Yamiya, Just wanna blog

When Apple named their multimedia software as iLife, I find it very appropriate. Our life is more or less being digitized. In the past when you broke up with your partner, the first thing you do is tear and throw away all the photos. Nowadays it's far more easy. Hit the delete button and empty trash.

Having heard a friend, a renown part time photographer having lost all his portfolio accumulated for years just because of a single hard disk failure, by single I mean he did not backup his data, I decided not to take the risk of losing my life*.

I have consider few options. First, the ever popular cloud service Dropbox, Sugarsync. They backup user data onto their server and user can access them anywhere as long as there is internet access. The only problem is I have 500GB of data. That would take a week for initial backup, the reason being our tortoise speed Streamyx. Recovery time length will be the same in case of hard disk failure. Unfortunately UniFi hasn't arrive at my area. It's another indefinite wait for the TorMoise (TM) to crawl over my house. Not least, 500GB cloud storage ain't cheap.

Apple solution is Time Machine. User can either use Time Capsule or any external HDD. However Time Machine is not completely safe. Once the hard disk breaks down, the backup is gone. User will not be able to step back in time to rescue any accidentally deleted files.

RAID is the de facto in data backup. RAID cost has fallen significantly over the years. These days RM600 can get you a handsome 2TB external RAID HDD. For desktop users that's more easy since most mid range and above motherboard comes with RAID build in. But there's a problem. Say you are running RAID 1 and one of the HDD has bad sector. Data on the bad sector are lost and the lost are mirror onto the redundancy. Another scenario, you accidentally deleted a folder and empty trash only to find out days later. A RAID won't save you from that.

Thus the best backup is a combination of RAID plus Time Machine. Here's my setup.

I am using MacBook Pro 13". There's only two USB without FireWire. One is taken by iPhone/iPad sync cable. The other is connected to 7-port USB hub which is then connected to 6 USB devices, i.e. external HDD, scanner, laptop cooler, wireless keyboard/mice, monitor calibrator and card reader. Thank god I have Airport Express to run wireless printing. If I connect a USB external RAID HDD onto the same hub, that will significantly reduce the speed of my external HDD. Strangely the sync cable has to connect directly to MacBook, else iTunes can't sync successfully.

The option is to use a NAS RAID HDD. I choose Western Digital My Book World Edition II – 2TB for it's cost effectiveness, RM600. This little thing fits onto my bookshelf, connected to MacBook Gigabit Ethernet port. Just a word of reminder, even though on paper Gigabit LAN is twice the speed of USB (125MB/s vs 60MB/s), for software that utilize library files, such as iPhoto, iDocument and Aperture, putting the library on NAS will make it almost inaccessible. Slow…

Instead I setup WD to run Time Machine. Here's the guide from WD. The initial backup took half a day to complete, both my life in USB external HDD and the entire Mac OS X in MacBook. After the initial run, subsequent backup is a breeze with Time Machine running hourly in the background. My life is now in safe hands

*PS: If you still have no idea what life means, that's all your photos, musics, videos, books, magazines, etc.

This is just information sharing for anyone who want to renew/replace their Malaysia Passport. For those who doesn't know what is a Malaysia Passport, that's the thing that get you to overseas for vacation, besides credit card and cash.

What you need?

1. Visit IMI website and download the application form. Print the form on both side of an A4 paper, preferably with laser printer. Fill in all the required details.
2. 2 copies of recent photograph with light blue background (3.5 X 5 cm), a.k.a. passport photo.
3. Photocopy of MyKad (Identification Card) front and back on an A4 paper.
4. RM300 cash for 32 pages 5 years validity passport.

Most Klang Valley immigration office is filled with at least 50 people at any given operating time. There's a "hidden office" in Putrajaya that's not even listed in IMI website. IMI only posted it in the news page. The address on the website is incomplete. The full address is as followed.

Jabatan Imigresen W.P Putrajaya
Cawangan Preseint 14
Bangunan Chancery, Jalan Diplomatik 2, Presint 14
62542 Putrajaya

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Anyway I was just trying my luck today. It's 2:45pm after I collected MyKad. There are less than 10 people in the room and queue number 1114. I got my number, 1116! Now you know what I mean hidden

All in all,  it took 15 minutes to process my application and make payment. After that I head to Alamanda shopping mall which is 2km away to get some essentials. Come back by 4:30pm, my passport is ready. Siok!

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This is just information sharing for anyone who want to renew/replace their MyKad. For those who doesn't know what is MyKad, that's your Identification Card or Kad Pengenalan.

As we know Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) offices are always crowded with people applying/renewing MyKad. As we know the chip does not last forever. I wouldn't complain. My credit card chip was damaged within a year plus. My old MyKad chip has lasted a good 8 years.

Without waiting in the queue and sit in the office for whole day just to renew a damage chip, the fastest way is to get it done thru MYEG. To be frank I am not a fan of MYEG. Their advertisement during World Cup 2010 is terrible. A bunch of idiots dancing for no reason and not related to the services MYEG offer.

First register an account on MYEG. Strangely JPN online application is from 8am to 11pm (Mondays to Fridays), 8am to 2pm (Saturdays) and 8am to 9pm (Sundays). Follow MYEG website and submit all the required details. Make payment RM12 with your credit card. RM10 for the new MyKad and RM2 for MYEG service. Yes, they are people who complain about the RM2. For god sake, RM2 saves you hours queuing at JPN office. It's cheaper than the transportation to get there.

Once done. Sit back and relax. Go do your things and get a good night sleep. You can check the application status online the following day.

If you don't mind driving down to Putrajaya JPN headquarters which I did since it's only 15 minutes from my house, the MyKad is ready to collect after 24 hours. For other Penisular offices, that will take 10 working days and 30 working days for Sabah and Sarawak. I got mine within 10 minutes arriving JPN office

Lastly, MYEG did not ask me nor pay me anything for writing this article.

Ever since the launch of iOS 4, a lot of bugs have been reported. Many apps reportedly crash or break as developers rushing to get the fix out, to be compatible with iOS 4 new APIs. The golden rules of "every new OS fill with bugs" is alive and living strong. Pioneers get the arrows, settlers get the land. But it's ok, I'll take a few arrows, and the arrows slowly develop into a syndrome, "iOS 4 apps bugs uncomfortable syndrome"

Syndromes are in escalating order.

Syndrome no.1
Feel anxious, anxiety of the bugs as the infected patient cannot do anything but wait for a new release.

Syndrome no. 2
Keep searching the web, forum, blog for solutions.

Syndrome no. 3
Reports to developer, protest in forums and blog comments.

Syndrome no. 4
Browsing thru App Store in hope to find an temporary alternative. Worst case spent money purchasing few apps and in the end found out they do not meet your requirements or contains more bugs than the original apps. Syndrome repeats itself from no. 1 all over again.

Cure and only cure for now

Turn off all devices, head to the nearest swimming pool and dunk yourself into the water to cool down. It's the only place you can't use the devices, at least for now. (Start thinking of a waterproof case for iPhone and iPad…)