Year: 2006

Got Stormpay?

I’ve heard about Stormpay for quite a while, but have never interested in taking a peek at it as I thought that it is just another pyramid scheme or fraudulent money making site.

Two days ago a friend forwarded me a link to stormpay, and as I was irritated with the spam technique I just registered. Today, I have earned USD0.30 from the StormClix function. Basically you click on advertisers’ links to get paid. I know, it’s kind of pathetic but with USD0.30 I can at least buy a copy of newspaper in Malaysia 😉

As it turns out, Stormpay is a legal company, and a good payment processor. If you happen to be running a business, Stormpay can be used to receive payments, especially with the growing number of members. It didn’t hurt a bit.

Those who are interested, please click here: http://www.stormpay.com/. Yes, this is a referral link, and there’s a concept of downlines. This is quite a good opportunity, and you don’t have to pay anything.

One additional thing that’s good about StormPay is that it is certified by NetIBA, an authority on the Internet. If you’re certified, you’ll also have some advantages. I am planning to be certified soon 🙂

Students Sue Government

This is new, interesting, and dumb. Four students from the state of Perak, Mohammad Syawwaal Mohammad Nizar (Year 4), Mohammad Fadzil Nor Mohd Rosni (Form 3), Nur Najihah Muhaimin (Form 3) and Syazaira Arham Yahya Ariff (Form 4) filed a suit against the Government over its policy to teach Science and Mathematics in English.

As students, they claimed that they were “victims” as they were deprived of learning the two subjects in the national language, Bahasa Melayu.

The suit was filed through the legal firm of Mohamed Hanipa & Associates at the High Court yesterday. The students filed the suit via their fathers.

I don’t know what they are thinking, maybe we should all file a law suit to some Universities for teaching Maths in English as they do it without taking into consideration Article 152 of the Constitution and the provisions of laws like the National Language Act 1967 and Education Act 1996 😉

Luckily Datuk Hishamuddin was very cool about it, I saw him talking in TV3 Buletin Utama tonight.

PTPTN Lifts Exemptions

National Higher Education Loan Fund a.k.a. PTPTN (or for some PTPTpu) has lifted exemptions given to borrowers who obtain first class degrees from repayment. The new motto is Now, everybody has to pay 😉

They claim that too many students has excel in their studies, and up to last year 2,464 students who borrowed RM5.5mil had been exempted.

Beijing’s New Enforcer: Microsoft

From the New York Times:

Microsoft has silenced a well-known blogger in China for committing journalism. At the Chinese government’s request, the company closed the blog of Zhao Jing on Dec. 30 after he criticized the government’s firing of editors at a progressive newspaper. Microsoft, which also acknowledges that its MSN Internet portal in China censors searches and blogs, is far from alone. Recently Yahoo admitted that it had helped China sentence a dissident to 10 years in prison by identifying him as the sender of a banned e-mail message.

Original news here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/17/opinion/17tue2.html…

(As usual a copy of the original news is available when you click on more).

I hope Malaysian government will not see Microsoft as an Internet authority. But it is a scary thought, as only recently we can see Malaysians maximizing utilization of the Internet. (And some government officials still doesn’t know how to use e-mail or worst even scared to touch the mouse). I still remember 8 years ago when people only knows how to use mIRC and play games on their PCs. Well, probably still. I read somewhere that on X% of Malaysians have broadbands at their homes. YES!! Single digit. 🙁

Oh well, I can still remember some people being so amazed when I played MP3 on my notebook. Yes, there exists people like that even now, in the city of Kuala Lumpur.

Continue reading Beijing’s New Enforcer: Microsoft

Microsoft FAT Patent Upheld

theodp writes “After initially rejecting Microsoft’s File Allocation Table (FAT) patents, the USPTO has ruled them valid. From the article: ‘Microsoft has won a debate where they were the only party allowed to speak, in that the patent re-examination process bars the public from rebutting arguments made by Microsoft, said unimpressed Public Patent Foundation President Dan Ravicher.'”

Original post at /.: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/11/0555252&from=rss

If you think this will not have any effect on consumers, think again. FAT is used in almost all consumer electronics (yes, that’s your cellphones, pda, digital cameras). Yes, you wouldn’t have to pay Microsoft, but manufacturers will have to – the price will escalade to consumers, where else?

From http://www.dpreview.com/news/0312/03120403microsoftisfat.asp:

  • A license for removable solid state media manufacturers to preformat the media, such as compact flash memory cards, to the Microsoft FAT file system format, and to preload data onto such preformatted media using the Microsoft FAT file system format. Pricing for this license is US$0.25 per unit with a cap on total royalties of $250,000 per manufacturer.
  • A license for manufacturers of certain consumer electronics devices. Pricing for this license is US$0.25 per unit for each of the following types of devices that use removable solid state media to store data: portable digital still cameras; portable digital video cameras; portable digital still/video cameras; portable digital audio players; portable digital video players; portable digital audio/video players; multifunction printers; electronic photo frames; electronic musical instruments; and standard televisions. Pricing for this license is US$0.25 per unit with a cap on total royalties of $250,000 per licensee. Pricing for other device types can be negotiated with Microsoft.

Ooops they did it again 🙁

Rain Drops, Veggie Prices Rise

REPORTS BY ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD, DALILAH IBRAHIM, SYLIVIA LOOI, MEERA VIJAYAN, NGU IK YING and RENITA CHE WAN
([email protected])

PETALING JAYA: Prices of vegetables nationwide have shot up in the past week, increasing by as much as 175% due to the wet season.

Topping the list are red chillies, which are being sold at a whopping RM20 a kg in at least one market in the Klang Valley. The current ceiling price for red chillies is RM9 a kg.

To make matters worse, if the rains continue, prices are expected to rise further as well as lead to a vegetable shortage for the coming Chinese New Year.

You can click on more to read the rest of the news, or click the following link to get to the original location (if it still exists): http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/1/11/nation/13061697&sec=nation

Continue reading Rain Drops, Veggie Prices Rise

Computers estimate emotions

Many computers are already able to see and hear. However, they have no way of telling whether their users are happy or angry. At CeBIT 2006, researchers will be presenting techniques that could one day enable the digital servant to respond to the mood of its human master.

(Read more about it here)

Some day you won’t be able to curse at a PC in the computer labs anymore, it’ll lock its keyboard and mouse. It may even curse you in your face… I just hope they won’t give PCs arms and legs, otherwise they’ll be able to kick you in the crotch or punch you in the face… Heheh… 😉

Sijil Halal AYAM DINDINGS Ditarik

Source:

  1. http://www.muslimconsumer.org/ppim/news.php?extend.78
  2. http://www.halaljakim.gov.my/content_view.php?IDarticle=98

KUALA LUMPUR: Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) menarik balik sijil pengesahan halal yang diberikan kepada syarikat Dindings Poultry Processing Sdn Bhd berikutan proses penyembelihan ayam di kilangnya meragukan.

Difahamkan antara kesalahan dikesan Jakim iaitu sesetengah ayam disembelih dua kali selepas penyembelihan pertama tidak sempurna dan ada ayam sudah mati sebelum disembelih.

Pengumuman berhubung penarikan balik sijil itu disiarkan dalam laman web Jakim melalui www.halaljakim.gov.my, bertarikh 3 Januari lalu.

Laman web itu yang menjadi rujukan rasmi sijil halal Jakim menjelaskan Sijil Pengesahan Halal Jakim bagi Syarikat Ayam Dindings Poultry Processing Sdn Bhd ditarik balik sehingga diberitahu kelak.

Pengarah Bahagian Kajian Makanan dan Barangan Gunaan Islam Jakim, Che Hassan Fahmi Che Mamat yang dihubungi Harian Metro, petang semalam, mengesahkan mengenai tindakan Jakim itu.

Menurutnya, setiap pemegang sijil halal bertanggungjawab ke atas sebarang penyalahgunaan syarat ditetapkan Jakim.

Continue reading Sijil Halal AYAM DINDINGS Ditarik

Maybank2u.com Charges

I received a forwarded Yahoo! message just now:

“Maybank telah mengenakan cas RM0.50 melalui Internet banking Maybank2u.com bagi setaip penghantaran wang (transfer fund) walhal sebelum ni dia orang tak cas.. mana bleh cam ni.. ini kemungkinan besar pihak dia orang nak kaut keuntungan berlebihan.. nampaknya maybank dah mula menekan customer… forward kat kawan-kawan.. kita hantar memorandum macam dulu.. ”

Translation: “Maybank is charging RM0.50 for transfers via the Internet Banking channel. They didn’t charge before. How can they do this? Most probably they want to get extra revenues… Maybank is starting to press customers… let’s send a memorandum like before…”

I’m not sure whether this claim is true and am too lazy to go check at Maybank2u site. Well, I’m a customer as well and of course I wouldn’t like for prices to be increased or new charges introduced into the system. But thinking of the convenience they have offered, RM0.50 per transfer is little. Unless you live next to a Maybank branch, or you go to the bank riding a bicycle, it will cost you far more than RM0.50 for fuel (plus parking where applicable). Even if you ride a bicycle, your energy would be used.

I won’t complain unless Maybank starts to charge by percentage or more than RM1.00 per transaction. Customer service sucks anyway in most Malaysian institutions, so having to use your PC to do banking is actually a blessing. 😉

Banks are businesses, they look for ways to make more money. Can we blame them?

Cats In The Cradle

Not really my favorite song, but the meaning’s deep and I have been listening to this song since I was a kid… Many artists took this song, the one I occasionally listen to is performed by Ugly Kid Joe

Cats In The Cradle

My child arrived just the other day
Came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
He was talking before I knew It
And as he grew
He said, “I’m gonna be like you, Dad you know I’m gonna be like you”

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin’ home son I don’t know when, We’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then.

My son turned ten just the other day
He said “thanks for the ball dad, come on lets play can you teach me to throw?”
I said “Not today, I’ve got alot to do”
He said “Thats okay”
He walked away and he smiled and he said
“you know I’m gonna be like you, dad you know I’m gonna be like you….”

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin’ home son I don’t know when, We’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then.

He came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
“Son I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?”
He shook his head, and he said with a smile
“What I’m feeling like dad, is to borrow the car keys. See you later, can I have them please?”

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin’ home son I don’t know when, We’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then.

I’ve long since retired, my son has moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said “I’d like to see you if you dont mind”
He said “I’d love to dad If I could find the time.
You see my new jobs a hassle, and the kids have the flu.
But it’s sure nice talking to you, dad, it’s been sure nice talking to you……..”
And as he hung up the phone It had occured to me
He’d grown up just like me, my boy, was just like me…………..

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin’ home son I don’t know when, We’ll get together then
You know we’ll have a good time then.

Damaged Tire

Damaged Tire

This is what my front left tire looked like. The damaged area is the inner part. Luckily we went into a very big pothole on the way from Shah Alam yesterday, and it made me worry so much and took a trip to the workshop.

I’d recommend the workshop (I think the name is Maystorm, in Putra Permai near the Police Station) as the people there are friendly. Plus, they did a very good job on my car alignment 🙂

There goes RM300.00++, but after all it is for safety. Next, changes are also required for the rear tires…