Edison Chen and New Media

Hmm..in case you clicked on the link hoping to see some smutty visuals, sorry to disappoint you but you won’t be getting any here.

Is there anyone who hates new media? Well, it’s probably Edison Chen and his bevy of lovers.

I’ve resisted talking about Edison Chen for the longest time. I mean, he’s been over-written and over-exposed (pun intended) in the media, both traditional and new. In fact, it’s new media that’s been the cause of his un-doing, not to say that he didn’t have a hand in it!

Well, if there weren’t any new media, Edison’s infamous pictures would not have gotten such globalised exposure, even in the nether regions. In the past, any of the pics would not have made it to the front page of any paper nor any website. I mean, the editors of the papers or mags would have put a stop to them, unless they were from smutty publications. And you would have to try hard to get your hands on a copy of the smutty publication too. But with new media, anyone who wants to share and view the pics can now do so easily via readily available new media channels! No editing needed.

In a way, I do feel sorry for the guy and his naive girlfriends. In this day and age, anything private can become very public indeed (have they learnt nothing from Tammy?). Also, word is out that triad bosses have put money on the poor guy’s head!

On the other hand, how could the guy be so naive to think that no one would look into his computer files – come on, this is Edison’s computer we’re talking about.

Well, if any good is to come out of it, it’s to remind people that as much as new media can be used for good, it can easily be abused too. Exercise discretion, people.

Youth Olympics 2010

Congrats to Singapore for winning the bid to host the Youth Olypics 2010!

I got this from http://prspeak.wordpress.com/, that new media will feature significantly in the Youth Olympics.  

And why not? New Media resonates with the young, and is a good way to reach out to the youths. It’s exciting to see how new media will be used for the Youth Olympics. 

The New Media way to Math fame

In previous posts, I’ve talked about different people achieving fame (or infamy), via new media, and the most common method of doing this is to put videos of themselves or their work on Youtube.

We’ve heard about actors and singers getting ‘discovered’ on Youtube, and writers being talent-spotted on their blogs.

One recent case is that of NUS undergrad Donovan Lee. The former NJC student was so disappointed that his 4As and 2 S papers were not enough to get him into an Ivy League, that he decided to record videos of himself in a series called Gaussian Math and post them on Youtube.

In his series of videos, he takes viewers through complex Mathematical concepts such as Vector Integral Calculus and Kepler’s Laws in a direct and engaging way. He’s hoping that the videos can add to his repertoir and achievements and help him get into a top school, very much like how writing a book, or making a documentary would help (and hey, we live in an age of new media, right, so why not Youtube your way to success?)

Interestingly, the videos are recorded in his bedroom in Bishan and he uses a whiteboard as a teaching aid. Donovan has acquired a fan base that stretches overseas.

Curious, I decided to take a look at some of the videos. Watching his video, you can see how his videos have been getting so many hits each day. The undergrad speaks clearly and in an engaging way and seems pretty personable. Educational and entertaining, not a bad combination to have. Well, even if he doesn’t get his spot in a top school, it’s likely that he’ll get a spot in showbiz as a presenter! Afterall, he’s already a guest speaker in his alma mater. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hm..maybe I shouldn’t be saying that so openly, what with the growing anti-Valentine’s Day movement that has been gathering momentum by the day leading up to Valentine’s Day.

Just look at the number of sites devoted to those who loathe Valentine’s Day: http://www.antivday.com/forum/ ; http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/spotlight/article/a-very-jaded-valentines-day/1011/ and many anti-V Day merchandise and articles. Looks like today’s communications technology allows for mass cyber-lamenting and self-pity.

This kind of reminded me about a group of people I read about recently  – Taiwan’s ‘home boys’ who proclaim themselves to be woman haters, and who are seen as being socially inept as they spend all their time playing online computer games and complaining on Internet chatrooms about women. Looks like misogyny has also gone high-tech via new media. It seems that they ‘prefer video games to trying their luck with women”.

According to an article, “Mr Hsu Wen-Hsiung, a bespectacled 26-year-old office worker who took part in the anti-couple demonstration last December, complained that women never had the patience to get to know him or allow him to show his good nature and sense of humour in a relaxed atmosphere”.

He said, “You spend so much time on the Internet that you don’t get to know women, and then failing to find a girlfriend, you go back to the Internet…it is a vicious cycle.”

Another 24-year-old college student, Lu Yung-ping, added, “You don’t have to be sad if you don’t have a date…we can huddle together and have some fun.”

I don’t know about you, but I felt a chill go down my spine.