Standing From Left: Sabrina Low (Asiaxcess), Rani Wemel (LTT Global), Peter Tam (Microsoft), Nas Sobri (ICT Penang/KUMUDA), Karyn Mak (Senedi) Sitting From Left: Vimal Kumar (Gorgeous Geeks), Tun Azela (MDEC/MSC Malaysia), Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah (Deputy Minister of Higher Education), Dash Balakrishnan (Warisan Global) and Marc Nager (Startup Weekend)
KUALA LUMPUR: The Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which will be held from Nov 8 to 21, is going to be bigger than ever with more entrepreneurial treats for budding and existing entrepreneurs.
This year was about turning dreams into reality, said Dhakshinamoorthy Balakrishnan or Dash, chief executive officer of Warisan Global Sdn Bhd (country host of GEW in Malaysia).
"Last year, we inspired many young entrepreneurs. This year, we would like to show them ways to build their dream businesses.
"GEW Malaysia is emphasising its role as a catalyst to bring forth the start-up culture among youths -- a culture that is rooted in innovative, sound business models and practices that has global reach."
Dash added that Warisan Global together with its supporters and catalyst partners aimed to connect young people through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators.
Among the many key events during GEW are Sembang-Sembang, a monthly networking event for women entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs-to-be, Clean Tech Open, a global ideas challenge to find the best green technology ideas from around the world and Startup Weekend, a workshop to convert ideas into actual ventures.
The campaign, invented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Enterprise UK is best described as a global movement with massive ambition. It has encouraged and empowered youth and energised businesses around the world.
GEW catalyst partners are DiGi, ICT Penang, Microsoft Bizspark, KREAM, LTT Global Communications, Yayasan Inovasi Malaysia, Youth Entrepreneur Malaysia and Gorgeousgeeks.
Four months without updates, and finally had the urge to update, and thought this video from Astro radio folks deserves the spot - it's watched barely 3,000 times though since published on YouTube 3 days ago by DemonDJ - not your typical "All Stars", except maybe Aznil kot:
Selamat Merdeka Malaysia!
p/s: haven't been watching youtube much all the months, but think I've watched at least 4-hour straight of video feeds last night, mostly catching up on X Factor Season 6 ones :)
It'd be good to have one soon, following the steps of Spider-Man, Superman and the most recent local made CicakMan. Or for Malaysians, perhaps we should have a "Orang Baju Tidur", "Kain Pelekat/Batik Man" or T-shirt Pagoda Man... ;)
Anyway, now that Pajamanation is going through some serious renovations aka resurrection phase, in the midst of refunding through the channels of E.U. or anything else possible, with fresher and bolder leadership, direction, and strategies, it's good to get hyped up again with buzzwords like "Pajama Man" or Pajamaworker... Believe it or not, why many are suiting up with ties and coats and earning low 4-digit pay, many in their pagodas and shorts are working leisurely at home, earning 5-digit and more per month! And soon, many more can... although the images of people working in pagodas aren't too appeasing, eh? ;)
On a good mood, I didn't know before that not only there is a song dedicated to my name, there's also a movie by the name of Sobri! And it turns out that the character is sort of a Hungarian version of the famous "Robin Hood", stealing from the rich to give to the poor! Hmm, that sounds to be a strong connection with Pajama Man!! After all, the Pajama notion by Pajamanation has something to do with empowering the less able and the less rich people with greater access and freedom for work and good living, although in the criminal kind of ways. Oh well, I'm dreaming here, but dreaming while awake could actually be much better than dreaming while asleep!
Back to the Nasir "Robin Hood" Sobri, not only is he observably very patient (self-claimed??), he's also very much of a "savior", hence the (ACTUAL) literal meaning of "Nasir al-Sobri" in Arabic - "the patient savior!" But I still can't get rid of the Smallville hyming of "Somebody save me!!" off my head, and I can't (patiently) wait for another season of the Beauties and SuperBoy comes Fall this year...
God has laid down a mission for me, and so does pop culture! (Now this starting to sound like a movie... ) Just a lighter moment, guys!!
Salaam & Hi again from Nasir Sobri, the pajama guy behind Pajamanation Malaysia. I've been slacking a bit on blogging during the past few weeks due to other commitments on several projects I'm pajamaworking for clients etc. In fact, am writing this from Kuala Lumpur, some four hours away from my home pajama town, Balik Pulau, Penang... Even our global CEO, Dr De Brouwer in Belgium is having some tech hiccups distracting him off blogging at his blogspot. But hey, you can continue getting "pajama feeds" from many more sources out there including from my friend in the United Kingdom, Andy Roberts and in Venezuela, Ricardo Del Rio (in Spanish)...
It's November again, and as the 90s rock band Guns & Roses (GNR) had it the one of its most successful songs, "November Rain", it rains a lot here throughout Malaysia all these weeks since before Eid in October... Suppose if Malaysia is located further up north from the equator, we'd be having snow already instead, but the temperature here constantly feels like it's Fall season in the all-year-long hot & wet tropical climate of Malaysia.
Unfortunately, it'll be short this time as I have to prepare a business pitch connecting a local university researcher with a close friend of mine in media industry later this morning (it's Subuh time of 6am now and I've been up since 4am after an early bedtime)... If this will work, it'll open up a path for our Malaysia-based academia to collaborate with industry on a tech-centric product, and things will be brighter later on for the thousands other technopreneurs out there throughout the country -- MDEC, the main entity behind the Multimedia Super Corridor project for Malaysia's 2020 Vision is supporting our initiative.
A bit of distraction: did you know that there is a song dedicated to my name "Sobri" popularized by a French singer, Leslie Bourgouin (with French, Vietnamese and Polynesian decent, as the first single of her second album)? Well, partially that is -- my dad's name actually, but it's like, my "last name" you know... Enjoy the music:
and the following version with Amine looks Bollywood enough:
(now I'd love to learn French, sooner or later... - As many of you, I'd be a fan of Alizée as well ;-) - not the alcoholic beverage Alize!)
And it's approximate translation in English:
Like a mirage, a dream Un combat qui s'achève, A fight that ends, Ils n'y ont jamais cru en cet amour qui sommeil. They have never believed in that love which sleep. En nous depuis toujours, As we have always, Sans que notre les entour, mais Without the area that our, but Il était temps pour nous de fuir ceux qui nous enchaînent. It was time for us to leave those who we pattern.
On s'est promis d'échapper à l'injustice It has promised to avoid injustice De ne plus vivre à leurs dépends From no longer live at their expense On a fait tous ce qu'on Pouvait mais en vaint It was all so-Can but vaint Tant qu'on en est sur, osons tout While we are on, dare all
J'irai ou tu iras , au bout du monde avec toi Or you go I will go, at the end of the world with you Quitte à tout perdre avec toi. Exits to lose everything with you. N'ti n'ti wana ..ki rani netmenna...naichou fel h'na N'ti n'ti wana .. ki rani netmenna ... naichou fel h'na (Traduction : Juste toi toi toi et moi tous ce que je souhaite c'est qu'on vive (Translation: Just yourself you and me all that I want is that deep dans la tranquilité) In tranquility)
N'ti houbi lawwel..waalik ma nesbor N'ti houbi lawwel .. waalik my nesbor We bla bik netdwedder nebghik ya omri hdaya.. We bla bik netdwedder nebghik are omri hdaya .. N'ti ghaliya andi N'ti ghaliya andi Nebghik liya wahdi .. Nebghik liya wahdi .. Omri wine ma toughdi n'rouh maak wine ma kane Omri wine my toughdi n'rouh maak my wine kane Matkhalliniche ya omri matkhalliniche Matkhalliniche are omri matkhalliniche
Non jamais sans toi Never without you Nti houbbi naatik galbi Nti houbbi naatik galbi Tu l'as fais pour moi Hast do for me
Gaa yahadrou nti matensey Gaa yahadrou nti matensey Adyani mayebgouniche ... Adyani mayebgouniche ...
J'Irai ou tu iras , au bout du monde avec toi J'Irai or you will go, at the end of the world with you Quitte à tout perdre avec toi. Exits to lose everything with you. N'ti n'ti wana ..ki rani netmenna...naichou fel h'na N'ti n'ti wana .. ki rani netmenna ... naichou fel h'na
Let's see if I'll be blogging from Japan some two weeks from today... See ya!
Tak banyak iklan khidmat masyarakat tahun ini berbanding dengan tahun-tahun sebelum ini, tapi Petronas yang cukup tersohor dengan iklan-iklan yang selalu membawa mesej penyedaran kembali dengan iklan yang cukup menyentuh hati...
Today - 2007
(Ayah duduk di luar rumah ketika waktu makan, bermenungan...)
Anak mengeluh tapi bersapa dengan lembut: "Abah, kenapa ni? Jom kita naik makan..."
(Bunyi burung berkicauan)
Ayah dengan ceria: "Burung ape tu nak?" Anak tersengih: "Burung murai."
Ayah dengan selamba: "Burung ape?" Anak mula rasa meluat lantaran menjawab dengan laju: "Burung murai, Bah."
Ayah 'testing' sekali lagi: "Burung ape?" Anak: "Burung murai."
Ayah buat muka lawak: "Burung ape'"?" Anak dah tunjuk muka meluat betul: "Abah, Abah ni tak dengar ke buat-buat tak dengar? Apa lagi yang Abah nak saya cakapkan? Burung murai, burung murai tu bah.
Ayah tersenyum sambil menyerahkan coretan arwah ibu si Anak: "Nah, kau baca apa yang mak kau tulis..."
(Anak menyambut dan membelek buku nota berjudul - Kenanganku - Milik Salmah)
<<<>>>
26 JUN 1976
Ibu mengenangkan rasa bahagia memerhatikan bagaimana si Ayah tak jemu-jemu, malah begitu ceria sekali melayan karenah si Anak yang melontarkan soalan yang sama, berulang-ulang kali:
Anak: "Bah, ni burung apa ni Bah? Ayah: "Burung murai...
Anak: "Burung ape? Ayah: "Burung murai nama dia...
Anak: "Burung ape? Ayah: "Burung murai, sayang...
Anak: "Burung ape? Ayah: "Burung murai, man..."
(berulang-ulang kali sambil mengembalikan burung murai yang terjatuh semasa cuba terbang kembali ke sarangnya.)
Anak tersentuh dan terus sedar keangkuhannya dan terus memohon kemaafan daripada si Ayah.
Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin... OK, dah abis bulan puasa ni, jangan sambung memurai pulak. cakap baik2 na.... don't play2.
Dah abis tersedu, jom bergelak dengan Proton pula (AMARAN: VIDEO TAK SESUAI UNTUK ORANG YANG LEMAH SEMANGAT ATAU YANG RAJIN MEMANDU WAKTU-WAKTU MALAM):
Sedang saya promosikan video-video YouTube ini, saya nak war-warkan projek berkaitan terbaru saya dengan Pusat Penyelidikan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) di bawah skim geran Universiti Penyelidikan (RU) untuk mengkomersilkan produk-produk kajian staf-staf dan pelajar-pelajar USM. Nantikan pengumuman tentang hasil kerjasama ini tak lama lagi.... Kalau semuanya berjalan lancar, ada sesuatu yang menarik bakal lahir dari industri ICT Malaysia untuk kemanfaatan sejagat. Doakanlah kejayaan kami, kejayaan Malaysia!
Kalau di tadika/taska, mahupun di sekolah rendah, mungkin kita biasa dengan konsep bermain untuk belajar. Kalau takat baca buku, mungkin terlalu membosankan hingga terlentok atau langsung tak ingat apa yang dibaca khususnya untuk pembelajaran berbentuk teknikal atau yang menggunakan matematik/pengiraan.
Masa ambil kelas Finance peringkat Sarjana baru-baru ni pun, saya langsung tak sempat baca satu-satunya buku yang 'dipaksa' oleh penyelia kursus -- kalau di kelas beramai-ramai, barulah baca sedikit. Itupun, kebanyakan sesi perjumpaan lebih diselitkan dengan presentation dari pelajar sendiri. Nasib baik lulus exam. Mungkin tak cukup permainan masa kelas tu!
Sesi pembelajaran lanjutan untuk orang dewasa pula kebanyakannya lebih kepada berbentuk seminar mendengar. Kalau di bengkel, mungkin ada aktiviti sedikit untuk peserta. Itupun, selalunya cukup minimum setakat berbincang dan buat persembahan ringkas. Kalau bermain kan 'bes'... ;) Apa yang orang dewasa suka main? Kalau masih muda dan masih di kolej, bolehlah rajin bersukan. Kalau dah lanjut usia tu, dan makin sibuk dengan kerja dan perniagaan, tak ramai yang bersukan sangat. Main orang? Itu lain cerita....
Orang dewasa suka main duit... Ops, berjudi tu lain hal, walaupun memang ramai sebenarnya yang cukup suka bab tu termasuklah memperjudikan wang ringgit untuk pelbagai skim-skim cepat kaya - kes pelaburan 'haram' Internet misalnya baru-baru ni., berpuluh hingga ratusan ribu yang dianggarkan menjadi mangsa. Kecil-kecil dulu saya main Monopoly (atau versi murah tempatan, 'Millionaire'). Saya dan abang akan ulang-alik nak tangga dari Tingkat 5 hingga Tingkat 16 flat setiap petang ke rumah kawan Cina di sekolah rendah hanya sebab dia ada set Monopoly yang agak mahal (mana nak mampu beli masa tu!). Si Chong yang ajar itu-ini. Belajar sikit dah pandai dan boleh ajar abang-abang pula. Lepas tu, belajar main 'Millionaire' pula. Belajar sendiri saja pun dah boleh kali ni, walaupun 'instructions'nya dalam bahasa Inggeris (masa di sekolah rendah, belum mahir bahasa 'omputih' ni). Punya minat main sampai hingar-bingar di rumah pukul 3-4 pagi, sekali tu kena marah dengan kakak. Abis digertaknya papan permainan tu, berterabur dadu dan soldadu serta wang kertas berjuta dolar...
Fast forward sepuluh tahun kemudian, bermulalah era komputer di rumah. Ada PC, ada Mac. Tentulah ada Monopoly versi elektronik. Main jangan tak main... Sorang-sorang pun boleh, lawan dengan komputer, canggih! Boleh ada satu atau lebih rakan maya. Kalau ada rakan manusia, boleh juga 'join' sekali guna network. Dulu pakai wayar LAN, sekarang boleh pakai, eh, tak pakai wayar - wayarles. Dah umur 30-an pun masih mengadap komputer main game Monopoly Deluxe, sampai ke Subuh dengan rakan-rakan sebelah rumah, semua di rumah masing-masing, guna 'Wifi'.
Kini, permainan simulasi semakin canggih. Dalam kelompok Sims Maxis/EA, saya hanya tahu main Simcity dan SimTower. SecondLife pula asyik dengar, tapi belum berkeberanian mencuba. Dah sembilan juta penghuni SecondLife khabarnya. Susah nak 'belajar' permainan-permainan baru/asing. Baru ni pun, pening nak belajar main 'board game' (yang namanya pun dah lupa) dengan kawan-kawan yang menginap di sebuah hotel di Batu Feringhi. Asyik-asyik dengar, 'boring' lah kalau tak 'try'. Tapi nak belajar kat mana? Malulah dengan kawan-kawan kalau asyik kalah.
Penyelesainya, ambil tuisyen! Haha.... Belajar dari dan bermain dengan orang yang tak kenal. Bernas cukup idea ni. En. Hanafi dari Pusat Tuisyen Harmoni Gemilang di Wangsa Melawati menyediakan peluang ini. Belajar Cashflow 101, ciptaan Robert Kiyosaki, penulis buku 'best-selling' berjudul Rich Dad Poor Dad. Saya dah baca buku tu tahun lepas. Mungkin saya perlu cuba permainan bentang ini. Mungkin saya kena pergi tuisyen...
Sedang dunia muzik masih hangat memperkatakan yang Avril Lavigne, penyanyi punk rock muda yang begitu hangat masa kini telah memplagiat, di negara kita yang sewajarnya merdeka nampaknya, masih belum bersedia memerdekakan diri daripada tabiat memplagiat, jelas dengan lagu terbaru nyanyian seniwati tersohor negara, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza dengan iringian artis-artis popular termasuk pengacara Akademi Fantasia, Aznil Nawawi.
Dalam kes Rubinoos vs Lavigne, Kumpulan Rubinoos menyatakan yang sebahagian kecil lirik kumpulan rock 70-an tersebut diciplak untuk lagu beliau terbaru berjudul "I wanna be your girlfriend" berdasarkan frasa korus yang begitu mirip yakni "I wanna be your boyfriend" yang juga merupakan judul lagu Kumpulan Runinoos. Malah, tempo untuk bahagian lagu tersebut juga, walaupun berbeza kepantasan, agak mirip hingga menggesa kumpulan Rubinoos bertindak menyaman Lavigne baru-baru ini. (Ada juga yang menyatakan bahawa Rubinoos telah menciplak lagu terlebih awal dari Rolling Stones, atau Avril terus dari Rolling Stones).
Lagu berjudul "Warna-Warna Malaysia" yang dipromosikan dengan gahnya oleh stesen TV tempatan termasuk milik kerajaan sendiri untuk meceriakan sambutan kemerdekaan ke-50 dan Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2007 yang baru ini saja digemilangkan dengan acara Citrawarna pula, tampaknya begitu mirip dengan tempo lagu Lavigne yang masih lagi mendominasi pelbagai carta muzik antarabangsa -- termasuk di bahagian rap kedua-dua lagu!
Sebelum ini, Siti pernah membawakan lagu kontemporari Britney Spears. Sekarang, nampaknya terbawa-bawa Avril Lavigne pula, cuma diubah-ubah dan diMalaysiakan keseluruhannya.
Apa sudah jadi dengan komposer tempatan? Sudah kekang idea atau mahu cepat popular tak kena tempat? Apa sudah jadi dengan artis tempatan? Selalu laungkan pembelaan untuk produk ori, tapi, hal keaslian lagu pun kenalah diambil kira, bukan saja fizikal media pengedaran lagu tersebut. Dan Aznil selaku seorang yang begitu dihormati dikalangan artis-artis baru mahupun penggemar muzik kontemporari zaman TV realiti kini, pula tampak begitu gembira melaung-laung dan tumpang menari menyerikan lagu ciplak sebegini?
Bandingkan kedua-dua lagu tersebut:
Avril's whose official version from RCA Records at YouTube has been viewed more than 50-million times.
Datuk SN's that's still building Youtube popularity from the low thousands.
Akhir kata, dalam kita mengejar inovasi dan kepelbagaian kreativiti, jauh-jauhkanlah budaya ciplak yang menghantui pelbagai aspek kesenian dan teknologi selama berdekad-dekad lamanya, mencecah 50 tahun kemerdekaan negara kita ini. Merdekakanlah daya inovasi dan kreatif kita juga...
[Sebab itu juga, saya akan cuba memperbanyakkan karya asal dalam bahasa Melayu dalam blog ini mula sekarang, kerana menurut ucaptama seminar Bahasa Rojak yang saya hadiri di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka bulan lepas, kita akan lebih kreatif dan asli dengan cara kita yang unik, yakni lebih berinovasi dengan berfikir dan menulis dalam bahasa kita sendiri berbanding kalau asyik cuba hanya mengadaptasi karya dan hasil kajian dari bahasa asing.]
Laurie Sullivan: Next New Networks, ON Networks, Revision3, 60 Frames, Vuguru, Telegraph Ave Productions, WatchMojo — what do these companies have in common? They all use Moore’s Law and low-cost distribution over the Internet to disrupt the studio model, in the process building audiences that can rival a small cable channel. They are professionalizing internet TV.
Read more on the state of Internet TV business and more forecasts at NewTeeVee Blog.
TV3's Jom Heboh Carnival (formerly promoted as Sure Heboh but later rejected as too 'rojak') returns to Penang this weekend (Sat to Sun, 7-8 JUL 2007), meeting fans and city crowds in Penang at its new venue on the island (instead of the earlier planned but recently bad rapped Stadium Batu Kawan over a football match fiasco) -- The newly opened QueensBay Mall after the recent successful showdown in Danga Bay, Johor Baru (9-10 JUN 2007).
If you haven't been to one of these gatherings (I've been to several including joining as a vendor twice -- in Kepala Batas, Penang and Kangar Perlis couple years ago), check out what the buzz is all about:
The official promotional clip
First Malaysian Idol winner, Jaclyn Victor having a duet on Ceritera Cinta with Amir Sofaz
Sure, it's popular, and it gets heavy promotion on the TV channel owned by the organizer TV3 or the parent company, Media Prima, but in 2007, it turns out to be not so 'heboh' on the Internet.
A google search for news on this carnival that gets attended by 100,000s at each of its stop returns only ONE news result - the recent news article at New Straits Times, regarding the local authorities promise to avoid another embarrassing road traffic problem.
There are also only SEVEN videos posted at YouTube on this Jom Heboh event from Mar 17 until June 15, 2007.
A search on Google groups & usenet also returns only a handful of postings (less than 20) mentioning the event "karnival tv3" or "jom heboh 2007" with many of the postings talk mostly on the negativeness of such gatherings. As expected, also no mentioning of "jom heboh" in indexed books, scholarly materials, products search (what, no souvenirs?), patents etc.
With millions of people have likely already attended this event throughout the country for the past many years, it's surprising that only a few hundred people have bothered to blog about it at all. If you'd think that only fans aren't interested to talk much about it online, even TV3 and hosts like QueensBay mention nothing about Jom Heboh 2007 @ Penang on their respective websites! After all, the company/organizer also failed to secure jomheboh.com domain name (first registered by an anonymous registrant on Mar 2006). What's going on Media Prima?
It's no surprise that the websites for its popularly branded TV & radio stations (NTV7, 8TV, TV9, Hot.Fm etc) and related agencies (Grand Brilliance, E-media - aggregator of its print publications etc.) are getting much less hits/'viewership' compared to some individual Malaysia-based bloggers'!
[The last time there was a dedicated site on this event was back in 2004, when TMNET was its major event partner and thus set up a lively site at its BlueHyppo.com network. Since 2005 however, other major partners like Maxis have been doing poorly at promoting the event online except undertaking several Hotlink prepaid mobile special plan in conjunction with the event. See also 'Jom Heboh 2007' page by Dutch Lady which only has info on 2006 events]
Check out the event yourself, and perhaps you'd have more to say online about Jom Heboh than its organizers:-
For Jom Heboh fans, more stops for the year are as the following:-
Kuala Lumpur: Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil (4-5 AUG)
Sarawak: Stadium Negeri, Petra Jaya, Kuching (3-4 NOV)
Selangor: Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam (8-9 DEC)
UPDATE (8jul07): If event organizers in Malaysia can learn a lesson or two on how to run effective 'world-class' events in Malaysia, please see how these folks run Live Earth 7-Point Pledge on 7/7/07 (millions of video views on the Internet on a single day, compared to just 100s-1000s for the Jom 'Not-So 'Heboh after months/years!!) and Countdown to Apple's iPhone TGiF Night. Look, I'm not trying to be against mainstream media companies -- I'm just suggesting here that you market more virally and thus reach your potential audience more effectively. So, take the pill, and be healthier tomorrow. Don't let another "World's Telecommunications Day" missing on the 'online' platform itself again!
THE LIGHTS GO OUT ON LIVE EARTH LONDON BUT THE BEAT GOES ON IN RIO DE JANEIRO AND NEW YORK
Live Earth Global Concerts Have Reached More Than 10 Million Visitors Online at MSN – Most Simultaneous Viewers of Any Online Concert Ever
London (July 7, 2007) – The London leg of 24-hour, 7-continent Live Earth concert series closed in emphatic fashion tonight with a rousing speech from actor, Terence Stamp and a stirring closing set from pop icon, Madonna that included “Hey You” – the song she created for Live Earth – “Ray of Light,” “La Isla Bonita” and “Hung Up”.
The crowd of 65,000 people at Wembley Stadium – and the millions watching worldwide – were treated to an all-star line-up that also included Razorlight, Snow Patrol, Black Eyed Peas, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Beastie Boys, Pussycat Dolls, James Blunt, Genesis, Damien Rice, David Gray, Kasabian, Paolo Nutini, John Legend, Duran Duran, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Terra Naomi, Keane, Foo Fighters and Spinal Tap.
At the last count, the Live Earth global concerts had reached more than 10 million visitors online – the most simultaneous viewers of any online concert — and inspired change in viewers worldwide.
“The climate crisis requires a global solution. Live Earth is using an unprecedented media architecture to reach a global audience,” said Kevin Wall, Founder and Executive Producer of Live Earth.
Live Earth London was presented by numerous special guests, including Chris Moyles, Eddie Izzard, Alan Carr, Ricky Gervais, Miranda Richardson, Thandie Newton, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, Rob Reiner, Neve Campbell, June Sarpong, David Tennant and Geri Halliwell.
Special broadcasts were beamed in from former U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, and also from the British Antarctic Research Station in Antarctica where Nunatak, the band of the British Scientific Team, performed their self-written song “Would You Do It All Again”.
And for those late night revelers, the party is still going on across the pond. A huge beach party is seeing the sun set on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, while The Police, Kanye West and John Mayer are closing Live Earth with “Message in a Bottle” at Giants Stadium in the New York area. The 24-hour, 7-continent series of concert events on 7.7.07 have brought together more than 100 artists and 2 billion people to inspire a global movement to ‘Answer the Call’ and help solve the climate crisis.
In addition to providing over 100 simple actions people can take in their daily lives, which will have a tremendous positive impact when carried out on a mass scale, Live Earth is asking people to support a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and a comprehensive international treaty on global warming by 2009.
“Nations all over the world are making progress in tackling the climate crisis. But too many proposals fall short of the strong, decisive action that’s needed. Individual nations alone cannot solve this crisis. The nations of the world must join together as one if we are to succeed,” said Al Gore, Live Earth Partner and the chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection.
The Live Earth Pledge
I Pledge:
To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;
To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”
To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;
To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;
To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;
To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,
To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.
Additionally, Live Earth is asking people to commit to making changes at home, at work, while getting around, while shopping, in their communities and to urge changes by their governments. People can make their commitments and find solutions against the climate crisis at www.liveearth.org, www.LiveEarth.MSN.com, or by sending a text message of “SOS” to 82004.
The names of people making commitments and signing the pledge through their computers or mobile phones on July 7th were shown on the Live Earth web site, on the screens at the concerts around the world, and on the global TV broadcasts.
In the UK, people will be able to find out how they can make personal and political changes to combat climate change by visiting one of Live Earth’s two legacy partners, ‘We’re in this Together’ www.together.com or ‘I Count’ www.icount.org.uk.
ABOUT LIVE EARTH
Live Earth is a monumental music event that will bring together more than 2 billion people on July 7, 2007 to combat the climate crisis. Live Earth will stage concerts in New York , London , Sydney , Tokyo , Shanghai , Rio de Janeiro , Johannesburg and Hamburg , and will feature more than 150 of the world’s best music acts – a mix of both legendary music acts like The Police, Genesis, Bon Jovi and Madonna with the latest headliners like Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Black Eyed Peas and Jack Johnson.
Live Earth’s 24 hours of music across 7 continents will deliver a worldwide call to action and the solutions necessary to answer that call. Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve the climate crisis. Live Earth is partnering with the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group, Stop Climate Chaos and other international organizations in this ongoing effort. Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, CEO of Control Room, the company producing the concerts globally. Former Vice President of the United States Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance for Climate Protection and a Partner of Live Earth.
Exclusive online media partner MSN is helping Live Earth reach people in every corner of the globe. Live Earth London will be streamed live at http://liveearth.uk.msn.com. MSN’s 39 localized web portals worldwide attract 465 million monthly users.
smart is the world’s only automaker serving as an Official Partner. Unlike any other vehicle, the new smart fortwo combines a modern, individual lifestyle with environmental protection by setting the standard in urban mobility and offering the lowest CO2 emission of any vehicle on the market. smart responds to environmental demands with innovative, technologically sound solutions and as a result produces positive and credible answers to the question of ecological driving.
Philips, as the world’s leading lighting supplier, joins Live Earth as an Official Partner. Philips was the first to introduce the energy saving light bulb in 1980 and has put environmental product improvement at the heart of its business with its EcoDesign program since 1994, increasing its green product range year by year.
Live Earth is partnering with companies on a local level who share the commitment to helping people live a more energy efficient lifestyle. PepsiCo, an Official Partner of Live Earth, is committed to making a difference with eco-friendlier packaging, energy and water conservation and waste reduction. It’s all part of PepsiCo’s commitment to Performance with Purpose — to do better by doing better. Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, joins Live Earth as an Official Sponsor and is the latest extension of Esurance’s efforts to conserve energy and preserve the planet’s precious resources. For more than seven years, Esurance policyholders have helped save thousands of trees by buying their auto insurance online and using electronic documents. An official partner of Live Earth, The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc., a subsidiary of V&S Group, produces and markets ABSOLUT® VODKA, Level ™ Vodka, FRÏS® Vodka , Plymouth™ Gin and Cruzan® Rum. The Absolut Spirits Company focuses on reducing the impact on climate change, sustainable agriculture and optimizing use of natural resources as mandated by V&S Group. To view details on the company’s efforts to combat global warming, visit www.vsgroup.com and click on “Corporate Responsibility/Environment.” Intelsat, the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide, is the official satellite capacity sponsor to Live Earth, providing the global high definition infrastructure for an unforgettable viewer experience. Intelsat connects the planet to Live Earth through its network of 52 satellites and global terrestrial facilities.
It's movie time again... and it's been a while since I get to be so excited to check out an animated feature at a cinema. Worth mentioning also that this one won't even be in 3D!
For those in the northern hemisphere, it'll be the start of summer this weekend and hence a great season for outings to the cinemas, but for us around the equator line, it's hot and wet as usual -- in fact, it's been quite rainy all these weeks in Malaysia due to the annual southwest monsoon period of the year (April until October) prompting floods in KL and freak storms in Penang. Disregarding all the natural catastrophes or the wrath of mother earth due to global warming, it's time to get filled up with laughters with Matt Groening's characters of Homer, Bart and the rest of the freak Simpsons family members -- see their family, and feel better, period!
By the way, if you haven't heard, Malaysia made unwanted world wide attractions earlier this week with the stories on how Homer was kidnapped at 3 am but later returned unharmed by afternoon the same day by two college kids. I'd say, this better be a publicity stunt by the cinema owners themselves! If not, those two kids should pay their time with the law, but Hollywood and co should still reward the duo somehow -- at least with a couple cinema tickets for Simpsons The Movie. Because, without a news story like this, it might take millions of us Malaysians a while before we get to find out that this cool flix is coming out this week. Surprisingly though, with all these brouhahas, Malaysia isn't even listed along with the 64 countries iconized at the front page of the movie's official website: www.SimpsonsMovie.com
Some previews of the upcoming movie that will open in theaters near you across Malaysia starting 26 JUNE 2006 (12+ hours earlier than in USA):-
A sister site of PajamaNation called PajamaFuture among others predicts the scenario for micropreneurs of 2030 (some 20+ years from today)... Yes, we're young, but we are as visionary as Malaysia Vision 2020, and we're upbeat about technologies...
PajamaFuture on "2030: THE WORLD DIVIDED IN CLANS":
John Naisbit was right:the more we integrate structures at the top (EU, WTO, OECD), the more elements disintegrate at the base. The boundaries of 150 nations will no longer matter in 2030, because the world will be a grand reservoir, in which the European Union only plays a minor part.
Our cities will have become a brand. For some time, the power used to be in the hands of the cities (the heirs of the industrial revolution) and the villages (home-ground of the farmers), but their power has flown into a new form of über-space: the ‘community’. Pioneers of this process were the ‘hoods’ of New York (short for ‘neigbourhoods’), the ‘arrondissements’ of Paris, the ‘zones’ of London (short for postal zones) and the quarters of Amsterdam. The community can be a street, a domain, an apartment building, a company department (corporate hoods) or a virtual community. There are microgeographic area maps full of numbers for future use: telephone zones, satellite footprints, internet addresses, wiring and cable infrastructure. There are ten thousands of such community disctricts over the world and every second another one arises.
These communities have developed their own identity. They have a residence network (urban grids) on a large broadband cable that they divide over several neighboorhood habitants each with their own large antennas and beamers that supply them with wifi. The communities, primarily consisting of homeworkers, are governed by community committees, the so-called ‘guilds’.
Faith Popcorn (the Popcorn Report) called this phenomenon ‘clanning’: ‘belonging to a group that represents common feelings, causes, or ideals; validating one’s own belief system.’ There are communities solely for seniors which have been extra secured with surrounding parks; there are areas for women that don’t allow men; coming-out neighboorhoods for gay people; artist neighboorhoods with an evening curfew for non-artists; and youth areas where parents are not allowed in university campus grounds.
Likewise, TV has no borders anymore... YouTube became a phenomenon in 2006 having been bought for USD 1.6-Billion by Google. In 2006 alone, YouTube consumed more bandwidth than the whole world combined in 2000! Since 2004, there have been plethora other YouTube-like services, and some even tried to revive the streaming services as popularized by the likes including RTM back in 1996! And in case you haven't heard, YouTube has indeed gone to TV beginning this month, thanks to its integration with the iTunes that powers the Apple TV.
From Apple PR:CUPERTINO, California–May, 30, 2007–Apple® today announced that it’s bringing the Internet’s most popular originally-created content from YouTube to the living room with Apple TV™. Beginning in mid-June, Apple TV will wirelessly stream videos directly from YouTube and play them on a user’s widescreen TV. Using Apple TV’s elegant interface and simple Apple Remote, viewers can easily browse, find and watch free videos from YouTube in the comfort of their living room.
Yes I know... C'mon Steve Jobs: Can you let us Malaysians have the Apple TVs for well under RM1K each? (They retails for RM 1,259 a piece today -- more than the amount of moolah many Malaysians make, per month). And bring iPhones quick to Malaysia!! You're killing us with all these teasers... For now, we Malaysians have to settle with burning torrented MPeg4s onto DVDs (flying coasters) and play 'em on our archaic TV sets.
In January 2007, I started learning about another tube of the future called Joost (from the founders of Skype, another billion-dollar acquision for tech giants -- eBay specifically in this case), off the posts/emails in SlashDot. Three months later, an invite from Joost arrived in my mailbox to become a member of its small but fast-growing community of beta testers. My poor broadband package from Streamyx however can't seems cope with the connectivity requirement throughout April and May 2007, even after I upgraded from the 512Kbps to the "1Mbps" plan back in March -- the shows were pausing/buffering erratically, so, I gave up and settled with other streaming services, particular Malaysia-based ones or predownload-based iTunes because even YouTube and the many streamings from overseas were too NOT-LIVE for me.
Today however, after I downloaded the latest release of Joost Beta, the Joost runs just like how a TV of the future should be! It's worth mentioning that there's another VOD service offered by a Malaysia-based company offerings streamings including live shows from TV in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand -- which I really love by the way!, but Joost simply is a completely different innovative animal. The user interface seems to come from the future lab of Google, and the channels are aplenty, and seems very customizable, unlike the ones from traditional TV stations of RTM, Media Prima etc, or even of Astro Satellite TV subscription! The full screen version is also very interactive complete with add-on "gadgets" capability including Google Chat that lets you chat with other Googlers while enjoying your shows.
[My Streamyx is still "kejap laju, kejap merangkak" though these past couple days, after my complaint made two-weeks ago likely have brought some technicians to my little hometown to fix my under-50Kbps Streamyx Broadband]
Is the world ready for borderless Tube? Not for some governments indeed. Several countries have blocked YouTube on separate incidents. Late last month, I've heard that SingTel blocked Joost... Wise move by these fearful-of-things-you-cannot-compete-with corporations and governments? Very argumentative indeed!
As long as the government and broadband providers will honor their words to bring decent broadband to citizens/customers like me, I'll continue enjoying what YouTube, Joost and their likes have to offer...
From Joost.com:
Joost isn't just about watching TV on your own. We've built in some cool features that let you chat with other channel viewers, talk to your friends in our instant messaging program (compatible with Gmail and Jabber) and even tell the world what you think of shows by rating them while you're watching. With Joost, you can share the TV experience in ways never possible before.
We also want to make it easy and fun for you to share Joost with the rest of the world. If you've got a blog or website, you can add Joost logos and screenshots to it easily. Soon, we'll have lots of other ways to spread the word. Become a Joost evangelist today!
Note that access to Joost is still through invitations only. I have INVITES though. If you want one, just join us by registering at Pajamanation.com.my and the newly setup myPajamanation@googlegroups.com and post your request email there...
PETALING JAYA: Those wishing to pay homage to Loganathan Arumugam of the Alleycats who passed away on Monday can do so by sending an SMS message during a special tribute programme, Loga Dalam Kenangan (Loga in Memory).
TV1 will be airing the three-part special programme in memory of Loganathan, better known as Loga, at 8.45pm Wednesday night. [Loga (with the band members of Alleycats including his elder brother, David) is 2nd from left in this undated picture]
The 54-year-old singer-flautist died Monday morning from lung cancer.
Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin said the tribute was not only to recognise Loga's contribution to the nation and the music industry but also to give people an opportunity air their feelings of sadness over his death.
"He has touched millions of people throughout his life and we want to give an opportunity for people to pay their tribute," he said, adding that they had already received permission from Loga's family to air the show.
The 45-minute programme would be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia and would aired on the same slot over three weeks, said RTM TV production director Rokiah Norma Mohd Ramli.
UPDATE (9 JUL 2007): The is contest called 'Alleycats Music Video Competition’, jointly organised by NGT Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd and Universal Music Malaysia, with the support from Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). Submissions are accepted until 25 AUG 2007. Read more about this competition at NGT's Website.
I used to spend a lot of time for movies, spending at least ten hours each week for downloaded or purchased/rented films. And my watching hours were very irregular, simply because I have had so much time near home theater devices - computers, TV, DVD player, satellite TV receiver, PVR, big hi-fi speakers etc, just about any time of the day - early morning, late morning, afternoon, after lunch, well, you get the pictures. And going out means going to cinemas after lunch/dinner 50% of the time. Those were the days you know, when you're about to start pajamaworking, and you suddenly have so much time and freedom to anything you want to do without having to answer to any boss, or having to deal with time punch cards. And I watched, and watched some dozens of movies each week. Not enough with the automated downloads, purchases/rentals from local stores, and frequent trips to the cinemas, the long preset queue at NetFlix supplied me with even more movies of all kind of genres, that I once became so good at "6th degrees from Kevin Bacon" trivia game.
Soon when you realized that you're having too much fun or getting too distracted off work, and the bills are starting to pile up, it's back to business and work, even at home, and also at irregular hours, working some 12 hours more per day throughout morning, day, and past midnight too, and that means less time for 90+ minute in front of TV. This happens to me the past couple months. It's been a while since I last watch a marathon of the complete SmallVille Season 6 and Heroes inaugural season series. It's been a while since I last watched a full-feature films too except Spiderman 3 some two weeks ago (I almost never stop watching video podcasts, local TV streams, Joost and YouTube etc. though)
And it's been a while since I last watched a Malay (Malaysian-made) film too. There aren't that many good ones anyway, except maybe Yasmin Ahmad's Sepet (I haven't had a chance to catch up with her Gubra & Muksin featuring the full line up of Sharifah A* siblings though), and some old flixes from the 60s to 80s -- Since the early 90s, most of the Malay films were puking (too much cliches, not so funny jokes, not so scary stories/visuals, no so entertaining and the list goes on.)
Today though, I spent about two hours watching Qabil Khusry Qabil Igam, featuring all-star actors and actresses -- respectable and popular names like Dato Rahim Razali, Fauziah Nawi, Hans Isaac, Rusdi Ramli, Erra Fazira and Ziana Zain, all of whom carried their roles very well throughout the whole movie, playing both joyful characters at the beginning of the story and movingly sad characters towards the end of the movie. That said, I almost thought that the movie is just another comedic attempts, to be full of cliches when the director starts bring Indian Bollywood elements into it, you know the dancing, singing, cloth changing, romantic encounters etc. Reaching the middle of it, it's a sudden turn of the story. Well, let's just say that this is one of the movies that make your eyes wet, endlessly and painfully. Not like In the Name of the Father, Braveheart or Forrest Gump, but, more like a nice Shah Rukh Khan's -- it's nice however that QKQI needs only 125 minutes to deliver the story instead of 150 minutes or more for similar movies!
If you haven't watch this one, do check it out. It's full of positive message, reflecting on our societal issues and it's a good Romeo & Juliet type of love story.
Here's a plot review at Yahoo Movies (WARNING: link may contains spoilers): "Qabil Khushry Qabil Igam" is a tale about non-identical twins Khushry (Hans Issac) and Igam (Rusdi Ramli). Khushry loves his brother very much, sharing secrets, joys and also sad moments. However, a destructive indulgence by Igam brings havoc to the families the day before their joint wedding. Khushry's wedding goes on as planned, but Igam's bride, Karisma, has to spend the night alone at home - waiting for Igam to return."
Another movie for me to watch is perhaps Waris Jari Hantu (also starring Rusdi Ramli). Recommend it?
SOURCE: New Straits Times (Thu, 21 OCT 2010) - Making dream businesses grow by Halimatul Hamid
Some previews of the upcoming movie that will open in theaters near you across Malaysia starting 
