Sunday, September 21, 2008

Shit Happens

Ever felt like going for a run and it rains the moment you arrived? Or waited long for a bus to find it completely packed? Shit happens.

These are only minor shit problems. You can easily pay to go into a nearby gym and wait for the next bus. The more extreme way to solve the problem is to just continue to run in the rain, or walk all the way to your destination. The point is: minor shit problems can be solved by effort. But what about the major ones? You cannot walk out of a marriage out of anger, no matter how big the problem is, that's the vow you made to God and your spouse. You're held accountable. But what if it were before marriage? You are still left a choice...

I'm sleepy. Don't know if I'll get sleep anyway. Work's still waiting, people pending, expectations to fulfill, anger to appease, self-doubt... How does all these things come together at the same time? Did they call each other to arrange to come at the same time? Appease, appease, appease, appease, get a life!

Monday, September 15, 2008

What's Going On, Malaysia?

A few months ago, Barisan National couldn't get two-thirds of the votes for the first time in history. We can see that the people are losing hope in our government. Somehow, I believe that there are still people who vote againts them in hope that they may change for the better. So far from what I can see, they have failed us. Finger pointing all around after the results, not the remorse and let's-buck-up that we hoped for. Disappointed? Don't be, there's more.

The recent arrest of the blogger and a reporter shows that the government has absolutely no idea of what they are doing. The arrest of the blogger shows no freedom of speech in this country; the arrest of the reporter shows that this country has no truth. It fully reflects what this country is made of, and the people running it. The excuse they use is the Internal Security Act, which is meant to protect Malaysia from national security threats. Shouldn't then be the one who sparked unrest about Chinese being "squatters" be arrested instead of the one who commented on it, let it even not be the one who wrote truthfully about it? What's going on? I really don't get it.

If there is no truth to speak of in this country, who can we depend on to seek for justice? Sadly, it reflects our country's regulatory system. I do not want to comment about it, I still want a future outside the prison. Just for thought: Think about it, what's the first impression when you think of a Malaysia traffic police? What is the first thing that came into your mind when you last got stopped by the police? I hope that you will not think of the same thing that I do.

Malaysia is one of the most blessed countries in the whole world. We have no natural disasters, and natural resources are plentiful. We should be one of the top countries in Asia. Instead, our small neighbor who has absolutely no help from mother nature are doing better than we do. If the riches of the country did not convert into the people's welfare, did not contribute into the national economy and reserves, where did it go?

I've never been so frustrated by politics until now. The disrespect for truth and covering it up by brute force is just to much to shallow. The tendency to cover up instead of admitting ones fault has been in our system for far too long. When are you going to wake up and admit that you are in deep shit, Malaysia? And who is that fool, or whoever is behind him to provoke racism issues when we, no matter what race, should be united as one and rebuild what should have been build long ago.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Dell Vostro 1310 Review

I just recently got my 1310 with mixed feelings, so I thought I'd share a bit for those who may be considering to buy one.

Build
It is solidly built. I was expecting a plasticy texture for the back of the LCD screen, as some forums suggest. I got a marble texture instead. So I’m quite happy with that. It does look weird at first glance, the marble texture flip. But I guess those who get a Vostro wouldn’t care too much about aesthetics in the first place.

Touch & Feel
The keyboard types solidly. The touchpad, though small, functions accurately. I’m a bit worried about the left and right clicks for the touchpad though, it’s feels very soft. Brightness of the screen is very good, 30% brightness is bright enough. It has 4 USB ports, sufficient for me. I have a problem with where the power slot should be. 1310 puts it at the right hand side of the laptop, very near to where the 3 USB slots are. It makes it very congested. I still prefer power slots to be at the left side.

Sound
The sound quality is TERRIBLE. I mean it. It cannot play songs as it will give a buzzing sound as though the speaker has blown. I have to turn down the bass to solve this problem. I decided never to use the built-in speaker if I can help it. The volume control on top of the keyboard is useless. One cannot expect to press down the key to bring the volume down, you have to tap it many many times to change the volume. If you have problem with this, I suggest you use the Fn key with the page up / down button. It’s less frustrating this way.

Battery Life
I’m using a 4-cell battery and have read about the short battery life. I can’t believe at the first full charge, the battery indicator shows only 1.15 hours! I was then only on 30% screen brightness. I believe that the battery will eventually last longer after a few charges. But I doubt that it will take me more than 2 hours. I’m very annoyed with this.

Conclusion
Overall, if you are looking for a laptop for its functionality, don’t mind the dull look, poor speakers, and can easily get a power point to charge your laptop, Vostro 1310 remains a good buy for its price. It is solidly built and weights light enough to carry around.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

IT Giant Goes Freakingly Ambitious

I read about the new Google browser today. They're revamping how traditional browsers work. I linked it up with a IT theory many years ago: There wouldn't be a need for fast computers anymore with the increasing speed of the internet. All complicated processes could be sent to a supercomputer through the internet, let it render all processes and send it back to the user. All people will just need a normal computer with superspeed internet connections. My cousin who is an IT expert says it will only stay as a concept as the internet and the browser has it's limitations, and we will have to wait until an Open Source software comes up with something extraordinary.

And here is Google Chrome! The IT gladiator who is daring enough to go through where others dare not. Pull down every wall and rebuild it all over again. I thoroughly respect innovation and daring people. Kudos to you Google!

One can only imagine how far this will bring Google to. If the concept that I spoke of realizes in this Chrome project, all we need is a fast internet connection. There will be no need for high-tech hardware technology. We're all lease it from Google or other vendors. What Google has done is that he is using internet software to challenge the market share of hardware giants like Intel, Texas Intruments, computer giants, etc.

Absolutely brilliant!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Champion of the Gym

You can't believe what I saw yesterday at the gym. I saw a babe on the treadmill at 0.8km per hour, for 5 minutes, plus a toe cramp... Champion!

Just to give you a brief idea how fast 0.8km per hour is, it takes roughly 7.5 minutes to finish a 100 meter dash; the world record set by Usain Bolt at the Beijing Olympics is 9.69 seconds. I'm a statistician, sorry for boring you. In theory, Usain Bolt would have overtaken the babe 45 times in a race... Personally, I think that deserves a world record. (Applause!)

I'm very proud to have known you, Miss Champion. A word of advise: Keep running.