What is a ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist?’

Question: “What is a ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist?’”

Why Do I Care: I have no idea even though I do wear pretty ragged trousers. It was written under “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” a movie, so I assume this suggestion came from the same person. I should look into editing what I write from these Brit’s.

Answer: ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist’ is a novel written in 1910 by Robert Tressell about the woes of capitalism in industrial Britain. It pits capitalism vs. socialism. The philanthropist part comes from the author’s idea that these workers are literally volunteering their hard work for the benefit of their masters.

Conclusion: I’m for anything that questions why we work. I’m opposed to it. Obviously, this book came recommended to me, and maybe one day I’ll read it. I find books written in the early 20^th century, especially in British, can be a pain to read. We’ll see if I ever stumble upon a copy.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ragged_Trousered_Philanthropists

http://www.unionhistory.info/ragged/ragged.php

What is ‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’?

Question: “What is ‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’?”

Why Do I Care: I cannot remember how this came up. It might have been merely a suggestion, although its darkness suggests possibly something more sinister. I had a great aunt who was killed by Ed Gein somewhere in Midwestern America. Maybe this was brought up. Anyways, it’s in the notebook and now answered here.

Answer: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 movie about a serial killer based on the life of Henry Lee Lucas. It has a pretty good rating. I haven’t watched it yet, but did find a link to the full movie and it does work. Looks twisted. Whoever told me seemed pretty shocked I hadn’t heard about it.

Conclusion: Well, I’m on a tropical island. Something just seems wrong watching death and horror here. Instead of watching this, I’m going to go read my book on the beach.

Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099763/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry:_Portrait_of_a_Serial_Killer

Link to full movie: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7878758092789754830#

Who is the Magician Derren Brown?

Question: “Who is the Magician Derren Brown?”

Why Do I Care: A British friend in Koh Phangan told me of this magician/hypnotist who is popular in Britain. I had never heard of him. Amazed, my friend told me to catch some of the You Tube clips, especially one called Zombie

Answer: Derren Brown is a magician, hypnotist, illusionist, mentalist, and a few more things says Wikipedia. He’s had a bunch of TV shows and stage shows. I watched the clip Zombie where he hypnotizes a guy playing a staged video game, then takes him unconsciously to a warehouse where he wakes up in the “real” video game. He’s pretty freaked out. Good viewing.

Conclusion: Well, it was cool. I like magic mixed with psychology and that’s just what he’s done. I plan on checking out some of the other clips sometime.

Links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjRAcajFte0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derren_Brown

Does Burger King microwave its Whoppers?

Question: “Does Burger King microwave its Whoppers?”

Why Do I Care: A British friend in Koh Phangan brought this point up in conversation. I didn’t believe it. Burger King is the only western food I like to eat when traveling, saved for those special occasions when I feel like a taste from home. McDonalds doesn’t cut it, but Burger King abroad smells and tastes just like it does back home. It’s making me hungry right now. The thought that these burgers might be microwaves, instead of fresh to order flame broiled like advertized, pushed me to write it down and look it up

Answer: Burger King microwaves its burgers. “The SOP (standard of procedure) for a Whopper is to take the burger out of the steamer, take the bottom half (meat, cheese & bun) and heat that part in the microwave for six seconds. This is not the entire cooking procedure, just an assist to make the meat nice and hot. After that, the ketchup and pickles, etc, is put on.” Everything I read made it sound like they were just heating it up a little bit before serving it hot to the customer. One source even sourced Burger King Spokesman admitting they use a microwave on their burger.

Conclusion: I’m hungry. I don’t really know how I feel about this. Personally, a whopper is still delicious. I do see it as a way that Burger King can make more money, make a burger faster, and make sure it’s hot, even at the expense of what we came in looking for; flame broiled, right off the grill. I’m disappointed to learn of this, but will continue eating Burger King whenever the Crave takes a hold.

Links:

http://www.chacha.com/question/does-burger-king-microwave-their-burgers

http://www.planetfeedback.com/burger+king/food+quality/this+is+not+my+way+burger+king/291025

How do I add more pages to my American passport in Singapore?

Question: “How do I add more pages to my American passport in Singapore?”

Why Do I Care: I was in Singapore, and was ready to continue traveling for months, until I looked in my American passport to see there were only four more pages left; far too few for what lay ahead. I had no money to spare, so this was important to properly research.

Answer: I found out that any American embassy will add new pages into an American passport, for free, so long as the passport is in good enough condition. It takes a few days. Drop it off, wait, then pick it up.

Conclusion: Well, I took a bus down to the American Embassy in Singapore. The security was tight. I had to fill out a form. While I was filling out my form, a middle aged black American guy was yelling at the embassy through the glass. “I want to give up my citizenship! Just tell me how to renounce my citizenship!” he yelled. The room was tense, but I just laughed. I understood. They took my Passport and form, gave me a slip of paper, and I collected it about four or five days later, now twice as thick. They just sewed in the added pages, sealed it in with tape, and presto, 24 new pages.

Other countries have a harder time. My Australian friend had to get a whole new visa when it ran out of pages, for a cost of like AU$300. Asking around, that seems the norm. I think it’s outrageous that a passport should cost so much. US passports cost, I believe, still under $100. I think it should be a right, not an expensive privilege, to travel.

Links:

http://singapore.usembassy.gov/add_extra_visa_pages.html

Should I get a Thai visa in Singapore?

Question: “Should I get a Thai visa in Singapore?”

Why Do I Care: I was in Singapore, and was heading to Thailand. I was really just relaxing on friends’ couches with all the time I the world, so I thought I should look into getting my Thai visa in Singapore instead of at the Thai border. I had heard there was a new 60 day tourist visa for free, so I looked into it.

Answer: You can get a 60 day Thai Tourist Visa, for free, in Singapore. I hear now that they might discontinue the 60 day free visa soon, as it was only a temporary measure to boost tourism during this economic recession. The rule in Thailand is that you can only stay in the country for three months out of any six month period.

Conclusion: Well, I was just too lazy to get down to the embassy to get the visa. It proved to be an expensive mistake. I took busses all the way from Singapore to Thailand, and when I got through the Thai border, I was shocked to only see a fifteen day stamp! Previously, people were given 30 days at the border even though you were officially supposed to get fifteen. This is the first time, out of many trips, that I got only fifteen days. It messed me up a bit, and two weeks later I ended up having to leave Thailand and come back in with a proper 60 day visa. Ah well, it led to two nice months of beach paradise.

Links:

http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&um=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=Thai+Visa

http://www.thaiembassy.sg/consular-visa-matters

http://www.thai-la.net/index-eng.htm

What Is Folliculitus?

Question: “What is Folliculitus?”

Why Do I Care: In my travels, I have from time to time been afflicted with one rash or another. This time, I had a pimple like rash on my arm, and someone said that it might be Folliculitus. Instead of dismissing this barstool medical advice, I wrote it down in my notebook.

Answer: Folliculitus is an infection of the root of the hair, and are often painful and itchy. It will spread, and it is advised not to scratch or pull out the hair. It is treated by antibiotics, but can also just go away.

Conclusion: I think I may have had this. It sounds right. Mine just went away. My research also led to the concept of Trichotillomania, which is the anxiety driven pulling out your own hair, which is in turn associated with Trichophagia, the eating of your own hair. Who knew?

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folliculitis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichotillomania

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichophagia

Why This Blog Exists

Hello My Friend,

For a time, I, The Adventure Artist, have carried a little notebook around, taking notes on things to dive further into later. In my travels across Asia, I have had the pleasure of having great conversations with interesting people from all over the world. I siphon precious odds and ends into the notebook. This loose collection of ideas, reminders, and general knowledge gets at least a run through Google, and up to hours of deep Internet diving. Recently, I've found myself sharing things I had previously looked up when anyone asked what I was doing writing things down in conversation. Maybe more people might be interested to know. We've all been told about that movie you should see, or that philosopher that you might like, or business idea that sounded good, only to have another drink and forget that a conversation ever took place. We've all talked about how much money would a pinball machine make in a bar in one month, or how tall in Mt. Everest, or how do you put a collar on a wild monkey once you've caught it, but never thought about it cared enough to look into it later. Now, you can get a taste of what would happen if you did.

Enjoy,

The Adventure Artist