I'm just going back for nostalgia. A lot has changed, but when I walked through the parts that have not, it really brought me back.
Unfortunately, they did not open the library for public access this year. Otherwise, I would have a second wave of nostalgia — checking out the computer books.
Every time I see the library (even though it is not the same one in my youth), it reminds me of programming in 16-bit DOS. It was easy to write 'toy' programs, but there was an insurmountable gap to 'professional' programs — programs that manipulate large data (> 64 kB) and run fast.
I always thought, what if I knew then what I know now?
I squandered so much time trying to create building blocks. I tried to write a C compiler, implement the C Run-time Library in assembly language, write graphics functions, etc. If only I had proper guidance.
Time machine, anyone? :lol:
I'm looking for a wide-angle low-power bino and I found not one, but two!
||VisionKing|Safari Uni| |---|+--|+--| |Power|5x25|5x25| |Prism|BAK4|BAK4| |Prism coating|–|?| |Coating|MC|FMC| |L FoV @ 1000 yards|831 ft|786 ft|| |Angular FoV|15.8°|15°| |Min focus|3 m|1.9 m| |Eye relief|15 mm|14 mm| |Eyepiece lens|23 mm|23.5 mm| |Weight|590 g|556 g| |Weight (measured)|?|?| |Size (L x W x H)|125 x 116 x ? mm|130 x 113 x 50 mm|
15° FoV, wow! Eye relief is on the short side.
Both binos are big and heavy for 5x, but that is the tradeoff for wide FoV. If the sizes are correct, they are bigger than most of my 8x32 binos!
This is available since 2015. It is well known for its ultra-wide view and low price. Some feedback:
(*) This is undersized for its wide FOV.
It is not clear if the bino has FMC. Marketing says FMC, box says FC, bino says MC. Anyway, it is clear the prism is uncoated.
Has 38 mm flat objective glass, likely to seal the bino to make it waterproof — it focuses by moving entire optical train instead of just an internal lens element. Actual objective lens is 25 mm. There are some other rebands that market this as a 5x40 bino. It is not!
I was unable to find much info on this bino. It has supposedly the same design as VK, perhaps with better coatings and build quality. It seems to have more accurate specs — closer to what users reported. The bino claims FMC, so prism is likely coated.
I found not one, but two, digital pianos with light-up keys. These pianos do it right, just like Terence C2. The whole key lights up, not just a single spot. However, it applies to white keys only. Black keys don't light up nicely.
957 yuan (S$178.75) with lifetime app membership. No full specs. Weight is not given. Key weight is 30g (very light) and the speakers are 10W.
The cheapest I've seen this gone for is 927 yuan.
Carod also has two more lighted pianos: A3 and A3 Pro. However, these are much more expensive (1,800 and 2,100 yuan).
Only 700 yuan (S$130.73), also with lifetime app membership. It is not the same model as above. Speaker power is not stated, but music source and weight are: Dream 5.0 and 5.2 kg.
The price jumps about alot, depending whether voucher is present. The cheapest I've seen this gone for is 593 yuan (S$111.16)! Sometimes 700, sometimes 740, sometimes 900 or 940 yuan. It has free shipping to Singapore too, so it is effectively half the price of the other piano. Very attractive!
I believe the hardware is made by the same OEM, but customized by two different brands (their dimensions are identical: 127 x 21.2 x 6 cm). The question is, how come one is 250 yuan more expensive? Does it have anything extra, or is it just the name? (I've not heard of it.)
Overall: not as good as last year.
Titled Paradise Island, based on a true event that happened in Pulau Senang Penal Settlement in 1963. I have not heard of it, but it is infamous enough that I can find it on Google easily.
It was an experimental, open-concept 'prison without bars'. Prisoners were allowed to roam freely and were put to manual labour, as part of a rehabilitation programme to allow them to rejoin society.
The Chief officer was 'benevolent', but strict — overly strict and harsh. He was friendly with a prisoner, who led the uprising, ironically. There were discontent over excessive workload and harsh discipline. He was really burnt to death. The rioters who committed murder were later hanged.
The play was a straightforward telling, it matched the real events pretty well.
Official records will never justify why the prisoners riot. In the show, the Chief was shown to be dictatorial. He had good intentions, but he never considered the prisoners' wellbeing — they were beneath him. That's a possible interpretation.
It started with a boy who was stressed by his studies. He found solace and calling in a Teochew Opera Troupe.
His mother was very displeased, because she felt it had no future.
The Troupe was also struggling due to lack of interest. They had to innovate, but the Troupe leader was against it, wanting to keep to tradition.
In the end, the mother relucted, and the Troupe innovated and brought in modern dance-style moves. It was a really good excuse to give the audience a taste of Chinese opera. :lol:
There are two themes here.
The first is pretty relevant to the target audience (students): parents opposing the interest they want to pursue. From the student's PoV, the parents are being unreasonable. But parents are thinking from financial and social status PoV. In the past, parents would have forced their children to give up their interest for a stable choice in life. But now with GenZ, parents are resigned to supporting their children even after they have grown up. :lol:
The second is the need for traditional arts — or anything, really — to innovate to survive. Sadly, I don't think it is as easy — nor successful — as portrayed in the show.
I recognized three returning actors/actress in this play. I guess I won't be seeing them next year.
The show must succeed, except it didn't — even after the Director time-travelled numerous times to help his younger self. Anything that could go wrong went wrong.
This time, he had the idea to recruit his ex-Drama mates.
With age came experience. They were able to help their younger selves, who were overwhelmed with the workload and overlooked crucial details.
It was revealed the Director's ex-Drama mates cared about him, but he was too fixated with the show's success to notice. When the show failed, he was obsessed with making it right, to the extent of inventing a time machine! Meanwhile, his friends had moved on with their lives.
It was also revealed one of the ex-Drama mate married him, though they had separated cos the Director spent all his time on his time machine.
The Director had some heated confrontations with his friends. His wife asked him why was he so obsessed with the show. Was it really the success of the show or was it something else that he really wanted to get back?
Finally, he finally realized the error of his ways. He had always been a one-man perfectionist, not willing to trust others to do things properly. That was why he had been nagging at them. He finally decided to trust others to do their job.
He reconciled with them one by one, both his present and future self. He also reconciled with his wife. When he hugged her, the audience went wild. I love teenage enthusiasm. :lol:
Finally, it was show time. The Drama members from the future watched from the backstage. Everything went well. No mishaps. Until a 'force of nature' (on a stage?) broke the prop — a ship — into three parts and the show seemed destined to fail after all.
The Drama members from the future leapt into action to push the ends of the ship back into one piece, and they managed to do it through the power of friendship.
The show ended successfully. This was the ending of the 'show' and Show 3.
It was not shown, but presumably, the Director could finally move on from this show and mend his friendships with his ex-Drama mates. This was done to end the show on a high note. But realistically, the past should remain unchanged. What changed was the Director was able to move on despite his failure and realizing there were more important things than his play.
I don't like this year's shows as much because shows 2 and 3 are about plays. I prefer not to have 'play-in-play' settings. I understand this is most relatable to the cast as they are experiencing it live, and they have limited life experience.
There were some tear-jerking moments last year. There were none this year.
I notice some common threads for the three shows based on last and this year's show, though two years are too short to call a trend.
The first show is grounded in reality. Last year's show was on scam (a current event that can hit too close to home), this year's show is a historical event.
The second show is about the struggles of a teenager and escapism into his imaginative and colorful world. Last year, the show had varied fictional settings and a musical. This year, it is Chinese opera and its colorful props. You can say it is Chinese musical. :-D
The third show is about friendship... friendship that formed when young but have drifted apart due to some reason. They need to resolve it and resume their friendship. Last year's show was better because it invoked nostalgia. :-P
Mix in elements obsoleted by time, the constant need for innovation, and parents' unending worry about their children's future, and you have the basic formula.
I sat in a Circle seat this year. It was about the same distance as last year, except higher up.
I brought along an 8x bino. I only used it to check occassionally — it gave a single-person closeup. A 6x would work better with wider view.
Really need to sit at least midway to the stage. Circle seat is fine, but must be in front.
Power consumption is listed as 56 W, sound level from 28 dB to 61 dB. Air flow is rated at 500 L/s at max speed, which according to Google, is equivalent to 1060 CFM.
|Speed|Power|dbA| |---|---|---| |0|0 W|44.5| |1|4.7 W|45.6| |2|6.3 W|48.0| |3|9.2 W|50.2| |4|12.4 W|52.8| |5|17.5 W|55.8| |6|22.0 W|57.5| |7|27.3 W|59.5| |8|33.8 W|61.5| |9|41.4 W|63.2| |10|50.4 W|65.0|
Sound is measured about 50 cm away by the side, not in direct air flow. The sound is still acceptable up to Speed 4. Speed 5 onwards start to sound noisy.
Speed 9 and 10 are "turbo" modes. The power jumps by so much suddenly.
Speed 0 = off. It measures background noise.
