take-u-away

Just know about this site on hardwarezone’s forum.

It’s a site about anti video piracy in Singapore -> www.avpas.com.sg

I think i have something to add to the reasons.

The price of the VCD and DVD is not justifiable to the value the consumer will receive. How many times will you watch the same show over and over again, especially when there’s so many episodes for the title. And what is the price? $40+, $60+, etc, depending on how many episodes are there. Paying such a high price for something you’ll only watch once is definitely not justifiable. Well, the cost of making the shows might be high, but it’s the problem of the business, not consumers.

A business exists because it can produce a needed product or service effectively and efficiently for the market. Taking an example of a small hawker stall. If it can produce delectable food at a reasonable price, it will stay in business. If it’s cost is too high to produce dishes acceptable to consumers at competitive prices, it will soon go out of business. And it applies to all businesses.

Video film makers should just apply technology to prevent piracy and also reduce its pricing to be more competitive and justifiable for consumers. That’s your problem to be solved, not for consumers.

To begin with, i’m a bit supporter of open source. Why? Cos it’s free and good (to the extend of what i can get without paying).

Well, it’s good that they are free and provide reliable products. But i they open source projects should pay more attention to how they look. Just take a look at these website printscreens below.

This is Microsoft’s website, a company that is “hated” by many smaller competitors and users, but doing still doing very well.

This is linux.org. Linux is a open source (free) operating system equivalent to MS Windows, except that it’s free and more reliable. But it’s website is like damn shit, looks like a website in the era when internet was just made available with 56k modem.

Then came ubuntu, one of the “brands” of linux. The website is at least a bit better and quite clean, but the problem is it haven’t much evolved since i first visited it a year ago.

“First impression counts”. How many of you will think open source software is comparable to Microsoft looking at their websites. This is the Era of “Looking Good”. Look at Mac’s Ipod, Ibook, Windows XP, Photoshop. They look professional, aren’t they? And what is more important? They are successful. Then how many people are using Linux or Gimp (an open source version of Photoshop) or Open office?

This is Gimp’s website.

And this is Open Office’s

How successful are they?

Microsoft are even coming out with hardware products already. One of their latest project is the Surface

It’s a “coffee table” computer with multiple touchscreen access.

So when is open source coming with better design standards? I dun mind to pay as long as it’s not as expensive as Microsoft or adobe.

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0. I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child processing that took up alot of space and valuable resources.
In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activity. Applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Football 5.0 , Hunting and Fishing 7.5 ,and Golfing 3.6. I can’t seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favorite applications. I’m thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0 , but the uninstall doesn’t work on Wife 1.0. Please help!
Thanks,
Troubled User…..

REPLY

Dear Troubled User:
This is a very common problem that men complain about. Many people upgrade
from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program. Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING !!! It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend 7.0 . It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed to not allow this.

Look in your Wife 1.0 manual under Warnings-Alimony/Child Support. I recommend that you keep Wife 1.0 and work on improving the situation. I suggest installing the background application “Yes Dear” to alleviate software augmentation. The best course of action is to enter the command C:APOLOGIZE! Because ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal anyway. Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean and Sweep 3.0 , Cook It 1.5 and Do Bills 4.2 .

However, be very careful how you use these programs. Improper use will cause the system to launch the program Nag Nag 9.5 . Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional software. I recommend Flowers 2.1 and Diamonds 5.0 !WARNING!!! DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Secretary
With Short Skirt 3.3 . This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system!

Best of luck,
Tech Support

You Are a Chihuahua Puppy

Small, high strung, and loyal. You do best in the city with a adults - young kids could crush you!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Mark sent me this link a while ago, asking what is Sun (Ho Yeow Sun) talking before she sang the song. It’s talking in tongues obviously, nothing new to me. What interests me are the comments below the videos, a whooping 60 over!

At first, the comments are more towards Sun’s status as not being a pastor anymore but still leading worship, then eventually it diverts to something below:

hahaha… thats why u are not a leader. If anyone were to criticise my leader. I mean what an armor-bearer we are. So i mean if I were to criticise ur leader and pastor of something they have not done wrong, would u react like me? or jus leave them open to that affliction. The Bible says that honour your leader and the annointing over his life would be flowed down to u. So I feel u have to really learn how to honour ur leader

The comments led to the topic of judging, and someone began to act like a cellgroup leader, trying to preach. Hohoho.

None of my business, but the comment i listed above drives me to blog something i would like to say on leadership. It’s another diversion again :p

Leaders, they are placed over our lives, sometimes by our own choices, when we chose to join a team; and sometimes without a choice, when we just have to accept it. Everything is alright when the leader is doing right, or when he/she managed to fulfil his job. But when that does not happens, it sometimes leads to some criticism, could be internal or external.

However, if the organization is internally strongly bonded, outside criticism would quickly be defended by the other organization members, such as the example above. (Example hor, i don’t mean Sun did anything wrong). Some people criticised her and it’s quickly retaliated by her faithful members, who MIGHT even not know her personally, as the church membership is so huge. It’s not a matter of right or wrong for the protection, it’s a matter of love and/or the ”family thing”. Just as what Pst Kong had said, if someone tries to criticise his staff/member, he would defend them first, whether they are right or wrong, then will deal with them privately. That’s because they are his members, his family. I remember i once read something from Confucius depicting the same thing - a person should protect his family members, whether they are right or wrong, from outside people.

But what if, if the criticiser is from within a big family, and he is criticising someone higher, maybe from within the middle management. What should be the response from the top leader and the other fellow members who loved the one being criticised more than the criticiser? I think, most of the time if not always, the one being criticised would be defended against the criticiser, which makes the criticiser to become the outsider, forgetting the fact that he’s also part of the family.

So what should the criticiser do at first, instead of criticising? Talk to the person directly? What if both think that they are right? Consult someone higher? And that someone higher would naturally be someone more “family” with the leaders, which naturally consists of the one being criticised in the first place?

Then the bible also says something like this “honour your leader, and his annointing will flow over to you”. So does that mean that if you criticise your leader, you are not honouring him? If so, one should not criticise his leader in the first place, whether he is right or wrong. And maybe yah, shouldn’t criticise, the criticiser should talk to the leader directly about the problem. But again, so what if both thinks that they are right and refuse to change? And that will mean the leader is right and the criticiser is wrong! So what should the person do? Let it be? Leave the current group and join a new one, with a new leader?

I think the bible did say something like - all leaders are appointed by God, whether they are good leaders or bad leaders or poor leaders. Or maybe when the leader is good, but maybe just certain poor decision that we cannot accept. So should one let it be as nothing went wrong? Talk to the leader? Or leave the organization?

Honestly i don’t know the answer, for me, i could have stayed and let it be, but i don’t think that would last long. Maybe when i “Buay Song” the time, i might just leave.

I saw the news again, this time from mrbrownshow’s site. The first time is from CruzTeng’s blog. Mine, it is heard that pluto is considered not a planet. So being a curious cat, i tried to google why. From the search results i got, it’s actually not something new. From as early as the 1980’s, some scientists had already came up with this proposition. I couldn’t read the whole articles, they are just too much detail and too long.

Nevertheless, i don’t think it really matter if pluto is a planet or not. It’s been a planet since I learned of it until now. Pluto is a planet to what i think of it as. Even if it is concluded that it is not, next time if i tell any kids of the solar system, what can i classify pluto as?

A meteor? Why this one got name, others dun have? too lazy to explain.

A rock? How come this rock so big still can float?

A sun? It doesn’t shine leh.

Nah, for simplicity sake, pluto is a planet. Full stop. Don’t ask too much lah. Haha

I happened to see this cat on the grass field while i was waiting for 179 at my hall’s bus-stop. It is walking solitarily and slowly , just like a lioness in the field looking for prey.

Once, it stood motionless for quite a while, observing into a particular patch of grass as if there’s some prey lurking around there. Just like a hunter, the cat stood.

Minutes later, it starts to try digging around, looking for a soft spot. When it finally settles down, it dig the hole a bit more and shits in it. Finishing its “business”, the cat carefully covers up the hole carefully.

I had always like cats. Yes, i do like dogs, for their friendliness and their activeness. But i still do and always like cats more. I like them for their solitary nature, for their wanting for love and pamper, for their independent attitude, for their hunter nature, for their looks, for their eyes, etc etc. I am just like a cat, if you doesn’t like cats, you won’t like me either.

I stayed at home today, mainly because i’m just too broke to go out. I was so happy when i saw my payslip coming in my email, then looking closer, it will only be banked into my account tomorrow, what the %$#^@*&.

Then mum and dad went out, hahaha, so the house is mine, good good! So i decided to cook my own meal….. Found some potatos, eggs, onions, garlic, etc in the kitchen. Hmm…

For the eggs, i decided to make an omelette, with onion and mushrooms.

I like to eat half cooked eggs, so usually when i fry eggs, i’d heat up the wok very hot, then put in the eggs for a while and take out within a few minutes. So i did the same this time. Only then do i realise that i can do it with plain eggs alone, but not with onions and mushroom! :p

It still looks ok, but inside the eggs are still watery, the onions are still raw, the mushroom’s are a bit ok. A bit yucky though.

Then for the potatos, i tried to make some french fries.

I don’t have a frying machine, so i fried it the chinese style of cooking. Chopped some garlic and fried them, as i usually saw how my mum does, except this time there’s much more oil. Then when the garlic turned golden brown, i added the potatoes. It took quite a while to fry, so i decided to get other things at the mean time.

Thinking of rice, i don’t know how to cook rice, or even porridge, so i substitute it with buns. Just the way the beijing stall in can b used to serve. I noticed all my stuffs are veggie, so i decided to add some meat, so i got some nuggets into the oven to cook.

After around 10 minutes, my buns and nuggets are ready, but my fries are still quite stiff.

I got some onions left, so i just anyhow dumped it into the wok to cook with the fries. Finally, after a while, the dish seems ready at last.

Err….. but too oily also, the fries are soggy soggy…..eeE. It makes me feel that McDonald’s fries are very healthy. I think this is really the worst fries i had ever eaten before. Moral of the story : Don’t try cooking french fries at home, spent $2 buying it from McDonald’s is much more healthy and delicious. I ate only a few sticks of the potato and threw the rest away. Cos i think i will die of cholesterol hiccup if i dare to finish it.

Looking at the watery omelette and soggy fries, i think i am going to have diarrhoea soon :p Luckily i found some vitagen in the fridge.

Hopefully it can save me from the food poisoning…..

Come to think of it, i think the thing below smells much nicer.

Fish food! Hahaha

when a person invest in doing something, he puts in his time, efforts, etc. Tat's his opportunity cost and his sunk cost. And with tat, he expects a return in equity after a period of time. And when what he got is less than wat he expected (price), i.e. MC > MR. He will back away. But someone still needs to "buy" the efforts, time, love, etc. he had stocked up. So he himself will need to buy from himself. And this will cause him to own more market share of himself.

if this process occurs more time, he will soon become monopoly of himself. Tat means price of his efforts, heart, time, etc increases. Supply of his time, efforts, etc > Demand -> shortage. Price > MC. This causes barrier-to-Entry of his heart. Over time, the market shrinks and become smaller as people turn to other people. substitution effect and income effect sets in.

Faith is the substance of the things hoped for, evidence of the things unseen. so faith creates an empty portion of the heart to be reserved for the things to come. faith is easy if the market is big enough and is sustainable by other things. so faith = savings. It is something to do with the long run.

But for a market with a broken economy, faith doesn't apply very technically. the Keynesian Theorem states that -> "in the long run, we are all dead". The economy still needs to move on, people/heart still needs to eat. For a small market with high barrier-to-entry, he will need to sustain on his own production, which covers a very large percentage of the economy.

foreign companies wanting to set in will need to give a high price, cos the monopoly has increased the price > MC. And the monopoly cannot be totally removed straight away, lest there be no productions and people die of hunger.

Solution?