Saturday 25 December 2010

Must read.. especially for the middle aged guys & girls.. ;-) Age and happiness: The U-bend of life | The Economist

Age and happiness: The U-bend of life | The Economist:

Must read.. especially for the middle aged guys & girls.. ;-)

"Whatever the causes of the U-bend, it has consequences beyond the emotional. Happiness doesn’t just make people happy—it also makes them healthier. John Weinman, professor of psychiatry at King’s College London, monitored the stress levels of a group of volunteers and then inflicted small wounds on them. The wounds of the least stressed healed twice as fast as those of the most stressed. At Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Sheldon Cohen infected people with cold and flu viruses. He found that happier types were less likely to catch the virus, and showed fewer symptoms of illness when they did. So although old people tend to be less healthy than younger ones, their cheerfulness may help counteract their crumbliness."

Tuesday 21 December 2010

My response & prediction peHUB � Depressing Thoughts About Groupon’s Model

peHUB � Depressing Thoughts About Groupon’s Model

my response and prediction:


I would tend to agree with you Jeff, but as I eluded to in some of my previous private tweets at @GarethWong, the Groupon model sadly unsustainable.

Although I just tried Groupon (a major sized canvas print for price of a small canvas) and lately Keynoir in UK (more upmarket & exclusive products, they argue), essentially it helps raise awareness and potential reach but not necessary the B2C brands' normal target audience..

Real sustainable Acid test (for long term ecommerce solution/upstart) is whether it would change consumer habit and continuously provide value (like ebay+paypal, alibaba for b2b or linkedin for directors of B2B firms networking etc.) .. there is only limited number of lobster or steak meals or 50% of suits.. but the retailers will start getting wise to the fact that the clientèle will not return as the price point to convert them just is not sustainable (unless it is part of a conglomerate operating a 'basket' approach of supermarkets)...

Biggest challenge for the whole dot.com or tech-crunch world is this, the REAL percentage of consumers that 'transact' and pay is sadly still not the majority (unlike myself, for majority of the joe blogg public, they still do not buy everything they need online... )

When we see the reports from broadsheets and investment banks like morgan stanley start talking about % of internet people that buy things, rather than % of population are on broadband, that is when the real sustainable business arrive in our 'joe blogg's world and we will then have some proper conversation about brands or services that WILL last..

Groupon I sadly say will not be around in its present form (just to be controversial) in 5years time... and I am not a betting man.

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Price War Ignited Between Online Booksellers_English_Caixin

Price War Ignited Between Online Booksellers_English_Caixin:

great for consumers!
we love pricewars!

"Dangdang currently offers 600,000 books on its website, while 360buy sells 220,000. According to Dangdang's IPO prospectus, the company's fourth quarter book sales are expected to reach 441.8 million yuan, with daily transactions worth 4.9 million yuan.
In addition to the fierce battle in the book market, 360buy, which has long relied on low price strategy to attract customers, is also facing challenges from rivals in the electronic retailing sector, including Gome and Suning.
Local media outlets reported that Gome and Suning are in talks with appliance suppliers to reduce supplies to 360buy, accusing the online seller for violating market rules by offering below-market prices"

Monday 13 December 2010

Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business.

Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business.:

very interesting.

"Wang's book argues that China's middle class is essential to three things: China's economic well-being, China's political liberalization, and America's economic well-being. A fourth may be implicit: that successfully engaging with, and profiting by, the explosive growth of China's middle class may be a necessary reminder to Americans of what we have lost - not in economic terms, but the vision of a better future."

Friday 10 December 2010

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Agree.but some comments re IAB UK Social � Lady Gaga is dead. So what?

IAB UK Social � Lady Gaga is dead. So what?

People pay for things, services, time spent with (people, games, real/virtual entertainment)..

sadly as some celebrities realise too well, their worth has a sell by date, I certainly hope to keep seeing Lady Gaga hitting out songs until she is 70's..

but realistically, is it likely?

We can still engage with a proper business (hopefully, like Evian, Coca cola, John Lewis ) until we are in 70's ourselves however.. that is if they embrace (but not blindedly) like GAP and employ social media correctly to engage but not ruled & overruled by the noisiest mobs.

as ultimately by the time most 'general population' engage with the web AND transact (pay for things via it), the media/brand/social landscape might be very different indeed, and whether LeWeb, even IAB in its present form still exist, we never know. ;-)

might be worthwhile to embrace the presence just as the celebrities do.. (some more successful than others).

happy tweeting/social networking

@GarethWong

Monday 6 December 2010

IMDb: Top 25 Korean Movies - a list by Ablis89

IMDb: Top 25 Korean Movies - a list by Ablis89:

I have seen quite a few of them, but if you have to pick one, I would pick either..

1.
or

10. My Sassy Girl (2001)
8.3/10

don't feel bad if you have not seen it yet.. as I recommended them even to Koreans I know. ;-)

"NO ONE" knows and have seen everything!

Happy enjoying and learning other people's culture and social context..


Saturday 4 December 2010

Erm.. WHAT is the business?? LAUNCH - Blog - How to name your startup (and land the perfect�domain)

LAUNCH - Blog - How to name your startup (and land the perfect�domain)

I think the above is a great, and rather long post instructive post on how best to choose name and paying over the odds for the 'online real-estate'..

One cannot but in noticing one thing, as per my lunch conversation with a major bankers in Pall Mall, London, the key part of the equation is somehow totally missed or ignored to this day, which is: WHAT IS THE BUSINESS?? WHAT are they selling??

but of course maybe it is so obvious that it was not even necessary to be mentioned by even one line in this otherwise fantastic post.

maybe I am just tired and didn't "see it"..

@GarethWong

Thursday 2 December 2010

peHUB � Moritz on Great Entrepreneurs, Cleantech, 25 Years at Sequoia, Valuations, More

peHUB � Moritz on Great Entrepreneurs, Cleantech, 25 Years at Sequoia, Valuations, More:

How a great article should be, insightful & to the point, you should click above to finish reading! ;-)

I Like this Michael guy already, but being based in London and with no Silicon Valley around, a naturally reserved guy like me had to learn to express himself to hopefully meet our equivalent Michael Moritz someday..


"Remarkable founders don’t come across as “silvery tongued devils,” says Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital. Rather, they’re often shy, quiet and rather withdrawn.

That was one of the observations Moritz made last night in a one-hour Q&A at startup incubator Kicklabs. The Xconomy-hosted event was provocatively titled “Michael Moritz Unplugged,” but the star VC didn’t say anything terribly surprising.

Here are some highlights:

On what Sequoia looks for in entrepreneurs: “We have a great affinity for underdogs,” he says.� What great entrepreneurs have in common is an inability to think about anything but their business and mastery in their area of focus."

Wednesday 1 December 2010

Real reason why some politicians are still 'trusted'! , Defend Your Research: People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty - Harvard Business Review

Defend Your Research: People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty - Harvard Business Review:

Real reason why some politicians are still 'trusted'!


"Rogers: In our study, subjects found the candidate answering a similar but different question just as trustworthy and likable as when he answered the original question. What’s more, after hearing an artful dodge, subjects had much lower recall of the question asked; in some of our studies, less than half could remember it accurately. If anything, that result is artificially high, since when we asked them to recall the question, we gave them four options, so they had a 25% chance of guessing correctly. But the important finding is that the audience didn’t penalize a speaker who dodged a question well.

Norton: But you had to be good at it, and you couldn’t be obvious. When the candidate answered a completely different question, he was penalized heavily and rated less likable and trustworthy. Interestingly, people were much better at recalling the actual question in those cases.

After we did this research, we really paid attention to the national elections. We noticed how some politicians seemed to have mastered this skill. Hillary Clinton was phenomenal at dodging questions. Looking back, Ronald Reagan was a master dodger, too."

Real reason why some politicians are still 'trusted'! , Defend Your Research: People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty - Harvard Business Review

Defend Your Research: People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty - Harvard Business Review:

Real reason why some politicians are still 'trusted'!


"Rogers: In our study, subjects found the candidate answering a similar but different question just as trustworthy and likable as when he answered the original question. What’s more, after hearing an artful dodge, subjects had much lower recall of the question asked; in some of our studies, less than half could remember it accurately. If anything, that result is artificially high, since when we asked them to recall the question, we gave them four options, so they had a 25% chance of guessing correctly. But the important finding is that the audience didn’t penalize a speaker who dodged a question well.

Norton: But you had to be good at it, and you couldn’t be obvious. When the candidate answered a completely different question, he was penalized heavily and rated less likable and trustworthy. Interestingly, people were much better at recalling the actual question in those cases.

After we did this research, we really paid attention to the national elections. We noticed how some politicians seemed to have mastered this skill. Hillary Clinton was phenomenal at dodging questions. Looking back, Ronald Reagan was a master dodger, too."

Tuesday 30 November 2010

brilliant read.. should take more time to re-read for sure. ;-) Redefining Greatness (It's Complicated) - Tony Schwartz - Harvard Business Review

Redefining Greatness (It's Complicated) - Tony Schwartz - Harvard Business Review:

brilliant read.. should take more time to re-read for sure. ;-)

"Greatness demands both decisiveness and flexibility, courage and prudence, strength and vulnerability, action and introspection.

The true measure of greatness is our capacity to navigate between our opposites with agility and grace — to accept ourselves exactly as we are, but never to stop trying to get better."

The best country to start a business... - WSJ.com

The best country to start a business... - WSJ.com

fascinating, Denmark the most startup friendly? (along with most nordic countries) and Peru got most number of % of female entrepreneurs!?

need to take a closer look later!

BestOn

Sunday 28 November 2010

Must read! The Return of China - WSJ.com by Niall Ferguson is a professor of history at Harvard University

The Return of China - WSJ.com:

Must read!

"As I've researched my forthcoming book over the past two years, I've concluded that the West developed six 'killer applications' that 'the Rest' lacked. These were:

• Competition: Europe was politically fragmented, and within each monarchy or republic there were multiple competing corporate entities.

• The Scientific Revolution: All the major 17th-century breakthroughs in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology happened in Western Europe.

• The rule of law and representative government: This optimal system of social and political order emerged in the English-speaking world, based on property rights and the representation of property owners in elected legislatures.

• Modern medicine: All the major 19th- and 20th-century advances in health care, including the control of tropical diseases, were made by Western Europeans and North Americans.

• The consumer society: The Industrial Revolution took place where there was both a supply of productivity-enhancing technologies and a demand for more, better and cheaper goods, beginning with cotton garments.

• The work ethic: Westerners were the first people in the world to combine more extensive and intensive labor with higher savings rates, permitting sustained capital accumulation."

[POWER3]

Chinese pupils trash dinner hall in protest at cost of meals | World news | The Guardian

Chinese pupils trash dinner hall in protest at cost of meals | World news | The Guardian

This is difficult for westerner to understand.

but you must.

Thursday 25 November 2010

China’s Fastest Growing Provinces: The Demographics | China Briefing News

China’s Fastest Growing Provinces: The Demographics | China Briefing News

Nice coverage of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Hunan, Jilin, or Hubei

Brilliant indeed.


BOC Hong Kong’s Cheung Misled Uneducated Customers, Court Told - BusinessWeek

BOC Hong Kong’s Cheung Misled Uneducated Customers, Court Told - BusinessWeek

sadly this is the norm.

In HK, people even buy stocks based on the numbers, and not much effort has been given to investigate what the company does and their business fundamentals etc.

Fingers crossed that these people can get something back! good luck! and hope those that are not lucky enough to be part of this case to get some if not everything back!

Good luck & our thoughts are with you!



Nine things you should never buy last minute - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Finance

Nine things you should never buy last minute - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Finance

very interesting indeed. ;-)

thankfully we already do that!

Friday 19 November 2010

Phil Bentley, MD British Gas's 10 Lessons in Management

Great insights that Phil shared, very nice gentleman and brilliant insights shared. culminating his 40+years experiences mainly in the publicly listed market.

1.) Never stop investing in your human capital,
2.) In business, Timing is All,
3.) Build your business around your customers,
4.) Never underestimate the power of symbolism,
5.) High performing teams know what 'good' looks like,
6.) Always recruit people around you who are smarter than you,
7.) Everyone must get home safely to their family, every night,
8.) Keep the owners happy and you'll keep your job
9.) Follow the meta-trends,
10.) Always have a few management quotes up your sleeve

my only concern was regarding point 8.) which I will write another blog to cover it when I have time.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Guest post: Symbian OS – one of the most successful failures in tech history

Guest post: Symbian OS – one of the most successful failures in tech history:

This is a brilliant post.. insightful.. but hope he does not get to be sued for divulging too much!

Always great to see people to give credit where it is due also. sadly lost with most people these days..


"The lesson for Meego, and other pretenders to the crown is, perhaps to look after your developers with useful APIs and powerful tools both inside and outside of your organisation. Find the right balance between efficiency and ease of development. Look after all of your developers and your developers will look after you.

Tim would like to thank @dw2 for giving him his big break into the industry."

Use Pantyhose to Protect Yourself from Jellyfish Stings

Use Pantyhose to Protect Yourself from Jellyfish Stings: "You can go two routes when acquiring the right gear to protect you from jellyfish stings.

Use Pantyhose to Protect Yourself from Jellyfish StingsIf you're planning on summer adventuring in a locale known for jellyfish—surfing in Australia perhaps?—you can protect yourself from jellyfish stings with the most unlikely of tools—pantyhose.

Cool.. ;-)

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Women reveal the pick-up moves that really work

Online dating with match.com | Make love happen: "Women reveal the pick-up moves that really work"

I particularly like Move 3 and not to encourage her babble though!

Move 3: Death by eye contact

What to do: If you spot a woman you'd like to talk to, look at her until she meets your eye. Try to hold her gaze. Let her look away first – you can guarantee she'll look back again a few seconds later. You're communicating loud and clear without saying a word.

Why it works: Women are extremely sensitive to body language signals, and intense eye contact forges a powerful emotional connection. It works once you're making conversation, too, so look her in the eye when she talks. She'll like you for it, because it suggests that you respect and value what she's saying – and it's extremely seductive.

Move 4: Flatter her babble

What to do: Encourage her to talk more. Never underestimate the flirtatious power of the phrase “I could talk to you for hours.”

Why it works: The nerves and adrenaline of a flirtatious situation conspire to make most women babble, and they're well aware of it. Don't knock it – it's a sign that she likes you. If you can make her feel good about her babbling, she'll enjoy your company and want to come back for more. Don't be afraid to interrupt, as long as it's on-topic – it shows that you’re engaged in what she’s saying.



Monday 25 October 2010

Raising the Fish That Could Save Haiti - Video - TIME.com

Raising the Fish That Could Save Haiti - Video - TIME.com




Nice one indeed.

It shows it takes confidence, resolution, confidence to make things happen as institutions tend to have 'group think'..

Lets all make things happen!

Saturday 23 October 2010

Hong Kong's The 2010 - 2011 Budget - Budget Consultation Comic Book

The 2010 - 2011 Budget - Budget Consultation Comic Book

Now, we have seen and heard how Barak Obama used social media to win his election..

Not sure if any of you know, how Comic book is used to communicate with younger generation..

see it for yourself, but of course, it is only in Chinese.

brain child of the finance minister, John Tsang.


as reported by Phoenix TV.



Thursday 21 October 2010

Scientists suggest that cancer is man-made (The University of Manchester)

Scientists suggest that cancer is man-made (The University of Manchester):

Very interesting finding indeed..
Is it too late for us all do anything? yes, too much processed food, and pollution.. but are all all doomed? we need solutions, not only scared reality!!!

What Shall we do and can we do it??

and great infograph below also by @Jayjaypowpow

Professor Rosalie David, at the Faculty of Life Sciences, "Yet again extensive ancient Egyptian data, along with other data from across the millennia, has given modern society a clear message – cancer is man-made and something that we can and should address.”"

Link for infograph (highlighted blow):

Facts About Cancer

Wednesday 20 October 2010

Protesters block Orly, French airports; Osborne announces budget cuts; China raises interest rates; Grim LeRogue is tackled at a Yankees game - Photo Journal - WSJ

Protesters block Orly, French airports; Osborne announces budget cuts; China raises interest rates; Grim LeRogue is tackled at a Yankees game - Photo Journal - WSJ

Impressive photos!

BLAST VICTIM
A Palestinian boy was treated at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, after a huge blast at a Hamas military base injured more than 12 people, including children, Wednesday. Israel did not claim the explosion and Hamas didn’t divulge the cause. (Eyad Baba/Associated Press)

WALKING WITH A WHEELBARROW
A man pushed a wheelbarrow amid debris in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday. Many parts of the city remain in ruins after a deadly Jan. 12 earthquake. (Andres Martinez Casares/European Pressphoto Agency )

NAP TIME
An investor napped in front of screens that displayed stock information at a brokerage house in Xiangfan, Hubei province, China, Wednesday. The People’s Bank of China announced a surprise interest-rate increase Tuesday — without leading to a drop in stock prices. (Reuters)

METALS MINE


The Swedish Post: Happiness By the Metre - Interactive (video) - Creativity Online

The Swedish Post: Happiness By the Metre - Interactive (video) - Creativity

In terms of engagement & activation, yes, it has done its job, but buying sweet as gift is not new.. how would sending happiness by the meter would change consumer behaviour in 'using swedish post' is beyond me.. as they are still interacting online and purchasing and have goods send via post. this can now be done on Amazon, firebox, Play.com etc..

Acid tests are:

1) if same methodology is adopted for other products/services (e.g. ordering collection of posts, goods..) ontop of sweet

2) somehow the post can bring extra value ontop of digital channel (esp. in Sweden where their mobile penetration has gone over 100% for years now!)..

not easy, and well done on great campaign.. but not sure if it does anything over raising awareness over the short term which is sadly not sustainable.

agree??


Friday 15 October 2010

"Must read"!! How Handwriting Boosts the Brain - WSJ.com

How Handwriting Boosts the Brain - WSJ.com:

"Even legible handwriting that's messy can have its own ramifications, says Steve Graham, professor of education at Vanderbilt University. He cites several studies indicating that good handwriting can take a generic classroom test score from the 50th percentile to the 84th percentile, while bad penmanship could tank it to the 16th. 'There is a reader effect that is insidious,' Dr. Graham says. 'People judge the quality of your ideas based on your handwriting.'"

This is a must read article.. for us to practice AND help future generations..

Great to see there are good reasons for prolonging traditions.

Thanks to Claudio Domingues highlighting that for us from Portugal! ;)

@GarethWong


Thursday 14 October 2010

China's 5 best new cities for business - The next centers of commerce (1) - FORTUNE

China's 5 best new cities for business - The next centers of commerce (1) - FORTUNE:

"Fortune China recently conducted its fifth annual Emerging Business Cities survey, hearing from 1,278 Chinese senior managers who ranked 50 selected cities based on the overall business environment, the cost of doing business, the local talent pool, and the quality of life."

They reckons Dalian, Qingdao, Suzhou, Ningbo & Shenzhen are the key cities going forward...

How can I not agree.. ;-)


Wednesday 13 October 2010

Short blog on typos within story of Liverpool sale: Peter Lim asks board to consider his bid to buy club | Football | guardian.co.uk

Liverpool sale: Peter Lim asks board to consider his bid to buy club | Football | guardian.co.uk:


could this be real danger of bloggers joining the media world.. means the quality of tradition press which are pressurised to perform like the blog's world??

I am not an english native, but reading this article, I don't think the writer intended to write "bloke a sale" .. he probably meant 'block the sale'??

or am I getting wrong end of the stick?

funniest is how the same typo is copied, do a search for "bloke a sale"..

I certainly hope that quality of writing of great journalism is still maintained, just imagine some students of English as foreign language thought it was a proper phrase..


all the best to my media owners & journalists friends.

@GarethWong

Monday 11 October 2010

How Chinese use poetry in the old days.. “寂寞寒窗空守寡”,对下联?_百度知道


Not sure if it is general knowledge in the west.. or in fact it is being done in equivalent manner by likes of Shakespeare or Aristotle (I never studied art, left Hong Kong when I was late teens) .. Keen to have any of your feedback/insights (Keen to learn!)

China in the old days would use all the poems in the past as library (through memory) and match & create new phrases that match,

1.) number of characters
2.) form of the words
3.) meaning of words

see below the example..

note: web-translators don't work well.. as there are multiple meanings ...

Also, in the old days..

poets would be 'challenged' to make up the 'response' within certain time period.. kind of like present days Rap.. but in poetry. ;-)

Hope it will not be lost..



“寂寞寒窗空守寡”,对下联?_百度知道:
"寂寞寒窗空守寡
俊俏佳偶伴伶仃

寂寞寒窗空守寡
邂逅迎遣逍遥游

寂寞寒窗空守寡
泡沫沐浴润湿流

寂寞寒窗空守寡
荏苒暮落苦葬花

寂寞寒窗空守寡
潋滟清江浅润沙

寂寞寒窗空守寡
缠绵红线终结缘

寂寞寒窗空守寡
浩瀚江湖漫漂泊"

Thursday 7 October 2010

rxdxt: Who Stole the Electric Car?

rxdxt: Who Stole the Electric Car?

my comments to Richard's full accounts..


Richard, my thoughts are with you and family.

It is traumatic being robbed, and we had our flats raided 2 times back in Hong Kong (grew up in council estates, thankfully we were not in!) before we installed iron bars (yes like a cage) to protect ourselves. I also got my wallet stolen in front of me (via distraction tricks) in madrid metro a month or so back, BUT nothing like having your roller coaster ride of home invasion!

Yes, I have always admired you the social media pioneers, but have aways been concerned about too open (my foursquare check-in are usually asynchronous just on the record, it could be done before, after or even next day), thats why despite having tweeter & blogger account since 2006 (reluctantly), I only started using them since 2008 onward.. and still have 'protected tweets' from day one (some of my arguments here: http://garethcxo.blogspot.com/2009/08/protected-tweet-or-not.html )

This does not answer to your key questions.. where to get the best home video/monitoring system, I have done some research as I wanted some installed also but after asking for quotes and even getting professional (contractors or even MD of Bosch security system), I find that it is sadly still ripped off Britain, one will have to spend thousands to get something decent. (when I last checked anyway).

If you however don't mind doing some DIY, then I found www.X10.com not bad, but buy it in US, as europe/UK will be twice the price! ;-(

Hope you will recover, but yes, be-careful location, and some self defence class (I recommend Aikido and/or krav maga) will not go amiss, as its confidence that counts.

Warmest regards & don't let them affect you.

This is also saddest part of UK, where we are giving millions away to multiple international causes but sadly have neglected the one thing needed for UK, which is social capital that has much been deprived and sadly the people that needed help down the road is left alone to rot, as they much needed 'self-help' and change of aspiration.. this is the cause that needed much attention IMHO.

@GarethWong

YouTube - Pronation in a Nutshell

YouTube - Pronation in a Nutshell: "

Nicely done.
"

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Gamers make faster decisions than nongamers, just as accurate

Gamers make faster decisions than nongamers, just as accurate:

very interesting indeed!

maybe I should not have given up on my copy of half life then..
good excuse to get back on some proper gaming. ;-)



"There's a significant controversy over the value of games that are designed to improve people's mental faculties, as some studies have indicated that brain training only helps prepare you for similar tasks, while others indicate that general improvements are possible. But there turns out to be a type of game that is known to boost a variety of skills, from decision making to tracking multiple objects: standard action games. A study, released today by Current Biology attempts to explain how these video games can produce such wide-ranging improvements."

Thursday 9 September 2010

potential eBay privacy concerns from my limited experience. eBay help pls!?

This is a very special week for me, in my eBay user history.

After having an eBay account since May 2001, I finally sold a couple of my old HiFi kits..

despite my multiple social network profiles, I am a rather private person (outside of business).

I am firm believer on the eBay/paypal model (I used paypal for a while and having been in gaming/finance sectors since 2001, totally respect the KYC procedures of paypal being one of the best).. but I noticed a potential eBay "privacy flaw" that could be exploited by unscrupulous vendors of smaller ticket items.. {for argument sake}.

That is, the transparency of previous bids/sales' feedback. (as the amount of trust is a proxy of the number of positive feedback, or just feedback of a person's previous transactions.. ), it might be one step too far for me.. try it yourself:

If you go to: http://myworld.ebay.com/[YOUR own eBay ID]

I have observed by looking at what the winners of my two hifi items (now I have got their addresses, as winning bidder), I can also see what they have purchased in the past years, and what they like, what they can afford (some expensive £2,000+ jewellery) .. and now I have their contact details, and know he/she will be collecting from me, surely this could be a major security risks!?

Is there an option that I anonymise/make private my previous bidding histories, not that I have any.. but I would like to start using eBay (when I have time) but only if I have such an option.

Signed, a curious long term member but first time user!

or am I paranoid!?

@GarethWong

potential eBay privacy concerns from my limited experience. eBay help pls!

This is a very special week for me, in my eBay user history.

After having an eBay account since May 2001, I finally sold a couple of my old HiFi kits..

despite my multiple social network profiles, I am a rather private person (outside of business).

I am firm believer on the eBay/paypal model (I used paypal for a while and having been in gaming/finance sectors since 2001, totally respect the KYC procedures of paypal being one of the best).. but I noticed a potential eBay "privacy flaw" that could be exploited by unscrupulous vendors of smaller ticket items.. {for argument sake}.

That is, the transparency of previous bids/sales' feedback. (as the amount of trust is a proxy of the number of positive feedback, or just feedback of a person's previous transactions.. ), it might be one step too far for me.. try it yourself:

If you go to: http://myworld.ebay.com/[YOUR own eBay ID]

I have observed by looking at what the winners of my two hifi items (now I have got their addresses, as winning bidder), I can also see what they have purchased in the past years, and what they like, what they can afford (some expensive £2,000+ jewellery) .. and now I have their contact details, and know he/she will be collecting from me, surely this could be a major security risks!?

Is there an option that I anonymise/make private my previous bidding histories, not that I have any.. but I would like to start using eBay (when I have time) but only if I have such an option.

Signed, a curious long term member but first time user!

@GarethWong

potential eBay privacy concerns from my limited experience. eBay help pls!

This is a very special week for me, in my eBay user history.

After having an eBay account since May 2001, I finally sold a couple of my old HiFi kits..

despite my multiple social network profiles, I am a rather private person (outside of business).

I am firm believer on the eBay/paypal model (I used paypal for a while and having been in gaming/finance sectors since 2001, totally respect the KYC procedures of paypal being one of the best).. but I noticed a potential eBay "privacy flaw" that could be exploited by unscrupulous vendors of smaller ticket items.. {for argument sake}.

That is, the transparency of previous bids/sales' feedback. (as the amount of trust is a proxy of the number of positive feedback, or just feedback of a person's previous transactions.. ), it might be one step too far for me.. try it yourself:

If you go to: http://myworld.ebay.com/[YOUR own eBay ID]

I have observed by looking at what the winners of my two hifi items (now I have got their addresses, as winning bidder), I can also see what they have purchased in the past years, and what they like, what they can afford (some expensive £2,000+ jewellery) .. and now I have their contact details, and know he/she will be collecting from me, surely this could be a major security risks!?

Is there an option that I anonymise/make private my previous bidding histories, not that I have any.. but I would like to start using eBay (when I have time) but only if I have such an option.

Signed, a curious long term member but first time user!

@GarethWong

end of Digital or normal SLR?? if Point & Shot camera can do fantastic picture like this??

just come across Ben's photo on Flickr..

wow!

Does it mean the days which Point & Shoot guys can compete AND win the SLR/DSLR guys?

I wonder, and is there any competitions to help decide??

short comments & my favourite, essentially 1-2-1 marketing! & same as 'customerLife'! Mastercom viral marketing and viral video campaigns

Mastercom viral marketing and viral video campaigns

Great virals.. but my personal favourite, which concurrent to 'customerlife' my long term vision (since 1999, but not yet executed, as I need help!) is to bring ultimate customisation of products by acquiring pre-qualified perceived and real product/services requirements..

results 'might become like below's SNCF video'.. but of course at a much more economical and less dramatical approach!




suggest you check out above link for other viral videos ( have only gone up to the SNCF one sadly..)

Wednesday 8 September 2010

best information portals/tools for those that use public transport in London


Online & mobile tools I use frequently for my london travel:

Online:

Streetview of google maps http://maps.google.co.uk (esp. street view)
UK government's Transport for london: http://tfl.gov.uk

mobile:

TubeBuddy for blackberry
DLR London - mobile portal

hope this helps,

anything else I missed?


Monday 6 September 2010

short comments, slightly misguided kneejerk reaction again.. Foreign student numbers to be cut under new visa regime - Telegraph

Foreign student numbers to be cut under new visa regime - Telegraph

surely key is to:

1.) monitor & cut out bad 'colleges' that abuse the system? or increase monitoring/accreditation of them..

2.) ensure quality of students are high (rather than just learning A-level languages & hanging around on high streets, we have seen it many times and everywhere!)

as cutting visa may in fact decreased much needed revenue for legitimate colleges and universities (even toffs boarding schools!)..

guess, politicians has to make some controversial decisions.. sadly this might just affect the future of educational system (as majority of even good universities rely on funds from foreign students!).

Oh well... life and system does not have to make sense, I guess!


Wednesday 1 September 2010

YouTube - Shin Seung Hun - I Believe (My Sassy Girl 엽기적인 그녀 theme)

YouTube - Shin Seung Hun - I Believe (My Sassy Girl theme):
""

one of the best film from Korea..

RT @GarethWong World cinema recommendation, all time Korean comedy ever (so far), @IMDb My Sassy Girl 엽기적인 그녀 http://imdb.to/Y9pwF (or am I wrong?)

Monday 30 August 2010

case laws/precedents of Offer and acceptance within social media/networked world?? like twitter for example


My legal friends worldwide, wonder if you have any insights/experiences on the validity of
Offer and acceptance - Wikipedia applied to the social media world, particularly on broadcast medium like Twitter?

What jurisdictions would the contract be formed?

e.g. if Disney in UK is making an offer for special UK tour of a theatre show of a High School Musical 5 (for argument sake) via twitter, first to response would be entered into price draw.
there was only one response would that be a valid offer & acceptance??

wonder if there is any case law/precedence and experiences, and thoughts if not happened before/yet!?

Can they rescind the offer like offline offers?

would it make any difference if the accepting parties are outside of the offered jurisdiction?? e.g. can Canadian citizen or Citizen in Asia accept offers from European country??

just wondered.


Saturday 28 August 2010

2 breakdancers in front of Eiffel tower part 2

more.

two breakdancers in front of Eiffel Tower (short video) part1

cool bunch of guys

suggest you stop by there!

get a few Euros ready though at least!

Chinglish... restaurant owners got conned!? May I take your order? � Rahoi.com

May I take your order? � Rahoi.com

more examples on link above.

but sadly a lot of local Chinese restaurant owners have probably never left China, nor do they know any people that speak English... hence, likely to be conned by the first 'translator' that turned up.. ashame that they did not manage to 'double check' the quality of the translation(s).



Tuesday 17 August 2010

short comments re Self Proclaimed ‘Social Media Experts’ – damaging | The Wall Blog

Self Proclaimed ‘Social Media Experts’ – damaging | The Wall Blog

Self proclaimed experts in any field are dangerous, especially for new emerging industries like social media, converged games & entertainment categories (we will see more) are as challenging..

Sincerely hope we will not see more self proclaimed 'gurus' in other industries and even 'life coaches' around the world..

in order to do so, we need more recognised AND proven 'measurement' of social media successes (not only case studies) and certainly through not only eyeballs/followers/liked BUT 'qualified' followers and mainly measured by perceived or real fellowship (by action even just via simple RTs or indeed incremental donation/purchases/real-life actions etc.)

There should hopefully be simple ways of checking people's quality/background simply and transparently.. I totally agree with your quality over quantity comment, thats why even my personal twitter feed is private (from day one I started using it properly) @GarethWong ...

good luck with all your new and old initiatives..

Tuesday 3 August 2010

China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video) -- Engadget

China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video) -- Engadget

Nice one

best is not the hearsay but the video (in mandarin).



My short comments re Shutdown for a Gatekeeper of Telecom Gold_English_Caixin, + Book: The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist leaders

Shutdown for a Gatekeeper of Telecom Gold_English_Caixin

This story should be read in conjunction of this book:


Great stories to highlight

1.) how business 'really work' in China
2.) one really need to immerse there culturally to be able to figure out the mechanics
3.) we have to do our best to understand first and foremost AND assimilate before judging it from the western point of view..

as the alternative (if there was any) might be much worst, especially uncertainty and chaos, which might arise ...


Monday 2 August 2010

offline use of online information will become significant I am certain! Google tracks political allegiances - tech - 31 July 2010 - New Scientist

Google tracks political allegiances - tech - 31 July 2010 - New Scientist:

This is in fact rather significant.

As most of the twittering/blogging world so far (to be fair) for majority of the population worldwide is a minority (yes I said it).. but the application of the internet world for use of the offline sense, be it political, business, would and in fact will take hold and change how people behave and interact.

as I have short tweeted before, i.e.:

@GarethWong Typical respond from SA.CXO:"I am not very good at social webs etc I am afraid but will join" big guys don't need social network!! @LinkedIn

people are already successful offline that did not want to/need to engage online..

This is akin to convincing 70-80years old age pensioners to go online to do their weekly shopping.. which do happen, but only an enlighten few as they do not see the 'extra value' it might bring them..

however, with new cross-on/offline features like this, it might just encourage more people to take a peek.. . the rest as they say will be history!

"Sang Hoon Lee at Korea's Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon wanted to see how search engines could highlight relationships, so opted to study the 100 US senators in Congress in 2006. He used Google to search for web pages listing pairs of senators' names and used the number of results to weight the strength of the relationship.

This data was used to draw up a 'relationship map' of senators in the run-up to the 2006 Senate elections. Defeated presidential candidate John Kerry was the Democrat most linked to, while John McCain was the most linked to Republican. The results, says Lee, show that simple analyses can reveal real-world links (PloS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011233)."