Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by kenviro

Hardware causing slowness problem in Illustrator?

kenviro — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:02:57 +0800

I have a Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED - UN5401Q laptop, which has AMD Ryzen 7 5800H Processor 3.2GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD and AMD Radeon Graphics as the GPU card.

This laptop is quite new as I bought it in 2023 and based on the specifications, I thought that it is fast.

However, it has a problem running Adobe Illustrator. It takes a rather long time to process images or graphics and that includes saving the AI file. I attribute this to the GPU card, which is the AMD Radeon Graphics.

Would I be correct to say that? Should I get an external GPU card to fix this slowness problem that I get with Adobe Illustrator?

External graphic card (GPU) dock for my laptop

kenviro — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 21:35:37 +0800

I have a Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED - UN5401Q laptop.

I would like to get a dock or enclosure for an external graphics card so that I install an external graphics card on it and then connect it to my laptop via Thunderbolt 4 port. My laptop has 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports (see image)

As for the graphics card, I would like to get an Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060.

I have looked for external graphic card (GPU) docks on Shopee and Lazada. I have the following questions:

1. How can I know for sure whether the Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 is compatible with an external graphic card (GPU) dock?

2. Is it easy to setup an external graphics card on the dock and then connect it to my laptop Thunderbolt 4 port?

3. Will any of these three external graphic card (GPU) docks that I can buy on Shopee and Lazada serve the purpose?

https://shp.ee/uxcon5r
https://s.lazada.com.my/s.8PAQq
https://s.lazada.com.my/s.8PALm
https://s.lazada.com.my/s.8n1H0

Terrible Public Bank experience!

kenviro — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 18:33:51 +0800

Public Bank is a terrible bank! The following was what happened:

My friend had changed his phone number so we went to a Public Bank branch on Monday, 14th December 2020, to have this registered phone number changed in order to receive the TAC for bank transfer in Public Bank online banking, which is PBe.. Then he did an ATM fund transfer for RM3,750 on that same Monday afternoon but it was rejected. When he checked with the bank, he was told that he had to change the transfer limit because it was apparently reset when he changed his phone number, due to some technical problem in the Public Bank computer system.. What was even worse was that when the fund transfer was rejected (the bank-in slip says "transaction was rejected"), the money was not returned into his Public Bank account immediately. In fact, his account history in PBe shows the money was already deducted from his account despite the failed ATM fund transfer.

When he checked his account the next day on Tuesday, 15th December, the money had still not appeared in his account. My friend was hopeful and patient and waited until Friday, 18th December, but the money was still not appearing in his account so he wrote to Public Bank customer service and attached his bank-in slip.for the failed transaction.

The money then appeared as floating in the afternoon on Monday, 21st December. On Wednesday, 23rd December, which is more than 48 hours later, the money is no longer showing floating and is part of the current balance but the amount is not still not available. He is hoping that the amount will become available tomorrow, which is Thursday, 24th December. This means that due to some fault of Public Bank, my friend has been denied access to his money for more than 9 whole days now.

Obviously my friend is very disappointed with Public Bank through this terrible experience of banking with them. I really feel sorry for my friend. This is actually not the first negative experience that he has faced with Public Bank.

I urge everyone to avoid Public Bank like the plague, if you can.

Terrible experience with Public Bank

kenviro — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 18:31:30 +0800

Solution to block certain websites

kenviro — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 13:44:47 +0800

I am asking a question on behalf of a friend...

He would like to know whether there is any solution (probably a software; think it is a firewall in my opinion) to block certain websites that he visits I think you can figure out that those websites that he visits are not good websites so he wants to be blocked from accessing them. The thing is that he doesn't want anyone to do it for him so that others will know the bad websites that he visits. On the other hand, if he does it himself by using a firewall and enter the list of websites to be blocked in it, he can easily unblock later.

This means that he wants a solution where he can enter the list of websites to be blocked from his computer and will find it very hard (if not impossible) to unblock them.
Does anyone know of such a solution?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Stop buying V-soy soy milk in Malaysia

kenviro — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:49:10 +0800

2 years ago in 2018, one is able to buy the V-soy Original 1L for about RM4.

Two days ago on Sunday, 16th February 2020, I saw in Aeon supermarket that the price has increased to about RM6 (RM5.95). That is a 50% price increase, which is a huge price increase. In fact, it's a ridiculous price increase. If they increase the price by 5% per year or maybe even 10% per year, we can understand but this is bonkers. V-soy is getting more expensive. I have also seen an online price of RM6.40 at http://dinasou.com/productview.aspx?id=7813. What is crazier is that the market price is apparently RM6.80.

I would recommend everyone not to buy V-soy or at least buy V-soy less and consider other brands of soy milk.

Opinion on chocolate warehouse sales

kenviro — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:09:28 +0800

Beryl is having a CNY chocolate sale at Sri Kembangan on 3 - 23 January 2020. I have a few questions.

1. Does this CNY sale give similar discount to their warehouse sale?

2. What's the typical discount like? I like their Almond Coated with Dark Chocolate (450 grams) so I am wondering what kind of discount I would get from a CNY sale like this.

Also, on 17-19 January 2020, there is a Chocolate Museum Warehouse Sale at Kota Damansara. They say that the discount is up to 70%.

Has anyone been to this Chocolate Museum warehouse sale in the past and were the discounts really good (as in most of the products have discounts of 30% - 50%) ?

Thank you for your answers.

Unlimited Google Drive; is it risky?

kenviro — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:19:03 +0800

If you go to Lazada and Shopee and you search "Unlimited Google Drive lifetime", you will see results of sellers selling such digital products for RM5 onwards. They are from "Google Team Drive".

Apparently these are educational accounts and my guess is that it is deemed illegal by Google to sell such unlimited Google Drive accounts that can last a lifetime.

I have two questions:

1. Has anyone bought such unlimited Google Drive accounts and did they work without any problems or hitches?

2. If Google finds out that you are using such unlimited lifetime Google Drive accounts, will they terminate all your existing Google or Gmail accounts?

Your answers are most appreciated.

Thank you.

Fruits with more or less pesticide?

kenviro — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 09:17:30 +0800

Hi, I intend to eat more fruits so I would like to get advice on which fruits (assume not organic) have more pesticide and which fruits have less pesticide.

I heard that the following fruits, in general, tend to have more pesticide:

1. Musang King durian

2. Dragon Fruit / Pitaya

3. Mango

4. Watermelon

Fruits that are rather safe (little or no pesticide)

1. Coconut

2. Kampung durian

Does anyone know whether the other types of fruits (as seen in the list below) in general that are sold in Malaysia contain more pesticide or are safe to eat?

• Longan
• Mangosteen
• Papaya
• Plum
• Nangka
• Cempedak
• Rambutan
• Strawberry
• Cherry
• Apricot
• Figs
• Dates
• Guava
• Banana
• Apple
• Orange
• Duku
• Ciku
• Lime
• Lemon
• Starfruit
• Jambu
• Kiwi
• Soursop
• Pomegranate
• Kedondong
• Lychee
• Blueberry
• Raspberry
• Grapes
• Peach
• Passion fruit
• Pear
• Grapefruit
• Pomelo
• Avocado
• Nectarine
• Tangerine
• Persimmon
• Langsat

Your advice is appreciated.

Fruits with more pesticide?

kenviro — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 14:37:00 +0800

Hi, I intend to eat more fruits so I would like to get advice on which fruits have more pesticide and which fruits have less pesticide.

I heard that Musang King durian tends to have more pesticide whereas kampung durian have little or no pesticide.

I heard that dragon fruit / pitaya is also high in pesticide. The same goes for watermelon. Therefore, you have to eat these three types of fruits mentioned with caution.

I would like to find out about the other types of fruits that are sold in Malaysia, whether they contain more pesticide or less pesticide. Here is a list of fruits that I can think of:

1. Longan
2. Mangosteen
3. Papaya
4. Plum
5. Nangka
6. Cempedak
7. Rambutan
8. Strawberry
9. Cherry
10. Apricot
11. Figs
12. Dates
13. Mango
14. Guava
15. Banana
16. Apple
17. Orange
18. Duku
19. Ciku
20. Lime
21. Lemon
22. Starfruit
23. Jambu
24. Kiwi
25. Soursop
26. Pomegranate
27. Kedondong
28. Lychee
29. Blueberry
30. Raspberry
31. Grapes
32. Peach
33. Passion fruit
34. Pear
35. Grapefruit
36. Pomelo
37. Avocado
38. Nectarine
39. Tangerine
40. Persimmon
41. Langsat

Your advice is appreciated.

Herb stuck to teeth cause tooth decay?

kenviro — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 23:02:53 +0800

Assume that I have brushed my teeth at night. Then I decide to chew and consume a fresh herb like hempedu bumi (or a vegetable without any sugar). If I don't brush my teeth and leave the bits of herb (or vegetable) stuck to my teeth, is it okay to go to bed without brushing my teeth again? My thinking is that it shouldn't cause tooth decay (because there is no sugar) but I could be wrong so I wanted to ask here to those who knows the answer to my question.

DBKL phone number you can call to report potholes

kenviro — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 09:55:52 +0800

After going through two hoops (calling to two other DBKL phone numbers), I have finally found the correct number for DBKL to report potholes.

The correct number is 03-2617-9382. This is the bahagian aduan of Jabatan Kerja Awam. The contact person is Cik Najwa.

Please direct all your pothole reports or complaints in Kuala Lumpur area to Cik Najwa. She will arrange for those potholes to be fixed hopefully sooner rather than later.

Worst customer service by Unifi / Telekom Malaysia

kenviro — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 16:14:43 +0800

I have just experienced one of the worst customer service by Unifi customer service when I called their hotline. I was put on hold for 43 minutes until I had to hang up.

When I tried to contact Unifi live chat as an alternative to calling their hotline, I was placed in a queue that exceeded 100. I have attached a screenshot showing this.

Telekom Malaysia is so stingy that they are not reducing the price for their business packages for Unifi so my company is paying the same price of RM189 per month. On the other hand, Maxis has lowered the OneBusiness Fibre 30 Mbps to RM99 per month. Despite paying double the price of Maxis, Telekom Malaysia couldn't be bothered to employ more customer service personnel to man the phones in the call centre.

Terrible customer service from Telekom ! Absolutely terrible!

Old slow cooker for recycling or to give away

kenviro — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 09:19:48 +0800

I am looking to discard a very old slow cooker (about 35 years old I think) with frayed power cable. The removable bowl inside is made of ceramic. I don't want to throw it away because it would add to the landfill.

Is there any place that I can send it for recycling or to be given away?

Water chestnut cake

kenviro — Sun, 14 Oct 2018 15:43:56 +0800

I remember coming across something called water chestnut cake the other day. I think I saw it somewhere in Mid Valley Megamall but when I tried to find it by everywhere in the mall again, I was not able to find it.

Does anyone know where I can find it in Mid Valley Megamall or any other place in KL / PJ?

Any place that offer demo for LCD / LED projector?

kenviro — Sun, 14 Oct 2018 15:40:36 +0800

I am looking to purchase a new LCD / LED projector to do presentations in a hall with ceiling lights that are on. Before I purchase, I would like to see a demo of the projector to decide whether it would be suitable for my needs, especially to know whether the projected image is bright and sharp enough. Doesone know which company or shop in Kuala Lumpur / Petaling Jaya can show me a demo before I purchase?

Valid numbers called but not in service

kenviro — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 10:01:39 +0800

Hi, I have called valid mobile numbers that definitely exist, active and still being used by their respective users but I get the message "Sorry, the number that you dialed is not in service" and in Malay "Harap maaf, nombor yang anda dial tiada dalam perkhidmatan".

Can anyone tell me why I hear these messages when the numbers are active and being used by their respective users?

Cheating and lying Maxis agents

kenviro — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:48:54 +0800

I am here to warn people about some cheating and lying Maxis agents that I had the misfortune of dealing with.

I was applying for Unifi (suppose to take 3 working days) but since the Unifi installer didn't call me on Friday (24th August 2018) morning, I messaged (via Whatsapp) this Maxis agent called Elaine that same morning (as she had called me recently offering Maxis Home Fibre Internet service). She called me back and said that I can save by subscribing to Maxis Home Fibre Internet after checking that it's available in my condo unit. I asked her when the installer can contact me and she said after 3 working days. I told her I can't wait and hung up. A short while later, she called me again saying that the installer can call me on Monday for installation on the weekday (like Wednesday) of the same week as weekdays tend to be less busy for installations. I asked her whether she can guarantee that the installer will call me and she said yes. She said that I can cancel the Unifi application as long as I had not install Unifi yet by calling Unifi customer service and requesting to cancel, so I agreed to apply for Maxis Home Fibre Internet and cancel Unifi application.

It turned out that the installer didn't call me on Monday, 27th August 2018. I messaged her and she said that she will check but the installer didn't call me. Instead, it was her colleague, Jackson, who called me saying that the installer will call me tomorrow (Tuesday). He said that he will arrange for the installation on Saturday (1st September 2018) as it can't be done on Wednesday.

Today is Tuesday and the installer didn't call despite me messaging her twice. I called her at the mobile number but they don't usually answer. Jackson (Elaine didn't dare and didn't have the decency to call me back) called me back from a landline and had the cheek to tell me that it has the installation can only be done on 15th September 2018. I went ballistic as I had insisted the agreement was that the Maxis Home Fibre is to be installed this week (by 1st September 2018). I am going to have to call Maxis to see what is the status of my application. If indeed it's going to take that long before the installation will take place, I would have to cancel and I would have lost a significant amount of time.

Anyway, I would like to warn you about these cheating and lying bastards that are totally untrustworthy. Their mobile numbers are 011-57602689 and 011-57501308 and their landline number they would call you from is 03-28333001.

Please don't deal with anyone from these numbers, 011-5760 2689, 011-5750 1308 and 03-2833 3001. Otherwise you will regret!

Cheating and lying Maxis agents

kenviro — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:46:54 +0800

Where to buy Acar Nyonya (or Acar Penang)?

kenviro — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 08:34:10 +0800

Attached is a small amount of acar left that I ate as part of my dinner on Friday. My enjoyment of this little spicy vegetable dish was very high at 9/10 because it was so delicious and so tasty.

I understand that it is called Nyonya acar (or is it Penang acar?). It contained cucumber, carrot and cabbage, as far as I can tell. I bought it from a seller at a fun/food fair who said that his cooking skill enables the acar to keep for 1 year as long as I don't open the airtight plastic container.

Prior to this, the acar that I am more familiar with is the acar timun (with pineapple) that you can find in the mamak restaurant. I enjoy acar timun but certainly not as much as this type of acar.

Can anyone tell me where I can buy this type of acar?