Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by daijoubu

Buying phone from JD.com

daijoubu — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:44:04 +0800

Anyone have experience buying seken hen phone from JD.com before. There machiem got cheap phone deals from the Authorised JD store.

Of course can ignore warranty and support, rather more curious whether it will be delivered successfully without kena tax?

Pig liver transplant shows promise

daijoubu — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 10:50:35 +0800

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/09/health/p...ransplant-china

Article too long to copy paste, but tldr: pig liver can be a bridging strategy for those with damaged livers and with no option of other human transplant

I think it's amazing that modern medicine has gone to the stage where animal's organs can be used for transplant. Granted it's now only the possibility of being used as a bridge, and not anywhere near a permanent transplant, but this maybe something we'll probably see in our lifetime.

in b4 sarahan babi

Identical Made in US vs Made in Asia

daijoubu — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:02:31 +0800

Interesting experiment made by this company, they offered 2 versions of the same product, made in Asia vs made in USA.

https://afina.com/blogs/news/made-in-usa?fb...x9Jvy6kxsEm8P5w

QUOTE

Everyone Says They’ll Pay More for “Made in the USA.” So We Ran an A/B Test.
April 23, 2025

When we priced a U.S.-made version of our flagship product 85% higher than our Chinese-made one, 25,650 customers had the chance to vote with their wallets. Here’s what happened.

As small business owners, we’ve heard it a thousand times:

“I’d gladly pay more to support American-made.”

We wanted to believe it. So we put it to the test.

We make filtered showerheads. Clean, sleek design. But more importantly, with the best shower filters on the market.

Our bestselling model—manufactured in Asia (China and Vietnam)—sells for $129. But this year, as tariffs jumped from 25% to 170%, we wondered: Could we reshore manufacturing to the U.S. while maintaining margins to keep our lights on?

An important part to mention is that our most filter materials (KDF-55) is sourced from the US. So technically we partly source from Asia.

We found a U.S.-based supplier. The new unit cost us nearly 3x more to produce. To maintain our margins, we’d have to sell it for $239.

So we ran an experiment.

We created a secret landing page. The product and design were identical. The only difference? One was labeled “Made in Asia” and priced at $129. The other, “Made in the USA,” at $239.

The visitors were given the choice to either buy the Made in USA or the Made in Asia version.

The results were sobering.

Add-to-carts for the U.S. version were only 24! Conversion? 0.0% (zero).
Not a single customer purchased the Made-in-USA version.

We tested everything: color, copy, layout. We ran it over multiple days and traffic sources. Same outcome every time.

For a moment, we thought we’d made a technical error. We hadn’t.

This wasn’t a failure of marketing—it was a referendum on price

We wanted to believe customers would back American labor with their dollars. But when faced with a real decision—not a survey or a comment section—they didn’t.

It’s not their fault. Most people are stretched. They’re feeling inflation everywhere: gas, groceries, mortgages. “Supporting U.S. manufacturing” becomes a luxury most can’t afford—even if they want to.

This isn’t just our problem—it’s the economy’s.

Small brands like ours want to manufacture here. We’re willing to invest. But without serious shifts—in consumer incentives, automation, and trade policy—the math doesn’t work. Not for us. Not for our customers.

We’re still committed to exploring local manufacturing. But for now, it’s not viable.

We’re sharing this because the numbers surprised even us. And we think they’re worth talking about.

If policymakers and pundits want to rebuild American industry, they need to grapple with this truth: idealism doesn’t always survive contact with a price tag.

Ramon van Meer
Founder - Afina
ramon@afina.com
925-548-7758

Kesian American's rather choose cheap than suppork lokal

'There's a clear trend': Electric cars struggle to

daijoubu — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 17:33:40 +0800

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/there...-carmakers-like

QUOTE

There’s a reason why McDonald’s sells Big Macs and cheeseburgers and not salads and protein shakes — that’s what people want.

The car industry is learning this lesson now, but in a more expensive way with brands that had committed to electric futures forced to backpedal as internal combustion remains the overwhelming choice for consumers.....

Seems like the early adopters all dried up.

Toyota was the only smart one to not ride the bandwagon and remain with hybrid first, taking their sweet time in.

Our democracy is flawed

daijoubu — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 12:29:39 +0800

Unfortunately, video is only for smart ppl

[YOUTUBE]qf7ws2DF-zk[/YOUTUBE]

Tldw: real democracy is mathematically impossibru

The Star: Marehsia economy stronker

daijoubu — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:20:59 +0800

Habis la, USD/MYR 3.5 soon

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024...for-the-economy

PETALING JAYA: Several factors such as government reforms and strategic initiatives through foreign direct investments (FDIs) have contributed to the positive economic environment, say experts.

SME Association of Malaysia secretary-general Chin Chee Seong said the other factor is Bank Negara Malaysia retaining the interest rate at 3%.

He said all these managed to create a favourable economic atmosphere that played a crucial role in fostering growth.

He said this in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement on Saturday of the country’s “extraordinary” achievement in attaining 5.8% economic growth in the second quarter of 2024 (Q2 2024).

Chin said Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth underscores a robust economic recovery compared with 2023, and is likely to boost the confidence of foreign investors.

“For the services sector, this growth was likely fuelled by the Hari Raya holiday season and a surge in tourists from China and India.

“Many entrepreneurs have been pleasantly surprised by the strength of this recovery, which has surpassed expectations, especially given that many retailers experienced low turnover and less demand in the second quarter,” he said.

Chin added that the growth has been driven by effective government policies under the Madani economic framework and a significant increase in domestic demand.

He also cited the optimistic outlook forecast by the Statistics Department for the second half of the year.

“Should this growth trend continue, supported by strategic FDIs and sustained government efforts, Malaysia is on track to achieving 5% GDP growth for the entire year of 2024.

“However, we have to remain cautious because businesses still face various challenges, including the increasing cost and the potential cut of subsidies in petrol, which seems to be on track for implementation this year,” he said.

Chin added that it is crucial for the government to balance its optimism with continued support for businesses.

He said this is to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth by addressing ongoing challenges, particularly those faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to sustain the momentum and support long-term prosperity.

Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia treasurer-general Datuk Koong Lin Loong said the 5.8% GDP growth was largely contributed by FDIs.

He said the growth was due to the services and manufacturing sectors following the influx of FDIs, especially after the Prime Minister’s visit to China in March last year.

On the notion that Malaysia was bouncing back amid the growing economies in Indonesia and Vietnam in South-East Asia, Koong said that was the case.

He also said Malaysia has a business-friendly ecosystem with good English proficiency.

“So, you can expect to see more SMEs in the country, becoming the satellite industry in the supply chain,” Koong said.

Political pundit Dr Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar of International Islamic University Malaysia said the announcement by Anwar was done to set the record straight on the country’s economy.

He said it was aimed at dispelling misconceptions and disinformation about the health of our economy.

“The announcement was also meant to instil confidence in investors.

“The economy’s steady growth will also help address people’s concerns over the long term.

“What is important is that the Prime Minister tell the nation that our economy is on the right track, and this will spill over to the people at large,” Tunku Mohar said.

On Friday, the Statistics Department estimated that Malaysia’s economy would expand by 5.8% in Q2 2024, up from 4.2% in the previous quarter and the highest since Q4 2022’s 7.4%.

For the first half of 2024, Malaysia’s GDP increased by 5%, up from 4.1% a year ago.

The department said the economic growth was spurred by improvements in all sectors during the quarter, particularly the services, manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

“Malaysia’s economy is expected to continue its growth momentum, supported by domestic and export-driven factors, with a positive outlook for the remainder of the year,” said its chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.

He said the services sector drove economic performance for the quarter, with most key sectors showing higher growth than the previous quarter.

It expanded by 5.6%, driven by growth in wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage as well as finance and insurance.

The manufacturing sector grew by 4.7%, supported by non-metallic mineral products, basic metal and fabricated metal products, petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products, as well as transport equipment.

The agriculture sector grew by 7.1%, largely due to the oil palm and livestock subsectors.

The mining and quarrying sector increased by 3.3%, contributed by higher natural gas production.

The construction sector registered the strongest growth at 17.2%, with positive performance across all subsectors, particularly in civil engineering and specialised construction activities.

JPMorgan upgrades Malaysia

daijoubu — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:51:57 +0800

JPMorgan upgrades Malaysia amid economic reforms, renewed investor confidence, data-centred investments — interview

https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/718568

Soon USD4=MYR1
Faster sell your dollars

Thai pipu complain Malaysia cut subsidy

daijoubu — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 15:55:36 +0800

How their cost of living also go up. Madanon tak berhati perut!

NARATHIWAT - Thai citizens who have been reaping significant profits from selling subsidised diesel smuggled from Malaysia are starting to feel the pinch due to the Malaysian government's subsidy targeting measures.

Many sellers of Malaysia's subsidised diesel at roadside stalls were now facing loss of income despite high demand, as many people in the country use four-wheel-drive vehicles.

A survey found that many sellers were complaining about the difficulty of obtaining smuggled fuel since the increase of diesel price in Malaysia by 56 per cent from RM2.15 per litre to RM3.35 per litre starting from June 10.

The reduced supply in the southern region of the country was believed to be due to the smaller profit margins caused by the new price set by the Malaysian government and strict enforcement measures.

The price per litre of diesel at petrol stations in Thailand was RM4.30, but roadside sellers offered smuggled diesel at a cheaper price of RM3.80 to RM4 per litre.

This meant that the price difference between smuggled diesel and the price in Malaysia was now only 65 sen compared to RM1.85, previously.

This did not yet include additional costs that sellers have to pay to suppliers (smugglers), which was about 20 sen per litre.

In other words, profits were dwindling and they needed to sell 100 litres of diesel to make a daily profit of RM45.

A survey covering the 40-kilometre stretch from Pekan Golok to Tak Bai found that nearly 100 stalls were selling smuggled fuel from Malaysia for local residents' use.

However, demand for RON95 petrol remained high as the subsidised fuel was still sold at RM2.05 per litre in Malaysia compared to RM5 in Thailand.

A fuel seller known as Mek, 65, said that the Malaysian government's measures have made it difficult to obtain fuel.

He said this situation has caused him to lose half of his income and he now relied entirely on the sale of RON95 petrol.

"Income has declined because usually, diesel is more popular here as many people use pickup trucks.

"I have been informed that supply from the neighbouring country is difficult because the price is now almost the same as in Thailand. The authorities' surveillance is also strict," he said.

Mek said that fuel smugglers were currently more cautious to avoid being caught by enforcement officers at the Malaysian border.

Another seller, Man, 52, who has been selling fuel from Malaysia for 20 years to make a living, said he now focused on petrol only because selling diesel was no longer very profitable.

"My income has dropped by almost 60 per cent compared to before. We really rely on selling subsidised fuel from Malaysia to sustain our lives," he said.

For him, the majority of people here relied on subsidised goods from Malaysia to sustain their lives.

He said that for decades, people in southern Thailand have depended on petrol and diesel from Malaysia.

"Not only petrol but other essential items like cooking oil, flour and sugar from Malaysia have long been used here and are easily available," he added.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry director Azman Ismail said the department has stationed enforcement officers statically at several petrol stations near the Malaysia-Thailand border in the state to curb smuggling.

He said this involved stations in Bukit Bunga (Tanah Merah), Rantau Panjang (Pasir Mas) and Pengkalan Kubor (Tumpat).

"At the same time, static enforcement officers are also stationed at the main entry points into the country, namely at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complexes in Bukit Bunga, Rantau Panjang and Pengkalan Kubor.

"As a result of this static enforcement, sales of fuel, especially diesel, have dropped significantly," he said.

https://www.sinardaily.my/article/219092/fo...sel-subsidy-cut

Roblox Kuat Kirje

daijoubu — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 10:14:41 +0800

How much per tered and per post usually can get?
Ever since the 4 years MIA, since Oct last year he has posted 171 tereds

Can we resurrect the Politiks Subcategory?

daijoubu — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:57:59 +0800

Can we have politics and propaganda posts put into a separate section again?

Nowadays we start seeing members that hilang for years suddenly appearing again and posting >15 threads per week.
Most the post are related to politics or propaganda.

I miss zaman /k bebas politiks.

Mohon [@se7en] pertimbangkan

Dupe sape ni. Peram 5 tahun

daijoubu — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:16:02 +0800

Wonder how many dupes are created just to be used for certain agendas

Outgoing YDPA gave an interesting speech

daijoubu — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:54:10 +0800

Interested comment by His Majesty YDPA.
I guess we can know where he stands about langkahs and changing PM willy-nilly

https://www.sinarharian.com.my/ampArticle/646607

QUOTE

Mengimbau kembali sepanjang pemerintahan selaku Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah bertitah, baginda telah dikurniakan keafiatan untuk memerintah negara bersama empat Perdana Menteri.

"Insya-ALLAH, jika tiada berlaku sebarang aral atau 'langkah-langkah lain' dalam tempoh dua hari yang akan datang, beta akan menamatkan pemerintahan bersama Yang Amat Berhormat, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"Tidak pernah terlintas di fikiran beta untuk terpaksa memikul tugas berat melantik tiga orang Perdana Menteri dan juga membawa negara keluar dari situasi ketidaktentuan," titah baginda.

Bagaimanapun, Al-Sultan Abdullah bertitah dalam setiap situasi itu, baginda sentiasa berpegang kepada prinsip demokrasi berparlimen.

Pada masa sama, baginda bertitah mengubah sesuatu semata-mata atas agenda politik tidak akan menguntungkan sesiapa.

"Kita tidak melakukan perubahan hanya sekadar untuk melakukan perubahan. Menukar Perdana Menteri setiap tahun juga tidak akan menjamin apa-apa.

"Akibatnya, rakyat akan menderita, ekonomi akan merudum sehingga akhirnya negara menjadi tidak stabil," titah Seri Paduka. - Bernama

It wasn't easy definitely, but we can all be grateful and appreciate his wisdom during those tumultuous time

Is a Dubai Move worth it?

daijoubu — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 13:46:38 +0800

Recently I watched this series call Dubai Bling

[YOUTUBE]3VKESwIpzqk[/YOUTUBE]

Makes me feel like moving to Dubai. Cannot imagine what kind of work these people do. Life goals.

Season 2 just came out, after ending in a cliffhanger

[YOUTUBE]FKvsDu4m0-4[/YOUTUBE]

About the JAL Flight on fire

daijoubu — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 14:08:43 +0800

I know there has been tereds for this

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/02/travel/t...intl/index.html

But one of the reason the safety evacuation was successful could probably be due to Japenis nature of being adherent and listen to instruction. No one go back to take their luggage or personal belongings.
This was a domestic flight so most likely carrying majority Japenis pipu.

If it was an international flight or if it happened to other countries, I wonder what are the chances of survival as compared to this.
Hopefully this can be used as a teaching point that there are reasons why when evacuation we should never waste time to get our personal belongings.

Where to bring gwaimui to see our large rod

daijoubu — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:42:27 +0800

Want to impression her with our country's new show piece.

Besides lalaport top floor, anywhere on ground level that can stop and take photos? Like how KLCC usually pipu go at the intersection of Jalan P Ramlee and Jalan Ampang.

[WTB] 6800 XT or 6900 XT

daijoubu — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 22:44:46 +0800

Looking for as per title, preferably with >1 yr warranty left, and COD in Klang Valley area.

Thanks!

These 4 ongoing conflicts really shows how humans

daijoubu — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 13:59:51 +0800

Ukraine vs Russia
Palestine vs Israel
Myanmar Buddhist vs Rohingya
To a certain extent, China vs India / China vs SEA countries (9 dash)

Sure all have different context and reasoning.
But they all involve some form of land grabbing or displacing people from their lands, except maybe the last one which is 'border interpretation'.

But for outsiders they will only support the people they want. And I'm saying EVERYONE. EVERYONE is a hypocrite.

For their own cause will trumpet 'think of human decency, be a humannn'. Which is true don't get me wrong.
But that should apply for every conflict not just who you want to selectively support. Not OK they do this so now its OK to do this back. Podarh la your selective human decency.

If you can't see that, then you are being played by the various parties that have their own agenda.
And EVEYONE has an agenda.

Your words mean nothing if you can look at one group of oppressed people, say 'they deserve it' and look at another group of oppressed people and say 'they are being discriminated against', when both sides involve innocent people.

Wow Malaysian rider waiting behind car for once

daijoubu — Sat, 19 Aug 2023 12:38:23 +0800

Impressive

Malaysia on CNN front page again

daijoubu — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:32:23 +0800

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/mala...food/index.html

America and the war on Iraq

daijoubu — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:47:33 +0800

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/14/opinions...rgen/index.html

TLDR:
- Iraq bluffed on the WMD because wanna fight Iran, there were no WMD actually
- The war on Iraq was a mistake and damaged US' image on the world stage
- US end up helping Iran

inb4 why American news outlet talk bad about America?