Albert T. Wong - 黃頌言

One of my fav articles.

The Brand Called You
Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here’s what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.

What I sell on my job.

IBM Software - WebSphere Remote Server - Features and benefits
WebSphere® Remote Server delivers a fully integrated platform to help manage remote environments. This infrastructure offering extends the IBM Enterprise Business Integration technology to distributed locations, enabling integration from the enterprise to the edge of your business.

WebSphere Remote Server V6.0, the core component of the IBM Store Integration Framework, is a pre-integrated, pre-tested package of IBM software products designed specifically to support the on demand store environment.

WebSphere Remote Server integrates diverse systems in the store, such as existing IBM Point-of-Sale (POS) applications and new POS solutions provided by IBM Business Partners, with the infrastructure to quickly deploy and manage new solutions built around the WebSphere Remote Server core. It links each store and the enterprise to help customers determine whether they have the right goods and services, in the right location, at the right price, and with the level of service and the unique shopping experience that consumers demand.

After clients deploy remote server software at their stores, they can select separately available extensions to run on the server, based on their individual needs. For example, if a retailer needs to integrate their current POS system with the rest of the store applications (fuel pumps, kiosks, and so on), they can get the POS Extension and deploy it on the store servers. If they can implement digital video surveillance, they can implement the Digital Media Extension on the servers. This capability enables clients to use the server for today’s needs, while also positioning them for future implementations, such as the rollout of RFID technology and mobile devices.

Oh man….. this is great….. I wanna see!

This Film Is Not Yet Rated
“This Film Is Not Yet Rated” is a documentary from Academy Award-nominated director Kirby Dick and producer Eddie Schmidt - a breakthrough investigation into the MPAA film ratings system and its profound effect on American culture.

The documentary asks whether Hollywood movies and independent films are rated equally for comparable content; whether sexual content in gay-themed movies is given harsher ratings penalties than their heterosexual counterparts; whether it makes sense that extreme violence is given an R rating while sexuality is banished to the cutting room floor; whether Hollywood studios receive detailed directions as to how to change an NC-17 film into an R, while independent film producers are left guessing; and finally, whether keeping the raters and the rating process secret leaves the MPAA entirely unaccountable for its decisions.

“This Film Is Not Yet Rated” was kept under wraps by the filmmakers during more than a year of research into the MPAA’s rating practices. Director Kirby Dick (”Twist of Faith,” “Derrida”) interviews filmmakers, critics, attorneys, authors and educators. Ultimately, Dick tries to uncover Hollywood’s best-kept secret - the identities of the ratings board members themselves.

2006 Subscribers’ Choice Awards - Sacramento Magazine August 2006 - Sacramento California
With ever more restaurants to choose from in the Sacramento region, subscribers faced quite an undertaking when they responded to our survey: What restaurants really stand out as best in the region? Our subscribers rose to the occasion, though, and took full advantage of their privilege to vote. We received more responses than ever this year. Here are the winners, along with some picks from Sacramento magazine editors.

Desserts in Sacramento Part 2 - Ciocolat, Ettore - Chowhound
Ciocolat - I thought the cakes were slightly a bit better than Freeport. Less heavy sugar as you can tell, Im more of a european cake eater than american. Good place to “chill out” in Davis.

Ettore - Id have to say that Ettore is probably the closest european cake place in Sacramento. The cakes are light and theres a little fruity tang in cakes like Princess.

Dessert in Sacramento - Freeport Bakery, Tower Cafe, Leatherby, Gunthers - Chowhound
Freeport Bakery - Reminds me of typical American Bakeries. Heavy on the sugar. Very dry. Some of the better American cakes that I’ve had. The setup was very “local”. Lemonade was very real. I’d go back again.

Tower Cafe - I actually liked the cakes. It was really down-to-earth home cooked cakes. Liked Freeport feeling a bit better but I wished it had the Tower cakes.

Leatherby - Had the banana split. It was huge. Pretty good value for the money. Ice cream was good.. but not as great as how some ppl say it is.

Gunthers - This was more like an old fashioned ice cream parlor. I thought it was very retro. Was it better than Leatherby… it was different, more… rich. If I had to choose. I’d go to Gunthers over Leatherby.

Hmm… it seems that my patent application finally got submitted.

United States Patent Application: 0060190536
Method, system and program product for building social networks

Abstract

Under the present invention, a user with an existing profile page who desires to have a social network built will first submit a subscription request. If approved, an existing contact list such as a chat list or the like for the user will be compared to existing contact lists for other subscribing users to establish commonalities. Based on such commonalities, a configurable social network of contacts is built. Using a graphical representation of the social network, the user can (among other things) provide or read testimonials about the contacts therein; access the profile pages for the contacts; provide or read “ratings” for the contacts; be provided with levels/degrees of separation between the contacts; validate trusts and business relationships, etc

Wired News: What’s Next, Ramen Noodles?
What if making ramen were like playing guitars?

Last weekend I was sitting on a stool in Sapporo’s famous “ramen alley” trying to decide what type of ramen dish to order for breakfast. I had just read an article in The New York Times reporting that the Recording Industry Association of America was threatening to sue websites that publish guitar music tablature, or tabs, alleging copyright infringement.

The article said that the RIAA considers tabs copyright-protected information. According to the recording industry, even incorrect tabs and tabs developed by users from listening to songs are its property as “derivative works.”

I started thinking about what it would be like if there were an RIAA for ramen.