It’s 1:40 in the morning in Singapore and I just can’t fall asleep. Maybe I can blog myself to sleep; god knows, I’ve done it to others.

My trip to Hong Kong was illuminating. I spoke to a few Westerners there and was amazed at their gloomy outlook for the future of the SAR. I was also reminded of just how fundamentally different Honkies are from Singaporeans. This hit me the minute I took my first ride in the subway there and counted no fewer than 11 commuters yakking on their mobile phones. Loudly. Proudly. They just don’t do that in Singapore. Lots of things like that, from the way they walk up escalators to the way they cross the street to the way the taxis drive. More on these topics after I get some sleep. I am not looking forward to the alarm clock going off tomorrow morning.

…an utterly devastating visual indictment of our president’s big fuck-up in Iraq. Do not miss it. I literally trembled toward the end. (Via Daily Kos.)

I thought we were doing the right thing to go in, and I believe Saddam’s downfall is a spectacular event. But there was no serious strategic plan about what to do after the easy part, and all the nightmare scenarios prophesied by Krugman and Kristoff and so many others have materialized, and every day it appears that the glorious hero’s welcome and great liberation were groundless fantasies spouted out by a breathless and delusional Andrew Sullivan and his cult.

On top of the lack of realistic planning is Bush’s sickeningly cavalier attitude (“bring ’em on”), exquisitely captured in the link above. I am now beginning to believe that he truly may be beatable in the next election. God, what a joy that would be.

No, these are not from a sicko snuff movie. This is what happens if you chew gum in Singapore. (Not really; the canee was convicted of rape, and this is just part of his punishment.) An interesting glimpse into an aspect of the culture here that is so different from anything we know back home….

I also thought this would offer a nice balance to Conrad’s weekly “Different Perspectives” photos.

Nearly everyday I visit a better-than-average tech news site, The Register, which tells it like it is with a good deal of irreverence and sardonic wit. Its slogan is “Biting the hand that feeds us,” i.e., they won’t hesitate to attack their own advertisers when called for.

So I was disappointed today to see them turn on Dave Winer for holding a blogging conference at Harvard’s Berkman Law School with an admission cost of $500. Yeah, it’s pricey, but the article implies that Winer is “fleecing” attendees and making out like a bandit. (He isnt.)

It’s quite interesting to read the nasty swipe and then read Dave Winer’s reply to it. (It will certainly get you thinking about The Register’s slogan.) You can decide which of the two is more noble.

I don’t disagree with all of The Register’s points about some who take blogging way too seriously, and the article has some great references to “Googlewashing” which, if you haven’t heard of it, is a must-read. It’s just that the writer filled his pen with a bit more venom than was called for when it came to Winer and the BlogCon.

Check out Adam’s sandbox, Brainysmurf, which now has a new face. While we’ll all miss that picture of Adam munching on a chunk of chicken at the Tianjin cafeteria, the new look is really nice.

Update: Adam, you need to fix those “Voices of Perspective” links!

The radio and TV news this morning is abuzz with a horrifying story that occurred Wednesday morning, when a technician at the National University of Singapore walked into a conference room packed with people, pulled out a paper cutter, walked up to a 47-year-old professor and slashed his throat. The professor died shortly afterwards. On his way out of the room, the deranged technician walked over to an administrative officer and slashed her across the face with his paper cutter.

Obviously, in ever-placid Singapore this is startling news. It takes up most of the front page of today’s Straits Times.

So, the question arises, why is there only a photo of the killer and a brief caption about it on the Straits Times web site? And no link?

The story gets shockingly disproportional coverage compared to the “big stories” on the web site. Click on the link for Singapore news and there’s no mention of it at all!! Instead, there are headlines for the truly earth-shattering stories, such as:

Upgrading of Marine Terrace is on track
A local construction company is seeking judicial management
Free flu shots for health workers

You get the idea. It’s as though, aside from the photo on the home page and a caption, this story doesn’t exist.

My theory: They (which always refers to The Government) want to do whatever they can to contain the story. Local news is heard locally (duh); once it’s on the Net with an active link it’s everywhere. By including the photo/caption, they can’t be accused of ignoring it. But by offering almost no text and no link, they drastically reduce the chance of the story being spread around worldwide. (Of course, that can’t work, because I’m sure it’s going to get picked up by the regional/international media. But I can’t come up with any other reason to explain it. )

If you were here and could see the local papers and TV news, you would see just how bizarre this really is.

This is a long-delayed trip to meet with former colleagues and pick up some of the things I left behind more than a year ago. I don’t expect to be on-line much at all, but one never knows.

I just watched the Bali bomber on TV rejoicing as he was given the death penalty and, in a sickening gesture, turning to the crowd in the courtroom to give them two thumbs up, his face beaming with an ear-to-ear grin. It’s at a moment like this that you realize just how dangerous these fanatics are (not that I ever really doubted that).

I am no big fan of the death penalty. But in this case, I am delighted, and hope that however they kill him, they do it slowly. Bastard.

How else to explain his hate-filled blast at the Anglican church over the gay bishop controversy? Just a little taste:

This is a dreadful event, a triumph for the forces of death over the forces of life. Robinson cheerfully acknowledges that he is an active homosexual. The Bible is perfectly clear that homosexual acts are sinful. Our Lord gave sinners strict and clear instructions: stop sinning, and repent your past sins. Robinson is in brazen violation of fundamental Christian doctrine.

It gets worse. He’s got to be doing a self-parody — doesn’t he?

These are the top headlines today:

1. Singapore composer is honored for his songs

2. High auto costs affect which insurance policies S’poreans buy

3. The prime minister will address the nation this weekend

4. Singapore nurses are playing a bigger role in health care

I am not making this up.

Now, if those stories don’t move earth and heaven I don’t know what will. And you wonder why I don’t blog as much as I used to?!