Patrick’s Bytes

Quite some time ago we saw this video about the future and how people do their banking.

[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNBJYH2jhko]
YouTube - Microsoft’s future vision on banking

The technologies showcased that time was a bit ‘old’ you still see the old Windows Mobile devices with stylus (its so yesterday huh). So fast forward a bit, Microsoft industry innovation group comes out with this video about how technologies help us with our health in the future. Some currently hot technologies like multi touch (it will be found on any devices, any furnitures including a smart card which will be your digital wallet) and WPF driven user experiences (developers can really get a lot of inspirations of how application UI should look like here). Check it out here.

[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35Kv6-ZNGA]
YouTube - Microsoft Future Vision : Healthcare

The art work of this website is just too damn cool to ignore. The loading page (because it is running on Flash) looks like a Command & Conquer game loading screen. And not to mention the theme music of the website rocks (yea… they got theme music some more)

Speaking of Command & Conquer, 2advanced Studios actually did the mini/ teaser site for Tiberium Sun game and also Star War’s The Force Unleashed.

Currently they put version 5.0 for this website, so I guess it went thru a few make over. Go here and pay a visit. Enjoy your weekend. http://www.2advanced.com/

Please be aware of a malicious email circulating around the web that claims to be able to see who has blocked or deleted you from Windows Live Messenger. This is a hoax email which redirects you to a site when you click on the link in the email. The site then requests your Hotmail/Messenger password or Windows Live ID and starts spamming everyone on your contact list with this hoax.

Some of these sites even automatically infect your computer with a Trojan/Virus that steals all passwords on your computer. Below is an example of how the email looks like, these change over time so please be aware of suspicious emails such as this.

Found out about this microspoting blog by someone at MSFT campus who

creep around campus talking to my favorite kinds of people: geeks who are passionate about what they do.

Interesting gig she has there, it looks like a Web 2.0 journalist or something like that. But the site has some cool stuffs about life at MST Corp with blogs, photos and videos.

Wonder will she comes to Tech.Ed SEA…

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs pselse bolg it.

This is the night, but due to work tomorrow I was not able to watch it. If you can tell me more about Indiana Jones than Lara Croft, certainly you are around my age. Most of the interns I asked have no single idea about the movie franchise, I wonder what kind of childhood they went through without heroes like Indy.

So in case you are one of the unlucky Y-generation, go to Wikipedia and find out more. My friend who just came back from cinema (she also don’t know anything about Temple of Doom or the lost Ark) told me the starting part is a bit boring with little action but at the end there is a surprise appearance of UFO?! Celaka…. don’t know how true is it for Spielberg and Lucas to go this extreme. Come on lah. I always think Indy’s movie is to encourage kids to study history so leave the flying saucers to George Lucas’ Star Wars lah!

Older and younger Indiana Jones, not much difference, but when you are younger, you dare to show more skin ><

And the price you pay for? Its selling at $65 somewhere in US! Check out this video from Veronica Belmont. (FYI she is voted one of the 2007 Top 10 Sexiest Geeks)

[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV7yvCoI0EY]
YouTube - Kopi Luwak Coffee - $65 a cup!

As a coffee drinker, kopi luwak is really a legend to me. It made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet. Because of the lizard’s slow metabolism, the beans inside pass through their system undigested. The effect of this process is the enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee’s flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste.

Check out more info at Wikipedia

Briefly these are ideas how you can enjoy some tax savings. To know more on any particular point,  you can pick up a copy of  Personal Money and read thru.

1. Save for your child’s education under the National Education Savings Scheme
2. File separate tax returns- for husband and wife
3. Ask your employer to increase your EPF contributions -Since contributions to EPF are tax exempt for employees, ask your employer to reduce your monthly salary but increase your EPF contribution by the same amount.
4. Change your cash remuneration to cash reimbursement-fixed allowances are taxable but change this to a reimbursement basis and your are not taxed on the amount received. Keep all receipts though.
5. Ask for a company car
6. Make charitable contributions- cannot exceed 7% of your aggregate income.
7. Take up  postgraduate studies-up to RM5K p.a. for any course fo study at the master’s or doctorate level.
8. Read,read,read- up to RM1Kp.a. for purchase of books, mags and publications. Keep receipts.
9. Get sporty-RM300p.a. for purchase of sports and exrcise equipment under the Sports Development Act 1997.  Safe clear cut items include balls, racquets, exercise bikes and treadmills. Clothes and shoes are debatable at the moment.
10. Buy life insurance- RM6k p.a. shared with your EPF contributions.
11. Take up a medical or education policy - RM3K p.a. combined limit for both
12. Pay your parents’ medical bills- up to RM5Kp.a.
13. Claim a deduction of up to RM500 per tax year for a full medical examination and RM5K for medical expenses for serious diseases
14. Pay zakat
15. Buy a computer - RM3k can be claimed once every 3years for purchase of computers, printers and bundled software.
16. Hire a tax consultant-justifiable for those who earn more than RM5k per month to hire a tax adviser to maximise your tax savings.
17. Buy property valued at RM250K or below.Last year’s budget allowed a 50% stamp duty exemption for the purchase of houses not exceeding RM250K. The minimum tax savings that can be found here is RM2k and this exemption is given for one house per individual ad applies to sale and purchase agreements signed between Sept 2007 and December 2010.
18. Buy similar property- if you own 2 properties of same category eg residential, you can reduce the taxable profit made form one property with the loss if nay incurred from the other.
19. Buy shares (high dividend yielding stocks)- if your tax bracket is above 26%.
20. Invest in reits(11 REITs listed on the Main Board) - if your tax bracket is above 15%.
21. Maintain books and records from Day One- separate bank accounts for personal and business transactions
22. Time the purchase and use of your fixed assets
23. Buy a company car- for sole trader or a partner in a business
24. Hire your spouse or family member
25. Implement a process to chase after unpaid debts(for small biz owners).
26. Dedicate a space in your home office- and you can apportion certain costs such as electricity, telephone bills etc as expenses which can be deducted from your business income.

Extracted from Personal Money March 2008 issue.