I finally enabled Google Friend Connect on this web site! If you’re a friend, Connect! :)
Photoshoot: Kristen Au
This is my photo shoot for Kristen Au. You can view some pictures from the shoot on my photo blog.
Alive and well … but only on Facebook
I have been asked many times these past two months by Facebook, to “reconnect with” a friend who has passed away for over a year by writing on his wall.
It’s great that this practice keeps his memory alive, for others whom might not otherwise have much of a connection to him. For those who are casual friends, such as myself, it brings back happy fun memories such as of our time on the dragonboat. For those who were much closer, it might bring grief and pain.
Today, seeing the reconnection notice reminded me of his funeral.
It would be a lie to say that his memory is on my mind every hour of every day. I highly doubt anyone really experiences any deceased person’s memory in that way, except perhaps the closest family who miss their loved one’s every day presence.
Yet, when I see members of the team I shared with him, and when I think of why I should be putting on a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), his memory comes to mind. That, I feel, makes it more meaningful than being reminded to “reconnect” via Facebook.
What do you think about Facebook keeping the profiles of deceased people alive and well? Is the memory something you’d want to experience through other pathways than Facebook? What do you think about being constantly reminded that you have not “connected” with a deceased friend or family member via Facebook?
Saxophone 101
Today, I got to finally learn to play the Saxophone. It has been something that I wanted to do for a very long time. Yet, the economics did not pan out. I did not think to rent and spending thousands for a saxophone that I might not learn to play very well on my own just was not a good use of existing funds.
Finally, I met Kristen who is a high school music teacher. She suggested that I rent and we traded shoots for music lessons.
Today, I hit the G-spot. The G note is the first note I learned to play on the saxophone!
Great examples of leadership
There are great examples of leadership found in almost every corner of organizations. Yet, how do you lead without saying a word? How do you lead purely by visual (or even non-visual cues)?
Do you simply let it happen? Do you have a rigid style? Are you somewhere in between? Itay Talgam explores these different styles of leadership.
This has to be one of my favourite TED videos.
From the web site:
An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.
New Season
Welcome to fall 2009.
“I’ve never seen leaves this colour before,” exclaimed my mother. Our tree, usually red in the fall, was a shade of gold in stark contrast to the grey sky.
Cheerleader Dystonia After Flu Shot
This is kinda sad. A flu shot leads to neurological disorders. This is kinda interesting how it’s all “in the mind”. As in, if she works backwards or if she runs, she is fine.
It all depends on what neurons are firing, probably which portion of her cortex is activated. This is an example, although a sad one, of how interesting the human brain can be.
I am kinda on the fence with regards to getting flu-shots. After all, I am needlessly infecting myself with those viruses in the hopes that my immune system will compensate for it.
What if the genetic code in the virus was mutated to cause other problems? Possibly such as in the case of this lady?
Here’s a link on how viruses work.
Marriage Proposal Gone Wrong
This is pretty brutal. I feel so bad for the guy! Seriously though, centre stage proposals are only doable when you both already figured out you want to get married.
I have a feeling this guy simply “popped the question” out of the blue and that leads to spectacular EPIC FAILS like those.
I wonder if it was staged?
At the end of the video, did they said something like “a little prank here on the night before Valentine’s day”?
Google Chrome on xubuntu, Thinkpad T20
Lately, I have been trying to breathe new life into my old, slow but trusty Thinkpad. I had put Windows XP on it previously, but it still was sluggish. I was hoping that Xubuntu would be faster.
Sadly, this computer, though working well, is almost past its prime. When I move the mouse cursor across the screen via my TrackPoint, it registers a 50% CPU load. I guess I can’t expect all that much with a PIII 700 Mhz processor.
Google Chrome for Linux however, has been stellar! I installed the dev channel versions, pre-beta, of both the MacOS and Linux versions and both have not crashed a single time on me on regular use.
It is a lot more responsive than my Firefox 3.0 that came default with Xubuntu. I can’t wait for Xmarks to finally support this browser!
I look forward to see Google Chrome for a lot more devices! I’m a big fan of Google!
Balloon Boy: Hoax? … I’m quite convinced …
I’m a little late on watching the Balloon Boy story unfold. I really was reserving my thoughts for when I saw footage. This footage however, has me convinced that it was all a hoax!
Somebody just ruined daddy’s show.
“you guys said, that .. um … we did this for the show …”
and Richard Henne goes off to give a random story about a candy store and being “behind”. Nothing to do with explaining what the boy said.
Then he goes on to avoid the specific question “what did he mean he did this for the show?” and refuses to ask Falcon on behalf of Larry King “why he said he did this for the show”.
All these seem to lead towards the conclusion that the boy’s disappearance was a publicity stunt.