Things to know before study in Multimedia University, MMU.

OK, I state myself as a first year(Alpha Year) student in MMU, and all the information that I given here is purely based on my personal experience and observation.

I love computers. And I want to study Software Engineer in my Degree study, and MMU is definitely the best private university I ever seen, I never regret to choose this university. Here I am not going to talk about how to apply or what courses do MMU offer(you can get all these on MMU website, www.mmu.edu.my ).

What differentiate local university with private university? Cost, and races ratio. I know this touched sensitive issues, but it's a very serious problem to know before study there for years.

Discrimination
In primary and secondary study, both my schools are mostly(more than 99.9%) Chinese dominated, and I seldom mix with other races. Moreover, news like race discrimination and fighting between races in university and secondary schools always appear in media, I still remember the UM cases....

However, in private university that allow whoever can pay for tuition fee(or study fee) with not really bad result to enter the university, therefore, the ratio in the university is quite equal between races. This make the discrimination difficult to happen. My observation told me that MMU students are friendly.

Cost
People always said MMU is Money Making University, and their tuition fees is the highest top 3 in Malaysia. Why don't you check on Inti website? It's roughly the same as MMU tuition fee, plus MMU has strong attachment with the giant company like Microsoft, Ericsson, Motorola, and more. So when you seek for job, this may be your advantage.

Accommodation
Accommodation in MMU is ... more than enough. You can choose to stay in on-campus hostel(I strongly not recommend!), or choose off-campus accommodation, like Ixora Apartment, Emerald Park(EP), Bukit Beruang University(BBU) and more.

Ixora Apartment
I choose to write about this first, as I had stay here for almost 1 study year.
Pros: This is a beautiful place with swimming pool, tallest building in Bukit Beruang, nearest to MMU, and with a shade from Ixora to MMU, so worry for raining.

Cons: Expensive, lousy management, noisy voice from Indonesian students, throwing rubbish, eggs, and water bag from higher floor, and fatal accident happen here last year. Management like to control us, no girls allowed in boys apartment.

Emerald Park
Pros: Near to campus, especially to faculties building. 4-storey only(won't cause fatal fall).

Cons: Expensive rental, expensive fixed utility fees, but if over used still need to pay more(is that called fixed?) Environment in the apartment is dark, smelly, no place to hang washed cloths, look exactly like underground tunnel.

University Green
Pros: No restriction from management unit, beautiful and cool design, with swimming pool.

Cons: Quite expensive and far from MMU(about 15~20 minutes walk), no shade.

Taman Dahlia House
Pros: Cheap in rental, quiet. If lucky, can meet owners that provide electric appliance.

Cons: Quite far from faculties, no shade, a little bit deserted.

Bukit Beruang University
Pros: Quite cheap, no restriction(can bring girls to boys' house)

Cons: so far~~~

On-Campus Hostel
Pros: near, near, near.

Cons: 3 persons sharing room, very restricted, expensive, full of birds' shit, very smelly, noisy.

Transport and Entertainment
Hehe, I think I am writing the most interesting part... Ok, I admit that sometimes we need some entertainment. In Melaka campus, you can only find 1 movie theater in Mahkota Parade, and that place is obviously the most crowded mall in Melaka. Besides that, another higher class shopping mall, Dataran Pahlawan, was established last year, just right in front of Mahkota Parade. The nearest shopping center must be the Jusco and Tesco. These places provide daily utilities. For transport, there are plenty of buses passed by everyday. Just ask the bus driver about the location you want to go and they will guide you. Taxies are widely available in Melaka, but all are not in charge by meter, but purely on their mood. Sometimes I feel that travel in KL is cheaper than Melaka.

Hope these information can help those secondary school graduates to choose their campus rightly, especially those who want to enter by June Intake.

Technorati Tags: MMU - Melaka - Transport - accommodation - entertainment - discrimination

Make sure it's HDCP certified before you buy LCD Monitor

These months, I suffer a lot from my current PC: 4 minutes boot up, 5 minutes to start Photoshop CS2, 5 minutes for Macromedia Flash, and 2 minutes to shut down. This is the slowest PC in the world, and I am always planning for a new desktop PC for my degree study in MMU Cyberjaya next semester.

Samsung SyncMaster LCD 940BW
Without any consideration, I set my target with large display area and the most important is widescreen, as I can see wider, moreover, Windows Vista is recommended to view with a widescreen monitor.(Vista like influencing my decision...)

First, I target for BenQ monitor FP92W, it's a widescreen monitor, but since most people said that Samsung produces higher quality graphic, I changed my mind and target Samsung Widescreen monitor. From 22" 226BW, 20" 206BW, and now downgraded to 19" 940BW. 

Some because of budget, but the main reason is I don't need that high spec of it, as I am not a gamer(I sucks in games).

Click here to see the spec of Samsung SyncMaster 940BW.

HDCP? What is it?
One interesting feature of 940BW is it support HDCP. What is it? HDCP, stand for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, is a technology developed by Intel to protect digital audio and video content when it travel across Digital Visual Interface (DVI) or High-Definition Multimedia Interface(HDMI).

I read the explanation from Wikipedia, and also from several sources, quite complicate, and here I am going to explain it in English.

We all know that High Definition (HD) video and audio will conquer most high quality media in the future, see Sony's Blu Ray and Toshiba HD-DVD HD Format War and you will know. However, not all monitors or audio devices can play HD contents. To do so, the devices must have the license to play it, while only HDCP certified devices can do so.

What's the purpose?
Good question. Intel develop this technology to restrict users from playing HD content on a non-HDCP complaint video output. When you play HD-DVD on a non-HDCP device, it may restrict your quality to DVD quality, or just show you a black screen.
Here are the purpose:

1. Authentication process disallows non-licensed devices to receive or play HD content.
2. Encryption of the actual data sent over DVI or HDMI interface prevent eavesdropping(steal data in the middle, or "men in the middle" attack) of information.
3. Key revocation procedures can ensure that devices manufacturer who violate the license agreement could be easily blocked from receiving HD data.

How it works?
The procedures for your output devices to play HD content is like sending information through Internet.

A unique set of keys will be sent from graphic card to monitor for authentication, only if the device passed the authentication process, the data will be encrypted and send to the monitor to play. More technical detail explanation can be found on Wikipedia.

Windows Vista came out for almost 2 months, and I believe it will change the most display devices in 2~3 years. So, if you love movie, please make a better future investment, and this LCD display is not expensive, I can found RM745 at Low Yat Plaza. I will write a review of this monitor and my whole set of PC when I buy it, but maybe 3 months later....

Technorati Tags: LCD - Samsung - 940BW - HDCP - 19" - low Yat

Yahoo! to offer unlimited storage

Today I visited LowYat.Net to search for some new threads, as usual, I will browse the latest news at the main page first. Wow! Yahoo! will provide UNLIMITED storage to it's e-mail service, Yahoo! Mail!

This surprisingly offer will start on May 2007, in conjunction with Yahoo! Mail 10 years anniversary. Back to 1997, when Yahoo! just came out with the e-mail service, I played it once, but during that time, e-mail functions still not complex as today, very limited usage, and, not to mention, a freaking small 2MB storage, can't even send a mp3 or photo.

Now, I am using Gmail from Google, just because of the 1GB storage space in year 2004 gave me a good impression about it, and until now, I still love Gmail.

Do we really need unlimited storage?
Since I started to use Gmail in 2004, I seldom delete my mail, unless the mail is junk or duplicated forwarded mails from friends. Gmail upgraded their storage in year 2005, and increasing. 3 years later in the future, or now, I just used up 24%(706MB) of my 2833MB storage.

With unlimited storage, people tend to store everything in their accounts. This is a new kind of pollution--digital pollution. More and more data stored in the online account, all sorts of information, useful or junk, all together, while in the other hand, the e-mail service providers keep adding storage to their servers...

Now Yahoo! successfully show something to Google, and sure Google will show something to it. (hope is the final release of Gmail, yea!)

Technorati Tags: Google - Yahoo! - unlimited - storage - free - junk - pollution

First in my life, I was tagged...

This is the first time I being tagged, "thanks" to Wei Yin...

Here it is:
Each player of this game starts off with ten weird things or habits or little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged must write in a blog of their own ten weird things or habits or little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you must choose six people to be tagged and list their names.

Ok, start it now:

1. I am 19 years old. ( because people will think that I am 14. years old)
2. I don't like to clean my room, because messy give me a sense of busy and inspiration.

 
                 you know what is this? My table.

1. I always wake up around 8am in the morning, even without alarm clock. (biology students may explain this)
2. My past time is to blog. (Some said blogging is a waste of time, but if it can let you get some income?.....)
3. I seldom eat junk food, no Coke, no Pepsi, no Twisties.
4. I am a black belt Karate trainee, don't play play... but since I can't compete in this sport, I decided to switch to other sport.
5. I love photo editing, like snapping photo together with Lee Hom, get on TIME Magazine. Next time may try to get on Fortune or National Geographic.
6. I will study Software Engineering for my degree, and will try my best to work in international software company like Google or Microsoft (I know many people hate Microsoft)
7. I prefer original software. My future PC will be running with genuine Windows Vista Home Premium. Using original not mean that I am rich, just as a responsible to the company. If you want to use it, paid for it, don't dig a hole on it. I don't want to see other people using pirated version of my software in the future. Fight for original! (although currently I still can't afford to buy original Photoshop which cost RM2300++)
8. I love outdoor activities, like jungle, or just a field. I don't like shopping mall, bored of Kuala Lumpur.

 

OK, now I finished my 10 weird things and fact of mine. Now I hereby pass this game to:

hcfoo
Kleio
Twyeoh
mylongkang
XtremgenX
DarksiderMMO

 

Technorati Tags: tag - wierd - habit - fact

Intel processors' prices will drop by April?

My friend saw an article at LowYat.Net, and he told me that Intel will coming out with their new price list for their high end processors--Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Core 2 Quad, by April 22, 2007.

To prove it.
That's my attitude. I don't like rumor. I want an exact answer. So I quickly Google for "April 22 Intel new price", and the first result is from RegHardware, a popular site about latest IT news.

Here is the current price list and future price list:

Models	Current Price	After 22 April
Q6600	RM2978.00	RM1855.00
E6300	RM640.50	RM570.50
E6400	RM851.20	RM640.50
E6600	RM1106.00	RM784.00
E6700	RM1855.00	RM1106.00
E4300	RM570.50	RM395.50
E4400	-	RM465.50
E6320	-	RM570.50
E6420	-	RM640.50

* all prices are converted from USD to MYR with 3.5 rate.

Wow! Now I can target a higher performance processor!
Last time, I customize my PC(just customize on paper), and it cost me RM5000++ for that desktop. That time, because of limited budget (RM5k?, yes indeed.), I just target for E6400, and it cost RM815... Now with the new price list, I can use a lower price and get E6600! Yeah!

Instead of getting a cheaper price processor to cut down budget, I prefer to use my budget to buy better processor, for better investment, right? hehe.

I do some research on the Quad Core processor, and found that the price in Malaysia is much higher than the US price. At LowYat PC Zone, the Q6600 cost RM3360, RM400 more expensive than convert from USD.

Some upcoming processor like E4400, is a 2GHz, 2MB L2 cache, and support 800MHz FSB, while E6320 and E6420 will come with 4MB L2 cache.

Looks like Windows Vista bring a new revolution to the IT industry. The upcoming Pikom PC Fair at 14 April may have the least processor sell in the history, maybe.

Here is the site I found the news.

 

Technorati Tags: Intel - price - cut - drop - RegHardware - Malaysia - LowYat - core 2 duo - core 2 quad - April 22

Yes! Now I am USD10 richer!

Yesterday night, I sign in to my Gmail, and I saw 2 mails from PayPerPost. I feel so excited when I saw the title of the mail: "PayPerPost pay out opportunity_post 69284".

Yes! I have received my first payment from PayPerPost! 30 days ago, I wrote a post about "Get Paid to Review Me", and after published for 30 days, I got my first USD10 from blogging! The post is at my first blog, The Fifth Dimension.

Now another problem...
I quickly log in into my PayPal account, and saw the unclaimed amount. Without hesitate, I just click on the "Accept" button. But, that's not that easy... I need to have a Credit Card account so I can accept money... Before PayPerPost pull back the offer in 30 days, I had to figure out how to get that money...

Technorati Tags: PayPal - PayPerPost - credit card - money - blog - claim -

Graduates! What is your profession?!

Yesterday, I watched the movie, 300. It's about the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian Empire army at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the Persians for three days in one of history's most famous last stands.

In this movie, the Spartan King, Leonidas, lead his 300 soldiers to the field, with 700 Arcadian soldiers. The leader of the 700 soldiers saw the very few amount of soldiers leaded by Leonidas, he was so angry, so Leonidas asked some questions to Arcadian :

Leonidas: You, what is your profession?

Arcadian Soldier: I'm a potter, sir.

Leonidas: And you, Arcadian, what is your profession?

Arcadian Soldier: I'm a sculptor.

Leonidas: And you?

Arcadian Soldier:I'm a blacksmith.

Leonidas: [Turning towards the Spartans] Spartans! What is your profession?

Spartans: Harooh! Harooh! Harooh!

Leonidas: See old friend, I brought more soldiers than you did.

Even though this is a last stand match, but at least Spartan can survive longer than other, as Spartans' profession is to war. They have their profession.

The World is Flat
These day, MMU Foundation students are digging their skull to choose their major in the upcoming degree studies. I personally choose Software Engineering, Data Communication, and Security Technology as my first choice, second choice and so on. Each major is to train you into a professional, majoring in the courses that you choose.

A popular book, The World is Flat, by Thomas L.Friedman, discuss about what technology can contribute to globalization. Since Columbia found newland, the globalization started, and now entered globalization 3.0(sounds like software version). In the book, the author list out the changes of economy, country, and employment, and the factors that contributed it.

In this flat world, jobs are not limited in your own country, with Internet, people from oversea can get your job, and your business. So what you should equip yourself, before you boss found another cheaper and more hardworking IT professional from India?

"In current time, to be a fruit knife is no more enough. We want our tools to have multiple function, like Swiss Knife."

The tool that I mean is you. Facing the pressure from all around the world, employers(not mention Intel and Microsoft that kind of giant) is trying to find the cheapest workers to produce the most output. They hope their programmers do more than 1 task, instead sitting in front the monitor for 10 hours a day, employers do prefer if you can communicate with clients; for a truck driver, instead of delivering stuff, your boss too hope that you can manage the store room, or even buying food for the workers.

Equip yourself with several skills may seem difficult and useless now. Example for me: instead sitting in front PC with NFS Carbon or DotA, I involve actively in Engineering Society(I am IT student), Trinite(a high budget prom night), MMU Vista Launch, but I never let my academic down. This more or less will train my management skill, let my change into a small Swiss Knife.

I admit that I am greedy, I hope there is an ALL-IN-ONE course, that include the 3 courses that I like, but it's impossible, unless I take all 3 degrees. But, by just choosing 1 major not mean that you cannot be pro in other majors, you still can learn the skills by your own. One of my friend's brother study Data Communication, but he is pro in hacking and Linux. In his industry training, he still need to fill patch for his hosting company's security hole, while other employees don't know how to do it, he is cool.

The skill I mean is not just refer to IT knowledge, for engineering  and other field, it still works. Try to equip yourself with multiple profession before you graduate, you won't regret. In interview, don't tell your boss that you just know only how to program. Every IT employees know that, not special at all.

So now, graduates, what is your profession?

 

Technorati Tags: The world is flat - Thomas L. Friedman - equip - MMU - programming - 300 - Leonidas - skill - Swiss knife - IT

Do you all know about Ping.BlogsMalaysia.com?

Everyday when I check my traffic sources, most of it will redirect from PetalingStreet.org, and some from other sites. However, links from search is the less, I remember someone said: "As we all know, most of our traffic came from search engine." ,But I say, that's true only if your blog can stand at the top 10 result of the search, but how many can do it?

Last month, I found another ping blog service, call Ping.BlogsMalaysia.com, and since that day, I ping on both PetalingStreet and BlogsMalaysia. But until 1 month later, or today, the traffic from BlogsMalaysia is still so less! 1 site can direct 60 visitors, another just 1 visitor, or 0.

Quite sad to see the result. Both are providing the same services, but BlogsMalaysia was too young to compete with PetalingStreet, as it just in testing stage. How good if all bloggers ping on both services, and make the traffic of their sites increase dramatically?

Please help that pinging service survive.

Notice: I am not writing sponsored link for Ping.BlogsMalaysia.com.

Technorati Tags: ping - blogsmalaysia - petalingstreet - traffic