Maybe we should go back to the old fashion 3 party system. Outlaw the separatist Bloc Quebecois, merge the Green Party with NDP. Then we can have a more meaningful election. Too bad that the Conservative is unlikely to win a majority government anytime soon.
The fad for functional foods
Organic food is out of fashion. Welcome genetic modify food with enhanced nutrition. Artificial gotta be better than the natural product, otherwise where is the value add of human?
Anki, flash card program
A flash card software works like an old fashion flash card. You write new words on the side of the card and definition on the other side. You randomly draw cards from the deck to test how well you remember the words. A flash card software has more bell and whistlers, like search, filter, timer, progress tracking, etc. I can’t believe someone actually willing to pay $15 to buy iflash, an flashcard software.
I am not referring to download the software for free off the net instead of paying it. I am talking about how could anyone charge such a ridiculous price for such a small piece of software. The function of the software is pretty basic, it stores a list of words and randomly flash the word to test you. Any high school students can write one for his computer programming class project. If you are really desperate, you even write one using Excel. Best of all, there is actually a much better freeware version out there!
Anki is an open source flash card program support Windows, MacOS, Linux and a few other platforms. The stand alone software not only has every single feature of iflash, but also comes with an online version. You can synchronize your flash cards database to their server and retrieve the deck of cards anytime, anywhere. I just don’t understand why would anyone buy iflash?
iRobot Roomba 530
Vacuum the floor is an essential house chores I love to hate. On one hand, I don’t want to live among the dust. On the other hand, dragging the vacuum cleaner over all the place is not a pleasant task. I don’t have to vacuum no more. I just got a iRobot Roomba robot vacuum cleaner. Now, I can just press a button and tell Roomba clean the house for me. I haven’t seen it in action yet, it’s still charging up for the first time. I got one of the basic model only come with the base station and virtual walls. The more advance version has schedule program and remote control. All 5th generation model has the same vacuum mechanism. I don’t those electronics function justify 50% more expensive.
I bought it at Home Sense sales this week. The regular price is $369 and it’s $70 off this week. For this weekend only, I got another 25% off if I use the in store credit card. Since I don’t have that credit card, I got a further 10% off just applying that credit card. At the end, I only have to pay $220 for the Roomba 530. The price is so low that it even beat eBay and an almost new 2nd hand unit on Craig’s list. I think cashier made a mistake. The 35% discount suppose only apply to regular price items. Anyways, It’s a really good deal, so I won’t complain.
絕代商驕
每次黃子華開棟篤笑﹐他總會替無線拍套電視劇集﹐一方面幫自己賣廣告﹐另一方便他是收視的保證﹐可謂子華無記雙贏的宣傳法。自從《男親女愛》創造了黃子華公式後﹐他的每套集我必定追看。畢竟真正好笑的無記劇集不多﹐偶然有特別好看的自然要捧場。不過始終黃子華不是無線親生仔﹐年尾的電視頒獎典禮視帝論不到他。不過相信子華也不會介意這些虛銜﹐反正他必定會說視帝又沒有獎金﹐不好現實些加人工好過。
黃子華的戲路其實很窄﹐他演的角色永遠也是度身訂造﹐他只需要做回棟篤笑台上的自己。角色說話尖酸刻薄轉數快﹐隨時準備抵死寸人金句﹐為人不負責任遊戲人間。其實主線故事是什麼並不重要﹐反正不論是演《棟篤神探》的非常警察﹐《奸人堅》的黃飛鴻入室弟子﹐還是《絕代商驕》的白武士商業奇才﹐當中穿插的笑料才是主菜﹐故事不過是盛菜的碟子。在今次《絕代商驕》中﹐黃子華大拋書包說一大堆商業理論﹐什麼黑天鵝效應﹐二八定律﹐長尾理論﹐藍海策略﹐觀眾也不必認真深究是否正確﹐更不用懷疑戲中謀略起死回生的兒戲。喜劇感源於謊謬和跨張﹐又不是看劇情片不用事事合理﹐每集開心大笑完便收貨了。
不過每套黃子華劇集也有虎頭蛇尾的毛病。《絕代商驕》頭十集爆笑連篇﹐過癮精警對白綿綿不絕。麥提爽與三水妹這對歡喜怨家鬥嘴充滿火花。原本我不太喜歡佘詩曼﹐認為她的演戲浮跨難頂﹐今次演收數妹的角色讓我對她有所改觀。不過始終不敵Miss Mo和蔡少芬珠玉在前﹐要到最後三水妹化身喵喵使出港女大法﹐盡情糟質男朋友才板回一些分數。許紹雄和才記更是金牌綠葉﹐每逢他們出場總是為觀眾帶來歡樂。三水妹的流浪漢前男友也傻得搞笑﹐他的綠色浪漫大法更幽了環保人士一默。中段老幼園篇開始失色﹐不過還有兩位養眼靚女支撐著﹐後來李綺虹表錯情也很鬼馬有趣。到了白飯王子篇給人的感覺是拖戲﹐子華與母親相認和假報復﹐煽情有餘歡樂不夠。雪莉和胡楓正經八百地演出﹐白白浪費他們在前作中﹐失驚無神彈兩句笑死人的本領。最後師父咸魚翻生篇﹐還好有子華與三水妹拍拖的場面﹐不然師父的復仇大計實在太單調乏味。
黃子華在戲中樣衰口臭﹐對任何人也留情面﹐正好道出觀眾心中很多想說﹐但又礙於人情世故不能出口的說話。觀眾借子華之口渲洩心中的怨氣﹐所以看見他在戲中窒人特別痛快舒暢。黃子華還敢於政治不正確﹐挑戰主流文化人的價值觀﹐替我們只讀實用知識不上不落的半讀書人﹐把那些自以為高高在上的文化人拉下來。主流文化人支持舊區保育﹐則拿收樓見錢開眼來開玩笑。主流文化人支持環保﹐他就把環保不浪漫來開玩笑。當所有文化人講愛情從一而終﹐他則玩大自然法則兩女共事一夫。當然港女淺薄的港女追名牌文化﹐更被黃子華諷刺得體無完膚。可惜無線要照顧師奶觀眾﹐很多玩笑不能去得太盡﹐有些笑位好像扯住扯住到喉不到肺。若果放手去讓編劇自由發揮﹐或許會冒犯一些觀眾﹐但黃子華可以更加好笑。