4通訊公司受促年底前提供網絡服務

（吉隆坡24日訊）能源、水務及通訊部長拿督沙茲曼說，4間獲WiMAX執照通訊公司，須在年底前運作及提供所承諾的網絡服務。

他指出，若有關通訊公司在年尾前仍沒有提供相關服務，該部將要求有關公司提呈解釋信；一旦解釋不合理，其執照將被收回。

他 今日在國會下議院回答安邦國會議員朱萊達提問時指出，大馬多媒體與通訊委員會是于今年3月，發出4張WiMAX執照給4家通訊公司。有關公司是 Bizsurf大馬私人有限公司、MICComm私人有限公司、Asiaspace Dotcom私人有限公司和Redtone-CNX寬頻私人有限公司。

“無線吉隆坡”1500熱點免費上網2年

（吉隆坡24日訊）由政府與非政府單位合作推行的“無線吉隆坡計劃

（Wireless@KL）”，將提供人民為期2年的免費上網服務。

能源、水務及通訊部長拿督沙茲曼指出，有關單位是通過這項計劃，于今年內在吉隆坡市中心安裝多達1500個熱點（hotspot）。

他也說，政府也通過圖書館Wifi無線網絡計劃，在10間位于巴生谷區域的圖書館，提供為期1年的Wifi無線上網。

寬頻客戶激增

他今日在國會下議院回答安邦國會議員朱萊達提問時指出，一些公共場合的熱點範圍，目前已有免費提供寬頻服務（Broadband），如機場、購物中心及餐館等。

他指出，截至今年3月，寬頻客戶人數已增至148萬3000人；全國的寬頻覆蓋率也已佔總居所的18%。

他說，數個州政府也在州內提供免費寬頻服務，比如登嘉樓、檳城、霹靂、馬六甲及砂拉越。

他也說，政府也在全國42個鄉區網絡中心、1089間診所與鄉區圖書館、250社區知識中心及1萬間學校，免費提供上網服務。

沙茲曼指出，在寬頻客戶總人數中，有40萬4200名客戶是採用擁有3G服務的無線上網、無線區域網絡（WLAN）及WiMAX服務。

沙茲曼指出，為了擴大無線寬頻使用率範圍，政府已發出4張3G執照，並且發出4張WiMAX執照給4家通訊公司，以通過WiMAX科技，提升無線上網的網絡聯繫。

NEWS: 尋政治真相‧美國人轉求網絡

（美 國）一項新研究發現，不滿足於那些政治摘要言論的美國人如今正轉向互聯網尋求更為全面的圖景。在週日（15日）發佈的一份報告中，Pew互聯網好美國人生 活項目稱，將近30%的成年人曾使用互聯網閱讀或觀看未被過濾的競選材料，包括辯論原始錄像、立場報告、聲明以及演說原文。

Pew機構主管萊尼爾說：“他們想要看到全面的競選活動。他們想要閱讀演說從頭至尾每個字。”

Google公司的Youtube和其他視頻網站已經愈來愈受歡迎。在初選期間，35%的美國成年人觀看了網上的政治視頻，2004年的整個總統大選過程中，這個比例只有13%。

研究還發現，有10%的成年人使用Facebook和MySpace這樣的交友網站用於政治活動，如把一個競選主頁添加為好友、探尋一個朋友的政治興趣或加入一個在政治小組。

Pew還發現，網上籌款有所上升，6%的成年人使用網絡進行競選捐款，這在2004年只有2%。（紐約明報）

NEWS: Malaysia ranks high in connectivity study

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is number one in a connectivity study, beating economic powerhouses China and India, in the efficiency-driven market segment of the Connectivity Scorecard study.

The study (www.connectivityscorecard.org) was done by the London Business School and US-based economic consulting firm LECG.

It studied two segments — efficiency-driven markets, such as Malaysia, and innovation-driven economies, like the United States and Japan.

The Connectivity Scorecard measures the extent to which governments, businesses and consumers make use of connectivity technologies — the copper wires, fibre-optic lines, mobile phones and personal computers.

The study was commissioned by Nokia Siemens Networks and published last month. Malaysia was the highest scorer in the emerging economies segment of the study, with a score of 7.59 out of 10, beating China (4.45) and India (1.83) in the process.

According to the study, Malaysia may soon be “knocking at the door” of the “innovation-driven” economies.

Malaysia leads the efficiency-driven segment with high broadband subscription levels, high mobile network coverage and subscriptions, and scores very highly on business usage of mobile e-mail and Internet too, the study said.

Malaysia also did well as it has high ICT (Information and Communications Technology) literacy rates and usage scores, comparable in some cases to innovation driven economies, said the survey.

The Connectivity Scorecard could help governments in assessing how ICT policy can be advanced.

In Malaysia’s case, the study states that the country needs to improve connectivity by further expanding broadband penetration.

Bill Chang, country manager of Nokia Siemens Networks said that perhaps the Government could subsidise broadband Internet.

“It all boils down to high-speed broadband for the masses. When this is achieved, there will be a need for broadband applications and this will generate more economic activity,” he said.

Currently, Malaysia has a broadband penetration rate of 3.5 per 100 people, said the survey.

NEWS: Empowering enterprises with Web 2.0

ONCE considered a means for the public to communicate and share a common interest, Web 2.0 social networking tools like blogs, RSS (really simple syndicate), Wikis, podcasting, mashups, and widgets are now slowly being adopted by the enterprise community, as an alternative to traditional communication tools like telephones and e-mail.

Oglesby says that some companies’ best ideas for innovation come from customers and workers who communicate through social networking applications like blogs and forums.
Oglesby says that some companies’ best ideas for innovation come from customers and workers who communicate through social networking applications like blogs and forums.

According to IBM worldwide sales manager, Lotus Connections, IBM Software Group, Larry Oglesby, many companies realise that some of the best ideas for innovation come from customers and workers who communicate through social networking applications like blogs and forums.

“Social networking tools will create a huge impact on the way communications are done in companies. It is fast becoming a forum for companies to gain feedback from their customers and employees,” he said in Petaling Jaya last week.

What makes a growing number of companies adopt social networking tools are due to their characteristics, said Oglesby.

“People with common goals use the software to connect and interact, create communities, and allow valuable information to be shared by community users, not by a central authority,” he said.

In the consumer space, Oglesby said social networking tools are used to connect people, but in the enterprise space, it goes into connecting information and services with each other and individuals and teams.

“It also empowers business users to develop applications that meet the needs of the changing business environment and share these with the network,” he said.

Companies investing in social networking tools can expect their return on investment to come in a number of ways.

“Firstly, by the next decade, a lot of experienced workers will be retiring. Thus, companies are looking at ways to capture all the knowledge these workers have, and one way this can be done is through social networking software such as blogging, or through community forums. This way, the knowledge will be captured and shared among the younger workforce,” said Oglesby.

“Graduates entering the workforce are also expecting social networking tools in the workplace, as they have been using these tools in college or at home. As a result, we’re seeing companies now being interested in providing that capability.”

Oglesby added that global companies with many branches and mobile workers will also benefit, as the technology will make the employees feel more connected. “To companies facing mergers and acquisition, the existence of social networking applications will help workers from the two companies improve intra- and inter-company communications and collaborations,” he added.

Another key benefit of Web 2.0 is the speed with which enterprises can respond to customers.

“With the advent of Web 2.0, customers can be directed to the queries, which are posted on the person’s (subject matter expert’s) blog, and accessible by any customer in the future. This ability to respond fast should appeal well to customers,” said Oglesby.

IBM has also come out with its version of social networking tools intended for use by companies of all sizes. Called IBM Lotus Connections social software, the application is similar to public social networking tools like blogspots, facebook, Flickr, etc, but with enterprise-class security system added to it.

WCIT 2008: Cerf on surfing

KUALA LUMPUR: People will be living lives on the Internet in about three decades, said Google’s chief Internet evangelist Dr Vinton Cerf, who is also one of the Web’s founding fathers. He said that by 2035, about 5.7 billion people will have access to the Internet, accessing it from desktop devices and ultra portables.

Usage will go beyond surfing sites, communicating and online transactions, according to Cerf. Instead, we will have online lives, like how there are online communities now in Second Life, a virtual world that mirrors the real world and even has its own currency.

This will evolve further and bring much benefits. “The Internet of the future will enable school children to experience real-life science in virtual labs. They will be able to interact with scientific research objects remotely, such as a telescope at a planetarium,” he said.

“Children will be able to learn about the planets and constellations in a way that is better than any science book can deliver today.”

Cerf also forsees that the World Wide Web will become a repository of the knowledge of humankind, and will be a source of know-how that can be tapped by all.

“Many more people will be going to the Net for answers,” he said, adding that the trend would grow and allow countries to improve their industries, the environment, and the health of their communities.

“For example, authorities will be better able to predict disasters and keep epidemics from happening,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference during the World Congress on Information Technology 2008 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Wednesday.

Cerf tested the first Internet hookups in 1969 when he was a graduate student at UCLA. Then, as a professor at Stanford University in the 1970s, he led a team that invented the protocols, known as TCP/IP, which now serve as the Internet’s basic communication tools

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: Growing business in online matchmaking

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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: 85% of internet users buy online, an increase of 40% compared to last year

吉隆坡15日訊）根據Nielsen的網絡調查顯示，全球有85%的網民在線購物（online shopping ），比過去兩年增加了40%，馬來西亞則有39%網民在線購物。

Nielsen發表文告指出，網上購物或在線購物已成為一種趨勢，目前全球各地的網上購物均有增長的現象。

文告說，兩年前，Nielsen曾經進行過在線購物的調查，當時約有6億2700萬人曾進行線上購物，但是兩年后的調查顯示，這個數目激增至8億7500萬人，或相等于增加了40%。

文告指出，韓國在線購物相當普及，約有99%網民在線購物，緊接著英國（97%）、德國（97%）、日本（97%）及美國（94%）。

文告說，在馬來西亞，每10名消費者中，就有7人在線購物。

買書佔41%

Nielsen也指出，在這之中，在線購買書籍的有41%、衣服或鞋子有36%、光碟或遊戲帶有24%、機票有24%及電子產品有23%。

馬來西亞的在線購物，55%是訂購機票、41%訂酒店及22%為購買電腦產品。

另一方面，在網上購物者以各種的方式進行交易，其中信用卡最為普遍，占了60%，至于借記卡（Debit Card）則在英國（59%）及美國（40%）非常普及。

僅從該網站的交易來看，不管是海外或本地的網上消費者，多喜愛以信用卡進行交易。

此外，使用著名的轉賬公司Pay Pal的服務，每4名網民中，只有1人使用Pay Pal。

★主題：你有在線上購物嗎?

70% -- 會

30% -- 不會

（受訪者為馬來西亞網民）

★主題:過去3個月在線消費者購物種類（馬來西亞）

1.機票 --55%

2.酒店預定 --41%

3.電腦產品 --22%

4.書籍 --21%

5.活動門票 --18%

6.其它 --24%

★主題:過去3個月在線消費者付款方式（馬來西亞）

信用卡 --75%

現金轉賬--33%

貨到付現款Cash on delivery (C.O.D.)--18%

PAYPAL --15%

預付卡 --11%

NEWS: Change mindset on blogging

THE negative perception about bloggers and blogging should be
changed, said Centre for Policy Initiatives chief executive officer Dr
Lim Teck Ghee.

Dr Lim said blogging could be seen as an alternative media to the masses.

“It
provides a platform for public discourse irrespective of their
background. The notion that bloggers mainly have negative intentions
including bringing down the government and destroying the country's
racial harmony is an erroneous view and politically motivated,” he said.

He added that most bloggers were concerned about the nation.

Working together: BUM2008 organising committee chairman YL Chong (left) and Dr Lim sharing a lighter moment during the press conference.

“Having a healthy public discourse will help unify the nation and build the country as well,” he added.

Therefore, the Centre for Policy Initiatives is organising a half-day public discourse at Lake View Club, Subang Jaya, on May 1.

The BUM2008, will carry the theme Towards A Civil Society and it will feature well-known bloggers, academician and journalists.

The
afternoon session will talk about Fostering Civil Society – Various
Voices with the National Alliance of Bloggers president Ahirudin Attan,
ex-judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid, academician Dr Azmi Sharom, journalist
Jacqueline Ann Surin as well as Dr Lim.

Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi,
lawyer-cum- Selayang MP William Leong, Human Rights Advocate Haris
Ibrahim, Malaysiakini.com editor-in-chief Steven Gan and journalist R.
Nadeswaran will talk during the evening session.

Registration fee is RM50 per person and is limited for 120 on first come first serve basis. The fee includes buffet dinner.

For more information, log on to http://bum2008.desiderata.blogspot.com/.

NEWS: The new breed, making money online

GOBALA Krishnan’s journey to become a Net millionaire began more by accident than design.
“In my first year, there was a compulsory course for all students at the university. It taught us how to build a Web site. When I was younger, people used to say I was artistic because I just loved to draw. But after high school, I just didn’t do it anymore.

Gobala’s winning strategy is having many Web sites to get traffic in.

GOBALA Krishnan’s journey to become a Net millionaire began more by accident than design.

“In my first year, there was a compulsory course for all students at the university. It taught us how to build a Web site. When I was younger, people used to say I was artistic because I just loved to draw. But after high school, I just didn’t do it anymore.

“For me, this was a transition. Web sites are also considered an art form because I enjoyed doing it at that point of time. I just continued to learn about it by myself. And I started a Web site talking about electric guitars because it is one of my passions. It was like art and a learning experience all in one,” he shared.

Then one day, Gobala read an article that said one can actually make money online.

“Back then in 2001, the idea of making money online was only open to a selected group of people. I decided I wanted a piece of the action. I was still studying back then and I could really use extra money. But in Cyberjaya, there were really not many places you could work part-time. So, I began experimenting online,” he said.

He tried many ways but still couldn’t make headways in his endeavour to make money through his Web site. And he finally gave up.

“But five months later, I checked my Web site and I found that I made US$43 (RM116) in sales selling an electric guitar. They were paying me a commission of five per cent. Considering that it is a physical good, it is a good percentage,” Gobala said.

The first sales changed his life. He knew then making money on the Net was possible.
“By the time I left the university, I was making US$200 to US$300 per month just from that one Web site selling electric guitars. What happened then was I wanted to get more money, I wanted to be rich – a millionaire. But then, I found that whatever I did, it never went past US$400 a month. So, I began to lose hope in the whole Internet thing.”

Gobala then worked with a company in the corporate line but after three-and-a-half years, he decided that wasn’t for him either. “That’s why I went back to the Internet. But then my Web site got rusty and I knew it was time again to learn from the start. That’s what I did.”
Of the type of business model he uses, Gobala said he has tried almost all categories. The one that really worked for him is information products.

“It is very low risk, low capital and has the potential of making a lot of money almost on auto pilot. From the moment someone finds your site, make their order, get the product, and you get the money in your bank. I tend to make sales every day without looking at it or thinking about it. And there’s nothing really involved for me to do any more once I set up the system of selling information product,” he said.

However, he is very involved in providing support.

“But that’s very minimal. Sometimes the Web site is down or customers cannot download the software. (These are) small problems. Also, I like to write, explain and teach, so this model works well for me,” he remarked.

Gobala said as part of his strategy, he has many Web sites. “Some are just flyers that get traffic to the main Web sites. My main Web site is gobalakrishnan.com.”

He is currently working on a project that aims to develop as many Internet millionaires as possible on the local front.

“It is a project to help people get started. At the internetmillionaires.com.my portal, people who want to achieve their million on the Internet is grouped to learn from each other,” said Gobala.

NEWS: Blogs of Courage

When Daren Lee started to blog about his son’s epileptic condition in 2006, little did he realise the impact it would create. The blog inspired many, and gave new hope to others.

The Lees have grown closer through blogging.

Nathanael during therapy.

Tan says blogging has inspired him to lead a life that is as normal as others.

BRINGING HOPE AND INSPIRATION TO OTHERS

By Cindy Koh

IT all started out with curiosity. Daren Lee began fiddling with
blogging sometime in September 2006, when he wanted to start a blog for his church’s youth service. He subsequently got hooked and went on to start to blog about his older son, Nathanael’s epileptic condition.

The blog, www.darentiff.blogspot.com, serves as the main point of
connection for friends and family members to get Nathanael’s updates and progress in his medical treatment. It contains details on how the four-year-old was diagnosed with infantile spasm after going through a series of tests at a local private hospital since he was a newborn, how he started treatment (medical and physical therapies) at a public hospital, and the family’s struggles, joys and courage.

It has been a stressful journey for this father of two and his wife
Tiffany Tang, as they juggle Nathanael’s condition, work and other
responsibilities which can deem the blogging routine challenging. But what kept him and Tiffany (she helps update the site as well) going was the people’s responses to the blog.

Darentiff.blogspot gets from 50 to 100 hits per day and this speaks
volumes for Lee, as it is educating and creating awareness of epilepsy, which is often a misunderstood neurological disorder.

According to a World Health Organization report for the Southeast Asia region, at the global level, it is estimated that there are nearly 50 million persons suffering from epilepsy, of which three-fourths or 35 million are in developing countries. Many people who have family members with such disease are still reluctant to talk about it, as it is seen as a curse or an incurable evil disease.


“The responses have thus far been very encouraging and through the site, the respondents learned, rejoiced and were inspired or ministered to,” Lee says. The family has also made friends online that led to five families from different race and religion forming a support group of sorts. But most rewarding of all, Lee says, is that the family has grown closer through blogging and sharing of information.

The blog has also ignited interest from international viewers, one of
whom is a Swedish professional who asked if he could get a video
recording of a therapy – Snoezelen – that Nathanael is going through. (It is a room equipped with special lights and music to stimulate senses in the child.)

In addition to that, Lee was invited to write about fatherhood for a
Singapore family magazine after the editor visited the blog.

Lee also found out that Malaysians are a compassionate lot. After
putting up a posting on Nathanael’s need for a swing to be set up for his occupational therapy session at home, two good Samaritans offered to do it and they are from the Klang Valley. “What are the chances of knowing anyone who could set up a swing here? It’s amazing!” Lee exclaims.

Looking at the hope and inspiration the blog has given to those who visit, Lee sees himself still blogging in five years’ time, perhaps even further into the future. At Press time, he is setting up a domain, www.darentiff.com, to expand on family interests.


A VOICE FOR AND FROM THE DISABLED

By Izwan Ismail

WHAT inspires someone to write a blog, that in turn, inspire others? For Peter Tan, he blogs to discuss the plight of the disabled people. Wheelchair-bound, the 42-year-old Penangite suffers from spinal cord injury and chronic renal failure.

About five years ago, Tan started The Digital Awakening (www.petertan.com), which chronicles his life as a disabled, and shares his experience with others who may be interested.

Five years on, Tan says his life is now more enriched by the Internet experience.

“Through my blog, I can say that more people now have a better understanding about disabled people and the problems that they face every day,” he adds.


Tan has also managed to make more friends, to share and exchange views. “Most of them are bloggers and people who read my blog. In fact, I have made more friends over the last five years through the Internet than I had before.”


In 2005, Tan initiated a fund-raising campaign for the National Cancer Society of Malaysia, Penang Branch. The organisation had provided hospice services when his mother was seriously ill. To show his appreciation, he and four other bloggers shaved their head and raised more than RM5,000 for the society.


“I am forever grateful to the community of Malaysian bloggers who had chipped in and promoted the cause in their blogs. This shows that blogging can make the world a better place,” says Tan.

According to Tan, blogging has also inspired him to lead a life that is as normal as others. “The last five years have been the most interesting in my entire life. I have travelled long distance, visited foreign countries, drive a car, and even got married. I never thought that these were possible.”

To date, Tan has posted slightly more than 1,000 entries in the five years of his life as a blogger. That makes it an average of 200 entries per year.


On the fifth anniversary of his blogging journey recently, Tan wrote, “It is the archive of my struggle within, the things that I have done and places that I have been. Most of all, this blog is a gift to myself for that one day in the future when my memory is not that good anymore.

This blog is about me, myself and I. It is about my journey through life. These are the stories that I want to tell myself when that one day comes.”

Another inspiring blogger is Maryani Abdullah. She has Cerebral Palsy, a medical condition caused by a permanent brain injury, which makes speech difficult and voice hardly audible.


Through her blog, Art of Body Expression (http://mariannie-missycat.blogspot.com), Maryani expresses her personal views and concerns.

Her blog has also enabled her to connect with other talented disabled individuals to pursue a common interest – performing arts.

“I want to change public perception that we are an incapable lot. I hope to introduce a new type of innovative art performance, which will be accepted by all, and not just by the disabled community.”

In her blog, Mariani posts lots of pictures and slide shows of her performing arts activities and how the performers have developed physically, mentally and emotionally.

“Through blogging, I hope that my voice will be heard, and more will be done for the disabled,” she says.

NEWS: 政府首席秘書：公共領域須善用網絡

2008-04-03 22:47

（吉隆坡）政府首席秘書丹斯里莫哈末西迪說，在網絡科技廣泛流通的時代裡，善用網絡便利不但能為企業增加優勢，提高競爭能力，也是公共及私人領域須關注的新競爭領域。

他說，首相拿督斯里阿都拉已經為公共與私人領域奠下模範，即開啟專屬網頁，讓人民以電郵方式，直接向他傳達任何課題與訊息，這也顯示政府已經重視並善用網絡的便利，提高公共服務領域的工作表現及競爭力。

他今日（週四，3日）出席馬來西亞國際貿易商會舉行的“馬來西亞商業在全球經濟領域的挑戰”午餐會上表示，過去人民將網絡視為年輕人的玩意兒，如今網絡的影響力無遠弗屆，越來越多人開設專屬部落格，證實網絡已經沒有年齡限制，甚至很多國家與機構都設立專隊，以管理網絡所制造的風險與負面效應。