Running Windows Vista and XP In Ubuntu With Multiple Desktops!

I am considering installing VirtualBox either in Windows or in Ubuntu and run the other as a virtual machine. While surfing the net, I came across this YouTube video. This video shows someone running and flipping through Windows Vista and Windows XP in Ubuntu Linux with multiple desktops. One desktop contains Ubuntu's own desktop, while one has VirtualBox running XP and another running Vista:

VirtualBox is an open source virtual machine software that allows users to run multiple operating systems inside an existing operating system. Errr... you get the drift?

How to Identify if Someone Had A Stroke

I feel it is important to copy and paste this wikiHow with the above title here:

1. Know the symptoms of a stroke:
   
   • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
   • Sudden inability to talk or understand what is being spoken to you
   • Sudden confusion or disorientation
   • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
   • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
   • Sudden, severe headache with no known cause (only in case of hemorrhagic stroke). Most of the times stroke is not associated with a headache.
2. Find out if the symptoms are new. Any of these symptoms can be caused by other conditions, but what makes them characteristic of a stroke is that they appear suddenly. For example, a person may have had an injury in their childhood that prevents a part of their mouth from moving. In such a case, it is not caused by a stroke and does not require emergency treatment.
3. Seek immediate emergency treatment if any of the above symptoms are suddenly present. Call your local emergency number and tell the dispatcher that you believe this person has had a stroke. You may be asked by the emergency operator or dispatcher to ask the person some questions, which are outlined in the next step, if the person cannot be reached by emergency staff quickly enough. When the person is picked up by the ambulance or admitted to the hospital, let the staff know that he or she may have had a stroke.
4. Prevent the person from eating or drinking until they can be tested and treated by trained medical personnel. Over one third of people affected by a stroke have subsequent swallowing problems which can lead to choking or aspiration.
   

Tips
Anyone can have a stroke. Don't assume that because someone is young and fit that they are not having a stroke. If you see any of the stroke symptoms, act fast, without exception.

Warnings
Avoid wasting time with the "smile test" which has been made popular through e-mail. It is a simplified version of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS), used by paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to determine if a person is a victim of a stroke. While research suggests that most people can administer this test under the direction of a professional (i.e. over the phone) there is no evidence that it is effective without such guidance. The "smile test" involves asking the person to smile, speak a sentence, and raise both arms, but it does not cover all the symptoms of a stroke and it does not indicate specifically what to look for when the person is answering (e.g. raise arms pointing up? forwards? to the side? for how long?).

Wear Your Rear Seat Belts From June

Update 28 December 2008: Latest news on the enforcement of wearing seat belts in the rear from Star Online.

Update 22 July 2008: Looks like the enforcement date has been pushed to 1 January 2009. The government has yet to determine who to fine... the person not wearing the rear seat belt or the driver of the vehicle. Source: Star Online

The government will finally require rear passengers to wear seat belts from the beginning of June. However, summons will only be issued from August. This ruling only applies to cars that were registered after January 1995. This new road safety law is said to be able to prevent 350 road deaths a year.

Perodua Kancil and Kenari cars manufactured up till middle of 2004 will also be exempted as these cars were not built with rear seat belt facilities. Some of the models built between 2004 and 2005 have anchorage points but no seat belts. These owners will be given 3 years to install the seat belts.

Source: Star Online Nation "Kancil, Kenari exempted from rear seat belt ruling... for now"

Malaysia's Dairy Farm

Very interesting news this one. Muadzam Shah, Pahang will be Malaysia's dairy hub once the RM50m comes into operation. First Dairy Farm (M) Sdn. Bhd. expects to produce over 8 million litres of milk by year end. The cows were imported from more than 20 farms across Australia. Currently there are 284 cows, according to Datuk Wan Abdullah Wan Salleh, First Dairy Farm's president. This will be increased to about 1,200 cows in phase 2 by year end.

Each cow will be milked twice a day, producing up to 22 litres of milk.

I was beginning to wonder how these cows will survive the Malaysian weather but this was answered later in the news report. The cows will be located in indoor barns with climate control facilities.

This project located in an area of the East Coast Economic Region (ECER), a development initiative by the government for the East Coast of Malaysia.

I guess very soon we will be looking at milk cartons with "Buatan Malaysia" logos...

Source: Star Online Nation "Pahang to become dairy hub"

Earth Day Comic Preview

I was trying to draw a comic related to the environment and tried to finish it before the end of today, Earth Day. No success here. I only managed a sneak preview (right). And even this sneak preview is unfinished work. *shy*

INSANE: Tanker Attack Brings Forth US$117 Oil Breach

Update 23 April 2008: Oil peaked at US$119.90 as the US Dollar continues its downward trend - Bloomberg.com. Going for US$120, anyone?

Update 22 April 2008: Strike in Scotland and attacks in Nigeria help to contribute to today's high of US$118.05, reports Bloomberg.com.

-----

According to CNNMoney.com, an attack on a Japanese tanker by a rocket launcher from a smaller boat off the Yemen coast raised crude oil price to US$117.40 a barrel. No injuries was reported.

Previous oil price posts:

1. INSANE: Latest Oil Peak
   
2. INSANE: New Oil Record
   
3. INSANE: I Lost Count How Many Times Oil Price Set A Record This Year
   
4. INSANE: Oil's Unrelenting Upward Trend
   
5. INSANE: Oil Tops My Previous Post In No Time!
   
6. INSANE: Oil Surged Past US$108
   
7. INSANE: Oil @ US$103.95?
   
8. INSANE: Oil Topped at US$102.80
   
9. INSANE: Oil Continues the Post US$100 Trend
10. INSANE: Crude Oil Prices Touched US$100 A Barrel

A Different World #3

After almost 13 hours since the sneak preview, here it is, the 3rd A Different World comic:

I guess this sort of is my wish and perhaps a lot of other people's wishes, too... to be able to sleep in on a working Monday morning... :P

Oops, wanted to post at exactly 10am... failed that part. *shy*

A Different World #3 Sneak Preview

Here's a really tiny sneak preview of my next comic, to be released tomorrow morning, I hope. :P

From flickr: The meaning of Photography

The meaning of Photography
Originally uploaded by alecani.

Snapping photo from anywhere? :P

From Earth Shots: Colourful Sea Slug

Check out this beautifully coloured sea slug!

Earth Shots

Photo of the Day: 19 Apr 08

A Visit To A "Dell Store"

Is it called a "Dell Store"? What I mean is a retail outlet selling Dell products. I visited one last night at the Digital Mall in Petaling Jaya. I went there to have a feel of the Inspiron 1420, a laptop on offer for the PC Fair period. The offer appears to be really good if you are looking for a laptop at this time. It ends Monday, 21 April 2008. You can visit Dell's website for this offer.

Anyway, this blog is about my visit to the Dell Store. The store offers cash and carry services, so unlike purchasing from the website (which takes up to a week), you get to pay and own one almost immediately. When I reached there, I noticed at least 3 different groups of people were in the process of getting a laptop. The focus of this particular store is mainly on laptops. I saw only one desktop and one printer on display. The rest are all laptops, with the majority the Inspiron 1420. There were a unit of XPS M1330 and a M1530. I did not notice other products as my main focus was the 1420. I wanted to have a look at the Inspiron 1525, too, but it was not on display.

A sales rep approached and handed me a brochure of Dell Store's PC Fair promotions. At first glance, they all seemed similar to the ones on the website but there are big differences. The rep told me that they were more or less the same, except that the retail offers Windows-less systems, which over here, they are called "Free DOS". Is this a common term across the globe?

The other major difference that the sales guy stressed on was the CPUs are of higher specifications. Free DOS and higher spec CPU will make the pricing similar to those on the website. So for those that want an operating system-less Dell here in Malaysia, a visit to the store is required because Dell's website does not offer such systems.

Another good point that the sales rep pointed out was that if you purchased from them and you went home with any defects within 3 days, you could still bring it back to the store for an exchange (well, I wouldn't know if this is sales talk or what).

The disadvantage in purchasing from the store is, the sales rep did point this out, too, you would not be able to customise on things like type of LCDs on the laptop, the CPU, and other more internal stuff. RAM upgrades are available, though. This is in-line with Dell's recent announcement to place more focus on pre-built systems.

Update 4:05pm: One thing that I forgot to mention was that the sales rep told me extra charges will apply if payment is made by credit card once the promotional period is over. This doesn't happen if purchase is made online.

My personal preference would be if I were to buy a Dell laptop, I would like to visit a Dell Store to have some hands-on BUT would return to the website to make my purchase. This is provided I am not in any urgent need of a laptop. I still prefer the Dell buy direct concept.

Related post: Dell Begins?

INSANE: Latest Oil Peak

Update 19 April 2008: Oil hits US$116.97. Source: Bloomberg.com.

CNNMoney.com reported oil peaked at US$115.54. The reason for this post is, I have added too many updates to my previous insane oil price post. :P Wonder when I can stop having to update this...

Previously:

1. INSANE: New Oil Record
   
2. INSANE: I Lost Count How Many Times Oil Price Set A Record This Year
   
3. INSANE: Oil's Unrelenting Upward Trend
   
4. INSANE: Oil Tops My Previous Post In No Time!
   
5. INSANE: Oil Surged Past US$108
   
6. INSANE: Oil @ US$103.95?
   
7. INSANE: Oil Topped at US$102.80
   
8. INSANE: Oil Continues the Post US$100 Trend
9. INSANE: Crude Oil Prices Touched US$100 A Barrel

Eye On Malaysia To Move To Melaka

Currently situated in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur, the ferris wheel will be moved to Melaka. A permanent, RM42 million complex will be the new home for it. This will be a joint-venture with the ratio of 40-60 with the operator, MST AD Suria Sdn Bhd, taking up the larger share. Land will be provided by Melaka state subsidiary Kumpulan Melaka Berhad, contributing the 40%.

Some other interesting facts from the Star Online report:

1. Eye On Malaysia is the world's largest portable ferris wheel with a height of 60m.
2. The return on investment for this is forecasted to take 4 years.
3. About 6.8 million tourists are expected to visit Malacca this year with the number increasing to 8 million by 2010.

Visited the Eye On Malaysia last year and posted in the blog here.

Gorillas In Danger

Gorillas have been reclassified from endangered to critically endangered in September 2007 by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The population of gorillas have decreased tremendously, no thanks to poaching, habitat loss and worse, the Ebola virus.

Researchers are hoping to vaccinate the gorillas with vaccine originally developed for humans. The animals share many of our genes. Besides the need to develop the right vaccine, researchers will have difficulty getting hold of the gorillas for vaccination. They are very hard to find and are spread out over vast forests.

Source: LiveScience "Goodbye Gorilla: Vaccine Urgently Needed"

IonBuck Draws Again...

Another attempt at trying to be artistic. :P

INSANE: New Oil Record

Update 17 April 2008: Believe it or not, it is now peaking at US$115.21 a barrel. This one just in from Bloomberg.com.

Update 16 April 2008 #2: Crude oil peaked at US$114.95 before settling down at US$114.40. The US$115 mark is pretty near! :O via CNNMoney.com.

Update 16 April 2008: From CNNMoney.com - crude oil reached a new high at US$114.08.

Update 10:27pm: Latest from CNN.com - crude oil reached US$113.66!!!

Bloomberg.com revealed that oil set a new record earlier at US$112.48. This is due to increase in consumption and the still falling US Dollar.

Previously:

1. INSANE: I Lost Count How Many Times Oil Price Set A Record This Year
   
2. INSANE: Oil's Unrelenting Upward Trend
   
3. INSANE: Oil Tops My Previous Post In No Time!
   
4. INSANE: Oil Surged Past US$108
   
5. INSANE: Oil @ US$103.95?
   
6. INSANE: Oil Topped at US$102.80
   
7. INSANE: Oil Continues the Post US$100 Trend
8. INSANE: Crude Oil Prices Touched US$100 A Barrel

Added New Friend

Added "Daddy Parenting Tips" blog to my list of friends. :D

Still Thinking of Space

Can't help to feel worried when I read from Star Online that our government still has intention of sending another space visitor to space, even though the chances are low:

“In principle, the Government has said that the Angkasawan project will continue subject to the availability of funds.

"However, currently, the funds to continue with the programme are not available,” Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili told reporters during a visit to the Academy of Sciences Malaysia here on Monday.

Sweet IonBuck

I became very sweet about an hour ago. While being served ice tea, the waiter accidentally poured sugar syrup on my jeans! :(

Yours faithfully,
Sweet, Sticky Buck

Alligator Blood Cures

After years of research and searching for cure to various diseases caused by bacteria and viruses, could it be that the cure is with nature itself? New discoveries in alligator blood lead scientists to research cures based on the peptides in the blood. These peptides are believed to be able to destroy 23 strains of bacteria and even a significant amount of HIV! Similar properties are also found in Australian crocodiles.

However, the actual cure may still be some time to come because serum produced tend to be toxic to humans in higher concentrations.Photo and info from National Geographic News "Alligator Blood May Lead to Powerful New Antibiotics".

A Photo From Ching Ming

Photographed this when I went Ching Ming with my family to offer our prayers to our ancestors:

My comments on my flickr:

The official date for Qing Beng this year was 4 April 2008, but my family and I went some weeks earlier to avoid the confestion (though some said it should only be 10 days earlier or 10 days later than the official date).

While at the grave of an ancestor, I saw this scene with the distant KL skyline. I was thinking of posting this on the actual day last week but got lazy (apologies!) but today would proof to be a suitable day because a neighbour just passed away and there is a ceremony going on at this moment.

Beer to End Much Earlier Than Earth

See that totally nice looking beer there? I totally do not like beer, but for the benefit of my beer drinking friends, I am linking to the post from smartplanet that tells of the possible end of beer, at least one of the beverage's key ingredients - malting barley. Crop fields might shrink due to the climate change we all frequently hear about.

Dear friends, drink and enjoy while beer is still commonly available and errr... cheap(?).

The LRT Experience

I went on board the Light Rail Transit (LRT) this morning for a trip to the heart of Kuala Lumpur. I had previous experiences before, so I was not looking forward to this one. The LRT was packed with body touching body. We got tah pao (packed) by the train. :P At least this morning's experience was not as bad as one that I had last year.

Last year, I was going to KL with my colleague for an appointment. The LRT was packed, as usual BUT that particular train's air-conditioning malfunctioned. The train was so so so hot and humid and I was soaked to the bone. It was only the beginning of the day! What a terrible tah pao session that was!

More Haze Then Than 2006

According to NSTOnline, if weather pattern holds (the dry La Nina phenomena), the hotspots in Indonesia will increase. A paragraph from the article (statement from the Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution):

A statement issued at the end of the meeting said Indonesia had cut down on the number of hot spots by 51 per cent last year in both Sumatra and Kalimantan compared with 2006. Indonesia has targeted to reduce the number of hot spots by half next year, 75 per cent in 2012 and 95 per cent in 2025.

Get to Know Peanut Butter Session

According to LivScience.com's Life's Little Mysteries, peanut butter jam:

1. Has only 2% of water while the rest is peanut butter oil or other vegetable oil.
2. Will not get moldy or infested by bacteria as easily because of its low water content.
3. Will get rancid because of oxygen breaking down its high fat content.
4. Will get rancid only after 9 to 12 months because it contains a lot of anti-oxidants.

However, eating rancid peanut butter is not that poisonous because “It won’t hurt you if you eat it — it will just taste bad,” says Maribeth Cousin, a professor of food science at Purdue University in Indiana. “Some people actually eat rancid food without knowing it, depending upon their individual taste buds.”

IonBuck's Attempt at Comics...

And here is the result... not sure if you know what it means, but here it is:

Drawn with Inkscape 0.45 in Ubuntu OS from my thumbdrive. ;)

From flickr: . . . dreaming of fruities . . .

. . . dreaming of fruities . . .
Originally uploaded by TAIwiffic.

A dreaming panda! Mega cute factor! :P

I Miss Orangina

This post from ParisDailyPhoto reminded me of Orangina, a carbonated citrus juice with orange pulps inside. Only through this I found out that the drink is actually French! Many years back, it was marketed around Malaysia, but its presence has diminished over time. I had drank it once a couple of years back which was the last time I went to Italiannies (did I spell that right?) @ The Curve.

Image taken from Wikipedia.

Financial Crisis (Again)?

Picked this up from today's Star Online "News in brief" but not sure if it is anything to go on since it is at the bottom of a news in brief page:

Soros predicts another fall

NEW YORK: Billionaire investor George Soros said the financial crisis is the worst since the Great Depression and the markets will fall once more this year after a brief rebound, Bloomberg News reported yesterday.

“We had a good bottom,” Soros told Bloomberg, referring to Wall Street's rally following JPMorgan Chase's deal to buy beleaguered Bear Stearns Cos.

“This will probably not prove to be the final bottom,” he told Bloomberg, adding the rebound may last anywhere from six weeks to three months as the US moves closer to a recession. – Reuters

Is this going to be true? More problems ahead? :O

Greedy Oil Mining Countries Laying Claims to the North Pole While Other Parts Suffer Shortage of Water

Celcias highlighted the woes of the Arctic people over the recent claim by Russia over the oil reserves there. Other wealthy and greedy nations such as the USA (of course!) and Norway are disputing this for their own benefits.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, global warming is probably causing drought in Israel, war is leaving Iraqis without clean water and Syria's overuse of water is leaving Jordan with contaminated water.

Source: Celcias "Oil Wars, Water Conflicts"

Some Nazri Arrogance?

The lower portions of this report from Star Online sounds like arrogance and blame despite the mention of "not to blame":

“Remember, Umno did not lose. Don’t talk as if we lost.”

However, he noted that the Barisan did lose some seats because it had stayed true to its promise on seat allocations among component parties.

“For example, we already knew that the Indian community did not support the MIC but still we kept to our promise.

“Umno did not take back the Malay-majority seats but allowed the MIC to contest although we could have won them,” he told reporters after handing out aid to 124 storm victims in his constituency here on Friday.

What do you think?

Plenty of Bloggers In Malaysia

Malaysia once again BOLEH! This time, our country is among the top countries (after Indonesia and The EU) with the highest number of bloggers in the world, the Star Online reports. Am proud to be one of the 500,000 or so bloggers in Malaysia. :D

Time to Think About The National Monument

Just uploaded the National Monument into my flickr account:

Also wrote some stuff about it:

In Malaysia, now is one of the best time to think about what the National Monument represents. With the recent election results and opposition parties taking away some of the major states, it is time the ruling party (now only with a simple majority) reflect on how badly they have performed since independence and how dissatisfied the people are with them.

Due to the limited dynamic range of small sensor cameras, the rain clouds were washed out while trying to expose properly for the monument. I have done some 'burning' using Gimp to make the clouds appear as they were when I was taking the photo. Also cropped the right portion a little to centralise the monument. Left the other things untouched.

Dell Begins?

We know Dell is losing its market share to HP. We hear Michael Dell returning as CEO. Dell released a whole new batch of more colourful, better designed range of desktops and laptops. Dell also went into retail. Recently, we hear Dell will be closing its factory in Texas and planning to lay off at least 8,800 employees.

I like Dell. Dell offers value-for-money laptops. Can't really say much about the desktops because I've not been following desktop PC developments. Will Dell return to the top?

Update 4 April 2008: Dell announced that the company will focus more on pre-built systems while allowing customisation for the higher end ones. This was announced during the company's financial analysts meet on Wednesday.

Headline! Dr. Mahathir No Longer Supports Najib as PM!

It was a sleepy Wednesday morning when suddenly, the headline "Dr M drops support for Najib" popped out of Star Online's RSS feeds. Fuyoh! Dr. M never fails to surprise these days!

"For now, I can’t say who (should replace Abdullah). Although I have said before it should be Najib, I don’t know why for ‘some reason’ I have now changed my mind."

First April Fool Blog Post

Since so many people blogs about April Fool, I find the need to post something here, though it is not a joke: I'm on leave today. :P

Busy day, though. Got my dose of photography, too. Phew. Not been snapping photos for some time. Great to have done it again today. :D

Update 5:00pm: Attached a photo as a clue to what I was doing today. ;)