World Archives

Thomas Midgley Wasn’t Just a Well-Meaning Idiot

History, Science | 12 July 2022

This post is meant to rectify an old blog post I wrote about well-meaning idiots, specifically the inventor Dr. Thomas Midgley, Jr. In that post, I put him in the same category as John Chau, the American missionary who willingly got himself killed by traveling to the Sentinel Islands to preach the Gospel to its infamously solitary natives. But now, I know better. It turns out Midgley wasn’t merely just a well-meaning idiot who didn’t intend any harm, but a greedy asshole who set upon the world his products that poisoned the air. (more…)

AI Takeover: We Need Machine Overlords

by: Sonny Go

Artificial Intelligence, Opinion, Politics | 29 May 2022

Recent events, including the pandemic and the presidential election, had me thinking about the insufficiencies of government, people’s unwillingness to cooperate, and all the obstacles in enforcing law during national and global crises. As this trend continues, I’m seeing the rise of our machine overlords. As artificial intelligence improves, the world will likely be predominantly ruled by AI by the 22nd century. I wish for things to speed up so we get to our destination sooner, but these things take time. I’ll regret not being able to live long enough to see that. (more…)

Corruption is the X-Factor

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Politics | 14 May 2022

While watching a YouTube video on South Africa, discussing how it’s on the cusp of a civil war due to its geography and demographics throughout history, I looked at the YouTube comments and related Reddit thread. I saw how the South African viewers didn’t like how the video avoided the elephant in the room, which was corruption. I then saw that it’s the common theme in the comments of that video series in that channel. While many countries seem to have all the geographical and historical odds stacked against them, what really holds them back is persistent corruption in their governments and societies. (more…)

Russia and the 16 Steps to Nuclear War

by: Sonny Go

Current Events | 25 March 2022

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine heads towards 30 whole days, my initial analysis of the whole thing not lasting for more than a month due to how the war is likely draining Russian coffers and resources, not to mention the sanctions and corporate pullouts, is likely not coming to pass. We have now entered a period of uncertainty, wherein we don’t know for sure when it will end and if Putin will actually prevail. I then watched a video by TLDR News on what the future may bring. (more…)

You Train Martial Arts, But You’re Scared of Vaccines?

by: Sonny Go

Current Events, Opinion | 23 September 2021

Remember how sad it was when Future Trunks told everyone that Goku was going to die not in battle against the Androids, but from a disease? The strongest warrior in the universe, the protector of Earth, and a picture of superhuman health, killed by illness. This is what has been happening to a lot of people recently due to this blasted pandemic, including martial artists and tough guys of all sorts who think COVID-19 is either an imaginary problem or an opponent they can knock out or submit on their own. (more…)

WallStreetBets, GameStop, Robinhood, Dogecoin, WTF?

by: Sonny Go

Current Events, Finance, News | 30 January 2021

WallStreetBets, GameStop, Dogecoin, Reddit

As you read this, you might’ve heard the news by now. Wall Street is currently in chaos, even more so than the #OccupyWallStreet protests of almost ten years ago. While that consisted of picketing and civil disobedience, which could be curtailed and discouraged by police action, this unprecedented event in Wall Street history is done by turning their weapons against them, thanks to an online community called WallStreetBets. (more…)

No One is an Exception

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Philippines | 01 March 2019

The last two weeks have been rather weird for me. I came out with that vlog for Retro Gaming Expo on the Facebook page and got a good number of positive reactions to it, which is gratifying. However, my desire to record more AVDRshows was hampered by indecision and anxiety as I planned to have one on current events (from three weeks ago). Unfortunately, I sat on it for too long and it’s no longer relevant, so I now salvage what I had by putting it all here. (more…)

Well-Meaning Idiots Have Something in Common

by: Sonny Go

Current Events, History, Opinion | 28 November 2018

John Allen Chau, Christian pastor who attempted to preach to the Sentinelese and was killed by them

Perhaps you’ve seen the recent viral news on an American missionary travelling to the infamous North Sentinel Island to spread the Gospel to the primitive residents there, only to be killed by their arrows. There have been other victims before him, but he is of significant interest due to his purpose for being there. I wish to take this opportunity to talk about well-meaning idiots, who seem to be everywhere in this world. (more…)

No Man’s Sky Zombie Horse Postmortem

by: Sonny Go

Current Events, Video Games, Videos | 06 January 2018

Welcome to a stupid idea i had to pull off to start the new year. It’s outdated, irrelevant, and dumb as all hell. However, I had to do it to open the year as it had been gnawing at the back of my head for so long and 2018 is the year I start cranking out videos. I had to take the challenge, and I started it by putting up such a stupid ass video that would then motivate me to quickly bury it with more videos. It’s basically political commentary disguised as a super late postmortem review of No Man’s Sky. (more…)

It is Now Open Season

by: Sonny Go

Blog, Current Events, Philippines, World | 10 November 2016

These are indeed interesting times, and it’s doubly so here in the Philippines. I felt that I had to write something in order to get my thoughts in line with what’s been going on and what I can do to make the most of it. This goes beyond my own prejudices, biases, political leanings, and religious beliefs. I’m not one for political commentary as I’m neither smart, driven, nor qualified enough to do it well. But perhaps it’s now time for it’s open season. (more…)

Muhammad Ali and How Manila Ain’t Vanilla

by: Sonny Go

Boxing, Philippines, Vlogs | 09 June 2016

Muhammad Ali and How Manila Ain't Vanilla [Vlog] | Avoiderdragon

On the very day of Muhammad Ali’s passing, I knew I had to come out with a vlog on his legacy and his influence on me. However, what came out wasn’t just a straight-up video of me talking about him. I connected the dots between him, The Thrilla in Manila, and local politics then and now since it involved Ferdinand Marcos. I figured that since Muhammad Ali wasn’t shy with talking about socio-political issues in his day, then I give it a bash myself. (more…)

Manny Pacquiao, Outrage, and Animal Husbandry

by: Sonny Go

Philippines, Videos, Vlogs | 20 February 2016

As the very first video blog I’ve ever posted online that’s of this particular format, I launch my personal vlog channel in the hopes of having more avenues for editorial and narrative content. Writing everything down into a readable format does take quite a bit of time, so I’ve taken to recording my thoughts on video to supplement that. Somehow, hitting it off with the whole Manny Pacquiao gay slur issue like this seems apropos as it would immediately bring some attention to the channel. (more…)