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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

PROOF THAT KFC IS SOLO-IST!


I ordered KFC for lunch today. (No no no, this is not one of those pathetic posts documenting what I ate for lunch...)
I wanted to order something to eat, since being alone at home means I am just too lazy to walk out to the food court, I thought of doing delivery instead. You know how it is, going out to eat alone. You just come across to people as sad, lonely and taking up too much space in a table for four. But when you share a table you're made to feel like a communial loser... cause you're eating alone, even if you're the first to arrive at the table!

Here goes the phone call to the KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken hotline.

KFC: *ring* *ring* Hello, Please press one for Pizzahut... press two for KFC
Kenny: *toot*
KFC: Hello, KFC delivery... may I take your order, Sir?
Kenny: Yes, I'd like to order delivery... Is there a minimum order for KFC?
KFC: Yes, the minimum order is $12 and there will be an additional $2 delivery charge.
Kenny: What is the best option for a person who's eating alone?
KFC: How about a couple meal, Sir?
Kenny: Isn't that a lot? Four pieces of chicken and all that side dish, plus popcorn chicken? How about something with a Zinger burger, I don't mind topping up a Zinger set with more expensive items to make $12.
KFC: I'm sorry. Zinger is only available as ala carte.
Kenny: Ok, then I'll have a Zinger burger, two piece chicken and cheese fries.
KFC: Cheese fries cannot be delivered sir. They will become soggy.
Kenny: (well, I've had soggy ones even when I am at the restaurant, what's the difference?) Ok... ummm... How about a two piece set and a Zinger?
KFC: I'm sorry, Sir. The two piece set is for dine in only.
Kenny: Oh is it? (is my delivery coming from a special restaurant that only does delivery? or is the chicken different? or this restaurant has never packed a two-piece set in a take away box?)
KFC: So do you still want the couple set, Sir?
Kenny: Ok ok... fine just give me a couple set. But can I request for no breast meat please.
KFC: Ok, i will put in your request for breast meat but it is subject to restaurant availability.
Kenny: NO. I don't want breast meat!
KFC: Oh ok, sir. The total would be $14.95, including the $2 delivery charge and the delivery time is 45 minutes. Is that ok?
Kenny: Yea... sure (dejected tone).
KFC: Please down your delivery number... 754221
*hang up*

The four pieces chicken came as two wings, one lousy thigh and a huge breast meat. But that's beside the point. Ok, if I'm eating with my friend, we'd gladly eat something else instead. Heck, if I have company, I'll gladly go out and eat. DUH! Sometimes delivery is meant for single people too... why can't KFC be accomodating? All these strict do and don'ts are just putting me off. Why am I forced to have a couple's meal when I am just eating alone...

I am already paying an extra $2 delivery charge, why can't they just friggin' deliver what I want?! If you want to charge extra for the convenience then don't impose a minimum. Do you force me to buy $12 of chicken when I am at the restaurant? NO YOU DON'T. Do you say, oh no sorry sir... our coleslaw is only meant for delivery? NO YOU DON'T... so just give me my FUCKING ORDER, GOD DAMN IT.

KFC in Singapore sucks.

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

SAN-SHOOTME-JAYA



What the fuck? Just when you think it couldn't get any worse...

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Thursday, November 02, 2006

Mac OS X vs Windows Vista


For a company as complex and as rich as Microsoft, it's hard to fathom why they couldn't come up with something better than what we've seen on Windows Vista. The eye candy, copycat features is just too strikingly similar to those of Mac OS X.

It's not just about the "copying". I use both Windows XP and Mac OS X at home. But I have little respect and have little pride in using a Windows PC. Firstly, its buggy. I feel like I have to update every week with large patches in order for something so essential to work properly. Imagine using a microwave oven that needed a little tweaking every week? Isn't that a chore? But we've pretty much got used to turning on our computer, expecting the auto update to acknowledge another critical update - much like the computer's greeting (you know, like the Windows chime, the logo and the loading bar). We tolerate this nonsense because universally "it's just how Windows is" But does it have to be?

If Bill Gates can donate billions of dollars to charities (good for him), why can't he invest more of where that money came from to making good, reliable and to a certain extent, original products? To think that one of the world's most richest organizations, with it's strong staff count, aggressive company buying practices, rich in resources and influence is not able to (Mac fans pardon this) THINK DIFFERENT!

Instead having to copy the computer maker with a global market share of a little more than 4%? That's a great compliment... but whenever i get a Windows PC, i sleep at night thinking... what will happen next? Is there a critical update that I haven't installed? A new virus attack? Do I have enough RAM to run the next application I want to install? Why is the uninstall software not removing the software correctly? Why why why.

This is what I've been preaching for more than ten years. It's still happening. There's no stop to the unoriginal, uninspired but universally used Windows system. Perhaps it's the herd mentality, safety in numbers. But YOU as a consumer, DO have a choice. You can buy a Mac OS X that works with your Microsoft Office, read any of the Windows files, surf the web and even DO WINDOWS without any hassle. It's 2006, coming to 2007 already. HELLO? Mac computers can run Windows XP, and it doesn't take a genius to do it. Some shops will even preinstall Windows for you at a small charge. It doesn't take you away from Windows completely, unless you feel you're ready to.

If you get the chance, look at how a laptop PC works. While using the laptop, just take note of how the important information is displayed. How many minutes of battery life do you have left? Will you only know you've been using the LCD at full brightness and sapping battery life too quickly, ONLY after you've received the low power warning? Where the hell is that little blue battery looking thing on the taskbar? Do I really have to mouse over it to find important information I need to be accessible on-the-go? Look at the MAC OS X desktop, clean. All the information you need to know is within the desktop. No mouse overs, no clicking... no hidden icons.

You get battery life. You get wi fi signal strength and one click reveals the available network. How do you do it in Windows XP? The Bluetooth on or off is clearly displayed (transfers get a unique symbol), you get volume levels... right where you need it. To eject a thumb drive, i hit Cmd (apple key) + E. With Windows, i hit the green looking arrow that's lumped together with a gazillion other useless icons, click on it... say i want to remove hardware... then select the hardware from a list of many devices... click stop... wait for it to stop... and wait again for it to tell me it's safe to remove my device now.

What's worse? The development cycles. During the Internet Explorer vs Netscape wars, the developments kept coming. Netscape and Microsoft hit the development panic button and was at war to incorporate plugins, better security, encryption and better interfaces.

Ever since that war was won by the guys with the most money and influence... development stopped. That's the Microsoft way. Until Mozilla Firefox reignited that competitive flame. Now we have IE7. But what happened in between? How many years has passed since IE6? It's not like it's the best kept secret in the industry that Internet Explorer 6 has been horrifyingly buggy and had the security equivalent of a mouse trap. But because the consumers had no choice, they didn't need to innovate. Just patch accordingly, says Bill. Great isn't it? Still want that IE7? I'll stick with Firefox thanks. Even then, IE7 has copied the integrated search bar from Mac OS X Safari and Firefox... not to mention tabbed browsing. When Microsoft conquers a frontier, the development stops.

Look at Palm OS vs Windows Mobile. How much have we heard of the mobile platform since Palm became the minority report in the PDA wars? Do PDA's need a Start button? Why can't it be a totally redesigned platform? Was that laziness? Remember the Palm OS and their Sony Clies? At that time, PDAs looked different... there were sexy Clies, slim Palm M500s, cheap Zires, communicative Treos. There was innovation. There was a passion in owning these devices. The iPod, cliche gadgets as they are, are cultural phenomenons. Look at the Windows Mobile market now. Doesn't that Dopod look exactly like an O2? Doesn't that darn bulky ugly geek-chic HP iPAQ repel women and sometimes even men? Microsoft didn't design them, but this culture of complacency and lack of inventiveness has filtered down to the hardware makers.

Windows Vista. Elegant? I don't think so. Clever? Maybe, if you consider being able to play catch up, copying the ergonomics and design eye candy ala your smallest rival, a form of technological feat. For every five idiots Microsoft hires, Apple hires a genius. What the heck are these Microsoft software engineers hired for? It only takes one guy to walk up to the Apple store buy a copy of Apple's Mac OS X. And thousands of developers and software engineers to emulate it? It almost seems these guys haven't got a clue about a good operating system. They couldn't figure out what could be better than integrating widgets, intuitive search options, 'expose' desktop management, mouse over folder effects and desktop animations on their own? SERIOUSLY, what went through their minds when they got the brief to design Windows Vista? What happened to the brainstorming session between the head of development? Were they staring at a Apple iMac? Was it a blank silence? They couldn't work their fat, Hampton's billionaire brains to figure out something somebody else hasn't?

Sell now, patch later - is their philosophy. Meeting pompous deadlines is more important than plugging the holes and debugging the OS, I guess. Judging from the latest beta of Windows Vista, the future still looks patchy, if you know what I mean.

Bottomline, I find little to admire in a company like Microsoft. Apple sales are said to have grown 22.6% from 2005 - 2006 alone. Increasing their global market share from 2.9 to 3.6%. Nothing much compared to Windows, but i'll stick with whatever works for me. Sure, you might want Windows Vista. But you might as well know that Mac OS has done it first, done it better and most importantly is more secure/stable.

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Sunday, June 18, 2006

Nokia N80 is a letdown



People should stop giving opinions based just on the facts they read on the net. The Nokia N80 may sound fantastic on paper but let me give you an insight to my experience with it




The WLAN reception is very poor. This isn't to say that it doesn't work but you definitely won't be using your neighbour's network with this device. It just doesn't catch on to the reception well




Plus, when you are using WLAN, there's a 3G logo on the top left corner. Which was initially confusing, because it's perpetually there, regardless if you choose 3g or wifi. You can't even gauge the signal strength. You have to base your perception of the bandwidth based on how long it takes to load a page. Not good. What's even worse, is the way you browse the net with the small screen. This isn't Nokia's fault, but generally, browsing the web and reading off the small screen is just not feasible for me, for more than 10-15 minutes. I get a headache, scrolling from left to right, top to bottom.




One more thing, you can't enter a web address in the web browser, until the page you want to load has finished loading. If you key in cnetasia.com and press enter, then change your mind. You have to wait till everything is loaded before the option to "go to web address" will be available to you. This can be annoying




The n80 is also a HANGING monster. If you're using it for more than just making calls and reading text, you're in for a surprise. This device hangs oh-so-often. Within 2 weeks of using it, it's hung 3 times. Nokia says nothing is wrong. After I've exited every single program, I tried to run Snake 3D game, and it says "out of memory". This happens rather frequently. I'd say even if you're not a power user, it can pose a problem




Oh, and the built-in memory is pathetic. If you are familiar with Nokia phones, you'll be aware that every file you receive through Bluetooth comes in as a message in the inbox. So by havin such limited space restricts what u can receive through BT. Example, if you store pictures, songs and misc in your phone. You use about 50% of the phone memory. Then you want to receive a few MP3 files from your friend. Assuming you each file is 5MB- you can receive ONLY three files and then you will have to open items inbox, save the file to card. Repeat for every MP3, then delete them one by one from the phone memory. Why the hassle? Why can't it just go into the card, where you want to store all your files in (due to the small built-in memory in the first place?) With a Sony Ericsson phone, you can directly specify to save files you receive in the phone or the memory card




The sliding isn't as smooth or as elegant as the one implemented in the Samsung SGH-D820. Imagine, if a phone that's so slim, can be such a joy to slide, why can't nokia do the same for one of its top-of-the-line, chunky device which happens to be one of the most highly anticipated phone of 2006




You see that four-way arrow key? The second last button on the right (bottom)? This is a shortcut function. But don't expect it to shortcut a lot though. If you put anything graphic intensive, like say... open picture gallery or customize it to shortcut into the web browser, it will hang and say "out of memory" too. I dare anyone who's posted a GOOD rating for this phone to try this and tell me if you notice that it's strange for this supposed-powerful phone to hang under a simple task like viewing photo gallery. I have about 20+ pics inside, it's not like I have a chockful of photos




The phone has even hung while accessing SMS. This phone is powerful, on paper... but the implementation is buggy at best and the reviewer at CNET definitly need to test these products and give constructive and honest views. There's no use fluffing up to the companies that give you these gadgets to review. It defeats the purpose of a review, in the first place. TOO CONFUSING? Well, let me just put it this way, Even if you have 20 gigabytes (figure of speech) in your memory card, but you only have 5MB of free space in your phone memory, you cannot receive anything more than 5MB through Bluetooth. No matter how big your expandable memory is. How silly right? This is because everything you receive through Bluetooth automatically gets stored in the phone first. I've tried receiving a high quality MP3, that's 10mb into a 12mb of free space and the phone tells me it's run out of memory. So you go figure that out... its mind boggling why people put up with this




Finally, all I'd like to say is I am sure the readers out there would appreciate a more objective opinion in this column, rather than just spewing random and ambiguous views like "great phone, nice features, but too bad it's so expensive". I think some opinions out there can be vague and totally based on perceptions rather than actual knowledge of a product.



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  • Fashionista. Computer Geek. Movie Critic. Music Lover. World Traveler. Foodie. Tennis Zealot. Mac Evangelist. Goss Junkie. Bitch.
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