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

First of all, this article is about the Malaysian Yellow Pages service provided by TM Berhad. Furthermore, this article is Malaysia-centric, and thus probably will not apply to Yellow Pages in your country (or whatever the service is known as). Chronicled below are my experience, the experience of those I know, and whatever stated are just my opinion.

First of all, Yellow Pages is a globally-known brand, heck, it’s so embedded in modern culture, that it has its own dictionary entry. But how relevant is the Yellow Pages in these days of the Internet? It has a lot to do with what you’re looking for in the first place. As an aside, have you ever wondered about the history of the Yellow Pages?

Read the rest of Is Yellow Pages Listing Worth It? »

Credit cards are an important financial tool nowadays, it’s hard to find reasons not to own one. Sure, we’ve heard of all the gloom and doom tales of getting buried in debt due to overuse of plastic, but the keyword here is “overuse”. Just like any other tool, the credit card can be used properly or improperly. It’s really not the fault of the tool if it caused damage, it’s more likely to be the fault of the user.

Credit cards are especially useful in these times of e-commerce. Imagine, a global marketplace where everything from books to viagra can be purchased by a click of a button. Credit cards are a definite must have tool in this age of internet shopping.

First of all, you must have access to this tool. What if you can’t? What could be the reasons? Here’s some probable reasons why you cannot apply for a credit card or personal loans:

• Not meeting minimum salary requirements.
• Poor credit history (fresh Malaysian graduates: Do you have any outstanding PTPTN loans unpaid?)

Read the rest of Of Credit Cards and Online Spending »

It’s WCS time again! This week, I have a few web sites to showcase, and I’ll begin with a fun one; the blogger code. Basically, you’ll have to answer a few questions relating to your blogging activities, and the site will generate your very own blogger code. Found someone’s blogger code and need a decoder? Try here. I’ve included mine in the About HTNet page.

Using Windows and feeling left out of the FOSS revolution? Don’t worry! You could familiarise yourself with quality open source software that are available on Windows too! Check out the OSSwin project, and see what open source apps are available for you to choose from. Computing is not just limited to Microsoft stuff.

I simply must link to a web design site in every WCS, this time it’s Mandarin Design. They have interesting articles on styling your web site with (what else) CSS. The write ups on boxes are especially useful, and I plan to implement some of the stuff in my new site theme.

Have you ever wanted to know what more well-knowned individuals have accomplished when they were your age? Well, now you can. I’ve learnt that at age 28:

• The Danish physicist Niels Bohr published his revolutionary theory of the atom.
• French novelist George Sand published her first novel, Indiana.
• Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof of Warsaw invented the artificial language Esperanto.
• British physician Thomas Wakley began publishing The Lancet.
• Jamaican reggae composer/performer Bob Marley recorded “I Shot the Sheriff.”
• Nuclear plant lab tech Karen Silkwood died in a car crash on her way to meet with a New York Times reporter and a union official to document her allegations about falsified quality control reports.
• French naturalist Jean B. Lamarck coined the word biology to encompass the studies of botany and zoology.

I’m not really 28 yet… but will be in one month and three days time

Joe Kraus has written an entry on why now is a great time to be an entrepreneur. A good writeup, although the obvious limitation would be that it’s a great article on the topic of net entrepreneurship but not necessarily entrepreneurship in general.

Reasons for his insight are as follows:

• Hardware is 100X cheaper
• Infrastructure software is free
• Access to Global Labor Markets
• SEM changes everything

And the consequences are:

• More people can and will be entrepreneurs than ever before
• Funding sources explode which enables more entrepreneurs
• More bootstrapping to profitability
• Higher valuations for VCs

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your comments.

Welcome to the 2nd edition of HTNet’s Weekly Cool Stuff. This week, I have quite a number of interesting sites to showcase. Remember PostSecret from the first WCS? Well, I found another anonymous online confessions site called group hug. From the site itself:

the idea is for anyone to anonymously confess to anything. it actually feels kind of good to know that someone will read it.

this is completely confidential. no information about you or your computer is stored. in fact, we only collect the text you type, the date, and a random number.

Most of us have seen site buttons or badges. You know, those 80px x 15px images usually used as links to other web sites. Like those I have on the right hand side of HTNet (at least at present). Yeah, those! Have you ever wanted to create your own, but don’t have the leet The GIMP, Photoshop or *gasp* MS Paint skills? Don’t worry! Because now, there’s Brilliant Button Maker to help you Image Authoring Tools-challenged people!

For those of you who are into computer graphics, either professionally or as a hobby, you definitely know the importance of fonts. Sometimes, you will be in situations where you know what kind of font you want, but just have no idea where to find it. Especially if you’ve seen the font used in a movie, TV series, or in a band’s CD cover. If that’s the case, you might want to check out TypeNow.net’s Themed Fonts, you might just find what you’re looking for

Another common need for many computer graphics artists is textures. Textures, when used appropriately, tend to turn the blandest of concepts into brilliant masterpiece. I stumbled upon this excellent texture library which has a nice collection of textures.

I also took the Colour Quiz (I insist on using the real English spelling) and found out the following about myself:

• • Your Existing Situation
  • Persistent. Demands what he feels to be his due and endeavors to maintain his position intact.
• • Your Stress Sources
  • The situation is regarded as threatening or dangerous. Outraged by the thought that he will be unable to achieve his goals and distressed at the feeling of helplessness to remedy this. Over-extended and feels beset, possibly to the point of nervous prostration.
• • Your Restrained Characteristics
  • Willing to become emotionally involved and able to achieve satisfaction through sexual activity.
  • Clings to his belief that his hopes and ideas are realistic, but needs encouragement and reassurance. Applies very exacting standards to his choice of a partner and wants guarantees against loss or disappointment.
  • Egocentric and therefore quick to take offense. Able to obtain physical satisfaction from sexual activity but tends to hold aloof emotionally.
• • Your Desired Objective
  • Urgently in need of rest, relaxation, peace, and affectionate understanding. Feels he has been treated with a lack of consideration and is upset and agitated as a result. Regards his situation as intolerable as long as his requirements are not complied with.
• • Your Actual Problem
  • Depleted vitality has created an intolerance for any further stimulation, or demands on his resources. A feeling of powerlessness subjects him to agitation and acute distress. Tries to escape from this by relinquishing the struggle, and by finding peaceful and restful conditions in which to recuperate in an atmosphere of affection and security.