In recent months, dot-com companies have sprouted like wild mushrooms as non-Web-savvy Malaysians rush to embrace the Internet with open arms.

Not that it is all bad. It fact, it goes to show how open a society we can be when we choose to. That simple act of bravado grinds to dust age-old perceptions of Malaysia as a nation that is slow to capitalize on technology.

Here we have taken the dot-com challenge by its horns, echoing the warrior's cry of "Malaysia Boleh".

Here's a nation that has built a first-world infrastructure. But can the country truly lead its people down the Yellow Brick Road to the smart city of tomorrow? Our Dispatch from Malaysia taps into the collective mindshare.