I avoid talking politics but Najib’s ads and promo tactics are becoming too invasive. From ads on my favorite sites, personalized mailers, to Chinese New Year TV ads, or banners on lamp posts, or his henchmen are sending me SMSes, I’m sick of his face.
Malaysia
Nov 18, 2012
The most epic bowl of Maggi noodles I’ve ever seen
How do you turn an ordinary bowl of instant noodles into an epic one? By adding a humongous crab to the bowl of course!
The most epic bowl of Maggi noodles I’ve ever seen, courtesy of my friend Ezak’s Facebook photos.
Sep 8, 2012
Amadeus Bistro & Wine Bar – where good music and food meet
Green Peppercorn Steak
My friend Dina recently opened her 2nd restaurant – Amadeus Bistro & Wine Bar – in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. I’ve been eager to visit and have a taste of the food for myself, especially after getting lots of “OMG my mouth is watering!” comments on the photo above that I posted to Facebook
Dina invited me to a meet and greet dinner with some bloggers and I gladly accepted. The bistro has an understated and elegant interior decor. There is a sitting space inside and a bar at the front, making Amadeus great for both sit down meals and just to have drinks. Oh yes, they have Guinness on tap ;) Amadeus also has Enomatic wine dispensers so you can enjoy fresh wine by the glass instead of by the bottle.
Dina demonstrates the Enomatic wine dispenser
The food was also really good. The chef definitely has both talent and experience. The menu he and Dina have put together seems well balanced and the dishes we tried tasted as good as they looked. The lousy photos I took from my phone doesn’t do the food justice, so here are some that I’ve “borrowed” from their Facebook page. Continue Reading
Aug 13, 2012
Malaysian Parliament passes dumb amendment to the law that will screw you over. Learn up the facts and #Stop114A
What you need to know about #Stop114A in plain English
Imagine if someone posts a defamatory comment on your blog post. He’s the author, but under an amendment to the law passed by Parliament, you’d be held accountable. Also consider:
- Maybe you offer free wifi at your business premises. Or someone logs on to your home wifi. They post something seditious through your internet connection, you had no idea what was going on.
- Someone posts something libelous from your phone, iPad or laptop. Maybe it was stolen. Maybe someone was trying to get you into trouble. You had no idea what was going on.
Under the new amendment to the Evidence Act 1950, you have to prove your innocence in the matter. This amendment is called Section 114A – Presumption of Fact in Publication. In plain English, it presumes that you willingly published seditious or libelous content if it was traced back to your computer, website or internet connection.
Instead of being innocent until proven guilty, the amendment makes it so that you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent. Continue Reading
Aug 11, 2012
Congrats Dato’ Lee Chong Wei on your Olympic silver! #TeamMalaysia
Last Sunday, I was united with millions of other Malaysians for one cause: cheering on Lee Chong Wei in the London 2012 Olympics Men’s Badminton Final.
Chong Wei produced a brilliant effort, but alas he was edged out by nemesis Lin Dan.
“I’m sorry,” Chong Wei tweeted after the match. The weight of a nation’s hopes for its first ever Olympic gold must have crushed him.
Jun 27, 2012
iTunes Store launches in Malaysia + other Asian countries
iTunes Malaysia with localized content
Woot! Woke up to some sweet news this morning. Apple has now expanded it’s iTunes Store to Asian countries including Malaysia. This means that we can buy music and movies legally, with our credit cards through the store. The content is localized too, featuring Modern Classics from Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai and Raihan
I’m glad that there’s now an easy avenue for Malaysians to get access to digital media legally, and hopefully local artists can take advantage of this too.
Official Press Release:
Jun 11, 2011
MCMC blocks file sharing websites
In a move that goes against the MSC Bill of Guarantees of no internet censorship, the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry has instructed Malaysian internet service providers (ISPs) to block several file sharing websites. The Star reports that the sites were blocked due to violating the Copyright Act 1987.
Mar 30, 2011
[FAIL] Rosalinda’s Welcome To Malaysia
This is a video that has gone viral for the wrong reasons. I think the original video has been pulled by the artiste, but there are lots like this that put fake and obscene subtitles to the song. Be warned – it could get painful..
Jan 25, 2011
Sensationalist Headline of the Year – Berita Mingguan: Blogger Earns RM1 Million
Berita Minggu 23 Jan 2011
The weekend pullout of Berita Harian called Berita Minggu ran a huge headline titled “Blogger untung RM1 juta” which loosely translates as “Blogger earns RM1 million”. Fiona has kindly reproduced the article on her blog.
Pish pash! No mention that blogging is hard work (and not just writing too). No earnings breakdown like Darren Rowse – watch out Darren, I’m gunning for you.
To make money online, you can’t just blog. You need a plan. A business plan. Because a blog that makes money isn’t a hobby, it’s an online business. This is what I’m blogging about at The ClickStarter (it’s stalled for the moment while I’m working on my secret launch..)
Well anyway, that’s the state of blogging in Malaysia – it’s all about the money. Quick, easy money that doesn’t exist.
P.S. Bloggers can’t escape taxes too. See the accompanying story in the sidebar, LOL
Nov 28, 2010
Say NO to Malaysia’s three strikes law (ISP Liability Act)
The Star star reports that the Recording Industry of Malaysia is pushing for the ISP Liability Act to be tabled in Parliament. This law is the local version of the graduated response approach that recording industry groups, most notably the infamous Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has been lobbying for in other parts of the world.
In summary the law would hold Internet Service Providers (ISPs) responsible for acts of copyright infringement or piracy committed by their subscribers. The law is also known as the “three strikes law” because ISPs must issue 2 warnings before cutting off internet access to their subscribers, i.e. three strikes and you’re out.
This is a bad development
I am strongly against this move by the recording industry for the following reasons:
1) Policing copyright infringement is not the job of ISPs. They should be focusing on providing the best internet connectivity so that Malaysians can compete in the internet economy. Malaysian ISPs already have a tough time providing decent internet connection, now you expect them to be the piracy police?
2) Systems that monitor ISP networks for copyright infringement are not foolproof, and generally track users on a per-IP basis. DSLReports highlights a story from the UK about how an ISP highlighted the absurdity of such a system by driving around a city and downloading / pirating copyrighted songs from unprotected WiFi hotspots. They are also expensive and will increase the price of internet access for Malaysians. ISPs in New Zealand who also have a similar law are not happy about it.
3) The consumer’s rights are eroded because of a lack of due process. Because the ISP want to avoid getting fined, they may tend to be a little too trigger happy when disconnecting their users. In other countries e.g. France where similar laws have been enacted, consumers have been falsely labeled as music pirates and disconnected. After being cut off by their ISP, they face a difficult battle to subscribe to a new ISP because they have been blacklisted.
4) There are no good alternatives for consumers to download music legally in Malaysia. The truth is that the Malaysian recording industry doesn’t want you to download. In today’s day and age where almost every mobile phone can play music, they would rather you buy old-fashioned CDs. What online music download service is supported by the Malaysian recording industry? I don’t believe there are any. Please let me know in the comments if you do. With a lack of choice of legal alternatives, is it a surprise that many opt for the simple way to get music online?
The ISP Liability Act isn’t about preventing piracy, it’s about maintaining old business models for the recording industry
There are other, more effective ways to prevent piracy. Reduce the price of music. Offer affordable, legal alternatives. Put the consumer’s interest before the recording industry. Don’t cripple the digital files that you do offer with DRM. These are just some suggestions off the top of my head.
And stepping even further back, there has been no hard evidence that proves “illegal online downloads have been cannibalising the legitimate sales of music, worldwide”.
I DO NOT condone piracy
My intention is not to promote piracy and illegal copyright infringement. I am merely highlighting the flaws of this proposed law and advocate consumer rights.
I feel that Malaysian internet users should do something to express our dissatisfaction and make our views heard about this proposed law before it goes into effect. Any ideas? Do let me know in the comments.
Related reading
See the comments on No more illegal downloads? at Daily Chilli
New Straits Times: Pirated DVD buyers let off
Niki Cheong: Will the real pirates please stand up?
