5 DON'TS when you are sleeping

DON'T SLEEP WITH WATCH

Watches can emit a certain level of radioactivity. Though small, but if you wear your watch to bed for a long time, it might have adverseeffects on your health.

DON'T SLEEP WITH PHONE

Putting the phone beside your bed or anywhere near you is notencouraged. Though some of us will use phones as alarm clocks, but please put the phone as far as possible. Scientists have proved that electrical items including mobile phone and television sets emit magnetic waves when used. These waves can cause disruptions to our nervous system. Therefore if you need to put your mobile phone near you, switch it off first.

DON'T SLEEP WITH MAKE UP

People who sleep with make up might have skin problems in the long run. Sleeping with make up will cause the skin to have difficulty inbreathing and problem in perspiring. You will also need a much longer time to go into deep sleep.

DON'T SLEEP WITH BRA
Scientists in America have discovered those that wear bras for morethan 12 hours have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. So go to bed without it.

DON'T SLEEP WITH OTHERS' WIFE
You may never wake up again.!!!!!!!!!

This is the closest location to Malaysia ... sorry .... Pantai Phuket

Calories Burned During Sex

Possible Side Effects of Intercourse
Bouncing 7 calories
Sliding around 9 calories
Serious Skidding 12 calories
Full cartwheel 20 calories
Whiplash 27 calories
Knee burn 6 calories
Chafed elbows 5 calories
Chafed nose 11 calories

Sex Related Noises
Short gasps (per gasp) 3 calories
Wheezing 5 calories
Squeals 4 calories
Ecstatic moaning 11 calories
Low growling 8 calories
Squishing 10 calories
Shouting 16 calories
Screaming 18 calories
Urgent begging 22 calories
Any short speech giving partner directions(”Please don’t stop,” “Faster,” “Just a little more” are common examples.) 25 calories

Approaching Orgasm
Letting go 5.5 calories
Controlling yourself 79 calories
Digging nails into your partner’s back 11 calories
Trembling 15 calories
Shaking 20 calories
Shuddering 25 calories
Trying to keep eyes open 33 calories
OrgasmReal 27 calories
Faked 160 calories

Orgasmic Intensity Scale
Expression didn’t change 1/2 calories
Face turned purple 15 calories
Orchestra swelled 6 calories
Magical explosions 10 calories
Blazing Sheets 25 calories
Earth moved 30 calories
Vesuvius erupted 47 calories
You began moaning in Latin 60 calories

What's a Degree Worth Today?

The Star last week had an interesting article which claimed that many degree and diploma holders are "hiding" their qualifications to secure low-paying jobs in the public sector.
Fire and Rescue Department deputy director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said many graduates only submitted their PMR and SPM qualifications when applying to become firemen, a job only requiring a PMR certificate.“I think many of the graduates may not want to reveal their tertiary education background until they have joined the department after completing their basic four-and-a-half months' training. Most of them are worried that their applications may be rejected if they reveal their educational background in their application forms,” he said, adding that this year some 23,250 applications were received for 533 vacancies for firemen.So, from this little piece of evidence, is it true that degrees today are "worthless scraps of paper" sufficient only to qualify one for low-paying jobs?Well, of course not, at least not totally true anyway. I will hazard a guess that these candidates who were desperate enough to apply for the above positions were not sufficiently qualified in their fields of study, and hence their difficulty in being able to secure a position in their preferred choices. The reasons could be many, and I've discussed some of them in my previous posts here, here and here.However, I will attribute this to a direct result of the lowering of standards in the local universities in order to meet the application and political demands of the country, as well as the inability to attract sufficient quality lecturers and tutors to all the mushrooming universities and colleges (private and public) in the country.

Firstly, it has become too "easy" to enter a university in Malaysia. Many of the students who entered the local universities would have SPM aggregates in excess of 25 (that an average of 6 B4s or C5s for the best 6 SPM subjects) and STPM grades (or equivalent) of 2Ds (or worse). Putting it bluntly, the theory is simple - barring exceptions, you will get rubbish in, rubbish out. There is a large pool of students who should not have been admitted into unversities, in our local universities - when that happens, the standard drops.

Secondly, the universities are then put in a bind - they can't possibly fail all these students, can they? That wouldn't be the politically correct thing to do. Hence as a results, the standards to "pass" and obtain their degrees are intentionally or unintentionally lowered, in order to enable many of these candidates to graduate from the university. The end result of the above - unemployable graduates. It is hence not surprising at all that these graduates are "forced" to apply for low-paying civil service jobs available in the market. As quoted above, that's more than 23,000 applications for less than 550 positions, which in all likelihood pays approximately RM600-800 per month.In my case, where I have stringent requirements for strong programming foundations for my application developers, I'm forced to largely recruit computer science graduates from the top 5-6 local universities with CGPA scores above 3.3 (out of 4.0) to ensure that I get quality. For some of my maintenance and support staff, I will recruit those above a score of 3.0. For those with CGPA between 2.0-2.6 (or worse), these candidates should never have taken up the Computer Science degree - because I really don't think they learnt anything much during their 3-4 year courses.It will really be too inaccurate to attempt to generalise the measure the value of "degrees" today. There are indeed many factors involved - particularly the quality of the institution attended and the grades obtained. If you are a first class honours graduate from University Malaya - I will more likely than not, snap you up immediately, while you are likely to be immediately rejected if you have a second class lower degree from say, TAR College.

Congratulations yannye, you are...

minishorts of minishorts.net

You are outgoing, direct, smart, pretty, and a definite go-getter. You are frank, a little too frank perhaps that sometimes you get on people's nerves and make them very upset. If people attack you, you hit back with triple the force without blinking because you are the kind of person who knows exactly what you are talking about or else you wouldn't talk about it. Your quick-thinking is what makes you special. You are an elitist.

Which Malaysian Blogger Are You?

World Lightest QWERTY Smartphone

Motorola has just announced the launch of Moto Q, which they claim is the world’s thinnest and lightest handset with a qwerty keypad. The Moto Q is expected to be available in Q1 of 2006.

Moto Q is designed to deliver a mobile office experience, like what its close rival Blackberry does. Moto Q combines quality voice, data, and multimedia in one amazing “RAZR-thin” package (13.9mm thin!!). Hence, Motorola believes Moto Q helps make mobility = productivity.

Quoted:
Q leverages Microsoft’s familiar and trusted Windows Mobile software and is among the first devices to run on the new Windows Mobile 5.0 platform which delivers scalable and cost-effective mobile messaging support with Exchange 2003 out of the box. This enables the device to work overtime to leverage existing corporate investments in infrastructure, training and support while continuing to protect office networks, data and applications.


Something really amazed me is the thickness of Moto Q - it’s only 11.5mm - even thinner than the famous RAZR !!

Let’s have a look of the summary of Moto Q’s key features :-

One of the first devices to run on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0; Optimized for Microsoft Exchange 2003 and a variety of third party email solutions that enable a broad set of corporate email capabilities
Thinnest QWERTY device in the world – 11.5mm
Full, ergonomic QWERTY keyboard, 5-way navigation button and thumb wheel
Video clip capture and playback
Connectivity via Bluetooth, IrDA and mini-USB; compatible with Motorola’s line of Bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets
Multi-Media Messaging (MMS)
Dual, stereo-quality speakers
Audio formats supported: iMelody, MIDI, MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, WAX, QCELP
Image formats supported: GIF87a, GIF89a, JPEG, WBMP, BMP, PNG
Video formats supported: H.263, MPEG-4, GSM-AMR, AAC, WMV
Mini-SD removable memory card slot
Large, high-resolution display (320 x 240 pixels, 65K TFT)
1.3 mega pixel camera with photo lighting
Personal Information management (PIM) functionality with Picture Caller ID
Advanced speech recognition and speakerphone

Learn how to maximize battery performance

What do the iPod, Sony PlayStation Portable and Motorola RAZR cell phone have in common? Sure, they're ultracool gadgets. But they, and similar gadgets, also rely on rechargeable batteries.
While batteries probably don't rank high on most people's list of hot high-tech topics, PSP screens would go dark, RAZR calls wouldn't be connected and you wouldn't be able to listen to any iPod tunes without them.

Today's most popular battery choice is the lithium-ion variety. Other types you may see are lithium-polymer (Li-Poly and very similar to lithium-ion) nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH).

Here, some battery tips:

•Consider battery conditioning.

Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries typically arrive in a partially charged state. Most manufacturers will tell you to completely charge them before use. Otherwise, they don't need to be conditioned.

Nickel-based batteries require conditioning, which means they must be completely charged and discharged several times before initial use. Otherwise, they won't function to their full potential. Check the manual that came with your device to find out more about conditioning.

•Charge batteries properly.

Batteries can be troublesome. They lose capacity over time. Further, they have a limited number of charge cycles.

You can prolong their lifespan. Failing to properly condition nickel-based batteries could lead to the formation of crystals, which can lead to batteries that won't hold a full charge, which can lead to memory problems in your ultracool gadget.

With lithium-ion batteries, partial charges and discharges are best on a regular basis. These batteries do not develop memory problems.

However, lithium-ion batteries contain a fuel gauge that must be reset periodically. The fuel gauge measures the charge left in a battery. A gauge that is not reset periodically might become inaccurate. This can be critical in laptop power managements systems that rely on the gauge to tell you how much juice is left before the computer shuts off. If the gauge is off, your laptop might shut down unexpectedly, and you'll lose your work. To prevent this from happening, completely discharge lithium-ion batteries about once a month to reset the gauge.

Fuel gauges should not be a problem with nickel-based batteries, assuming they are discharged and charged regularly.

•Store batteries correctly.

It's best to use your batteries regularly. But sometimes you have to store them, and storage can pose problems.

Don't store batteries completely discharged. A 50% charge is optimum for storage.

Also, recondition nickel-based batteries if you have stored them for six months or longer to help regain lost capacity. Charge lithium-type batteries when you're ready to use them after storage.

•Batteries don't last forever.

It's a fact of life. No matter how well you care for a battery, it will eventually die.

You'll have many options when you buy a replacement battery. Third-party replacements are available online. Prices are often a fraction of manufacturers' prices. Sellers might also boast improved performance.

Fight your frugal urges. Manufacturers test their batteries to ensure a good fit. They also test the batteries rigorously for safety. If something goes wrong — such as a short circuit — with a third-party replacement, chances are you've voided your gadget's warranty.

Dispose of your batteries correctly since they contain hazardous chemicals not suitable for landfills. Many electronics retailers have in-store collection points. To find a drop-off location near you, visit the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation home page at www.rbrc.org.

•Last, but not least: Batteries are on the cusp of a new age.

Toshiba recently announced a rapid-charge battery. This lithium-ion model achieves 80% of its charge in one minute. It's fully charged in a few more minutes.

What's more, the battery is small, less susceptible to extreme temperatures and boasts a longer lifespan. It will debut in 2006, primarily for automotive purposes. Expect adaptations for personal technology use.

Fuel cell batteries also are on the way for electronics. Fuel cell batteries aren't recharged — they're refilled with a chemical such as methanol.

This means instantaneous power. The chemical reacts with air to produce power. Fuel cells have roughly 50 times the power potential of comparably sized lithium-ion batteries.

Singaporean vs Malaysian

..... so stereotypical yet so true; so true till it's disturbingly funny

typical singaporeans' "practice" for simple living :
1 - one wife
2 - two children
3 - three bedroom condo
4 - four wheels
5 - five figure salary

typical malaysia malays' "practice" to simple living:
5 - five children
4 - four wives
3 - three figure salary
2 - two wheels
1 - one-storey link house

New mouse for Macs has multiple buttons

BY Greg Sandoval, The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO

Apple Computer Inc. introduced on Tuesday its first computer mouse with multiple buttons, including four sensors and a tiny scroll ball.




Apple Computer's 'Mighty Mouse' is a big departure from its traditional model.
AP/Handout

Although a departure from the company's traditional mouse, the "Mighty Mouse" looks very similar to the single-button model Apple has long produced.
The most obvious difference is the relatively tiny scroll ball at the mouse's head, which can move cursors diagonally as well as up and down across display screens and can be pressed to "click" functions.
Like Microsoft, Apple has for years built added functionality into its operating systems to accommodate multi-button mice. But you had to buy mice made by other manufacturers, such as Microsoft or Logitech, to take advantage.
Designers of the new Apple device wanted a scroll ball that was less obtrusive than other scroll balls and "stayed out of the way" of users who chose not to use it, said David Moody, vice president of Macintosh hardware product marketing.
In lieu of actual buttons beyond the scroll ball, the optical-scanning mouse has four sensors that can be programmed for multiple actions, just like the left and right buttons on many PC mouses.
Mighty Mouse, which connects via a USB port, is PC-compatible but won't be able to move your cursor diagonally in Microsoft's Windows, Apple said.
It will retail for $49.

AP issue .... revisited

Microsoft product validation cracked!

Yikes when Microsoft announced that it was implementing product validation for the Windows system it sounded like a death keel for pirated software users. Yes no more product support for Windows besides security updates so bye bye freebies. What it does is that Windows requires you to download an Active X control onto your com which does the job of scanning your copy of Windows to determine if there is anything wrong with the serial number. Once it determines that it is genuine it installs a key to enable future downloads. Yet hackers found a way around Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) anti-piracy system last week, only a day after the system went into effect. So even without a valid serial number, users can now use this hack to skirt the system and still get what they usually enjoy in the past. It does this through a simple JavaScript hack that was already circulating. All users had to do was paste a JavaScript URL into the Internet Explorer browser window at the beginning of the process; this turned off the key check, according to users. Details can be found here. A simple cut and past and voila, hackers sure are getting more and more smarter, shows what desperation does to people, it just motivates them to try harder to beat the system.

How it is done ....

Thursday, July 28, 2005Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" cracked in 24h:

window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all' AV sez, "This week, Microsoft started requiring users to verifiy their serial number before using Windows Update. This effort to force users to either buy XP or tell them where you got the illegal copy is called 'Genuine Advantage.' It was cracked within 24 hours."

Before pressing 'Custom' or 'Express' buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:
javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck='all')

It turns off the trigger for the key check.

Sex, Golf and Marriage

We have all heard of these 3 words and are they related? I believe that they are.The reasons are simple, as sex, golf and marriage all need regular foreplays, reviewing and maintenances. Life cycle will be incomplete without one of them. A friend (anonymous) recently got hitched and have been complaining about his bad golf games that were getting worst. I repeatedly told him that it was a norm after marriage and since he is in his first year aka. honeymoon period, he will need to find his footing in all the 3 categories. When he sort out his new life and find the equilibriums, everything ought to fall in place. Importantly the golf game will come back naturally and eventually.Good sex, good golf and good marriage are 90% mental and 10% physical but when they are bad, its 90% physical bruises most of the time.

Nystagmus, defined ....

Background: Congenital or infantile nystagmus is a clinical sign that may take many different forms. Involuntary, rhythmic eye movements are characteristic, as they are in acquired nystagmus. Waveform, amplitude, and frequency can vary with changes in focal distance, direction of gaze, and under monocular or binocular viewing conditions.
Oscillations are usually horizontal in direction but may be primarily vertical, torsional, or any combination of these three. Infantile nystagmus often is associated with other ocular conditions that impair visual acuity and occasionally can herald life-threatening conditions. Prompt assessment by an ophthalmologist with knowledge of infantile nystagmus to establish the need for and urgency of additional evaluation is extremely important.
Pathophysiology: Few patients are noted to have nystagmus onset at birth. The term infantile is probably more accurate than congenital and includes nystagmus that presents within the first months of life. This disorder classically has been divided into afferent (sensory deficit) nystagmus, which is due to visual impairment, and efferent, (idiopathic infantile) nystagmus, which is due to oculomotor abnormality, with most cases being sensory in origin.
Data from eye movement recordings have conclusively shown that waveform alone is not a reliable method of distinguishing between these 2 entities. Therefore, it is essential that all infants with nystagmus be evaluated thoroughly for a primary sensory cause. In addition, it recently has been suggested that the following 3 additional subtypes of infantile nystagmus exist: (1) nystagmus associated with albinism, (2) latent and manifest latent nystagmus, and (3) spasmus nutans.
Frequency:
In the US: The precise incidence and prevalence of nystagmus is unknown.
Mortality/Morbidity: Visual morbidity associated with nystagmus relates most closely to the underlying disorder affecting the visual or ocular motor system, which is responsible for the fixation instability. Infantile nystagmus rarely is associated with a life-threatening disorder.
Race: No reported racial predilection exists among patients with infantile nystagmus.
Sex: Infantile nystagmus affects males and females equally.
Age: Most patients with infantile nystagmus present within the first several months of life.
Nystagmus present at birth or prior to age 2 months is more likely to be idiopathic in nature or due to neurologic dysfunction. Sensory deficit nystagmus most commonly presents at age 2-3 months. Further investigation of the visual system is warranted in these cases. Nystagmus associated with albinism has characteristics similar to idiopathic nystagmus but usually is absent until after age 2 months.
Nystagmus that presents after age 6 months is considered late infantile or childhood nystagmus and carries a graver prognosis. The exception is spasmus nutans, with onset in children aged 4 months to 3 years. Resolution of this condition usually occurs within a year of onset. Chiasmal glioma can present in an identical manner to spasmus nutans.
Latent or manifest latent nystagmus often is discovered after the first few months of life, but it most often is associated with infantile strabismus and can be identified by its unique characteristics

Methods of Buying Property In Malaysia

In Malaysia, the two most common way to buy residential property is from the developer (during launch of housing development of condo) or via private sale. Private sales can be a direct sale between 2 parties or through a real-estate agent.

Here we give description of more ways to buy homes. And all of them are available in Malaysia. So if you’re looking to enter or sell in the market, these options may be able to get that 10% or 20% better price. (For further reading, check out Sarah Beeny’s Property Ladder)

For this post, let’s assume you’re looking to buy a house.

From the developer– this is as mentioned above, buying from the developer. For tips on sieving for good companies, read my earlier post. Generally, ask around with your friends, colleagues and industry personnel about your intended property, remember knowledge is power.

Via agents – First you contact several real estate agents specializing in the area you want. Explain clearly to them what you want (price, location, type of property) and check with periodically to ensure they don’t forget about you. Build a good rapport with your agent, their expertise and contacts is essential in getting you the right deal. When you are shown a property you really want, don’t dilliy dally! Put in your offer as soon as possible (after thinking it through) or the property may be sold by the time you decide.

Auction – This process is fast and furious and there can be pitfalls. Be sure to go with someone experienced and you can trust if you are unsure. A lot of it is dependent to luck, but you need to do the tiring legwork and paperwork before that you can land that good deal. The golden rule is to set your top limit and STICK TO IT. Another thing to remember is that vendors may well put up a property for say if there are complications. Therefore, know the background before you commit anything.

Do-It-Yourself – This may be a good way of finding property although you risk wasting a lot of time as vendors then to colour their description of the property they are selling and describe it in a totally unrealistic way over the phone. The best way is to frequently drive around areas you are targeting and seek out those private ‘for sale’ signs. This way you save on agent’s fees. But again, this is time-consuming and frustrating.

Newspapers – This is a good a way to have a feel of the market pricing of a particular area. Papers will carry details of private sales and auctions. But try to study the property section of the papers for few months before buying – that way you can be relatively confident of not only catching the right property of when it comes up but also that the sale price you are hoping for is not too far way off the mark.

The Internet – This media of property transaction is beginning to take-off here. There are a few good local sites, some focusing on second-hand market, some are agents for new launches, some specialize in auctions. Also, the internet is also a good place to find out more about developers, and to learn more about properties and the industry.