You're a high-flying flag

Somehow one thing or another's been coming up and I forgot to report. I've spotted the first Singapore flags of the season, about eight days ago, starting to decorate the outsides of apartment buildings. To preserve respect for the flag it may only be displayed (apart from at government or other official places) in the weeks leading up to and immediately after National Day, but there are movements to loosen up flag display laws. I haven't yet seen any of this year's National Symbol Kits, but they're sure to be out soon. If anyone wants one, let me know soon. (I'm sorry I haven't found the time to resurrect the lost pictures.)

I spent most of today in the office, trying to get ahead on work and do some numerical experiments towards the book. It just shows the wisdom of Robert Benchley's maxim about time management (``Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment'') that I feel more productive spending five hours there on a Saturday than eight hours on a weekday.

So the Star Trek Online massive multiplayer roleplaying game has launched an official site that doesn't work in Safari (it disables scroll, for one thing, and I don't feel curious enough to get it back). According to people who read the FAQ, though, the game will include ground combat, permanently commissioned vessels for players, and ``holodeck scenarios.'' I suppose they're being provided in case the game software proves otherwise too stable. And it'll give a chance for Vice Admiral R'jon Al'a'al'ay, the first Breen/Kazon hybrid to command her own Federation starship, to do a little fantasizing. (Yes, I know these games aren't really like that. I'm going for the cheap joke.)

Trivia: Marvin the Martian appeared in five theatrical short cartoons before the closing of the Warner Brothers animation studio. Source: That's all Folks! The Art of Warner Brothers Animation, Steve Schneider.

Currently Reading: The Nemesis Affair: A Story of the Death of Dinosaurs and the Ways of Science, David M Raup.