The One Week Digital Cleanse

>>Reblogged from jhnmyr.tumblr.com. New Years Resolution Found

Mention to anyone with computer savvy that your laptop has somehow gotten slower over recent months and they’ll ask you the same thing: “have you defragmented your hard drive?” Defragmenting works by taking small slivers of information stored in various locations and consolidating them so that they’re in the same place on the drive and thus easier to access in larger chunks. Hard drive fragmentation is a great metaphor for - if not a literal manifestation of - what’s happened to our brains over years and years of processing small bursts of information. 2009 took fragmentation to a whole new level given the rise of Twitter and the social acceptance of texting people as a substitute to making phone calls.

That’s where the one week digital cleanse comes in. I’ll be defragmenting my mental and psychological hard drive during the first seven days of the new year, and I invite you all to participate.

The cleanse will begin at 9am on January 1. This gives everyone a chance to text and tweet their new year’s well wishes, and theoretically begins upon waking up the morning of January 1. The cleanse will end at 9am on January 8.

Guidelines:

*email only from laptop or desktop computers

*cell phones can only be used to make calls, and no text messages or e-mails are allowed - if you receive a text, you must reply in voice over the phone. E-mails must be returned from a laptop or desktop computer.

*no use of Twitter or any other social networking site - this includes reading as well as posting.

*no visiting of any entertainment or gossip sites. (No need to detail which ones - you know what they are.)

I floated the idea last week on Twitter to see if anyone could envision themselves doing this, and the responses were interesting; some said they could definitely do it, but many were resigned to the idea, calling it impossible. If it is impossible, than my theory is already proven and we’re in big trouble as a society.

This can be done, people. Do it with me. When we pop back up on the grid on January 8, let’s trade stories on what it felt like, how hard it was, and maybe how hard it actually wasn’t.

JM

I am taking the challenge and hope you'd all do the same. It's just one week, I lasted without it for 2 weeks in New Zealand while travelling, now lets try it at home and around.
Late starters like me, we end at the 7th day of the exact time we're starting this.

6 Degrees of Separation

Today my mom approached me and asked on how do I know students from another school? 

If you'd think about it. I might know them through a friend - or a friend's friend. Speaking of which, my mom's friend's daughter/son. My friend's mom's friend's daughter. My dad's uncle's nephew who know a friend through a friend of a friend. My friend who knew a friend through a gathering. A simple school event. My friend's friend's friend's aunty's uncle's nephew. My cousin's classmate. My teacher's son/daughter (uhh?). My brother's friend's brother. My cousin's first crush's ex-classmate's cousin. My cousin's friend who knows this other cousin. My cousin. Friend's aunt's grandfather's great great granddaughter who knows this friend who knows this girl/guy. A random conversation. LRT. Bus. Taxi? Kidnapped buddies. Classmate's girlfriend's boyfriend (which leads me back to the same person). Friend of a personal doctor. Friend of a nephew. My uncle's aunt's daughter. My aunt's uncle's son. My dog's buddy's owner. My neighbour's nephew. My dad's long lost friend who happen to have an identical twin who both know the same person. 

6 degrees of separation? Fret so.

Yeeeaahhh

Nearing in 2 days more to Singapore Stop-over and +5 for New Zealand flight

My tumblr log is finally cleared and refreshed for this year's backpacking
Why? All my previous logs were not updated properly.

All things from 5th December onwards to whenever it ends will be posted at
http://limuhowie.tumblr.com/
so link it up and enjoy reading!

Btw, it's already up and running again (actually since god knows when) so why wait till the 5th?

Nah Uh

If you can't manage yourself, don't even ATTEMPT to manage an organisation. Particularly organisations that manage the well being of others. 

Imposing stupid rules would only make those under it's jurisdiction, much more rebellious.

Face it, all these you are doing, is just to get attention, negative attention that would last long as others remembering you for how much a bitch you can be, even though you are a guy, aren't you just shameless?

Target: Who else

After 11.30am, generally, the volume of my speakers are always on minimal, and the subwoofers would always be turned off, or I'd listen to classical music.


Bedtime: 1.30am - 2am


From 1.30 onwards, if I so happen to be still awake, I'd use my headphones from then on.


Your complain states that loud music can still be heard from 2am onwards. It happened to be so "loud" that both the upper and lower level could hear my music.


"IS THAT RIGHT?" 
Please, I was dead asleep by 2am this morning.
I had a satisfying meal of Japanese food the night before and the only music I made was due to my fart, which was probably silent but deadly enough to kill you.
Why target the teenager anyway? Because we're stereotyped as metal music listeners, the hardcore rock kinda "BING BANG BOOM" music?


"Hey F*ck you!" 
Just in case you didn't know, most of us have a wider span of music knowledge than you people who only know how to complain, when clearly your hearing aid is malfunctioning, giving you that "loud" music you've been complaining about 
Oops! Did I just say hearing aid? I AM NOT SORRY.


And learn how to classify genres next time, you make yourself sound dumb, lacking expressive terms.
Nice meeting you by the way, and don't worry, I'd bring more people for my upcoming barbeque gathering, then we can rock your hearing aid.


You'd wish you never had complained now.

Geographical Time Frame

Out of sheer boredom, I have constructed the ultimate geographical time frame. So ultimate that even idiots can understand my route.

Start: M'sia >
Stopover: S'pore  (5th Dec) >
Destination: New Zealand (10th Dec) >
Stopover: S'pore (25th Dec) >
End: M'sia (28th Dec)

Cool ayh? (*facepalm* Lame Howie, lame...)

Wrong & Defective Product

To me, Apple's customer care and after-purchase service is really good - but it still lacks. Why do I name this post wrong & defective?


I had always wanted to get a new pair of headphones for myself after say, 2 years without them (or at least 3rd party). I finally did today, decided to pamper myself a bit - tis' the season. I got myself a new pair of iPod headphones for rm129. Not the price you'd pay for, but like I said, I'm pampering myself after 2 years without em + Christmas. 


Machines in Lot 10 did make me smile ever since I set foot in to the store. Customer service is great, but theres more. 


The train ticket from Bangsar to KLCC with the Kelana Jaya line, to and fro is exactly rm4, plus the walking distance, which I obviously don't mind. All in all it is very very cheap (not to mention green effective too!)


Never would I have thought that I'd open a box, to find the supposedly sealed white packet, unsealed, with the wrong product, and not to mention defective also. 
Box states, "Earphones with Remote and Mic", 
I got "Earphones with yellow decolourised jack with a blown left bud and torn rubber tip"

Instead of Bangsar, I got down at Midvalley's stop, knowing that they house Machines also. Took them roughly half an hour to get it resolved and here's where my suggestion comes in. Instead of me going back to the original store to get it changed where it includes me going there again (which is honestly quite far), why can't you guys implement a simple immediate change? The receipts all you need for the next round of stock count and shipment.


Imma clarify a few things, I do not think it would be Apple's fault to have a wrong and defective product inside. Someone clearly swapped the products and sealed the box back pretty well. Who? That's no longer my business (but hey - F*ck you! Pay for what you want instead will ya?!). Apple's great, kudos to the customer service who worked their ass off to remedy the situation, making calls and what not.


Don't get ahead of me now. I'm just gonna see what happens as I plan my next journey down to Lot 10 to get it changed, hopefully for the better.


Update 1: Just got off the phone with the store manager of Lot 10, all seems well. (20/11/09)


Update 2: Just got the headphones exchanged, no questions asked. Journey there was a breeze (22/11/09)