Critical Inquiry

Odex is a Singapore-based company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional (Southeast Asian) consumption and gain notoriety when it started prosecuting anime downloaders whom download anime sub-licensed to the company. Odex's actions did not go down well with the anime community whom believed that the company was shifting its business model from sales of anime to profiting from legal blackmail of downloaders and many anime fans have criticised the sub-standard quality of the anime, citing issues like low resolution and inaccurate translations. The standoff was compounded by the actions of Odex director Stephen Sing whom under his alias of xysing, bragged about suing anime downloaders. To address the ill blood between Odex and the anime community, a forum was set up on Odex's website to "foster and improve" relations but it backfired after some forummers revealed that IP Unmasker could be used to trace forummers. The forum was eventually replaced with a

Choosing the right broadband deal from those available in the market is difficult for some people. The marketing efforts by the different companies frequently help to add more confusion by focusing attention on irrelevant offerings that undiscerning consumers find out only after having committed to mandatory contractual periods. Starhub Maxonline recently launched a new promotion advertising enhanced download speeds of up to 8Mbps with MaxOnline Express from 1 January 2008 and touts that the speed upgrade will help suscribers to enjoy richer broadband experience at home at no additional cost. Getting a 8Mbps connection at a cost of slightly below S$60 appears to be a good deal especially when the comparative alternative in the market is Singnet's 6Mbps at S$50.90. Yet, if it is a good deal, why is it that Starhub's subscribers are frequently complaining about its services on forums? The reviews forummers provided about MaxOnline have frequently been less than flattering. It bec

The Wizard of Oz has a hanging/sucide incident caught on film?! This purported incident has been called an urban legend but still many sceptics exist, perpetuating the interest in this story. This caught my interest too and made me research a little into the "Wizard of Oz hanging incident". Fantastically, even though I do not own a copy of The Wizard of Oz, it was possible to find a copy of the hanging scene through YouTube ! This scene in question has been known as the "munchkin suicide" scene where the protagonists of the story head down the road to Emerald City. An unusual movement was caught on film in the background. After going through this "Wizard of Oz hanging scene" a few times, I really cannot figure out what the big fuss about it is about. How in the world does it look like a hanging? This story really does give an interesting perspective into how urban legends around a totally harmless show such as The Wizard of Oz gets pysched into a Wizard of