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

… and it’s his twin brother! From this BBC News article:

Doctors in Bangladesh say they have removed a long-dead foetus from the abdomen of a teenage boy who was complaining of stomach pains.

They said the foetus would have become the boy’s twin had it grown normally in their mother’s womb.

Now that’s something you wouldn’t recover from too quickly! Just imagine, the worse you’d think of is that you’re having one bloody major stomach ache, heck, probably gastric pains (which coincidentally is Malaysia’s undisputed no. 1 reason for medical leave) or something.

I just can’t imagine the look on the poor kid’s face when the doctor said, “Good news; we found your long lost brother. Bad news; he’s dead. The worst part is that he’s been dead inside you for the past 16 years.” Eurgh!

…at least, they’re admitting to purposely doing so on their new joint-venture Chinese MSN portal according to this article on MSN Money, and linked from Slashdot.

Other banned words and phrases include; freedom, demonstration, “democratic movement” and “Taiwan independence”. The clincher here is that, officially, according to existing Chinese law, it isn’t illegal to use these words.

Well, another thingy I can put on my CV; Experienced Blogger

I saw this post on /. which basically states that blogging is now a real “business skill” which seems to be pretty much in demand. It also links to this article (which has a needlessly bloody long URL) in the WSJ.

After reading through the WSJ article, it really does make perfect sense to me that blogging should be regarded as a serious marketing tool. It really is! It creates awareness about a company’s products and/or services, therefore it’s only logical that the industry acknowledges its importance.

I mean, surely many of you have seen cult sites which criticizes the products or services of companies where the “former consumer” felt that he/she has been screwed over. I do find such expression of anger and/or frustration to be quite normal. Therefore I wouldn’t find anything strange with a blog that regularly praises the products and/or services of “well-behaving” companies… yeah, even if the blogger gets paid for doing so.

Anyone wants to hire me?

One of the sticking point of Linux is that in the industry, it is yet to be fully seen as a mature platform, ready for real world implementations. The perception of Linux is still mind-warped to the early 90s, which tends to label Linux as a hobbyist OS.

Fact 1: Linux is very much ready for real world tasks. Fact 2: It is already adopted as a core business and/or operational platform by many organisations. Fact 3: Linux is severely undermarketed and its uptake by organisations tend to be mostly for tech-intensive duties where nobody outside of the technology diaspora can take notice.

Linux Magazine has chosen not to accept the status quo, and is running a series of publications highlighting the application of Linux solutions in key areas, namely; Government, Retail, and Telecoms.

Thanks to OSNews for the linkage.

Agent Nicola Calipari, who was instrumental in securing the release of Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, was needlessly killed by the US occupying forces in Iraq as they approached a checkpoint.

Of course, the self-proclaimed messiah of democracy, promised a full inquiry to this latest incident… but we know from previous experience that the findings of all US government inquiries should be taken with a fistful of salt, pepper and MSG.

The US forces said that the victims’ car approached the checkpoint at high speed. Ms Sgrena claimed that what the Americans are saying are blatant lies. What we do know for sure is that a hero died performing his duties with full commitment and undying sense of responsibility.

To the family and friends of the late Agent Calipari, my deepest condolences goes to you. It’s sad to see yet another innocent life being taken in this unnecessary conflict.