Wui-Ping Blog

Lowering price to stop piracy

I remember when VCD just came out, the price for a movie on VCD was around S$20, while pirated VCD is selling at S$5. With such a great different, who will want to buy the original?

But after some time when DVD became popular, the price of a VCD movie drop to around S$10-$12, while the pirated VCD is selling at the old price of S$5. When that happen, everyone goes for the original.

It just prove that people like the original, and it is because the price different is too great is justify purchase of original. (from an economic point of view, not ethic)

People are willing to fork out twice the amount to support original, and gain better peace of mind, quality of goods. But at 4 times the price, it is easy to change the mind.

So rather than spending so much money to fight piracy, wouldn't it be easier for companies just to lower the price of its product. It will also bring in more sales.

posted by Wui-Ping @ 2:25 PM Comments: 0

I really don't know what to say.

posted by Wui-Ping @ 2:03 AM Comments: 0

posted by Wui-Ping @ 3:02 AM Comments: 0

Why cake for birthday?

Have you every wonder why we buy birthday cake? For a person who doesn't especially like cake, chocolate, and all super sweet stuff, I often wonder.

I believe it is like this-
Often people give gift to the birthday person, and in order for the birthday person to give something back, he gets a cake.
And as cake are usually round, it symbolize a giving away what is part of him, by cutting/sharing what he had, he wants to bless and give to the friends and relative who bought gifts and also comes celebrate his birthday with him.

We also usually equally divide the cake up, symbolizing his love is equal to all his friends and relative, which of course now we know that the bigger piece is meant for the person he like the most.

But why is it that nowadays birthday are bought by the friends and relative rather than the birthday boy. That should be something to think about... maybe he just doesn't want to share anything, only want to receive gift for himself.

Btw, I don't enjoy cake too. There are plenty of other food that can carry the same tradition of sharing.

posted by Wui-Ping @ 5:14 AM Comments: 0

I love to talk about my army(NS) life, and a lot of people wonder why does Singapore man love to talk about it? Even after they have ORD for many years.

That is because on top of the extreme experience we had in NS, we also spend the most of our life in such a place more than any one single place.

You might argue, NS is only 2.5 yrs, only only 2 yrs. But your Uni, Poly, secondary school and primary school life is 3-4 yrs, 3 yrs, 4-5 yrs and 6-8 yrs respectively. So you spend more time in the same school.

But consider this, in primary and secondary school, you spend an average of 7 hrs per day, 5 days per week. That will add up to around 35 hrs per week, 35*52=1820hrs per year. (considering that there are no school holiday)

Even in Poly, Uni, you spend a around 9 hours, 5 days a week. That will be 45 hrs per week, and 45*52=2340hrs per year.

But in army, you sleep in camp, wake up there, so it is 24 hrs per day, 5.5*24=132hrs per week, 132*52=6864hrs per year. So 1 year in NS(army) will be almost like 3 years in Poly, Uni, and almost like 4 yrs in secondary, primary school. So 2.5 yrs in NS is like 7.5 years in Uni,Poly and 10 yrs in Secondary, primary school.

Even if you minus off sleeping time of 7hrs per day, that will be 17hrs per day, (consider no work on sat)5*17=85hrs per week, 85*52=4420hrs per year. It will still be almost double of Poly, Uni.

Well... having spend like 10 yrs in NS, can't blame us that we talk so much about it.

posted by Wui-Ping @ 3:28 PM Comments: 0