Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by loserguy

Stephen Colbert raised USD2.5m for charity

loserguy — Thu, 21 May 2026 17:43:28 +0800

A bit of context. A talk show host critical of the current US leadership got cancelled. What happened next was the amazing part.

The CBS Late Show has been around for very many years. I have been watching since the David Letterman days. Instead of responding with bitterness or a long goodbye tour, Colbert did something completely unexpected, he turned the cancellation into a force for good.

On the very night the news broke, he launched a fundraising drive for World Central Kitchen, the humanitarian group founded by Chef José Andrés that provides meals in disaster zones around the world. What started as a simple call for support quickly snowballed into something extraordinary: over USD2.5m raised. This is for charity, not for himself.

In an industry where cancellations usually lead to silence, PR spin, or blame games, Colbert used his final spotlight to help others. No drama, no self‑pity, just a generous, graceful pivot that turned a personal setback into a meaningful contribution.

It won’t trend, and the algorithms won’t amplify it, but for those who saw it, this is a moment worth remembering. This is a remarkable example of grace under pressure. Mr Colbert, you are an amazing man.

The last episode is tonight. No more CBS Late Show after this.

Helping someone who dropped their hat

loserguy — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:36:18 +0800

[reddit]/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/1q6r95s/returning_a_womans_dropped_hat_in_spectacular/[/reddit]

Have a nice day /ktards!

Get ready for an UMNO-PAS-GPS-GRS govt

loserguy — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 23:56:04 +0800

QUOTE

Many are saying that the 16th general election will be held at the end of 2026, after Budget 2027 has been tabled. The logic is that with no more freebies for civil servants and the B40s, delaying it will be risky.

As it is, the unity government no longer has a commanding lead on the perception index. But rather than a lack of effort this decline stems from poor communication.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) — especially core components PKR and Amanah — will certainly be wiped out and, along with it, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

For those who are still wondering, it is easy to come to such a conclusion.

For a start, a former minister who goes by the moniker “Yang Berhenti Menteri” continues to undermine his own party, PKR, to sooth his wounded pride.

While Umno would have shown such members the door, PKR in its mistaken act of altruism allows this gentleman to continue acting like the bull in the china shop.

Secondly Malaysians, mostly non-Malays, continue to play the victim. They refuse to accept that change takes time, and requires strategic alliances, even with the enemy.

Instead, they tune in to bloggers calling out government ministers for various mistakes as if they can do better.

Malaysians remain focused on the impossible — ensuring meritocracy, quota in university enrolment, UiTM’s racial make-up, and the search for Teoh Beng Hock’s killers.

At the same time, they dismiss Anwar’s tireless effort to fight corruption and to help the poor as foolish, thereby reinforcing the view among voters that we now have a failed government.

So, if PH loses, will PAS get a majority in the Dewan Rakyat? Of course. Malays are religious by nature, and the richer they get the more they want to go for umrah. For them, it is an express train to heaven.

But while the Quran says that one should help the needy, orphans and the poor, the Malays believe this a political expectation best suited for a Malay-dominated government rather than a heavenly duty.

PAS would be best suited for this. With the Islamic party in power, corruption will be wiped out, and all Malays will go to heaven.

Just remove all the temptations, such as alcohol, sex and concerts, and Malaysia will become the paradise on earth. That is PAS’s selling point, and it seems like it works.

In this scenario, where does Umno stand? Will it be as strong as PAS, even gain a majority in Parliament? Yes, if it does a deal with PAS to wipe out Bersatu.

With DAP, Amanah and PKR no longer in the picture given that their supporters are more likely to boycott the polls, the Umno-PAS alliance will emerge victorious.

Evidence of PAS’s willingness to abandon Bersatu is there for all to see. It’s no secret that the party does not want Muhyiddin Yassin, nor does it need Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The PAS-Umno love affair goes back all the way to 2019 when they hooked up to form Muafakat Nasional. For the Islamic party, its nationalist counterpart is a more viable route to Putrajaya.

With the Sarawak for Sarawakians and Sabah for Sabahans sentiments at an all-time high, Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and PH are unlikely to win any seat across the South China Sea.

So, any coalition in the peninsula prepared to accede to their demands for their “rightful” share of oil and gas money will have the best chance of winning over Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to form a grand coalition.

In that scenario, who will be prime minister? This is easy. It has to be an Umno man. Neither GPS nor GRS, nor many Malaysians in the peninsula, will accept a PAS leader as prime minister, just like most Malays will object to a DAP man holding the country’s top elective post.

But who among the Umno leaders? I believe vice-president Johari Ghani or even Khairy Jamaluddin, who is yet to be accepted back to the party after his sacking in 2023, are more acceptable to Malaysians than current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

But Khairy will have to beg Zahid to accept him back in Umno first.

Also waiting in the wings are another vice-president Khaled Nordin and supreme council member Zambry Abdul Kadir. Lastly there is youth chief Dr Ahmal Saleh, likely the youngest prime minister-to-be.

So, Malaysians may finally get what they have been asking for — BN back at the wheel, a rehashing of the last 60 years of politics.

That takes us back to square one.

Short of a divine intervention, an Umno-PAS-GPS-GRS government is becoming a reality, and Muafakat Nasional will finally get the most important role in government.

Happy New Year my fellow Malaysians.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...-grs-government

Singkie watch too much action videos issit?

loserguy — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:39:11 +0800

QUOTE

At the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Wednesday, Wong said Singapore and fellow Southeast Asian states supported Tokyo stepping into a bigger role in the region, including on the security front, for greater stability.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/art...iwan-strait-row

[YOUTUBE]QwhPJIlQgxc[/YOUTUBE]

QUOTE

As I approached the bridge, I saw a sentry pacing up and down it. Nearby was a group of four or five Japanese soldiers sitting around, probably the other members of his detail. I was sporting a broad-brimmed hat of the kind worn by Australian soldiers, many of which had been discarded in the days before the surrender. I had picked one up, thinking it would be useful during the hard times ahead to protect me from the sun. . . . One soldier barked "Kore, kore!" and beckoned to me. When I reached him, he thrust the bayonet on his rifle through the brim of my hat, knocking it off, slapped me roundly, and motioned me to kneel. He then shoved his right boot against my chest and sent me sprawling on the road. As I got up, he signalled that I was to go back the way I had come. I had got off lightly. Many others who did not know the new rules of etiquette and did not bow to Japanese sentries at crossroads or bridges were made to kneel for hours in the sun, holding a heavy boulder over their heads until their arms gave way. [53-54]

https://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/g...nyew/lky11.html

Use LibreOffice

loserguy — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 11:52:06 +0800

Translated post from https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li...24713430331393/

QUOTE

For the first time ever, digital sovereignty will be a priority in the Joint Public Digitalisation Strategy for the state, municipalities and regions.

I have given a major interview about this to Politiken.

And that doesn't mean we're slamming the door. This means that we start to act – step by step – so that we do not have choices in the future.

It is not about isolation or digital nationalism. We should not turn our backs completely on global technology companies – many of them provide solutions that we benefit from. This applies both today and in the future.

But we must never make ourselves so dependent on so few that we can no longer act freely. Too much public digital infrastructure is currently tied up with very few foreign suppliers. This makes us vulnerable. Also financially.

Therefore, in parallel now, we at the Ministry of Digitisation are testing how it works in practice when we work with open source solutions. The same is true of several municipalities.

Not because we think it is easy – but because we know it is necessary to take the lead if we want to create more competition and innovation – and reduce our dependence on the few.

An important track when we work to increase our digital sovereignty is therefore also to provide a better framework and space for more Danish and European tech companies to grow – and for us in the public sector to have real autonomy when it comes to the choice of digital solutions.

The future of web browsers

loserguy — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 08:23:47 +0800

TechRepublic Exclusive: Firefox VP On Browsers’ Evolution in the Age of AI
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-a...owsers-firefox/

QUOTE

Gen Z may view AI as the default way to interact with the internet and often assumes they will encounter generative AI in the workplace.

“At the end of the day, people don’t really think of a search engine versus AI,” said Varma. “They’re really like, I have a task that I want to get done, and what is the best way to get that task done.”

tldr for impatient drivers like KBT, although not sure Gen Z going to be able to do all that on a keyboard.
[YOUTUBE]QpWhugUmV5U[/YOUTUBE]

Pocket - Read It Later is shutting down

loserguy — Fri, 23 May 2025 09:35:23 +0800

QUOTE

Pocket is Saying Goodbye: What You Need to Know

We’ve made the difficult decision to shut down Pocket on July 8, 2025. Thank you for being part of our journey over the years—we're proud of the impact Pocket has had for our users and communities. 

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/future-of-pocket

AI TLDR:

Mozilla has announced that Pocket will shut down on July 8, 2025. Here are the key details:

Shutdown Timeline:
- Pocket will remain usable until July 8, 2025.
- After that, users can export their saved articles until October 8, 2025.
- All user data will be permanently deleted after October 8.

Reasons for Shutdown:
- Mozilla is shifting resources to better match evolving web usage habits.
- They will continue content curation through Firefox’s New Tab experience and newsletters.

Impact on Users:
- Pocket Premium subscribers will receive prorated refunds.
- Pocket browser extensions will stop working after July 8, and users must manually remove them.
- Pocket API will be disabled, preventing third-party apps from accessing saved articles.

Pocket Hits Newsletter:
- It will be renamed "Ten Tabs" and continue delivering curated content.
- Weekend editions will be discontinued.

KBT jangan suka-suka horn!

loserguy — Wed, 21 May 2025 11:46:04 +0800

Horn blast may have sparked elephant attack on car along Gerik-Jeli Highway

QUOTE

PETALING JAYA: A horn blast from another vehicle may have startled a herd of elephants into attacking a car on the Gerik-Jeli East-West Highway on Tuesday night, police said.

The incident, which occurred around 8.15pm at KM11 of the highway, involved a Toyota Vios traveling from Jeli towards Gerik.

According to Gerik district police chief Superintendent Zulkifli Mahmood, the 39-year-old driver had stopped and switched off his headlights upon spotting a group of elephants crossing the road.

“While the driver was waiting, a vehicle behind sounded its horn, possibly startling the elephants.

“Three elephants then approached the car, prompting the driver to exit the vehicle in panic to save himself,“ he told New Straits Times in a statement.

The vehicle sustained heavy damage to the front, rear and both sides, but the driver escaped unscathed.

“Following the encounter, the man lodged a report at the Gerik police station at 11.36pm,“ he stated.

He urged motorists to be extremely careful when driving through forested or wildlife-prone stretches, particularly at night.

“Road users are reminded not to honk or use high beams when encountering elephants, and to follow safety guidelines issued by authorities,“ he said.

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) confirmed the incident and said it received a report from four Civil Defence Force personnel who were at the scene at 8.40pm.

https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/horn-blast-...hway-IE14108743

sekian, please be careful around wildlife

UiTM datang lagi!

loserguy — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:12:01 +0800

"Imagine Being Hungry & Unable To Speak" — Kind UiTM Students Help Starving Puppy
https://says.com/my/news/hungry-not-able-to...elp-stray-puppy

QUOTE

A group of students from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam recently found a stray puppy on campus and immediately stepped in to help

Noticing that it was just skin and bones, they brought it food and clean water.

In a TikTok video shared by @polymerclique on Friday, 25 April, the students from the university's School of Applied Sciences explained that they did what they could at the time to help the poor puppy.

"Life is so unfair. Imagine being hungry, hot, and not being able to speak a word," wrote the Engineered Polymer Technology degree students.

The students kindly bought food for the puppy and gently fed it

At first, they tried feeding it by hand, but soon realised the puppy felt more comfortable eating from a plastic container.

They also provided the puppy with clean water in a separate container.

"Helping one dog might not change the world, but it changes their world," they also said.
The students kindly bought food for the puppy and gently fed it

At first, they tried feeding it by hand, but soon realised the puppy felt more comfortable eating from a plastic container.

They also provided the puppy with clean water in a separate container.

"Helping one dog might not change the world, but it changes their world," they also said.

The heartwarming video has since gained over 300,000 views, with netizens praising the students for their compassion and asking for updates on the puppy's wellbeing

In an update posted on Saturday, 26 April, the students shared that when they returned after classes later that day, the puppy was no longer there

"But don't worry, our students had already notified the appropriate authorities to help the puppy. Together, we pray for it to stay safe," they wrote.

Responding to concerned users, they also stressed that they care about the puppy's safety and are determined to find it and protect it.

[tiktok]7496829406422355207[/tiktok]

Microsoft AI Skills Fest

loserguy — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:49:54 +0800

https://aiskillsfest.event.microsoft.com/

QUOTE

The best way to learn something new is by taking it one step at a time. We know all this talk of AI can be overwhelming, so how about we take it one skill at a time? At Microsoft, our mission has always been to create technology that empowers others to innovate and solve real-world problems. And it’s no different with AI—we want to help you learn to use this powerful technology to make your life easier, especially as it becomes an integral part of our daily lives. Sometimes, starting is the hardest part, so we want to make that part simple for you.

This is why we’re excited to announce the Microsoft AI Skills Fest, a global event this April and May, designed to bring learners across the globe together to build their AI skills, from beginner explorers to the technologically gifted. Together, we can learn a new AI skill and maybe even set a groundbreaking record at the same time!

Everyone everywhere is invited
The AI Skills Fest is designed with you in mind, offering a wide variety of AI training for everyone, regardless of background or expertise. Join us to build your AI skills and unlock new opportunities for productivity, innovation, and growth.

- Tech professionals. Learn how to quickly build AI-powered solutions using Microsoft's AI apps and services. Gain skills and experience working with agents, AI security, Azure AI Foundry, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Fabric, and more.
- Business professionals. Find out how much easier your work life can be when you use Microsoft Copilot to simplify tasks and let your creativity loose!
- Students. Explore technical skills to bring your ideas to life, with AI learning experiences for all skill levels and interests.
- Business leaders. Empower your teams with AI skills for future success through curated upskilling opportunities.

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/mi...he-date/4292269

Vive le resistance!

loserguy — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:24:07 +0800

QUOTE

Docs is a new open-source collaborative text editor, intended as an alternative to Notion, Google Docs, Outline, and other similar web-based services. Interestingly, the project is being led by the governments of France and Germany.

Docs is a web-based collaborative writing tool, with the ability for multiple people to view and edit the same page simultaneously. Apple Pages and Microsoft Word have simultaneous editing capabilities, but new changes can sometimes take several seconds to show up for all editors, which isn’t great for real-time collaboration. The base version of LibreOffice doesn’t support online document editing at all, though the LibreOffice-based Collabora Online suite does have it.

This New Open-Source Alternative to Google Docs and Notion Is Backed by France and Germany
https://www.howtogeek.com/docs-alternative-...france-germany/

https://docs.numerique.gouv.fr/
Make Europe Great Again

Macha visited alternate reality Malaysia

loserguy — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 10:19:00 +0800

[reddit]/r/india/comments/1hrofew/comment/m4zganz[/reddit]

JimmyX why u do dis?

loserguy — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 15:49:59 +0800

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bolehland/comments...er_penang_guide

Good relationship with boss very important

loserguy — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:09:00 +0800

Theo de Parcin was the only player in Thierry Henry's France squad not to win a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and the goalkeeper was left in tears after the final whistle

QUOTE

While his team-mates received silver medals after a 5-3 extra-time defeat to Spain at the Parc des Princes, the Auxerre goalkeeper had the misfortune of being the lone wolf in the team - he hadn't played a single minute throughout the Summer Games.

The 23-year-old was on standby for an Olympic call-up, one of four alternatives ready to step in if needed according to FIFA's regulations for injury replacements. Unfortunately, he was the odd one out as his manager Henry gave all the others minutes during the tournament.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/...ympics-33450119

fellow /ktard please don't piss off your boss or future FIL

Raykat ke arah kuasa besar

loserguy — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:35:49 +0800

lol

YouTube going after subscribers using VPN

loserguy — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 08:36:44 +0800

YouTube confirms crackdown on VPN users accessing cheaper Premium plans

QUOTE

“To provide the most accurate plans and offers available, we have systems in place to determine the country of our users,” a YouTube spokesperson told us. “In instances where the signup country does not match where the user is accessing YouTube, we’re asking members to update their billing information to their current country of residence.”

However, the company declined to speak to us about any cancellations. A Google support agent, on the other hand, had told PCMag that YouTube has “initiated the cancellation of premium memberships for accounts identified as having falsified signup country information.” The agent also said that the wave of cancellations began recently and that users who violate the rule will get an email and in-app notification that their plans are canceled.

source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/20/youtube-c...-premium-plans/

LHDN checking cryptocurrency trading

loserguy — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:44:56 +0800

LHDN identifies individuals, companies involved in cryptocurrency trading

QUOTE

PUTRAJAYA: The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) has identified several individuals and companies engaged in cryptocurrency trading as part of efforts to curb tax revenue leakage and enhance national tax administration

LHDN chief executive officer Datuk Dr. Abu Tariq Jamaluddin said the high frequency of cryptocurrency trading transactions has prompted LHDN to review data for potential tax implications.

“We understand that if there are a lot of transactions, profits from cryptocurrency trading are taxable.

“Individuals engaged in high-volume transactions are not reporting these activities to us,“ he told reporters after presenting certificates to participants of the Tax Corporate Governance (TCG) Programme today.

Recently, LHDN launched Ops Token in collaboration with the police and CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) to combat tax revenue leakage in cryptocurrency trading, covering 10 locations across the Klang Valley.

Abu Tariq emphasised that individuals engaged in cryptocurrency trading in Malaysia are liable for income tax and those needing clarification on tax matters can reach out to LHDN or access the guidelines here: https://phl.hasil.gov.my/pdf/pdfam/GP_LAYAN...ANG_DIGITAL.pdf

https://thesun.my/local-news/lhdn-identifie...ding-NP12592780

PSA: Minecraft on sale RM9.99 on Google Play

loserguy — Thu, 16 May 2024 08:47:51 +0800

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?...necraftpe&hl=en

Part of Minecraft's 15th Anniversary

Prof wishes Salam Hari Raya to all Malaysians

loserguy — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 10:12:24 +0800

This Hari Raya, I ask forgiveness from all Malaysians for Islam and our nation

In today’s article, my wife and I, two Muslims born in Malaysia, would like to ask for forgiveness from all our Malaysian brethren, whether we know them or not, whether our paths have crossed or not. We ask forgiveness for the sake of our religion, for the sake of our children and grandchildren and for the sake of our country, that Malaysians can forgive the excesses and kurang ajar behaviors as well as threats to life and property from those Malays who know not their own Prophet, their own God and their own religion that they are so bent in protecting. We ask that Malaysians show patience and act with kindness towards all Muslims. The greatest weapon against cruelty, bigotry and arrogance is simply forgiveness, patience and kindness. There exists no weapon in the arsenal and knowledge of man that can overpower those three acts of humanity. Gandhi had proven it and Reverand Martin Luther King. The real power of faith is in those three, not in threats, not in cruelty and certainly not in selfishness.

As we enter the final third month of Ramadhan, said to be the 10 holiest and most sacred, many Muslims will be spending time in mosques throughout the night hoping for the Lai-latul-Qadr or the Night of Power. It is said that Allah’s Mercy and Blessings would flow in this night till dawn and if one were to capture that night then all of our sins may be forgiven by Him. For my wife and I, we are two Muslims who will look first towards asking forgiveness from all Malaysians who have been tested grievously by the Stocking incident that has cost Malays to act beyond and against the norms, value and faith of Islam.

As I watch the video of a man who was said to be an Ustaz berating a lone Chinese woman trembling with fear, I feel suddenly a dark gloom overcasting the celebrations of Hari Raya this year. The darkest gloom for me during Hari Raya was my first heart attack in 2018 when I did not know whether another one would end my life while I waited for my bypass surgery. But the gloom I felt after watching that video created a heaviness in my heart as I confided my feeling to my wife. She too said that she is embarrassed and felt ashamed to meet her doctors who are mostly non-Muslims and face them after the insults, threats and incitement of the past few weeks thrown by Malays against our fellow citizens.

In this Hari Raya, I had planned to invite many non-Muslim friends to my house in Kajang. The thought had filled me with joy as I was healthy, and I can afford to do so in style. But when the stocking incident became worse to dangerous, I felt like dark clouds had encircled my house and I felt, for the first time, ashamed and embarrassed to come face to face with those whom have helped me in my life but that they are going through such a rough and uncertain time of racial, political and religious unrest. We can blame Akmal or UMNO but I know for a fact that most Malays are like Akmal and it is easy to rally a populist call for a short term gain at a cost of nation destruction. Both my wife and I do not have any political backing, economic strength or even social standing but all we have is the sincerity and sadness of our hearts at the way this issue has been blown out of proportion.

I know that the asking of forgiveness from two insignificant individuals who are Malay and Muslim may not amount to much in the greater scheme of things but that is all that we have.

I had wished and prayed that there would be many Malay professors, muftis and ustaz to back our call for ceasefire on this issue but none, save one mufti from Penang, did.

We may still have a country, we may still have a parliament and we may still have our cars and houses, but without respect for each other, do we still have a nation?

Thus, to all my colleagues at UCSI University, to all my teachers and friends in St.’ Marks Primary Butterworth (1969 to 1974), St’Marks Secondary, Butterworth( 1975 to 1976), SMJK Hua Lian (1976 – 1980), to my physicians, salespersons, bankers, lawyers and police men, may the paths crossed testify to our beliefs in one another and also our forgiveness from and to one another. As Malaysia face a somber trial of faith and perseverance, let us use the power of patience, forgiveness and kindness to stem the tide of mistrust, cruelty and bigotry to still have faith in our nation, even if it means with just the small number in our hearts.

I pray that all good Malaysians tell their children that these dark days of Ramadhan, that they saw two lights of hope, faith and joy from two simple Muslims who stand out against a majority of those who dishonor the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and also the words of our forefathers, bersatu teguh bercerai roboh.

Salam Hari Raya and Lai-latul-Qadr to all Malaysians and maaf Zahir dan Batin.

https://mysinchew.sinchew.com.my/news/20240...sinchew/5502003

PSA: Arch Linux kena backdoor

loserguy — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 11:12:36 +0800

QUOTE

TL;DR: Upgrade your systems and container images now!

https://archlinux.org/news/the-xz-package-h...een-backdoored/

Edit: Even if you are not running a rolling release distro, may be good to check. Affected are xz 5.6.0 and 5.6.1

CODE

xz --version
xz (XZ Utils) 5.6.1
liblzma 5.6.1

Edit edit: Kali Linux confirm affected

[twt]https://twitter.com/kalilinux/status/1773786266074513523[/twt]