“Calm down guys. To answer your question about the recommended tags: I thought it might be useful for people who just have time to quick read a couple of articles for the week. So I put a sort of “thumbs up” to some of the articles that I personally enjoyed reading. There’s no other criteria, really. It’s a personal opinion I thought I’d share with everyone. Some will agree with my choices, some will disagree. There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing. Maybe the word “Recommended” gave some of you the wrong idea, but I actually tried putting small thumbs-up images initially but they messed up the alignments.”

Why didn’t you come up with this explanation in the very beginning when they asked you for it?

Instead, if memory serves, you gave them some smarty pants reply like, see post No.13 above

“I don’t recall tagging “Recommended” to every article from one source..

“exercise your free will and lead your life wisely”. Excellent advice.”

Next time when someone ask you the time, don’t go and tell them what sort of panties your gf is wearing or what you had for breakfast, just answer the flipping question. When you don’t answer the question that is when all the mind games and speculation starts.

Guess what? Those space looney’s may believe you, but I don’t believe you. Not even for a bit. You know why? I have checked out all the list of recommended reads that you have highlighted and I have discovered they ALL have one thing in common. The vast majority of the blogs mentioned are exactly the same bloggers that the strait times keeps promoting no end. And you recommended is designed to side track us all from the main issue in blogoland. Dont believe go check JBJ last week and notice there is only one recommended read among maybe 30 to 40 post. Hey not only that, it was the mildest of the lot, as Lucky Tan is known to be a light weight. So maybe you can tell us what is the chances of that happening on even a very good friday?

Good luck on the long shot, you’re going need alot of luck on this one. I really don’t think anyone here really believes you.

I don’t think the brotherhood believe you either to be perfectly frank and honest with you. For anyone to take the position they did, they would have had to say, “fuck the relationship, lets burn the bridge first, and latter figure out how to cross it.”

Dont trust you. Dont believe you.

Y2K is spot on. Just stay down for the full count and avoid eye contact. He can’t do anything, if you just drop your ray gun.

It cant be very different from this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2agLCjMY7og

Good thing is this is probably how they will treat our gahmen as well.

I am just wondering. Does this all mean, we all press the reset button and you ppl are going to go online and submit the Part 3 report to Mr Cheong Yip Seng & gang?

I am sorry for asking this questions, but it is very confusing, as I am dylexic and this is really like following a basket game, I lost track of the ball.

Colgate People

Good morning. It may be a good idea to just let leave it at that. Frankly, speaking, I’ve always suspected that was your main motivation all along and there was nothing really subversive and insidious about it.That is what I have been trying to tell them all along, so it is good, you confirmed it (I just want to tell all, I never e-mailed ‘g’ privately. You can all check it up with him as well)

I think October 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm goes a long way to heal the rift and bring about understanding.

You may not realize this. But you may have also checkmated Harphoon in one move at 11:03.

Let me share with you why, although I have spent only a short period in Primus Aldentes Prime, I have taken the trouble to study their culture, it’s essentially a gaming culture.

You see they cannot win by just crushing their opponents with impunity. For them to score a win point, it’s a highly ritualized and stylized affair like Chinese Opera, two elements are required, one is sportsmanship, this roughly accounts for 75%. The other is the technical strike which only accounts for 25%.

That means if they defeat you in the same way as lets say the unsportsmanship manner in which a political party once fixed up an opposition MP by declaring him a bankrupt and casting him into the wilderness, they don’t win as much as lose big time.

In brotherhood gaming culture, there is no greater sin than to strike down the unarmed. If any man breaks this social convention, he will not only be shunned by his own tribe. He will be denied fire, shelter and water and all his credits and estate will be confiscated and given to the one who he once vanquished. He is in effect habis, finished, kaput. No one is above the law and this is tribal law, it is enforced socially by the elders and it’s effects infinitely worst than black letter law.

Harphoon is a wise man, he knows this only too well. He knows this is where he would have to stop and simply accept your explanation. He knows too many people are watching in the shadows. And he knows that if he pushes the matter further, there is a real danger the rest will strike him down. He knows. The rules of their game are crystal clear, he has to stop here.

I hope everything returns to the way it used to be, this is no good for either you people, us or any of our readers. No one wins and everyone loses.

Y2K

You know why don’t you? Because deep down inside every writer’s heart. They basically, ALL want to know the answer to the SAME question that Hello Kitty raised.

That’s to say, they’re all wondering at the back of their heads whether all this awarding of Brownie points isn’t perhaps some master plan by someone or some group to rail road them to write and think in a certain way that is “acceptable” to ONLY a certain group of people.

And let me share with why, that’s such a lousy idea in the long term.

First of all, its insincere and secondly it darn right insulting to my intelligence.

Because if you really want people to write in the particular way that you believe is “constructive” and “good” to serve whoever.

Then the last thing you should ever do is to keep on highlighting the SAME blogs every single week.

You know why don’t you? Because people aren’t stupid like what you people seem to believe.

At some point they will begin to ask, why is the Singapore daily promoting the SAME blogs every single week as the recommended reads?

I mean what is the probability of that happening again and again and again and again. Probably the same as winning the national lottery twice in a row.

If they are really so good in the first place, then why is there even a need to keep on repeating the obvious? So they can’t be very good can they?

And you know what will happen after that, don’t you?

Yeap, terminal skepticism and cynicism will begin to creep in.

Not only will they begin to do the direct opposite of what you want them to do. They will even start to think the direct opposite of what you want them to think.

And you can’t blame them, because that is normal reaction of well balanced people who have a deep spirited sense of pride and self esteem whenever they realize someone else is trying to control and manipulate their minds.

You’re in effect insulting their intelligence and disrespecting their right to free will.

And that is why we feel the need to speak out.

I know what is the cost to us. I am not stupid. I know it only too well, but have always been a honest man in blogosphere. So I will never allow it to happen in my watch.

Above all have you ever considered why most people in blogosphere will just fold their arms and watch all this quietly by the sideline?

Have you ever considered one theoretical possibility. We could very well just be proxies. Yes acting on the behalf of other bloggers. Always remember just because you don’t see people talking about you doesn’t mean they aren’t talking. It just means they want you to believe, they aren’t talking about you.

Think about that next time when you decide to embark on another great social experiment on behalf of you know who. Or do you want me to tell them?

That will be all.

Harphoon 2008

g

Yeah sure!

Let me tell you what you numbskulls have. One IP. That is all you have. One IP. And what else? Nothing else.

Good night

Harphoon.

I have a right to ask this question and on record, I asked it, even if the cost to us was so very high. As I believe every netizen deserves to know.

On record, you the Singapore Daily, did not answer it. And you will simply have to live with that reality.

And the rest of blogosphere have to ask why?

As much as you want to gloss over the facts and treat it as trivia, that is as good as it will ever get.

Harphoon

What criteria do you use? It isn’t even my question. As I understand it, it was actually asked by one Hello Kitty.

Why can’t you just answer the question?

LOL

Harphoon

You see, you cannot touch me on the technicalities, I know how to play this game only too well.

Harphoon

You are doing a fine job. Don’t worry too much about this so called “brotherhood”. I think its just crazy person study too much and with a lot of time to write nonsense and piss people off. I’m surprise you are so patient with them. I banned them from my blog long ago because of their nonsense.

(a) how does the singapore daily derive at a “recommended” tag. Is the same way as Mr Raju of the National Library board when he decides to put on his curry leaf crown, as we do not know!

(b) Why is it NOT as single one of Darkness article has been tagged as recommended? And why is it the same ppl seem to be tagged as the recommended read?

You deal with that, meanwhile when you allow comments like October 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm to go through we will go after you.

As for NLB, the end of the year is coming and I believe the next 100 is scheduled to be listed.

You actually believe we have forgotten?

You must be joking. You have no idea how long we have been waiting for this.

Harphoon

Extend Part 3 to one month after the official submission by AIMs.

Thank you and if we are not aggregated here.

Burn it!

Harphoon

How do you fight fire, with fire of course.

I warned you all, but it seems you ppl don’t seem to take me seriously.

So as you can see I have to treat you like a $20 prostitute.

Who is to blame for this?

Harphoon

Why so dead pan serious? This is probably none of my business, but it looks very bad. And what is bad is usually no good for the readers and writers. I am not just referring to BP, but also the rest of the bloggers out there. While I believe the bp could have adopted a less confrontational stance to put across their point to the singapore daily administrators. Nonetheless, I believe they have asked a perfectly valid question that has been at the back of the minds of most bloggers.

Why is it only a certain select few regularly get a recommended label? If it occurs infrequently, then I can understand, but the problem is it just seems to be the same people all the time.

So naturally many people will begin to wonder what is this whole idea of promoting these reads? Is there a plan here to subtlely steer the writing direction in blogosphere by handing out brownie and reward points? So it is not unusual for them to demand to know, how are these decisions to award a recommended read made? What for instance is the criteria?

Whatever it is, it has certainly backfired. And now the admin of the singapore daily will have one of the 3 choices presented by Y2K. I hope whatever decision is made we can all still get a very straight forward explanation on how these recommended read decisions are made. And whatever this goes, I hope that the Singapore daily will try to sort out their differences with the Brotherhood press. Even if you people give in to their demands, but the readers here benefit, you will still be doing a public service that benefits most. But if you fight them, they will fight you back and not only will they do that, they will up the ante and start to be a moving target like the way they used to be, posting all over the place. If that happens who wins, as readers, it will make navigation a hell and as a aggregator you will only reflect one side of the coin.

Best to make peace and maybe just aggregate them, but make it clear that they dont want to be part of your recommended selection. That will also mean, they will never ever get recommended, but then again even if it were otherwise, they were not recommended any way, so what do they lose? That way everyone wins and no one loses, least of all, us readers.

Just remember this all. Just because the comments line is empty doesn’t mean a whole lot of people is watching this stand off. I was informed of this via SMS. That is how bad it is.

Another thing it will be a great loss to blogosphere that the brotherhood have decided not to cooperate with AIMS. Our hopes there have been dashed. And despite all your great work, it will be all for nought, as it will just end up in the dustbin.

All for what I wonder? For people who are so smart you people can be so incredibly dumb.

Thanks

They have been working non stop. Even running their simulations on 3 consecutive shifts using 3 teams, they seem very down hearted by the sudden turn of events.

Every concept in their report is like a component in a rocket. It’s subjected to a battery of relentless testing and ceaseless proofing, till it is 100% by every practical definition of the word. If it fails even so much as once in a hundred, it’s stripped down and a new team is assigned and rebuilt from zero again. And they do this not once, but again and again and again and god knows how many times. Till when they fire it up everything works so perfectly that it is really like a dream. From what little I have been able to spy out its really a brilliant piece of work and the credit must surely go to Vollariane (the head of the asdf). I have spent a lot of time with the asdf, in this past few weeks and I really must say, I now see things in a different light. It was an effort that all of us in blogoland could be really proud of.

As it is, what can I say? Always remember, I am just Y2K, a humble cog in a very big machine.

From 2008/10/08 at 8:22 PM
I happen to know the brotherhood very well, they have asked a question and they will not give up.

My advise to the Singapore Daily is to do one of the following,

(1) Drop them (the BP) completely from the aggregation list of blogs exactly in the same way TOC boycotts the brotherhood press.

(2)Alternatively, supply a detailed explanation – why is it ONLY TOC, Gerald Giam and YB regularly makes up 90% of the “recommended” read list and why is it NOT a single post by Darkness has been tagged as such.

(3) Insert a foot note in their weekly review, stating categorically the bp does NOT want any part in this selection process. And is therefore excluded.

One thing is clear, they are not afraid of you.

Why should they be? They have no shortage of options.

Besides did you not know the Singapore Daily ONLY accounts for less than 3% of their readership in JUST STUFF.

You mean you actually believe those ranking stats in technocrati – did you know the brotherhood knows at least 50 ways how to manipulate them?

Do you see how it is when you have options?

Y2K.

As I said, I do not want the fire to grow bigger, but it has, what can I do?

I can guarantee you one thing like the issue with bernard leong, the national library board etc. This will not just go away.

It will always stay there, till today they are still asking why did the Singapore Daily allow Many Teddies to take pot shots at them.

I fear they planned it all along. I fear this is pay back time. You see darkness taught those boys one thing,

“keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

It is the end game and who suffers?

You guess right, our government. You could say they overplayed their position, dont you think so?

Good night, I have a feeling this will be my very last post.

Y2K
[consolidated]

Everyone please remain calm. I am very sure, there will be plenty of time to look into all these matters which some of you have raised, like how come 9 out of 10 times, Gerald Giam, Yawning Bread and TOC seems to bag 90% of the “recommended” tags> Along with other questions like how does the Singapore Daily actually make the decision to accord these tags? And how come not even a single article written by darkness has ever received a tag? Frankly speaking even I am very interested to know.

My primary job for the time being is to stop this matter from escalating any further. I want the fire to die down, not to fuel it to greater heights. I don’t believe that will be constructive.

The brotherhood have informed me in their quite matter of fact style, they will NOT be submitting their final part 3 to AIMs ANY longer.

As they do NOT consider the reply given by the Singapore Daily to Hello Kitty’s question satisfactory, that is all they have said. No elaboration beyond what I have just mentioned.

Instead, they will ONLY submit it, one day AFTER Cheong Yip Seng officially makes his recommendations to our govt.

I did inform Harphoon that if they did that, then it would be pointless as the boat would have sailed by then. He said, they should have made those calculations before they replied then.

They all seem to stand in one line on this. That’s the funny thing about brotherhood, when they think, they are under attack. Everyone puts aside their differences and they lock their shields together and everyone looks up to the leader, in this case, it’s Harphoon.

The only group within the brotherhood that doesn’t agree with the decision are the ASDF, as they are the one’s doing 99% of the donkey work, so that’s perfectly understandable. My feel is this may not be a very good time to press the matter further. It looks pretty terminal and final at this stage.

Reg
Y2K

From 2008/10/08 at 6:15 PM
“Instead, they will ONLY submit it, one day AFTER Cheong Yip Seng officially makes his recommendations to our govt.”

Correction.

I meant to say, they (brotherhood) will submit it, at the SAME TIME as when AIMs makes their official recommendations to our govt.

Thxs
Y2K
[Consolidated]

Whether they mention you or not is not the point. Whether you get tagged as a recommended read or not is not important either. Whether the press mentions you or not is even less of a case. You should all do it for our sake and in remembrance of Darkness.

Darkness fought against community moderation. He did it all alone. As many of you refused to even help him. As some of you believe it is best to let the matter be and simply close the door in a mind your own business attitude.

But if you all also noticed, he also did not once care whether they replied to any of his questions. That was why I believe they failed. He kept on hitting them again and again and again. From every angle and he hit so hard that when AIMS said no to the whole idea of community moderation, they just went down for the count and stayed down.

The fact of the matter is this, the internet is a very funny place everyone knows who is really who here, so if you say, you are going to do something and you let a fly in the ointment spoil it all.

What does that really say about you? What does that say about Darkness, your leader? I cant help thinking Darkness would have done it very differently.

Be good

I don’t have any misgivings many of the proposals forwarded by the ASDF of the brotherhood to our gahmen will work brilliantly.

Firstly, they have been careful to adopt a traditional and orthodox dont rock the boat approach, designed to appeal to people who are basically of the same genre as themselves.

Secondly, it will be effective in placating most if not all of gahmen’s worse fears.

Only one should always be mindful of the ASDF. Firstly, who are the ASDF? Though they number only a few, this small group of Mandarins wield a disproportionate influence over the international gaming community, virtually every aspect of politics, economics, trade and commerce comes under their purview.

They have managed to successfully whirl their way into the upper echelons of RPG by selling brain power to the highest bidder. You could even say for any gaming community to gain ascendancy, they would do well not to be in the bad books of the ASDF.

As a result, they operate one of the largest gaming extortion syndicates second only to the Russian mafia. Every gamer is forced to pay tribute to the ASDF as a retainer. The joke is the call it a retainer fee. If one doesn’t pay, one cannot even gain access to the simplest stages of playing the game. They would not even be able to transverse the infinity of space. As the ASDF have all the houses who have monopolized space fold under their thumb screws. If one refuses to pay, one may be bullied into submission. As the ASDF has a right of veto in the Internationale Confederation (the UN of the gaming world). There are some estimates that the ASDF to date is one of the wealthiest family in the gaming fraternity.

As interplanetary power brokers. The ASDF of the brotherhood sell themselves as “valued advisors” and counselari’s. They are especially fond of presenting their patrons space stations, but what they don’t tell you is, you would also have to buy ONLY brotherhood manufactured space ships as all their cargo bays are only designed to fit their space ships. You will also have to buy into their operating system as all their communication platforms are commoditized. And you would also have to be signatories of their interplanetary treatise, which allows the stationing of a garrison of brotherhood troops in your territory. In effect, they will own you!

If gahmen buys into their logic, I don’t doubt for one moment it will all work wonderfully to produce all top drawer results. However bear in mind, that brotherhood plans are rarely structured from A to Z. Instead they are deliberately designed strictly along a turn key logic, that is to say, you will always need them to return again at the completion of each phase to move on to the next.

This is what I call the 1 step foward, 2 step back shuffle ultimate con job which they have perfected to a veritable science. It is during the mature stages when they are needed most that they will begin to manifest their true colors. They will send their guilds to talk to you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSV9S2Ol3bc

Then they will begin to demand terms and concessions by turning the thumb screws. Neither are they coy about it. If they dont get their way, they will seized it by force of arms.

By this late stage self determination and emancipation would dissolve into a distant memory. In short, you will be so wholly dependent on them that they will own every aspect of your destiny and more.

I wonder should our gahmen even be dealing with this people? You all have absolutely no idea who you are dealing with. I rather take my chances with the devil any day! The way I see it, hell looks like a five star hotel compared to where the brotherhood are taking all of us.

To most of us, it is just a game, but to these people, I cannot tell you how real it is.

brotherhood squirmer

[rescued from akismet]

“exercise your free will and lead your life wisely”. Excellent advice.