice. Tempted to buy that...lolz.

Lightweight mechs.. (because they are made out of paper)

If I was from the Draconis Combine and of Japanese descent I'd call the Stormcrow a Ryoken, but Stormcrow fits it perfectly.

And Eric, The Clans aren't in the best of shape... being forced to peace from the Treaty of Tukkayid... From who?
The Inner Sphere.

So Raise your PPCs my fellow comrades, To Comstar, The Star League, and Victor.

pfffft ... complete n00bs.

I'll take u all on with a Raven packing 2 med. pulse lasers and ecm gear

pffft...Benny, sif Stormcrow. I'd prolly fry the Stormcrow even before it's finished starting up. And Benny, sif be a trashy Inner Sphere. The Clans mate. THE CLANS!

Jeez, Benny, "Stormcrow"?

Is that a slip?

Isn't it called a "Ryoken" in your native vulgar tongue?

XD

pft Noob setup Stormcrow AC-20 would eat that Madcat. I'm probably not a good enough pilot though so I might have to take a Loki or Thor instead.

pffft...use A timber wolf, and fit them with 2x 20xLRMS, 4x med pulse lasers and 2x short pulse lasers...and round off with 2 machine guns with CASE. Replace a few armour plates for jump jets, and you have an insane mech. Can take down at 6 mechs before a refit!

Mechs!
They Dance!
Remember Joanna and the Calisthenics with a Cluster of OmniMechs!
Think back! you can do it!!!!!!

Does anyone know if Netmech or Mercenaries allow users to host their own games across the internet? Of if it is possible to do so via other means?

I am getting my yearly Mech attack.

Lolz, Mech fanatic. Still u have less lore than I do now XD.

Who says I'm not? My rines are doing plenty of dancin' for the both of us.

For Benny
For Yi
For Eric

And for you all

And for me--instantaneous orgasm

Thank God for YouTube

Wired article on the birth of the iPod Great story.

Marc,
And what is stopping you from going out Dancin' with aussie girls?

It would be even funnier if one of you guys sued Blizzard for the same condition =)

Funniest quote i heard so far
"I am gonna sue Hustler for giving me Carpel Tunnel"
- Larry the Cable Guy

Flying Spaghetti Monster?

James. Seriously. Friday night. US girls. Dancin'.

Do you think CSE will grant me an extension for my thesis on grounds of Magic tourney's and Dota quota's?

Well .... they have!

Benny give me a call if I still haven't caught you yet...

I find the notion of a creator insulting to the creator's intelligence. And the soul belongs to the same set of things as flying spaghetti monsters--a set with an infinite cardinality.

James - my rage was directed at the fact that many 'scientists' and athiests believe Evolution is proof against the existance of a creator-like being. If a being went out to create a system for the purifcation of body and soul, then constant evolution and adaption is an example of an ideal system for this to proceed. The body and brain is ready to evolve when the human 'soul' has evolved. This is the basis for enlightenment/Ascension.

Hash,
I don't know who you're arguing against. It's the Creationists that oppose evolution, not scientists.

ps. Long live the flying spahgetti monster!

Lolz. Internal Affairs series was indeed a "Wtf" series. I left the room telling my parents, "ahhh...what just happened" and thought my Canto has "degenerated." However, as James had pointed out, having Kelly in it made it worthwhile of sitting there watching something I don't undertsand. And lolz at Edison for not knowing how to speak Canto!

lol yes, i get confused sometimes. =P

John, I have never been so insulted in my life. Take it back !

edit:: Lolz, post deleted. Thank you XD

I applied for an extension on the grounds of spreading the word of dota, I mean the good sheperd

Don't you have a thesis to do, hash?

James :: The 'New Athiests' should be shot, drawn, quatered, strung up and strun to 4 horse drawn carts that should then travel in 4 different directions. They are truly evil. The concept that the belief in a God is inherantly evil is just plain bigotry. The assumption that Science and faith are completely assymetrical is ludicrous.

examine this simple thought experiment regarding Evolution as proof against God.
1. Assume you are a sufficiently powerful being/entity capable of shaping energy to the point of creating a 'habitable' planet/universe by our standards. ('The Creator')
2. Assume you wish to create an organism capable of reason and rational thought. ('Sentience')
3. Assume that such beings will possess a certain 'signature' that will quantify their existance within this system. ('The Soul')
4. Your purpose is to analyse the growth of such beings in terms of their potential ('Ascension'/'Enlightenment')

Taking the Christian faith as a guideline
1. God is 'The Creator'
2. Men are God's creatures made in his image possessed of his will 'Sentience'
3. All Men are created equal in God's world and he has custodianship over their 'Souls'
4. The goal of man on earth is to have faith in his god and thus enter his presence on death - 'Ascension'.

Now if you were such a being, you need to create a system of existance to carry out this plan.
5. Thus you create the mortal shell.

For this mortal shell, what would be more efficient
1. An individual act of creation for each being, where you create a Soul and a body?
2. A system of constant adaption that corrects its own errors and improves the mortal shell as the overall 'Sentience' improves. The only form of intervention on your behalf is the placement of an identity or a signature - i.e a Soul.

Evolution is a ridiculously good system of adaption. It should not be dismissed as not being part of God's design for this universe.

John!!!
1. I don't think I'm the god, or even a god - my thetan count is too low for that (maybe an aspiriing immortal?).
2. I didn't elevate the movie coz it was foreign or exotic. I thought it was orsome coz of the plot concept and the way the mole v. mole scenario played out. The casting was near perfect, with the only issue was the gang leader/triad boss was typically seen as a comedic (is that how u say it Darren?) actor.
3. I didn't get confused because I have watched many more movies than an engineering student should. I have also watches more TV series and anime than any sane student would. While screwing me over for my degree (and life), this has provided me with a solid knowledge base with which to understand and infer certain seemingly f*#ked up situations.
4. I am sorry I offended you in any way. Prease accept my apologies.

Charlie!!
I loved the Departed. I thought Leo was pushing it sometimes, but it was still a good performance. Alexis went all fangirl over Jack Nicholsan's portrayal of the Mob boss. It saddens me greatly to say I thoroughly agree with him. Would put him in the top 5 villians in all movies I have seen thus far (no.1 being the dude in Serenity). Mark Wahlberg is hilarious. Some orsome comback quotes from him to remember

Long Live the Flying Spaghetti Monsters!

Watch Internal Affairs II instead. It makes even less sense. But Kelly is in it so it's all good.

John you are not alone, watching 'Infernal Affairs' was like watching Syriana in foreign language. Hash what do you think of 'The Departed'?

With your thick sexy accent and sporting the title of Mr Asia, I wouldn't have thought u needed subs :)

Whoops just posted that link that Darren put up. I was wondering why it was greyed out when I hadn't clicked on it yet. Interesting from a legal perspective.

and your natural state of mind seems to be "i am god".

maybe i didn't have the benefit of subtitles when i saw it (the cantonese is basically all slang), or maybe i didn't elevate the movie purely because it seemed exotic and foreign.

Yi: Scrapbook!

Well John, I wouldn't put think too much into that statement as confusion seems to be your natural state of mind =P

I'm confused by your confusing statement on confusion. Did you wake up early to post that, or have you just gone to sleep?

Well John, I wouldn't put think too much into that statement as confusion seems to be your natural state of mind =P

James - IT IS A BOMB!

WTF - PAID FOR TRANSPORT....
By those standards the Board of Studies should have gotten the curriculum designers to sit our exams since they screwd up our courses so badly (namely Physics - social implications of Einstein's and Bohr's friendship ftw?).

Kwong, Poker sounds good but let's do that next Friday (3rd Nov) instead. Everyone should've finished their Thesiseseses rite?

Hash, we'll just have to put Schuey into an 86 and give Takumi a run down Akina to find out...lolz. Schuey did start off with Karts, so I am sure he can do some insane drifts. I mean, he did drift in a kart on snow.

EDIT: My place is not open for poker this time though.

James, my kit should arrive in a day or two. Thanks for recieving it. And no it will NOT be a bomb. It will be a gundam kit.

This never happened when I was doing the HSC..

I was almost late for my last exam because a bus I was meant to catch to connect to a train never came, forcing me to walk all the way to the station and just manage to catch a train. Although, that wasn't Cityrail's fault.. It was the bus company's.

To get a paid taxi ride.. seems like they must have gone to one of those eastern suburbs high schools, like.... Sydney Boys.

Tell that to Alexis

i think i saw internal affairs ages ago, all i remember is that i was really confused.

You can not really appreciate the Departed unless you watch infernal affairs beforehand.

we can see the departed as charlie suggested.

The honey kitkat is gileeh, but the cookie dough...whurrrgh.

DOTA is suffering. Please give time generously.

No poker! We didnt do this to you when you had your thesis due..

Dota numbers are inversely proportional to thesis participants..

The seafolly girl looks like the Kit Kat new flavours girl..

Anyone keen on poker/movie this Friday night and/or this weekend?

Agreed. she's not gilleh.

More dota please, numbers have been down of late.

I totally do not get the Seafolly model. She is so ugly...

He would so lose to Takumi.
It's tooo earlt to do thesis - who wants to go to iStar?

*Yawn*. It's now 5:05AM AEST, and I am still awake. Just have to post, Michael Schumacher is still one of the greatest drivers in the world, coming back to 4th with a 70sec deficit. His move on Kimi down into turn 1 is probably THE MOVE of his career. John, you have to agree on that!!

Now onto spending a few hundred on the Ferrari Models...lolz.

man very nice noodles James... did you do that yourself or did you go to one of those places that charge $10 for one of those?

(seriously homemade gourmet noodles kicks ass)

What? Since when have these HCI labs had Maya 7??

(me forgets thesis and starts modelling a hydralisk)

Yes we are Jono, except not in Banjo labs..

We'll be going to eat soon, except it won't be anything comparable to James' delicacies.. more along the lines of a McMeal...

You love your seafood it seems James..

I'm not really a fan, never liked the idea of my dinner being able to stare back at me..

9 days to go!

[Edit]

What? Since when have these HCI labs had Maya 7??

(me forgets thesis and starts modelling a hydralisk)

haha James - nice photos on your flickr. So you've moved in to your new...apartment? or house? Any other photos of your humble abode apart from the bedroom?

That food is looking mighty Mighty tasty. $20 prawn dish looks sensational. Sunday night at 7:40 pm and it's back to thesis at uni. Don't pity me though, I believe Yi, Hash, Benny and Darren are also all downstairs in Banjo labs as we speak..

You have the climate of a bonobo.

Neo Guri Royale

Neo Guri Royale
Originally uploaded by Der Wasserfall.

Check it out KJ, this NeoGuri taken to the limit; served with white crab mushrooms, prawns and spot shrimp roe.

Do I look like a bonobo?

Marc I believe that was only 2/3 of the conversation. The other third was:

'Marc, please, don't flatter yourself' =)

In any case, sex slavery is the best career option for bonobos.

Kwong, those planes looks sexy, even for a non-flying fanatic. Which one were you flying?

High-G dump and burn

Glad you guys enjoyed Brother's Pizzas. See charlie, told you the place is good! Sif doubt my taste! It was also a great get together for everyone for a great game of poker...let's do that again after the exams! And thanks for coming guys.

Just the other day Charlie and I were having that conversation.

Charlie: come on! Its not like we're gonna get kidnapped and raped...

Me: speak for yourself, Charlie. XD

That Zune ad was ROFL. It was like something out of Strongbad email. If its actually real and they start playing that on air it will be double ROFL. TROGDOOOORRRRRR!

Thank you Jono!

That's Microsoft appealing the 'general' audiance for ya. They think grunge == cool. So typical of them. Shallow and out of touch.

Marc & Char,
That iternery looks like a one way trip; I can see you two getting kidnapped on the way to one of those exotic destinations. Before you know it, you'll be a sex slave in a GPS-less Chinese village. muahahahh.

Marc - just note that only unsw students can view the link you post, regarding jobs. so sometimes it might be helpful to copy and paste the entire job ad into the blog, say. just a suggstion.

That zune ad is pretty messed up. but they obviously aren't targetting users like me. or any non-goth, it seems. haha. no offence of course to anyone who thoroughly enjoys the ad...

I got stacks of reading to do so I'll try and go thru as much as I can. But yea it depends on the pace. Will it be fast or slow?

How do u want it?

Marc: I was thinking, for the end of year trip, we could visit the capital of some provinces and then grab information on surrounding area which we could visit. Here's some cities for your consideration: Wuhan, Guilin, Chongqing, Changsha, and Chengdu. After that, I'm hoping there's a train service from Chengdu to Lhasa in Tibet so we could see the Potala Palace and check out the surrounding mountainous terrains. On return we could head to Kunming and Dali in Yunnan province and check out the subcultures there.

So yeah a rough itinerary
Let me know what you think

Threadbo is looking for someone to live 4-6 weeks over the summer in a lodge to photograph for upcoming ads.

Thanks for the evening guys, Eric, the pizza place was great. As Lucy put it "best pizza since James' gourmet". Also, thanks again for the usage of your house Eric..

I still think its funny now that Charlie has a job, he is starting to win at poker..

Why did the ant fall off the toilet seat indeed...

Microsoft Zune ad

hello.

i forward a motion for us to convene for dinner and then go to eric's tonight. meet at 6:30pm outside eric's house.

motion seconded by kwong.

all those for the motion say yay.

all opposed can keep quiet.

The swing was made by asians and broke under the weight of a larger-than-asian-equivalent (ie white) amy..

I agree that asian labour appears overall cheaper because more asians are willing to work for less, as in comparison to equivalent work back in their home country, they are earning much more here in australia.

My brother recently quit his job as a kitchenhand at a nearby sports club, because the payment changed from going through the tax system to cash in hand, Meaning he was getting paid $10 less per hour for the same amount of work.

He found the job tiresome, but said that other subcontinental worker immigrants working there (also kitchenhands) were loving it, as the amount of money they were getting was alot compared to what they would be getting in their homeland.

Well, it is usually agreed that black people are more athletic than white people, able to last longer in the sun without getting cancer, yet are more susceptible to other diseases. And if I've learned anything from House, its that due to differences in physiology, black people require different medicine for heart conditions than for white people.

My RPG-influenced thought on the superiority of one race to another is that no one race is overall superior to another; they may excel in one aspect yet lack in another. Mixing races though may change that..

Because James walked pass.

Lolz, Darren, I think some chicks are wild. It doesn't matter where they come from, some are just plain wild. Jap chicks are not wild most of the time. They are timid, petite and generally do the "heheh" with the hands over mouth thing. I thought that only happens in animes and Jap drama, but OMFG, they actually do that. Along with the sailor school uniforms, lolz. *KAWAII!!* >3!

John, what's the answer?

why did amy fall off the swing?

The same reason why there are there more Asians in Australia than vice versa.

Rational attribution is central to the point. It is precisely because of irrational attribution that you perceive them as they are.

This talk was not about the heriditary nature of intelligence. This is about the assumption that certain race, as a whole, is genetically superior to other races in terms of intelligence. As it stands, there is no clear evidence. To fully test this assumption, you'll need to sample intelligent beings from different races, subject them to the same environment forces (eg education) and study them across generations. This has nothing to do with political correctness or utopian ideal. It has everything to do with scientific rigour.

Hate? What hate?

Having said so much in the spirit of hate, I would just to something that is otherwise.

To john and Linda: I think you two are adorable.

James I'm disappointed, the correct phrase is:

Doooooo~

Less then a month in America and already you are forgetting your roots...

spain: yes i know how lucky i am, but i also know how linda is even luckier =P

charlie: why is asian labour cheap in australia?

whether we are rational or in attributing certain behaviour to certain groups is besides the point. the fact that such behaviour is attributed at all provides a clue as to why asians are perceived the way they are.

why is it so easy to accept that certain races are superior in being able to run faster, jump higher, have higher endurance, more resilience to certain things, etc, yet so utterly untenable to fathom that certain races have a higher ability to use their brains?

could it be that our judgment is clouded by an appetite for political correctness? are we blinded by our utopian ideal that "every man is created equal"?

analysis into whether genetics play a part in intelligence is considered a taboo subject; and when findings do point towards inherited intelligence, we turn the other way and criticise the methodologies used. the hypothesis that everyone is created equal is accepted from the outset, and any incompatible evidence is simply summarily dismissed.

jono's article referred to success as a result of hard work, and questions the correlation between intelligence and success. in no way does the article discredit the heritary nature of intelligence.

Beowooowww~~~

Time to contribute as well..

My brother happened to go out with an Aussie chick for a while, and after they didnt, they still remain good friends. In fact, most of my brothers (lady) friends are caucasian. Then again, he's not your typical asian..

I make no claim as to 'white' girls being of more promiscuous nature than asians.. Japanese girls can be pretty crazy.... anyway, to quote a certain band:

I want a girl with a mind like a diamond
I want a girl who knows what’s best
I want a girl with shoes that cut
And eyes that burn like cigarettes

and it doesnt matter what race she is.. preferably of mixed background though.. they always look better.

So.. what do you guys think about mixed girls?

Beauty may be in the eye (or nose) of the beholder, but much research into the topic has shown that there are at least some features that alot of us find universally attractive, such as facial symmetry, good skin, low waist-to-hip ratio, and being shorter than us.

Hmm, thinking too technically about this sort of thing is probably going to make it more difficult to get anywhere..

Indecision and lack of communication in recent attempts at 'getting somewhere' have met with disaterous results, which also seem to be pushing me further and further into this diminutive stereotype we are discussing. Attempts to avoid this issue and focus on academic pursuits have proved less than fruitful, proving only to increase my vapidity.

Now, for pedantic corrections and rebuttals of various points thus far discussed..

James: Tamil Tigers, Masculine, arigatou gozaimashita, insipid.

Char: I wonder if you read the article I posted earlier.. Heres another regarding that article about plane parts falling from the sky..
I wonder what all the other girls not reading this blog are doing, dont they know they are getting bagged out? They should defend themselves!

KJ: Bruce Lee's 'mysterious death' is no longer mysterious. He died from 'swelling of the brain' resulting from an allergic reaction to paracetamol. Possible explanation was that over-exertion of his body lead to hypersensitivity to the drug, causing the fatal reaction.

Eric: Thesis people for soccer/tennis/poker = no. Wait until after the due date of end of October (Nov 7 for Yi and Benny.. bastard one week extension.. jk, well done for getting it)

Marc: Alexis has got it bad for Asian girls. Lol.

YO' HOES! GETCHO BITCH ASS IN HERE FORE U FEEL MA BACKHAND How can they feel your backhand unless they get to where you are?

John: i would still cross to the other side of the road. Oh yeah, you dont wear black anymore..

i have seen people clipping fingernails on trains, more than once Which train line was it? Inner west?

Linda: Identifying that one has a problem is the first step towards a solution.

Hash: uhh.. nice shoes!

Too much to do, not enough time. My mind's all over the place..

Apologies for the forthcoming long post, I seem to have too much time on my hand after thesis.

In the good old tradition of this blog, we've digressed so far so quickly I'm not even sure what we're talking about. So I'll be selective.

On the issue of racism that John raised, it may in fact be that, on the whole, Asians employ proportionately less Caucasians than vice versa. Racism may be a possible explanation. Equally plausible, and perhaps more likely explanation is that Asian labour is cheap, hence regardless of race, Asians and Caucasians will employ more Asians.

On the related issue of nail clippings and repulsive behaviour which has somewhat been addressed by Yi, I would like to add that as Uni students, we would have inevitably observed that a substantial proportion of Uni students are Asians. Hence on the buses we catch, it is more likely to observe an Asian undertaking any behaviour (including repulsive behaviours) simply because there are more Asians on that bus. To attribute this as characteristic of Asians in general is fallacious and the reason for this fallacious attribution is because humans do not process rationally under such situations - as demonstrated by a series of studies by Daniel Kahneman and colleagues on heuristics and biases, which culminated in a Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. The most relevant one is the base-rate neglect (Kahneman & Tversky, 1973), which is the tendency to make probabilistic judgments based on one-off, salient incident, neglecting the overall probability. One example is that most people think we’re more likely to be killed by sharks than falling aircraft parts. In actual fact, death statistics revealed that the latter is 30 times more likely (or at least it was in 1950s when the study was done, let’s hope our trusted engineers have rectified this problem). The reason for this fallacious attribution is due to the inherent salience of shark attacks (new reports, Jaws). In this case, what we observe on the bus is more salient that the global perspective.

On the issue of racial superiority, there is a clearly observable physical superiority attributable to genetic differences. I agree with you James, to the extent that Asians, on average, are diminutive in stature compared to the average Caucasian. However it’s a long shot to generalise this to personality and intelligence. That article you posted does not justify your argument. The strongest statement is:

“Put these two things together—a correlation of intelligence and success, and a correlation of success and fecundity—and you have circumstances that favour the spread of genes that enhance intelligence.”

This statement is full of flaws, the main of which is that statistical correlation means jack all. The sale of ice creams and the sale of umbrellas on a given day are strongly negatively correlated. But these two factors have little to do with each other, other than their attachment with the factor of temperature. It’s a long shot to say there’s any genetic association in intelligence and you don’t have to go far to find counter evidence. In fact, Jono’s previous post suggests that geniuses are made, not born. In short, the composition of the letters J E N N I F E R C O N N E L L Y is aesthetically compelling as you said, but not indisputable.

As for the rest of the discussion, such as the issue of visual superiority, it’s so subjective that no foreseeable consensus can be reached. Everyone’s entitled to desire what they will and to discriminate racially on the potential pool of mates. Use your stereotype; it’s there for a reason. My guess is that if you’re lucky, you may one day meet a Caucasian girl who incites so much passion in you that you forget about the communication barriers and what not and drive off with her into the sunset.

Thats a very good point, Eric. Parents play a vital role. Immigrant Chinese parents tend to be a lot more strict on girls so their attitude is reflected from that.

Yes, I think the biggest issue for me (and indeed for anyone else) would be communication barrier. Its not like I'm expert canto, but imagine a family lunch/dinner with your grandparents? It would be so awkward...

Like I said, thats why my cousin is so lucky, she found a guy who excels at mando so he can speak to my grandma. Best of both worlds - win!

Alexis has got it bad for Asian girls.

Alright then Spain...

YO' HOES! GETCHO BITCH ASS IN HERE FORE U FEEL MA BACKHAND

Looks like you were right, James. The switch to intel CPU was a very smart move. They have just sold record numbers of Macs for this ending quarter.

Gentlemanly and respectful is one way of describing diminuitive, or just being a wuss.

We should roll around yelling "GILLEH!"
I think quite a few of the guys prefer Asian girls, or at least the stereotype of an asian girl. I don't agree that caucasian girls are visually superior, I think _girls_ are visually superior to girls.

I don't think Asian girls >> Aussie girls. TBH, I reckon most Aussie or white girls are prettier and "hawter" than Asian girls. Asian girls just give out this cuter, more innocent vibe. I think it's because of their small and petite frame, whereas White girls are generally taller and more developed body giving them the more matured look. If i remembered correctly, Edwin did actually go out with a white girl. Apparently a cheerleader of Newcastle Knights or something too while my aunt actually married a white American guy. So yellows and whites do mix. And Marc, I agree with the caucasians being more "eye-pleasing" than most girls.

White girls are NOT sluttier than asians. You get some pretty slutty Asians too. Some white chicks are actually pretty innocent. The upbringing of the child will mostly determine their personalities. Generally, Asian parents are quite strict, hence it makes them more conservative. There are definitely wild Asians chicks out there.

PS: If I don't have to take communication barriers into consideration, hell I'd go out with a white chick anyday! (This coming from a fairly Fobby guy ~.~)

I don't think Asian girls >> Aussie girls. TBH, I reckon most Aussie or white girls are prettier and "hawter" than Asian girls. Asian girls just give out this cuter, more innocent vibe. I think it's because of their small and petite frame, whereas White girls are generally taller and more developed body giving them the more matured look. If i remembered correctly, Edwin did actually go out with a white girl. Apparently a cheerleader of Newcastle Knights or something too while my aunt actually married a white American guy. So yellows and whites do mix. And Marc, I agree with the caucasians being more "eye-pleasing" than most girls.

White girls are NOT sluttier than asians. You get some pretty slutty Asians too. Some white chicks are actually pretty innocent. The upbringing of the child will mostly determine their personalities. Generally, Asian parents are quite strict, hence it makes them more conservative. There are definitely wild Asians chicks out there.

PS: If I don't have to take communication barriers into consideration, hell I'd go out with a white chick anyday! (This coming from a fairly Fobby guy ~.~)

Including but not limited to the efficiency of killing people using explosives improvised on trees (Timel Tiger et al 2006).

I believe that was an incorrect citation. The correct one would have been Kim Jong Il et al 2006

Another thing is Asian guys seem to think largely that Asian girls are > Aussie girls. I'm not saying about promiscuity or anything but alot of asian guys i talk to (even some of you guys) seem to exude the opinion that white girls are all sluts.

Visually, no. Look at James. And I agree with him. The caucasians are just visually superior of all races. I get the impression that Asian girls are more chaste (Perhaps its because they seem more traditional). This does not exactly equate to "I think white girls are sluttier than asians".

In any event, I don't recall getting that sort of opinion permeating in our group. I think all of us are quite gentlemanly and respectful when it comes to women.

Simply put I don't particularly like those "shy" and [canto] "de" girls and would prefer someone who doesn't front. In fact quiet girls are what I try to avoid in terms of matching.

Well, improvisation is the key.
Unfortunately most Sri Lankan Buddhist's have moral boundaries that need to be crossed to effectively wage war on terrorists.

The more news I see, the closer I might be getting to this boundary. They shall rue the day they pissed off a Binf/biotech with a twisted imagination and access to a plethora of readily mutable pathogens!

Another thing is Asian guys seem to think largely that Asian girls are > Aussie girls. I'm not saying about promiscuity or anything but alot of asian guys i talk to (even some of you guys) seem to exude the opinion that white girls are all sluts. I also get a clear impression that Asian guys see Asian girls as superior in every way, smarter cuter? I'm not sure why.

Do you like fair, quiet girls who are respectful? If yes you probably won't go near any white girls, just as a generalisation.

Forgive all the politically incorrect labels in there, but thats my take. Linda, you are a great example of an Asian girl with the attitude of a typical white girl. Fun, outgoing, adventurous, carefree, you are lucky John and I think you know it.

Bottom line though, I don't see anyone but the white guys complaining. "Is there something wrong with Asians that the girls see and we don't?" I don't think so, just a convergence of stereotypes and generalisations that keep white girls and Asian guys away, mostly.

I was manning the stall for Anti-Poverty Week today. With like a 50%+ Asian population, out of the bounty of 10+ people who visited in the hour, only 2 asians came upto us.

I just cracked out loud in the labs when I read that: Hell, I could break his arms if I wanted. But I shouldn't laugh too much because I think my sister can do the same to me.

Including but not limited to the efficiency of killing people using explosives improvised on trees (Timel Tiger et al 2006).

OK, fine I agree with James, Subcontinentals as a collective are better than all other collectives at specificially everything

Linda et al, (that's right, all you dissidents get bundled with her! ;))

This 'talk' is not designed to perpetuate the sterotype. Rather, it is to recognize the truth of it. And perhaps then, and only then, we can move beyond it.

It would be much more convenient to pretend that there exists no kernel of truth in all collective observations of Wang, Yuen and Zhang (WYZ 2006). It would be much easier to believe that all races are created equal. Indeed that is what we have been taught. Australia's 'multi-cultural' system has planted that idea in our minds.

But alas, the unpleasant truth is--not all races are created equal. And not all cultures are equally advanced.

Is it really that hard to believe? If you accept that some people are smarter than others, some more beautiful othan others and some smellier than others, then you merely have to integrate over their respective solution spaces to arrive at the inevitable conclusion: some collections are superior over other collections at specific things.

I submit two simple articles as evidence.

Article A: Economist article exploring the superior IQ of Ashkenazi Jews

Article B: Jennifer Connelly

I find Article B particuarly compelling and indisputable. Just look at those combination of letters. Doesn't it just reduce you to a slime?

I thought so.

"the way a substantial amount of asians carry themselves i would regard as repulsive." -john

Thankyouveriemuchhhh (The 'goodbye' you get at Japanese restaurants).

Beyond repulsive: profoundly repugnant.

"asian girls are not only diminutive, but they are shallow, arrogant, inconsiderate, and lacks taste in anything beyond fashion, cosmetics, and regrowth elimination hair-removal technology." -char

And they lack even the climate of human imagination. In one word: Bonobo-esque.

I like:
- "The take away message? Be Bruce Lee." (james)
- "kabillion" (james)
- sleep (jono)

PS - this is pretty frigg'n scary
and something for Charlie :)

Wow, with so much hate flying around, I dun even have to give my two cents.

James, maybe you had some bad Karma in a previous life and so u wound up being born as a race that u hate. Just keep in mind "A lucky man gets what he wants, A truly blessed man wants what he gets" or something along those lines.

There are benefits to being who you are and knowing where you are from. Liking it will make your existance a much more joyful experience.

Lolz, KJ, everyone is tight to a certain extent. If you aren't tight, you won't become rich. You need to cut costs, and maximise revenue. Try name one person that would like the opposite. Those are irrational people that does NOT exist in economics theory.

People, who wants to play soccer/tennis this weekend? Let's play some sports people!

btw... why the hell are we talking about racism now...?

Enough about what the general population is like, make a damn change to yourself if you think we're diminuitive...

James: If Bruce Lee was so fit, why would he die from a "mystery illness"

Marc: Hehe Kim Jong Il is doing his best... But North Korea still don't like him .... nowhere near as much as his father, Kim Il Sung (the founder of DPRK) [They treat him like a god)

Char: Lol, Asian girls aren't the only ones like that... I've seen plenty of non-Asian girls go even further...

I know people think Asians are bad, but to be honest, caucasians aren't that "spectacular" either, with their whole tightarse attitude... ESPECIALLY in Australia.... I know this firsthand by helpin me parents clean houses... fark the Aussie males (not the girls .. the GUYS) are so frikkin tight..... always saying shitty stuff like... oh you're leaving 5 min earlier than usual.. i'll have to deduct that from your pay an shit... when we state FROM THE BEGINNING timing is not a factor in cleaning houses....

So my conclusion: Aussie males are the biggest tightarses in the world. Asian people are tight as well, but comparatively they wouldn't stand a chance against these guys..

Linda: you could break John's arms anytime because you're the masculine one =)

James: I think you've unwittingly stumbled on the recipe to get the girls of this blog talking -> offend them! In continuing this tradition, I would like to add that asian girls are not only diminutive, but they are shallow, arrogant, inconsiderate, and lacks taste in anything beyond fashion, cosmetics, and regrowth elimination hair-removal technology.

Honestly John, I might agree with some of those repulsive acts, but in general, I don't find Asians that repulsive. But then again, the people covered by the term "Asians" is quite broad.

Sometimes, I find indians to be quite unpleasent in terms of body odour. Please Hash, don't take offence in this. But then again, I think i've smelled enough men odour in the gym. You have NO IDEA how much it stinks sometimes (especially when I go to the one at Auburn/Lebanese Town).

In terms of littering, well can't really say much since the first race that comes to mind in terms of nail clipping etc would be Chinese. I don't know, I think it's just a stereotypical image.

Ticket evasion, I don't think it's just Asians. I have seen Aussies do it. Generally, the bums, ganstas/wannabes, as Yi's mentioned, do it.

Asian employers DO hire non-Asians. I've worked in a place owned by Asians, and yet, hired quite a number of non-Asians. However, on average, maybe it is true.

Group work. I tend to agree with you John. Recently, I did a group presentation, and was stuck with two mainland Chinese girls and a Lankan. Lankan was fine, helpful to a certain extent in that he does the work on time, and was NOT reading the bloody ppt slides. The two Chinese used an excuse of "shy and can't speak English probably" and decided to stand behind the computer consoles in our tut room. They read off their ppt, slides had too much info, no eye contact (well they were hiding in the corner) AND spoke in monotone. They chose the easiest question, and were too lazy to go the extra mile of completing an extra diagram, simply because the question didn't ask for one. End result, a very shitty presentation, and a poor mark. Usually tutor praises presentations by saying "Great presentation" in some form, but with ours, a comment along the lines of "Yeh, ah, good presentation, you didn't fail". I mean, FFS!! It's your last semester, put some effort into it?!

EDIT: And Chinese and Indians tend to be quite inconsiderate at times. They speak WAY too loud in lecture/library, and won’t even shut up after you have asked them to. I actually did get pissed off at 2 Chinese guys in lecture and just said “Shut the fuck up or leave” (after I asked them to be quiet twice politely). You would think people should be matured enough to listen in an auditing class, being the hardest accounting and 3rd year subject.

I think so too! I think Asian men are all down right dirty, smelly old bastards with long finger nails for nose picking and squinty eyes that dart around for a good old perve.

John - I think we should call it quits now and move on to better things like non Asian men! Especially, since the majority of your friends are Asian, I'm a tad afraid to see them spitting and doing all those nasty Asian things... WAKE UP!

Guys, I'm not surprised that you see things the way you do. I admit that yes, Cauasian females dating Asian males is not as common as vice versa, but it doesn't surprise me. Look at the way you talk about how Asian men are diminuitive and horrible things... wait, you're Asians too!

Doesn't this sort of talk help to perpetuate the notion that Asian men aren't good enough for caucasian women? That's not even factoring the complexities of our racial origins. For instance, I would make the assumption that all of you, have at least spent a considerable amount of your life so far in Australia and/or were born and raised here, but with parents who mostly have been born and raised in Asian countries; does this make you the same diminiutive typecast as described in your postings below? A self-fulfilling prophecy...

Come on... and be a man!

P.S James: John is Asian, I'm Asian and we're going out... so does that mean I'm even more diminuitive than John? Hell, I could break his arms if I wanted!

i would still cross to the other side of the road. but that is less about the person being any particular race than for my reasons for fearing for my safety and wellbeing. if i have any reason to believe i am at risk, then i would cross the road.

i have seen crash, and yes i think it is unfortunate to stereotype based on race, it is unfairly prejudicial most of the time.

but these stereotypes are not without justification, see my point about small but substantial and visible portion of the groups projecting an image that reflects upon the whole group.

Yi you're a smart giraffe indeed.
Have you seen Crash? Racism at its finest.

Well in the world of statistics, there are things called outliers... :P

I understand perfectly Marc. Though the point John was making, to my understanding, was that Asians are more racist, and it was his observation that Asians hired more Asians than Caucasians hired Caucasians.

[edit]Unfortunately Charlie, I haven't seen Crash yet. I would love to given the chance.[/edit]

Group work: you love your thesis partner right now don't you? XD

Inherent requirements of the job: they hire their own ilk because they need to speak the language. Personally if I was running a canto business and found a white guy who came from HK speaking perfectly good Canto, I'd hire him simply for the novelty!

You must have an acute sense of smell... or you like to get up and close with your fellow public transport utilisers. :P

I don't leave mandarin skin on trains. I said I have had mandarins on trains in the past. But "don't see that many [skins] littered though."

Arh so the employee/employer thing was about Asians being racist or more so than other race. Do you see Asians working in Spanish groceries? Or Asians in groceries in Leichhardt? Even though there is definitely preferential treatment by employers, I don't think Asians are any better or any worse than others at it. Anyone remember the online video where a black woman denies a white jobseeker, then laughs to her friends about it?

All of the preceeding paragraphs exhibit your stereotypes or your subconscious opinions of a particular race or group. Even if you don't want these stereotypes to affect your treatment of others, they will definitely subconciously affect your treatment of others. Even if you turn on your prejudice radar and adjust your behaviour accordingly (eg. walking in a dark night, you see a black man walking towards you, you firstly think I need to walk to the other side of the road, but then you realise that's a prejudiced thought and you don't), it will be difficult to detect all instances of your own stereotyping. Our own lives and experiences have given us these stereotypes and it is impossible to ignore them. Though you can try to subdue them.

i have seen people clipping fingernails on trains, more than once. yes, my reaction was wtf? too. each time it has been an asian. i have also sat next to a number of asians that smell like moth balls or unwashed hair or a number of nasty smells.

why do you leave mandarin skin on trains?

i personally wouldn't touch a left-over newspaper any more than i would touch an old shoe sitting on the seat - that is not at all. but it's probably just me.

by asian employers, i mean more than just restaurants, as these do have a plausible explanation being that they want to look like they are serving genuine cuisine.

but also look at asian grocery stores, take away shops (that sell non-asian food), small electrical appliance stores. most of these businesses are conducted in english, so there is no reason why non-asians cannot work there.

none of the preceeding paragraphs or earlier posts made by me express or imply any form of differential treatment based on race.

While we are on the topic of racism and stereotypes, might as well throw my 2 cents in. (Not that I can't throw more.. but being an Asian, I find my 2 cents is enough to ripple the waters. ;) )

Unpleasant odour: Pacific islanders are worse than Asian in this department. It seems they are perpetually oily, either thanks to their genes or do they apply something? Actually when have you smelled an Asian before?? Asians hardly have any odour. I remember been turned off from the odour of bums or street people though.. quite nasty. But Asians, maybe the stuff they put on themselves but I can hardly smell one from an inch away.

Orange peels/clipping fingernails: WTF? I don't know which bus or train you catch but I don't see anyone clipping nails. Mandarins, I do find people having them on trains, and I do too. Don't see that many littered though. (Oh a side note, what do you do with the daily mX? Throw in the bin or leave on the train? I like being able to pickup a leftover copy of mX sometimes. Though I do wonder if that's the "proper" thing to do..)

Ticket evasion: Aboriginals and bums and people who generally look like they were from the dump. Also if they are gangsters or gangster wannabes (so this is generally Asians if you are around the City).

Group work: People who don't work! I loved my partners for HCI. A Malaysian and a Singaporean. They worked their arses off. Same to another Singaporean for an Infosys subject. Busu, on the other hand, if you guys remember back to year 1, I was chasing him around using this blog as a method of communication and Lumoi was worried about him too. o.O

Asian employers & employees: I don't get this point... and won't this matter more on your HR department? Or are you talking about your local Chinese restaurant? Well then I can contend that those Italian or Spanish restaurants also hire more of their ilk.

I think the stereotype of Asians are unfavourable. So that's definitely working against us. I am disgusted by the people who spit on the ground, who bump into you without apologising, who don't hold the door open even when you are right after them, who don't flush the toilet, or keep their voices down in the library, or .. a lot of other things.. o.O

XD

get on a bus or train, sit next to someone who you soon find out is emitting an unpleasant odour/ littering with orange peels/clipping fingernails, what is the probability that it's an asian?

on the same bus or train, who are the ones that are most likely to get caught by ticket inspectors?

when you have to do group work at uni, who do you wish you don't get paired with?

how many non-asians do you see working for asian employers, compare that to how many asians do non-asian employers hire?

are asians more racist? from experience, the answer is a resounding yes.

i don't contend that all or most or a large percentage of asians do these things. i think a lot of asians are not repulsive, and most have very positive characteristics. but a substantial - and more importantly, visible - amount of them do.

whether there is any justifiable logic behind these things (such as different culture, circumstances, etc) is irrelevant for our purposes, and it is probably unfair to stereotype as i did. but as a whole, the image that certain asians project is not one that is attractive.

john, that is an interesting development. How do Asians "carry themselves"?

The world needs Jono!
And this might float your boat too...

My dad does not fit your stereotype of diminutive, timid and servile, he is quite the opposite. So there makes it 4 kabillion diminutive, timid and servile asian men out there..

Further research into the topic of Aussie girls suggests that they are the most dominant of all countries, possibly making typical asian men seem diminutive in comparison..

Jono/Kwong/Alexis: without reading the article, what model is the pictured piece from? Test your degree-related knowledge!

if you were a girl (caucasian or not), would you date an asian guy?

the way a substantial amount of asians carry themselves i would regard as repulsive.

I believe the title of that article was:

Why don't Aussie girls date JonoAsian men?; and not

Why don't JonoAsian men date Aussie girls?

James, Kim Jong Il is the manliest man out there. Why are the white chix not flocking over to North Korea?

My father does not fit the typecast of small physique and servile...that makes 3 kabillion so far.

My cousin is dating a white guy who has learnt Mandarin. It is so unfair that she does not suffer the language barrier...

If you don't know me by now...

Why Charlie? Is he Bruce Lee? XD

My dad is quite the opposite too. But it seems for every one of our dads there exists a kabillion diminuitive men.

Lol you should meet my dad, he'll probably change your stereotype of asian men.

Timid mannerism and servile attitude just doesn't scream 'mascaline'.

What do you mean by diminutive in personality?

It's very simple--asian men are diminutive. Diminutive in physique, personality and imagination. No healthy person wants to go out with such 'people'. Except even more diminutive persons--asian girls.

But let's take a look at what happens if you're not a diminutive asian man. Bruce Lee for example has incredible physical form, wrote about philosophy and was in everyway larger than life. He married an American and they had great kids.

The take away message? Be Bruce Lee.

Seems like Jono has been the closest countering this trend. I wonder if its a similar thing in the US..

James, your lil "incident" must hurt. I've never experienced it, but I do know "chilli hands" burns wounds as well. And come on man, US girls are nice! Go get yourself...and us some US hotties next time as our souvenirs! =3

EDIT: Who's down for some soccer/tennis this saturday? I think a game of something will help us release the stress gained from studying. (A game of poker will also do the trick!!)

Jono,
Man and do what he wills but he can not will what he wills!!

Do you think your *OLYMPUS*'s macro mode is up to it? :P

See if you can find:
- Salt & Pepper spicy pork ribs (starts)
- Mapo Tofu
- Hot & Sour soup
- Some chicken recipes
- Some noodle recipes

Well, just take pictures of whatever looks good to you. I'm sure that pretty jaw of yours will figure it out. :D

jwan584 @ google's email.

Not until you go DANCIN'!

Which recipes do you want? I don't have a scanner. Does anyone have one?

The US Office is back yay! First ep about the usage of the word "faggy"

Marc,
Do you think you can scan me some recipes from Food of China? I'm hungry for new recipes.

Christmas timeframe is a bit problematic--my parents are visiting then. I have to plan out a holiday thingy with them. My dad wants to go skiing.

e=mc2 (and a lot of hard work)

Really good article. Basically, says that genius is made, not born.

Short quote, "On the other hand, it's a bit overwhelming to look at what these people have to do. They generally invest about five times as much time and effort to become great as an accomplished amateur does to become competent. It's not something everyone's up for."

Short quote 2, "This has led scholars of elite performance to speak of a 10-year rule: it seems you have to put in at least a decade of focused work to master something and bring greatness within reach."

Sorry to hear about your recent chilli escapade James. But I agree with Marc, go dancin' with them lovely US girls. :D

Oh oh oh ! Joel finally confirmed a job offer (with Hub Consulting) for a 1-month contract/probation period. He also confirmed he can get Jan - Feb off...which means AFRICA HERE WE COME!!! I also need to plan the rest of my trip - but James, would you be able to expect me for about a week or so, around Christmas time? We can go skiing/boarding if you are not tied up with other matters like family etc :)

James, you really do have too much time on your hands. Go dancin' with them lovely American girls. You can count Mexicans as Americans.

How do you kill that which has no privacy?

I'm guessing Punkbuster does the same thing right? In any event, I think the people who play games requiring such measures endorse these methods if it means that they can have a game free from 4imb0t h4x0rZ.

Here's another little bit of information I found while trawling the net on spyware stuff:

The iTunes Music Store from Apple Computer is showing that small payment systems, which have not been very successful in the past, can work if there is a large audience for a compelling product, said Avivah Litan, an analyst at Gartner.

Steve Jobs, the Apple chairman, has said that his company does not make much from the store, which has sold millions of songs. The real profit is in selling its wildly successful portable music player, the iPod.

I have experienced 'burning' before. But not quite like this. Gentlemen, if you have been chopping chilis, please, wash your hands before going to the toilet.

I'm so sick of that kind of commentary. There are some people in this who fundamentally want to drag us back to the 'hunter-gatherer' society (I'm looking at you, UNSW Arts faculty).

Thats impressive.

I wonder for how much and what the upkeep costs are in comparison to acquisition cost.

SMH on the use of digital music players: Hollonds says iPod users can feel less accountable to others because they can easily isolate themselves even in public places: "I think they do allow you to be within your own world and think only of your interests."

Escapism can be a useful coping mechanism, she says, but when it becomes routine it robs us of the ability to deal with painful or uncomfortable things. "Without overexaggerating, it potentially affects our human-to-human interactions," she says. "Some commentators would say we've become slaves to technology and allowed technology to dictate how we behave rather than using it to advance and benefit our lives."

If it means not having to deal with people talking about getting penises and heads cut off and people getting burned alive for revenge then I'll take that risk and isolate myself.

Marc, it's not a theoretical number. Sun is going to be selling it next year.

Already seen the white and nerdy song before.

Dont download this song.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz-grdpKVqg

more of the same but better! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw

Apologies for not being at a reunion for a school I did not attend, I wasn't sure if you guys were serious about others coming. Hope you still managed to enjoy yourselves, even without me..

Anyway, I have a little thing called a 'seminar report due tomorrow' to do.. not to mention my 'thesis'..

Another note: avoiding CTO until 3rd November evening.. No dota til then

Well, it may be 4 Google server 'Crates'.

James, seef not turn up to the reunion XD.

everyone was asking "Where is Benny, Marc and Darren. Why are they not here?"

ALEXIS - u dog!

Awesome, magneto is gonna be on the next episode of extras.

onebutters says:
wanna BF2?
Hoey!! says:
hey...aren't u guys playing dota?
onebutters says:
nothing is happening so far
Hoey!! says:
well i got in...see a bunch of ppls...but no activity
onebutters says:
do u have ventrilo?
Hoey!! says:
the song or the clip?

Theoretically, 4 is an unimpressive number. If someone actually went ahead and did it I would be impressed.

... I spent too long trying to figure that out..

If you stored everything on 800GB/1.6TB tape drives, it would be even less, but everything would only be accessible sequentially..

Apple Radio Remote

John is right. Four is pretty much correct. With the advent of 1TB HDDs next year, the number is expected to be three.

James: Lies! It must be a diagram on some sort of iPod feature wishlist, or the interface of some expensive add-on radio adaptor.

Would any of you guys entertain a guess as to how many server cabinets are required to store the entire content of the web?

Well, that would depend how much data you can fit in one server cabinet. A recent (2002) estimation of the size of the internet was 532,897 Terabytes (from here) and 400 Gigabyte HDD are common, so it seems that the number of cabinets could be upwards of tens of thousands..

Now back to work..

I don't think I can watch anymore Extras. It becoming another The Office except more masochistic and less funny. Sure its hilarious when they vilify the stars by giving them roles which make them look like pricks IRL but when that short part is over you have to deal with the central characters. He's constantly surrounded by close people who screw him over. I'd have long raged out on a killing spree but surprisingly he's in tact.

His TV show was made into something he hates and he can't quit and his agent and best friend consistently screw him over by publicly putting words in his mouth.

The second season offers a new and entirely different level of brutality. Highly recommended (if you want to slit your wrists)!

James, storage is not really an issue nowadays as I mentioned before. HDDs really are a dime a dozen so it wouldn't be surprising that its a low number. When you talk about bandwidth, now that is a completely different issue!

four?

Would any of you guys entertain a guess as to how many server cabenets are required to store the entire content of the web?

Hint: a small number

James, I have actually looked at Samsung/LG flash thingies. But for 20gbs or something, and at that price, I don't think so. Plus they just don't doesn't appeal to me for some strange reason. Also James, that pod radio photo real? Not that I care about a radio...

Marc, I don't mind buying Apple products honestly. iTunes screwed me over once, but I have to say, the interface just looks so nice. I would go back to iTunes once I have burnt all my mp3s onto dvds. I will buy an Apple comp before I die. That's for sure, lolz. And my phone has radio?! Oh Marc, you might like to buy protectors for your pod. I've heard there are 3M products that can actually protect pods. It's a film that covers the top and the bottom using soapy water or something. It's like 10 bucks US. Good investment.

Darren, I am not too sure about the Zune's functionality just yet. There aren't any official specs out, except for the fact that it's called a Zune, and it's 30gbs (not sure about the WiFi thing either). Standard features include video player, colour screen, photo viewing.

James, preferences are preferences. If everyone starts wearing camo pants and polo shirts with their collar up, would I want to do the same? No probably not because I'll look like the rest. There is nothing worse than a templated society/fashion/trend - viva la variete! 5 posts in a row, you may want to consider condensing them using edit :p

James, the girls do not post because they feel threatened by GILEEEEEEH!

Eric, what you say is true. As I said before, it is unfortunate that you had that issue with iTunes and its probably understandable that you won't want to buy let alone use any products from Apple again. Also unfortunate that the iPod scratches easily. A price must be paid for shiny aesthetics. I've had mine for about a month now and I've had no problems, but I do take extra cautions to keep it looking nice like not taking it out off the pocket unless I absolutely need to.

LOL the first thing I did to my iPod was strip the covers and fingerprint it all over XD

Jigglypuff with put pikachu to sleep then use his black magic marker to give him a hitler moustache.

Regardless darren, his phone already has an FM tuner. And I think he'll carrying his phone a lot more than his ipod.

Regrowth elimination is talk from Venus. Nasal spray technology is talk from Mars

voyeurism is a perfectly legitimate fetish, the process of how desire is derived is one which non-voyeurs cannot understand.

Women shun this conversation because they're from another planet (Venus to be precise) and don't speak our language. The other day I overheard some Aliens (aka women) in my psych class talking about some extra-terrestrial technological revolution which now allows them to pursue a painless, regrowth-elimation hair removal.

James, you answered your question yourself.. by you.

An aunt of mine still has a fully functional first generation iPod. Each successive generation of iPod seems to be more fragile.

Hey eric, does the zune have an FM tuner? That is one thing that the iPod lacks. You could argue the point of needing a tuner when you have all the music you would want to listen to, or the variety of podcasts out there, but I would like to listen to things that only radio can provide.. like traffic reports, news, or to a certain degree, talkback.

Be a real Asian, get a Samsung/LG flash thingy.

Lolz...shed my Asianess/screen protector?! NEVER! Even my LCD screen has a screen protector, THE ORIGINAL ONE TOO!! Well that's cos I am lazy to clean it...and my mum has a habit of vacuum my desk..including my screen!

James, I've been trying to find his example of technical presentation make-over but I've failed. Though this talk by Lessig is awesome..

Jono, you've outdone yourself this time. Though are you going to split it 6/4 with a certain someone who's name starts with J who helped you out? :P

Marc,
everyone: i choose you pikachu!
marc: i choose you jigglypuff!
:P

Eric,
You have to learn from Marc and shed your 'asian-ness'. A toast to Marc--the grand remover of plastic screen protector thingies!

"voyeurism"??

I'm sorry, I have a meager vocabulary. Darren, help.

Seriously though, am I to understand that you derive sexual pleasure from watching a bunch of guys debate over iPod vs. Zune? :D

Lolz, Marc, that's true. Me using something for more than 2 years...at the moment, there are only two things that fit that category. My car and first comp (though I did use my 8250 for 2 1/2 years...)

James, it's not a matter of the Zune having something that entices me to get it, it's more along the lines of waiting for all the new products to come out, then compare all of them to see which one suits my needs better. For example, not all my mp3s are tagged probably (I will try tag them after the exams), and a lot of them are in Chinese/Japanese. iTunes have F*#ked my mp3s up once, so you can say I hate Apple in that regard. Second, I've grown accustomed to the browse-by-filetree structure in Winamp, though flashing it with a software called Rockbox solves that, I'd still prefer to wait it out. Third, iPod is a scratch magnet. Even if you protect it with all those sleeves, you'll still scratch the crap out of it somehow. Rosalie's pod is only 2 months old last time I saw it, but it was scratched like no tomorrow. Besides, I am only using to listen to music while travelling next year if i do manage to find a job, so no hurry there.

voyeurism ;)

To all you fine folks who are yet to give your thesis presentations, I suggest a trip over to Presentation Zen, a website that gives good pointers on presentation. Do forgive me for linking to that particular article though; they do have articles that are not so my-agenda-centric. ;)

BTW, Guys,

Isn't it odd that this blog has admitted many girls (Lumoi, Renee, Irene, Scott, Linda, Joyce, Lynn) since it started but one by one they've all 'fallen out'?

I wonder why that is.

Char,
I don't believe your desired level of functionality can be achieved without a keyboard or voice recog, neither of which is available on MP3 players.

But for your two examples, I don't think browsing through by artist is unreasonable. For example, Hotel California:

Music -> Artist -> Scroll to Eagles -> All Songs -> Hotel California

or

Music -> Artist -> Scroll to Ray LaMontagnue -> All Songs -> Play

I estimate it'll take about 5-7 seconds to execute.

Jono,
That is so friggin awesome. I have never heard of things called thesis prizes. Hell, what the hell is a thesis conference. All I had was my supervisor and this pedantic jerk sit in my presentation.

You go boy.

Oh yeah, did you use smoke?

Marc,
"Too many people have the iPod which is why I ditched the "iWhore" earphones."

IMO, the only thing worse than doing something because everyone else is doing it is *not* doing something because everywhere else is. Both are reactions to the general population; whether the reaction is negative or positive doesn't really matter. Merit, independent of other factors is the only thing worthy of consideration.

Eric,
May I just ask what is it about the Zune that you find promising/attractive?

I did my research before buying the iPod. Almost all review sites sampled pointed to the iPod being the best unit in terms of aesthetic (subjective) and useability. Many people complain about the bundled software provided by their MP3 players and difficulty being able to transfer files.

I trialed iTunes first and developed a liking for it. If the iPod has similar browsing function then I don't need anything else.

Eric, given your history will you really be using the MP3 player for 3-4 years? It would be similar to saying you want a mobile phone that will last 3-4 years. How many people you know currently have the same mobile they had 3-4 years ago? Hash. Thats it.

I did buy into iPod knowing well that it will probably not last 3-4 years. I've heard many reports, but my cousin still has a 2nd generation iPod still going strong.

42 has significance..

Congratulations Jono on those prizes, and a pity I missed your presentation, if it was attendable by other people.

iPods... I used my one with a winamp plugin to transfer files, so I never used iTunes. My music collection consists of anime/game music and western music, which i had seperated into 2 playlists. Depending on my mood I'd just random through one of them. The winamp plugin allowed me to play music straight off the iPod without having it 'hidden' away as iTunes does. I could copy music onto the ipod in disk mode and it would recognise it.

Well, things were going well with it until the hard drive head busted up, and i had my earphones and data cable stolen.. I thought it would be ok since i had a firewire cable, but I have no firewire port on any of my comps. So I am the proud owner of an empty, broken and unfillable iPod..

Also, when running winamp, I use global hotkeys to cycle through songs instead of switching to winamp and selecting the next one or something similar.

Santana is playing in my head.. and all his songs are in the same key..

What a day.

Awake time: 42 hours

Thurs 0900-1300 attend thesis talks
Thurs 1400 - Fri 0800 work on thesis presentation
Fri 0900-1100 attend more talks, gave own talk, went surprisingly well for no full rehearsal

Fri 1330 Kasia, a friend who intended to come to my talk, messages me saying she rolled her ankle at level 3 of mech eng lifts, stood up, fainted, carried to uni med centre, had tests, got crutches and went home, so apologises for not making my talk. Obviously I'm feeling uber guilty and don't care that she didn't make my talk.

Fri 1400-1540 chair thesis talks

Fri 1600-1900 pick up big speakers/mixer/microphone/audio equipment from alexandria to set up for thesis conference dinner

Fri 1930-2200 eat conference dinner

Fri 2230 won not just one thesis conference prize, but two!!! For best Aero Eng presentation, and for 2nd best presentation of all 173 presentations. Two cheques total cash prize $250.

wheeee I finally got me a prize, ma! collapsing to bed.

James, your argument with the mazda example is only valid up to a certain point. If i was to purchase a car, I would look at is fuel consumption, availability of parts, cost of maintenance, residual value etc. If i was to purchase a performance car, I wouldn't even think and just go for a Skyline. OEM cars, do you mean the tuning arms of a normal performance car (so following your mazda example, it would refer to say a special edition from Mazdaspeed?).

Also, is it ok if i get a gundam kit mailed to your place? I can get my aunt to pick it up from you (Aunt's travelling interstate for at least a month, but the kit has to be mailed out soon)

John, that's exactly what I am doing. I just don't get why people are so obsessed with ipods and all. I want to research a bit more on the various options before I make an investment. I've had enough bad experiences with gadgets over the past few years, (Sony MZ-N1, Sony Ericcson k700i, etc) I just don't want to spend another 400 bucks on something that won't last for more than 3-4 years. Nonetheless, I am NOT saying I don't like the pod. Honestly, I think it's quite a nice product.

I love perfect gentleman. Wyclef is the shiz, but Julian hates all his music categorically. I'm thinking of starting a religion so i can start up a crusade against him

Too many people have the iPod which is why I ditched the "iWhore" earphones.

Charlie, search is quite useable IMO. Sure it is not as fast as using a keyboard, but I think its fantastic given the limitations it faces. The problem lies with targeted searching - it does not allow you to search within subcategories which sux if you have a full 80GB iPod. In that case, search becomes unusable. I agree fully that it is supposed to be used as a last resort.

The onlygripe I have about iPod is that the wheel is too prone to moving off by one selection when taking the finger off.

And yes, I too used to search through winamp folders before iTunes reformulated my music to use ID3 tags. I knew ID3 tags were the way to go, but I was too lazy and I didn't think Winamp had the power to organise my files using tags. I used to be like Charlie and select single MP3s for listening. After switching, I began browsing music rather than searching for it so I now listen to music a lot more.

And if you're wondering, I am not sleeping with CATE. Our alignment is just coincidence.

Its not about the substance, Its about the vibe, john. Its all about the vibe.

no i turn on shuffle.

I guess what i'm trying to say is there's only a few artists/albums that are so good that I wouldn't mind listening to the entire album/artist collection in one hit. However there are some, and i still have the option of filtering everything out and listen just to those music.

e.g when i type in 'Ray LaMontagne' (whose music by the way is awesome)
it'll display all the songs by Ray, and i just double click on one and it'll randomly play the rest.

most of the time it's shuffle through the entire collection. But it's absolutely critical to be able to pick out, within a matter of seconds, the song I have in mind, hence the search function

e.g right now i've got Wyclef Jean's 'Perfect Gentleman' stuck in my head. Too bad i'm at work. I am so bored it ain't funny.

Char,
Does that mean you manually select a track after every song? (since you don't listen by album or playlist)

Haha Tech guidance would be great.

My music collection is broad, reflecting my taste for variety. Approx. half of music comes from different artists, organising by artist/album would not have been practical.

I throw all my music in one folder, all tagged correctly, and add all files to winamp library. Hate playlist, they're time consuming to create(have to think what to put in) If I want to listen to a song, i search it in winamp and it'll filter out everything that doesn't contain the word immediately.

eg. when i type california

it'll show 2pac's california love, shawn smith's leaving california, and eagles' hotel california.

The process of launching the song i have in mind takes 1-2 seconds. This is one mode of listening.

Second mode is when i can't be bothered thinking what i want to listen, so I go random shuffle, which shuffles through all my music, all of which are music i like and hence wouldn't mind listening to again.

So is there a portable version of this mode of music listening?

It is intended for humour john. And to provoke Hash. Whichever one is more fun. :D

On a more serious note, when Zune releases, we shall see if it's worth a damn. So far, Microsoft's best piece of hardware is the XBOX 360. Zune has a glimmer of hope in that it is produced by the same team. But the current pictures of Zune are grotesque per Ballmer et al.

But holding off your purchase because Microsoft is coming out with an MP3 player is incomprehensible to me. How would you react if you are about to buy a Mazda that has won every car of the year award and some obscure car part OEM comes out to announce a new car that will feature Windows and Wifi? Are you going to hold off your purchase until you see this new Windows Wifi Car?

"However, waiting for Microsoft to deliver a good MP3 player is, in itself, a contradiction."

now that's just a grandiose statement that offers nothing in the way of substance or guidance to the matter at hand.

Char,
I'm sorry to hear you did not find the wheel usable. And I am not too fond of playlists either.

But I do wish to point out:
- The search function is very new; it is more of a last resort than the standard way to find music. Searching through a large library of titles is fairly easy with the wheel. Or did you not find that to be the case?
- Playlists is completely up to you. Typically you just go by artist or album name. You are by no means forced to use playlists.

I think you may still be in the Winamp mentality. Winamp is actually more playlist centric than iTunes; everytime you want to listen to something you have to go through folders to find the music. Or create a playlist.

Let me know precisely your scenario for listening to music so I can better assist you.

-James
Chief Apple Technology Evangelist (CATE)

Well you make a good point John. I completely agree with the philosophy of waiting to see if an announced product will be better before buying. However, waiting for Microsoft to deliver a good MP3 player is, in itself, a contradiction. Just inspect the sentence dialectically: {Microsoft, good, MP3 player}. Q.E.D.

james, i don't think eric actually said he disliked the ipod. he was simply waiting to see if the zune is any good before making his decision.

that doesn't sound unreasonable to me, it's worth spending a little time researching and considering all the options before putting your money down.

you make it sound as if anyone who even considers anything other than an ipod is an uncool ignorant; when in fact he is simply doing what others aren't - looking past the brand and assessing the product on its own merits.

Tried out at Myer lol, I was intending on buying an 80gb now that I can actually afford one. Love the aesthetics, but using the scroll sensor to pinpoint a letter simply doesn't match my lack of patience, and with my ever expanding music collection, a crappy search function is enough to discourage a purchase. Also I hate playlists. I almost never listen to the same set of music over two occasions.

I guess I'm looking for an apple body with an winamp interface

And you've used it Char? Tell us about the experience.

Ipod's new search function is hardly usable
Imgaine typing without a keyboard/keypad
Not sure about other mp3 players, probably don't even have a search function

The ironic thing is Eric won't buy the coolest gadget, which is clearly the iPod. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because it's not 'complex' enough. Maybe too many people have it already. Actually, why don't you like the iPod Eric?

The ironic thing is Eric won't buy the coolest gadget, which is clearly the iPod. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because it's not 'complex' enough. Maybe too many people have it already. Actually, why don't you like the iPod Eric?

Well then Eric, you should got and get a Creative Zen--it has way more 'functions' than the iPod.

When it comes down to it, functionality means dang-didli-squat. Only usable functions have any meaning. Almost all of the MP3 players on the market has more bullet point 'functions' than iPod but non have even a 10th of the market share. Functionality is for marketing folks. Usability is for consumers.

And Hash, Vista is teh junk. Part of my job right now is to support Vista. You won't believe what a rotting pile of cow dung it is right now. And it aint not going to smell much better by January.

Lolz, Spain. As long as Uncle Sam has a "cool gadget." Ahahahah.

As much as I love you eric, your whole life has been a search for the "coolest gadget". Propaganda is your life, I should make an Uncle Sam poster with an mp3 player instead pointing and saying "I want YOUR MONEY!"

Lolz. James, propaganda doesn't work on me. Being a typical Asian, I only look at the functionality of the product. Whichever one has more functions, and works probably, without bugs (and probably the newest thing on the market), I'll probably get that. So if the thing is bug free and not prone to dying within 2 years (ahem Sony MZ-N1) it's good.

And Yi, I gave you credit for your little correction...kinda, but it's just that Hash chose to ignore that. =þ

Spain, I would public transport it to NSB, but I am planning to drive (going to Chatswood before Reunion). So if you want a lift, come to lidcombe at around 10:30. This also applies to anyone else who wants a lift.

Instant messaging is fundamentally different from MP3 players Hash.

• MP3 players come at a cost for the consumer, IM does not.
  
• IM relies on your contacts using the same protocol, MP3 players do not.

The trend in IM is unlikely to be represented in the MP3 market because the technology underlying is not dependent on other people having that same technology. Currently as it stands, MP3 players are self-contained devices. It does not interact or rely on other MP3 players. With the advent of WiFi this may change but with the limiting environment of DRM and TPMs I doubt that any such dependence will develop soon. That is not to say that Zune will not take over iPod (double negatives...) on its merits as a basic MP3 player, simply that the parallel drawn between IM and MP3 is irrelevant.

ICQ died because all the girls fell in love with MSNs tacky smilies. "Guys with tents and no brains" followed. Then friends of "guys with tents and no brains", who did not want to port to MSN, no longer had any contacts on their ICQ so they too had to switch to MSN or not use IM at all. (Thereby losing their offline messaging capability. Girls do not care for talking if its not simultaneous)

Instant messaging is fundamentally different from MP3 players Hash.

• MP3 players come at a cost for the consumer, IM does not.
  
• IM relies on your contacts using the same protocol, MP3 players do not.

The trend in IM is unlikely to be represented in the MP3 market because the technology underlying is not dependent on other people having that same technology. Currently as it stands, MP3 players are self-contained devices. It does not interact or rely on other MP3 players. With the advent of WiFi this may change but with the limiting environment of DRM and TPMs I doubt that any such dependence will develop soon. That is not to say that Zune will not take over iPod (double negatives...) on its merits as a basic MP3 player, simply that the parallel drawn between IM and MP3 is irrelevant.

ICQ died because all the girls fell in love with MSNs tacky smilies. "Guys with tents and no brains" followed. Then friends of "guys with tents and no brains", who did not want to port to MSN, no longer had any contacts on their ICQ so they too had to switch to MSN or not use IM at all. (Thereby losing their offline messaging capability. Girls do not care for talking if its not simultaneous)

lolz, lies yi lies XD

and James with more of his anti-MS propaganda.
U can rave all u want, but once its 'connectivity' allows n00bless interaction with vista ... apple may be in trouble.
The same thing that happened to icq will happen to the iPod - a great product, leaps n bounds ahead of the competition dies coz MS provides a bundled ad for the Zune

Thanks Marc. :)

Eric, this one's for you:


=P

And Alexis, this is what Lucas said recently: "We don't want to make movies. We're about to get into television." Jerry Bruckheimer realised this a full nine years before Lucas. A true vindication of his Genius!

Good luck with your respective thesis conferences guys.

Anyone doing their around lunchtime?

Poor Yi.

You should acknowledge your error if someone has pointed it out and move on rather than pulling the rug under his feet -.-

C'mon Hash.. I thought you were a more seasoned Internet veteran than that!
Of course Eric was the one who edited his post after mine, so now instead of him looking like a great financier with statements like 1000 * 0.04 = 400, it is me who's looking a bit like an arse for pointing it out.

Oh, Eric has a little "(:p Yi...accountants/finance people need calculators!)" at the bottom of his post now.

lol yi, seems like u need a calculator

last time i checked 1000*0.04 = 40 XD

Oh my god, just jump back! Make a little way for the blimp in the blue hat!

Read me

On the topic of reunion, hows everyone getting there? In true falcon spirit the place is only 1.5k's from school, so worst case scenario ill take a bus to school then walk it. Everyone else?

By the way, happy birthday James :)

The writer had the agenda of slandering MS before he even walked into the event. I liked his plug on Mac right at the end. I suppose it was under the heading Opinion

Yi, Gordon (highschool friend), is teaching his girlfriend how to play dota right now. Dota: destroying souls nightly.

All this intelligent talk about investments and Eric drops a bombshell on us.
1000 * 0.04 = 400

Forbes on Windows Vista

If you don't know what Windows Vista is, then, exactly.

I didn't mean to underestimate the intelligence of Joe Schmo, just pointing out that the main debate in financial literature with regard to price movements and increments is a complaint about transaction costs. It's all very dry stuff.

Well, Hash, I guess you can look at "stability" in that sort of way. But in finance, stability usually refers to volatility (hence variances, co-variances blah blah blah) and usually, as John's said, we look at change as a %, not in real value.

And even though 4c can't buy you anything now, but if you accumulate 1,000 shares of those $0.8 shares, 4cs becomes 40 bucks.

(:p Yi...accountants/finance people need calculators!)

by "system shock" I meant that both parties suffer the same lvl of stress on their effective systems, which in this case would be reflected by change in market capitalisation.

I guess I was talking more about Joe Schmo than major investors.

most investors, well any investor worth their time, think of price changes in percentage points, that's why news always report percentage point changes - with the exception when they're mentioned in news headlines, like "the aord dipped below 5,000 points today blah blah".

but i don't understand hash, the same "system shock" would appear bigger for a stock with a higher price than one with a lower price.

for example, if a company puts out a notice that it's not going to meet its target earnings for a given quarter - a 5% devaluation - would bring a $100 stock down by $5, whereas a $0.80 stock would only suffer a 4c downward movement.

a "lay" person would perceive the 4c as insignificant compared to $5. or am i underestimating the intelligence of people again?

yes, also there is alot of debate for the need of aussie stocks to use smaller increments. For $0.50 stocks the minimum price change 0.5c is still one percent change in value, whereas for a $20.00 stock the minimum price increment represents a much smaller change in fundamental value. So yes hash you are right that there is more "stability" in that sense.

The saving grace is that alot of analysts try to look at the equity value of a stock in regards to future earnings and value, so this problem isn't so pronounced during corrections with stocks moving from value. The major problem people see is when calculating the opportunity cost of purchasing a stock now. This is the small increment more to beat the next guy in the queue to buy/sell the stock first (transaction costs, relation to efficient markets).
Of course the flipside to the debate is if you reduce minimum price increments too much you lose the basic transaction cost, as not many people will worry about 0.0001c differences if it allows them the time advantage. The problem with this is the time and price priority which governs which person gets the demanded stock is less relevant and leads to demand distortions.

/endrant ive read too much of this shit :(