The Seagull is very sensitive to wind. It will move to left or right following the wind. This is because unlike most other kites, its surface area is on both sides (its wings) and not on the body — it can be unbalanced easily. It is very dynamic, unlike other kites that generally stay stationary. Also, it is best to fly it slightly higher in case it gets into a spin and need some space to recover.
(Apparently the Seagull has a detachable tail that will stabilize it. I never used it. :-P)
Needs class 3 wind. It needs a little bit more wind due to its smallish surface area, even though its wingspan is 1.4 m.
The Seagull flew for the last time due to my carelessness. A cloth part holding a metal rod in its wing was torn. I did not keep the kite in its bag but I just folded it and carried it to my car. When I got home, I found the metal rod had slide out.
Bought for S$11 in 2021, costs $14.50 now.
The Robot is big, 1.9 m across, but it is super easy to fly. The reason is its large surface area. If needed, it can double up as an umbrella.
Needs class 2 wind.
S$18. The shop selling it, Kite Culture, is still around.
Another easy-to-fly kite due to its large surface area. Its width is 1.45 m. It has a permanently attached tail, though I feel it is not needed. There are blue and red models, the blue one looks nicer, but I got the red one because I thought blue would blend into the sky. I should have gotten the blue one.
Needs class 2 wind.
This design is so ugly, I should not have gotten it. It is hard to find a plane kite that I like. I don't want single-color ones, nor too realistic ones, especially in grey color. Too cartoony is also out.
Bought for S$5.70 in 2022, costs ~$7.60 now.
I remembered I went to Marina Barrage one time and saw many kites being flown. One of them was very memorable. How could such an un-aerodynamic ship fly in the wind?
I have always wanted to own one since.
How does it manage to fly? It actually has quite a large surface area — it has four sails on each side.
Surprisingly, it is cheap, but it is quite hard to assemble. I'll recommend to pre-assemble it in case the site is windy — ask me how I know. It also needs mildly strong wind (class 4) to fly.
The size is 82 cm (L) x 74 cm (W) x 90 cm (H).
While I like the ship design, I don't like its colorful sails. I want something more normal looking. It also does not look as good when flying. The reason is that it tilts upwards significantly instead of being level — maybe solvable by adjusting the string.
It has a detachable tail that helps to stabilize it, but it flies just as well without it — it is well-balanced.
The frame is made of polyester, but the sails feel like thin nylon cloth.
Bought for S$19.60 in 2021, costs ~S$25 now.
This was my first foray into 3D kites. This is a very unique design. Need class 5 wind? No problem, Marina Barrage is always very windy. (*)
(*) Not really.
I never managed to succesfully fly this kite even once. There was either not enough wind, or the plane was super unstable and would crash immediately. I then realized 3D kites, while they look nice, tend to be less aerodynamic and harder to fly. But this kite takes the cake. Till this day, I'm not entirely convinced it can fly. This kite is heavy. I feel there is not enough surface area to support its weight — its width is only 85 cm. Maybe it'll fly if it is made from lighter nylon cloth instead of cheap polyester.
I also read that the tail needs to be attached for the kite to be balanced. I tried it, it did not help.
Some assembly is needed. It is not complex, but there are more steps than other simple kites.
Bought for S$25.40 in 2021, available for S$14.50 now.
Democracy does not work with 1-person 1-vote and first-past-the-goalpost.
For 1-person 1-vote to work, everyone must be an equal. Unfortunately, it is not outside of small groups.
'Special interest' groups will form naturally. It is possible to pander to some groups at the expense of others.
First-past-the-goalpost is the worst aspect of voting. 50.01% wins the election? It is difficult to get 60% majority nowadays.
And let's not kid ourselves, voting can be gamed. USA is the best example:
The more social benefit you receive, the less your vote should count. This prevents pandering to the poor, which is very easy to do by throwing money at them — it is not even the politician's own money.
More than one representative can be elected, until 75% of the total eligible electors are represented, provided each wins at least 20%. Their voting power is proportional to their win ratio. They don't have voting power from people who don't vote.
(If none wins more than 20%, they need to form an alliance to cross 20%.)
Elected represenatives have proportional voting rights to the number of people who voted for them to some extent. For example, if a representative has less than half the average number of electors by constituency, he will have 0.5 vote.
I saw this on TaoBao some time ago, but was hesitant to get it as I was not sure if it could survive the trip. I finally decided to try it since it was only 17 yuan (S$3.10). There are two sizes, 17 cm and 25 cm. I got the latter.
It arrived unscathed.
It is mesmerising to watch the sand fall slowly. The new landscape is always different — it depends how the sand fall. There are 3 colors altogether: blue, white and gold. There is a tendency to form distinct layers, I suppose it is due to the slight difference in weight.
If it works as intended, it can take a few hours. But sometimes the air bubbles are unable to form a continuous barrier and the sand falls down very quickly. The fastest I've seen it collapse is around 20s.
Even in the good case, the sand does not fall slowly all the way. Once some air has escaped to the top and there is no longer a continuous barrier, the top will have a "sudden death" collapse.
MOVA globe. They spin without using any external power source. Very attractive but very expensive. They are also very small: 4.5" (S$328), 6" (S$468), 8.5" (S$698). 8.5" is 21.6 cm.
I read they are quite fragile and tend to spoil after a couple of years.
Someone posted on YouTube how to make your own MOVA globe. It is not as good, but it is 10x cheaper!
Levitated and spinning, but needs electricity. Can light up.
Three sizes: 14 cm (301 yuan; S$56), 20 cm (532 yuan; S$98), 30 cm (1304 yuan; S$241).
There is a big jump in price from 20 cm to 30 cm.
Have 360 degrees and 720 degrees movement models — manual spinning. Has battery operated model (light only). Elevated terrain. Shows country borders when lighted up.
Three sizes: 20 cm (110 yuan), 25 cm (189 yuan), 32 cm (240 yuan).
Most low-end globes are made of two hemispheres and are joined at the equator with a pretty thick seam.
30 cm is the most commonly available largest size. If want bigger, need to custom order.
XJP announced a sudden 'Southeast Asian tour' at the drop of a hat. He would tour Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia. Why not Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore? It should be fairly obvious who borrowed too much from China.
Of the three countries, Vietnam can deal the most damage to USA. Vietnam is already shaping up to replace China as the world's factory. If it aligns with China, USA is truly screwed about getting low-cost goods.
When I saw Malaysia on the list, my first thought was, oops, it must have owed too much Chinese debt. Malaysia is extremely prejudiced against its own Chinese citizens. It is ironic it has act subservient to China.
Malaysia wants more investment (*) from China, access to China market — good luck — and is also looking to antagonize US over ME — Malaysia is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause.
(*) Another word for debt?
Apparently Malaysia is China's largest trading partner for the past 16 years? Huh? I don't see Malaysia exporting anything of value to China. What is Malaysia buying from China?
Najib denied borrowing from China to fill his 1MDB black hole. But since then, there had been heavy Chinese investment into Malaysia. These are well known double-edge swords... mega-projects that the host country has no hope of repaying.
