Dear lord, NCIS needs to get rid of that particularly unpleasant beast of a woman, to quote DiNozzo, Ziva David. Pronto!
Kate getting snuffed was quite a sad and shocking twist. But to replace her role with that shemale is nothing short of jumping the shark. That ugly face, especially those manly eyebrows which outdoes The Mole in Goldmember, along with the horrid laughter always make me think that the field team is sausage only. That thing is unbearable to watch I have to be careful not to land my eye sight on its face while watching the show.
One thing I like about NCIS despite its off-base depiction of computer tech is the dynamics between each members of the team. Instead of filling the gap Kate left behind, Ziva contaminates it with her forceful acting. Come to think of that, she is either a great actress who brings the fiction character to life or an incompetent who simply ruins it. Her presence in the show has out-of-place written all over.
I never thought that it'd be possible to have the best TV character and the worse in the same show, until I watched NCIS season 3. I'd rather watch a 12-episode-McGeek-marathon than to see her face. Geez, even Sam Cassell can be called a beauty compared to her.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
Offer Nissim == pretty f*cking awesome!
Just discovered Offer Nissim through Pandora. Dang, this is some really good sh*t! Was just listening to Rain and man, does it make you want to dance! To bad I don't understand those vocals in Hebrew or whatever language it is.
Speaking of Pandora, like everyone else says, it's a brilliant way to discover new music matching one's taste. Last.fm, which I just started using liking nobody's business, might provide similar suggestion system through the Play Recommendation and Personal Radio functionalities. But I haven't submitted enough data for it to generate relevant suggestions. But it does look like a great social network of music. Too bad the Taiwanese community on it isn't all that active.
P.S. The fact that I'm breaking out of my cycle of posting once every some odd months says something about how much I like his music!
Speaking of Pandora, like everyone else says, it's a brilliant way to discover new music matching one's taste. Last.fm, which I just started using liking nobody's business, might provide similar suggestion system through the Play Recommendation and Personal Radio functionalities. But I haven't submitted enough data for it to generate relevant suggestions. But it does look like a great social network of music. Too bad the Taiwanese community on it isn't all that active.
P.S. The fact that I'm breaking out of my cycle of posting once every some odd months says something about how much I like his music!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen.
What's a man to do while he's in an interviewing process that has been dragging on for 5 whole months, yet not too much has happened? Well, lots of ideas come to mind. But how about using the bonus check he received when leaving his last job and get a brand new gadget from Apple? Does it sound like a spice-things-up-during-yet-another-slow-day? Hell yeah I say!
Enter iPod Shuffle 2G. No, the capacity isn't 2 gig. The only model available only boosts 1 gig of storage, the exact same size as its predecessor. But this newest addition to the iPod family has got an extreme makeover. It no longer serves as a USB thumb drive. The only way to sync music is through a dock, which by the size of the dockee dictates a small form factor. But I'm confident it won't be long before something like this gets commercialized.
The Shuffle has always being touted as a simple device. No LCD extravaganza. The only interaction you'll perform on it most of the time is Play/Pause. So what can Apple do to push the minimalist envelop? What Apple does best, make it look sexy! And they did just that. The old Shuffle always struck me as flimsy. In no way did it deserve a place up on the pedestal with its other siblings. Yes, it worked just as advertised and was very durable to boot. But it lacked the wow-look-at-dat factor. That is history with the new and improved Shuffle. Although it has shed a tad ounces, down from 0.73 to 0.55, Shuffle 2G feels solid in hand. And best of all is that it comes with a clip built in. Since it is so small and is even lighter, there really isn't any point getting an arm band for it. Just clip it wherever you want. This is great news to gym-goers such as myself. In fact, I tried to attach the Shuffle to the Sennheiser LX70 that I bought just for exercise purpose, and surprisingly, it works pretty well!
Other than cosmetic difference, the new Shuffle performs slightly better than the old one. Sound quality is great if not better. Battery life, from what I gathered on the web, is even better than Shuffle 1G. 2G now boosts somewhere around 17 hours of playback time! My old Shuffle never ran out of juice on me and I'm sure the new one won't fail me in this department either.
All in all, for $79, or NTD 2900, the new Shuffle is a great guy. Smaller, lighter and sexier. All for half the price of the old model. I know I'll be a happier gym rat with it on the back of my head.
Enter iPod Shuffle 2G. No, the capacity isn't 2 gig. The only model available only boosts 1 gig of storage, the exact same size as its predecessor. But this newest addition to the iPod family has got an extreme makeover. It no longer serves as a USB thumb drive. The only way to sync music is through a dock, which by the size of the dockee dictates a small form factor. But I'm confident it won't be long before something like this gets commercialized.
The Shuffle has always being touted as a simple device. No LCD extravaganza. The only interaction you'll perform on it most of the time is Play/Pause. So what can Apple do to push the minimalist envelop? What Apple does best, make it look sexy! And they did just that. The old Shuffle always struck me as flimsy. In no way did it deserve a place up on the pedestal with its other siblings. Yes, it worked just as advertised and was very durable to boot. But it lacked the wow-look-at-dat factor. That is history with the new and improved Shuffle. Although it has shed a tad ounces, down from 0.73 to 0.55, Shuffle 2G feels solid in hand. And best of all is that it comes with a clip built in. Since it is so small and is even lighter, there really isn't any point getting an arm band for it. Just clip it wherever you want. This is great news to gym-goers such as myself. In fact, I tried to attach the Shuffle to the Sennheiser LX70 that I bought just for exercise purpose, and surprisingly, it works pretty well!
Other than cosmetic difference, the new Shuffle performs slightly better than the old one. Sound quality is great if not better. Battery life, from what I gathered on the web, is even better than Shuffle 1G. 2G now boosts somewhere around 17 hours of playback time! My old Shuffle never ran out of juice on me and I'm sure the new one won't fail me in this department either.
All in all, for $79, or NTD 2900, the new Shuffle is a great guy. Smaller, lighter and sexier. All for half the price of the old model. I know I'll be a happier gym rat with it on the back of my head.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Bye bye, Tomcat
Last week, 22 September 2006 marked the retirement of the famous Grumman F-14 Tomcat, the very fighter jet that had me spellbound at a much younger age.
I don't remember which came first, the movie Top Gun or the book serious on contemporary weaponry that had an elaborate description on the F-14. But I do recall carrying a tiny model plane of Tomcat in my pocket in my later elementary years and the vivid memory of playing the Nintendo game, Top Gun, trying to land the damn thing on the carrier. I also committed the specs of it, radar type and range, missiles carried and number, etc., to my memory while I had a hard time remembering content of my textbooks.
Although the big cats had collectively shot down only five enemy aircraft throughout its time of serving, still, hats off to you, coolest fighter ever!
I don't remember which came first, the movie Top Gun or the book serious on contemporary weaponry that had an elaborate description on the F-14. But I do recall carrying a tiny model plane of Tomcat in my pocket in my later elementary years and the vivid memory of playing the Nintendo game, Top Gun, trying to land the damn thing on the carrier. I also committed the specs of it, radar type and range, missiles carried and number, etc., to my memory while I had a hard time remembering content of my textbooks.
Although the big cats had collectively shot down only five enemy aircraft throughout its time of serving, still, hats off to you, coolest fighter ever!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Shuttle SRB footage
Ever wondered when a space shuttle launches, what does it look like , from the OUTSIDE, ON the shuttle? If yes, you're in luck!
NASA posted a footage recorded by a camera fixed on the right solid rocket booster (SRB) of Discovery. It's thrilling to watch the color transition of the sky. The highlight is at run time 2:58 when the SRB separates from the external tank. It's just like a movie, except this is the real deal.
Taken from the comment of Goldenhawk on /., here are the points of interest in the footage.
1:30-1:40 Mach transition (breaking the sound barrier - watch the nose)
2:39 a rather visible bit of debris flies right past the camera
2:58 separation from the orbiter/tank stack
3:59 as the booster tumbles, you can briefly spot the shuttle as a bright dot
5:18 you can see the smoke plume thru the upper atmosphere
7:13 some debris goes past the booster camera
7:17 you can see a shroud (parachute) line falling
7:25 you can very briefly see a chute
7:30 water entry
7:40 the chute falls into the water
8:00 as the booster floats, the chutes and shroud lines are clearly visible around the booster
Here's another footage from a different angle (facing downwards).
NASA posted a footage recorded by a camera fixed on the right solid rocket booster (SRB) of Discovery. It's thrilling to watch the color transition of the sky. The highlight is at run time 2:58 when the SRB separates from the external tank. It's just like a movie, except this is the real deal.
Taken from the comment of Goldenhawk on /., here are the points of interest in the footage.
1:30-1:40 Mach transition (breaking the sound barrier - watch the nose)
2:39 a rather visible bit of debris flies right past the camera
2:58 separation from the orbiter/tank stack
3:59 as the booster tumbles, you can briefly spot the shuttle as a bright dot
5:18 you can see the smoke plume thru the upper atmosphere
7:13 some debris goes past the booster camera
7:17 you can see a shroud (parachute) line falling
7:25 you can very briefly see a chute
7:30 water entry
7:40 the chute falls into the water
8:00 as the booster floats, the chutes and shroud lines are clearly visible around the booster
Here's another footage from a different angle (facing downwards).
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Small pipe
Ever since I got back this weak ass internet service has been pusing my buttons.
Protecting my precious router from overwhelming in/out traffics by dropping connection whenever I use a BT client as well as providing the lightning speed that only snails consider fast. I'm surprised that I haven't gone postal and burn down the nearest HiNet office.
I just kept telling myself this is just provisional and once I move out I'll get a faster and fatter pipe. I didn't even bother checking what my connection actually was. Until I started messing around QoS service of my router. I had to specify uplink and downlink so I want to find out how fat the pipe is. I knew it was slow and had a rough idea of what the numbers were. But I was still surprised to see this...
A 1024/64 KB connection?!
1999 called and it wants its narrowband back.
That did it when I saw the pathetic numbers. Within the next minute I was on the line with a rep of HiNet (Ahh, the irony) saying I wanted to upgrade the pipe. For a mere USD $1 extra a month, I get to have a pipe that's 2048/256 KB. It was hard not to go all the way and get 12/1 M for $10 more a month. But mom and pop aren't hooked to the intarweb like I am so why waste the money.
Hopefully the new setting will kick in early next week so the already small populace of this town won't shrink further more.
Protecting my precious router from overwhelming in/out traffics by dropping connection whenever I use a BT client as well as providing the lightning speed that only snails consider fast. I'm surprised that I haven't gone postal and burn down the nearest HiNet office.
I just kept telling myself this is just provisional and once I move out I'll get a faster and fatter pipe. I didn't even bother checking what my connection actually was. Until I started messing around QoS service of my router. I had to specify uplink and downlink so I want to find out how fat the pipe is. I knew it was slow and had a rough idea of what the numbers were. But I was still surprised to see this...
A 1024/64 KB connection?!
1999 called and it wants its narrowband back.
That did it when I saw the pathetic numbers. Within the next minute I was on the line with a rep of HiNet (Ahh, the irony) saying I wanted to upgrade the pipe. For a mere USD $1 extra a month, I get to have a pipe that's 2048/256 KB. It was hard not to go all the way and get 12/1 M for $10 more a month. But mom and pop aren't hooked to the intarweb like I am so why waste the money.
Hopefully the new setting will kick in early next week so the already small populace of this town won't shrink further more.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Open you eyes, and see the Vanilla Sky
I've always liked it, Vanilla Sky, even though it's got a less than stellar rating.
Bored out of my mind, I dug around my once huge movie collection for some entertainment last night. Some bitter sweet feelings hit me when my eyes caught a glimpse of the word "Vanilla". I immediately recalled it was Vanilla Sky even though I had no memory of what it was about, except that it was a Sci-Fi romance. Eager to find out the story I popped it into Gmac (look Ma, I named my Mac after me!) and settled in my chair.
David's success came from his father. Fortune isn't the only thing his father left him. Looks and a charming personality are also among his inheritance. He's got the money, women, power. He has it all.
On his 33rd birthday, his best friend Brian brought along a beautiful girl, Sofia, to his party. Even though David has a foxy "fuck buddy", as Brian says, he falls head over heels in love with Sofia right away. And there is definitely chemistry between the two.
After spending the night talking and getting to know each other, David the pleasure delayer left Sofia for work, knowing he's found his true love. As soon he reaches to his car door, Julie pulls over next to him out of nowhere. David knows Julie is crazy about him. When she proposed that he go with her to "make it up to her", David made a life-changing choice. He agreed.
Driving along, Julie poured out her feelings on David. The more she talked the more agitated she became. Then she finally broke down and drove off of a bridge, bring David along towards death.
David woke up. He did survive. But with an arm broken and a face disfigured. And it's been a nightmare for him ever since.
Until he finds out what had happened.
Vanilla Sky is far from the greatest love story of all time. But at the end of the movie, David's last conversation with Sofia is so touching it's worth watching if you want your heart moved.
Bored out of my mind, I dug around my once huge movie collection for some entertainment last night. Some bitter sweet feelings hit me when my eyes caught a glimpse of the word "Vanilla". I immediately recalled it was Vanilla Sky even though I had no memory of what it was about, except that it was a Sci-Fi romance. Eager to find out the story I popped it into Gmac (look Ma, I named my Mac after me!) and settled in my chair.
David's success came from his father. Fortune isn't the only thing his father left him. Looks and a charming personality are also among his inheritance. He's got the money, women, power. He has it all.
On his 33rd birthday, his best friend Brian brought along a beautiful girl, Sofia, to his party. Even though David has a foxy "fuck buddy", as Brian says, he falls head over heels in love with Sofia right away. And there is definitely chemistry between the two.
After spending the night talking and getting to know each other, David the pleasure delayer left Sofia for work, knowing he's found his true love. As soon he reaches to his car door, Julie pulls over next to him out of nowhere. David knows Julie is crazy about him. When she proposed that he go with her to "make it up to her", David made a life-changing choice. He agreed.
Driving along, Julie poured out her feelings on David. The more she talked the more agitated she became. Then she finally broke down and drove off of a bridge, bring David along towards death.
David woke up. He did survive. But with an arm broken and a face disfigured. And it's been a nightmare for him ever since.
Until he finds out what had happened.
Vanilla Sky is far from the greatest love story of all time. But at the end of the movie, David's last conversation with Sofia is so touching it's worth watching if you want your heart moved.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
WTF?! In Memory of David
"What the fuck?!"
That was my first impression when I was hitting David Wang's profile on ICRT.
I can't believe it's been almost two years since David passed away. I actually looked forward to listening to his voice on air again few minutes ago when I turn on my stereo and tuned into ICRT, the only station I ever listen to when I discovered this thing called radio. He was the icon I looked up to (and still do) when it comes to English proficiency. And now he's gone, no more. Why the hell do things have to change like this.
Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK! I CAN NOT ACCEPT THIS! FUCK THIS SHIT! ARRRRRRRRRRGH!
That was my first impression when I was hitting David Wang's profile on ICRT.
I can't believe it's been almost two years since David passed away. I actually looked forward to listening to his voice on air again few minutes ago when I turn on my stereo and tuned into ICRT, the only station I ever listen to when I discovered this thing called radio. He was the icon I looked up to (and still do) when it comes to English proficiency. And now he's gone, no more. Why the hell do things have to change like this.
Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK! I CAN NOT ACCEPT THIS! FUCK THIS SHIT! ARRRRRRRRRRGH!
Friday, June 30, 2006
AlienBBS, 中文 BBS 軟體 for OS X
Even though I've overcome my BBS addiction aeons ago, it's still nice to log on to some BBS stations for nostalgia's sake.
After migrating to OS X, I started out with plain Terminal then switched to iTerm. While descent, iTerm is after all a terminal emulation software and not the best choice for Chinese BBS. Enter AlienBBS, a Cocoa app (not a fat binary yet though), tailored specifically for the unique BBS community in Taiwan.
It uses 24x24 Unicode font and sports highlight, reverse, blinking and underscored text that adhere to the ANSI standard. It also supports twin-color double-byte characters, tabs, http link detection and more.
Don't be intimidated by the alpha status. I havn't run into any problems, yet.
After migrating to OS X, I started out with plain Terminal then switched to iTerm. While descent, iTerm is after all a terminal emulation software and not the best choice for Chinese BBS. Enter AlienBBS, a Cocoa app (not a fat binary yet though), tailored specifically for the unique BBS community in Taiwan.
It uses 24x24 Unicode font and sports highlight, reverse, blinking and underscored text that adhere to the ANSI standard. It also supports twin-color double-byte characters, tabs, http link detection and more.
Don't be intimidated by the alpha status. I havn't run into any problems, yet.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Ciao! Google MV
And so it has come to an end, my days at Google, Mountain View.
I have had the time of my life working in the AdWords Int'l team. Never would I thought that I'd get a chance to not only work at the best work place in the world on the greatest product, but also meet so many wonderful friends. Spending 8 hours a day working towards the same goal, having lunch together, hilarious chat sessions, and numerous weekends/nights drinking, clubbing, and singing karaoke. This has to be the best group of people that I've ever met.
Turning in my badge this afternoon gave me a strange feeling. But it really got to me when I packed my personal belongings and copied private pictures and files off my computers. I had no idea I was so emotionally attached to that specific cube. It has to be my habit of incorporating things around me into my daily routine. And by doing so my station sort of became part of me. This is going to be one hell of a weekend if I don't find something to keep myself busy. I can't let the feeling of leaving this place that I love so much overwhelm me. Stop playing those slow and emotional songs, Gman. Before it's too late!
Thank you, everyone that had crossed paths with me. Love or hate me, you have made the picture of my life more colorful. And I'm ever grateful for it. I pray and thank God for putting you in my life.
Gman, peace out.
I have had the time of my life working in the AdWords Int'l team. Never would I thought that I'd get a chance to not only work at the best work place in the world on the greatest product, but also meet so many wonderful friends. Spending 8 hours a day working towards the same goal, having lunch together, hilarious chat sessions, and numerous weekends/nights drinking, clubbing, and singing karaoke. This has to be the best group of people that I've ever met.
Turning in my badge this afternoon gave me a strange feeling. But it really got to me when I packed my personal belongings and copied private pictures and files off my computers. I had no idea I was so emotionally attached to that specific cube. It has to be my habit of incorporating things around me into my daily routine. And by doing so my station sort of became part of me. This is going to be one hell of a weekend if I don't find something to keep myself busy. I can't let the feeling of leaving this place that I love so much overwhelm me. Stop playing those slow and emotional songs, Gman. Before it's too late!
Thank you, everyone that had crossed paths with me. Love or hate me, you have made the picture of my life more colorful. And I'm ever grateful for it. I pray and thank God for putting you in my life.
Gman, peace out.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Friday, June 02, 2006
It's been an honor, Kitty
Parting ways with a great coworker is sad, let alone a wonderful friend.
When first meeting Kitty at the end of last year, I liked her right off the bat. She's always delightful and so approachable you can't help but want to be friends with her. Kitty's wonderful personality makes her a perfect fit to train us on policies. She knows a great deal about our product yet when bringing questions to her she makes you feel like you're just discussing them. There is no pressure whatsoever and you always leave feeling smarter or better educated. To find such an amazing human being is like finding a needle in a hay stack. AdWords China can only improve with Kitty's presence.
I'm gonna miss those lunch breaks, Q&A sections, and especially one-on-one's with Kitty. I had learned so much from her it makes this great job at Google even better.
Kitty, thank you for everything you've done for the team and me. I will make sure that we cross our paths again!
When first meeting Kitty at the end of last year, I liked her right off the bat. She's always delightful and so approachable you can't help but want to be friends with her. Kitty's wonderful personality makes her a perfect fit to train us on policies. She knows a great deal about our product yet when bringing questions to her she makes you feel like you're just discussing them. There is no pressure whatsoever and you always leave feeling smarter or better educated. To find such an amazing human being is like finding a needle in a hay stack. AdWords China can only improve with Kitty's presence.
I'm gonna miss those lunch breaks, Q&A sections, and especially one-on-one's with Kitty. I had learned so much from her it makes this great job at Google even better.
Kitty, thank you for everything you've done for the team and me. I will make sure that we cross our paths again!
Monday, May 22, 2006
I'm loving it!
Man, I don't eat MickyD's but I'm quoting it, I'm loving it!
Ever since I got this baby I'm hooked on it like a fat kid loves cake. The Core Duo heart(s) pumping underneath the slick-looking aluminum keyboard makes it almost as fast as my windows box. And OS X is such an elegant operating system. Not perfect, but it's so much easier (and much more powerful if you tap into its Darwin core) to use. And the computing experience is elevated by some really clever programs such as Growl, QuickSilver. When bored, you can play with OS X's voice recognition and issue commands by "talking" to it. Yes, I'm aware of IBM ViaVoice, but OS X got it built-in. I have my MBP announce the time hourly as well as other system notifications in the voice called Cellos. He sounds annoying sometimes but fun nevertheless because it puts some personality into this beautifully-put-together piece of metal.
I'm also surprised that I feel at home with its keyboard layout. I mean, for crying out loud, it's a laptop keyboard! How would I ever be comfortable with such a crammed layout! By some mystically power, maybe divine force, I have no problem using it. I hated some other keyboards on other's lappies, but not this baby.
When I first received it (a brand new replacement since the first had problems), the palm rest was too hot for extended time of use. The problem went away after the quite release of the SMC patch. Well, either that or I have grown into it.
But truth be told, as much as I'd like to be a Mac convert, I LOVE PC games. No matter how much time I devote into working out or reading or some other activities, there is no way the love for it will ever escape me. Therefore, I'm forced to keep a windows box no matter how. And I will have to pony up for a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (what silly name!) and deck my gig out with top-of-the-line hardware, just to play games. Ha, pathetic!
Anyway, color me impressed with this $2499 - $150 (rebate) - $100 (refund. thanks to the MacBook release and MBP speedbumps) MacBook Pro. Maybe now it's time to resume reading of this book, just to justify the big dent on my pocket book.
Ever since I got this baby I'm hooked on it like a fat kid loves cake. The Core Duo heart(s) pumping underneath the slick-looking aluminum keyboard makes it almost as fast as my windows box. And OS X is such an elegant operating system. Not perfect, but it's so much easier (and much more powerful if you tap into its Darwin core) to use. And the computing experience is elevated by some really clever programs such as Growl, QuickSilver. When bored, you can play with OS X's voice recognition and issue commands by "talking" to it. Yes, I'm aware of IBM ViaVoice, but OS X got it built-in. I have my MBP announce the time hourly as well as other system notifications in the voice called Cellos. He sounds annoying sometimes but fun nevertheless because it puts some personality into this beautifully-put-together piece of metal.
I'm also surprised that I feel at home with its keyboard layout. I mean, for crying out loud, it's a laptop keyboard! How would I ever be comfortable with such a crammed layout! By some mystically power, maybe divine force, I have no problem using it. I hated some other keyboards on other's lappies, but not this baby.
When I first received it (a brand new replacement since the first had problems), the palm rest was too hot for extended time of use. The problem went away after the quite release of the SMC patch. Well, either that or I have grown into it.
But truth be told, as much as I'd like to be a Mac convert, I LOVE PC games. No matter how much time I devote into working out or reading or some other activities, there is no way the love for it will ever escape me. Therefore, I'm forced to keep a windows box no matter how. And I will have to pony up for a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (what silly name!) and deck my gig out with top-of-the-line hardware, just to play games. Ha, pathetic!
Anyway, color me impressed with this $2499 - $150 (rebate) - $100 (refund. thanks to the MacBook release and MBP speedbumps) MacBook Pro. Maybe now it's time to resume reading of this book, just to justify the big dent on my pocket book.
Monday, May 08, 2006
The Law of Perception
What's the law of perception? "Marketing is not a battle of products, it's a battle of perceptions."
What a powerful line.
Before reading Law #4, The Law of Perception, I thought this book was full of it. The reason I bought it was the reviews it received on Amazon. When I first got it, I jumped around different laws and picked out ones that seemed interesting. But I just couldn't agree with what the authors were trying to convey. And I'm probably biased because I've seen so many crap churned out by the spinning marketing machines, like the one from nVidia and ATi.
But during my regular reading session on the exercise bike tonight, I started off with Law #4 and after a few paragraphs I started to take on a different view of the book.
It claims that minds of customers or prospects are very difficult to change because we believe in truth, one that is perceived through our own respective pair of eye-window. And we all think that we're right, others are wrong.
What makes it even more difficult is that customers often make buying decision based on second-hand perceptions, ones that are someone else's perception of reality.
The book goes on giving examples of Coca-Cola. From the taste test conducted by the company, New Coke was proved to taste better than Pepsi, and Pepsi tastes better than Coca-Cola Classic. But in the end, New Coke, which is supposed to taste better, loses its crown to what is supposed to have the worst taste, the Classic.
Once a customer's mind is made up, it's next to futile to change it. But what can you do about it? Well, I've gotta read on to find out.
What a powerful line.
Before reading Law #4, The Law of Perception, I thought this book was full of it. The reason I bought it was the reviews it received on Amazon. When I first got it, I jumped around different laws and picked out ones that seemed interesting. But I just couldn't agree with what the authors were trying to convey. And I'm probably biased because I've seen so many crap churned out by the spinning marketing machines, like the one from nVidia and ATi.
But during my regular reading session on the exercise bike tonight, I started off with Law #4 and after a few paragraphs I started to take on a different view of the book.
It claims that minds of customers or prospects are very difficult to change because we believe in truth, one that is perceived through our own respective pair of eye-window. And we all think that we're right, others are wrong.
What makes it even more difficult is that customers often make buying decision based on second-hand perceptions, ones that are someone else's perception of reality.
The book goes on giving examples of Coca-Cola. From the taste test conducted by the company, New Coke was proved to taste better than Pepsi, and Pepsi tastes better than Coca-Cola Classic. But in the end, New Coke, which is supposed to taste better, loses its crown to what is supposed to have the worst taste, the Classic.
Once a customer's mind is made up, it's next to futile to change it. But what can you do about it? Well, I've gotta read on to find out.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Butterflies, butterflies everywhere!
I've had it. I can't hold it in anymore so I'm going to say it. I'll gather up my courage and wait for the right moment (not for long) and just do it!
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Oblivion and FaceGen Modeller FUN
Despite that Bethesda leave out some really cool features of Morrowind, customizable user interface for one, it's still an additive game. I'm having a hard time pulling myself away from it.
It get even more fun when I stumbled upon this thread. Put your own face (at least close to it) in the game! All you need to do is download the FaceGen Modeller, import a front shot of your face (two side shots optional), and the program will render a 3D model of you head. Isn't this the coolest thing or what!
After playing around with it a little while, this is what FaceGen generated from my pictures. This does remind me of what I looked like in the Navy though I was a lot more chubbier then.
And this is what I look like in Oblivion using the slider values from FaceGen to create my face.
Not exactly the same, especially when I (or my incarnation) have that 'stylish' upheld hair style, red eyes and dark skin. But at least it's close enough for me to relate to that face, heh!
It get even more fun when I stumbled upon this thread. Put your own face (at least close to it) in the game! All you need to do is download the FaceGen Modeller, import a front shot of your face (two side shots optional), and the program will render a 3D model of you head. Isn't this the coolest thing or what!
After playing around with it a little while, this is what FaceGen generated from my pictures. This does remind me of what I looked like in the Navy though I was a lot more chubbier then.
And this is what I look like in Oblivion using the slider values from FaceGen to create my face.
Not exactly the same, especially when I (or my incarnation) have that 'stylish' upheld hair style, red eyes and dark skin. But at least it's close enough for me to relate to that face, heh!
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Email training and Oblivion
What a great start of a week!
Gman is going through an intensive email training that runs about 3 weeks. The trainer is a great guy. Straight to the point, no bull, yet keeping us interested. There is so much to learn even though I've known quite a few about AdWords through other project and the modules I reviewed on my own time. I love learning new things, it's like back to school!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is going to hit the shelves tomorrow! OMG!!!!1111ONE!eleven!
I SERIOUSLY want to get it at the local BB but now that I have to devote some time to study and my work-out, I don't think I can squeeze out enough time to play this. Probably will have to sit it out untill the weekend. Arrrrrrrgh!
Going to visit Michi on Saturday again. Hair is too damn long. Remember to make an appointment, Dori.
Gman is going through an intensive email training that runs about 3 weeks. The trainer is a great guy. Straight to the point, no bull, yet keeping us interested. There is so much to learn even though I've known quite a few about AdWords through other project and the modules I reviewed on my own time. I love learning new things, it's like back to school!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is going to hit the shelves tomorrow! OMG!!!!1111ONE!eleven!
I SERIOUSLY want to get it at the local BB but now that I have to devote some time to study and my work-out, I don't think I can squeeze out enough time to play this. Probably will have to sit it out untill the weekend. Arrrrrrrgh!
Going to visit Michi on Saturday again. Hair is too damn long. Remember to make an appointment, Dori.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Creamfields and the White Haven
Man, how I love electronic music!
Was just listening to Paul Oakenfold's mix album: Creamfields. When itunes got to Nice Guys Finishes Last by Pinkbox Special (the tune and song title are totally irrelevant) I felt like I was suck into a surreal space and I wanted to just close my eyes and let the flow take me.
And this feeling leads to another thought. When I have my own place, I'm going to dedicate a room only for listening and reading. It'll be and empty room with either white or beige painting. The only furniture in that room will be a lounge chair (should I go with plain white or red or black?) accompanied by a simple table, same color as the chair. There will be a speaker set which streams music from my computer next room and controlled by a remote.
Whenever I need to clear my head or just to be left alone, this white haven is the place to go. I'll read, listen or simply chill (with my soon to be purchased MacBook w/ or w/o Pro).
The more I think about it the more intensified the image of White Haven is. Ahhh, I can almost feel it with my eyes closed...
Was just listening to Paul Oakenfold's mix album: Creamfields. When itunes got to Nice Guys Finishes Last by Pinkbox Special (the tune and song title are totally irrelevant) I felt like I was suck into a surreal space and I wanted to just close my eyes and let the flow take me.
And this feeling leads to another thought. When I have my own place, I'm going to dedicate a room only for listening and reading. It'll be and empty room with either white or beige painting. The only furniture in that room will be a lounge chair (should I go with plain white or red or black?) accompanied by a simple table, same color as the chair. There will be a speaker set which streams music from my computer next room and controlled by a remote.
Whenever I need to clear my head or just to be left alone, this white haven is the place to go. I'll read, listen or simply chill (with my soon to be purchased MacBook w/ or w/o Pro).
The more I think about it the more intensified the image of White Haven is. Ahhh, I can almost feel it with my eyes closed...
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006
EC Stack Follow Up
OK, after 30 days on the EC stack, time to report my progress.
Weight: 168.5 lbs (76.5 kg)
Body Fat %: 10% - 11%
That's some impressive result.
Now it's time for me to cycle. I'm going to be off of it for 2 weeks and back on it for another month. Will report back (to myself. Who reads this shit anyway?).
p.s. info on the EC stack.
Weight: 168.5 lbs (76.5 kg)
Body Fat %: 10% - 11%
That's some impressive result.
Now it's time for me to cycle. I'm going to be off of it for 2 weeks and back on it for another month. Will report back (to myself. Who reads this shit anyway?).
p.s. info on the EC stack.
Monday, February 13, 2006
EC Stack
After several futile attempts of different fat burners, I've decided to give the EC stack a try.
Starting Friday noon on Feb. 10th, 2006, EC started to be part of my diet and give me a boost in work out performance. During my post weight-lifting cardio, my heart rate easily raised to 170 compared to 150 before the stack. And I could even sustain it for a full 40 mins while I couldn't maintain a 150 for 5 mins shorter without EC. I can also feel that my body temperature rising.
Hopefully I can see some prominent change in a month.
Side note, BF 12% - 13%, 176 lbs.
Starting Friday noon on Feb. 10th, 2006, EC started to be part of my diet and give me a boost in work out performance. During my post weight-lifting cardio, my heart rate easily raised to 170 compared to 150 before the stack. And I could even sustain it for a full 40 mins while I couldn't maintain a 150 for 5 mins shorter without EC. I can also feel that my body temperature rising.
Hopefully I can see some prominent change in a month.
Side note, BF 12% - 13%, 176 lbs.
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