What’s more embarrassing, that “journalists” wrote this article, that it’s listed at the top, or that I clicked on it.
Click the image if you really must read the article. (Screenshot taken from my iGoogle Home Page, Channel NewsAsia widget)
If you must know, I read it because I was thinking, why is this news? So I read it.
What a trap!
Tags: channel newsasia, journalism, news, Random
2003, and a couple of days ago in 2010.
That’s me and my friend Minh. We were roommates during EAP in 2003, in our 4 months in Hanoi. Since then, we’ve only met up a couple of times, but the friendship is still there, and despite the time gap and changing roles in our respective lives, the relationship dynamic is still the same as well.
Not sure if you can tell, but I have a black eye on the right side of the photo- picked it up a few days ago during basketball, accidental downward strike of the (someone else’s) elbow into my face.
My first black eye ever!
Manly!
As you would expect, as if from a movie script, I had to go to a potential client meeting with it. No one asked any questions or stared impolitely, which is actually a bit surprising in Vietnam. My own team couldn’t help it when they saw me the day after it happened.
Tags: black eye, eap, friends, minh, Random, VietnamI really enjoy and learn from The Washington Post’s 5 Myths Series. Every couple of weeks, there’s a new argument about a much-argued and often emotional subject for many, taking a look at what people often believe about that subject. Here are snippets from 5 Myths about gun control:
This helps explain why, even though the United States has overall rates of violent crime in line with rates in other developed nations, our homicide rate is, relatively speaking, off the charts. (1. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.)
Data from 2008 in Chicago show that 81 percent of homicides were committed with guns and that 91 percent of homicide offenders had a prior arrest record. (2. Gun laws affect only law-abiding citizens.)
Our research suggests that as many as 500,000 guns are stolen each year in the United States, going directly into the hands of people who are, by definition, criminals.
The data show that a net increase in household gun ownership would mean more homicides and perhaps more burglaries as well. Guns can be sold quickly, and at good prices, on the underground market. (3. When more households have guns for self-defense, crime goes down.)
I personally believe all handguns should be banned in the US. In Vietnam they are, and though I’m sure guns do exist in the country (there are gangs and gangsters here, after all), I have always felt secure that I would never be shot, no matter where I was or what time at night. Maybe it’s all mental? Maybe. Nonetheless, most things are all in our minds.
Some other recent articles from the Post:
5 Myths about California politics (By Bruce E. Cain, June 6, 2010)
5 Myths about working mothers (By Naomi Cahn and June Carbone, May 30, 2010)
5 Myths about who gets into college (By Richard D. Kahlenberg, May 23, 2010)
5 myths about Supreme Court confirmations (By Kashmir Hill and David Lat, May 10, 2010)
5 Myths about the European debt crisis (By Carmen M. Reinhart and Vincent R. Reinhart, May 9, 2010)
5 Myths about immigration (By Doris Meissner, May 2, 2010)
5 Myths about green energy (By Robert Bryce, April 25, 2010)
5 Myths about the Catholic abuse scandal (By David Gibson, April 18, 2010)
5 Myths about China’s economic power (By Arthur Kroeber, April 11, 2010)
5 Myths about your taxes (By Roberton Williams and Rosanne Altshuler, April 4, 2010)
Tags: myths, newspaper, Politics, Random, washington post
I just saw this Incredible Hulk lunchbox on eBay after reading this article on Wired about lunchboxes as collectibles. (Click to search for more)
I actually have this lunchbox, it’s still at home in the garage- my dad uses it. Nowhere near the condition of the one in the picture. I think as a little kid, I didn’t like it, I wanted a cool plastic / vinyl one, probably with Transformers or He-Man.
Fool.
This is like when I was a kid, my parents had me dress up in nice collared shirts, and I hated it. So I wore oversized t-shirts until I was uh, 29. And now I am slowly trying to regain some decency.
My parents were right all along. About everything.
Tags: childhood, Comics, ebay, incredible hulk, lunchbox, Random, wiredI had to buy myself a new E71 (old one was stolen) last week, and inside the box was an ad for a Savcor customized metal etched battery cover.
I immediately thought baller! And probably expensive. But I checked it out anyway.
Here’s their website: http://www.oneline.fi/index.php
The process is simple:
Here’s what I came up with:
“Air Ball” MN! Could we expect anything else from me?
I am not sure if I will end up buying one, but the price is good, especially after this 30% coupon: mydecolaser. $27 USD before discount, less than $19 with, including shipping and all fees, even shipping to Vietnam!
The biggest negative to me is lack of custom etching. I’d definitely get one if custom was offered. Batman logo! I Spit Hot Fire Logo! Vietnam! Who knows, but I get excited thinking about it, and I am sure many others would too. I assume they don’t offer it because it’s too difficult (do etchings need templates?) or risky with copyright issues.
Also, if you look in the first screenshot, there’s “01 02 03 04” in the lower left. Seems like additional pages or options, but I can’t click on them. I’ve tried looking to see if anyone has used this service, but I can’t find anyone. Maybe Savcor will let me have one if I review it, which I would be happy to do!
To customize your own, go to: http://www.oneline.fi/index.php
Tags: e71, nokia, Random, savcor, shopping(edit, Sept. 18, 2009: As expected SRS never cared to follow-up with me. Also, realized that SRS Audio Sandbox didn’t work perfectly before this error. Sound will loop indefinitely if you’re playing something for a few hours consecutively, like music or playing a game. Worse is that there’s no way to stop the sound unless you reset Windows. Muting or turning off SRS or the application playing the sound does nothing. I had this error, but never realized it was SRS. I thought it was my soundcard. I let Mike have my licensed copy of Sandbox since I can’t use it, but he’s decided to uninstall it because he also gets the looping issue while playing games)
It’s lousy enough when Customer Service ignores you. It’s even worse when they pretend to care, but actually don’t.
And that’s my saga with SRS Labs and their SRS Audio Sandbox plugin. The product itself, when it was working, was fantastic. I bought it about a year ago, and it could be used with any audio, whereas most other plugins will work just with specific software, like Winamp or Windows Media Player. Since I use VLC for video and Media Monkey for music, those pluglins were useless.
So, like I said, it was fantastic while it was working. It stopped working a couple of months ago. I have no idea why. After contacting SRS, I still don’t know why but I also still have a non-working product, and I’ve wasted the money I used to purchase it. And that sucks.
After being ignored (“It’s even worse when they pretend to care, but actually don’t.”), I have no other avenues to pursue, so I figured I’d just write about it.
June 1st, 2009- From me, to the contact form on their website:
Product: SRS Audio Sandbox software
Operating System: Windows Vista
Product Version: 1.9.0.4
Sound Card: Soundmax Integrated Digital HD AudioMessage: A few days ago I downloaded 1.9.0.4 to upgrade over 1.9.0.1. Even though under the Sound applet in Control Panel, it shows SRS working (the application also says it is working without errors), there is no sound. I have checked to make sure the volume is up, the sound is not muted, but there is no sound whatsoever. Once I change the default sound back to the Soundmax, however, sound is there again. While SRS before worked with no problems, the new version doesn’t work at all. I also don’t have 1.9.0.1 anymore to reinstall. I have uninstalled the new version before reinstalling, tried resetting the system to make sure the audio drivers are in place- none of that works. Again, everything from the Vista standpoint is working- everything reports that sound is playing back, but it is not. If I switch to the default sound, everything works fine, but obviously SRS doesn’t work. What can I do?
June 3rd, 2009- From: Michael Gonzales [mailto:MichaelG@srslabs.com] to me
I believe it’s a compatibility issue with your HD sound card. And simply the plug-in probably won’t work with it. Your best bet is to uninstall the plug-in.
Kind Regards,
Michael
Right away, I thought, did he even read my request? It WAS working, for quite a long time, and then it didn’t. Anyway, his reply is basically saying to me, we have no solution for you, that’s your problem. Even though you are probably one of the few who paid for it instead of downloading a cracked version.
June 3rd, 2009- My response to Mr. Gonzales
Hi Michael,
I actually have purchased the SRS software, so I’m definitely invested in finding a solution. Like I mentioned before, the SRS version I was using before ( I believe 1.9.0.1) was working for me fine, would you be able to send me the older version so I can retry it?Thanks,
Michael
June 8th, 2009- After not hearing back from SRS for 5 days, I sent another e-mail to Mr. Gonzales. Before I was just asking to check out a previous version of the software to see if it would work. Since I didn’t hear back, I actually had to go pirate it. Yeah, I pirated a version of the software I actually own.
Hi Michael,
I’m e-mailing again to ask about support.Would I be able to provide more information in order to help me fix this problem? I’m using Vista Home Premium SP2 on a Lenovo Thinkpad T61P. Like I said, it was working fine until about a week ago, when it stopped working as soon as I installed the newest version. Windows seems to think it is working (they show audio levels going up and down) but there is no sound, but if I switch back to the default sound card, it’s fine again.
As I have mentioned before, I am a paid customer of SRS, so I am definitely alarmed if my purchase now is completely non-working, especially since I love the product.
Sincerely,
Michael
I still didn’t hear a response after this, so I just gave up, and posted a random complaint on Twitter a little bit after this. To my surprise, SRS found me and responded on July 14th, 5 weeks later. Looks like using social media can help! I e-mailed the guy who had contacted me on Twitter.
July 15, 2009-Â I sent the below as well as all previous correspondence to Michael Farino <MichaelF@srslabs.com>
Hi Michael,
Since this last e-mail, I have reformatted and installed the Windows 7 Beta, and the issue still exists. I am still not sure why, and if it’s a hardware issue, I would think the soundcard would be dead completely, not just be a problem for SRS.Thanks,
Michael
July 16, 2009- Michael Farino asks Michael Gonzales (btw, if you notice there are so many “Michael”s, my name is Michael as well), the guy who ignored me before to help, and I get the following:
Hello,
What type of sound card are you currently running?Kind Regards,
Mike
Nothing like people not even using your name when replying. Originally, I had already listed the sound card I am using in the original form, but what the hell, I’ll try to do my part to help.
July 16, 2009- From Me, in response to Michael G.
Hi Mike,
I am using a SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio, driver version 6.10.1.5510.
July 17, 2009- From Michael G
Hello,
Where did you make the purchase through our site or through paypal? Did you use your information or purchase it under someone else’s name?Kind Regards,
Michael
He still doesn’t know my name. And he is doubting that I even paid for the software. Of course, I did make this support request 7 weeks ago. But….I’m willing to prove that I did pay the company.
July 17, 2009- From Me, I send the receipt of my purchase
Hi Michael,
Please see attached for my receipt.
July 27, 2009- 10 days go by and there is no response. This is where I’m starting to get tired of this lets-pretend-we-care-but-ignore-him-until-he-stops-bothering-us tactic. I e-mail Michael F for some help with all the entire dialogue thus far.
Hi Michael,
I haven’t heard anything back from Michael G. Can you assist?Thanks,
Michael
July 28, 2009- Michael G responds,
Hello,
As I said before this is simply a compatibility issue with you HD sound card, there is no current solution or fix, and I apologize. You should uninstall the plug-in and your sound playback will return.
Kind Regards,
Michael
Now we’re back to to that June 3rd response again- we can’t help. Period. Does he really know if my sound card doesn’t support it? How come it’s not documented on the site? Wouldn’t that be a lousy thing to do with your customers? Hey, let’s sell software that doesn’t run with certain soundcards, but not even tell people that so they can buy it, and THEN find out. But wait, this software already worked with this sound card before, almost for a year. Hmmmm.
Also, why’d he bother asking about my receipt- he didn’t give me any support, he just ignored me further.
So, at this point, it’s like BS.
July 28, 2009- Me, to Michael G
Hi Michael,
As I mentioned before, SRS was working for me for nearly a year. I didn’t change the sound card, the OS, or the laptop, so it doesn’t seem conceivable that there’s just now a compatibility issue.
I appreciate any help, but I don’t feel like SRS is really interested in working with me to figure this out. With the answer you’re giving me, it feels more like I’m being ignored and brushed aside rather than you truly know this is the issue.
-Michael
July 29, 2009- From Michael G
Hello Michael,
I apologize that you feel that way. It’s just that usually in these particular situations, the problem is has to do with the HD sound cards. Could you please further explain how exactly it stopped working for you, it was hard to indentify what the problem exactly was in this thread. I can try to look into it further and see if we can identify any other problems or possible fixes, if not like I said the only remaining option that we have found for HD fixes is to uninstall. If that’s the case I’d be obliged to offer a full refund of course.
Kind Regards,
Michael
We are going around in circles at this point. I have run a Customer Service department before (not to brag, it’s just a fact), and I know how people normally ask for requests. Normally, you have people giving no information whatsoever about the issue, they just assume you can figure it out for them. I had at least tried to be open and very upfront with all the information I knew in the very first request, and even added additional info as I kept trying to find the solution. I was even willing to answer more questions about the issue. In his response, Michael G is just trying to put this issue back on me in a passive manner, yet he doesn’t have a specific question about what (“Could you please further explain how exactly“) I wrote before, which implies that 1) he doesn’t care 2) he didn’t read it.
July 29, 2009- My final response:
Hi Michael,
Here was the original support request:
Message: A few days ago I downloaded 1.9.0.4 to upgrade over 1.9.0.1. Even though under the Sound applet in Control Panel, it shows SRS working (the application also says it is working without errors), there is no sound. I have checked to make sure the volume is up, the sound is not muted, but there is no sound whatsoever. Once I change the default sound back to the Soundmax, however, sound is there again. While SRS before worked with no problems, the new version doesn’t work at all. I also don’t have 1.9.0.1 anymore to reinstall. I have uninstalled the new version before reinstalling, tried resetting the system to make sure the audio drivers are in place- none of that works. Again, everything from the Vista standpoint is working- everything reports that sound is playing back, but it is not. If I switch to the default sound, everything works fine, but obviously SRS doesn’t work. What can I do?
As I said above, when I run SRS, it believes it is working. The sound meters go up normally, but there is no sound. Once I disable the software and switch it back to the sound card, everything is ok. I am not running any additional sound software. Also as I have mentioned before, before upgrading, SoundMax worked fine ever since I bought, 0 problems.
Since then, I have switched to Windows 7 Beta, build 7100, in hopes the error would be solved, but it has not. Under Windows 7, I am using SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio driver version 6.10.1.5510 on a Lenovo T61P.
Please let me know how I can clarify this further for you.
Thanks,
Michael
Today is August 8th, 10 days after the last contact. No response. I’m not going to even bother e-mailing back. I suppose SRS will be happy now, they’ve gotten me to drop it.
I’m just going to post it on this blog and e-mail http://consumerist.com/, and if I’m lucky and this is kind of a big deal, they’ll pick it up.
Tags: customer service, fail, Random, srs, TechJust saw this in my e-mail. I assume it’s not just generic spam since he talks about Hanoi, but Outlook (smartly?) put it in my junk e-mail.
Subject:computer software
From: jason [triga@bigpond.net.au]
Hey hows it going, i like your thread. I am an australian and looking to buy a large qunatity of both computer software and TV series box sets. I have been to Hanoi in June this year but didnt really look into it. I want to find someon who can can look after my ongoing needs in Hanoi to mail me everything i need. Emnail me back if you are interested and we can talk about money and what you can get.
I really hope this guy isn’t teaching English to little kids- I’m uncomfortable with how he used “ongoing needs” and his spelling is terrible.
At least I try to use spell check!
Tags: Random, spam, Vietnam
Image via CrunchBase
My sister’s been using Kiva for years, and she recently got me a gift certificate to get started, and so I’m finally involved it as well.
Kiva, as it describes itself, is “the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.” “Kiva is a non-profit organization that allows you to make a small loan to low income entrepreneurs across the globe (microfinance). Individuals like you can help provide affordable working capital for the poor — money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc. – and help an entrepreneur escape poverty”
Basically this means you can take part in microfinancing various projects around the world, with Kiva as the agent (I wouldn’t quite say middleman because Kiva isn’t profiting from anyone). Kiva helps find ideal projects and gets the work done so a qualified individual can present himself on the website and ask for help. From there, people/lenders look at what projects they are interesting in funding, then do so. I took my sister’s original gift certificate and then added my own $25 contribution to join a couple of projects. I’ve also added a Wordpress plugin (see bottom right of this site) that lists what I’ve invested in. (oops, plugin not working for now)
The process is pretty simple:
For my first two investments,
(On, and I know the accents are getting killed in my blog, I’ve never been able to support accents in the actual blog posts correctly)
Ti?n Nguy?n V?n (20206050011) is a 28 year-old male living in the town of YĂŞn Phong – B?c Ninh. Ti?n is the group leader of a 5-member group loan offered by SEDA. While each member of the group receives an individual loan, they all are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members, if someone is delinquent or defaults. The official name of this borrowing group is YĂŞn V? 03 (3).
Ti?n is married and has 2 infant children. To make a living, Ti?n owns & operates a business raising chickens for sale. Ti?n has been engaged in this business for over 5 years and earns approximately 3,000,000 VND a month from these activities.
Ti?n joined SEDA to gain access to financial services to help improve his living situation and to engage in business activities. Ti?n is requesting a loan of 5,152,000 VND to purchase livestock feed & other supplies. This will be the 1st loan taken out by Ti?n from SEDA. He plans to use the additional revenue generated to improve and expand his business.
Bình Nguy?n Th? (254991509) is a 51 year-old female living in the town of Sóc S?n. She is married and has 3 adult-aged children. To making a living, Bình owns & operates a business venture in the agriculture sector raising livestock. While not the only means for generating revenue, the main source of income for the business comes primarily from raising fish for sale. Bình has been engaged in this business for over 10 years and earns approximately 5,500,000 VND a month from these activities.
In 1996, Bình joined TYM Fund to gain access to financial services to help improve her living situation and ability to engage in business activities. Bình has successfully repaid a previous loan of 20,000,000 VND from TYM Fund. This previous loan was used to renovate an existing shelter for the her livestock. Bình is now requesting a new loan of 20,000,000 VND which will be used to purchase baby livestock to raise & sell in future. The loan will be the 10th loan taken out by her from TYM Fund. Bình plans to use the additional revenue generated from the business to improve/expand her business.
I don’t really have deep reasons why I decided to invest in these two particular projects, I just felt like it. I wanted to invest in Vietnam just because… Nguyen Thi Binh is the name of a good friend, so that was one. The other was I just wanted to pick someone who hadn’t gotten a loan before; a lot of people had received multiple loans before.
The loan repayment period for both is slightly over a year, so I guess I’ll just be waiting around and seeing how these people do over time. Since I live in Vietnam, I wonder if I could somehow visit these people, not really to make myself known, but just to see the real use of the money.
Tags: kiva, microfinance, Random, sister, Vietnam
My friend Landon died last Wednesday in TPHCM (Ho Chi Minh City) by suicide. He was 28.
It’s hard to really describe how I feel. Like most people, I’ve read about suicides in the news, and what’s normal for friends and family is to say that they’re in a state of shock over what happened.
Now that it’s close to me, I am shocked. I am bewildered. There is something in my mind that just refuses to believe it. This is something you read about in the news or see in movies, to know that someone you knew was having such a difficult time in life, that death was the only option, for me, perhaps I have a certain immaturity that I just can’t grasp my mind around it. A friend told me he had been diagnosed with clinical depression, but it frustrates me just to imagine how difficult things must have been for him. What I fear the most, and think about almost every day, is something that was his only resort.
I had known Landon for a little over two and a half years- he was one of the first people I met upon my return to Vietnam, and he was the one who made the introduction to my current work place. I was certainly not a close friend, but I did consider him a friend.
He was, almost literally, fun. So outgoing, so social, yet such a good guy in the sense that when you talked to him you could tell he was listening, he was interested, even if you’re someone like me. There was always a depth to him as well, however, a seriousness about him that let you know he was serious about the world, he knew what it was. He was incredibly talented, he was someone on the path of a superstar; if you learned about his background, you couldn’t help but be impressed by all his accomplishments: superb athlete, incredible student, doing well in his career in Vietnam, you had no doubt that his prospects in life were bright. He’s one of those guys who intimidate you, someone you can’t help but feel inadequate to in comparison, yet he’s the one to reach out to you to welcome you in.
The last time I talked to him was last November, right around his birthday. I saw him in May when I went to see Star Trek, but didn’t say hi because of the crowd. He was just a couple of weeks older than me and his death strikes me with fear as I think if the world was too much for him to handle, for one so young, do I really have a chance over the long run? It seems so…ridiculous or just unfair, for lack of a better word, to me that there are conditions in life that can’t be stopped, cannot be overcome for many people and end in such sadness.
Landon, I do not know where you are now, but I hope that you have found the internal peace you deserve.
You were a friend.
I will remember you.
Tags: landon, Random, Vietnam
I am not so cosmetically inclined, being a male and not cool enough to know my way around men’s beauty. I also have a fairly good complexion, though I would think you should by the time you’re 28 like I am now.
If there are two things I must have though (both are pictured- for some reason I always end up losing the chapstick wrapper), well there would only be one: chapstick. I don’t need high end chapstick, Walgreens-brand is just fine.
The other is Biore’s Pore Pack for Men, a little more optional for me, but I like it. I have a blackheads (on my nose) issue, though I am not sure why they’re not black. I guess they’re whiteheads? Why does this issue have to bring in race, I do not know.
In Vietnam, packs of 5 (use one a week) are sold for around 20K VND, about $1.20 USD. Worth it! In Hanoi, I’d get them from Citimart at Vincom. In Saigon, it’s been a bit harder for me to track down, but I did find them in District 2, at the drugstore on the second floor of the An Phu supermarket on the Thao Dien side.
The application is simple. Wet your nose. Apply sticker. Rub sticker to ensure adhesion. Keep for 20 minutes. Rip. Cry if painful (I never do though, because I am tough!). Repeat weekly.
To really ensure best results, though, I suggest applying one right after a shower. Don’t even wipe yourself dry- while wet, peel off the sticker and rub onto your nose. Dry yourself afterwards, hang out for 30 minutes to make sure the adhesive is as dry as possible.
Rip!
I would show you a picture of my results, but I think people are freaked out by stuff like that. I love looking at it though, it’s kind of amazing how more pores are suddenly clear. Each time I rip off the sticker, I want to see lots of clogged pores now cleared up.
The Pore Pack isn’t perfect by any means, however. Plenty of pores seem to be left clogged, especially on the front side of the nose, below the bridge. It’s much more effective with the sides of your nose, but overall, unless there’s a better product out there, I’m happy with the results.
Hey, Biore, do I get my free endorsement package now?
Tags: acne, biore, Random, Reviews
| Location: | Viet Nam, Soc Son |
| Activity: | Agriculture |
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