Paying Parking Fee Through SMS

Any idea on what is SMSnPark? I found this interesting news at one of the local tabloid. The title really captured my attention when I scanned through the papers.

"SMS alternative to pay for parking from April."

We can just pay for the parking fee with our mobile phone. Perhaps for a night driver like me, the traditional parking method does not really matter to me. But I'm sure it's definitely much convenient for those who are always on the move.

According to the newspaper, this high tech service was on a trial in Damansara Uptown, SS2 and USJ 10 in March. Hm…… but I wonder why I have not noticed it even though I just live opposite Uptown.

Well, with this technology, users need to register for an account. Before parking the car, they just need to send an SMS to the authority with the details of the council parking zone, vehicle registration number and parking duration. Then, there you go, paying the parking fee without visiting the solar parking ticket dispenser. The parking fee and transaction fee will be directly deducted from the users’ prepaid account. Taken the hassles, trouble and danger of adapting the traditional ticket purchase into consideration, this SMS transaction that costs 20 cents, according to my sister, is worthy. Again for occasional driver like me, I rather take a long walk to the dispenser machine under the 33celsius temperature instead. 20 cents is important to me too!

Next, when the council enforcement officers want to check whether the parking fee has been paid, they key in the vehicle registration number on a GPRS device. Wow……. So hi-tech!

I have never thought that purchasing parking ticket can go digitized too. The traditional method, in which drivers have to visit the yellow ticket dispenser to buy a small slip ticket and place it in the car, is considered as the analog way. On the other hand, purchasing the ‘ticket’ through sending SMS is the digital way.

However, does this digitization really work for everyone? I doubt it. First, not everyone has a mobile phone, not even to mention a credit card. A credit card is required to register for an account. Secondly, 20 cents for the SMS transaction is still pretty expensive to some people. Finally, will all the council enforcement officers be allocated a GPRS device? Bear in mind: more devices are needed since there are so many council parking zones.

Anyway, it is indeed a good alternative for paying parking fee. Thing is getting more convenient after the digitization.

Hm……. since paying ticket fee also go digitized, I wonder what else can go digital. Looking forward a digitized canned drink vendor machine! (Hehehe…… China already has this technology where by you buy a canned drink by sending a code from your mobile phone and pointing it to the sensor of vendor machine……COOL!)

New Media 2

Now, let us move to the next principles ---- automation. Again, based on what Manovich has contended in the same article, since the new media is consisted of numeric and modular, they can be automatically manipulated through the use of computer programs or algoriths. Search engine is a good example. A preset program has designed into the search engine, in which it will function automatically based on the users’ search. Try key-ing your full name at the ‘search’ box, then click enter. Instantly, the program will automatically figure out the websites that contain your names. I once tried typing in my Chinese name with the quotation mark and surprisingly found one……the only one…..match. Guess what! It is my ex-boyfriend website! Wow……>..<……. How embarrassing!

Okay, enough for that! The next principle is variability. New Media can be customized to cater the different needs of users. I find the MSN Messager pretty interesting. Users can change the layout of his/her messager from top to toe, from the user status, font type to background and emoticon. Google News is another effective tool too. Everyday, tonne of news and stories are churned out. It is impossible for us to read them all as it is hassle to log into all the newspapers’ websites. So, with the Google News, users can simply pick his/her interested topic and type in the keyword. Then, Google News will filter the everyday-news for you and choose your favorite news. As a result, no more trouble everyday to log into all the newspaper websites to read certain stories.

Finally, cultural trancoding refers to inter-relationship between the new media culture and out society. The New Media is not only changing the way people communicate with each other, but is also making our routine lives easier and more convenient. It advocates individuality, instead of conformity (Manovich). We are free to choose and customize whatever media that suit us. Meawhile, society has also contributed to the new media culture. We, as the users, are influencing how the New Media works and evolves, as well! How we adopt the New Media, the gratifications that we obtain from it and so forth directly affect the progression of New Media.

Due to those fabulous inventions and technologies, the mass media has taken a big jump in serving the public, ranging from its appearance, and speed to its functions. Indeed, the new media has transformed the traditional way of communication, yet preserving some of the characteristics of the old media that are advantageous to the public.

New Media 1

What is New Media? Yeah, from the name itself, we can judge that it must be a media, that is "NEW". OK, it still sounds abit vague right?

So, let us see. **flipping the pages of textbook** All right, here is it. According to Lev Manovich in his book The Language of New Media, New Media is an evolution of Old Media with the integral role of computers. Thereby, not only the way of communication has changed, the kind of messages has altered too. Anything ranging from graphic, text to music and sound become computable.

The invention of internet has changed the Old Media tremendously. For instance, instead of reading physical tabloid newspaper, we can now access to online newspaper website while making comment on the editor's blog too. Also, vary from the old old Disneyland cartoon; we now have animations that look so real and with better color saturation.

Therefore, what makes up the New Media? Manovich defines the central principles of New Media as: numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability and cultural transcoding.

First, numerical representation means sampling the analog signals to digital form. Analog signals are now transformed into numbers whereby each number represents different elements or characteristics. To those who are not from mass communication background, you may not understand this 50%. Imagine this: decades ago, when you wanted to keep in touch with your girlfriend studying oversea, you have to make IDD calls. If you wished to see her, you have to ask her videotaped down and post to you. On the contrary, with the digital technology available now, you can now call your girlfriend through the internet and even “see” her by using a webcam. Another typical example is instead of using tape to record sound, we can now use CD to record sounds and even images. Telephone-calling and tape recording are analog form. Whereas, internet and CD are digital form. Although sound and images are digitally coded, it holds most of the analog qualities and betters them.

This is followed by modularity, which means a group of separated samples can be gathered together and form a bigger objects without losing the identities of each samples.

This makes me think of the MIDI composing. In CUBASE, a MIDI-composing software, users are able to compose the melody for each instrument separately before he/she combines all the melodies together to form a song or music piece. For instance, I will play the bass guitar melody first by using the keyboard, then, the analog signals will be transferred from my keyboard to the PC, next, a wave line will appear on the screen. After that, I try out with the drums (in a drum set, there are different drums; with CUBASE, you can even design the beat for each drum separately). After playing all the instruments needed, I can now group all the melodies together and listen to the full song and make changes from there. When I group the melodies, their tunes and notes are not disturbed either. They play like how they are actually, to make a final song or music piece. If I wish to discard a melody of a particular instrument, I can simply ungroup that easily.

**to be continued** (Plz allow me to sleep, i really can stand already, falling down anytime)

"Just Married"

Yo......>..< This is another Malaysian movie that get nominated for International Festival of Women's Film FRANCE!!!!!!! Serious.... No jokes. Unlike SEPET, it's about a chinese gal with .... another chinese gal!

This one is quite an easy one to do. I just darken and sharpen the photo. then, crop it a little. Lastly, just type in the words and experimented with different fonts, points and colors. and Dah-dang, here is it!

WHITE Tapioca Kuih

Ever wonder wat is this kuih? Yep, it's a white tapioca kuih, with santan floss on top of it.

I was so amazed and excited over it! All right, i know i'm abit outdated as i have never seen and tried a WHITE tapioca kuih before.

Actually, I bought this from Petaling Street. Heard my sis said that this old man sold the best homemade tapioca kuih. Then, after the first bite, i immediately fell in love with it.

Unlike the typical yellow tapioca kuih which were sprinkled with artificial flavor, this one has remained the original taste of tapioca. Also, the santan floss was not that extreme sweet either ( I dislike super sweet food). Overall, it was a delicious kuih that worth trying. So..... if u happen to visit the petalign street in the afternoon.. try to spot for the old man who clagged in white shirt.

Oops. I haven finish my words yet. The background of tapioca kuih was blur.......cuz i forgot to adjuts the focus spot of the camera...>..<. Besides, i also changed the color of my little head to sepia form. The main purpose was to make my acne on my cheek obscure (but after editing it, i still think that this function didn't help much either) .After changing the color form, i cropped my head and paste it on the photo of tapioca kuih. Lastly, just click on the paint brush to scribble the word across the photo (sometime, i like using the paintbrush to write word, instead of using the 'typo' function, as it looked more natural).

Watch Out! Man! U're in Danger

Watch out ! man! Shiuan is driving on the road now!!!!!!ahahhaha

Yeah! although I have got my driving license like..ages ago, i only manage to drive a real car now.

Yahoo~~~~~Despite some dangerous turnings and stop i have made, i think i'm quite a safe driver!!!!! when u see a blue Wira on the road, just stand closer to the passenger way, in case i lose my control of the car and knock u down! Anyway, no need to worry so much lar!!! if i happen to 'drive into' u, that's ur fate!

Lazy BUM Bum bum

Wow..............This is the only Saturday that i stayed at home.......WEIRD! Damn Sien ah~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!

In fact, there are piles of works waiting me to finish. 2 journals, some revisions and the theater stuff. ARghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........... I'm so lazy to get things start. That's why I'm still surfing net here......... waiting for time to pass..... wait for the clock to point at 12 and there i go...for LUNCH!!!
LUNCH ALONE!

我也很想他

我也很想他
在他的身上
我找到翅膀
但他却选择
飞到更远的天边

SEPET

You guys should watch this movie... It's dman chun. Ignore those technical stuff , like angles and shot taken, it has an incredible storyboard. Hillarious yet touching. It's abt love between a chinese guy and a malay gal. Sound interesting? Yep, this is the point, enuff to draw me to the cinema to watch it.

I truely respect the scriptwriter and director (hehe. cuz i'm now learning to write script, so kinda particular in it) cuz it's pretty difficult, at least from my POV, to write such a sensitive script and how she intelligently add in the funny parts . Not to leave out too, the casts are great. Both main casts and supporting like the Mak, Pak in the movie really caught my attention. However, some other casts are really .........hm..need some more improvement.

In the movie, Jason did mentioned abt 'destiny'. It brought me to ponder around...........hm. just suddenly tot of the stupid fella.

Check this website. www.sepet.com. you willl enjoy it. This movie.......... 5 star rated. strongly recommended

Gotta sleep, gotta wake up early to go for screenign lesson.... can't crap too much. any question, go to visit the website lar.

男人也是绝情的

我自问自己是否还喜欢他
但···我一直得不到答案
看到漂亮的烟花
想起你曾说
我的心其实已放著烟花，因为有你在
想起你曾说
我已见了你父母， 不能再逃跑了
想起你从镜头里看著我关爱的眼神
想起你对我的呵护
忽然间，才察觉你已不是我的天使
你的天堂已容不下我了
爱你 也应懂得放手

想哭 但那又能怎么样？
他不会再因我的眼泪而留下来
原来不只女人可以很绝情
男人也是如此
你就是