Malaysia Internet Service Provider

I know almost everyday also got people in Malaysia complain about their internet bandwidth speed. Especially the service name started with "S" and the service provider name started with "T". The user blame the service provider for providing the poor service while the service provider blame the user for mis-configure their router/computer setting. Well, I'm not going to do so like them. I just want to said something in a different view.

P.S.: If you are not a Malaysian, you maybe laughing why the theory "Customer is everything, customer is always right." does not apply on the internet service business in Malaysia, that is because we only get very few option and they monopoly everything... what to do?

I understand that in IT world, there is no 100% uptime. 99% down time free is consider world class best service already. User has the right to know what is happening to the service right? Even a shop closed also will put a notice what is happening. What about internet service down or slow? A notice or announcement should put on the website to inform the user right? But sorry to said you can't found those in Malaysia internet service provider website.

What the hell is their website hosting then? They only host about their product and the notice about down time they scheduled. What about those unexpected downtime? Keep quiet and hope no user will know it. Even if user know, they will just bring you around the garden until the service is fix. I don't want claim a single sen back from them, but I just want to know what the heck is happening only as a customer.

You probably always heard from friend that they complained to their broadband internet service provider about slow connection. Well, what they get is always, maybe your area got too many users so it is slow. That was a great answer to them, because they no longer have to do anything for you, because this is not their fault. The user has sign about the contract that internet service provider will provide their best service, but this is already their best service, so don't complain to them.

I think I was long winded and go out of track already. Well, all I want to said in this post is, Malaysia's ISP website are so suck! A website you will never want to visit again after you register / purchased the service.

Code7 Contest

Are you ready to welcome Windows 7? Want to get a chance to watch PDC2009? Here is the chance to win a trip to PDC2009 at US and stand a chance to win some award! You will get the chance to present your work to the world!

https://www.code7contest.com/

P.S.: For students, you can use the same application as you use in Imagine Cup, with the condition it did not win any prize on the final. Well, create one new application for this competition and use it to join Imagine Cup 2010! Yeah!

Misinterpret? Miscommunication? Mistake?

I can’t stop my laughing after I read the news about Imagine Cup on my local newspaper.

Sometime miss one word can have a big different, really big different. Most local newspaper put Malaysia won Imagine Cup 2009 without putting the category Design for Development. This can lead to a big misleading cause Imagine Cup main category is Software Design, thus Romania should be the winner this year. If team member of team Romania read this, I’m sure they will sure have a great laugh.

Sometime I really like to ask Chinese newspaper, why they want to translate every single word. If you translate it right, that is OK, if not, it will turn into a great funny story. Guess what is Imagine Cup translation? Answer was… 世界視像杯 (by Guang Ming & Sin Chew), 创意杯 (Kwong Wah). I have no idea how they come out the word “World” and “Image” in the name. Kwong Wah translation was acceptable. Guang Ming very nice, help our team, Team Cosmic translate a Chinese team name as well, named 宇宙隊 and Capricorn translated to 天蠍座. Sin Chew even translated the project name, this is the first time I heard about my own project name in Chinese language, Virtual Health Connect translated to 映像保健聯繫 and GreenEve2Peace translated to 和平綠化. Kwong Wah did not translate the team name and project name. Furthermore, Guang Ming enter my name wrongly, my name is 黄敬翔 not 黃散翔. I’m not split yet…

Guang Ming written that our project was provided RM40,000 development funding. Wawee, where the hell did the RM40,000 come in? Drop from the sky? Don’t simply write something like this, very dangours one lo. Mr. A said something funny to them?

Sin Chew written that USM joined Imagine Cup in year 2004. I think they have some misunderstanding what our Dean said. Actually is since year 2004, not on year 2004 only.

Lastly, guess what they translate “Microsoft”? 电脑软件公司 by Kwong Wah! I guess Bill Gate will laugh if he saw this too.

Source:

http://www.guangming.com.my/node/51933?tid=3

http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/122374?tid=1

http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2009/07/13/116.html

Imagine Cup 2009: Day 2 Video

Check out the video. Our competition still haven't started while other already go into top 6.

Pyramid

Guess what? We got the first chance to visit to the Pyramid today. Yeah! Tomorrow we are going have presentation for our competition and we will miss out the culture day, so Microsoft give us the first hand of culture day.

What is my mind when I see the Pyramid? My mind was "How the hell they build that thing?" We even got the chance to visit inside one of the small pyramid. Dark and narrow inside. What you can see is just stone...

When my friend helping me taking photo, one of the Egyptian come and pretend nicely to us, then grab my camera and want me pay him into get back the photo, I was lazy to argue with him and just give him 10 Egypt pound to chase him away. But he so greedy and want some more. Damn, but I didn't give him more. Although this has spoil my mood a little bit, but overall the trip was so fun!

Imagine Cup 2009: Day 1 Video

Find us in the Day 1 imagine Cup video!!! Yeah!

Imagine Cup 2009: Opening Ceremony

We just attend the opening ceremony of Imagine Cup 2009. Like last year, there is a lot of fun. Running around and shounting for your own country. Have a lot of food, but the queue is so long and have to wait, meet friend there and so on so on...

Diary: Just Arrive Egypt

We just safely arrive at Cairo, Egypt. My first impression is... There are a lot of sand!!! The airplane fly through the desert before reached at the airport. Looking around, I see sky and sand... Ya. There is no cactus here, not every desert has cactus I think.

After arrive, we heading to our hotel lead by Imagine Cup crew. The first thing go into the hotel was... WAhhh... 5 stars hotel man! After we got our room, we even shock! Is this our room? That room can fit more than 8 people but we only got 4. There are 5 big LCD TV in our room, washing machine, oven, all sort of cooking stuff, 4 big beds + 1 small bed, sofa... Man, this is the first time I live in such big hotel room.

More story to tell later, stay tune.

Diary: Get Ready for Egypt

Tonight I'm going to take the flight to Egypt, but I yet to finish packing all my stuff. In fact, I just throw in some cloth only. There are many thing waiting for me to be complete in a short day time.

Mixture of different feeling, nervous because is going to a place I never visit. Hope I can touch the Pyramid. A bit of scare because of AH1N1, although I had already taken the Influenza vaccination, but I heard is still possible for me to get the "lottery".

Well, there is going to be a busy week for me again.

Imagine Cup 2009 Malaysia Website

Finally our Malaysia Imagine Cup got it's own website in 2009. Although I think it won't last very long as the it is ending soon...

http://www.myimaginecup.com/Default.aspx

Check it out, more to come later.

Imagine Cup 2009 in Unite State

Want to know more about how other peoples doing for their Imagine Cup project this year? Check this out. This website shows all projects that participate in Imagine Cup 2009 in Unite State. Remember to give them a vote if you like their project.

http://www.icuspeopleschoice.com/

Diary: Feel so down

Every time participate in a competition we also hope that we will win. Although we keep on remember ourselves that it does not matter whatever win or lose, but it still a big impact we receive the news about losing to others. Maybe thing doesn’t away go as smooth as I think. I think it is time for me to sit down and plan over again.

I think this is call the fighting spirit... need time to build up the spirit again...

Lazy Blogger

I always got a lot of idea/thing want to express in the blog, yet I was very lazy to write it up. Well, I’m not those who good in expressing my own feeling using word. After much thinking, I plan to make my blog short and quick. Thus, my blog maybe bored and dry.

Well, some of you might suggest me to write short blog in twitter. Ya, I didn’t have a twitter account and I start enjoy the fun bring my twitter, but some time twitter word limitation cannot allow me to write out the thing I want to express. Well, I guess blog is more suitable for this.

Till I start the new short blog then…

I like and dislike about Google Chrome

I like it because:

• The interface is so clean and compact yet everything you need is there. No extra wasted space.
• I no longer type into the wrong box as Omnibox is combine address box and search box.
• It won’t hang like firefox when some plugin stop functioning like pdf viewer. Just clocse the stop working tab and everything is alright.
• The quick access home page show my frequency access webpage without any effort from me which is too good for a lazy user like me.

I dislike it because:

• Until now it still don’t have any extension like ad-block, I miss them just like in Firefox.
• I like to clear my cookie every time I close my browser, but Chrome just doesn’t have this option.
• It can’t be use when there is no network connection. I use Chrome to test the web application I created, but if without the network connection, it refuses to load my page which running at localhost.
• There is no way to customize the quick access homepage if I really need.

Diary: The Day Before FYP Demo

I don’t blog quite some time already. I has been busy about all the assignment, project and final year project that come non-stop on me. Final year project report due today… (ya, today, mid-night already). This going to be my quick blog post.

I just want to said something out loud at this moment as I was so piss off. Silverlight + WCF = Disaster. I have been have a hard time configure Silverlight and WCF to work in IIS server. This is even worse than those open source configuration. Now I understand why people said Microsoft development tool is powerful but when you deploy your thing into server, that will be the pain. Also also understand why we got developer and system admin, because system admin job is to deploy the application (because it is too complicated and need another people to handle).

OK, back to my work…

MSC-IHL Business Plan Competition 08/09

The MSC-IHL Business Plan Competition just ends today with a prize giving ceremony at Nikko hotel at KL. Well, the result is a little unexpected, UTP get the champion in the Business Plan Competition, which we miss the presentation and later found out their idea was really interesting and good. USM won first runner-up in Business Plan Competition and Merit prize in Business Idea Category. I know the school has a little disappointed as they expect us to win at least a champion come back, but we did our best for everything already. APEX this title on USM sure has given a lot of pressure on lectures and students.

Yesterday was the most tired day, as that is the day of competition. We have practice until late mid night and wake up early morning to attend the competition as we will be the first team to present in Business Plan Competition. We are well prepare and waiting for our time to present. Because of the time keeper misunderstand the timing rule, he only give us 10 minute to present instead of the actual 20 minute. Lucky we still can manage to complete it although we have already skipped a few slides and skip a lot of explanation. The feedback from judge is quite positive as first, so we though this is a good start. Later on they told us they have did the mistake for the timing, so they will give us an extra 10 minute to present what we miss after lunch. At first we was very happy, but thing did not turn up as we think. The judge request us to skip the presentation and turn the 10 minute into just Q and A. The judges were well prepared after the lunch and bring a lot of tough questions and a lot of comments/feedbacks. What we can do at there is just listening. After that, our team has lost the confident and packs our thing and goes for Business Idea Category to prepare the next presentation.

The Business Idea Category room was so small, what we can do is just stand there with my heavy bag on my back. After a small break, we are there to prepare for our idea presentation. As what we expected, we will hit by a lot of tough questions about our idea weakness from judges and the presentation was not really smooth as well. After that, we have a small talk with one if the judge and knowing our result are not too good. Kind of depress that time.

One of our friend in Microsoft call up for a tea drink as he is passing by that area and knowing that we are there. After have some small chit chat we went back for dinner and go back to sleep. Really need to thanks to Ian that helps us reduce the pressure and forget about those bad things we have gone though in the competition. We are just too tired that night, and we fall asleep very quickly.

I really want to thanks to my teammates, jasy, matthew and wan koe as they done a lot of hard work prepare the slides, document and research while I can’t really provide much help at there. I think without them, I wouldn't have come so far to KL and even won 2 prizes. I also want to thanks Roslan, Dr. Vincent, Pn. Rosnah, PPKT stuffs for their advisor and support. We learn a lot in this competition, not just about business thing but I also learn about my future with just programming is not enough.

Chain mail – Are you really helping others?

Once in a while I will receive some chain mail from friends regarding about saving someone by forwarding this e-mail to others. To be honest to tell everybody, I will delete the mail as soon as I found out. Cold-blooded right? But, did you all really spend some time thinking what can you help by forwarding the e-mail? Are you really helping them or you are just falling into a trap of spammer?

Seriously, did you believing by forward more e-mail to others and the one mention in the e-mail will receive more donation? Are you thinking by just forwarding more e-mail to others, will save the child from rape by others in Africa? I will tell you, you did not help anyone of them yet you are pulling all your friends in your contact list into the trap of scammer/spammer. This kind of e-mail is how they gather your e-mail address and sell to scammer/ spammer, or they are the scammer/spammer.

I just received 2 e-mails about South Africa's Child Protection Unit is to be closed and urges recipients to "sign" a message protesting the closure before sending it to others. After a simple search on Google, I found that the e-mail is just another scam e-mail.

Link:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/child-protection-unit-petition.html
http://www.joewein.net/hoax/hoax-saps-child-protection-unit.htm
http://www.saps.gov.za/org_profiles/core_function_components/fcs/hoax.htm

Now ask yourself, are you really helping others or you just a helper of scammer/spammer? Think twice before you forward an e-mail to your friend next time. A kind heart which trying to help others is good, but don’t let other misuse it.

Attacked by spam

Recently, I receive a lot of spam mail, especially streamyx mail which don’t have any build-in Spam filtering system receive almost at least 1 spam mail every hour. This problem really annoyed me when the notification will notify me every time receive the spam mail. I don’t need any medication to prove that I’m a male and I don’t want to earn and fast money by bank transfer. Spammer! Just left me alone!

Recently my mobile phones also receive a lot of spam SMS since I joining a lucky draw contest organize by public bank. Yes, is from Public bank, the contest form is given by their customer service worker to me. The SMS is not from Digi, but from some unknown numbers. Now I cannot stop relating the Public bank with the spammer…

Ahh… I hate spammer!!! I HATE THEM ALL!!!

P.S.: To all my friend, don’t send me meaningless empty mail (no content inside) and please put a title for your e-mail and please write something in the content although you are just send me file using e-mail, because my mail filtering system is very sensitive and myself also very sensitive, I might delete your e-mail before read it.

Vitrox: CS student lost to EE student?

Yesterday, Vitrox Company has sent 2 peoples come to our school to give a career talk. Well, I was there as some rumor said that the company’s pay was not bad after all and I do not know much about that company. I think it is not a bad idea to spend some time and go listen although I plan to continue my study after all.

I was happy to hear that the benefit and salary provide by Vitrox is almost the same like those other multi nation company, but there are something I piss off when they mention Computer Science (CS) student usually will have lower pay then those from Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EE). Why Computer Science student must mark a lower rank compare with those EE student? Well, that kind of thing always happens in industrial world, but I just not happy to hear from someone outsider saying this.

After that, the girl (from Vitrox) said, “I’m surprise to found that EE student all done well in the programming test we given compare with CS student.” The first thing came into my mind, “What the xxxx? You must be kidding.” I bet they did perform any search or research on CS before they come. I was so upset with that sentence. I pack my thing and walk out that time as I have no longer have any interest to listen anymore.

After that, I go have a lunch with my friend who just got an interview from Vitrox. She told me that the test mostly covers C programming and many other non Computer Science related thing. Now I know why CS student done badly compare with EE student. EE student only learn C programming while our Computer Science student learn so many type of languages (C, C++, HTML, PHP, Java, C#, VB .NET, ASP, Perl, and etc). They are just comparing an apple with an orange. Did they done a search on USM CS school achievement before they come to hire the student? I bet not, while they just come and blindly search for people.

If Vitrox think that EE students are just better than CS students then go ahead hire all EE students to build a software department, why come to our CS students. They are just like the other who thinks CS student must know how to fix a hardware problem PC. Thanks to the talk, now Vitrox are no longer listed in my top listed company to apply, although I admitted that I may still apply this company if I really jobless in the future, but this company has just give me a bad first impression.

Accessibility Award

There is another new award in Imagine Cup 2009, Accessibility Award. Although this award is not new, but the registration is open not long ago, but there is no direct link the the description page which hardy found by user.

Accessibility Award
The object of the Accessibility Award is to design a technology solution that leverages people’s diverse physical and cognitive abilities. Designing accessible technology means that it is beneficial and usable by everyone, and empowers people with disabilities, temporary difficulties, or the desire to personalize their user experience.

Link: http://imaginecup.com/Competition/mycompetitionportal.aspx?competitionId=33

For some reason, the hardware design award has taken out from the website, I wonder that award is cancel or not.