Netflix Binge: Lying and Disinformation

So I'm binge watching documentaries in Netflix (worth the monthly subscription!), and there are a lot of my top picks that I want to share! This post features films about lying and the spread of disinformation in the digital age.

(Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies explores the human tendency of lying, interweaving social experiments by behavioural scientists Dan Ariely and his team, with interviews of (remorsed) people who were in scandals of varying notoriety. It follows the art of deception from animal evolution to human creativity; from individual rationalization to conformed social acceptance; from guilty white lies to numbed and distant criminal activities. Perhaps understanding the science of being dishonest can explain why people are still capable of spreading lies, despite access to information and technology should make it easier to prevent lying...

...Which leads us to Merchants of Doubt from the book with the subtitle "How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming". The subtitle says it all, but perhaps it's worth noting that despite exposes on propaganda and other sinister disinformation tactics, the art of lying also gets more sophisticated and its consequences more widespread.

I guess the best way to shield oneself from the lies and deceit is to fight ignorance coupled with a strong moral code. Even if the smartest person can know everything, if he falls back to basic human flaws and tribal norms, he becomes a victim and a tool for The Spread Of Ignorance.

9/11 Truth (And Materials That Makes You Less Ignorant)

Published and peer-viewed paper "What Did and Did not Cause Collapseof WTC Twin Towers in New York" done by structural engineers. Basically, they are saying that yes, it was the airplanes.

Popular Mechanics also published a book on 9/11. (I may buy it ^_^ Amazon wishlist?)

Skeptic.com (by my idol Michael Schermer) has a comprehensive article about 9/11. The author, Chris Mohr, also has a YouTube playlist to go together with this article, so go check it out!

Finally, confessions of a "Truther" in Cracked.com and I quote: "I cracked and broke down in tears. It was the true human emotion of a mother who lost her kid that changed me. The others believed it was a fake recording and that she was in on it. It was the monstrous ugliness of the other theorists which set me on edge. I'm made to believe they're all a part of the 10,000-man-strong Illuminati? I said to the producers on day five, 'I've changed my mind.'"

Respect victims. The world is not obligated to make sense to you, and have to make you smart and know everything.

ArcGIS Error: Number of shapes does not match number of table records

Oops! You cannot open your shapefile and cannot repair using "Repair Geometry" tool. The specific error message says "Number of shapes does not match number of table records", and the steps listed in the official ESRI site does not help you. Also, the scripts for other tools cannot be found in the ArcScripts webpage. What to do???

It's not the end of the world yet, coz someone uploaded a 1999 year-old tool THAT STILL WORKS! Go to this support forum and download shapechk.zip found at the end of the page: https://geonet.esri.com/thread/177037#comment-614216

Good luck and breathe normally!

Massage at Healing Touch Spa

Nice Birthday Treat for Myself: https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g294265-d4355506-r411474016-Healing_Touch_Spa-Singapore.html#

There is no denying that spa and massage in Singapore is expensive compared to neighbouring countries, so I already expected the 50+SGD price tag to splurge for my birthday. It was a nice surprise for me that the 1-hour Asian Fusion Massage was of different style from the Thai or Swedish Massages I usually get, and I admit I prefer this type of massage for my mild scoliosis. My therapist, Alice, applied enough pressure to my liking, and she was also kind enough to pause whenever I flinch. The ambience of the place is soothing and clean which certainly made the impression of relaxation and professionalism. If the Orchard branch is located nearer to public transport then it would be perfect. Despite that, I would still recommend Healing Touch Spa for satisfying massages! Thanks so much! 

Visited August 2016

Better, Less Expensive Chilli Crab?

Visited my Trip Advisor account and I almost forgot I reviewed a restaurant when I visited Singapore as a tourist 3 years back: No Signboard Seafood: Expensive, but very good chili crab. Since then, I never went to other restaurants for chili crab. The Vivo branch is still the most comfortable for me, I hope the space have not changed since 2013. I went to Geylang branch a year after that, and boy was it crowded! I couldn't remember if the price are cheaper since it's an open-air restaurant. Last year, I brought a huge group of friends in Clarke Quay branch, and after that I started to get disappointed - they charged for every pack of wet tissue which were already placed in the tables. It wasn't much compared to the huge bill for the chili crabs, which made it more annoying.

Maybe this year, it's high time to explore other places for cheaper menu?