簡立峰︰在谷歌工作無國界

2007年再度獲選為全美最佳僱主的谷歌（Google），一直以創新形象著稱。台灣谷歌工程研究所所長簡立峰，分享他對谷歌的創新思維。

談到谷歌（Google），很多人都會聯想到“創新”，但是台灣谷歌工程研究所所長簡立峰認為，以他
的谷歌經驗來說，他最想分享的不是谷歌在技術上的創新，而是“組織”上的創新。他認為，觀察谷歌可以從兩個角度來看，第一是全球化工作模式與個人競爭力，
再來則是扁平化的組織與創新能力。

在谷歌工作沒有國界，如此開放的組織可說前所未見。由于全球面試員的標準都一致，所以谷歌在台北發掘的員工，可到全球的辦公室上班。

“一
個任務達成之后，就可以去地球上另一個需要你的地方繼續服務，這是谷歌全球化的模式。”簡立峰解釋，所有谷歌員工都會拿到一張全球通行的門禁卡，曾經有一
位台灣大學應屆畢業生來上班，接著到總部受訓，后來又去瑞士支援。他到瑞士那天碰到當地休假，但是他手裡那張門禁卡竟然把辦公室的門打開了。這個例子表
示，谷歌對于全球員工的充分信任。

此外，在谷歌扁平化的組織中，強調信任、平等、互重，所以“經理人”並不多，大家幾乎都是“工程師”，即
使彼此年齡差距有時超過30歲，但大家只是負責不同的產品與專案而已，彼此是在平等的基礎上溝通，簡立峰強調，這是一個有利激發創意的環境，因為“創意必
須由下而上，不能因為規劃才產生創意”。

不過，簡立峰強調，不是人多的地方就能有全球化思維，而是人的差異性，經驗差異很大的地方才有利于創新，“美國可以發展很多影響世界的東西，因為它是個很成功的民族大熔爐！”

NEWS: 大學網站逐個評！

上 大學的網站，通常是要了解該大專所提供的課程。各大專在這方面都辦得不錯，但有的大學必須在眾多選項中才找到系所，且沒那麼方便，如理大必須進入 “pusat pengajian & jabatan”後，才點選“pusat pengajian”的兩個步驟方能進入各大系所的附屬網站，裡頭的資料還蠻齊全。國大和砂大的課程資料也相當詳細，有的還提供未來發展的工作機會資料。

• 

  
  

以影象方式介紹校園

鮮少大學以圖文並茂方式介紹校園，只以文字簡略帶過其歷史和方針。因此，很多人都沒有辦法從網站中看清楚校園的真面貌。被稱為“花園裡的大學”的理大，網站裡有一本電子書，有美麗的校園風景。另一間就是登大，以影象方式帶瀏覽者游覽校園。

網站上的變化有一趨勢，就是各大學開始在網站首頁特設一個“科研區”，把最新的研究及發明張貼在顯著的位置上，欲宣傳這些研究成果，如砂大、馬大、Monash大學、國際醫藥大學等，由此證明研究工作已成為眾大學的角力戰。

馬大雖把最新研究成果以“焦點”方式與其他大學新聞出現。不過，其特設的一個搜尋引擎，讓人根據領域，搜尋相關的研究及研究人才。

論網頁設計上的美觀，各大學都比不上藝術大專的flash開頭。曾經有間藝術大專的網站開頭甚至還可以玩個小游戲，讓人在未進入首頁時，有所期待會有什麼花樣。砂大網站雖然在設計上說不上美觀，但其首頁上常常更換的砂拉越風土人情布條，卻令人心曠神怡，以為是旅游網站

私立大專的網站與國立大學有些不一樣。通常私立大專最顯眼的是招生日期，接就是所舉辦的活動，充滿青春活力，且開放自由。

大學網站很少公佈學費

來到學費，若你想從網站中查詢學費情況，可能要失望了，因為愿意將學費公佈在網站的大學並不多。只有少數大專如國際醫藥大學及精英大學學院網站上的學費表，讓人覺得“勇敢”，不怕人家貨比三家。

理大首頁出現一個頗人性化的一面，就是張貼校長朱基菲里教授在《新海峽時報》撰寫的專欄文章，由於文章屬性不生硬，可以讓人了解校長的想法，網站頓時顯得親切許多。

最後，好奇地去看看外國著名大學網站，牛津大學簡單得很，完全沒有一張圖片，至於哈佛大學，也根本看不出是世界最頂尖大學的網站。

NEWS: Freedom of expression with global community

INFORMATION and communications technology (ICT) has certainly transformed the way we work and live our daily lives. It has changed the way we communicate by giving us the freedom of expression, mobility and information sharing. For example, online users can access information at any time, from any location using an e-mail, Web site, search engines or social networking channels for self-expression.

The rise of blogs, instant messengers (IM), chat forums and social networking channels such as Second Life, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr and other video and file sharing programs has brought more people online, as it is a fast and convenient way of sharing information.

In fact, the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and the convergence of voice, video and data capabilities are making these social networking channels more sophisticated.

It is believed that the advent of voice as a transformative technology will change the way users communicate in the future and give more immediacy and dynamism in their interaction. Second Life, Webex and Skype are some of the channels using the advanced voice technology to simply provide users with reliable and quality voice calls just to catch up with friends, virtual gamers, lectures, training or even for business use.

Internet has created new opportunities for people to interact and create new online social communities, without boundaries and limitation.

The new media has given us a chance to explore global networking with an international community, in order to transmit ideas and communicate, and to form the next generation of online cultural spaces. It also provides the potential for large-scale mobilisation of global issues.

In my perspective, this is the start of a simple form of freedom of expression. Technology today governs our lives like it has never had before, and it is this technology that dictates and directs on many occasions how an issue takes on a completely different dimension.

Today, the dissemination, reaction and debate of public opinion are ignited by technology, which gives instant reaction. Whether its true or false, accurate or inaccurate, it has given ways for people to interact around issues that they care deeply about.

Technology could be a start for freedom of expression. However, there are many threats to the progressive potential of the Internet, ranging from censorship, filtering to loss of Net neutrality.

NEWS: Areas of ICT spending

THE top management of Malaysian companies are quite aware of the importance of information and communications technology (ICT), although not all are necessarily tech savvy. And when it comes to ICT investment, the CEO’s main concern is whether he can justify the amount used. The CEO needs to evaluate the cost effectiveness and viability of an ICT investment, which usually involves a lot of money. Here, the costs include time and commitment from not only the IT department, but also the rest of the organisation.

It is no wonder that ICT is viewed as a cost centre, in which the benefits are only to be translated into business improvements at a much later date. But more importantly, as companies plan many years ahead of time, any ICT investment is required to generate the requisite return on investment (ROI) within that time frame.

Despite such issues, ICT spending trends in the Malaysian private sector is still strong. One key area of ICT investment is security. A major concern to both public and private sectors, ICT security is getting additional attention lately due to the increasing risks of malware in the Internet and compliance to regulatory requirements. In Malaysia, banks, for example, are bound by the central bank’s mandated compliance to the Basel II Accord.

Local banks believe that compliance is important because of the need to meet with local regulations and to be able to trade with foreign companies.

Many companies have also already implemented basic risk policies and controls to meet corporate mandates such as Sarbannes-Oxley, and the ISO 17799 standards.

The ideal enterprise ICT solution to address compliance needs must be able to help companies lower their risk of non-compliance and improve internal controls through a combination of automation, process improvement and training.

Besides ICT security, another area of ICT spending comprises ICT solutions and applications that are key in improving on front-end service that deals with customers.

Although ICT and business functions are to an extent treated in compartments, top management realise that they can no longer be segregated into merely business or ICT issues. In fact, more top executives are beginning to think of ICT and business as linked matters and are no longer separately treated.

To facilitate this, it is the role of ICT vendors to work with the company towards putting in the business context.

Without a proper link to business goals, ICT becomes irrelevant. So, the enterprise must be convinced about how an ICT investment can eventually lead to large cost savings and higher profits for the organisation.

Analysts say that the local ICT spending growth will continue to remain bright.

The Malaysian ICT market is expected to grow at least 10 per cent this year due to the stronger local currency and the ICT projects from the Ninth Malaysia Plan that has revived spending from the public sector.

Some of the key areas that are expected to be quite lucrative now is security, storage management, shared services and outsourcing space.

NEWS: One k-economy framework for all to benefit

KNOWLEDGE economy, or k-economy, has been hyped up time and again in Malaysia, but unfortunately, to many it still remains a mystery both in fact and implementation. Add to that is the numerous action plans presented by a list of councils that seem to overlap.

Maximus says the Ministry is working on fine-tuning and placing all existing initiatives aimed at propelling specific fields such as science, ICT and biotechnology under one umbrella so they will be collectively focused towards one k-economy framework.

Against this backdrop, it is a relief to know that Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili has plans to create a clearer, more cohesive effort to realise the country’s goal of achieving k-economy.

Maximus, at a recent Press event in Kuala Lumpur, said the Ministry is working on fine-tuning and placing all existing initiatives aimed at propelling specific fields such as science, information and communications technology (ICT) and biotechnology under one umbrella so they will be collectively focused towards one k-economy framework.

“The Ministry co-ordinates a huge number of fields and groups, most of which have their own councils. Under the 9MP (Ninth Malaysia Plan), the main driver for the economy is knowledge, under which all these initiatives operate on. However, we’re a bit loose in many of these things, so we need to tidy up so there is a clear focus towards establishing k-economy for the country.”

This, he pointed out, may mean consolidationg some of the councils.

“We will be holding a whole series of seminars and discussions involving the private sector. That’s the area we want to look at in the remainder of the 9MP... that there be a consolidation under the knowledge aspect so that we look at science and technology in a broader sense. Of course, it will also mean linking with other Ministries that are dealing with knowledge (such as the Education Ministry and Human Resources Ministry).”

Maximus believes that there is huge knowledge at the lower level of society. While the Government encourages the development of science and innovation in the ICT and biotechnology fields that create award-winning products and discoveries, it also wants to encourage the lower level of society, he said.

After all, there is a lot of creativity among the poor, and innovation is about creating new ways of doing things that improve people’s lives. So, the Ministry wants to broaden this aspect.

Hopefully, the proposed consolidation will lead to effective implementation and realisation of the overall vision. It is high time that every level of society reaps the benefits from the greater plan.

NEWS: Regional IT demand still solid

LIKE other players in key economic sectors, the local information and communications technology (ICT) fraternity must be feeling jittery over the possible negative effects of the subprime-related or credit crisis. The US economic woes certainly pose a direct impact on the growth of regional IT markets, including Malaysia’s.

According to research firm IDC, Asean’s IT market growth rhythm could slow to just two per cent this year, which is equivalent to a potential loss of market opportunity worth a whopping US$680 million (RM2.17 billion).

The higher the country’s trade dependency is on the United States, the greater the negative impact, the firm said.

Malaysia, ranked in order of export business to the US, is fourth after Japan, Vietnam and China.

IDC believes that buffering the impact of the US economic slowdown on Asean’s IT markets will be a challenge due to the reliance on Asean exports to the US, and more stringent credit policies as local banks become more risk-adverse.

It is during such times that many, including the ICT fraternity, would welcome any effort by governments to cushion the negative impact of the global economic slowdown. These could include further efforts to diversify the export markets while at the same time boost domestic technology spending.

Talking about technology spending, a recent Gartner survey could serve to ease some worries among the players. According to the survey, regional IT demand will remain very strong this year.

The report, which involved about 1,500 chief information officers (CIOs) worldwide, revealed that IT expenditure is expected to surge by about 8.3 per cent in Asia, far above the 3.3 per cent rise in the global average.

The survey also identified that this year the focus areas among Asian CIOs include IT infrastructure and application rollouts. The implication here is, despite the possibility of the US heading into recession, Asian companies are still prepared to invest in technology to prepare themselves for future growth.

The prospects surely look encouraging, but this does mean that technology players should become complacent. The market will become more competitive than ever, as customers demand more value for their hard-earned money. They expect only the best.

NEWS: The Net: To cut or not to cut?

Internet censorship seems to be gaining momentum as there is growing concern that certain information on the Web could lead to various sensitivities related to religious, moral, social, financial and political issues. Is this a step in the right direction, or another pointless exercise?

Ruby feels the moves taken to censor the Internet are doomed for failure.

Muhamad Akmal says objectionable info can be countered with feedback.

Chan cites learning to recognise what is right or wrong is important.

Blocking bad vibes

Stories by Rozana Sani

THE online environment where there is a free flow of information contains both good and bad, depending on one’s point of view. Some believe the “bad” content need to be controlled or suppressed from being accessed by the general public to stem negative actions or reactions – hence, the measure to censor the Internet as in the case of Indonesia and France.

Others think censorship of information is futile due to the underlying distributed technology of the Internet. For example, residents of a country that bans certain Web sites can easily find the content on servers outside the country. Hence, the need for other types of measures.

Trained architect, businesswoman and self-confessed serial blogger Ruby Ahmad strongly feels the moves taken to censor the Internet are all doomed for failure.

“We live in a highly wired, interconnected world and I can only think of one way to prevent users from not using the Internet ‘correctly’, and that is by preventing them from buying or using computers,” she said, tongue-in-cheek.

“Unsavoury content is deemed disgusting and unacceptable to some, but is very acceptable to others. It’s like the durian. I heard a food critic described it as perhaps the most revolting thing on earth. But personally, I quite like the D22!

“Law enforcement as an effective way to filter content is only possible if there is a unified global law in place. This is not possible as all countries have their separate agendas, goals, aspirations and other differing reasons,” she continued.

Student Muhamad Akmal Mohammad said rather than rely on content censorship which has technology limitations and inadequacies, a piece of objectionable information can be countered with feedback. This should be done in an intelligent manner, like answering the issues which were expressed by videos in YouTube, by producing videos, or maybe research papers.

“When it comes to sensitive issues, it is normal to see people get angry. It is, in fact, necessary to get angry to show that we are concerned about the issue, but being angry alone won’t help much in dealing with such issues and situations. Speculations arouse because people want to talk about something, but they actually don’t know much about it. Or even if they do know, they only know about it on the surface.

“If we are to provide them with what’s what, how’s how and why’s why regarding the issues they are speculating, we are actually doing two things here: putting a full-stop on the speculation, and spreading the truth. Isn’t that good?” said Muhamad.

For Janet Chan, chief executive officer of interactive marketing specialist Tyraco Sdn Bhd, learning to recognise what is right and what is wrong is the only way to avoid the negative impact of the Internet.

“The Internet, in my opinion, should not be barred as a medium unless it is necessary to keep check and balance of the most precious things on earth – which is life itself,” she shared.

Chan said a person would only know if something is right or wrong when he or she is exposed to, told or learn through experiences. And there is experience in abundance on the Net.

“Sometimes right or wrong can be very subjective in many different cultures on different things. Things could be white for me and white means good and black is considered bad or evil for many. But in some cultures, black means good and brave and white is the other way round, etc. The Internet can provide that kind of exposure for us to learn from different opinions and point of views,” she said.

Meanwhile, blogger Abdul Samat Kasah feels that Net censorship is not a long-term solution pertaining to issues like religion sensitivities, hate speech, pornography, excessive violence, bomb-making instructions, and information about crime, violence and drug use. Self-censorship, he feels, is the most practical method to overcome the woes of restricting or regulating Internet access.

“People would know what is on a particular site if they already knew how to get there. It is their responsibility to make their own decisions as to whether or not this material is appropriate for them. If they feel there is a possibility they might be appalled by this material, they can choose not to view it.

“If people are not sure about this material, or if they are in favour of it, then they take an acceptable risk when they choose to view it. Undoubtedly, this material should not be censored merely because some people cannot make rational decisions for themselves,” he said.

In conclusion, where restricting or regulating Internet access is concerned, Malaysia has to strike a balance where in one hand, we would like to narrow the digital divide and on the other hand, we want to take back what is given, he added.

Self-regulation should begin at home

IN Malaysia, matters involving objectionable online content is governed by the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA ‘98) that covers the main areas for electronic content issues. There is also the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Code (Content Code), enforced by the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (CMCF), covering the do’s and don’t’s that is to be adhered to by the communications and multimedia industry.

According to CMCF’s executive director Mohd Mustaffa Fazil Mohd Abdan, the body had received several complaints on issues over Internet content that took various forms in the past.

Where complaints were of a seditious nature, inciting racial disharmony or in any other form that contravenes the provisions of the Act that is further expanded by the Content Code, the CMCF will take the necessary action via its Complaints Bureau.

“Through the bureau, appropriate actions may be taken by either the CMCF itself or the case may be referred to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), or even the complainant may be advised to lodge a police report if need be. We may also liaise with our members who are specialists in the industry to advise and implement any action to be taken,” he said.

“As the public may be unaware of our role, the number of complaints received have not been immense. However, we hope to change this through future awareness programmes,” he added.

Mohd Mustaffa said the CMCF is a strong proponent of having “self-regulation” in place for the industry.

“As we are the designated body for industry self-regulation, we continuously urge the industry and members of the public to exercise it. The key to self-regulation is that it begins at home,” he stressed.

As for the content, whether it may be “savoury” or “unsavoury”, it may be accessed with considerable ease nowadays. The responsibility to ensure that only desirable content is consumed lies with the individual. An individual should be his or her own moral guardian and to those under their respective care (for instance, children, students, etc).

“This is where the Content Code exists to provide a platform of guidance for the public and industry to determine what kind of content is considered desirable and acceptable,” said Mohd Mustaffa.

Individuals can play his or her part in dealing with “unsavoury” content via self-regulation or by lodging a complaint with the CMCF Complaints Bureau in writing, e-mail to secretariat@cmcf.org.my or filling out the online complaints form available on www.cmcf.org.my.

“In the global sphere, should there be any offences that may be committed abroad and having its effect locally, the CMCF will work with the MCMC as the appropriate body to deal with such issues,” he added.

NEWS: Rules of the game have changed

ON THE BEAT WITH WONG CHUN WAI

The Government has to face the harsh reality that it no longer has control over media technology.

THERE is an over-reaction by both sides of the divide to the issue of blogging. The impression given by the Government is that bloggers are a threat to national security and bloggers assume that they are being hauled up one by one.

Political bloggers and opposition leaders have charged that the Government is out to intimidate these cyber commentators so that they would not bring up issues that would embarrass, even humiliate, our politicians.

The series of actions, they claimed, was another attempt to stifle dissent in Malaysia, and they alleged that it was an infringement of human and civil rights and the freedom of speech.

On the other side, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has come out charging against bloggers, declaring that "the time for talk is over, now is the time to act".

He warned that three laws could be used against offending bloggers: the Internal Security Act, the Sedition Act and Section 121b of the Penal Code (which deals with offences against the King, Ruler or Yang DiPertua Negeri and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison).

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government was "deeply troubled" by the growth of "irresponsible" alternative media, adding that "in the name of freedom, these websites allow the broadcast of slander, lies and swearing, use of harsh, degrading language and racial slurs without regard for the reader or those concerned".

The Government, he also said, had been tolerant of anti-government positions and criticisms on the Internet but was now "very concerned about statements that insult religion and reek of racism".

Let's take a step back and look at the larger picture. The fact is that there is some truth, as much as some of us would be reluctant to admit, in the arguments of both sides.

For the Government, there is a sense of frustration that much of what is written by bloggers are untruths or half-truths, often spiced up with lots of imagination to increase the number of eyeballs for their websites. With it reluctant to reply to these allegations, either by posting comments or rebuttals through pro-government bloggers, these allegations remain unchallenged.

Worse, after a while, and egged on by anti-government postings from readers, they dangerously become the gospel truth. Worse still, not many question the credibility or political biasness, even ambitions, of these bloggers.

A prominent blogger alleged last week that the Rulers Conference had rejected the extension of the Inspector-General of Police's tenure by the Prime Minister. The fact is that the issue was not even brought up by the Rulers.

On another issue, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was criticised for supposedly making too many overseas trips. Wisma Putra, however, has yet to defend the Prime Minister against such allegations.

But it could have, for example, explained Pak Lah's visit to Russia. This is one of Malaysia's biggest trading partners and Petronas is also making inroads into the oil and gas industry there.

So surely the meeting between Abdullah and Russian President Vladimir Putin was crucial, especially after it had been put off three times.

Information like this, if effectively used, would neutralise the lies or mistakes on the blogs and could also discredit irresponsible bloggers.

The fact is blogsphere is here to stay. All the laws will be ineffective in the end because the New Media can be operated anywhere without any censorship. We have to embrace the Internet and the Government simply needs to learn to use the new medium to its advantage.

It would be worse if critical bloggers decide to hide their identities and therefore frustrate any attempt by the Government to act against them.

The impression, rightly or wrongly, given to the young by our leaders is that they lack the knowledge and skills of the Internet. This perception is created from statements made by the leaders.

It is the battle of the hearts and minds. You could say it is a psychological war between the dissenters and the Government and the latter has to take on its critics. It can do so by recruiting pro-government bloggers – there's a whole battalion of them out there.

On the flipside, our bloggers cannot deny that not many of them bother to check or verify the statements they make. Even Malaysia Today's Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who was questioned by the police last week, has called for caution in the postings by readers.

It cannot be denied that many of the postings, even though these are not articles by the bloggers, are inflammatory. Many are downright racist, slanderous and libellous.

The use of four-letter words has been allowed to go through without any moderator to delete them. Bloggers cannot criticise our Members of Parliament for using unparliamentary language when they themselves allow such obscenities on their blogs.

Bloggers must admit that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to slander or to libel. If civil suits are taken against them, it is simply because others have been offended, if not emotionally or financially affected, by their words.

Their victims have rights too, and bloggers should not assume that they have the monopoly over civil rights.

Like print and electronic journalists, they must live by the same rules when it comes to defamation, libel and other laws relating to national security. But there is a difference: they don't need to answer to the Internal Security Ministry for a printing permit.

The question is: has our Government also over-reacted – to the point of making police reports and threatening tough laws, including the ISA – against our bloggers? There are probably only a handful of active and loud dissenting voices among the thousands of Malaysian bloggers.

The rest, including children and grandchildren of our leaders, are more interested in writing about their personal lives, music, fashion, and probably about their teachers.

In a country of about 25 million people, there are about 3.7 million Internet subscribers but there are no official estimates on the page views of our political blogs.

However, they may get a million page views a day when there is a hot issue. Online versions of newspapers have up to 40 million page views a month. So really, it is the mainstream newspapers that continue to garner the most attention.

The good news, according to the World Association of Newspapers in a study, is that the young have not given up on newspapers.

But the bad news is that family and friends are trusted more than traditional media.

The study also said the usage of new media, such as computers, mobile phones, the Internet and MP3 players, is increasingly taking up time that would otherwise be spent on traditional media.

Politics is also not the most important issue to most Malaysians, especially the young. A cursory check of the online versions of newspapers would show that crime, celebrity gossip and sports remain the most-read items.

It's a blow to their ego but, really, our bloggers are not as powerful as they think they are, or as the Government makes them out to be.

Issues are being created because some of our politicians simply shoot themselves in the foot; for example, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin and Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof over the "bocor" issue.

If politicians like them get rapped, they should not blame anyone, whether bloggers or print journalists, for their fallacies. Neither should they fall back on the arguments of race, religion or political affiliation to get out of the mud.

Should some politicians have a credibility problem, especially among the urban young, they just have to work on their image. The use of threats will not work in the long run as the new generation turns more and more to the Net.

Worse, any form of action could lead to suspicion that those in authority cannot tolerate criticism because they fear their positions would be challenged.

The Government has to face the harsh reality: It no longer has control over media technology and mainstream media is being challenged by an alternative media that answers to no one.

Cyberspace is a new political frontier and the fact is the rules of the game have changed.

NEWS: E-payment system from July

PETALING JAYA: By July 1, all payments to the Government will be made e-payable but counter services will still be available to those who prefer it.

Pemudah, the Government’s task force for facilitating businesses, said that this was a major initiative to make transactions with the Government agencies more efficient through the streamlining of e-payment systems.

The e-payment process will “convert” the facilities in a total of 106 agencies in three stages.

“Of that, 21 agencies will be ready by May 1, followed by 55 agencies by June 1, and the remaining 30 agencies by July.

“The debit card will come on stream by the end of 2008,” Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said in a press statement yesterday.

He added that currently, 83 counters in 72 branches of the Road Transport Department (JPJ) accepted credit card payment for renewal of road tax.

JPJ also accepts payments via e-Services at 111 approved sites for booking of theory tests, issuance/ renewal of learners’ driving licences, renewal of competent driving licences and settling traffic summons.

Pemudah said it would spend the next six months streamlining several processes and measures related to public procurement, making it more transparent and accountable.

This comes in the wake of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s call during the Asean Integrity Dialogue recently for transparency and accountability in all such matters.

Another key improvement stated was on deferred payment and pre-clearance of cargo based on Expected Time of Arrival (ETA) of vessels, which would take effect from July 1.

“Customs will also be working with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) to expand its Customs Golden Client and Authorised Economic Operator facilities to companies endorsed by FMM.

“ETA information will be made available to all Government agencies ahead of time to facilitate clearance at any time of the day and on weekends and public holidays,” he said.

Mohd Sidek also reminded the private sector that it had to assume its due role.

“Delays as experienced in the past are not always attributable to government processes but are caused by the private sector.

“The construction industry for example feeds into the lives of many of us in its various forms and facets.

Therefore the private sector must assume greater responsibility and accountability when implementing these projects,” he said.

“Delays and non-compliance from some of these projects have resulted in abandoned projects with its associated problems, as well as unacceptable levels of disruption and disturbance to the lives of people who live and work in the vicinity.

“Sub-standard quality of work by developers and contractors alike has also affected buyers of properties,” he reaffirmed.

NEWS: Thumbs-up for ICT project

KPERAK Inc Corporation will continue with its ICT initiative for 59 primary and 57 secondary schools in Perak, as there has been an improvement in Maths and Science scores at UPSR and PMR levels in these schools after the implementation of the ICT programme.

Three workshops were recently held for more than 1,200 Maths and Science teachers at the Perak Techno-Trade Centre building. Last year, KPerak had conducted nine workshops for more than 5,000 students and two workshops for over 670 teachers in Perak.

This year's initiative also saw KPerak sponsoring 150,000 books equipped with E-tutor software, eMaz and eScz to students and teachers in the selected schools.

The eMaz and eScz software provided step-by-step solutions to questions in the e-Tutor workbook, incorporated visual and audio aided learning and allowed students to study at their own time, pace and place. The software also highlighted the correct pronunciation of Maths and Science terminologies in English.

The supplementary textbooks from Andaman Publications included titles from Years One to Six and Forms One to Five.

The workshops, conducted by The Star columnist for Additional Mathematics and Physics, Sunny Yee, offered tips on how to stimulate students' interest in, and enhance their understanding of, Maths and Science.

“The workshop was very interactive and useful,” said SMK Matang teacher K. Kanimalah.

“E-tutor is just the thing for our students as some cannot afford to buy revision books,” she added.

KPerak Inc Corporation has been tasked with developing four ICT sub-sectors and new growth areas in the state – multimedia content, IT outsourcing, new media and data services.

“We hope that the ICT projects will expose students in the selected schools to the importance of Internet technology,” said KPerak Inc Corporation chief executive officer, Datuk Yaacob Nordin, at the launch of the workshops.

NEWS: 中國網民人數逾2億

截至二月底，中國網民人數增至2.21億人，與美國同列世界最多。

人民網民佔全國人口的16%，較全球平均的19%略低，網民人數較去年初急增了61%。（香港明報）

NEWS: Johor SMEs urged to adopt ICT

JOHOR BARU: The more than 180,000
small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Johor must adopt Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) in order to compete in the global market.

Johor
International Trade and Industry; Energy, Water and Communications; and
Environment chairman Tan Kok Hong said SMEs could market their products
worldwide and ensure a more efficient operation by using ICT.

“There
is no way for a business to compete globally without ICT,” he said
after launching a manufacturing seminar here on Thursday.

Tan said it was time SMEs evolved and adapted to the global market situation, where ICT played a huge role in ensuring success.

“However, they must first change their mindset in order to adapt to this new way,” he said.

Tan
conceded that many SMEs had not adopted ICT because they did not see
any fast, tangible returns, but added that it takes time to produce
results.

NEWS: Computer grid grows in power

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s grid computing system, comprising
several thousand CPUs in the main cluster at Mimos Bhd’s Technology
Park Malaysia headquarters, has been linked to a European
Union-supported grid called the Enabling Grids for E-SciencE (EGEE).

Mimos,
an applied research organisation, said its KnowledgeGrid gains a
substantial increase in computing power from the link up with EGEE,
which is made up of several clusters located in Germany, Britain,
Austria, Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy and other nations.

Researchers
in this country will also now be able to collaborate more efficiently
and easily with their counterparts in those foreign countries, thanks
to the larger computing grid.

KnowledgeGrid, added Mimos, can also cater to more users and projects.

According
to Mimos, KnowledgeGrid went through a three-month vetting process with
EGEE to assess its performance and security qualities recently.

“It had to meet several requirements, such as data fidelity, before it
got the green light to join the European network,” said Ng Kwang Ming,
Mimos senior manager for grid computing.

“It also had to achieve assessment algorithms precisely,” he added.

However,
the achievement will not stop Mimos from further improving
KnowledgeGrid because EGEE will continue to monitor its compatibility.

“It is not a one-off process. EGEE will constantly reassess the
performance quality of KnowledgeGrid to ensure that it is on par with
the European grid,” Ng said.

Relatively untouched

Despite its computing power, KnowledgeGrid is being under-utilised by Malaysian researchers and industries.

“There
are very few users on the grid now because many (businesses and
industries) still don’t understand how the KnowledgeGrid can help them
(in R&D work),” said Abdul Rahman Ahmad Dahlan, director of grid
computing at Mimos.

To tell more organisations about the
benefits of grid computing, Mimos is organising its inaugural Grid
Computing Conference (GCC), that will be held in conjunction with the
World Congress on Information Technology 2008 (WCIT 2008) here next
month.

Speakers from international bodies such as the Open Grid
Forum, German D-Grid, Pacific Rim Applications, Thai National Grid
Centre and EGEE, have been invited to present at the GCC on May 15-16
at the Palace of the Golden Horses in Seri Kembangan.

Luminaries
from the local academia and digital content industry will also share
with attendees their experiences with grid computing and how such
networks have aided their work.

Attendance is by invitation
only, but Mimos said it has selected its guests from a wide spectrum of
industries that would benefit from grid computing.

Abdul Rahman
said the GCC would also be a good platform for local scientists and
industry players to rub shoulders with their international counterparts
and to discuss various topics, as well as share experiences.

Mimos
believes that harnessing the power of grid computing will make
industries more agile and competitive, as well help keep R&D costs
lower.

“Industries would be able to keep the bulk of their IT
budgets for other aspects of product development because KnowledgeGrid
would meet most of their computing needs,” Abdul Rahman said. Mimos
expects the two-day conference to attract about 300 local and foreign
delegates.

Worldwide appeal

WCIT is a bi-annual
global ICT (information and communications technology) forum that
brings together global leaders in business, government and the academia.

Billed
as the Olympics of the ICT industry, it hopes to encourage global
economic and social development through the exchange of policies and
ideas on technology.

WCIT 2008 is scheduled to take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from May 18 to 22. For more information, go to www.wcit2008.org.

It
is jointly organised by the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)
and the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia
(Pikom), with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and
Innovation.

First held in Barcelona in 1978, WCIT is under the
patronage of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance
(Witsa), a consortium of 60 ICT industry associations worldwide.

NEWS: Maybank突圍創新‧金小人Agent-M上網服務

廣告的無孔不入，已令人難以招架。沒想到，現在上網聊天，也得被廣告干擾，而且在微軟MSN和Windows Live聊天軟件打廣告的，並不是泛泛之輩，而是我國的大銀行——馬銀行（Maybank）。

馬銀行宣佈，將從今年起，在微軟屬下的MSN和Windows Live平臺如馬來西亞MSN網站、Windows Live Hotmail電郵網站及 Windows Live Messenger裏面打廣告，以更多數碼傳媒方式，去接觸不同領域的潛在顧客。

至今，馬銀行的Maybank2U.com互聯網銀行，共有超過380萬註冊用戶，每天有11萬8千多人使用馬銀行的互聯網銀行服務，每月交易量達2千400萬令吉。

馬銀行副總裁兼虛擬銀行總監Ahmad Shareza Abdul Rahman表示，其顧客明顯地接受更多的數碼生活形態，也花很多時間在這些數碼空間。他說：“我們也希望借此把訊息傳達給馬來西亞MSN的740萬社群。”

除了廣告外，為了提供更好的服務給其顧客，馬銀行還創造了一個網絡虛擬服務員Agent-M，在Windows Live裏面當服務員，為馬銀行的顧客提供各種服務。

微軟Windows Live的用戶，可以下載和把m2u@maybank.com.my這個Agent-M加入聊天名單內，就可以跟Agent-M聊天查問馬銀行的各種服務。

欲知詳情，請瀏覽www.maybank2u.com網站。

NEWS: Technology for visually impaired

在科技發展的現階段，視障人士與外界溝通多了一項管道，就是靠資訊及通訊工藝來建築起與社會甚至國際的溝通橋樑

視障人士需要電腦語音軟件來輔助使用，但一般人都以為這種軟件只有英文語言，所以視障朋友要讀中文網站是很困難的事，所以中文社群裡，很少視障朋友能使用中文電腦來學習中文。其實不然。

永順是名視障人士，但他常常使用中文語音軟件來瀏覽中文網站和使用電腦。記者與他電話聯絡談談關於中文語音軟件的使用經驗，才發現記者本身的知識太貧乏了。別以為只有中港台地區的視障朋友才使用中文語音軟件，大馬也大有人在。永順有一位經常到中國經商的朋友，就常幫忙視障人士購買中文語音軟件回國使用。

永順本身也是在網上找到一些可信任的外國公司，通過電郵或電話聯絡該公司確定購買意願，過后再匯費用給對方。只需一星期至一個月，他就可以收到公司寄來的產品。“這些中文語音產品通常都有防盜功能，使用時要在電腦上裝一個硬體小裝置，所以產品無法在網上直接下載到電腦，它必須郵寄給我們，讓我們自己安裝。”

網上也有免費中文語音軟件，永順區別兩種軟件說，付費軟件一般都很專業，

可以支援市面上各種專業軟件應用，它比較適合進階式的電腦使用者，而且價格都不貴，介於300令吉至500令吉之間都可以找到。

至於免費的中文語音軟件，功能一般都可以支援MSN、Skype等互聯網普遍流行的應用了，所以對初學者而已很足夠。

他提出一些比較可信任的中文語音軟件，其中包括中國官方研發的《陽光讀屏軟件》，中國盲人王永德開發的《永德讀屏軟件》，香港盲人陳光開發的《陳光讀屏軟件》等等。當中以《陽光讀屏軟件》是普遍上最受華人視障人士使用的系統。

永順對於現今生活很樂觀，他說：“現今生活已方便很多了，有了個中文軟件，用電腦上網讀新聞和電郵書信都沒有問題。”

視障輔助電子昂貴難負擔

本身是視障人士的黃開修博士表示，目前大馬政府並沒有撥津貼給視障人士以購買電腦或手機，或相關語音軟件，所以視障人士都需要自己存錢買。

黃開修目前在大馬私人大專學府授課。他指出，對視障人士生活最有實際幫助的電子產品就是手機，有了語音系統，視障人士可以自己檢查短訊、未接來電、聯絡朋友等等。

大馬普遍流行的手機語音軟件有“Talks”和“Mobile speak”，但它只支援Symbian OS以及用英語，價格約800令吉。

第二項產品是MP3機，雖然這些音樂機沒有點字或語音功能輔助，但只要熟悉了它的按鈕，就沒有操作問題。

第三項產品是電腦，不管是桌面電腦或手提電腦，只要裝個語音系統就能讓視障人士勝任各種辦公室文件工作，以及使用互聯網，它的用途是最多元化的。

語音軟件方面，“JAWS”是英文語言使用者中最普遍的一種，它可支援Window95到Window

Vista版本，價格約4500令吉，主要採用英文語言。

第四項產品是掃瞄器，只要電腦裝上如Open Book語音軟件，就能把掃瞄后的文內容自動轉成聲音在電腦報讀，準確度高達90%。

至於個人數碼助理器，它的市場原本就是針對執行人員，所以產品貴，語音軟件也貴。它在歐美國家比較流行，大馬比較少人用，因為無法負擔得起。

一般上，只有少數國家的科技公司有開發語音軟件，因為這些國家政府和非盈利組織擁有能力和財力去進行研發，以及資助視障人士。

大馬在這方面就難以比較，所以大馬視障人士都靠自己儲蓄來購買電子產品和語音軟件。因此，雖然產品好用，但是一旦價格貴，大馬視障人士將無法負擔。

盼資助電腦給視障人士

其實大馬視障人士使用電腦的普及率也不高。黃開修說，大馬真正使用電腦的視障人士只有11%，目前有注冊的視障人士約3萬人，那11%就只約3000名視障人擁有電腦。

記者詢問黃開修有否電腦公司給於視障人士優待或贊助，他建議記者假扮視障人士寫信給這些公司提出要求，這樣就可以得到答案。記者這樣想法：要得到回應，應該是很難吧。

黃開修談起他的經驗，“我唸大學時，曾寫過信給好些公司提出贊助電腦的要求。給果發出整百封信就只有一兩家回應我。回應也未必是有答履，對方還要面試和測驗你。”

到底黃開修當年有沒有得到電腦贊助，他沒有繼續說下去，記者也沒再追問。

視障人士的困境，只有當事人最明白。口中一直強調科技多發達，電腦帶來多少好處的商家和官員們，顯然對視障人士的困境不瞭解，所以對視障人士還沒有做出什麼實際的社會貢獻。

因此，針對大馬視障人士使用電子產品來輔助生活，黃開修說，現階段還沒有見到顯著的影響。“以前曾有大學研發一種視障測試儀，只要前方有阻礙物，儀器就會發出聲音警告，但最后並沒有真正去落實開發。”

黃開修倒是提出一項有實際用途的公共電子設備，就是十五碑（大馬盲人協會所在區）一帶會發出聲音的人行交通燈，它確實大大的幫助了視障人士，只不過在整個吉隆坡，10個手指數得完它的數量。

視障學習電腦並不難

《新媒體》在上月接到一些讀者來電查詢視障人士PDA產品。今回記者來到大馬盲人協會（MAB），向該IT部門經理Silatul Rahim查詢這種產品。

Rahim本身也是失障人士，他除了有使用凸字機上網，也使用PDA來處理繁忙的事務。

他說，只要在市面上買一個PDA，然后安裝英文語音軟件（Text to speech engine）到PDA，PDA就可以發聲了。但是語音軟件只支援Window Mobile，所以視障人士買PDA產品的選擇就比較受限了。

PDA花費2600令吉，軟件800美元（折約2400令吉），所以視障朋友用的PDA要花費約5000令吉。Rahim坦言，並非每個視障朋友都負擔得起。所以他有個期待，希望本地軟件開發商可以研發我國本土的馬來文語音軟件，以受惠更多視障人士。

Rahim在1988年中五畢業后就到美國修唸電腦，然后在MAB服務至今。他每一年都飛往美國波士頓，在一間視障學院授教電腦課程。訪問當天，晚上他就啟程飛往波士頓了。

“這些學生來自全球，我每年會花3個月的時間在該學院授課，教導他們電腦課程。”大馬視障人士對電腦課程的要求是基本知識，歐美國家的視障人士卻有很高要求，他們甚至學習電腦程序編寫。

MAB目前也有提供免費的電腦課程給視障人士，最受歡迎的課程有Microsoft Office、互聯網應用、電郵等等，其它的電腦項目可依視障朋友的要求而開設。

以下是協助或安排視障人士購買手機或電腦語音軟件的機構：

全國盲人理事會NCBM

電話：03-22721442（Mr Chu）

網站：http://www.ncbm.org.my

大馬盲人協會MAB

電話：03-22722677 ext54（販賣部：小型個人電子產品）

電話：03-22722677 ext45（IT部，Fazlin或En Rahim：語音軟件和電腦課程）

電郵：info@mab.org.my；Rahim@mab.org.my（語音軟件和電腦課程）

網站：http://www.mab.org.my

大馬盲人公會SBM

電話：03-22746162（Ms.Chok：語音軟件和電腦課程）

電郵：theam62@streamyx.com（李成就：電腦中文語音軟件）

NEWS: 政府工不是鐵飯碗雇員隨時隨地電子學習

別以為打政府工就是鐵飯碗！在知識經濟時代，沒有永遠不變的東西，誠如大馬公共服務局總監丹斯里Ismail Adam推介政府公務員電子學習網站EPSA時表示，若政府公務員沒有與時並進地不斷進修，很可能會“消失”。

他說：“若政府公務員不自我進修，除了可能‘消失’外，還會變得脫節和失去升職的機會。”由於政府過去在公務員在職培訓與進修，一直面對很多難題，因此由國家公共管理學院（INTAN）開設了一個專門給公務員在職培訓和進修的電子學習網站：www.epsa.intan.my，讓公務員隨時隨地地學習政府提供的各種課程。

政府公務員只要到EPSA網站填報資料註冊後（至少需時一天處理），即可使用該網站的全部服務。總監表示，開設EPSA網站只是第一步，隨後政府會不斷增加培訓內容和改良網站功能。

NEWS: 在虛擬世界點燃盞盞明燈

科技的衝擊讓人們衍生了很多新思維，然而這极迅變化的科技發展，也讓人們一直嘗試追趕和適應它，再加上後繼不斷出現的新人，人們可以說在一個重复又重复的跌撞路上學習。如果，有一盞燈在前方指引，這一路走來，我們也就不會跌撞得迷失了方向。

這一代使用電腦上網的人，我們稱之為“新數碼民主的公民”，因為不管是發表文章抒發己見的博客（blogger）、影片上載網站例如YouTube和社交網絡例如MySpace等，均以爆炸性的速度發展。而這些網民積極參與其中，發揮無窮的創意和概念，更為這個世界帶來前所未有的變化。

正因為互聯網擁有這樣的大趨勢，儘管人們對電腦和互聯網這種科技的限制和可能性有所把握，但是從人文的角度上來看，它的影響也給於人們一種很深的感觸。

使用得當，我們就讚揚它的好，譽之為社會進步新時代來臨；使用得不當，我們又說它帶來不良影響，視之為文化洪獸而避之。

培養網絡指路人

多媒體大學資訊工藝學院院長尤芳達博士，深切明暸人們的憂心，但是比起其他人，他更積极看待互聯網趨勢，他有個理想，要努力培訓新一代成為挑燈人，在互聯網虛擬世界裡挑起盞盞明燈，讓互聯網迷途羔羊找到歸家路。

未來世界一直在改變，以後的發展更是人們難以想像的。雖然人類社會一直在演變，人類的體驗也一直在改變中，然而尤芳達有所感嘆說，科技一直在變，人心卻一直都沒有改變。

“人生活在這世界上有它的生存道理，為了生存，人類也演變出各種的貪慾和罪惡。”

“所以，如果要讓我們的下一代去學習適應這個社會，我們就應該利用科技來發揚和灌輸人類的基本精神和價值，這樣，人類就還有希望。”

早年尤芳達在美國深造時，互聯網剛剛開始，他製作第一個網頁時雅虎也還沒有出現，可以說，他跟著這潮流走，也發現了很多影響著我們生活的事物。

誰管網絡世界禮儀？

其中一種影響就是禮儀和文化所面對的衝擊。“人們在平時生活中會告訴孩子甚麼是禮儀，甚麼該做甚麼不該做，但是在虛擬世界中，沒有人告訴他們，網絡世界有怎樣的禮儀。”

尤博士認為現今年輕人不明白這一點，再者現今家庭的核心價值大不如前，雙薪工作讓家庭之間的溝通越來越少，青少年很自然的把生活中心放在互聯網的虛擬世界裡。

另一個影響是互聯網輿論，他認為，互聯網是個通向世界的窗口，它讓我們擁有更多機會接觸不一樣的輿論。

互聯網普遍化更使到社會輿論出現了大部份（物理世界）和少部份（虛擬世界）的兩极化現象。因此，學習如何去判斷和分辨輿論，更是互聯網使用者要去認真思考和應該學習的事。

虛擬空間新生活方式

科技一直在演變，也許你沒有意識到我們已漸漸活在虛擬世界裡。就舉一個在全球有900多萬名會員的互聯網遊戲《Second Life》來當例子，這種互聯網遊戲讓人人都可以在電腦裡“生活”，存在這一個虛擬世界，我們甚至得以從事各種群體活動，包括進行買賣和置業。

“這種趨勢說明了未來人們的群體逐漸不受限制，人與人之間的接觸漸漸變成多維的接觸，它跨越了我們日常論理的生活空間。”尤芳達說。

不過他並不認為我們的生活受到挑戰，反而人們可以通過虛擬的生活方式進行更多方面的交流，認識新朋友，同時與生活上的朋友約在虛擬世界裡交流。

“我們互相傳短訊或手機視頻，也是屬於在虛擬世界裡交流。只是，我們並不在真正的物理世界見面。由於虛擬世界有它本身的限制，所以當我們接觸到它時，我們就仿如看到了一個新的生活方式。”

準備迎接未來挑戰

其實科技沒有謂的正與反，人們要了解這些科技理想以及去學習它。同時，社會和家長，甚至新聞媒體應該多放心思在如何把傳統價值，更好的通過科技去傳給下一代。

“它的方式並不像我們以前一樣，學生在課室時要起立對老師敬禮。我們可以用潛移默化的方式，例如通過手機和互聯網來達到這目的。”

例如，以前我們靠書信聯繫，現在也可以靠互聯網聯繫。只要從小培養孩子的核心價值，孩子長大後，即使世界誘惑多大，孩子的內心的價值都不會改變。

尤芳達在大學授課時，喜歡以歷史來討論科技發展，從人們當年如何去使用新科技，去看人類如何解決問題。

他說：“這一代是在重新學習以前人們所走過的路。過往和現今的不同之處，在於以前的變化很慢，現在則變化很快也多元化，所以我們需要學習得更快。”

在這個更快掌握和更快學習的過程中，有人會成功，也有人會因此受傷，甚至迷失了方向，他看到的不只是它對人們的影響，還有這無法改變的大趨勢。所以，與其憂心忡忡，他認為不如做好準備去迎接未來挑戰。

在這一方面，他自願負起栽培挑燈人的責任。“在虛擬世界中，我們需要塑造更多的盞盞明燈，讓青少年回歸人本。同時，也要在虛擬世界裡伸張正義，維護人類良好的價值。我希望這樣教育下一代，讓他們帶著好的價值觀進入虛擬世界。”

NEWS: Teh turns to blogging to reach the youngsters

KLANG MCA chief and former Pandamaran assemblyman Datuk Dr Teh Kim Poo has jumped onto the blogging bandwagon and can be reached at www. pandamaranklang.spaces.live.com.

“Blogging is one good way to interact with the youngsters. For me, the blog is a personal effort to reach out to the younger generation which relies so much on the Internet for information,” said Teh.

Teh, who was born and bred in Pandamaran’s new village area, has aptly named his blog site KampungKu Pandamaran.

Helping hand: Teh (right) writing a recommendation letter for Fan Lay Hoon’s school-going children who need food aid.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that one of the reasons for Barisan Nasional’s dismal election results was that it lost in the cyber war and to a certain extent I agree, he said.

“Yes, I lost in the general election but that is not going to keep me from helping the Pandamaran folks who I grew up with. Our MCA division will soldier on as there are many who still come to us for help in matters like schools transfers, welfare aid for old folks and also take part in the various community activities that we organise,” he said.

Teh added that his new service centre at No. 718 Jalan Pendamar in Pandamaran is open to the public on Mondays from 7pm to 9.30pm and 10.30am to 5pm on other days. The public can also call 03-3166 7139 for information.

NEWS: Attaining work-life balance in IT

T’S a man’s world – how often have we heard that? But in this day and age, most women won’t buy that anymore. Yet some people have the misconception that that old adage might still hold true in the IT sector. The workshop, Empowering Women in the Workplace, presented by HP and Star-Jobs.com hopes to dispel that notion.

HP Malaysia human resources manager Rohani Ali says one of the key goals is to create more awareness about women in IT and how they can make a difference. This is inline with HP’s Diversity campaign, which is about opportunities in HP regardless of background and gender.

“HP hopes to benefit from this partnership with Star-Jobs.com by increasing the diversity of its employees here. We have already increased the number of women employed to a 1,000, a 6% increase over the last six months,” notes Rohani.

In the workshop, one of HP’s more experienced managers will share on her industry experience and the prospects for women. She will also impart how she has attempted to achieve work-life balance, and hence attain personal and professional growth.

Communication strategist and motivational consultant Faridah Hameed says that most employees and employers are still of the mindset that a hard worker is one who spends most of the time in the office.

“But we know that’s not true. An efficient worker is one who produces results, not one who just toils away. A tired, burnt out person has nothing to offer her company other than complaints and
frustration and poor quality work. It’s a lose-lose situation,” says Faridah, who is also chief executive officer of WowXperience.

Faridah will speak at the workshop on changing that mindset to achieve work-life balance.

“Work-life balance is not a gender issue, it is a human issue. And yes, it’s crucial because we are human beings, not human doings.

And men cannot be left out of the equation because they are half of the human race and they are part of the balance that women need in their lives.

“It is the yin-yang of the universe. Men have the same needs but may be more reluctant to voice it out in the workplace where work-life balance is seen more as a women’s issue,” points out Faridah.

She adds that in Malaysia, most companies don’t offer real work-life balance but only pay lip service to it. Faridah thinks it is increasingly becoming a major employee retention issue, as most young people do not believe in working long hours just for a high salary.

Flexible work time and more vacation time are on their wish list. Faridah warns that companies need to incorporate this and other demands to accommodate what will soon be the majority age group in the workplace.

“It’s not so much about ‘learning’ to achieve work-life balance, but rather ‘un-learning’ the rat-race lifestyle we have become accustomed to. Are we put on this earth to work from morning to night, go home, eat dinner, watch a bit of TV, go to sleep and then get up the next morning
and repeat the whole process? That isn’t a life!” exclaims Faridah.

She says that while it is fundamentally the same for both men and women, women juggle more things at one time because they think they need to.

Women, Faridah thinks, feel more responsible for their children, homes and parents.

“We find it hard to say no. I had to learn to do it, and even now it can still feel uncomfortable but it gets easier the more I do it. If you keep giving, people will keep taking. That’s just the law of life. Women need to take back control of the demands on their time – both at the workplace and at home,” imparts Faridah.

During the workshop, Faridah will attempt to address all those questions that to get you back into the driving seat of your life.

Is it any different if you’re single, married or have kids? She will also include some of the directions for people from different categories to steer life towards a meaningful path.

“We need to remember that work is an integral part of our lives – whether we are mothers or career women. But our lives shouldn’t be defined by it,” says Faridah.

After all, she says, no one on his or her deathbed has ever said, “I wish I had worked more hours”.

For more information on this workshop, log on to http://star-jobs.com/events/counsel_empower

NEWS: Online sales still not widespread

THE battle for the skies has taken place in cyberspace again:
AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines offered discounted tickets online over
the weekend. For them, the Internet has become an effective medium to
help boost ticket sales, judging from the way the discounted tickets
were snapped up in record time.

While
the airlines are thriving online, other businesses seem to have not
fully taken advantage of the Internet medium to attract customers and
make sales. Even though most businesses such as hotels and bus
companies have an online sales mechanism, hardly any offer huge
discounts in the magnitude of the airlines, which are able to make
sales up front for the next one year.



AirAsia, for example, in its latest online promotion, is offering
hugely discounted seats for travel up to January next year. This means
that it is selling seats almost a year in advance. This strategy will
make sure that the airline meets its sales target and keeps its
aircraft to full seat capacity.



Promoting what you have online and advertising it in the paper will
alert consumers of your offerings. Don’t expect them to search the
Internet for discounts because only a few do; others prefer to be told.



It only needs one company to start this trend, and the rest will follow suit because of intense competition.



The market for this type of sales strategy, also known as
business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce, is actually big in Malaysia.
Locals are already used to online banking and have put their trust in
e-commerce, but sadly, we still lack companies or businesses that
really sell online.



Express bus companies, for example, can emulate their counterparts in
the airline business to offer discounted tickets online. If they can
sell their seats months in advance at cheaper rates or offer other
incentives, they could get more passengers on board a particular trip.
Then we will no longer see buses plying the highways half-empty.



For the bus companies, it shouldn’t be a problem to secure sales in
advance because the nation enjoys quite a number of festivals and
school breaks where dates are set early. Almost all the ingredients for
a successful B2C business model are there. We just need more companies
to jump onto the bandwagon.



According to research company IDC, the B2C market is expected to see a
compound annual growth rate of 24 per cent from 2005 to 2010 and that
the growth will be dependent on PC and broadband penetration, which has
been growing steadily.



Hopefully, more businesses will take on the online medium more aggressively and also let consumers know about their intention.

NEWS: Internet becoming indispensable

BEING a tech writer for over 11 years, I have been interested in all
the latest developments happening in the information and communications
technology (ICT) world.

There
are huge areas in the lives and experiences of old and young people in
which ICT makes a unique contribution to them. It is an exciting time
for Web now, as new applications and features are being incorporated to
enrich users’ experience.



The Internet, which started with a simple browsing and e-mail
experience, has now evolved into a mechanism to creatively disseminate
information. Now we have virtual life, videoblogging, Webloging,
podcasting, file sharing, posting photos and videos on social
networking channels, in a whole new Internet, the Web 2.0.



When the dotcom economy was crumbling in 2000 and 2001, I remember
thinking at that time most of the online outfits were out of business.
However, it was a blessing in disguise, which in the long term, was a
good thing. In that struggle, new and better innovations came from Web
lovers, portals like Movable Type (which helps anyone to create a Web
site), All Consuming (offering an interesting slice of the book life
that exists on the Web and in the world), Wikipedia (and thousands of
other wikis to empower community Web sites), Flickr (sharing photos to
the world), and more to come in the future.



Let’s not forget the buzz that bloggers are making these days. It looks
like every one is pouring their feelings online. Basically, anyone can
start a blog by creating one. An easiest way to get started on the Web
is by going to Blogger.com from Google, which is one of the most
popular software for creating Weblogs. Use it daily and you might just
have this urge to read all the jottings.



I read in one of the Web sites which says that it is OK and respectable
to not have a blog at all. Not everyone likes to write things that can
be read by anyone. The last thing you want to do is contribute more
dreck to the universe.



In fact, if you are looking for a validation of the information, rest
assured that you will get neither from blogging. On another thought, my
advice would be you may never know if you enjoy blogging unless you try
it.



For those who do not enjoy blogs, you may consider writing on wiki
instead. Unlike most blogs, wikis like Wikipedia and wikiHow are read
by millions of people each month.



Several wikiHow authors receive “fan mail” messages every day from
appreciative readers. In addition, many authors discovered that they
enjoy the wiki collaborative writing process more than writing in
isolation. This is a great way to obtain the attention and validation.



Try the private journals such as the LiveJournal which can be another
good way for users to log into a secret diary, as your information will
be private as it needs a username to view the entries.



I am sure there will be more new portals to give exciting digital experiences to many people.



The Internet has become something that many people cannot live without.

COMMENTS: Doing the right thing

BURSA Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Yusli Yusoff notes that
local public-listed companies are not doing too well on the corporate
social responsibility index set up by his organisation 18 months ago.
Two-thirds of the companies monitored were not up to scratch, and but a
handful came close to international best standards -- and most of those
were multinationals. Yusli was sanguine about this, observing that "we
are a developing nation" and there was still a need to improve
awareness of CSR.

This would seem contradictory to the rising
public profile of CSR as a measure of a company's value. Hardly a week
goes by without some new CSR initiative being announced. Northport
organises a gotong-royong to clean up Port Klang. Canon Malaysia
donates top-flight equipment to a hospital. Celcom organises a
breaking-of-fast event for KL traffic police. From educational outreach
programmes to helping in the search for missing children, companies are
recognising how CSR activities offer potential dividends in branding
while simultaneously positioning themselves in a more positive light in
the public eye.

This
is useful enough an attitude, but Bursa Malaysia's findings indicate
that most PLCs in this country would be innately more sympathetic with
Milton Friedman's take on the matter, which is essentially that a
company's business is doing business, full stop. Free-market mavens
would always insist that market forces alone eventually take down
deleterious activities and reward sound business practices. They're
probably right, but the invisible hand may take decades, even
generations, to get a beneficial grip on corporate policy. It is
therefore much for the best that the government and business-sector
monitors such as the stock exchange play a proactive role in promoting
CSR, for the benefits this will bring to both the corporate sector as
well as the communities they serve and in which they exist.

In
essence, however, Friedman shouldn't be forgotten. Companies should
recognise that CSR is ultimately measured not in what they do or "give
back" to society, but how they run their businesses, generate their
revenue and utilise their profits. The notion that CSR is a fancy new
moniker for charitable acts and the occasional mock cheque is
erroneous. The operative principle here is the development of business
practices that include community service and social development on a
company's bottom line. The profit motive should remain upheld in these
activities, not held in abeyance. In business, misplaced altruism is
often short-lived.

NEWS: 450,000 individuals file tax returns online

KUALA LUMPUR: Close to 450,000 taxpayers have filed their tax returns via the online filing system.

On Monday, 30,000 taxpayers filed their income tax returns electronically – the highest number recorded in a day.

“The
response towards e-Filing system this year is very good,” said Shahmin
Ta Abdullah, the Inland Revenue Board deputy director-general
(corporate affairs).

The IRB was confident of getting over one
million taxpayers to file their returns electronically, he said during
a workshop on e-Filing.

Last year, more than 870,000 individuals filed their returns via e-Filing.

There are more than 6.4 million registered individual taxpayers and they have up to April 30 to file their returns.

First
time users of e-Filing can go to https://e.hasil.org.my, log in using
the personal identification number (PIN) number on the BE tax return
form for 2007 and set their password before filing their returns.

Those
who had filed their income tax returns via online before are only
required to go to the website's e-Forms log in and key in their
passwords and file their returns.

If they forget their passwords, they can check with the nearest IRB branch or call 1-300-88-3010.

This year, the system had been simplified by using the Roaming Public Key Infrastruction (PKI) solution.

NEWS: Growing business in online matchmaking

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

NEWS: Nextgen Contentpreneur Awards, 拉曼大學連掃4獎

吉隆坡20日訊）來自拉曼大學的組合，成功在第一屆 Nextgen Contentpreneur Awards（NCA）獨領風騷，連掃4個獎項。

這項活動是由ASTRO、大馬通訊及多媒體委員會與多媒體超級走廊聯合舉辦，主要目的是要表揚及鼓勵年輕的大馬公民在短片、紀錄片、音樂錄像、網頁及動畫上追求卓越的內容。

學以致用

ASTRO執行董事再尼說，此活動是公開給予學院生與大專生，讓有創意的青年人有機會展示才華，並在未來工作，可學以致用。

他昨天出席第一屆 Nextgen Contentpreneur Awards（NCA）頒獎典禮后，在記者會，如是說出。

他說，年輕人市場具有很大潛能，該公司注重年輕人市場，並擬定計劃推廣市場。

出席者包括大馬通訊及多媒體委員會主席拿督哈林與MDEC總執行長拿督峇利斯恩。

第一屆 Nextgen Contentpreneur Awards（NCA）獎項成績

卓越短片（電視與電影） ：林國榮創意工藝大學

革命紀錄片 ：第一學術學院

無可比擬的動畫 ：多媒體大學

最驚人的視覺效果：多媒體大學

獨特的網頁設計 ：英豪（In House）多媒體學院

驚人的藝術方向 ：拉曼大學

傑出音樂錄影帶 ：拉曼大學

特殊歌詞 ：拉曼大學

最優秀的音樂安排：拉曼大學

最佳聲音效果 ：馬來西亞大學

特別貢獻獎 ：沙巴大學（巧妙的運用媒介）

NEWS: TECHNOLOGY: Someone is tracking YOU!

Social networking websites are popular in Malaysia but many users are not aware that their identities could fall into the wrong hands, writes SUBASHINI SELVARATNAM AZURA, a college student, is chatting online on her notebook while sipping her latte at a cafe in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Woo says students are early adopters of social networking websites

People trust websites and their security features implicitly, says Effendy

Pillai says posting personal particulars online encourages identity theft

She occasionally takes a break from instant messaging to browse user profiles on Facebook.

Facebook is a popular social networking website with more than 69 million users worldwide, which Azura signed up for.

A social networking website is similar to an online community that shares a common bond such as hobbies and politics (http:// socialnetworking. knowhownow.com /blog/what-is-socialnetworking/).

Meeting people online and commenting on budding hip-hop artistes is Azura’s favourite pastime.

She updates her user profile — which can be viewed by her friends and people on Facebook — regularly.

She also publishes photos, shares videos and occasionally participates in fun quizzes on Facebook.

Azura was introduced to the world of social networking websites by her friend, Anita, who uses Facebook to track her high school friends and participate in online community discussions.

Unlike Azura, Anita does not post her mobile phone number and photos online. She has warned Azura about the pitfalls of doing so but the advice came too late because her friend is now swarmed with unsolicited calls and e-mails from strangers. She even found compromising photos of herself on the Internet.

Azura was compelled to lodge a report with CyberSecurity Malaysia, a one-stop specialist centre that handles cyber security issues in the country.

CyberSecurity Malaysia is under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Social networking is supposed to be fun but it turned out to be a nightmare for Azura.

Social networking websites are a major draw for thieves trying to steal identities and perpetrate fraud, according to an article on Telegraph.co.uk in the United Kingdom.

A criminal, for example, could steal identities by creating a dummy Facebook account. The criminal sends invitation to 200 Facebook users to be his friend, and 87 of them accept the invitation.

From the 87 “friends”, 82 would unwittingly leak personal particulars to the criminal including names of spouse, curriculum vitae and the maiden name of a user’s mother, a detail requested by banking websites for account access.

The criminal then creates a phishing website or e-mail which is used to steal bank account particulars and credit card numbers by tricking users into believing that it is a genuine website or e-mail account.

The article hit the nail on the head when it said “people link to others without thinking. Some people on Facebook have 1,500 friends. If you have that many links, you may be sharing details with the wrong people”.

Friendster and MySpace are the two other popular social networking websites.

Friendster is the leading social networking website in Asia with over 49 million users. Users of Friendster in Asia are between the ages of 16 and 30 years old and females make up the majority. MySpace is popular in the United States with a sizeable number of users in Malaysia.

CyberSecurity Malaysia says there have been incidents involving local teenagers whose MySpace credentials have been stolen.

Their MySpace accounts, which contain personal particulars, have been hacked and their phone numbers were posted online without their knowledge.

Ironically, exposing “sensitive” information, pictures and videos that affect a victim’s reputation is done by someone who knows the victim personally. Although CyberSecurity Malaysia does not have figures on students who are victims of identity theft, it believes that they could be involved in professional relationships or romantic liaisons where the motive is usually harassment or revenge.

That is a perfect recipe for identity theft, says Pikom (The Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry) councillor for content and multimedia as well as iContent Group managing director Gerard M Pillai. He adds that identity theft occurs when someone uses a student’s personal particulars without permission to apply for credit cards, take out loans or even commit fraud.

Since the fraudulent activities are done in the student’s name, he runs the risk of getting caught.

By exposing personal particulars online, paedophiles or kidnappers could even attempt to trace students’ schools and even homes.

If students are not careful, in extreme cases, they may face the prospect of having their names blacklisted by banks due to unauthorised debts through fraudulent credit card transactions.

This makes it difficult for students to apply for loans.

Monash University Malaysia School of Information Technology lecturer Dr Saadat Alhasmi says students are more vulnerable to identity theft because many post their personal particulars online without thinking of the consequences.

The number of identity theft targets is anybody’s guess but Saadat believes that the likelihood of the incident is high as long as students publish their personal particulars online.

Their reputation could be ruined and clearing their names may take months or even years.

Andy Woo, country (Malaysia) manager for Sophos, a computer security company, says students are early adopters of social networking websites.

They seldom think twice about using third-party applications (applications that are not developed by the creator) from social networking websites.

According to a research by University of Virgina in the United States, 90.7 per cent of Facebook’s most popular applications have access to users’ private data.

This could lead to identity theft, phishing attacks and spyware (a software that illegally tracks user’s web surfing habits) threats.

Woo believes that the social networking websites need to address this problem by educating users on how to secure their profiles.

Social networking websites could also improve their own default security settings.

Symatec’s Norton manager for Asia-South region Effendy Ibrahim says, based on its Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume XII (January to June last year), people trust social networking websites and their security features implicitly.

Criminals take advantage of this to exploit social networking users.

It can take months for victims to realise that their identities have been stolen. By the time they discover the crime and report it to the authorities, the thief is long gone.

PREVENTION THE BEST FORM OF DEFENCE

PROTECTING yourself from identity theft is the best form of defence.

For starters, do not reveal personal particulars such as mobile phone number and home address in your user profile because anyone from the same social networking website can view them.

Users should also restrict access by applying the security features offered by social networking websites.

Do not send personal particulars via e-mail, instant messaging or pop-up screen that appears on a website. Do not open e-mail attachments from strangers.

The Social Networking blog (http:// socialnetworking.knowhow-now.com/ blog/) advises users to be cautious when making contact with other Internet users because they may not tell the truth about themselves.

Be cautious if a new online friend wants to meet you in person. Do a background search of that person via online search engines, says the Federal Trade Commission in United States (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/ pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm).

The website also urges users not to post photos online because visuals can be altered and broadcast in ways that you may not be happy about.

Chia Wing Fei, security response team manager at F-Secure Security Labs Kuala Lumpur, believes that parents can help prevent identity theft by educating their children on safe computing practices, especially on exchanging information online.

They should teach their children to safeguard their personal particulars especially when registering for online services such as social networking sites, forums and e-mails.

Victor Lo, technology principal consultant at Trend Micro Malaysia Sdn Bhd, another computer security company, says students must install the latest Internet security software in their computers and mobile devices to combat malware threats such as viruses, spyware and phishing attacks. The software must also be updated regularly.

WHAT TO DO

IF you are a victim of identity theft, you must inform:

• the police.


• CyberSecurity Malaysia via Malaysian Computer Emergency Response Team (MyCERT) (Tel: 03-8992-6969, Fax: 03-8945-3442, e-mail: cyber999@cybersecurity.org.my or mycert@ mycert.org.my, SMS: 019-281-3801 (24 hours), Mobile phone: 019-266-5850 (24 hours).


• the social networking website you signed up for.


• If someone is using your identification card number to create credit or new accounts, contact the National Registration Department.

Inform your bank and close financial accounts that may have been compromised.

NEWS: Bridging gaps

DKSH E2E Technologies recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Teesside, Britain, to establish collaboration in developing skills in the latest DKSH E2E software, through its Academia Programme.

The programme aims to address the disparity between knowledge learnt in universities with the practicality required at the workplace.

“This MoU reflects DKSH’s commitment to quipping IT undergraduates with more hands-on skills so that they have work-relevant know-how from their first day of employment,” said DKSH E2E Technologies chairman Dieter Schlosser.

Through the collaboration, its software will be incorporated into the university’s curriculum.

Schlosser (left) exchanging documents with Prof Henderson while British Council director of education and training, Susana Galvan, looks on.

“We chose to incorporate the generic concept of E2E Bridge into the university’s syllabi as this technology requires no specific product know-how and is a vendor neutral solution.

“The move will give our IT undergraduates a better understanding of unified modelling language,” said University of Teesside vice-chancellor Prof Graham Henderson.

“We are confident that this collaboration will benefit all our students as it gives them a strong theoretical foundation as well as practical experience,” said Schlosser.

NEWS: Design and win a prize

THE Autodesk Design Competition is back for the second year running. Co-organised by the Higher Education Ministry's department of polytechnic and community college education and Design Technology Alliance (M) Sdn Bhd (DTA), the competition is part of Autodesk’s efforts to provide a platform for students to showcase their talents in design.

Sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, the competition aims to get students to learn about engineering and architectural design through a realistic, hands-on, problem-solving experience using the computer as a tool.

The students will also gain new perspectives on how design teams from different disciplines approach a common design problem.

“Autodesk is delighted to run this competition again,” said its Asean regional director, Denis Branthonne, at the launch of the competition held in Putrajaya recently.

“We aim to help students develop real skills in design and engineering,” added Branthonne.

“The competition challenges students to think out of the box,” said department of polytechnic and community college education director-general Datuk Imran Idris, who was also present at the launch.

“This is a positive step and will contribute towards producing world-class design engineering students in Malaysia,” he added.

This year's theme, “Urbanisation in Design”, will see students pitting their skills in two categories – building design and manufacturing design.

In the first category, participants have to design a community centre which incorporates a high-quality, environmental-friendly, groundbreaking design with local traditions, based on a rural development initiative.

Participants submitting entries for the manufacturing design category are required to come up with a design of a playground with educational elements, especially suitable for rural areas.

Prizes worth more than RM70,000 are up for grabs in both categories.

The competition is open to all students in recognised public and private institutions of higher learning.

However, the students must register for the competition before they can submit their entries.

All entries must be previously unpublished and created using Autodesk Products only.

The deadline for submission of entries is April 30.

For details, call Priscilla Choy from DTA (03-7804 1730), or e-mail
marcom@dta.com.my.

You can also visit
www.autodesk.com.my/designcompetition.

NEWS: Building linkages

SARAWAK will be the first state in Malaysia to pilot a three-year project that will see schools in the country link up with schools in the United Kingdom.

The move will not only broaden pupils’ and teachers’ horizons but also give them the opportunity to work together with their UK peers on school-based activities and other areas of common interest.

Called Asian Dialogues, the project, an initiative by the British Council and the UK’s Department for Children, Schools and Families, will first be implemented in Sarawak with the support of the State Education Department.

“The vision of the British Council is to have a connected world of global citizens,” says British Council Malaysia's director of education and training, Susana Galvan.

»The vision of the British Council is to have a connected world of global citizens« SUSANA GALVAN

“A global citizen is a confident, creative independent thinker who is interested in and understands other cultures, who develops himself or herself through education and lifelong learning, who speaks English and other languages, and who engages in debates and collaborates with other people locally and internationally on key issues facing the world,” adds Galvan.

The young in both the UK and Sarawak can benefit from school linkages because this puts them on the right track for global citizenship, she says. The collaboration is the latest effort between the British Council and Sarawak authorities to help local pupils and teachers gain an international outlook.

Other existing projects which have facilitated knowledge exchange between teachers and pupils from the two countries include the Teacher’s International Professional Development (TIPD), the International Placement of Headteachers (IPH) and Dreams + Teams.

Asian Dialogues will be an online collaboration involving pupils aged 12 to 15. Participating schools can choose from any of seven themes – climate change, sports and health, global citizenship, environmental science, enterprise, tomorrow’s world, and science and invention. Activities can range from discussions on a theme with local and UK input, to getting role models from the region to give their perspectives at a conference, setting up multi-country group tasks to get feedback on curriculum projects, live webcasting or video-conferencing with UK cluster schools.

Delegates from schools and education authorities from the UK, Thailand and Sarawak recently converged in Kuching to discuss details and future plans.

Although the project is managed by British Council Malaysia, ownership and sustainability will be driven by local school principals, with facilitation by district education officers.

“The project is also a platform for continuous professional development for principals and teachers,” said Galvan. – By KAREN CHAPMAN

NEWS: Lower broadband fees, urges tech association

PENANG: The Association of Computers and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom) has proposed that monthly Internet broadband fees for home users be lowered to RM10 for 50 hours of usage.

Its chairman David Wong said the move would help boost the nation's broadband rate to reach 50% of Malaysian households, adding that the most subscribed broadband packages now cost from about RM50 to RM60 a month for unlimited usage.

"We have 1.37 million people in the country using broadband. This amounts to only 15.5% of total households in Malaysia.

"This figure is still low compared to the broadband penetration rate in other countries,” he said at the opening of the Pikom PC Fair at the Penang International Sports Arena here on Friday by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

He said Pikom’s proposal would be submitted to the International Trade and Industry Ministry on Monday.

Wong said a RM10 fee would make broadband Internet access very affordable to all Malaysians.

Lim said the state government supported Pikom's proposal to fix the broadband rate at RM10.

"The move will promote broadband usage and at the same time make people more ICT-savvy,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony.

In his speech earlier, Lim had said the state government was keen to work with Pikom to boost the state’s ICT industry, with the association playing a matchmaking role to pair local ICT businesses with foreign interests or invite Penang-based ICT businesses in trade missions targeting potential markets.

Earlier, Wong announced that Pikom would set up five state chapters to drive the association’s efforts in the northern, southern and east coast regions as well as Sabah and Sarawak.

“The chapters will be chaired by our representatives who will act as our liaisons with state governments.

“Our representative for Sabah has been appointed. We expect to appoint those for the other four states by August ,” he said.

NEWS: Industry giants help bridge digital divide

KUALA LUMPUR: Disadvantaged youngsters in the Chow Kit area now have access to the Internet, via a specially built “wireless broadband room” at Rumah Nur Salam, a children’s shelter.

The room, named Access@Nur Salam, houses nine desktop computers that will be used to help the kids develop computing skills and enhance their learning.

Telecommunications service provider Ericsson Malaysia built Access@Nur Salam and will maintain the facility, while another telecommunications company, Maxis Communications Bhd, will provide free broadband service.

Computer and Internet classes are held regularly in the room; there are three basic classes, held on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, for about 18 students (aged from 7 to 13) each time.

Ericsson Malaysia employees and their spouses are also actively involved in several voluntary programmes at Rumah Nur Salam. This includes teaching computer classes, organising arts and crafts workshops, and providing language lessons for the children at the shelter.

Datuk Dr Halim Shafie, chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM), said the initiative will benefit the children and support SKMM’s and various other government projects aimed at bridging the “digital divide.” The divide is the gap between the technology haves and have nots.

Krishna Kumar, president and country manager of Ericsson Malaysia, said: “These children are an apt example of a community living in the middle of Kuala Lumpur with its developed infrastructure and yet, having no access to ICT (information and communications technology) and the opportunity to benefit from it.”

“Broadband access is key for socio-economic growth of a society, ” he added.

Rumah Nur Salam was established in October 2006 under the umbrella of Yayasan Salam Malaysia, a national non-government organisation.