Mini-Review: Sony Ericsson K600i

I got my hands on this little number recently when we bought it for my fiancee's parents. Since she has a 3G phone, we figured it'd be good if her parents had one too so that they can video call each other. I chose this model over others because its small, elegant and easy to use compared to Symbian-powered Nokias. Its a steal at RM 900 too, just about $290 CDN.

The appearance of the K600i is wicked. Its plastic, but anyone would be fooled into thinking its metal. Needless to say, the fit and finish is top-notch. Overall, the phone looks very stylish, but for the size of the phone, the display is a bit small. The resolution is 206x176 which is pretty standard these days. Its a little more colourful than most with 262k ability, but the difference is hardly noticeable. Weirdly enough, the screen should be identical to my W800i, but its not. The colours are actually very different. Slightly blue-hinged I think. From what I understand, this is a result of backlight difference rather than LCD. The buttons look real cool too, with the made-of-metal look and all, and because they're flush with the front face. This actually presents a problem though when you use them. Because of their flush mounting, they're a little harder to push than most people are used to. I read about this issue in other reviews, but I didn't realize its this prominent. The K600i uses the older style connectors at the bottom (not the newer ones found on the walkman series), which, in a way is good because you can charge and use the included handsfree at the same time.

The usage of the K600i is more or less just like any other recent Sony Ericsson phone. However, it doesn't have some of the new updates my W800i has. The animation in the menus is toned down a little, somewhere between the K700i and the W800i. I don't think it gives you the option to assign an MP3 as your SMS tone. Minor differences, but since its still sold as a new-ish phone on the market, the firmware should be the same as all the new SE phones. The biggest issue this phone has is that there is no expandable memory. For shame, because otherwise I think this model could have sold quite well. Speaking of sales, I haven't looked at exact number but I think the K600i is selling poorly. I base this on the ever-dropping price. When it first came out, it was about RM 2000 and now its RM 900. Its only been a few months! By comparison, the W800i debuted at RM 1900 and is now like RM 1790.

The camera at the back is a 1.3-megapixel, fixed-focus CMOS unit, and does a so-so job of capturing images. To put it in perspective, its not as good as the 1.3-megapixel unit in the S700i, but its a BIT better than the Nokia 1.3-megapixel cameras. The front camera is a VGA unit, I'm guessing very similar to the camera on the back of the K700i. Its OK for self-portraits to be viewed on mobile phones (not for PC viewing) and ideally suited to its purpose of video calling.

The K600i is a good, solid phone that is low-priced for a full-featured 3G dual-camera phone. Its amazingly simple to use for calling, video calling, SMS, MMS and light browsing, and looks very, very classy with its pseudo-metallic finish. The only real issue with it is the lack of expandable memory, and some minor gripes are the smallish screen (both size and resolution) actually) and flush-mounted buttons that can be difficult to push.

Bottom Line: You can't do 3G on a budget better than this K600i.

XBOX 360s are in stock and so not selling!

Japan has rejected the XBOX 360 so bad that they've started sending out their stock to other countries. I caught a Japanese XBOX 360 in a store display (it said for sale in Japan only on the side!). Gotta love Malaysians for not giving a shit about American laws! Rumour is they're selling pirated UMD discs for the PSP now!!! Wicked!

Mini-Review: Need for Speed - Most Wanted (PSP)

The NFS series has become a pretty big franchise for EA, and I can't really see why. The original NFS was groundbreaking and pure in spirit, because it came from a collaboration with Road and Track. All the cars had very distinct engine sounds and handling physics, something which is not evident today. You could even rip off perfect 0-60 times that match with the actual car. The second coming was highly anticipated, and to most, it was a great dissapointment. It paled in comparison with the original. However, graphics were improved signifcantly. The third NFS enjoyed more success, because it was a better racer with better worlds, but to me it really sucked. Can someone me tell how a BMW M5 (which does 0-60 in 4.7 seconds) is slower than a Boxster (which does 0-60 in nearly 7 seconds)? Or why it sounds like a generic engine, and not like an individual-butterfly controlled, hand made BMW Motorsports V8? NFS 4 was almost the same shit, but the one that followed became my favourite. NFS: Porsche Unleashed was in my opinion, the only NFS that was as good as the original. Perfect sounds and handling, perhaps because Porsche themselves had input. Awesome. I still prefer to play PU than any other. The Underground series drove me nuts, because it uses "rice culture" as a basis for a car racing game. "Rice rockets" and their pilots I despise, because they are the exact opposite of us real enthusiasts in every way. I don't think anyone would argue that Porsche and BMW M are enthusiast, driver-oriented brands. Do YOU see them with all the over-the-top cheezy ground effects, annoying exhausts, nasty lights, bigger-than-F1 spoilers and all that junk on a 911 Turbo or the new M5? On top of it, I wasn't much impressed with the way the Underground games played. Now we have this new Most Wanted edition, which is a successor (though not really) to the Underground series. Same shit, different ... no, wait ... its the same toilet too. Read my review of the PC version and you'll know the main reasons why I don't like it. So why review this PSP version then? The PSP version is significantly different than the PC version, thats why. The biggest gripe I have with the PC version is gameplay, and thats precisely whats better about the PSP version. Its still not quite realistic enough to win me over like TOCA 2, but its a lot more fun to play than the PC version. I'm actually moving up the blacklist in this version, while the PC version sits uninstalled.

The graphics aren't the best I've seen on the PSP, but they're not bad. For some reason, everything has this brownish atmosphere to it, which is annoying to me. Its in the PC version too, and I think its in an effort to create some kind of film-like atmosphere, failing like a nerd at being cool. The cars are pretty well done, and the functioning rearview mirror is a nice touch. I like the barriers the police set up. They look realistic and appear at about the same time they would in real life. Roads are way better done on the PC version, with the reflections and all. NFS for PSP doesn't seem to have night/day or rain/sunshine like the PC version, so there's a bit less eye candy. Still, the 3D is incredibly smooth, close to 60 frames per second, and much more so than the PC version. I don't know how much you'd have to spend to get NFS to run smoothly on your PC, but I'd bet it would cost quite a few PSPs.

The sound is pretty impressive, crappy engine sounds notwithstanding. The siren of the police will really capture your attention, and even the doppler effect is well done. The screeching of the tires as they approach their limits is pretty good. You can even distinguish between drifting screeches and tire-hop screeches on take off.

The gameplay in NFS is what saves the game. Using the d-pad, handling is quite responsive, but not so much with the analog stick. Its too sensitive. Overall its pretty fun to rip around obstacles and have "near-misses" with oncoming traffic. There's a nifty feature where it goes into a matrix-mode and time slows down. In this state where the driver's senses are supposedly heightened, you can make your car brake and manouver around obstacles at 200 km/h as if it were at 20 km/h. Not realistic, but fun nonetheless. So far, the game seems pretty easy to beat, and the FMV cutscenes aren't bad. Much more entertaining than the PC version and most other NFS installments.

The Bottom Line: If I were you, I'd download it rather than buy it.

Review: PSP console

Sony promised a PS2-style gaming experience on the go with the PSP, and they have delivered on that very stylishly. The PSP is essentially a current-generation console made to fit into a sexy handheld format. It has a 4" widescreen LCD that is just gorgeous, and takes up over 80% of the front face. It also has multimedia functionality built into it, but as you'll see later in the review, its somewhat half-baked.
Sony is no stranger to style, and the PSP is definitely no exception to that. A wide-format handheld, its made of glossy hard plastic at the front, with a silver ring dividing its thickness a la Sony Ericsson phones of late, and a matte backside with a metallic PSP ring in the center. The screen is huge, and as I mentioned earlier, takes up most of the front face. This is great, because the huge size combined with the wide aspect ratio makes for a VERY immersive game experience. It feels like you're right in the game, or the movie or TV show or whatever it is you're watching. Holding it in your hands, it will have the same impact as a 57" TV 6 feet away. The stereo speakers are located at the bottom, as the connectors for power and a 3.5 mm jack for audio. I'm glad they included a standard size jack rather than some proprietary bullshit. The USB connector at the top is also a standard type! What's happening to Sony? First CF compatibility in their prosumer cameras and now this?!
Far and away the most impressive aspect of the PSP is the brilliant screen. With decent viewing angles, a 16:9 aspect ratio and barely visible screen mesh, it really does the PSP justice. The d-pad feels excellent, and I'm actually gonna go out on a limb here and say that its the best d-pad I've ever sampled. The analog joystick however, doesn't enjoy the same praise. Its a little too low on the system, which makes for an awkward position and will later cause your thumb to ache. It is relatively responsive, but moves in a plane parallel to the surface, rather than the arc that joysticks typically carve. I have to hand it to Sony for a bit of innovation - it does give 80% of the feel of a good analog joystick without taking up the space of a traditional one. The two buttons at the top are ideally placed and look pretty cool, because they're clear and glassy. The speakers at the bottom sound better than I expected, but don't have the volume or bass that a a hardcore gamer would want for long hours of gaming. Plugging it into speakers, or using good headphones reveals how good the sound actually is. The CPU appears to be similar to the one in the PS2, except that the clock can be adjusted, similar to a mobile Pentium CPU. Its quite capable I'd say, as is the graphics chipset. Its not nearly as powerful as a full-blown PC, but it costs less than a better-than-average video card too. Remember that when the PS2 came out, its "Emotion Engine" CPU had more transistors than the most advanced Pentium at the time. Plus, since all games are designed for the one screen, everything is sharp and smooth, in a way thats better to me than PS2 or XBOX on a TV (I find those too blurry due to the 480i resolution). I'm very happy with the connectivity present in the machine - infrared, USB and wi-fi. Infrared is not that useful, but better to have than not. A direct USB connection is a good choice, especially for those without card readers. I'm most jazzed about the wi-fi. It allows for multiplayer gaming at pretty good distances (up to 60 feet) and allows you to surf the net! And the cool part is, the 2.0 browser lets you check out frames, download files and more! It has more utility than Pocket Internet Explorer (for Windows Mobile devices) which alone makes it super cool to me. Technically, a very competent package.
The PSP has a very slick menu system that will make users of other mobile devices shudder with jealousy. With all the hacks available, you just couldn't have a better looking interface. Especially with the v1.5 firmware, but even with the v2.0+ firmware, a very cool point is the ability to use additional programs. There are viewers for PDF documents floating around, as well as ebook readers and much more. There are applications that bring PDA-style functionality to the PSP, as well as programs that allow you to control IR devices like your TV. I think that Sony could have opened the system up more to developers, but this is a point beaten to death, and plus, big manufacturers never do that kind of stuff. Still, props to all the (mostly Japanese) hackers who have done some crazy stuff on the PSP, like run Linux and Windows95.
The PSP is billed as a multimedia device, and to a large extent it is one. Still, as mentioned earlier these things are a little half-baked. The audio has to be put into the correct directory, and the video needs to have a new directory created by you outside of the PSP directory, with certain names for subfolders and very specific names for video files. On top of that, you can only play MPEG-4 video, limited to 320x240 or some other resolution for widescreen content. You can't actually play video formatted perfectly for the screen resolution, which is a big bummer. Whats good though, is that once you have the correct video settings, video looks awesome on the device. It plays incredibly smooth, and has really nice controls for forwarding or rewinding. When you FF or RW, it does so very smoothly, like Sony's "smoothscan" feature on their DVD players. Looks classy! The MP3 functionality is nice enough, and my only complaint with it is that it shouldn't have to be limited to the music folder but rather should be able to scan the memory stick for songs. Pics looks wicked on the PSP too, and you can view smooth slideshows. Only problem here is that you can't listen to MP3s and view slideshows at the same time. A small point, but extant nonetheless.
The games on the PSP are truly awesome. The majority are of really high quality, and do a great job of pushing you to just have fun. I'm very satisfied that there is a big focus on good gameplay, and just about any title on the device is fun. The graphics are pretty much the same as a PS2, as is the sound - excellent. I'll review games on an individual basis, so keep checking for those.
The PSP is far beyond what I expected it to be. The device's size, look and screen are oh-so-perfect, and pretty much all the games I tried were a lot of fun (enough to get me addicted to games after a number of years). A few minor flaws notwithstanding, the PSP is a must-have device for everybody.

I found a real live elf!! No, wait ... just an Asian guy...

This little elf, err, Asian guy was doing gift wrapping at Parkson's, a department store in Malaysia. Never before though, have I seen such crappy gift wrapping skills. This guy was actually fashioning bags from sheets of wrapping paper! In the end, everything looked like a cheerful Mcdonald's take away bag! I'm like, "yo, buddy ... don't you have any boxes?" The guy's like they cost RM 22 +. Seriously? More than CDN$7 for a fucking box???? This guy has a career persona totally befitting a Mcdonald's drive-thru guy - he's clearly in the wrong field (I can just picture this guy at a shrink's place ... "your bags are inner cries for salvation and replacement in a healthy Mcdonald's drive-thru environment").

Pink is IN!!

If this picture is anything to go by, pink for guys is "in."

With glowing hearts, we see thee rise, the true north strong and free...

Living in Asia for the last couple of years has really been a learning experience for me. While I've seen certain things first-hand, I've also been exposed to certain truths I wouldn't have before. Its quite well known that Indian people are a conservative bunch - that they don't like to publicly display emotion in any way, and in keeping with the rest of Asia, don't like to draw attention to themselves. That's all fine and dandy, but it really bothers me when people decide to become the moral police and try to force their decisions upon others. Everyone in this world has the right to live the way they want, and no one has the right to morally police them. I know there's a bit of a blurred line here dividing what's acceptable and what's not, but for example, in India, police have been cracking down in couples that are simply sitting together in public places. Sitting together is bad, cuddling, holding hands and kissing is criminal. This applies to other countries too, like Malaysia. They don't like unmarried couples doing this stuff, because apparently, this is the turn of the 11th century. Its WRONG for couples to kiss, but its perfectly alright for them to have one of the highest rapes per capita in the world (India) and for most of Asia to have a huge sex trade, straight and gay. Looking at this stuff, truly makes me realize all that I take for granted being Canadian. Growing up, we're given reminders that we're lucky to live in an open, civilized and decent society, but really, no kid understands this. I see now what that's worth. Many Asians are of the opinion that the West is corrupt. In India and Pakistan, near-riots against Valentines Day have crippled poor storeowners, because people think that Valentine's Day is "shameless" and "for the western sex drive." Western sex drive??? Hello people?? We have less crime and FAR less rape than you! Who has open prostitution? Instead of blaming the West, why not look within? Have they not seen what their movies are about? If you're not familiar with what I'm referring to, do take a look at an earlier post of mine (http://enterthevspot.blogspot.com/2005/11/impossible-has-happened.html). An Israeli couple was fined for kissing at their own wedding in India. And yet, its OK for militants to kill people openly, for people to marry underage kids and murder newly-married women if they don't come with enough money from their parents. On top of it all, a lot of these Asian countries don't have any privacy laws and don't give any power to the people. The police are free to do whatever they desire. Which can be negotiated.

Has BMW lost its way?

A little while back, I was reading a study about prestige rankings in the US, in which Ferrari was 1st, BMW 2nd, Lexus 3rd, Mercedes-Benz 4th, Audi 5th, Jaguar 6th … and I can’t remember the rest. If you look around, you’ll quickly realize that BMW is the brand that everyone wants to own these days(I’m excluding Ferrari and other supercar manufacturers). BMW has been James Bond’s choice (not literally, a huge deal was signed for this to happen) in many of the new movies, and they’re doing well in racing, and of course the “M” cars draw unanimous praise. Yes, its not really difficult to see why they’re doing well – the cars excel in so many categories, where other manufacturers are struggling with just one. Mercedes-Benz for example has had identity crises for some time now. You see, M-B is kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. Ever since Lexus has been around, its been considered a pinnacle of luxury engineering – they’re very good at coddling their occupants. M-Bs don’t have that type of luxury or comfort, nor do they have the sport flavour inherently built into every BMW. They’re not doing style like Audi is (which is quite the success story, considering Audi had the same problem M-B did), and they’re not even doing imitation well like Infiniti is now. But those brands aren’t the focus of the discussion here, BMW is. BMW has been lucky in a way that it never had to suffer the identity problems other companies did. BMW invented the sports sedan segment, and has basically refined that idea since then. It used to be a very successful niche market manufacturer, but now they’ve moved into the mainstream because its “cool” to have a car thats sporty and more. I have to give them props for developing the cars in other areas while maintaining the essence of what has made BMWs fun. For example, all BMWs have a 50/50 weight distribution for optimum balance, and rear wheel drive for sharp handling. They’ve invented all kinds of systems that will prevent you from getting into trouble, and have been class-leading along with M-B and Lexus in safety. The safest vehicle ever tested by the NHSTA is the BMW X5. Somewhere around 1995, the 7-series surpassed the S-class MB as the top selling large luxury car worldwide, and made BMW realize that there is a huge market outside of their niche. With clever marketing and excellent product development, the entire BMW line became top sellers and then came a time for BMW execs to decide how to proceed. BMW styling was very popular and oft-imitated, but they felt that it was pushed as far as it could while being within the confines of their own styling box. They decided that it must go in another direction, and a promotion from within brought Chris Bangle to the head of the styling/design unit. At the same time, management wanted BMW to continue the high-tech trend that began with the 1995 model 7-series, and push it to another level. This thinking brought about the extremely controversial 2003 model 7-series. Controversial, because of its unusual styling and because of its new iDrive control system. Reviews of the car were mixed; that it was still a great car underneath, but the technology was overkill and difficult for many to use, and mostly the styling was just weird. People started calling the car “bangled” in a parody of the designer, Chris Bangle. This weird style and overkill technology was also found in the new 5-series, 6-series and now the 3-series, although since the 3-series is the major breadwinner in the BMW family, it has less of the Bangle influence. Even though the cars have received flak all over, sales have actually soared, and in a way have accomplished what BMW set out to do – attract new customers, thereby increasing market share. In doing so, they have threatened the loyalty of BMW fans which have been around for decades. Even though the cars are still built in a way that would satisfy enthusiasts and have what top reviewers call “soul,” BMW has sort of alienated its very own. And I personally wonder, was it really a good idea to begin this transformation with the 7-series? I understand it’s the flagship and the technology showcase for the company, but its also the line that is purchased mostly by older folk (well, as old as BMW buyers get … they’re statistically much younger than other brands – avg age of a BMW buyer is 47 vs. 69 for Cadillac! I think its safe to say that repeat buyers are out of the question for them!). Older people are not as comfortable with technology as young people, and something as advanced and potentially difficult as the iDrive system might put them off. 700+ functions of the car are controlled from a force-feedback nickel round knob that sits behind the shifter … Oops! My bad - the new 7 doesn’t have a shifter there, its actually mounted on the steering column, and doesn’t have detents but rather an LCD that shows gear and simulates movement along a plane. I love this kind of stuff, but a guy my dad’s age probably wouldn't. Still its selling like the proverbial hotcakes, and even government types have replaced their S-classes with it. Bollywood (HAH! read my post about this interesting industry) film star types prefer to be seen around in them, too. Back to the point, is the sales boom temporary or long-term, and is the as-good-as-it-can-be prestige position compromised? More importantly, with the increased focus on the loud styling (as compared to elegant previously; the previous-gen 5-series was voted the most elegant sedan) and super high-tech gizmos, is it possible BMW might even give up the characteristics that put them where they are today? Well, for the time being, things haven’t turned in that direction. BMW is still doing what it does best, and this can be seen in their engine development. This year, BMW has won SIX out of twelve awards! Engine of the year, best new engine, best performance engine, winner in the class exceeding 4.0 liters, winner in the 2.5-3.0 liter class, winner in the 3.0-4.0 liter class, and believe it or not, lots more in other subcategories. This is very normal for the company, as BMW is, from its roots, an engine company, and is now recognized as the winningest brand to take part in the competition. As long as they keep coming out with 507-hp V10 M5s that can take to a track like a supercar and seat 4 in ultimate luxury, and 3-series cars that accelerate 0-100 km/h in 5.4 seconds from an inline-6 engine (free of vibration but full of wonderful sounds) while doing combined fuel economy of more than 30 mpg (about the same as my 1.1 liter Proton Tiara), I think they’ll have continually increasing demand.

"Terrorist-wear summer collection, aisle three"

After much discussion, debate and research, the UN has decided to mandate international travel uniforms for Arabs. The men wear a white t-shirt on faded blue jeans with a subtle stripe across the back of the knee, and for the women the 1-piece black "coverall" with orange shoes underneath. What do you think?

Mulder was right...

There's some sort of government-funded experiments going on, and I think I may have the proof. Why ELSE would you find a fish and a man that bear a striking resemblance?

The nerds really are taking over!

Whats up with everyone coming to an exam ridiculously early, bringing an absurd number of writing utensils, and just trying to look all "proper?" Do they actually think that will help them do better on the exam? People often assume that I fail exams miserably because I tend to finish exams unbelievable fast. Often times I'll only be a few minutes, especially with social science type subjects or those that have pure regurgitation and multiple choice questions. My personal best is actually finishing the exam in the 5 minutes at the beginning that they give you to read. I either come with no pen or one pen (I like to borrow a pen from people at exams, because I know they all carry like 15 too many, and they check to make sure they work and everything! Quality and Selection!), and I arrive at the exam just a couple of minutes before it starts. Why come earlier? Just so you can sit there and anticipate how much you'll mess it up? And afterwards ... is there a point to sitting around? Is an answer going to magically descend on you, or will something SUDDENLY make sense? Jokes!

Seekers of truth, beware!

I heard a great prologue in episode 301 of the X-files .... here it is ...

There is an ancient Indian saying that something lives only as long as the last person who remembers it. My people have come to trust memory over history - memory like fire is radiant and immutable, while history serves only those who seek to control it. Those who douse the flame of memory in order to put out the dangerous fire of truth, beware these men, for they are dangerous themselves, and unwise. Their false history written in the blood of those who might remember, and of those who seek the truth.

Review: Ashoka Matar Paneer & Saag Paneer

In the past when I've tried packaged mutter paneer or other Indian dishes, I've been severely dissapointed. Just some of the problems are that the paneer is hard and rubbery, the peas are brittle and feel totally old, and the overall consistency is nothing like the dish should be. So you can't blame me for being a little skeptical going in. It turns out that both the mutter paneer and saag paneer are excellent! Its literally just like it came fresh off of the stove, so I gotta hand it to whoever preserves this shit. Plus, its nothing like how these things usually are - it doesn't feel like a plastic meal at all! Its like some old Indian aunty labored over a hot stove cooking this especially for me. Well, knowing India, thats probably not far from the truth (either an old lady or a kid made this). I found that they weren't cheap with the paneer (known in English as cottage cheese), and the sauce was creamy and consistent in taste. The peas seemed really fresh and soft, just like how it should be. And a tear almost came to my eye when I saw the oil collecting at the sides - homemade Indian dishes have a way of doing that. Really, its basically the same as you'd find at the Dixie Guruduara! Pricing is reasonable if a bit on the pricey side at about CAD$1.50, but its worth it for the amount of paneer you get as well as the freshness (or at least the illusion of it). One serious mistake on the box is that they tell you the package is microwaveable. I found out, with blue thunder and lightning in my microwave, that its not. The package looks like metal, and apparently, it is. I really doubted that it could go into my 'wave but the packet illustrates and reads that all you have to do is cut a hole and pop that shit in. A mistake of this scale, and grandeur (cuz the packaging is nice) is unforgivable. Imagine the lawsuits if this company was based in North America. Other than that, all you ABCDs and CBCDs go grab this shit NOW, and fight with your semi-present Asian identity.

Review: Need for Speed Most Wanted: Black Edition (PC)

Whew, writing that title out was tiring! I'm not much into games, but racing games sometimes light my fire. I'm still a big fan of Need for Speed Porsche Unleashed, and the original NFS that was created in conjunction with Road and Track magazine. I was looking forward to this new title because the promos seemed impressive and this time around there is quite a variety of cars to choose from. I absolutely despise the previous two or three installments where underground "rice boy" racing is the name of the day. Elaborating on that, I'm very much against this "rice boy" culture that's emerged in many parts of the world, but is enormous in North America. Teenaged kids love getting their hands on Hondas (usually, after which come other brands) and "souping" them up. Most of the time, they end up with something that has a lot of show, and no go. This is because they're not real car enthusiasts (like me and a select few I know). They like to add body kits, giant exhausts and dancing lights, spinning surfaces on their wheels and/or anything that will get them seen or heard easily. Being a very good manual transmission driver myself, I find that exactly none of these rice boys I've ever seen in the Toronto area knows how to clutch properly. Strangely enough, they continue buying manual transmissioned cars. When you talk to them about cars (a conversation that will invariably come up amongst guys) they love telling you how they can build a Civic that will smoke an M3 or 911 for half the price. They have no respect for engineering, and their life is a quarter mile. And it stops right there, quite often. Awareness is building up that these rice boys kill themselves and others all the time, because they know nothing about the physics of a car, or how to drive. Moreover, they miss the point that to-the-limit driving is only safe in controlled circumstances, i.e. a track. Much of the world (even 2nd-world countries) have quite a few of these, so there's really no excuse for going crazy on the streets. I hate how in the movies they show people zipping in and around traffic and then going through red lights (miraculously THROUGH a perfectly timed break in traffic in both directions) and somehow make it look like its a result of being a good driver. Nobody in the world, not even our talented friend Michael Schumacher could pull that off. There's a scene in Fast and the Furious 2 where the main guy (whatever his name is) gets into some kind of staring contest while driving, like its a test of courage or something. Movies and games like this are having ill effects on society, because these teenaged kids are actually trying these things out! I know, I've been there! Anyways, back to the game (you're thinking "Finally!" eh?), it fails miserably in my eyes, because it misses the mark in realism. The game is pure eye candy, and on the graphics front it really is spectacular, especially on my 24" widescreen LCD. The lighting from the sun, the reflections on the road when its wet and the 3D houses and buildings really give one the illusion of being there. The sky is done better than many movies (but thats not saying much, really, as I'm sure a child with the ability to hold a crayon to paper could do better). For me, a real car enthusiast, a game should effectively recreate the feel of driving the particular automobile simulated. I've had the pleasure of enthusiastically driving a new Porsche 911, as well as a few other Porsches (minus Tiff Needle-style drifting and power oversteer) and its very important that when I'm playing NFS with manual transmission mode, that the car rev and sound exactly the way the real thing does. When I get to the twistys, it should turn like the real thing, calculated with the correct polar moments of inertia and all. When I brake, it should take the correct time and distance on the type of surface and the weight transfer should be very evident. Strangely enough, only two NFS games have had these remarkable features. The first one, and NFS:PU. The first NFS was a huge feat, because its an old game designed to be run on old systems. While it may not look as good as today's racers, the handling, interior and sounds was totally up to par because Road and Track magazine (an enthusiast's magazine) contributed to that portion of the game. And in PU, a new Boxster will rev exactly the same as in real life. Put it in 2nd and rev it slowly, and you'll hear the turbine-like whine accompanied with the bassy undertones you only find when you rev it that particular way. I can't blame Electronic Arts much for making the game this way, because its intended for those very same rice boys who wouldn't know how the sound of the inline-6 in the Lexus IS300 is, or at what point exactly the 911 has a 50/50 weight distribution (during maximum deceleration when the 911 can bring to a halt in 2.4 seconds from 100 km/h). Ah, the dissapointments of knowing more.

Review: Peter Jackson's King Kong

The movie that most deserves the "epic" tag in recent months has been released. Peter Jackson's King Kong is a modern day remake of the original classic. For those of you that don't know (like I didn't until earlier today), Peter Jackson is the guy who did Lord of The Rings. Now, as much as people love that trilogy, I'm not a huge fan of it. Whenever I see a movie that relies too heavily on CG, it puts me off - and knowing that the new Kong movie has plenty of CG had me a bit wary going in. Certain aspects of the promos really did catch my attention, like the 1930s New York scenes, the main chick boarding the ship, and the mighty roar of our gorilla friend while Jack Black enthusiastically shoots his heroine screaming atop mysterious black rocks with waves crashing in the background. The film starts out with a scene of Italian immigrant-types huddled around those fire-spewing oil barrels. I'd have to say that even though this may have been the reality, this type of scene seemed a little cliche, as did the outfits. The typical semi-formal clothing of the period accented with berets made the outfits for the men, and that continues the cliche further. It was interesting to see what NY might have looked like at the time, but the vision looked more like NY at the turn of the century than the 1930s. As with every single application, the CG sky looked way too fake to be allowed in a big budget film like this one. Disturbingly, all the cars except the taxi Jack Black rides in are fake, as are the roads and all. I much prefer carefully created sets to this CG nonsense. Its not at the point where it can be used EVERYWHERE! Remember Back to the Future 2? The custom look of the future Hill Valley was created by using creatively designed products and offered an interesting vision of the future. Conceptual products like the overboard were showcased, and really did a lot for the film. This stuff needs to make a comeback. Rantings aside, the first half of the movie does effectively capture the viewer's attention and draws him or her in to the undeniable adventure that will follow. I think Jack Black is very well cast in his role as the director of the movie (within the movie). I know what many of you might be thinking - that seeing him repeatedly in comedy movies will have you wondering whether he's being serious or sarcastic, but its not an issue like it is with Charlie Sheen. Another guy that is well cast is the guy that plays the actor. He really captures the look of those old actors like Carey Grant well. Throughout the movie, his look, his hair and his expressions reflect the character he's playing very well. I'd have to say he has the best old-school accent in the movie as well. Moving on, the journey to SE Asia seems a little rushed, and I was wondering if they had ships back in the day that could go from New York to Singapore non-stop. Well, if this movie is anything to go by, they did. The tension builds up smoothly and constantly until we are introduced to King Kong. The natives, although freaky, are a little overdone, and you can easily see that some of them are artificially painted black! Anyways, I thought natives in the SE Asia look like Indonesian/Malay people, not regular black people! Whats with white people and thinking natives are always black? And in New York, where are all the Italian people? How come everyone is just a regular white person (of Brit descent)? Once we find the cast totally past the wall and into the jungle, the pace slows down quite a bit. I'm also a little surprised that the characters don't find the prehistoric jungle interesting-looking with its massive trees and vines and all. I would have been freaking out at the incredibly cool scenery! One really weird thing throughout the movie is how fast the characters can run over difficult terrain, in some cases barefoot. Slippery rocks, dangerous cliffs and even weirder terrain make up the island but these people are sprinting around like Nike designed the island as a track for running practice. Totally not possible! I realize that this is in essence, a fairytale, but part of the fun in bringing it to the silver screen is making it seem believable. Wasn't the opening of X-Men cool? The way they made the human mutations looks so believable? His fight scenes with the dinosaurs are pretty cool (even though they're CG'ed out), and will have the audience rooting for him within seconds. The action-adventure theme gives way to a different one after our heroine starts interacting with the big K. When the big K starts showing emotion for the leading lady, its a little funny, but more sad than anything else. I find that I felt really bad for the giant ape, mostly because he seems all alone. The dinos are vast in number, but they only show the big K as the lone ape. At one point they show a skeleton of another ape, but that's about it. The pity from the audience continues to grow and grow until the climax of the movie, because they trap him in such an inhumane way and then put him on show in New York, all chained up. All this time, our beloved CG editors are giving our big ape puppy dog eyes so we feel more and more for him. Eventually the movie ends with the big K's demise in a titanic-style fall to the streets from the top of the Empire State building. I guess that's how the story goes, but I'm not really into feeling worse walking out of a movie than I felt walking in. In short, an epic, fallen short by the CG and the pity-me theme in the second half.

The Good, The Bad and The Fugly: cell phone manufacturers

Nokia
The Finnish giant almost began cell phones, so I feel some sort of obligation to start off with Nokia. No, seriously though, in many parts of the world, Nokia is the standard by which many people judge newer brands. In India, for example, where people are extremely brand-conscious, they didn't warm up to other brands until quite recently. IMO, Nokia has massive presence (they still have the largest piece of the pie worldwide) and technical prowess, but their edge is slipping - and fast. In terms of construction quality, I believe we have witnessed the biggest drop. Nokia phones used to be solid, hefty devices and I think that in their attempt to lighten and miniaturize, or perhaps cut costs, they're slowly cutting their own wrists. Somehow, other manufacturers have been able to create superior quality products (in terms of build and fit/finish) while also maintaining the required size and weight. Have you picked up any Symbian Nokia? Notice all the creaks and crappy plastic? Notice how quickly and easily it scratches? I think part of this happened when Nokia started making Xpress-On covers for the 33xx models. Those models were of incredibly poor build quality, and this carried on all the way to their flagship N-series phones. They make their phones relatively easy to customize, as in change covers etc. and in doing so, create not-so-perfect fitting parts thereby creating those annoying squeaks. And as screen sizes increase along with display quality, its important to build a screen that can't be scratched or damaged easily. Other manufacturers are also clearly superior in this regard as well. Technically speaking, Nokia has led the market along with the significant other, Sony Ericsson. With their firm stake in Symbian, the big N sees a gigantic market for smartphones, and rightly so I believe. Eventually, everything will be a smartphone, or close to it. With the introduction of the 7650, Nokia showed the world that a phone can do all of what a PDA can, and sometimes more. There's quite a bit of 3rd party software out their for S60 (the new official name for Symbian Series 60). It seems though that by bringing about this revolution, Nokia decided to sit on its ass. The execution and user interface has improved steadily with each new S60 phone - NOT! Its exactly the same shit! The 7650, in terms of functionality, loses nothing to the flagship N90, and in certain cases, is more compatible! If Nokia doesn't start improving its OS soon, it'll see its market share for smartphones start dropping drastically, especially with the threat of new entrants (can you say "Windows Mobile for Smartphones" and then name a bunch of rising Korean stars?) . Even, Microsoft, the anti-example of all examples, has shown continuous and notable growth on most increments of the Windows operating system. Windows XP looks and functions much better than Windows 98, which was a revolution and a half over Windows 3.11 and so on. Symbian for S60 version 8.0 is all the same shit as the original, sadly. If you look at it, the whole smartphone overall hasn't improved all that much from its initial concept. If we take the 6600 as the first fully realized smartphone (ignoring the 3650 because it looks too weird), we find it has a 65k TFT LCD with a resolution of 206x176, a VGA camera and expandable memory in the form of MMC cards. Years and years later, we have the N70. Aside from the 3G functionality (itself limited to a data transfer rate of 384k when the spec calls for up to 2.4 megabit), the N70 has a 262k (differentiated from 65k screens by software only, supposedly you can't notice the difference in colour) 206x176 TFT LCD, similar weight and size, and a 2-megapixel camera. The camera, although able to capture larger images, lacks autofocus, a CCD, optical zoom and more. Its basically a similar camera that shoots in higher resolution. Its only with the USD$1000 Nokia N90 that Nokia feels users deserve a better screen than one with the same resolution as the original 7650, years back. Its also the only phone Nokia has that has an autofocus camera and a decent lens (still not the best on the market). And it doesn't vibrate!!! What the hell is that shit about? Isn't this a commonly accepted basic necessity in a phone? On top of it, the size of the device will make many men feel insecure.

The Good: Size, technical prowess, brand recognition and some innovation.
The Bad: Nokia is not afraid to release weird stuff, and sometimes shows incredible stupidity (lack of stereo sound output in many smartphones, crappy displays and no vibration in their top model)
The Fugly: Like a dying Microsoft.

Sony Ericsson

When Sony and Ericsson teamed up, most people were confused at where this Japanese-Swedish union would go, but Sony Ericsson has demonstrated that they have truly merged the best of their individual strengths to create stellar products. Ericsson was big in Europe for making solid business phones with good functionality, and Sony has always been huge in excellent consumer products. Both had the nose-to-the-grindstone attitude before they teamed up, but after doing so this has led to Sony Ericsson becoming the runner-up in most areas. SE began its climb upward with the T68i - the first phone with a camera (well, an attachable one). After they made waves with it, they logically progressed to the T610, a phone classified on the internet as the most attractive phone, ever. Attractive it was, but it showed a good display (for the time), crazy battery life and an integrated QVGA camera in a very lightweight and small candybar device. The good looks came with immaculate construction, including plastic that no one would believe isn't metal. SE is still the only manufacturer in the world who can make plastic look EXACTLY like metal. Overall, SE has the best build quality and fit/finish in the industry. They have their own pseudo-operating system, which has seen continuous improvement. In fact, it would set an example for how to improve with every new release, except that this operating system is not an open one like Symbian for S60. That aside, the polish just gets better and better, just as the screens do with every new wave. With the animated backgrounds and animated themes, the way the phone works makes the user really feel like s/he is holding a polished product. Functionality out-of-the-box ain't bad either, with a built-in e-mail client and excellent MMS application. Everything is so smooth, so slick. The only bad thing is even when you spend a lot and buy a top-end non-P-series phone, you'll use the same interface with the same features as the lower-end models. But I have to give SE props for reviving the Walkman brand and turning it into cult-status so quickly. How does Sony manage to create these must-have items? The way the PS2, PSP and PS3 make waves .... it seems nothing else on the market does, save for some Apple products. Beautiful marketing. SE also has phones that cater directly to the business market, the P-series. They have also seen continuous improvement, and the upcoming P990i is IMO one of the best phones ever to grace the market. And if you know me, you know I'm the most discerning critic of phones, ever! Where I think SE needs drastic improvement is the smartphone category. Between the youth-oriented W-series and for-everybody K-series, there isn't much difference, but comparing them to the P-series we see a huge difference in functionality. For many young tech geeks, the P-series is overkill, in features, and price as well. SE needs to cut it on the market that Nokia has cornered with its 6630/6680/N70/N90. SE also has the bad, bad habit of overpricing new (and very desirable) models to the point of putting them out of the reach of many prospective buyers. Almost everyone I know wants a Walkman phone, and everybody both in Asia and North America love the rotating-slider design found in the now-available W900i. It comes in PSP-sexy white and black, and combined with the crisp QVGA screen, great camera and secondary 3G video calling, this is one of the most desirable products for the youth market, but its estimated USD$750 price tag will make short work of demand.

The Good: Must-have products, sexy looks, build quality, features, Walkman brand.
The Bad: Too-early product announcements, insufficient supply to meet demand, no entrants in the mid-range smartphone class.
The Fugly: The Ego! SE launches some great products with prices that totally say "THIS IS TOO GOOD FOR YOUR GHETTO ASS!"

Samsung

Big props to this company for putting itself where it is today. A brand that everyone looked at the way Hyundais are looked at (even today) is now amongst some seriously good competitors. It seems that David is doing well against the goliaths, and has completely transformed its image in the marketplace. Samsung stuff is now kinda cool to have, whereas it was embarrassing before. Especially in mobile phones, they've made a lot of headway. In Canada, they had the first available WAP phones, and when I was visiting India, I saw an incredible product launch of the Samsung blue-i phone. They had these sexy models walking up and down a runway "wearing" these sexy new phones. The whole thing was awesome. And they've made continuous progress, offering up fresh and new phones on a regular basis with much-improved features. At times, they've been arrogant/stubborn about things like the inclusion of bluetooth or PC-syncing at price ranges that necessitate those features, and the exclusion of removable storage. THAT was totally unacceptable for the world's largest memory maker. Thats all in the past now, and Samsung is showing strong improvement. Since they're one of the 4 LCD panel manufacturers, they should and actually are utilizing this "unfair advantage." The new D600 has a brilliant QVGA screen, great camera, excellent build quality and slider design. It fails in price, though. A phone executed so well shouldn't fall on something so .... ummm ... changeable. What Samsung's doing wrong is not having enough variety, or presence. The build quality is on par with Sony Ericsson, with patented slider designs that work oh-so-smoothly, and the displays are great, so they have nothing to be shy about. What they're not doing is targeting their markets properly. Aiming certain products at the youth market, some at business professionals is textbook, but Samsung marketing and design isn't making this happen very well. They have some innovative products coming out, like a phone running Windows Mobile 5.0 with a 3 GB hard drive, but thats just one phone and awareness for it doesn't exist unless we're talking about tech geeks. Just like Sony Ericsson, Samsung needs to jump into the mid-range smartphone class that Nokia totally dominates (and laughs about), as well as the Sony-dominated Walkman-brand of music phones. Sony Ericsson also has the edge on camera quality, but Samsung has shown that it can deliver this too (in the D600). Samsung needs to overall its user interface though. No themes, only different colours as well as a somewhat unpolished feel really makes Samsung users jealous when they see their friends' Sony Ericssons. The young people market loves this stuff ... themes, music, photos, videos.

The Good: Lovely build quality and fit/finish, great screens, and now with all the functionality of competing models (bluetooth, expandable memory etc.)
The Bad: Marketing is stuck in a rut; they haven't identified and targeted users properly. No entries in the mid-range smartphone class, the music phone class, the imaging phone class or the high-end business class (yet).
The Fugly: Stubborn to stick to their ideology of good-looking products that fall more than little short in other areas.

found another twin of another guy ...

Finally got a pic of the Numair lookalike. Actually, today he looked much less like Numair for some reason, but still ... look at the pic! From far away, this guy is disturbingly similar!

Those are some HUGE ....

Check out the size of these mangoes! The fruit, you siccos. Look at the picture. I've put a tuna can there for size reference.

White ppl have a superiority complex for no reason, and it seems Malaysians have an inferiority complex for no reason...

White people, and by that I mean Brits, Australians and then Americans and Canadians, in that order, seem to think that they're better than the people around them. At least in many parts of Asia. Now, of course, this doesn't apply to all of them, but to an astounding number of them. Why this is the case is a bit of a mystery, and usually this subject is too touchy for anyone to actually find out, but here's my theory. I blame the Brits. The Australians and the white people in the US and Canada originate from the British, and the British have long been known as barbaric, racist people. I was reading a classic novel the other day, "The Lost World" by Sir (don't get me started on the "SIR" prefix) Arthur Conan Doyle, and noticed the style in which it was written. It very explicitly states that the British at the time (early 1920s) considered themselves to be the "finest product of modern European civilization" (a direct quote!) and everyone else, especially those smaller in stature, darker in colour and speaking a language other than English to be "animalistic savages." We saw with the British rule in India, something they happily call "The Raj," literally meaning "the reign," that they loved to make rules and have them apply to people at large, but not to them when the situation dictatated so. We find this in modern-day white-guy US and Canada too, with the overdone parking fines and "you can't park here" and "you can't do that" and "state your business in the US" and "what are you doing in your car at this time of night?" -type of nonsense. They like to live in a fantasy world where they're super civilized to the point of perhaps not being human or having any emotionally-driven tendancies whatsoever. They like to pretend that they live in a results-driven society, when its actually more about "looking busy" than being busy. American businesspeople always tried to be cold and unbiased when selecting whom to do business with, and have long believed this to be "the way business is." Well, Japanese businessmen did business a totally different way, a very wholesome and humane way, a way in which a firm handshake would be stronger than any contract, and a needy man would be prioritized above a wealthy man. Look at where thats gotten them ... bad position, huh? I remember my third grade teacher, Mrs. Hull, who, while scolding me for something ridiculous (presumably, since i don't remember) would every so often say "Young man, don't you dare roll your eyes at me!" I wasn't consciously rolling my eyes at her, in fact, for a while, I had no clue what the hell she was talking about. What does all this ranting mean? It just means that the effect of the Brits hasn't worn off yet ... these people still think they're more civilized than others. Whats interesting is that underneath, society has propelled them to become quite the opposite. The interesting thing is that Malaysian people have the opposite complex. They feel inferior, both about themselves and their country. I really think they are the ones who should be egotistical about their country, not ashamed of it. Growing from humble roots to a fast-paced country in a relatively short time, Malaysia has accomplished what many of its neighbours have not been able to. Generally speaking, Malaysia has excellent infrastructure of all types, for example, the water supply. The water supply in Malaysia is clean enough for anyone to drink from the tap, just like the west, but Malaysians aren't really aware of this. Their highways are better in every way than our Canadian highways, but they're not aware of it. As Mahathir proclaims, the BM language is a bit of a barrier for social development as its very small and restrictive (try saying "double overhead camshafts and variable valve timing" in BM!) and actually this is precisely the area where Malaysia needs to kick it up a notch. When Singapore was formed, they had a love-it-or-hate-it social development plan that, in the end, worked beautifully. Singapore has gone from even more humble roots than Malaysia to a 1st-world, fully developed nation thats ranked #1 for ICT infrastructure and in the top 5 for business competitiveness by the world economic forum. And guess what? Even though Singaporeans have all the money and living standard of the west, they don't have that huge racist ego present in the foundations of the western world. On a lighter note, in Canada at least, they know this, and discrimination is taken very seriously. Racism in Canada is practically nonexistent, something which very few countries can make claim to.

Mirror, mirror on the wall: Who's the darkest of them all?

LMAO! In some episode of The Simpsons, Wiggum arrests Apu and tells the other cops "Hold him until we find someone darker, boys." Totally LMAO!!!

FOOD POISONED!!!

I’ve had a really bad case of food poisoning.  This was around Saturday morning, and it still hasn’t fully left me yet!  I puked, and puked, and then puked some more.  And then I started to puke bile.  That’s right, the lining of my stomach.  Can you say “FUN?”  Then … diarrhea.  I was having so much fun, that the song “What a Wonderful World” began to emanate from my mouth.  Well hopefully I’ll be as good as new when I wake up tomorrow, er, a few hours from now.  

They took the ocean and put it in a bottle, and the fish between two halves of a bun...

I went to McD's the other day and grabbed their "ocean"-something meal. It came with a double filet-o-fish burger and this oceany drink, essentially sprite, some other shit, and bits of pineapple. For North Americans, bits of REAL pineapple sounds like an inviting, and almost impossible (for McD's, anyway) prospect, but its not as cool as it sounds. The bits come into your mouth while you're sucking through the straw and I find it a bit annoying. I think that many Asians would like this drink though, seeing the number of drinks they have with solid stuff in them (faluda, nutty lassi, the Thai and Malaysian drinks with rice noodles etc.). But doesn't the colour of the drink remind you of like ... Koh Phi Phi (Phi Phi Islands) water?

BMW 7-series SPYSHOTS !!!

I live near BMW Malaysia's new headquarters, and its not so unusual to see either execs or young-looking guys joyriding in new models to and from the building. Usually its in the new X3 small sport utility vehicle, or the newly redesigned 3-series, but today I saw a fleet of black 7-series cars RIPPING around Cyberjaya's excellent roads. When I say fleet, I mean like at least 10 cars. It looked they were doing some sort of back-to-back test. Some were the 2005 model 7-series, and some were "freshened" versions with updated front and rear styling, and from what I understand some mechanical changes as well. The new models had a bit of light disguise and no license plates. Each car had two passengers, and one of the guys in the new models found (my) publicity cool and waved. None of the cars had badges, but my trained ears definitely picked up the sound of an inline-6, a V8 AND a V12! They all sounded melt-on-the-spot sweet.

A Raw Deal: Having your car broken into...

To each his own; some people consider something to be traumatic, while to others it may be just nothing. I have mixed feelings about having my car being broken into, part of it is being a little rattled that any sort of crime can hit so close to home, and another part is just being happy that it wasn't worse. That latter part of me is also happy because it knows the burglars were quite stupid: a key to my other car was on the dash, parked just 3 cars away. I still don't know how much a new window will cost me, but seeing a huge number of people substitute garbage bags for windows has me believing its kick-in-the-crotch expensive. I've taken a series of pictures, and I'll explain them here in numerological order.
(i) The external shot of the broken window. The window was shattered, but did not break away due to the lamination. It did so only after the door was closed, and I took pictures afterwards. The X marks the spot where an object, or hand was inserted to be able to unlock the door.
(ii) The dirt marks around the window frame suggest that a stone encrusted with the mud found in the immediate area was probably the object used to shatter the window. The rubber seal along the bottom edge of the window, near its right corner is also cut or removed. This might mean that they tried to jimmy the lock with a coat hangar or something unsuccessfully.
(iii) I've circled in red further evidence of the rock or stone as the object that shattered the window. This fresh mud probably fell from the encrusted rock.
(iv) This picture indicates that the thieves most likely came with wire cutters or sharp scissors beforehand. They've cut the wires very cleanly, something that is nearly impossible with a knife.
(v) They came for the stereo head unit, it seems. In a way, the joke's on them, as it doesn't play tapes, only radio. I don't think it functions without its equalizer either. They seem to have had some trouble getting it out, because you can see the bent side panel in the background. The circled object is a clean cut wire.
(vi) They attempted to take the equalizer unit (positioned higher on the dash) as well, by trying to gain access to it by the ... window defroster?
(vii) The equalizer unit is still very much present, although the face has been sorta bent. It looks as if they gave up on this piece.
Whoever broke into my car and stole my head unit, I'd sincerely like to say to you: Fuck you, and FUCK everything you're about.

Forget CAA/AAA. Use a string.

Why would you call CAA/AAA and all those other towing companies, when you can just a string to attach your dead car to a living one, and pull! No seriously folks, this somehow actually worked. My friend's Proton Tiara, a mechanical twin of the Citroen AX couldn't move because he accidentally filled it up with diesel instead of regular gas. Yeah, I know, eh? So I decided that my 1982 Volvo 244 GL was up to the task of towing his car to the mechanic's place, and we affixed some of that cheap wannabe-rope made out of nylon to both cars. After a bit of jerking and heaving, a lot of clutch slip and some careful navigation we made it out of the carpark. It was a relatively easy affair, although since the cars were so close together I was afraid that he'd either hit me from not braking at the right time, or from the angle during turning. Neither happened, thank God. At one point the line snapped and we had to reattach it, and that was when I took these pictures. No drama though, except for the other drivers who were checking our situation out as if it was two women going at it.

What's the deal with Proton?

I don't consider myself to be an industry expert by any stretch, but I can't seem to understand the way Proton, one of the two domestic Malaysian automobile manufacturers, works. Proton began sometime in the mid-80s by purchasing "platforms" from Mitsubishi and building cars based on those platforms in Malaysia. This was the way Proton manufactured their cars up until about 2002, when new models were introduced that were supposed to be fully designed by Proton. My issue with this is that Proton did not buy next-gen platforms, they bought then-current platforms and used them for a really long time, made lots of money, and now pretends to have none. To put this concept into perspective, I'd like to explain how manufacturers look at "platforms." Honda and Toyota commonly have 4-year product cycles. Each time they redesign a car, it can be considered a new platform. Therefore, these platforms they design are supposed to both, pay themselves off, and make a significant profit within that 4-year period. Proton has been using a platform it acquired in the 80s from 1987 to, well its still on sale! The exact same car that was on sale in 1987, is still available at your local Proton dealership. They also charge as if they are building cars in a fully industrialized country with a heavy currency and high wages. What do I mean by this? A new Honda Civic can be had in Canada for $16,500 (without taxes), which roughly translates to RM 50,000 (RM is Ringgit Malaysia). The Proton models as of 2005, sell for between RM 32,000 and RM 59,000. That converts to the price of a brand new Japanese car in North America. If Proton is buying heavily discounted old platforms, and selling at Toyota/Honda prices for more than 18 years, wouldn't this mean enormous profits over time? Toyota can develop an expensive platform, one that incomparably greater than the cost that Proton buys at, sell cars for 4 years, and make a huge profit to boot. I know that Toyota is now gonna be the world's largest carmaker, and their volume is a lot greater than Proton's but if we call their difference proportional, that is, the amount of investment in a platform vs. sales volume, then we still have the issue of product cycle. There should be no reason for Proton not to be filthy rich from selling a car for 18 years without change. On top of it, the government has created great barriers to entry for other carmakers, thereby protecting Proton, as well as offering financial assistance. However, "filthy rich" is not Proton's current state, and at the moment, Proton is defiantly trying to avoid bankruptcy. They're also shit scared of what will happen when the import duties will be removed because of their inferior products. ASEAN countries had decided to reduce, or remove import duty a couple of years back, but due to Malaysia's strong position in the ASEAN, they were allowed two more years of protection for their national baby (Proton). Its a well-known fact that even 18 years after their first car, they still can't build cars right. Proton actually owns majority share in Lotus (that's right, of Lotus Esprit and Elise fame), and supposedly gathers engineering input from them. The first car they supposedly made by themselves was the Waja, but was later exposed to be mostly designed by Lotus. The engines are actually old, carburetted Renault engines that are INCREDIBLY inefficient in comparison to today's modern Japanese engines. Then came the Proton Gen-2, the car that was supposedly fully developed by Malaysians. Here's my question to Proton then. If this car was fully engineered and developed by Malaysians, uses 100% Malaysian parts and labour ... then why does it cost RM 57,000 and not RM 20,000? Generally speaking, in Malaysia, what will cost u one Canadian or US dollar in those countries will cost you one Ringgit. If what is being said is true - that the cars are fully Malaysian, where then, is all the revenue going?

The cheese wouldn't cut ...

It seems like, get ready for an oft overused cliche ... there aren't enough hours in the day! I usually get up kinda late, take some time to adjust myself to my wake-state environment, force myself to go to class or do whatever bullshit chores I have to do (pay a bill, go grocery shopping, that sorta shit) and by the time I get home and start relaxing, it seems that its time I sleep again for fear of not being able to get up for the next day's classes. Something is wrong here. If, as some say, God made day for work, and night for rest, then why is night better to chill in? I got my gas hooked up a couple of days back, but I came home with a gas stove today to connect to it. I figured it should be a relatively painless affair, where I simply connect he tube from the wall outlet to the stove. Ah, but I was so wrong! Some sort of bug came through the pipe along with the gas, as I was able to observe its progress through the translucent tube. It appeared to struggle for life, somehow seeming to know that if it let go it would be pushed up into the burner where a flame would exist. I think it was the bug's lucky day, because the damn burner wouldn't light. I could feel some sort of gas coming through the little wholes on the burner, and I could hear it too, but it just wouldn't light! I even tried a lighter. Now, using the ideas of logical deduction, the burner cannot have a defect, otherwise I would not feel the gas coming through the holes nor would I hear it, and I wouldn't be able to see the spark either. However, the bug's life (no relation to the movie) and said stove did not really seem to follow the rails of logic. Finally it somehow started to catch fire, but the flame was so small that I couldn't cook on it. What a shame, had to make some spaghetti-and-bolognaise in the microwave, which actually turned out great (maybe it was the Parmesan sprinkled over the top!). We were playing with the gas so much, that I was afraid to turn the wheel on the lighter. I wonder if a lot of farting can have the same effect as letting the natural gas run for a while. After all, couldn't fart gas (methane) be considered "natural gas" as well?

You're not small, you just need a "closer fit!"

You gotta hand it to those marketers over at Durex, the dominant condom company in Malaysia. They don't write "size small" or something to that effect, rather they say "CLOSE FIT." I was LMAO @ that! Now that I have that out of the way, I need to vent a little about Malaysian drivers. What the fuck is with those bastard fucks who are waiting to turn into moving traffic, positioned perpendicular to it, but venture out into the lane far enough to obstruct traffic / cause an accident, AND STILL DON'T TURN! They just fucking sit there, not letting you move, and not moving themselves. Oh man, would people regret it if they gave me some kind of law-making power. BTW, did you notice the awesome macro mode and autofocussed picture of the box? Taken with the W800i, no less!

A white-and-orange specimen, finally in my hands!

Yesterday I managed to find a W800i, brand new, for more than 300 ringgit less than its current selling price. I have a tendency towards smartphones because of my love of tech stuff/gadgets, a market dominated by Nokia Series 60 phones, but I like Sony Ericsson phones a lot as well. The first "cool" phone I had was an SE T610, and I was very impressed with its camera, menu, screen, size and battery life (outstanding at more than 5 days on standby). I eventually graduated to using Series 60 smartphones from Nokia, which, in some small amount are created by other companies as well, but they don't quite have the execution right yet. My girlfriend just moved to a smartphone as well, a Nokia 6680 - its shining star being 3G and two cameras for video calls. We actually got to try out video calling, and man, I must say it is FUCKING cool. There's no lag or slowdown like with webcams, and its as simple as "normally" calling someone. Eventually, I plan on pushing everyone I care about to have one of these. The last phone I was using was an O2 XDA II Mini, a quite popular phone amongst the trendy-tech and business crowds. The smallest available PDA-phone, it runs Windows Mobile 2nd Edition w/ Media Player 10. Its cool and all, but I lost my wi-fi card, and there's something about having tactile button feedback rather than entering stuff in with a stylus. Plus, I wanted a device that had built-in wi-fi, 3G, a front camera, a very nice rear camera and some more stuff. I looked around, and it turns out what I want isn't available yet. Basically what i want is spot on with the new Sony Ericsson P990i, as well as many new Nokia N-series and E-series phones, all of which will be available or at a reasonable price 5 months down the road. So I was gonna get an N90 as I wrote earlier, but didn't like it all that much, and decided to get a W800i. The phone comes in this awesome packaging, its shown in the pic (the first one from the left). Its kinda tubular-elliptical clear, thick plastic. Its transparent through the center with orange caps at the top and bottom with imprinted "Walkman" logos. Inside, I was expecting a good-looking phone, but man ... this phone turned out incredible looking! I love its ivory and orange color scheme! The orange bits look totally like metal, and the white is smooth and creamy. This phone just screams youth, which I think is what Sony wanted to achieve with the Walkman-branded phones. I was expecting a phone with a 512 mb memory stick and headphones included, but this phone is more of a music player than that. Much to my surprise, they included a standard 3.5 mm jack. As soon as I discovered this, I plugged in my huge studio headphones and started chilling to the sounds of "Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me" by U2. Wicked! And the place where you put the 3.5mm jack into, has an included microphone so you can receive or make calls as well(the voice of my chapat real estate agent in bassy stereo studio headphones is a little startling). Combined with the metallic finish of the piece and the wicked-looking Walkman logo, this cemented the deal for me. The phone itself is very sturdy and of solid construction typical of Sony Ericssons. The thing I like most about SEs is the quality of their materials. They're the only ones in the market who know how to make plastic look EXACTLY like real metal. Other than that, the buttons are well-spaced have excellent tactile feedback, and the screen, though not record-shattering on paper, holds its own in real life. I thought it would be the same as the K700i screen, with the 220x176 resolution, the added brightness of the backlight and 262k colours vs. 65k colours really do make a difference. After seeing the display first hand, I'd give it a 9/10, only because better screens do exist (the Samsung D600, SE S700i and W900i, and on top the N90). The phone is reported to have good battery life, supposedly you can talk for just under 12 hours non-stop. I haven't had the phone long enough to comment on this. Oh, and I forgot the other juicy part of this phone: It has the best camera on the market! YUP! A 2 megapixel, AUTO-FOCUS camera with a wicked bright flash adorns the back of my lovely new W800i, and snaps photos better than the Carl Zeiss-equipped N90. Strangely, the N90 performed well below everyone's expectations for a phone with such a "designer" lens. I too am a fan of Carl Zeiss lenses, hell, the company even designs lenses for space telescopes and shit, but in the N90 something didn't go as planned. Maybe it was the inferior CMOS censor behind the lens, but the N90 has started to shake Carl Zeiss' reputation. In any case, Sony's CMOS-equipped 2MP camera in the W800i, K750i and P990i with autofocus is currently the best on the market.