Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by RonaldHo

TOTALLY FREE Comprehensive Eye Checkup In PJ

RonaldHo — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 21:44:40 +0800

Few people can provide comprehensive eye checkups for FREE. I'm one of the few who can do so, as a Year 3 Optometry Student.

If you want to have an eye checkup, do not hestitate to PM me to make an appointment. The following is further information regarding the eye checkup.

The eye checkup can check for: eye power, eye pressure, squint eye, dry eye, colour vision, cataract and many more.

Location: National Institute of Ophthalmic Sciences, Lorong Utara (B), Pjs52, Petaling Jaya.

Complaints about the Radio

RonaldHo — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 08:01:18 +0800

I listened to the radio for many years although I stopped for a few months due to moving to somewhere with poor radio reception. This makes me wonder whether the public has any issues with the Malaysian airwaves. Radio stations may be conditioned in certain aspect due to popular demand but the minority may have a different outlook. What are your complaints about the airwaves? Is it the music? The DJs? The advertisements? Tell me.

The huge setback about the radio, for me, is how the most popular radio stations advertise too much. The last time I listened to Hitz FM for instance, its commercials played used up about the same time as the music being played. I understand that advertising brings more money to the station but this could irritate a lot of precious listeners and cause them to stop listening to it.

Radio Stations: Number of People Listen (4-1-2014)

RonaldHo — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 14:20:29 +0800

From the phone calls received by radio DJs, it seems that plenty of people listen to the radio. "Duh, people listen to the radio all the time. In the car, In their workplace. Those radio stations go national!" You may say. Of course, I agree with the statement but I wonder how many people actually tune in regularly. Perhaps only a few percentage listen, nevertheless the few percentages means thousands of people are listening to songs on the airwaves nationally. What I meant is, do hundreds of thousands of people listen to the radio at peak hour in the country? With the advent of Internet radio, Youtube and everything the Internet can offer, I think those would affect the number of people.

I definitely can't make a national poll solely from this forum. So, I just would like to know your opinions on the size of radio listeners. Tell me how many people of everyone you know listen to the radio in a regular basis. When I meant radio, I meant popular FM radio stations like Hitz FM, Fly FM, Red FM, Mix FM and Traxx FM etc.

Top 40 Music Predictions (1-1-2014)

RonaldHo — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 09:55:40 +0800

Since my Internet connection runs a little slower than usual recently, I went to chatrooms a lot for some old-fashioned way to talk to people. Most of the people I chat with are happy to talk about music. One day, I asked them what kind of future Top 40 musicians today would come into. "Because?" you may ask. Why not? The thing is, the media is so obsessed of what's going on to them in the present. They never think of what they would become years later. Fads come and go, don't they? After all, some of my previous predictions did come true. Daft Punk happened to have a hit. Taylor Swift eventually crossed over with any kind of trend which is prominent in mainstream music. Bruno Mars became from a major songwriter to a beloved-by-all romance singer.

We came out with predictions that are funny and meaningful:

1) Miley Cyrus - She would be banished into oblivion due to how disastrously risque her promotions recently are. She would not make any Top 10 hits anymore and only release albums once every 6 or 7 years. Her sister, Noah, would become a minor sensation as a singer.

2) Taylor Swift - In 5 years time, she would release an album good enough to rival Joni Mitchell albums, a surprise to every critic who derided her. This would happen after she broke up with a man she actually truly love.

3) Justin Bieber - He would break away from retirement in early 2015 and release an album almost as legendary as Michael Jackson's "Thriller". The album would be given a huge amount of awards and earn Justin five No.1 singles. The album would eventually become an all-time best-seller.

4) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Eminem, Dr Dre (Tag Team special!) -
a) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis would take over Eminem-Dr.Dre spot for the biggest rapper-collaborator in Top 40 music.
b) Eminem would live on as a rap icon and produce for future rappers the same way as Dr. Dre.
c)Dr. Dre would finally release his album "Detox" in 2019. The album would receive reviews eerily similar to its classic-rock counterpart - The Beach Boys' album "SMile".

5) Lady Gaga - She would be outshined by another musician who dress as weird as she did. She would live in New York for 5 years, seeking an inspiration. In 2022, she would release her magnum opus album which would set the standard for Top 40 music like Madonna's "Ray of Light".

6) Britney Spears, Usher (another Tag Team special) -
a) Britney would release another album, filled with dull tracks, after an unsuccessful 2016 tour with Usher. She would dismiss as "dated" and "unoriginal" for her album. She would, however, live on as an icon for the rebel of the 2000s in the following decades.
b) Usher would steal the thunder from Britney's tour. His career at that time would be dubbed by the media as a "comeback". He would release a chart-topping soul album and go into hiatus for a decade.

7) Fun. - After releasing a forgettable album in the middle of 2015, the band would work extremely hard for a follow-up album. The album would be released a year later and invent a new subgenre for rock music. The band would be looked by many as an inspiration.

What are your Top 40 music predictions? Do you agree with my predictions? Tell us yours as replies.

Your Favourite 2013 Albums and Songs

RonaldHo — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 07:17:56 +0800

I'm surprised I didn't see any thread discussing regarding this topic. So here it is: your favorite albums and songs of 2013! Sound off your opinions below! You can rank your favorites in your preferred order and number of positions or anything. Tell the world what you think of 2013 music. Also, what do you think of 2013 in terms of music? Better than last year? Below your expectations? Tell us in the form of replies!

Here's my favorite albums and songs of 2013:

Albums:
1. Lorde - Pure Heroine
2. David Bowie - The Next Day
3. Lady Gaga -Artpop

Songs:
1. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (featuring Pharrell Williams)
2. Lorde - Royals
3. Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop
4. Phoenix - Entertainment
5. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
6. Kanye West - Black Skinhead
7. Lady Gaga - Gypsy

Trends in 2013 English Top 40 Songs

RonaldHo — Sun, 22 Dec 2013 12:27:34 +0800

[center]
(from left to right) Pink, Avicii, Robin Thicke[/center]

Contrary to the majority of the audience's opinion, I think English Top 40 music, the kind of tunes you hear on Fly FM and Hitz FM, changes in style from time to time. People still think that Top 40 music is lyrically about sex and alcohol although those days were finally long gone. In 2013, we had a new generation of artists like Macklemore and Lorde preaching of the message opposite to it. There's only so lyrically. I noted down the trends in Top 40 music which got popular in 2013.

1. Anything resembling disco
"Disco is dead" is a pretty easy statement to make. When I say "easy", I mean it's a kosher comment for people who doesn't pay close attention to Top 40 music to make. Disco, or songs which sound like the genre, was rather popular in 2013. It was 1978 all over again when 6 out of the 10 most popular songs in the US were disco songs. Daft Punk, a French electronic duo who are critical darlings for a decade or more, finally had their first hit single after switching to disco and releasing "Get Lucky". You may have also heard of Robin Thicke. He had a song out called "Blurred Lines", which garnered attention for its lyrics and music video. Writing this two weeks before 2014, I wonder what genres would return to prominence in the next few years? Bakersfield Sound in 2014? New Wave in 2015?

Examples: Bruno Mars' "Treasure", Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home (featuring Majid Jordan)", Daft Punk's "Get Lucky (featuring Pharrell Williams)", Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines (featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams)"

[center][YOUTUBE]5NV6Rdv1a3I[/YOUTUBE][/center]

2. Piano Ballads
Since Adele's "Someone Like You" was massive in 2011, it's safe to say that record label executives think that the public loves piano ballads. We had a bunch of them in 2013 and their commercial performance and appeal allow them to reach the higher positions on singles charts. For reasons unexplained, producers thought it was a good idea to add a loud computerised beat on some of these songs. I think it's an idea as clever as eating a slice of chocolate cake with tomato ketchup. Those two things may be individually brilliant but they sound horrible when they are paired up. Nevertheless, these songs resonate with the sentimental side of me.

Examples: Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man", Pink's "Just Give Me A Reason (featuring Nate Ruess)", Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire", Rihanna's "Stay (featuring Mikky Ekko)", A Great Big World's and Christina Aguilera's "Say Something"

[center][YOUTUBE]ekzHIouo8Q4[/YOUTUBE][/center]

3. EDM (Electronic Dance Music)
If there was a trend in Top 40 music in 2013 that I detest, it was EDM. The genre was in the realm for a few years but it was 2013 when it became as ridiculously ostentatious and overhyped as brostep (or dubstep, whatever you call it). Unsurprisingly, more and more singers who had considerable success in other genres decided to start to jump on the bandwagon. I remember that I had a conversation with a friend on EDM in November that year. He called the choruses of the EDM songs "jingles". I can't agree more. Avicii's "Wake Me Up!" and Zedd's "Clarity" are the cases in point. This trend may appear quite new when David Guetta and Rihanna released "Titanium" and "We Found Love" respectively. On the last days of 2013, you started to wonder when this would end.

Examples: Avicii's "Wake Me Up!", Zedd's "Clarity (featuring Foxes)", Baauer's "Harlem Shake", Calvin Harris' "Sweet Nothing (featuring Florence Welch)", Lana Del Rey's and Cedric Gervais' "Summertime Sadness"

[center][YOUTUBE]IxxstCcJlsc[/YOUTUBE][/center]

And.... what? That's all? 3 trends to round out the whole year? Actually, there's a lot of things to cover for 2013. It's just that I consider the rest to not fit in song forms. There was Miley Cyrus' controversial MTV Video Music Awards performance. Justin Timberlake surprised fans by releasing two comeback albums. Justin Bieber's fall from grace was well-documented by his critics. Lady Gaga fans and Katy Perry fans debate on who's better yet again. I may write more topics regarding Top 40 music in 2013 that we have not covered.

Did I miss out any other trends in songs? Do you agree with my thoughts? Write your opinions as replies below.

EDIT:In the first paragraph, "Top 40 trends in 2013" was changed to "trends in Top 40 music which got popular in 2013. (25-12-2013)

PSY's "Gentleman"

RonaldHo — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:30:05 +0800

PSY has just released the music video of his new song "Gentleman". The song is underwhelming in my opinion, considering it's the follow-up to Gangnam Style.

[YOUTUBE]ASO_zypdnsQ[/YOUTUBE]

What's your opinion on the song? What do you think of the music video?

How Long Does Toshiba Laptop Warranty Lasts

RonaldHo — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:30:03 +0800

I'm using a Toshiba Satellite C640 laptop. There is a dead pixel on the screen. I want to ask how long a warranty for a Toshiba laptop like mine would last. I want to know in case I want to repair the screen if there is too many dead pixels. I'm using the laptop for 2 years and 6 months.

Foundation in Science is One Week Away.....

RonaldHo — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:05:02 +0800

I'll be a Foundation in Science student at Aimst University next Wednesday. What should I do before taking off to the campus in Sungai Petani? I got punished by my parents real good when they knew that I was not surfing the Internet on anything related to my studies. What can I do to stay ahead using the power of the Internet? Should I do more research on the Aimst campus, (which I have done for 1 month and still find less than enough information I want)? Should I study the basics of subjects I will learned in Foundation in Science using the Internet (a method which I don't do a lot because I have no idea what to study about)?

Youtube Thread v2 (Unofficial)

RonaldHo — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 13:51:23 +0800

I searched around LYN and found that there's only a Youtube thread which is only software-related and receive no response for 4 years. So I decided to come out with a Youtube thread which has "v2" and "(unofficial)" in the title to avoid the confusion with this title to the aforementioned thread.

I started this thread so we can discuss just about everything related to Youtube.
Things like:
- Channels and videos we frequent
- Complaints and praises on Youtube's new layouts
- Opinions on certain "Youtubers"
- How Youtube can improve their quality
- And anything else related to Youtube

One of the few channels I frequent is also the most frequented according to some other people I talked about. I'm talking about Vsauce. Sometimes there're facts that seems too trivial to know about but they're scientifically interesting to others. Michael Stevens talks about them in his videos. Expect him to explain the facts in his medium-length videos (5 to 10 minutes) in a exciting manner, unlike other people on Youtube that discuss science whose speaking manner resembles most common and bored lecturers. Some people think contents in Michael's newer videos are a little pointless and spark much little curiousity compared to his older videos. However, most viewers don't agree so. A highly recommended channel.
Youtube channel: youtube.com/vsauce

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Another recommended channel is C. G. P. Grey. Well, his videos are only uploaded once in a while, sometimes a month apart. What I like about his videos is amount of details he put into what he explains just so he doesn't miss out on anything. Thus, he has to talk fast in his short videos to fit every information. Thank God you can choose to have his videos display subtitles! His topics lean towards more general yet confusing facts which a large number of people have misconceptions regarding them. I realised the City of London and London are two difference things, and also the differences of Great Britain and United Kingdom because of his videos!
Youtube channel: youtube.com/cgpgrey

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

What are the videos and channels you frequent? What are your comments on Youtube in general?

Rules on Starting a Thread

RonaldHo — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:20:40 +0800

Is there any rules on starting a thread? Can a LYN beginner like me start a new thread even though I didn't accomplish much on LYN?

Why Are Some Topic Titles Green in Colour?

RonaldHo — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:25:22 +0800

I'm new to LYN. Can someone explain why are some topic titles green in colour? I'm talking about the topic titles which are displayed after going to a forum.

Post The Same Topic To Multiple Forums

RonaldHo — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:17:42 +0800

Are we allowed to post the same topic to multiple accounts? Sometimes I don't know which topic suits which forum the best. Also, different users who visit different forums have different opinions. I want different opinions from the different users so I post on the forums they visit. For example, can I post a topic on both Real World Issues and Serious Kopitiam forums because they're relevant to both forums?

Can Dead Pixels Be Fixed by Average Technicians

RonaldHo — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:54:42 +0800

I got some dead pixels on my Toshiba Satellite C640 laptop screen. Can the dead pixels on the laptop screen be fixed by the average technicians/repairmen? I mean those technicians who you can find at malls and shops, not the ones working to fix the particular brand of computers.

I live in Subang Jaya, Selangor. If you happen to live here and know a decent technicians who can fix it with a reasonable price, please tell me.

Are users allowed to reply in old threads?

RonaldHo — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:59:41 +0800

Some forums ban users from replying in old threads, unless the threads are important and still receive replies from time to time. For example, users are banned from replying in a 6-year old thread which does not receive any replies for 5 years.

Does this forum allow users to reply in old threads which do not receive enough response for a long period of time?

When will the SPM results be announced?

RonaldHo — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:03:39 +0800

When will the SPM results be announced? Has the date been confirmed? Have the official news sources reported the confirmed date of SPM results announcement? On what time on the SPM results day SPM leavers have to collect their results at school? What must SPM leavers bring along to school to collect SPM results?

Researching colleges so... where to start looking?

RonaldHo — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:21:29 +0800

I finished SPM last year and I'm waiting for the result which will be announced next week. I'm only researching for colleges but the problem is, I don't know where to start looking. Of course I have a list of colleges/universities to consider (Segi, KDU, UTAR, Manipal...) and they don't tell you a lot in their websites. I go to education fairs but they don't know tell you more about the things you can know more of about their colleges/universities. How do I know their fees, seats and many more they don't show in their websites but can be found on the Net? Where should I start looking?

Price of Laptop Screen for Toshiba Satellite C640

RonaldHo — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:02:16 +0800

What's the price of a laptop screen for Toshiba Satellite C640? What's the price of laptop screen normally? How much would the repair cost?

Laptop Screen Change Price, Repair(Toshiba C640)

RonaldHo — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:59:27 +0800

I want to change my laptop screen of my Toshiba Satellite C640. How much does the screen cost? How much does the repair for it cost? How much does a laptop screen usually cost in average?

Price for Laptop Screen (Toshiba Satellite C640)

RonaldHo — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:22:51 +0800

Does anyone here knows the average price for a laptop LCD screen nowadays, especially for Toshiba Satellite C640? My Toshiba Satellite C640 laptop has some dead pixels and I"m considering changing the screen. Please tell me the price if you know.