Well said, as all of us know, there’s a lot of worm, virus, and spam targetting windows machine, and my young boy wouldn’t know anything about that. Just after 3 months using windows desktop, it started to hang, crashed, blue screen and whatever situation that can happened on windows (as you know…). I try to fix it, reinstall the OS, and it’s a successfull mission. But it won’t last for another 1 month. The crazy things start happen again. The blue screen, the pop-up windows and all the Windows XP issues surface. It gives me a headache!

Later I realize, it’s not my son fault. He’s just 5 years old when he start using computer. Then this is where I decided to give him my MacBook Pro so that he can’t simply download or accidently click unnecessary links at the website.

My judgement is correct, he use the Mac without any problem for few years. Downloading only Mac games, hooked to facebook and just play any online flash games. He’s happy with it and I’m glad that I don’t need to fix it regularly as like I did on windows machine.

And, comes his younger brother, 3 years different, start using the same Mac.. until one day he accidentally pour a cup of milo-ice on the Mac while using it… the rest is history!

Politicians have failed to realise that the people are fed up with their politicking and expect some significant changes to our society and hopefully those changes are in line with our country’s goal of achieving vision 2020.

I watch everything from the sidelines hoping that this unnecessary mess will stop and that Malaysians will once again be proud to call themselves Malaysians.

I have come up with a list of essential things which have either been ignored or left un-addressed. I hope politicians will look at these points which in my view are essential for us to achieve Vision 2020.

» Good roads are mandatory.

» Good manners are paramount.

» When an accident takes place you find yourself asking how is the person doing, rather than whether he is Chinese, Malay or Indian.

» When you board a commuter train, people don’t rush into the train but behave in a civilised manner. People readily give up their seats for the elderly, disabled or pregnant.

» People stop saying that they can’t rely on the police force and that they are corrupt.

» Our leaders speak directly to us instead of using the papers or any other media.

» A non-Muslim is given the chance to lead.

» What we read in the papers reflects what is happening instead of what was supposed to happen.

» People realise smoking and drinking are bad for health.

» The day the government realises that the people are whom they answer to and that they are responsible for putting them there.

» When the day comes you see a trader or whoever it is that you come into contact with who smiles at you and gives you the service that you deserve.

» There are no more beggars on the street, the ones that exist are taken care of by the government

» There is no more prostitution.

» The Federal Constitution forms the basis of governance in the country and shall not be questioned.

» Every human being is treated the same, no one is brown, black or white.

» No special privileges for the select few, you have the same basic profile like the others, use it and develop yourself.

» Illegal immigrants are deported immediately.

» Sports is given pride of place and we are able to produce world beaters.

» Public service is commendable, people should say that the government service is better than the private sector.

» What you see advertised in the newspaper is actually what you get. No more gimmicks.

» Everyone is allowed the space and time to worship and practise their religion.

» We are all Malaysians, anyone who doubts that should be questioned in court.

» You go to the mall and you see all the races.

» During festivities, we visit each other because we want to and not because we have to.

» Traffic accidents are kept to a minimum.

» Results and entrance requirements into public institutions are made public.

» No more race-based politics.

» Political parties should be based on ideologies.

» The people should be allowed to scrutinise everything their prime minister does or says.

» Elected leaders should take part in open debates. If you can’t talk to your own people, how are you going to talk to the world?

» When you go as a tourist overseas, people envy you for being a citizen of Malaysia.

» A Malaysian wins the Nobel Prize.

» We qualify for the World Cup.

» We win a gold medal at the Olympics.

» People worship our ministers as if they were Obama.

» Health care is affordable and available to all.

» The ratio of police officers to civilians is acceptable and thus every corner you look there would be at least one policeman.

» You feel safe to take a stroll down the park.

» The judiciary functions as an independent unit.

» Every single sen that is spent by the government is available for public purview.

» Every district and state functions on its own without much aid from the federal government.

» Every single citizen fulfils his responsibility to vote.

We should live by example and be happy with what we have but continuously strive for what we don’t have. Please give me something to shout about as a Malaysian.

Everybody keeps saying that travel on the NSE is a burden financially. However, the urban highway issue is more pressing. The government should look into BESRAYA, GRAND SAGA, SPRINT, NKVE, NPE and the SMART tunnel where urbanites have to pay toll everyday, sometimes three or four times a day.

The amount of toll paid at these highways adds up to a bigger amount compared to what is paid on the NSE.

In addition, the NSE is not a highway that the average consumer uses regularly. The biggest beneficiary of lower toll or abolition of toll on the NSE would  be businesses rather than the man in the street who does not frequently go on long-distance trips. Therefore, priority should be given to tolled links which ring the Klang Valley.

By only privatising PLUS, what message is the government sending if it does not have a follow-up plan for other toll roads?

Why are we focusing on only upgrading facilities and other tangible stuff as ways to enhance the level of sports, when in fact the root cause is in the mindset and attitude? When one has the passion or aspiration, one can succeed. The problem is many of our sportspersons are fame- and money-driven; and the coaches or managers often discriminate when selecting players. Remember the time when we had footballers like Arumugam, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh, Mokhtar Dahari? And the time when we had Ng Boon Bee, Punch Gunalan, Tan Yee Khan?

The Africans are a good example. They don’t have posh sports centres and yet they do well in football, athletics, etc. Datuk Michelle Yeoh loves dancing (she learnt ballet). Her passion in ballet subsequently helped her in her kung-fu movies and led her to stardom. Datuk Jimmy Choo’s passion for shoes brought him to where he is now. Many people have turned their hobbies into careers with much success because of their passion and belief in what they do.

So please stop wasting our money on non-beneficial projects! And to all sports- persons, please get your mindset and attitude right.

Come today, I hate to imagine the overcrowding of these public amenities that are never on schedule and subject to frequent disruption without any announcement at all. Taxi drivers who do not use natural gas too will impose new rates on their own. Haulers and other goods transportation networks are going to be hard-hit. The profiteers and going to have a field day as the government is so weak on enforcement. The overall impact on the cost of living is simply frightening. The hardcore poor may even face starvation.

We urge the government to cancel or postpone all the proposed mega projects and growth corridors that are not going to benefit the rakyat at this point of time. The government must eat humble pie and engage economic experts to advise and restructure spending. It ought to consider the plight of the poorest. I dare say this fuel price increase is enough for the government to lose further support as the rakyat has nothing to lose by voting the Opposition to replace the federal government.

The anti-smoking campaign has been running for years, but it appears that more people are picking up the habit. The Health Ministry and other agencies must have spent millions, if not billions of ringgit on advertisements and other efforts to educate the public, especially the young on the dangers of smoking.

Pictures showing how a damaged lung looks as a result of nicotine blockages and other horrible pictures simply no longer have any effect. Similarly, banning smoking in certain confined areas have not achieved the desired result. What is more disturbing to non-smokers is that even those who are supposed to enforce the law on smoking are themselves happily puffing away in restricted areas.

The same with enforcement of the use of rear seat belts. There have been many complaints about this new law. Forget about its advantages and the safety aspects. Most of the complaints I have read are of how much it is going to cost to install rear seat belts, and show no appreciation that the government is doing something positive for motorists. It seems the lives of loved ones must be calculated in ringgit and sen.

Perhaps the only way to shock the peo-ple would be to let smoking-related deaths soar. Only then will the public wake up.

The same applies to rear seat belts. Stop the campaign, fatalities of rear passengers will rise and maybe then car owners will come to their senses and install the belts.

So if people do not wish to heed warn-ings on the dangers of smoking and not using rear seat belts, so be it. Let’s channel the money to some other worthwhile cause like helping the poor.

This could help Google in its efforts to lure more people off desktop applications sold by Microsoft and onto the mostly free Web-based apps Google offers.

Google Apps Team Edition is a free service that lets people within the same e-mail domain collaborate easily with Google Apps, a package that includes Docs, Calendar, Talk, and Start Page.

Unlike IM applications, which open communication to anyone on the Web using a compatible IM app, Google Apps Team Edition lets you share with people only in your same organization.

Google’s stand-alone hosted apps for consumers haven’t really made a splash in the corporate world, largely because of the security threats posed by how easy they make it to share sensitive work data with people outside the company.

So Google created Google Apps, a free Standard Edition and a Premier Edition that has a fee. These editions give an administrator control over how the apps are used, allowing for services to be disabled, new services like Gmail to be added, and integration with apps for things like single sign-on. Google offers security and government regulation compliance services for those editions 9789901 through its Postini acquisition.

“People are already using the consumer (hosted Google) apps in the workplace, like they did IM a decade ago,” said Jeremy Milo, senior marketing manager for Google Apps. “We’re trying to bring more security by introducing the notion of domain awareness.”

The Team Edition offers a compromise for workers who want to use the apps in a company that isn’t already using Google Apps or if the company lacks an IT administrator. An administrator can always step in and switch from Team Edition to Standard or Premier if they want. And a new domain can be acquired through the Standard Edition for $10 for those who need a uniform e-mail domain.

(Credit: Google)

With Team Edition anyone can open an account and start using the apps with anyone within the organization. For instance, a group working on a team project could use Google Apps Team Edition and be able to access the shared documents from any computer over the Internet.

“Google Apps Team Edition is another on ramp” to Web-hosted apps, Milo said. “They are one more way for businesses to get comfortable with computing in the cloud and anywhere, any time access to critical information.”

2007 has left me some significant issues and events. I can only summarize what have come across my mind at this moment:

1. The year when Manchester United win Premier Leagues title and fail to beat Chelsea in FA Cup final and lost to AC Milan in CL semifinal.

2. When a rookie made a major headlines in Formula One with Louis Hamilton of McLaren consistently make a podium finish, but failed to win the title when it goes to Kimi of Ferrari. McLaren has been fined USD 100 million on spying Ferrari’s setting and Alonso is the scapegoat! BMW Sauber Petronas grab the runner-up.

3. Dr SMS of Malaysian made it to the space, harbouring with another astronouts at Russian Space Station.

4. Fuel and Cigarettes price extremely increase. It’s all about political issues in this country.

5. Swisscash left thousands of people kaput.

6. Get involved in Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market.

7. Can’t make it to the Sepang for the first time since Formula 1 live at Malaysia.

8. Finding new business opportunity in fertigasi agriculture.

9. Lost USD 2k in forex within few minutes when Tony Blair (UK Prime Minister) is ready to announce his resignation.

10. Selling of my second car.

11. Settle down at my own apartment. 15 years loan, i think that’s enough. 11 years to go!

Well, that’s all I can figure it out at this moment, maybe there are some left behind, and of course the are some significant events that I think better for me to keep it myself.

See ya 2008!

Now, ad networks changes their terms and conditions all the time, but the WidgetBucks change is the most mindblowingly stupid idea I’ve ever heard:

From now on, publishers will only be paid for trafffic from the US and Canada.

For many publishers, that will completely wipe out their earnings, and they may not even be aware of the change. Meanwhile, WidgetBucks are continuing to accept clicks from outside the US and redirect them to their own affiliates. (I just checked – one of my links was redirected to Amazon via mpire.com)

In short, they’re generating money from your traffic, while refusing to pay you for it.

Now, there’s a possibility that this is just a really, really bad attempt to try to stamp out fraud and not a ’scam’, but the consequence for publishers is exactly the same – WidgetBucks is stealing your traffic and not paying you.

I’m not sure whether to remove or not all WidgetBucks widgets from my sites, but I will closely monitor their progress and statements. My personal recommendation is that you should do the same but obviously, the decision as to whether or not to remove WidgetBucks is yours at the end of the day.