Monday, June 26, 2006

The most ridiculous way to get a parking ticket

To all the people out there who have your own vehicles, I guess it's not an alien thing when you comes to parking tickets. We hate them, and we make all sort of excuses to avoid paying for parking. It's human nature to prefer to get things for free right ? Come on, we are only parking for "a while", we will not be so "lucky" to get "三万" (summoned) right ? Most likely, for all the parking tickets you will get, the amount you avoided paying for parking will likely to break even.

So what's the worst that could happen ? How about this. A lady (Shirley Hatcher) parked her car in a zone that is unmarked for any restrictions and went to the hair dressers. When she came back, to her horror, someone paint a disabled carpark lot around her car and another hardworking guy gave her a ticket for that. That's a really stunning development while going for a hair-do.

Here is the article.

By the way, the ticket would have cost her £60 (SGD $168) if she didn't went on to Southampton City Council and gave them a piece of her mind. In additional, her car was damaged by the painting of the carpark lot. This was apparently, repaired for free too.

What a crappy world out there. So next time, quit whining about parking tickets. It's evitable that someday you will strike "三万" for saving carpark coupons and this lady
actually had it worse than most of us.

Heehee i don't even have a driving license.

*In addition...* 1 July 2006
After my saturaday afternoon swim, which Helen and darren also came for, we found a group of 3 "瘟神" standing at the carpark entrance next to Ang Mo Kio swimming pool going in for the kill at 1705 hours. With their parking ticket generator ready for the massacre ahead, Darren sneaked ahead and placed a 1/2 hour coupon on his wind screen before he could
strike "三万". What a timing, coming right after 5pm, these wardens knew the best time to make a $1.30 (entrance fee for sat pool) into an expensive swim for those who did not have sufficient coupons to cover their parking or people who plain wanted to try their luck.

You have been warned.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Exploding laptop

For those who know me, most of you have probably heard my stupid reply for your typical IT questions. Whatever people ask me what will happen when you do wrong something to your IT software/hardware, I will give the worst case answer as, 顶多你的电脑爆炸啦 (at most when you screw up, your com will explode).

Dell_banger1 Well here is a Dell laptop going up in flames for 5 minutes, giving a couple of explosion along the way at a Japanese conference. So you have been warned, don't buy those cheap 3rd Chin-na laptop battery or place a laptop on your ...eh... lap. (This comment is 100% my own bullshit, please do NOT sue me)

Original article here

"Remake" of the scene



For all the non-IT nerds out there, there are many more laptop related horror stories out there. I am not talking about slow or expensive laptops, I am referring to the really dangerous, life threatening ones.

For starters, for the male population, I have this story on a guy who got his penis burnt with a laptop, and another on how laptops can killed all your kids before they are even born (hint *infertility*).

As all our new notebooks are now capable of wireless networking, and with the availability of free hotspots almost everywhere, we are exposed more microwave radiation. As with the case of mobile phone radiation risk scare previously, the same thing happened to laptops and their hotspots. The microwave radiation used in the WiFi networks have been blamed and suspected for all sort of things.

Images Here is one on radiation exposure risk at a school and another on a lawsuit sparked by parental concern over WiFi radiation exposure. Most of the high radiation claims stuff are probably based on bad science. But come on, even if it is true, nobody actually cares now, as the technology is too appealing to dismiss. I rather die from brain tumor then to stop using my mobile phone or laptop. 哈哈 !Those who disagree with me can donate your handphone or/and laptop to me. I am using my sis's hand-me-down Nokia 6610i now and I do not own any laptops.

Are you scared yet ?

*Update* 25 June 2006 - And Dell investigates the issue for now
Most likely to be a overheated laptop battery.

*Update* 02 July 2006 - And Dell says it's a battery fault.
From the inquirer : (Full article here)
"The owner of the laptop was said to be working for an American telecommunications company, but our source declined to reveal more "out of respect for the owner of the laptop and other attendees".

"All his colleagues used Dell laptops too, and the incident must have spelled some anxiety throughout their company for years to come."

* Update * 21 July 2006

According to this article, Dell's exploding laptops isn't really something new.

Quoted without permission from Personal Tech Pipeline :

"Dell grappled with apparently severe overheating problems in scores of notebooks for at least two years before it announced a recall of 22,000 notebooks last year, according to a source close to the company."

One notebook was charred black for several inches on the bottom corner of the unit, about one-half inch from the system fan;

• Another notebook with a two-inch hole showing where a section of case had melted away, charred black and brown on the bottom of the unit, on the side, about half-way between the fan and the battery;

• More than a dozen notebooks where an inch or two of casing had melted away in the right-hand corner above the keyboard and just below the LCD;

• One system that was melted, mangled and charred black on the bottom corner of a notebook;

• More than one notebook with black charring around the Ethernet port;

• Several units that had melted and warped in the area immediately surrounding the cooling fan;

• Several units that had melted or burned away in the area covering and surrounding the laptop battery unit.

Wow, so this confirms what we all suspected all along...it's not the first time a laptop will go up in smoke nor it will be the last.

*Update 15 August 2006* Dell confirmed the problem. Some batteries are now under a recall program. Here is the website.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

The Sudoku VS battle begins !

I believe the majority of you people have played Sudoku before right? This games has been revived and remained popular for a year or two. Many fans have snapped up Sudoku play books, Sudoku hand held games, Sudoku computer games and Sudoku guides in an effort to kill boredom, and to train their logic and reasoning thinking.

250pxsudokubyl2g20050714 Although my laziness have led me from playing the game, it does not stop me from trying to bash some egos by issuing the Sudoku online battle challenge ! Do you think you are faster ? Smarter ? Or your Sudoku solving methods are the best ? Come and get your butt kicked !

My lazy brain has also told me that i will not be attempting to solve another Sudoku for another 68741868976465 days, so you can invite another victim for the challenge for now.

Have fun !

Monday, June 19, 2006

What to do to make kids behave themselves ?

Can't get your kid/nephew/niece/etc to behave themselves? Tried everything and nothing seems to ever work? In the land of the free, where some parents who fed their kids pills because of "learning disability" due to "short attention span", their desperate measures now includes electrical shocks.

Apparently, a Massachusetts school in US, used electric shocks to shock their students into falling in line. Below is an exempt of the report.

"Many of the students observed at JRC were not exhibiting self-abusive/mutilating behaviors, and their IEPs had no indication that these behaviors existed. However, they were still subject to Level III aversive interventions, including use of the GED device. The review of NYS students' records revealed that Level III interventions are used for behaviors including 'refuse to follow staff directions', 'failure to maintain a neat appearance', 'stopping work for more than 10 seconds', 'interrupting others', 'nagging', 'whispering and/or moving conversation away from staff', 'slouch in chair', as well as more intensive behaviors such as physical aggression toward others, property destruction and attempts to hurt/injure self."

Full report here.

An article on the issue here.

Personally I believe this is really bad parenting and for education providers to use the lazy way out : through the use of force to get pre-adults to behave, is really deplorable. The school now feels more like a prison camp, or even a concentration camp for the kids. Instead of solving the problems which the young ones are facing while growing up, the problems are suppressed. This looks more like a short term solution and is set for a disaster in the making.

If this continues, the kids will probably grow up thinking it's the right way to teach their kids. Stripping whatever rights and dignity of their children to make their own life easier is right. Or better yet, it's another Columbine in the making. So much for the land of the free. Laziness have it's limits, people. The parents can't be bothered to discipline their own children, so did the educators. Wow. How about using a condom next time ?

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Are you old and deaf (yet) ?

As all of us know, our hearing progressively get worse as we age, a condition known as presbycusis.

At 17,000 hertz, which is an annoying buzzing sound to those who can hear it (typically those below 24), it has been weaponised by both ends of the equation : The adults VS the kids.

According to this article, some folks have exploited this fact to their evil ends.
As usual, the adults drew first blood by turning it into a weapon which drives kids away because only kids can hear it. (remember, it's annoying)

Then the kids get their revenge by using the tone as a phone ring tone. Since adults can't hear it, ringing phones became undetectable in schools. Or sort of.

Are you the kid or the adult ? Whose side are you on ? Try this mp3 of the 17,000 hertz tone and find out ! Are you old yet ?

Friday, June 9, 2006

Hong Kong mobile phone rage on bus

Following the article on Newpaper for Thursday, "His bus rage spark more rages", because of my kapo-ness, I proceeded to Youtube in an attempt to watch the much awaited video taken by a fellow passenger.

3 For those who didn't know about the incident, it's about an argument between a young man and a middle aged uncle on a public bus. It's subtitled in English and Chinese, and the conversation is in Cantonese.

Bascially the incident occurred on the upper deck of a Hong Kong double deck bus. Our poor young man and the middle aged uncle are both having their conversation over their mobile phone. The young man told the uncle to lower his voice by tapping the uncle's shoulder because he couldn't hear his own conversation, as the uncle was apparently too loud for him. Then the show begins for us.

Let the fun begin !

Thursday, June 8, 2006

A good reason why you should not drink Diet Coke and eat mentos at the same time

Please do NOT try this on your self

Watch this video for an idea, it brings Sentosa's musical fountain to shame, really.

The Formula : Diet Coke + Mentos = Lots of bubbles






How does it works ? Here

"So is it dangerous to drink soda and eat Mentos? Well, a lot of the fizz goes away as you drink. Then when bubbles are released in your stomach, your stomach can expand a bit, and it also has ways of releasing excess pressure. Do not, repeat, do not be stupid and test the limits of your stomach. Don't even think about it. We point you to this cautionary tale."

* Update * The New Paper picked up this story only on 3 July 2006...slow so slow. The internet rules.

Wanna be Magneto ? Here's your chance !

Magneto_01For those who have seen Magneto's amazing CGI magnetic powers in X-men trilogy will certainly long to with in his shoes ... and maybe his helmet.

Here is your chance to do so, although it doesn't really move bridges of as yet ... but you do not have to be a mutant for this ...




Fingerball_fIntroducing the Magnetic Finger !

Oh ya, if you have watched X-men 3, the part where Magneto moved the Golden Gate Bridge is physically impossible because the bridge is not long enough.

And here from moviemistakes.com
Factual error: Take a look at Google Earth - the section of the Golden Gate Bridge Magneto breaks off (tower to tower, with a bit of overhang, 0.9 miles at most, more like 0.85) is not long enough to reach Alcatraz - the two closest points are 0.96 miles apart, and that's the very end of a pier, which most likely couldn't support the weight of the bridge anyway

Tuesday, June 6, 2006

Expensive and strange pillows

For a good night's sleep, here are the latest pillows available to send you to dreamland.

TunespillowThe Music Lovers

The pillow with built-in speaker...
The new, Cozy Tunes Pillow !
Yours for only USD$9.90


041215_lappillow_hmed_8ahmedium The Deprived

The pillow that is made like a women's lap ...
The new, Lap Pillow from Trane Co Ltd, Japan !


Hu112501 The Insecure

The pillow to comfort you ...
The new, Boyfriend's Arm Pillow from Kameo Japan !




Horsehead_1 The Naughty

The pillow that is funny ...
The new, Horse Head Pillow !
Yours for only USD$70 +++


305_nigiri_ebi_sq The Sushi Lovers

The pillows that is for the hungry souls
The new, Sushi Pillows !


That's all folks ... for now.
Time to ditch your classic pillows for one of these !

Monday, June 5, 2006

For the wedding planners wanna be out there

Check out my sister's friend's blog, Wedding Toasts.
She is a wedding planner and the blog is full of "very colourful people."


Most probably, the people mentioned in the blog has left their brain behind, didn't have any to start with or got a massive -100 intelligence modfier when the event "wedding" is active.

Updates : The blog is now dead as she have left the weirdos behind for a greener pasture. But it's still very funny read though.

Saturday, June 3, 2006

You got no brains ! (But it doesn't always means you are stupid)

Whenever we call people "brainless", "brain dead", "your brain is filled with water/hay", we are trying to imply that they are stupid.

However, there are cases where having an empty brain doesn't make you stupid or retarded.

So there is 44 year old man who has almost no brain but is still miraculously, leading a normal live. FOXNews article here.

For the wordly people, read this for more insight on brains ...
you don't need a brain..it's a no-brainer

Super Mario 3D

For the grown-ups with the little kid inside, here is a remake of the original Super Mario game from NES... in 3D !

It doesn't make the game any better in terms of gameplay because it is still the same old 2D side scrolling game.

Get your fix here : Download

Source Article

Thursday, June 1, 2006

Bittorrent : The hidden cost

Bittorrent, the most preferred P2P for file-sharing aka online piracy has indeed, some drawbacks to it.

  1. Addiction
    Nobody will admit it, but a large part the people who uses Bittorrent to get their latest fixes are actually addicted to it. My colleagues, friends and family members are constantly hooked on refreshing their favoite bittorrent sites for the latest torrents for downloading.

    No longer are people searching through the internet search engines for their downloads, they are going straight for the bittorrent sites. *Advertising hint* This is not just an habit, it's definately an addiction for most. Ok, I admit that I am one of the addicted.

  2. Reduced life span of harddisks
    Last month, my 200GB HDD died with 160GB of downloads still untouched (too many to watch). Shortly after, my 80GB HDD died with 70GB of downloads, which are also, mostly untouched yet. What these 2 HDD have in common is that they are the HDD holding the massive downloads from bittorrent. I guess that the constant read and write (despite at 50mb chunk at a time) of the bittorent client has made a heavy toll on the HDD over time.

    The pyschological effects of losing 2 HDD and almost 280GB worth of data is a pain that cannot be described with words. Imagine the time spent to get find the torrents, the time waiting for the seeds to pump more bandwidth, the pain to see them go wasted before they got used, the effort spent to get the HDD repaired, purchasing of new HDD and lastly, the evitable time spent to recover some of the downloads.

    I don't care, I got the 200GB HDD repaired and bought another 300GB HDD. And I am back in business, downloading the internet.