HTNet - A Notepad of Tech, Business, Science and Self Improvement

A ghost yacht was found floating off the coast of North Queensland with its engine and electronics still running but no signs of its crew on board. From the BBC article:

The 12m (40 foot) catamaran was spotted by a helicopter on Wednesday, but a rescue team only reached the boat on Friday, and confirmed that there was no one aboard.

Rescue crews say they are puzzled by the mysterious disappearance.

“The engine was running, the computers were running, there was a laptop set up on the table which was running, the radio was working… and there was food and utensils set on the table ready to eat,” said Jon Hall, a spokesman for Queensland’s Emergency Management office.

Sounds more like a Bermuda Triangle happening rather than an Aussie one. Perhaps Dabido could update us more on this?

Alan Johnston is one of my favourite BBC correspondents. He’s covering one of the most volatile locations on the planet; Gaza.

Mr Johnston has been missing for a month now, presumably abducted by Palestinian militants. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea why. The BBC’s coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is one of the most balanced in the world. Events are reported as is. Analysis and opinions from both sides of the conflict are given fair broadcast coverage.

I’m very much against the practise of abductions of non-partisan parties in any conflict, especially when journalists are the target. These people are making a living reporting news. They are merely professionals who are working in a rough environment which they’re not responsible in creating.

It’s events like this that makes the world automatically label Palestinians and Arabs in general as terrorist thugs. It may not be true in all instances, but it’s hard to draw a line linking the conclusions when events such as this seem to be verifications of the statement.

You can leave a message of support for Alan Johnston here.

I hope that whoever who had kidnapped Mr Johnston will find it in their hearts to release an innocent man. I pray that Alan Johston is well and hope that he will be reunited with his family and friends soon.

Apparently, most Malaysian politicians have no clue when it comes to the Internet and blogging in particular. While it would make more sense to set up blogs and other social networks which will be more beneficial, some clueless politicians in Malaysia are attacking the technology itself and not being pragmatic at all on the issue.

Head on to Edrei’s post if you want to know what I’m talking about (because I’m definitely not going to link to the original The Star post).

Blogging is not an entirely new Internet phenomenon; if only Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor studied the topic with at least 0.25% of his brain’s capabilities, he would see that even politicians and lawmakers from other countries such as the UK and the USA have been harnessing the power of blogging to gain grassroots support for their causes.

And what have Malaysian governmental web sites been doing? Apparently they are still trapped in the times of animated GIFs, scrolling marquees and slow loading Java applets. And somehow these people think that they know what’s best for Malaysian internet users, specifically bloggers? Give me a bloody break!

Want to know what this proposed registration exercise reminds me of? Here are two similar events that came to mind:

• Registration of Jews in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust
• Screening of Muslims in American airports

I’m glad that my MP, Dato’ Shahrir Samad, pointed out that bloggers were very aware of their own ethics and responsibility for content on their sites.

My only wish is that blog-bashers such as Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor will use more intelligence when commenting on topics that he seems clueless about. It scares me to think that such a person is holding a key post in the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry.

First off, I do take the issue of global warming very seriously. The signs are real. The impact can be felt now. I’d imagine that it’ll get worse from now on.

That is why I’m highly disappointed after watching An Inconvenient Truth. Here’s a man who described himself as “the former next president of the United States” when introducing himself in the film. A very witty way to introduce Al Gore.

My initial amusement was shortlived though. An Inconvenient Truth was almost unbearable to watch mostly due to Mr. Gore’s interminable effort to put the audience to death by Powerpoint.

Every 10 to 20 minutes or so of the film; Mr. Gore is either:

• Shown composing his presentation on powerpoint (on a Mac notebook at that)
• Actually presenting the powerpoint slides
• Having flashbacks of certain events that has nothing to do with global warming

My opinion on the film? An attempt at delivering a serious message by someone that I find hard to take seriously who’s way too serious about Powerpoint. Too much seriousness? You bet! But at all the wrong areas.

Want the no-spin, factual account of global warming? You’re way better off watching productions from National Geographic or Discovery Channel which cover the topic with less political aftertastes.

In what’s dubbed Britain’s first cyber-suicide, 42 year old Kevin Whitrick of Wellington was found hanged in his home by police, after receiving reports from other PalTalk members. Apparently the whole episode was broadcasted via webcam.

What sickens me is that there are people who urged him to carry on with his planned online suicide. Quoting the article:

“Some of us chatroom users, talking to Kevin over text chat, microphones and video tried to convince him to step down, but others egged him on telling him to get on with it.

“We just couldn’t believe he was doing it - it was surreal.

“One chatter said: ‘F***ing do it, get on with it, get it round your neck. For F***’s sake he can’t even do this properly’.”

Another user who did not wish to be named said: “When Kevin stepped off the chair and was left dangling, the mood in the chatroom changed and people began to realise what they had just seen.

Hopefully the person who said that will forever be haunted by what had happened to Mr Whitrick. He was a person who needed support and assistance, yet there are some heartless people out there who further provoke him by such taunts.