The Seagate GoFlex eSATA add-on cable seems to have a major design issue/fault that should be made a product recall. One of the main selling point that got me to purchase the Seagate GoFlex portable external hard drive was due to the availability of the add-on cables for various connection interface such as eSATA.
However, to my dismay, the GoFlex eSATA add-on cable (STAE103) is plague with self-disconnect of the hard drive after a few minutes regardless if there’s data transfer being made to the drive. The GoFlex external hard drive would appear on My Computer when connected to my laptop’s eSATA (powered eSATA/USB combo port) and disappears after a short while. This pose a serious usability issue especially during data transfer where I’ve got error messages mid-way while copying some files over to the drive.
The worst part is it happens consistently which I reckon is a design issue on Seagate’s part as this never happens on the USB3.0 cable that comes with my 1TB GoFlex drive. Trying to find a solution, I tried to Google and found many users from around the world facing similar issues with no solutions provided by Seagate’s representatives on their Support Forum even after several months (quite disappointing).
I even went back to the computer store I bought the cable and exchange for another with a hope that it’s a defective cable that I got. But it still has the similar issue which left the store personnel helpless in trying to resolve the issue and got it exchanged for something else of similar value instead. Back to “Un-Flex” now since I’m left with only the USB interface (I don’t have Firewire on my PC).
So if you’re planning on getting the Seagate GoFlex hard drive to go with the eSATA interface cable… Stay away. The issue faced on the eSATA interface pretty much render it useless. Otherwise, the Seagate GoFlex hard drive works great on the USB2.0/USB3.0 cable that comes with the drive.
May 21st, 2011 in
Hardware |
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My first travel destination for the year… Hanoi, Vietnam. Honestly, I’m not sure what Hanoi has to offer when buying the (cheap offer) air ticket from AirAsia about a year ago. A case of just going along with a group of friends to a new destination and explore places which neither of us had been for a short and relaxing holiday away from our work life.
The calm lake of Hanoi
Upon arrival, the airport doesn’t project any vibrant welcome. It still feels very much a 3rd world country with poor service at the airport from long queues at the immigration arrival to long waiting time for checked-in luggage (about 1 hour!!). Soon after leaving the airport for Hanoi city, the vast paddy fields along the road and some unique “only in Hanoi” moments…
The Bao Khanh hotel we stayed in was a decent 3-star hotel which is clean, comfortable, great location within the old quarters, great view of the Hanoi lake and reasonably priced – Recommended 
We met up with the Hanoi Kids which my friend contacted via email for a free guided tour of Hanoi city. Due to the name of the organization, I was expecting 6-7 years old kids but they’re actually university students. It was a good tour in English by the local students to bring us around Hanoi; it certainly adds some local flavor to our tour while fostering friendship and better understanding of the local history and cultures.
 View of Hanoi Lake from our hotel |
 "Only in Hanoi" - Piglets on a bike |
Here’s some interesting note on Hanoi (or Vietnamese in general), they eat practically anything from cats, dogs to insects, and I’ve not met a single obese Vietnamese on the streets. Probably its their healthy balanced food diet and lifestyle. Their Pho (rice noodles) are quite good with a gist of sweetness in the soup and the chicken & pork meat I had.
For coffee lovers, Hanoi’s Weasel coffee is a must try. Just don’t think too much about the process of how the Weasel coffee is made, and enjoy the rich and smooth flavor of the coffee. There’s a reason for it being the most expensive coffee in the world afterall.
 Probably they're still on analog phone? |
 Weasel coffee |
 Lime, Fruit & Chillies Hamper? |
 iPad tourist self-help booth |
The highlight of the entire Hanoi trip has to be Ha Long Bay. I reckon its a must visit for anyone going to Vietnam. The scenery was awesome, and undoubtedly recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The vast bay dotted with thousands of limestone island and islet creates a very unique landscape that just left visitors (like myself) in awe of nature’s beauty.
 The clear blue waters of Ha Long Bay |
 The breathtaking view of Ha Long Bay |
Overall, I enjoyed the trip and Hanoi is a great relaxing place to unwind and get soaked in the beautiful sceneries, local food and unique culture. Now… Where shall my next holiday destination be?
May 2nd, 2011 in
Travel |
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One of the highly anticipated marathons of the year in Malaysia… the Energizer Night Race (ENR) 2011. The running track for this year’s ENR was one-of-a-kind… the Sepang F1 Circuit. A track that’s normally reserved for motor sports being turned into a running track for fellow runners for the first time on this event.
 That's me at the pit stop before race |
 On your mark |
This could have been a perfect night race in a perfect venue, but as many people would have heard by now… It’s a PR disaster for Energizer (the title sponsor). The event organizer, Expose Media has definitely failed to plan for the huge crowd of 10000 runners. There were alot of shortcomings which were highlighted by the participant on the Facebook page. Anyway, here’s my take of the event:
- There’s very few sign boards to lead runners to registration (which doesn’t exist), collection of headlamps or just about anything. Everyone were just following the heard blindly towards the grandstand area.
The night view while running on SIC
- Distribution of headlamps was a mess. There’s insufficient staffs distributing and the location was just too small nor suitable (at the end of the tunnel?). The staffs were simply overwhelmed by the crowd and late comers did not get theirs.
- There’s only one set of loud speakers at the padlock starting area. I can hardly hear clearly what was the emcee trying to announce from the other end of the pit (about 200m away). And problem (1) just made it worst.
- The emcee was quite rude and unprofessional in the way she speaks. Maybe the emcee expected everyone to read her mind and know what to expect and do, but problem (1) and (3) just made it worst in communicating instructions to runners.
- Lack of race marshals. Overall, I felt the race was very understaffed for a 10000 runner event and in most cases the marshals and officials are just as lost as the runners about the event. Maybe the briefing prior to the event was just bad nor properly planned.
- Some water stations which were in the original plan were missing on the actual day. Probably problem (5) have to reduce the number of water stations on the track. I guess the organizer decided to compensate us with a can of isotonic instead of just a small cup to sip. For the more dehydrated, they even offer a huge 1.5L mineral water for runners to drink and perhaps carry the remaining water along the way. Lastly, there isn’t any water station at the end of the finishing line.
The long queue
- We were all supposed to get our finisher T-shirt, certificates, medals, and goodies bag upon completion. Here’s when problem (5) reaches the climax. Participants had to queue for about an hour for it (longer than the time it takes us to complete our 5.5km run). Its only a handful of staff packing on-the-spot to handout the goodies bag. Frustrations eventually let to a riot like situation and goodies bag were thrown towards runners like distributing goodies in a refuge camp. Eventually, the organizer decided to close the pit door and get the police to disperse the crowd.
- The tunnel of death. The organizer actually expected thousands of runners to pass the underground tunnel to exit (which is relatively narrow for the size of the crowd) with a single door at the end of the tunnel and with limited ventilation. Luckily there aren’t any casualty or else it might just be on the headline news the following day.
 (From FB) Our goodies bag being thrown |
 Police coming on board |
So I guess, the race was more of an anti-climax at the end of the night. Headed home not just empty handed but also with a empty heart. There wasn’t a sense of accomplishment completing the run. I think I stayed up that night enjoying reading the complains and feedback of the event flooding on the Facebook page more than the actual race. It was just badly organized, period.
Having said that, Energizer Malaysia had to step-in to resolve the badly organized ENR 2011. Damage control on their brand reputation is inevitable. A full refund to all participants of the event was promised and so will the delivery of the promised goodies bag with the certificates, finisher T-shirt and medals which many runners did not receive due to the poorly organized event.
ENR 2011 Poster - Motivating!
Well, I think a full refund is just an easy way out of the mess. Most runners just wanted what they ought to get from the marathon and an enjoyable night. Now we’re like getting a free lunch out of ENR 2011 mess. Anyway, a resolution to resolve the PR disaster is better than none. Ultimately like most participants, I’ll look forward to ENR 2012 to be a 180 degree change and a success after the big flop made this year.
April 23rd, 2011 in
Events |
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Taking the public transport in Malaysia is not exactly a preferred or favored option of getting to your destination punctually and comfortably. The last time I took a public transport was during my college years when driving (my dad’s) car around was an occasional privilege. I now have my own car but decided to take the LRT to work and only drives on weekends.
I know some kids these days are so blessed that they’ve never stepped on a public transport (Buses/LRT/KTM Kommuter) and had “drivers” to get them around or a car soon after getting their driving license. Well, I don’t blame the parents for being overly-protective of their children given the level of street crimes these days (I’m still skeptical of the official statistics given by the police), but I do believe that everyone should give our public transportation a chance.
As part of my new year‘s resolution in my new job, I’ve decided to give the LRT Kelana Jaya line (formerly Putra line) a try given the close proximity of my new work place to the station. Driving into Kuala Lumpur city center is synonymous with traffic jams during weekdays, and given the rising cost of petrol (and practically everything else) in Malaysia… I’m glad that the LRT service was good.
I could comfortably get from my home to work (and vice-versa) in about 30 minutes. The air-conditioned coaches were even cooler than my office! I think they could perhaps tweaked the temperature up a degree or two. The new 4-coach trains has certainly improved the capacity of the LRT, and the frequency of trains (<5 minutes interval) certainly deserves some credit.
I remembered having quite a sad experience taking the LRT a few years back when I just came back from my studies in Australia. The train that I boarded has a faulty air-con and everyone was practically having a complimentary sauna inside the window-less coaches. On another incident, I was also crammed in a sardine packed train during rush hours. That was the state of our LRT service back in 2006, which is rather disappointing.
The LRT service started well in its early days but was later deprived of proper maintenance due to the poor maintenance culture of our public service sector. I’m just glad the service has now improved and hope it would stay that way (or better) for years to come…
February 25th, 2011 in
General,
Malaysia |
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