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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

April fool's day

An email sent out by a colleague reminded me of a prank that took place 2 years ago in my office, no thanks to yours truly. The company I was working for at that time had just undergone a merger process, so I had quite a few new colleagues. I wanted the new colleagues to know that ITguys are not all that 'nerdy' (ok, this is one time I will use the term 'IT' though I prefer the term 'IS' for Information Systems).

So on 1st April 2005, just about 15 minutes before lunch time, I sent out this email to a few colleagues (I did not sent to everyone in the office since I didn't really know the new colleagues and was not sure if they can take a joke):

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Subject: Network Cabling Cleanup


First of all, apologies for the last minute announcement.

We have noticed that over the past 2 months, there has been a deterioration of network service. Signs and symptoms of this deterioration includes but not limited to:
- delay in emails
- d i s t o r t i o n in files transfered accross the network (esp. in spreadsheets where figures can actually be changed!)
- disruption in email service
- server shutdown

After several tests, we have concluded that it is due to the static and noise from the cabling. We have seen in extreme cases where these static and noise reached our workstations and caused display problems such as blur display.

To prevent further damage to our office equipments, we will be configuring a script scheduled to run during lunch today. If you are working over lunch, kindly email Adrian TAI (please do not reply to all) with your preferred date and time. We will then customise the script according to your preference.

In order for the script to run effectively, we want to minimise any disruption caused by electromagnetic interference. Workstation display units (the normal CRT monitor or even the LCD monitor) can actually cause this interference, a phenomenon known as a Latent Interference Electromagnetism.

As such, we would like you turn off your monitor before leaving for lunch. And to avoid any leakage of the interference, we would like you to cover your monitor with a piece of A4 paper (A4 should be big enough to cover the screen). Please use recycled paper for this. You can just use a bit of celotape and tape the top and bottom of the paper to the monitor (FYI, static and noise is cause by electromagnetism, which the monitors also generate).

If you have any questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact Adrian TAI. Thank you.

(Note: A separate clean-up for XXXXXXX is scheduled sometime next week.)

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Note that I have replaced XXXXXXX to protect my company's identity (like real only... who dunno where I work la?!?)

I know that many non-IT people dread getting emails from the IT Department because emails coming from that department is usually written in some alien language. So I purposely drafted an alien sounding email.

I am the type of person that likes to reward people who take the time to read my stuffs. Yes, even in this blog, I do leave hints and many other goodies. So it was no different with the email I sent out. Anyone who took the time to try to understand the email would have noticed the hints I left like:
1. spacing the word 'distortion'
2. Latent Interference Electromagnetism?!? Read the CAPS... LIE.
3. recycled paper?!

I sent that email about 15 minutes before lunch because it gave the recipients enough time to read my email. I expected to get calls regarding the email, so I conveniently disappear from my desk. I added the last line about having a separate exercise for the other division to make the email sound genuine.

I had a good laugh during lunch that day...

A desktop monitor covered with a recycled A4-size paper


Another desktop with an A4-size paper covering the monitor


This one is probably worried about the leakage and decided to use a thicker paper


2 more desktops


This one is also probably worried about leaking radiation and decided to use extra paper


Notebooks were not spared either


Another notebook


More notebook users falling victim


These are compliant people... Don't laugh!
The MD had a good laugh as well when she came back from lunch. She saw a few desktops with the A4-size paper and asked what was going on...

This prank was made even more interesting by the fact that some of the original victims decided to re-use my prank on the other colleagues who were in a meeting (they are the ones with the notebooks photographed above).

I was told there was also one un-intended victim. She had overheard the conversation about email and had wondered why she did not get the email from me. But rather than put up with the hassle of looking for me, she decided to just follow everyone and covered her monitor with an A4-size paper... :)

It has been two years. I don't think anyone actually remembers this anymore. But this year, 1st April falls on a Sunday...

*sigh*

It falls on Tuesday next year. That's good news for me... :)

If you are curious what are the top 100 pranks, check out this site.

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Saturday, March 24, 2007

I'm getting old...

Had a haircut this morning. Halfway cutting my hair, the barber said "You're thinning on top. You're dropping ah?"

What?!? OK, I didn't see that coming...

After a short while, he said "Can't cut short. No hair on top".

There goes my weekend...

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Monday, March 19, 2007

The rojak post

Just a quick update on what happened over the weekend.

Managed to meet up with a few friends on Friday night. Nicholas is back from US for a short holiday with his wife. More on this gathering can be found at Friends of Seaport.

click to view image at actual size
Managed to get a few of them to agree to visit my sites more often. Yes, shameless promotion.

Then on Saturday, I watched 300 with my wife. Surprised her with the tickets but she was not that happy about it. She says there is too much violence in the movie. Yes, you can actually see the head go off in the local cinema version (we all know usually we get this only from the 'generic' DVDs). If we're this liberal now, I think this is a positive step because previously, I never had high regards for our movie ratings system. I mean why rate a movie SX-18 and still censor little scenes like a passionate kiss?!?

I personally found 300 to be more entertaining that Ghost Rider. In case you didn't know, 300 is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. The graphic novel is, in turn, loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae. It was also during the screening of the trailers before 300 that I realised there's a Die Hard 4. Hmmm... Not bad. :)

We also did some windows shopping at Ikano Power Center. But after about 5 hours of outing, I fell sick. Yes, having some slight (ok, not that slight) sore throat now.

Oh, I think my wife and I are beginning to get hooked to Bleach. D4rn you, 2-5kid.

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Friday, March 16, 2007

My Vista froze...

After just 2 days of playing around with Vista, I finally got my first experience of Windows Vista freezing (can't say it crashed and using the term 'hung' seems a bit weird) on me. I guess with every new version of Windows, I look forward to my first Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD), my first 'illegal operation', my first crash, etc...

What did I do over the past 2 days? Nothing really major, really. No registry hacking. No running of 1000+ applications.

All I did was... Installed FireFox (see sidebar for download link), installed FireFTP, removed Microsoft Works, removed McAfee, installed AVG and the one that caused the freezing up of Windows Vista - installed Microsoft Office 2003. But I have to make it clear, Office 2003 did not really cause it. So happened that I was installing MS Office 2003 when it happened. MS Office 2003 works fine on Vista.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Sprint Highway

Everyday, I take the Sprint Highway home. In case you don't know, this is the highway from Damansara Heights (or Jalan Duta) to a few other areas like the NKVE-Damansara toll.

The intesting thing about this highway is that if you're heading towards KL, you don't have to pay any toll charges. If you're heading towards PJ, then it will cost rm1. The toll booths are located just after Eastin Hotel and Phileo Damansara. Of course if you opt not to pay rm1, you can get then get yourself stuck in the jam by using the small and parallel road that is just next to Eastin Hotel.

Most of the time, I prefer to pay the rm1 as I really can save some time. Anyway, this is what I observed about the highway...

1. If you're heading towards PJ in the evening on weekdays, traffic is really quite smooth all the way to the toll booths
2. The Touch-N-GO queue is usually longer than the cash queue. I guess it is not really that touch and GO after all... :)
3. At least 1 lane has got TWO booths to collect your rm1 (more on this shortly)
4. Those people working in Sprint really know where to build the toll booths because right after you pay rm1, you get this:

Right after you pay rm1, you get into a jam that stretches all the way to the LDP Interchange

The jam does not happen just on rainy days. It happens almost everyday!

So, I really have to ask the people at Sprint if they actually need TWO people to run TWO booths at ONE lane when the cars can hardly move IMMEDIATELY after they pass the toll booths. If traffic is smooth after the toll booths, I can see how having TWO booths can speed things up... But common, it is a crawl and sometimes I have can't even move after I have paid my rm1.

And... Can someone remind me why I just paid rm1?!

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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Picture worth a thousand words

True to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words....

I got these in one of the forwarded emails. It is just too good not to share with you all. I am not sure who made it, so can't credit the person. However, if you are the one who did these creative and wonderful pieces, or know who did it, do let me know. I will update the post to give due recognition to the person.

The artwork has been 'squeezed' to fit into the page. To view the masterpieces at original size, do click on them or right-click and save them onto your desktop.

Hope you will enjoy these interesting artwork just as much as I do.










I wonder if there is more?

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Thursday, March 08, 2007

Money transfer scam - Part 1

Every now and then, we read in the papers about people losing thousands of ringgit to internet scams. One of the popular internet scam is the one where a banker requests for assistance is moving out money from a dead customer's account with the promise of a small percentage.

But what actually happens? Well, according to my source, he (I will use HE as a general term but not necessary my source is a male) has recently replied to one such email. In fact, according to him, the email exchanges are still going on.

He has also provided me with some information on this scam which he also suggested that I put on my blog (I guess he didn't realise I have like only 5 regular readers)!

This is how a typical scam email will look like
He had recently received the above email. The content of the email has been reproduced below:
MY DEAR FRIEND,

I MAKE THIS APPEAL WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ANY FACTS OR OPINION EXPRESSED BY ME ARE GIVING IN CONFIDENCE AND SOLELY FOR YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.I am DR.IBRAHIM HASSAN,the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department Bank of africa burkinafaso.

In my department I discovered an abandoned sum of US$8.5M, (Eight Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars) that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his wife and only daughter in a plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight number 261 which crashed on 31 January, 2000. You shall read more about the crash on visiting this website:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list/

The Owner of this account is Mr. Morris Thompson an American and great industrialist and a resident of Alaska.It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and for our bank to release the money to you.
You have to follow the instruction which I will be send to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and
subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into our bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

The banking law and guidelines here stipulates that if such money remained unclaimed after Three years, the money will be transfered into the banktreasury as unclaimed fund. The money has now stayed more than three years and I am preparing documentaion to prove that this money has been
transfered to our bank treasury. It will be between me and you only that will know that the money is not transfered into our treasure.

This request of foreigner as next of kin in this transaction is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabé cannot standas next of kin to a foreigner.In appreciation of your assistance, I am offering you 30% of the total sum. 5% for contingencies (cost of transfer/other charges) likely to be incurred during the course of transaction, while the remaining 65% is for me.

Upon receipt of your reply,i will send to you by fax or email the text of the application which you will complete and forward to our bank asking for this money to be paid to you as the next of kin to Mr;Morris Thomson. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any fear as all required arrangements have
been made for the transfer.You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this mail through the above email.

PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER MY
URGENT REQUEST.

Yours Faithfully,

DR.IBRAHIM HASSAN

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My source went to check the CNN link provided in the email and saw this:

The name matches and CNN just became an accomplice!
My source was curious to know where the email came from, so he checked the email header for additional details. This is what he got:

Using DNSStuff's free service, he was able to find that the IP address belongs to a country called Burkina Faso.

Eh, the scam orignated from Burkina Faso and we are the one with HIGH fraud profile?!
[Oh, this reminds me -- mental note to self: share information about 'Being anonymous on the net']

Anyway, the whole thing is still on-going and my source has promised more details. Stay tuned!

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Sunday, March 04, 2007

My ATM experience

Mrs Tai (that is what I call my wife) asked me to help her do some banking on Saturday morning since she had to be in school (she is not the student, in case you need to know).

She handed me her ATM card and a piece of paper with instructions (yes, that's how bad my memory can be). Very simple task, really - withdraw money and deposit into 2 different accounts.

How difficult can that be, right? It can be so difficult, actually when you're confronted with this screen:

Sh1t, which one is withdraw money la...?!?
We forgot Maybank actually remembers your preferred language and Mrs Tai's preferred language is chinese. And I can't read or write in Chinese! So how? Press Cancel and wait for her lor...

Cr4p! Actually, it can be a good point because if it is a snatch thief trying to withdraw money, the fella may not even know how to withdraw money. Bad point... When it is a genuine case like mine. I am so helpless... Shy only...

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Friday, March 02, 2007

Our Earth is sick

Our planet is having a fever. Her doctors call it Global Warming.

If you can remember the past 10 years or so, you probably would have also commented recently, that our planet is getting hotter. And you would be right about it. Scientists who have been measuring claim that for the past 100 years, our planet's temperature have gone up by about 1°C.

But this is not all. In the news, we see an increased frequency of natural disasters such of flood and thunderstorms occurring. Our sea level is also rising. In other words, we are facing a climate change.

When we fall sick, we naturally try to find out what caused our sickness. If it is due to over-working, then we tell ourselves to slow down and relax. If it is due to a bacterial infection, we take antibiotics. The thing is, we do something about our sickness.

But what are we doing for our sick planet? We can all start of with simple things like:

1. Walk whenever possible. Hot weather should not be an excuse because we caused it! By driving, we are making it even hotter for our children in the future. Otherwise cycle. Don't forget that air pollution is also caused by us! Reducing air pollution also reduces incidences of respiratory problems.
   
2. Gather rain water. You can use this water to wash your car porch or even water the plants.
3. Recycle. Don't just throw away your aluminium cans. Recycle them. Same goes with old newspaper, pamphlets and especially junk mails!
4. Consider installing solar-powered water heaters.
5. Plant some greens - be it a tree or vegetables. Or together with your neighbours, adopt a neighbourhood tree.
   
   
6. Do not open your window while the air-conditioning system is running. I find this to happen especially in offices. If it is too cold, ask the building management to raise the temperature.
7. If you pack your food from hawkers very often (especially the economy rice), consider getting a container like tupperware instead of using the hawker's polystyrene container.
8. Use the water from your washing machine to wash your car porch and toilet. You would already have saved on soap and will need only a bit of water to rinse.

Everything starts with us. If everyone starts to do even just 2 or 3 of the listed items above, we would already be making a lot of difference.

Locally, YTL is organising a Climate Change Week from 6th to 9th March 2007. Also, the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth will start screening at GSC from mid March onwards. Make a pledge (see side bar). Watch the movie. Love our planet.

But remember, don't just 'save the planet' for a week...

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