It took a couple of Michio Kaku videos on youtube, a full night's rest, ranting to MS, JM, JK, SS, NP and other women, breakfast and a couple of ciggy breaks to finally calm down after watching "The Labyrinth of the Butterfly" last night. I was prepared for it because The Turtle told me about two years ago that the play (and the book that it was based on) totally dissed Michio Kaku.

Now, if you have any clue about me (or had at least traveled with me twice, or asked me about my favourite things in life), you would know that I would lose an arm to be Michio Kaku. And that I absolutely love his work.  I owe this man for bringing physics back to me, who has made me feel less of a Failed Physicist-Wannabe. This man is one of a handful of theoretical physicists who have de-mystified phsyics and quantum mechanics for regular human beings. He is one of the few scientists who actually take a stand against nuclear weapons and war. He is one of the even fewer physicists who write about women physicists and the lack of such women in the world of physics. This is a man who may not necessarily be gender-sensitive or feminist, but is not a sexist.

This is how I've always perceived Michio Kaku, so I was absolutely gutted when last night's play painted him as a sexist loser who designed "Molly" the highly-sexualised female robot straight out of sexist geek fantasy. First things first, Kaku is a theoretical physicist. His life's work is the M-Theory (one of the major strands of the Theory of Everything, whom he also calls "The Mother of All Theories"). He is not an applied physics person. I can't imagine him building a robot at all. I've heard about photos of him and the robot he invented, Molly, who was a mechanical Angelina Jolie of sorts. I have never seen that photo of Molly.

Secondly, here's a clarification of how Kaku wrote about Molly the robot: 2020 Vision (the 4th article on the page). I have to rely on the internet for actual quotes at the moment, I don't have my bookshelf with me (I haven't had it in over a month, in fact). I have read Kaku writing about Molly before, but she had never struck me as a highly-sexualised mechanic representation of the dirtiest male fantasies (of a subservient woman with big tits). It's been a while since I revisited "Visions", Kaku's book around the future of science and tech where he talks about Molly, but I've always thought that Molly was kind of like the voice in your head that reminds you of things and makes your life easier and safer. Not necessarily the sex-bot that was acted out in last night's play. I think our own discomfort at male girl-robot fantasies were assigned to last night's Molly, which resulted in Kaku being totally villified. Which is unfair.

Lastly, I've been thinking about last night's Molly and some of the points that were raised about a year ago when I was doing a gender evaluation training for a software localisation project.

So Nepal, 2007. We were talking about the fact that in text-to-speech software (which was particularly useful for illiterate communities), the male voice was much easier to use. It has to do with the differences in the decibel and frequency ranges of women's and men's voices. According to the geeks, in Asia, we did not have the skills and capacity to work with a female voice in text-to-speech software (the skills are available in the US, they said). This results in the absence of (literally) female voices in software that is localised in Asia.

We, the gender advocates in that meeting, said that it was important for women users (especially those who were dealing with their own fears of tech) to be able to hear voices in their software that they can relate to. Simply put, there must be a way to have female voices in the localised text-to-speech software.

So back to Cape Town 2008. If the premise is that having female voices in technology is empowering to women, why then do we have a problem with female-looking /-sounding robots? Wouldn't such an entity be empowering to women as well? Wouldn't such a creature be something that we can relate to as women (as opposed to a male robot)?

Or is the problem we have with Molly the fact that she was presented as a thing that did household work? That she had big boobs last night? That she was highly-sexualised?

Or is the problem because Michio Kaku is male and he was represented as having created her? Is this a problem even if nothing of Kaku's work point to his sexism?

Would Molly and Michio have been saved from ridicule and mockery if they had switched sexes?

Tags: activist stuff, awid08, awid2008, feminist rambling, geekery, pop culture, reviews of everything, tripping away, women and tech
coordinates: cape town
state of mind: grumpy
background noise: people buzzing at the FTX Hub

Tagged by maragtas.

My current desktop:



A couch in Singapore.

Tagging: jhybeturtle, fairlycloudy eclair and binsoup :-)

Tags: geekery, pointless posts, pop culture
coordinates: on a couch in Singapore
state of mind: awake
background noise: tv sounds

Malu Fernandez does it again.

Sometime in June 2007, she wrote an article on the magazine People Asia called, "From Boracay to Greece". The article was about her trip to Greece. As if the article's tacky name-dropping and brand-whoring was not obnoxious enough, the silly woman proceeds to bash Overseas Filipino Workers in the more below-the-belt way. She talks about hating being mistaken for a maid. She talks about how bad it was to be in economy class because her authentic expensive perfume was being overpowered by the cheap ones that the OFWs were wearing. She wrote that she wanted to slash her wrists because she was trapped in economy class with the OFWs.

It was elitism at its worst. At its tacky, cringing I-can't-believe-all-the-money-you-claim-to-have-didn't-buy-you-some-actual-class worst.

Needless to say, the OFW community (and they are a force to be reckoned with, believe me you) did not let her get away with it. By August 2007, the poor, stupid woman had been lambasted for everything -- from her elitism to her looks. The outrage from the OFW community was so strong that she was forced to write a public apology and quit her job.

You'd think she would have learned her lesson by now.

Oh well. You can train an old dog new tricks, so they say. I say, no amount of money in the world can buy a stupid person a brain.

This time, she's gunning after bloggers. In her recent article in the Manila Standard, "The Problem with Blogging...", she applies her elitist standards to blogging. She basically says that bloggers (the regular ones, not the ones who are popular enough to feed themselves through their blogs) are slackers and losers who do not understand the 'code of ethics that govern freedom of speech'. 

It's pretty hilarious to read someone who uses her mighty journalist pen simply to show everyone how famous and rich she is talk about journalism ethics. This is a 'journalist' who talks of nothing else but herself -- her fabulous life, her super sosyal friends, her high fashion items, and just how wonderfully elite she is.  It's extra funny that she attacks a medium that allows regular people (who don't have newspaper columns or the connections to have one) to be as self-centred as she is.

She talks about how anonymity affords bloggers freedom from accountability -- which is true enough. But tell that to the bloggers in Egypt and Malaysia who have been arrested by their own governments because of their blogs.

(Yeah, and my Inner Bitch reckons that  all that talk about 'code of ethics' really is just about  Anonymous Blogger Envy. I bet she wished she was anonymous when the OFWs wrote letters and petitions against her and campaigned to boycott her clothing brand, Tubby.)

And then, she goes much, much further than that. In that recent article, she goes on to say that blogging reflects the Filipino culture of back-stabbing. She tries to be smart by connecting that attitude to Spanish colonisation, which she critcises. But then she turns around and attacks someone for looking like an Indio*  -- in the same freaking paragraph!

Then she shifts gears and rants against anyone involved in ousting the current Philippine President. She compares that particular movement to someone who bought a green Hermes bag and wished they got the black on instead.

And then she ends with anonymous blogging again (which really proves my Anonymous Blogger Envy Theory). She ends, of course, with herself and how great she is that she's the kind of person who refuses to start World War 3 (man, Global Warming, religious fundamentalism and conservative politics will start WW3, not someone whose only talent in life is constructing grammatically-correct sentences. Talk about thinking highly of one's self), and that she would rather be in-your-face when she's being brutal.

My question really is: Why is someone like that being paid to actually publish her thoughts?

I'm all for freedom of speech but does she really need to get paid to exercise hers?

________

Indio is the derogatory term used by the Spanish colonisers for the non-caucasian people in the country. It's a racist term to the Nth degree.

Tags: demented doses, geekery, life in manila, pop culture
coordinates: somewhere in the Philippines
state of mind: bitchy
background noise: Olga skypeing in Spanish

My ultimate source for geek-ery in the comic book world (you know who you are!) sent me a link to this announcement this morning:

---

Tags: geekery, pop culture
coordinates: manila
background noise: traffic on the street near the balcony

fairlycloudy tells me at our smoke break after the Gross lecture: "I just realised that you're a megalomaniac!"

And I say: "Huh?"

She says: "When he said that 'Everything is physics' that got you excited. So I realised that the reason why you're so into physics is because it makes you understand everything. That's megalomaniac.

And I say: "Yeah, and control everything. Be thankful I'm not a physicist -- or a world leader."

I think that's how the conversation went.

(Thanks, fairlycloudy and Sputing for getting me invites to the event!)

Tags: geekery, good days, life in manila, number 42 theories, pointless posts
coordinates: manila
state of mind: awake
background noise: cartoons on tv

I think there's a weird gene in my system that gives me goosebumps whenever I'm in the same room as an honest-to-goodness, dedicated-his-life-to-theoretical-physics physicist. I couldn't help it, as soon as they introduced David Jonathan Gross this morning as a Physicist, I wanted to stand up and clap (which I did). I think this is the flip side of envy. Admiration? Perhaps. But tinged with thoughts running through my head at the speed of light on what could have been and the Dream that was never pursued.

But there's reason to be impressed. Gross is a pretty accomplished physicist. Won the Nobel Laureate for Physics in 2004 for his work on quarks and strong nuclear force which led to the discovery of the asymptomic freedom phenomenon, which further led to a new physical theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). This theory contributes to the quest for the Theory of Everything.

So I stashed my Skepticism in my bag and prepared to be dazzled.

And I was. Hearing a Theoretical Physicist confirm how I understood quantum mechanics, having a hardcore scientist like that talking about the provisional truths, about the need for an open and available scientific community, and how Science naturally leads to tolerant and open-minded perspectives, was pretty awesome. I lapped it up like the nerd that I am.

I suppose his being a Theoretical Physicist had a lot to do with that. The importance of perspective, the theory of relativity, the acknowledgment of how the very act of observing an event changes the event (and its results) -- these are tenets of quantum mechanics. The very reason why I fell in love with it in the the first place. It was great to hear someone who understood and lived all that.

I have no doubt that this dude is a great physicist (anyone who studies quarks, and talks about quantum vacuum like it's a nice place to visit is hardcore) but when it came to him relating physics to social issues, to development, to global warming, he lost me. At that point, Skepticism left my bag and the goosebumps disappeared.

• He talks about a World Government like it was strong nuclear force (not talking bombs here) -- able to keep quarks in line and within a proton according to the laws of asymptotic freedom. As much as he believes in the existence of natural laws that have yet to be fully understood, discovered and comprehended, he believes that the existence of a universal (even pan-galactic) government to make the world behave is inevitable and good. He is positive that the development and discoveries of Science in the last century will lead to a world where rationality and logic would rule.

• He talks about the advances in the study of the human brain and its neurons; he is quite excited by the results of understanding the human brain even further perhaps towards eliminating crazy human thoughts and reactions, making it easier to control nature.

• He talks about how Science has extended life expectancy and how it's probable that in the next 50 years, Science (genetic studies, in particular)  would extend it further. He speaks of the how the future may bring Speciation within the human race -- how through genetic manipulation, there will be other human species.

Midway through it, I realised that this is why I'm not a Theoretical Physicist.

• I don't have the kind of idealism such a life would require -- the belief that observation and experimentation would bring explanations and answers that can be articulated in an elegant mathematical formula.
• And I don't have the kind of discipline required to smash atoms and observe how they behave and then do it all over again until patterns and theories are formed.
• And at the mention of the words "world government", I immediately thought: whose government? how will women participate in it? whose culture will reign supreme? whose laws will rule the world? whose beliefs?
  
• And the thought of being able to figure out how the human brain works scares me. I like the mysteries of my insanity just fine.

And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I think I've finally come to terms with that Failed Physicist-Wannabe Fantasy. Not that I'd stop reading quantum mechanics books. Not that I would ever stop being in awe of hardcore theoretical physicists. Not that I would stop entertaining the idea of stalking Michio Kaku and Brian Greene.

But I think I've learned my limits.

Tags: geekery, good days, life in manila, number 42 theories, pop culture
coordinates: manila
background noise: liz phair - Somebody's Miracle

So Christmas Day is over.

It was a nice day. The family celebration started at around 10pm on the 24th, had a six-hour sleep break, then went on 'til 10pm on the 25th. The food was absolutely amazing and the people were pretty cool. For the first time in years, all four of my siblings were there. And, the aunts did not have any squabbles. I got pretty awesome gifts: a custom-made cue stick from Ate; my favourite perfume from DJ; clothes...

But I received my best gift this Xmas during the six-hour break.

I couldn't sleep that night (and if I were to be honest with myself, it's mostly because it's this season that I miss Velma the most and that generally keeps me up at night). So I got online, checked my Facebook, made some moves on Scrabulous, and POPed my email. I got a letter from My Ultimate Favourite Comic Book Graphic Artist* (it was Jeph Loeb 'til I saw this guy's work)! I had written to him a few days back, asking if he could design a tattoo for me. And on that email, he said "yes"! I swear I was hoping around on my bed for a full 5 minutes. Then I called Pa3k and screamed the news to him. This was at 3:30 in the morning.

I'm still reeling over that.

______
* I won't write his name because it would be awful if he suddenly got people inundating him with tattoo requests.

Tags: geekery, good days, life in manila, pointless posts
coordinates: manila
state of mind: mellow

Everyone's their own porn  producer / director / cameraman / lead actress these days.

The stories vary.

One story is of girl who gets her dead computer fixed and her files retrieved, which includes racy photos taken at a particular kinky moment between her and her lover. It's Jackpot Day for the pervy computer technicians, who not only view the photos, they put them up on the Web. She becomes a momentary object of fascination and fantasy.

Ditto, a girl who loses her cell phone that has the naked pics she took to MMS to her long-distance boyfriend. The bastard who gets her phone MMS's her photos to his friends and everyone on her contact list.

Another story is of a girl and her boyfriend. They break up. He wants revenge. So he releases their sex videos to their common friends.

The degrees of separation of the girls involved has significantly decreased in the last year. From last year's overheard conversation at a restaurant, to a friend of an acquaintance, to a friend of a friend, to a girl who sometimes parties at my place. It's becoming a regular story -- just another story of a girl who inadvertently became a porn star.

On one hand, I'm all for people being able to make their own porn. With video-enabled cellphones becoming more and more affordable, being one's own porn producer / director / cameraman / lead actress is becoming more and more possible, Besides, if taking a video during sex makes it more exciting, yay! I'm all for better sex for everyone.

And that ambitious little Bolshevik in my head hopes that this would be key in toppling huge Porn Corporations. Who would want porn films of people that are so hard to relate to when you can watch yourself? I know, the Bolshevik is realistic enough to know that's a pipe dream. But it's a nice dream.

What bugs me though is how these private photos and videos are distributed. Often, it's without the consent of the female subject. Her privacy is violated and more often than not, there's a fair bit amount of shame  and blame thrown her way. It's like she's being punished for having great sex.

I reckon there should be a way to avoid all that hassle without giving up all that fun. It would be wonderful if the world doesn't have any malicious lovers or pervy computer technicians. Good luck waiting for that to happen.

And since I'm a nerd, I think the solution has to do with how to use tech securely in your DIY porn:

• After taking a photo or video on your mobile phone, move the file somewhere else (like a portable hard drive or your computer) and delete it from your phone.
• If you're using your computer to store your sexy photos and pics, remember to encrypt your directories. Use something like TrueCrypt.
• When deleting your photos and videos from your computer, make sure it's properly deleted and no traces of it remains. Erase it.
• Keep one copy of your photos and videos. Multiple copies are harder to monitor.
  
• Store your photos in an offline device that only you have access to. Burn them on a CD or DVD and keep it in a place where you store your weed and other illegal substances.

Naive? Perhaps. But that's better than hoping for a world free of malice and perverts.

technorati tags: takebackthetech

Tags: activist stuff, feminist rambling, geekery, life in manila, pop culture, takebackthetech, women and tech
coordinates: manila, philippines
background noise: bjork - army of me

How's this for pathetic.

I'm sitting in my room, testing this new phone's capacity to let me post on this blog.

I lost my old phone about a month ago in London, and work travel (+ health issues) hasn't really allowed me to acquaint myself to this new gadget. That's my excuse - though that doesn't explain the need to get to know my phone like it's going to be my new best friend. Though maybe there's no need to explain that. Hmmm.

Well it seems to work. But, man, my thumb's going to be sore.

Tags: geekery, pointless posts
coordinates: Bed room - manila
state of mind: sleepy
background noise: Portishead - sour times

Ben Templesmith, the dude behind the awesome graphics in Fell, the 30 Days of Night series and Singularity 7, was in Manila last Monday (there's a big chance that he's still there). It sucks.

Because while he's in my city, I'm not there.

I have loved Ben Templesmith's work since that day in July 2005 when I bought Singularity 7 in a comic book store somewhere in Haight in San Francisco. I was over the moon when I found out that he collaborated with Warren Ellis to create Fell, which is one of the best comic books that has come out in the past two years. I have since collected his 30 Days of Dark series. Yes, I'm on of those annoying fans.

When I found out that Ben Templesmith was going to be in Manila around the time that work was going to place me in Rio de Janeiro, I seriously considered tending in my resignation. Then I realised that there's no way I could justify to anyone why I would quit my job just so I can line up for hours so I can have three minutes with a comic book artist (no matter how totally awesome he was)... and yeah, the kitty-cats need to be fed. So I had to keep my job.

So I tried to be mature and made arrangements. I was going to experience Ben Templesmith in Manila vicariously. Or die trying.

Fortunately, there's this lovely young man, Pa3k, who loves his godmother. He took my comic books for Ben Templesmith to sign. He lined up for hours. He chatted with me earlier to tell me everything about the Ben Templesmith experience (including how Ben Templesmith said that my name was unique--- woohoo he knows my name!!!). He had this picture taken:




And while I'm pretty pumped about having  my Fell TPB signed, and my name written in ink by such talented hands, I'm still kind of bummed out about missing the whole thing. I am dying with envy.

Growing up is so over-rated.

Tags: geekery, life in manila, pop culture, tripping away
coordinates: rio de janeiro, brazil