mrbrown: L'infantile terrible of Singapore

the mrbrown show: love song for singapore

Because National Day is on Saturday (wah lau eh, Public Holiday on a Saturday very sian one leh), we gave ourselves Monday off. So here is our little National Day love song, a few days early. Three guys, a guitar and a chair, on mrbrownshow.com!

Singaporeans in the UK, please report to your mobilisation centre

I received an email from Goz, a Singaporean in London who was upset because he wanted to sing Majulah Singapura for National Day together with his overseas brethren, but was told something along the lines of "brother, not say I don't want to invite singaporeans, its cos I dunno UK got who singaporeans here mah..."

I was aghast. Like that also can ah? After reading his impassioned plea, I took precious time off my game of Team Fortress 2 and Soul Calibur IV, to write this blog post at 2am in the morning, for the sake of justice and liberty (also, I was losing badly in my Team Fortress 2 game at the time, and my team was being pwnd).

So in the interest of helping Singaporeans in the UK feel like they belong to Singapore, so that they don't angry then brain-drain from Singapore go to other country never come back, I have decided to help Goz and the Singapore Embassy in the UK know just how many of you buggers are hiding there.

In Goz's words to me, "If the (Singapore) UK Embassy don't know of our existence here in UK, then we MUST LET THEM KNOW!!!!"

Write to the nice gahmen lady at karolyn_poon (AT) pmo.gov.sg, and be counted. Because you know lah, the song, Count on Me Singapore blahblahblah. It also Counts in the UK one.

Tell her Goz and mrbrown sent you.

Goz's email to me:

wah lau. Im writing this to you cos I listen to your podcast everytime in cold and miseerable london and then I walk to work listening.

sometimes almost langah by car cos distracted, sometimes pple look at me think I siao one cos I giggling to myself.

So today admist waiting for documents to be sent to me, I was talking to my friend shawn and we were thinkin "KNN! eeveryday newspaper in singapore say "ohmygod, all this braindrain to UK/USA. Singapore no more talent liao. The government using its major best efforts to entice all these talented people back."

KNN lah. Shawn call the embassy and they say National Day got no celebration. I call Contact Singapore, they say not their par sar cos they under different umbrella. So everyone tai chi shoot arrow everywhere. BEST EFFORTS KI LAN LAH! National Day my gahmen also cannot never come sayang me make me feel singaporean sing we are singapore we are singapore. knn.

so I angry so I call embassy and comprain. then got put through to this woman who was very nice about it as I ranted and ranted. She very patient and exprain she dunno who is sporean here etc etc.

so their basic excuse is "I dunno who is here in london how I invite people to my embassy for celebration?" machiam like they got a lot of invitation cards but dunno send to who.

so anyways, she say that now Aug a lot of students go home, so no point celebrating. I think "KNN LAH! TALK CCOOOCK! Working professionals here no need sing Count on me Singapore meh!" Then she diam diam. dunno what to say. Then she say, "our embassy in london very small, cannot open house". then I think "TALK EVEN MORE COOCK! small then cannot use ong beng seng's many many hotels meh! CDL dunno own how many buildings lor... cannot use one function room ah to Majulah Singapura?!"

Anyways, to spare you the rants, at the end of the day, we agreed that something had to be done.

So on 27th Sept apparently there's a celebration, invite only. So I write this email to tell you so you can tell all your Sporean friends/readers in UK/London to get themselevs on the VVVVVIP special singapura list - contact karolyn_poon (AT) pmo.gov.sg to get them on the mailing list.

Got discounts one she say.

the mrbrown show: muddy waters

Some of our beach is buay pai, some is eh sai, and some is kanasai. Find out which one at mrbrownshow.com!

CBS Sunday Morning news video: Pedal Power

A very well-presented news report on the renewed interest in the bicycle as a viable alternative to the car in America, from CBS News.

via Ecovelo

Sneak peek at Iron Man 2

Sent to me by my corniest friend from JC, Michael Lie.

Talking in pictures

Talking in pictures from mrbrown on Vimeo.

You think you know your daughter so well. Then her special ed teachers send you some videos and you discover what your 7-year-old autistic girl can do.

(Warning: vimeo has great quality but it may be a little slow so please be patient with the load times)

the mrbrown show: national car

When you are a big shot state in Malaysia, you need a big shot car! Drive over to mrbrownshow.com!

Most innovative use of a stolen supermarket trolley

Saw this bicycle parked outside the nearby 4D shop when I went to the bike shop near my office. The supermarket trolley was tied rather loosely with a bungie cord to the rack. According to a friend who saw it before me, the rider got horned at a few times as his makeshift trailer swung all over the place as he rode to the lottery shop.

Pull out the child seat on the trolley and voila! Baby carrier!

the mrbrown show: Singapore Toy & Comic Convention special report 2

the mrbrown show: Singapore Toy and Comic Con special report 2 from mrbrown on Vimeo.

A short video clip about the rest of the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention I saw.

the mrbrown show: Singapore Toy & Comic Convention special report

I went recently to the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention and met some Imaginary Friends. These guys are great artists and we had fun talking about some of their projects. For those of you who play DOTA, there is a little trivia in there you may not know about.

Vélib bicycle sharing in Paris

Vélib, Paris' bicycle sharing system is a year old. The name Vélib is made up from two words — velo (Bicycle) + liberte (Freedom).This excellent Streetfilms video (love the soundtrack used!) takes a look at the success of this network that has 20,600 bikes, and 1,451 docking stations, which are never more than 1,000 feet apart.

Part of the reason for its success is the scale. You can't just have a few locations and a couple of bikes for this to work. You need the critical mass. Another similar project in Rennes, France, was less successful because they did not have enough docking stations and bikes.

It also takes political will and financial commitment to create a network of safe bicycle facilities that is necessary for a bike sharing system to work. Paris has 400km of bike lanes currently (up from 200km of bike lanes in 2001).

In cities like Washington, D.C., they are experimenting with bike sharing too, called SmartBike DC led by giant media company Clear Channel (hey, don't we have Clear Channel here too?). I will definitely try it out and give you guys a report when I am in D.C. in September/October.

the mrbrown show: do us in

Everyone is out to get Singapore, I tell ya! Find out more at mrbrownshow.com!

NDP music video and Japanese commercial for The Children's Foundation

These are the two videos that people are talking about recently. The first one is the original Japanese commercial, and the second is the new National Day song music video.

News reports stated online responses:

Contributor goolen2001 said yesterday: "National Day advertisement also want to copy other advertisement? Shame on you.
Goolen2001 added: "The advertising agency wants to earn money only. Lazy to use brain."

Fellow contributor krankiepants said: "It's sad to see such things happening."

However, pbcjohn79 defended the video's creators: "It is an honest mistake. Let's move on."

The journalist does know that pbcjohn79 was likely being sarcastic, right?

(On an unrelated note, I thought the Chinese version of the NDP 2008 song, sung by Joi Chua, was better.)

mrbrown's Quick Guide to Bicycle Commuting in Singapore

Recently, I gave a talk at The Substation for Reel Revolutions 2008, as part of their Learning Talks series. For the first time ever, I got to speak about bicycle commuting. It's a nice change from talking about blogs, new media, or politics.

I am no environmentalist, athlete or someone who cannot drive due to a drink driving conviction. I am a bicycle commuter by choice, because it is fun and practical.

Many people ask how I ride daily to work and I thought I would collect some of my experiences and thoughts here. I have posted some of these ideas on forums and in my own comments section, but I thought it would be good to have them in one blog post. So here goes.

1. THE CLOTHES

It is not practical to cycle all the way to work in business clothes. Not in Singapore weather. Unless you work near your home.

Many bicycle commuters I know leave a set of clothes in the office. They may carry a week's worth of clothes to work on Monday, and cycle in lighter clothing (e.g. t-shirt and shorts) from Tuesday to Thursday. Then on Friday, they carry the clothes back. Or they carry home a day's clothes every day when they cycle back.

Some people leave the bulky items in the office. Like a pair of work shoes and belt. Then they carry just shirt and pants in their backpacks or panniers (bicycle rack-mounted bags).

Others, like myself, with non-formal dress codes, just cycle in our work clothes (I am in berms and t-shirts all day) and pack an extra t-shirt to change into in the office.

I also do not commute in lycra. You don't want to see me in tights anyway. Not a pretty sight. No offence to those who do, but I am totally comfortable in t-shirts and bermudas. I have one pair of cycling shorts which I wear only for long weekend recreational rides. The only concession I make is I try to wear dry-weave t-shirts for riding to work and change to cotton after I get to the office. Dry-weave (or dry-tech or dryscience) material is cooler, dries quickly and does not hang on to sweat.

As for bathing facilities, it is nice if your office has one. Mine does but I find over time, I did not need to shower after a ride. My ride to work takes 30 minutes in the sun. Just dry with a towel, maybe use some wet wipes to clean up, change into clean clothes, and you're ready to go. The key is to bathe BEFORE leaving the house. Sweat is not smelly, it is just salty. It's germs that make sweat smell. Strange as it may seem, bathing before riding helps a lot.

There are also bike parking facilities in town. There is a place in the CBD that offers showers, lockers and a safe place to park your expensive bike. Then you can walk to work from there, provided you work in Shenton Way area. It is cheaper than a gym membership, and you get to ride your best bike to work.

2. THE BIKE

Contrary to popular belief, a relatively ok bike does NOT need to cost $2,000. Sure by all means buy one if you like but you can get by on much less. A $500 mountain bike with slick tires will do fine, or if you like, a hybrid costing around $750 will be more than adequate. My brother-in-law rides a $200 no-brand mountain bike to work every day. I started on a $500 Kona mountain bike.

Because entry-level mountain bikes tend to come fairly cheaply, it is very often the first bike people buy. If you do get a mountain bike, bear in mind that the knobby tires are not very efficient on roads, and will make your bike slower and heavier. It may be better to change those tires to "slicks". Some go further and swop out the heavy suspension fork for a rigid fork (you don't need those for road riding), but if you overdo the upgrades, you may as well spend the money on a bike that is more suited for road commuting.

Heck, even a good quality "market bike" (the kind with a basket in front) will do. Good "market bikes" cost between $150 to $250. I've seen an excellent Made-in-Vietnam Asama "market bike" with 6 speeds, rack, fenders, basket and an old-school dynamo-light for $239. It is made to Japanese specs and rides beautifully.

You're not buying a bike to compete in a race, you're getting a functional bike to commute. Big difference.

In fact, you will not need the lightest and the fastest. You don't need 27 or 30 speeds. I ride a folding bike with only 3 gears in an internal hub. It works totally fine in our relatively flat city. Ride whatever works for you but don't get hung up on the need for competition gearing.

Traffic conditions here mean you are hardly racing anywhere. So no need to pay for that carbon bike. You will over time also add things like racks and lights to your bike, which will add some weight, so any weight savings you gain from getting some really expensive bike will be negated.

3. THE WEATHER

Weather is an issue. Sometimes I do pack a raincoat, rain pants and shoe covers called rain gaiters. I try to check weather forecast before going out. And maybe I am lucky, but in one year of daily riding, I've been caught in the rain less than 10 times. Light rain is actually very pleasant to ride in.

My other strategy is to ride a folding bike. When it rains, or I am tired, I just fold up, and take public transport or a cab. Foldies are also easier to "park". No need to worry your bike will be stolen. Prices start at $300 for decent entry level ones, and go beyond $2k for premium ones.

4. THE DISTANCES

Distance is relative. It is very often all in your mind. Of course don't ride a 25km distance for your first time or you will shack yourself out and lose interest. Eventually, that distance will not feel that bad, as you get fitter and more road-wise. The first few weeks riding to work is the hardest, especially when you have not exercised for a long time. But the human body is a very adaptable machine.

It takes me a hour to travel 25km from Katong to Clementi when I have to meet friends there. Most trips in Singapore are short. On average, I find most of my trips to work or to town, are about 7km to 12km, which takes 30 to 40 minutes. Longer rides, from one end of Singapore to another, take about an hour. You never need wait for the bus, never have to walk to a station, fight for a cab, or circle around looking for a parking lot. And you usually ride to the doorstep of your destination, a real time saver.

But even if you find longer distances daunting, it is possible to travel mixed mode. So ride to your MRT station, fold up, take train, unfold and ride from station to work. Nobody needs to ride all the way from Pasir Ris to CBD if they don't want to. But trust me, once you start riding, you will want to ride further and further, and eventually, you even stop taking the train. Haha!

In rush hour, bike can beat car and public transport. In non-rush hours, bike beats public transport almost always.

There are many ways to ride to work. The key is not to think like a driver and ride only the busy main roads. Take the smaller roads running parallel to main roads. Ride the park connectors and then reconnect to the roads. Ride along the Singapore River. The route may be a little longer, but usually more scenic and less dangerous. On a bike, that extra few kilometres traveled is only 5 to 10 minutes more.

It will be nice to wait for infrastructure and the government to build bike parking and bike lanes. But I'd rather enjoy my rides now. Actually, it is not that unsafe now. Our roads are well maintained, drivers are actually a little more polite these days, and as long as you are visible (lights lights lights!) and ride defensively, you can be safe.

5. THE PAINS

The most common pain for people riding longer distances for the first time is Butt Pain. There are several reasons for butt pain:

1. Saddle height

Most people ride with their feet touching the ground when they are seated on the saddle. That is too low. Correct height is legs must be almost fully extended when at lowest pedal point. This means when you stop, you need to get off the saddle. Takes practice but once you learn it, you will never cycle the old way again.

2. General fitting of the bike

Saddle height, saddle angle, handlebar height, size of bike. All these need to be fitted to you. Also saddle design. I went for saddle fitting before, everyone has a different butt and bone structure there. Also relevant is the KIND of cycling you do (upright or aerodynamic) and posture, which impacts the riding position and saddle you will need.

3. Most likely cause? You are out of shape

Most people who do not cycle and suddenly cycle a lot will feel butt and general ache for a while. Because cycling uses muscles you usually don't use in walking and running. The tendency for new cyclists is to put all your weight on your ass (hence ass pain). As you get better at cycling and stronger, you will learn to distribute your weight between the arms, the butt, and the legs.

6. THE ACCESSORIES

There are some essentials you will need to budget for when you get a bike to commute. Basics include bell, front and back lights, and a helmet.

There is a lot of controversy over the need for a helmet and I won't go into them here, but I wear one because I have seen it help in a fall.

Other things you may add over time:

1. Mirror

Knowing what is behind you adds to your situational awareness, and helps you to anticipate danger.

2. Rack

For carrying stuff, because you will learn that backpacks are uncomfortable if you ride longer distances. Why lug it on your sweaty back when you have this metal thing with wheels to lug it for you?

3. Panniers

These are bags for bicycles, not only useful for people who go touring, I've found them useful for carrying my laptop. I also use trunk bags like the Topeak MTX Trunk Bag DXP with Expandable Panniers. If you like, you can also try handlebar bags, like the Ortlieb Ultimate Classic 5 (the yellow bag above).

4. Basket

It does not look cool but it is damn useful.

5. Gloves

It seems like a hassle until you fall down and sandpaper the road with your palms.

6. Sunglasses

Not to look cool but to keep sun out of your eyes and stuff from flying INTO your eyes. I wear clear glasses at night. You don't need $500 Oakleys. $12 King's Safety glasses work perfectly ok.

7. Air horn

Nothing like a nice blast from an AirZounds airhorn to alert drivers coming out of side lanes without looking and who are driving too close to you.

8. More lights

Lumen is life. You are competing with car lights on the road, so you do need more, not less lighting, to be seen.

On my MU P24, I run two S-Sun 1W lights on the handlebar, a Cat Eye EL-320 on the handlepost and a Cat Eye EL-170 mounted near the fender. And a Sigma white blinkie on the helmet. That's four front lights, two of which are blinking.

For rear red blinking lights, I have a Cat Eye LD-610 on the rack, LD-1000 under the saddle, and a Sigma red blinkie on my helmet. That's three red rear blinkers. You want to have a high light (helmet one) because certain big vehicles may miss the low-mounted one.

9. Fenders and mudguards

You may not ride in the rain but even wet roads AFTER rain will dirty your back and your bike's crank/bottom bracket.

10. Lock

Forget the cable lock everyone likes to buy. Those are the easiest things to cut. A decent U-lock will go a long way in reducing your bike being stolen, It will at least slow your thief down a little. Check out Sheldon Brown's site for a good guide to locking up. Bear in mind that getting your bicycle stolen is very common in Singapore. You can get it stolen easily at MRT stations and along your HDB flat corridor. I wish the authorities would do something about protecting people's property at MRT stations. Those CCTV cameras don't seem to work in deterring bike thieves. My bike shop auntie says her son has already lost 3 bikes at MRT stations. In the meantime, lock up the right way to discourage bike thieves. No lock can stop a determined thief but at least make it inconvenient enough to make them steal something else.

11. Water bottle cage

I have water bottle cages on my bikes but I find that very often, I don't need to drink while commuting since the distances are so short. I drink a a big glass of water before I ride and another big glass after I reach my destination. For rides longer than an hour, especially in hot sun, you will need to drink on the move so a water bottle cage and a bottle are quite good to have.

12. Cyclocomputer (or speedometer)

Cyclocomputers are handy for commuting to the extent that they tell you the time so you don't need to look at your watch while riding, and they tell you the distance traveled, so you know how much further you need to go. Beyond that, knowing your speed, average speed, and max speed are all just nice-to-haves. Do try not to glance too often at your speedo or fiddle with it while riding in traffic. You can miss important traffic or road condition information. I speak from experience because one of my big falls came from me fiddling with the Cat Eye Strada Wireless computer on my handlebar and not realising there was a road hump in front of me until it was too late.

If you have a folding bike, a wireless one is nice, so that wires don't get in the way when you fold. Do make sure the wireless cyclocomputer you get has enough range between the receiver and transmitter though, because folding bikes tend to have quite a distance between the handlebars and the spokes.

Wired cyclocomputers are fine (and cheaper too) for non-folding bikes. Wired cyclocomputers are also a little more reliable, being less prone to interference.

Many cyclists who ride for sport will be appalled at the weight a bicycle commuter adds to his bike, not to mention the un-coolness factor of the various accessories ("Kickstand? That's another 200 grams! I'll lean my bike against a wall, thank you!"). But the mentality of a cyclist who rides for function and not for sport is different.

7. THE DANGERS

Pavements and Sidewalks

Contrary to popular belief, it is actually more dangerous to ride on the pavement than the roads. There are way too many things that can happen on pavements that can trip up a cyclist, like overhanging branches, tree roots, and pedestrians. Also, cars do not expect fast moving objects like a bicycle to shoot out from pavements at side roads.

I am not totally anti-pavement though. There are times you really need to get on the pavement for safety reasons. I get on the pavement, then get back to road as soon as I can. Just like cars should give way to bikes on roads, bikes should give way to pedestrians on sidewalks. Practise Zero Impact pavement riding, meaning you ride with minimal disruption to the pedestrians walking there. By the way, pavement riding is illegal in Singapore, but it is not enforced strictly.

On the Tampines Pavement Riding Scheme, an experiment where cyclists are allowed to ride on widened paths together with pedestrians, they have started to enforce penalties for dangerous cycling. Well and good. Now how about some stricter penalties for motorists who endanger cyclists on the road?

Other Cyclists

Nothing is more dangerous than another cyclist riding against the flow of traffic, loaded with plastic bags on his handlebars, on his mobile phone, and riding towards you. I give them a wide berth. After checking for traffic behind me, of course.

Oh, and no, it is NOT safer to ride AGAINST the flow of traffic on the road. Are you nuts?

Dooring

Beware the parked cars on your left, an opening door will send you flying. Always ride a door's distance away from these cars, even if you have to take up the rest of the lane. Dooring can happen even at traffic lights, when the driver lets his passenger off while the lights are red, and you happen to be riding to the left of that car.

Buses

If you hear a bus coming from behind you, or there is one overtaking you, get ready to slow down. SBS and TIBS buses tend to cut right back in, in front of you, after they overtake because they want to get into their bus stops. If you continue riding straight at high speeds, you are going to get squeezed by the bus. Bus stops are particularly dangerous areas, always approach with caution, and check if there is a bus behind that might overtake you impatiently.

Riding Too Close to the Left

Cyclists take the "cyclists must keep left" rule too literally. The law says you keep to the side of the road "as practicable". If you keep too left, you may have no room to maneuver if a car comes too close. Or you may ride into debris or drains or grills that can mess you up. My default riding position is just outside the 2nd line of the double yellow line. I move to the centre of the lane, after checking behind, when I approach junctions and side roads to prevent cars from trying to cut in front of me at the last moment. Positioning is very important at junctions and entrances to expressways. Keeping left all the time can kill you.

Grills

Grills found in drains along the left side of the road are death traps for narrow bicycle wheels (again, another reason not to ride too left). Even the ridge to the grilled holes can throw your wheels off. Watch for unevenly tarred roads surfaces.

Taxis

Watch out for people flagging cabs. They sometimes stand on the road and wave, getting in your way. They also attract taxis that will cut 3 lanes to pick them up, thereby cutting in front of you dangerously. When I see people flagging for cabs, I instinctively check behind for cabs and prepare to slow down.

Pollution

It can get bad when you ride in town. I try not to ride behind buses and trucks. The other way around pollution, besides riding fast haha, is to choose your route carefully.

As mentioned earlier, don't think like a driver when you choose your bicycle route. My current route to work takes me through the lovely Tai Keng Gardens estate, and a long wide car-free path nestled between Haig Road and Onan Road. Lovely views and air in those stretches (though the middle portion is Paya Lebar, the Second Hell next to the First Hell — Jalan Eunos).

In contrast, my most direct route to work, via Jalan Eunos, is a hell hole of traffic and pollution. I am used to riding there by now but I would rather take my longer, more pleasant route.

The Right of Way Mentality

Right of Way? Cars that signal? Eye contact means he saw me? Seasoned cyclists on the road laugh at these concepts. You may as well ask the earth to rotate around the moon. There are certain realities on the road you cannot change, so stop whining and adapt.

Sure we could use better laws and infrastructure to protect cyclists in Singapore but cyclists need to take responsibility for their own safety.

Motorists should be careful around cyclists, but in an accident, they only have a dent, you pay with your life.

I have seen too many cyclists get into accidents even though the light is green and in their favour. Drivers are human and prone to error and moronic behaviour, you know. Don't ride through your green light in blissful ignorance even if it IS your right of way.

Right of way is what the courts decide on after they scrape your bike and body off the road in an accident.

8. CONCLUSION

I hope this helps demystify some of the ideas behind commuting by bicycle in Singapore. Contrary to what the government wants you to think, the bicycle is not just for recreation and getting around in your estate. It is a very viable form of transport. Now go out and ride safe. And above all, have fun.

the mrbrown show: fare game

Are you part of the 4-in-10? Find out at mrbrownshow.com!

mrbrown.muxtape.com update 14 July 2008

Sorry for the hiatus, here's some new songs for you at mrbrown.muxtape.com!

Noah and the Whale - Five Years Time

Rythem - Harmonia

Sweet Honey In The Rock - Study War No More

Little by Little - 悲しみをやさしさに

Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl [Dr. Luke + Benny Blanco Remix]

Hearts Grow - Yura Yura

Scala - I Touch Myself

CHABA - Parade

Black Kids - Hurricane Jane (the twelves remix)

The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go

Meiko - The Piano Song

Lil Wayne - Tie My Hands (Produced By Kanye West) Ft. Robin Thicke

The Feeder Bus system: enough to make you swear

It is a very unusual thing to see your wife swear in sms. She is not a swearing person by nature so something has to be really bad to make her angry enough to do so.

The source of her anger? The feeder bus we need to take to get home from the MRT station.

The train rides are bearable, if you don't get squeezed. But the thing that makes the commute really annoying is the need to take a feeder bus home.

Our flat is located between two stations, Kovan and Serangoon. We don't live next to an MRT station and it is not a short walk. So we are at the mercy of the 113 bus service. We used to have a service called 321 which was quite frequent. But then our interchange got removed and they replaced 321 with a very infrequent 113.

Very often, we wait between 15 to 20 minutes for one to come along. In that time, we can take the train from our Kovan station to Harbourfront.

So what if you have the fastest train service in the world, but the WAIT for your feeder bus, the last bit of your journey, is longer than the train ride itself? It's like home is so near, yet so far.

I think it is time to teach her how to ride a bicycle, carefully, to the train station and save some time and money. And stop her from swearing.

You know how you tell the feeder bus system has reached the tipping point of annoyance? Your wife asks you if there is a bicycle she can ride to the train station while wearing a skirt.

the wtf show (tv edition): Razer Pro|Type Keyboard

The first of many clips from the tv edition of The WTF! Show! I check out the Razer Pro|Type keyboard in this segment from the first episode of the season. Watch at wtfshow.com!

ERP Gantry Invasion

Reading Miyagi's post about oneshift.com's new ERP map, it suddenly occurred to me that it looks a lot like my favourite childhood computer game.

(Click image to enlarge)

Oh, the helpful oneshift map is something you can use to find out where the gantries are, before you drive out. You will still kena the gantries, but at least you won't be surprised by how much you have to pay.

Be screwed by the gahmen but at least be screwed knowingly.

the mrbrown show: so do me

Political upheaval up north! Opposition rear-ended by allegations! Cross the Causeway at mrbrownshow.com!