Gathering IBM WebSphere and DB2 version

To determine the release or version number that you are using for IBM WebSphere, execute versionInfo.bat in %WebSphereRoot%\AppServer\bin

To determine the release for IBM DB2, execute db2level in %DB2Root%\sqllib\bin

我的朋友 My Friends Kawanku

Wonder who compose this...anyway, enjoy the lyrics :)

Magic Trick

Demonstration of a very cool magic trick by Calvin. Kids, don't try this at home.

Should we sell Proton to foreigners?

Proton, Malaysian National car maker, which many Malaysian is not so proud of. It is well known for its inferior quality compared to other car makers such as the Japanese or Korean, but I do sincerely hope that it is not inferior to China's product.

A lot of people do not wish to own a Proton, citing its inferior quality as one of the reasons. The only reason people actually buy a Proton is because it is cheaper compared to other cars in Malaysia due to the high taxes placed on imported cars. Because of this, Proton is suffering from very poor sales thus it seems to be generating losses and a lot of Malaysian citizens are urging the government to sell it off as it is wasting the tax payers money. One of the proposed buyer is Volkswagen, the company that had helped revived a few other poor performing car manufacturers.

Must we sell Proton to a foreign car maker? Do we not have local companies with the skills to manage Proton? Or is Proton such a money sucking organization that nobody wants to risk it?

I sincerely hope that Proton would not be sold to a foreigner company thus resulting all our tax payers money going to some foreigners' pocket. I do hope that most Malaysian realize that Malaysia has a lot of polices in place that is very favorable to Proton. I am very sure Malaysians can do a good job of running Proton if they are given the chance.

Proton is our National car. Our RM100 bills bear the picture of Proton. Let this continue to be our National car. Sell Proton, but to some local companies and let them turn the company around. I am sure if in the right hands, Proton can surely revive itself with such favorable policies in place.

And to those trying to think that by selling Proton off, we can get cheap imports, I doubt it will ever happen. Even if it happen, it might be only a 5 to 10% decrease. There are tons of imports on our Malaysian streets. I think a majority of it are on hire purchase schemes. Imagine if suddenly the imports prices become low. Wouldn't that make majority of car owners poorer? So, the best thing is to improve the quality of Proton. Make it a real car. One that the nation can be proud of.

Of course, to achieve this, I am sure all those bumi policies that is slowly crippling our Malaysian economy must be removed from Proton.

Puspakom to vet all used cars to prevent 'kereta potong'

The news today mentioned that the government is going to make it mandatory to have all used cars to be checked and approved by Puspakom before ownership transfer is allowed. Their reason for this move is to prevent cut and joined cars on the road. There could also be a hidden agenda in it, where few years from now, Puspakom inspection might means older cars will not pass the inspection, thus reducing the amount of old vehicles on our road, forcing the citizens to buy new cars.

Anyway, how many of us actually trust Puspakom inspection? Most of us don't even trust SIRIM inspection. I suspect anything inspected in this country can have its result tweaked by political or monetary means. Would this Puspakom be another money sucking machine? I wouldn't be surprise if later years, to sell your car, you will have to pay Puspakom, whether your car is healthy or not healthy will depends on how much you fund Puspakom. If you don't pay, they will just declare your car as not road worthy.

Never slow down to look during accidents

Our FM radio stations in Malaysia usually broadcast traffic reports during peak hours so that motorists can be forewarned about any traffic congestion. Not that the warning can be of any use as there aren't a lot of alternatives route to use. Even if you know that route is congested, you still need to drive into the congestion, just that you are well informed beforehand.

Sometimes, they will also announce accidents that happen on certain stretch of a road. I noticed that they will also give a general advice to the motorists and persuade everyone not to slow down and look. They comment that Malaysian drivers have this mentality to slow down and look at traffic accidents, therefore causing traffic to slow down and causing massive traffic jams.

However, when you really think about it, shouldn't we all slow down when an accident happen? If you see a car crash, should you just resume your normal speed and drive through the site without observing the crash? Wouldn't the victim of the accident need help? Is it common in most developed countries to ignore accident victims?

Actually, I really feel embarrassed that we never ever stop to help strangers. How many of you will stop your car and help if you see a motorcyclist being knocked down? How many of you will try to help if you see a snatch theft? Most people will ask you not to be so "gei poh" as you will "attract a lot of trouble" by helping. Is this how we should behave in the society? Where is all the kindness we studied during our Moral education in school? Had all that education gone to waste?

If an accident happen, traffic will tend to slow down. It is a fact. Small roads plus obstructions at the road side because of accidents will slow down traffic. It is absolute rubbish to speed past accidents. It is because the roads have no emergency lanes and there is no proper authorized personnels to remove those obstructions that cause traffic congestions, not because the drivers slow down to look. Everyone in every country will look, if they are human. This is because they are only human if they are curious and have a heart.