This is a pretty interesting read.  Similar how to use LinkedIn for the same purpose.

[link]

In one test, TSA inspectors hid the components of a fake bomb in carry-on luggage that also contained a bottle of water. Passengers are prohibited from carrying containers holding more than three ounces of liquids, gels or aerosols through airport checkpoints.

(john: so they took the water bottle out of the bag and left the bomb components. awesome! i feel sooo much safer now.)

Here’s an interesting article on a few theories about how pee-sychology applies to facebook.  A few theories they mention are collecting friends like stamps, feeling like a loser for having one friend so you go get more, ability to stalk people via status, increase in “deadwood” aka people over 30 (sorry asif and huy =), a desire to fill out your social timeline to make an autobiography, addiction to applications, and to find old friends.  hehe… I’m not saying these have merits but still kinda interesting.

[link]

Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing says this…

My friend danah boyd — frequently featured here — is one of the best social scientists working on social networking sites today. She’s just published a working draft of a paper called “Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace,” which posits that well-to-do, stable American teens with “good prospects” end up on Facebook, while poor, queer, marginal and non-white teens end up on MySpace (even in the military, grunts are on MySpace and officers are on Facebook — guess which one the military banned!)

[Read]

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. Please be seated. Welcome to the South Lawn. This is an historic day — after all, this is the largest gathering that we’ve had for Champions’ Day, and we’re glad to welcome the champs here to the South Lawn. I appreciate being with good athletes, good students and good leaders — and that’s what it takes to become a champion.

…

The teams here today span 21 different campuses, in 14 different states — from California all the way over to Florida. You represent eight different athletic conferences: the Big Ten to the Pac-10 to the West Coast Conference and to the Ivy League. There’s Tigers and Badgers, Huskers and Anteaters. (Laughter.) Go Anteaters. (Laughter.) Fight Anteaters.

[via whitehouse.gov]

(john: sorry vince… raincheck?)

(john: neat-o. Dreamhost is now buying renewable energy certificate.)

i really dread moments when a family member has to go get a medical procedure done…. even if it’s a small outpatient one. but even more so when it’s my little one. pearl spent a lot of time in the hospital two years ago, and it drove me nuts. *sigh* i guess… i take that back… i know that all i can do is lift it up to God’s hands.

pearl: it’s life… we do all that we can…

When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
~Acts 1:7-11

(john: in preparation for pentecost next week… my thing to pray on…)

(john: goshdarnit… it’s a typo. should be Blair resigns… boo.)

it’s been a busy few days. pearl was in NYC, and izzy was in SD at the grandparents. i finished my last final on thursday, and went out to happy hour afterwards. afterwards, i managed to get in some voluntary reading in that night. starting to read the the four hour workweek. friday work as usual. i rushed out of work to go do chris and christina’s engagement shoot at the beach. i’m a bit out of practiced, but it turned out nicely. i think i scared christina by joking that my last engagement shoot didn’t go well and i only got one or two pics out of luck. haha i think she missed the sarcasm.

after the shoot, i rushed home and took a shower. i hopped on the 9pm train to SD. spent the night at the inlaws. had breakfast w/ them the next morning and headed out to ethan’s first bday party (ethan is jasmine’s younger brother. jasmine is isabel’s best friend. jasmine’s mom is pearl’s good friend, jayson’s, older sister. haha did i lose you?) we stayed at the party will we were both partied out. i met up w/ annie after for some sushi. then we headed back to irvine. *phew* okay that was just late friday and saturday.

sunday, i got up early and got izzy ready, and we went to go pick up pearl and betsy from the airport. okay, i’m too lazy to type more, so pearl is gonna take over for me. she knows what we did today.

so.. John left me and isabel at the inlaws (john’s parents house in cypress.. where i immediately proceeded to fall asleep), to take betsy back to irvine to get her car (which btw bets thanx for taking me to ny altho i kno you don’t read this). Then, john (who is the best) took my car to get washed and vacuumed. (happy mothers day to me) I am so happy because i’ve wanted this done for ages and i was too cheapo and lazy to do it on my own *but a bird already pooped on it because its a poo magnet

anyways for the rest of the day we stayed in cypress .. being lazy.. going to costco twice (they have the best deals on flowers).. playing wii with john’s mom and making all of our wii characters. so.. we just got home cleaned up a little bit and are about to reward ourselves with Naruto … =)

Found this somewhere on the internets…

Harvard: None. If they want to come to Havard so bad - make THEM put in the lightbulb!

Stanford 1999: 1 company: www.screwthelightbulb.com , which was later sold for $1.2MM

Stanford 2003: 70. But there are only four lightbulbs, so the total lightbulb installing group isn’t that big…

Wharton: Three. One to install the lightbulb. One to analyze the financial effects of the increased spike in power demands upon a de-regulated electrical free market. One to claim that there is more to Wharton than analyzing the financial effects of the increased spikes in power demands upon de-regulated electrical free markets.

Kellogg: 25. One team leader. One team reporter. One team manager. One team organizer. One team break coordinator. One team discussion leader. One team timekeeper. One team liaison. One team mentor. Three team steering committee members. One team project sponsor. One team consultant/advisor. One team challenger. One team initiator. One team idea-creator. One team activator. One team censor. One team supporter. One team mediator. One team monitor. One team implementer. One team administrator. One team worker.

MIT: Five. One to design a new lightbulb. One to improve on the design. One to build the new lightbulb. One to install the new lightbulb. And one to bail on the whole process and head down the street to the HBS party.

Columbia: One if you put it in early with a $5000 deposit. Otherwise three. One to put in the lightbulb, one to install more ivy, and one to re-write the GMAT.

Chicago: Three. One to put in the lightbulb and two to argue that there should be seven lighbulbs and that Chicago represents one of them!

Yale: Only one, but he has help from an undergrad and a law student.

UCLA: None. It’s always sunny in LA.

DeVry: Light what?

USC: 2 - one to screw it in, one to insist that it’s just as good as UCLA’s light bulb.

NYU: None - some guy stole the lightbulb

Johnson: 200 - this lightbulb changing is the most exciting thing happening in Ithica tonight.

Tuck: we’re going to have to wait until Monday, all the roads are closed and we can’t get to the hardware store. You want a drink?

Haas: three - one to propose a new kind of lightbulb, one to compare this lightbulb to Asian and European lightbulbs, and one to protest the replacement of the original lightbulb.

Babson: we’re having a business plan competition to see what new ideas people have for replacing the…what did you call it, a light bulb?

no, i didn’t buy a toyota, but i’m done w/ finals!!! it feels great to be done. went out w/ my classmates tonight to happy hour.  wish i was partying it up in NYC w/ pearl.  miss ya honey.  anyway, busy weekend planned.  izzy is w/ her grandparents in SD.  i’m going to go down tomorrow night after work.  then saturday, we’re going to one of her lil friend’s 1st bday party, and hopefully meet up w/ annie whom i haven’t seen in 3 months. then sunday is mother’s day, so gonna go see the folks.

and of course, i’ve already got readings assigned for next tuesday.  d0h! anyway, i’m not going to think about it tonight.  imma just gonna go heat up some tamales and curl up in bed w/ a book.

thank God finals are done and over with.  the hardest term of my mba program behind me…

(john: so i haven’t blogged in ages. i haven’t done much of anything aside from work and school. last weekend was our first anniversary… HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY, HONEY!!! we had a great day together. pearl made me this awesome scrapbook that she’s been hiding for a month. actually, she didn’t really hide it. it’s been on the bookshelf for a month in plain sight. she knew it’d never occur to me to look for a present there. hehe… i took her to a surprise cooking class at hipcooks(.com) in downtown LA. we had a great time and want to take more classes together. aside from that i’ve been consumed by school and group work. pearl and izzy are up north for the weekend at frank’s brother’s wedding. i’m at home trying to study at…mmm… 3am. just 12 more weeks until a reprieve from school. my performance at work has even been suffering as a result of school, and it’s getting notice by management that my brain is only 80% functioning when i’m there. their words. eek! anyway, i’m pretty sure i can rough it out. it’s helpful to have the support of an amazing wife and adorable daughter. my family and friends are also quietly supportive. i swear i’ll call all of you and reconnect after finals. and before i forget… happy birthday chris!!! and since i won’t blog again for a while… happy birthday ben, JJ, liela, nhut, and ann hong!!! and happy mother’s day next weekend for all you mothers, soon to be mothers, and of course my mom!)

(update: oh yes… that’s a picture of my new toy that i’ve been playing with extensively. =)

33 dead and maybe more after a shooting at Virginia Tech. Student bloggers are blogging here. It’s quite horrific. *sigh*

check it out… george lange photo. one of the best portfolio slideshows i’ve seen. makes me want to bust out my camera.

Countless e-mails to and from many key White House staffers have been deleted — lost to history and placed out of reach of congressional subpoenas — due to a brazen violation of internal White House policy that was allowed to continue for more than six years, the White House acknowledged yesterday.
[via washingtonpost.com]

(john: aiya… if this were the west wing, i’d say this is getting better and better, but it’s not a tv show. it’s real life, and it just sucks.)

Powered by ScribeFire.

(john: hamster turns wheel… shreds your paper… makes new bedding for itself)

Happy easter everyone! The Lord is Risen! And a special congrats to my buddy Chris who was baptized yesterday!

Hi Pearl and Izzy!

(john: pretty stunning… here’s a high res version )

(john: mas?)

just wanted to say, “Hi Mom!”

(john: We’re not just a football school anymore…)

Food for thought…

1. The newspaper today states one minute of war in Iraq costs US$380,000. A calculation made by Joseph Stiglitz, a US Nobelprize winning economist. That is almost double the cost of the war in Vietnam.

2. According to WFP, the UN’s food aid organisation, it costs US$0.19 to feed a child for a day. Nineteen cents. 20,000 children die of hunger every day. The time it took you to read this post, already 15 died.

3. Taking those two figures together, one minute of war in Iraq would feed 2,000,000 children for a day.

One day of war in Iraq would feed 20,000,000 children for a year.

[source]

CONGRATS MAN!!! We’re really proud of you, Ben. You are just constantly amazing us. Next stop Attending Ben? We can have some fun w/ that title next year. haha

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” - Matthew 6:34

Situation Explained
Ever feel like you have too much to do?

Solution Offered
Everyone is in a hurry, myself included.

How often does the drive-thru lane take longer than going inside?
What is the point of having express lanes in a grocery but no one to bag the groceries?
How do automated phone menus save you time when they talk so slow?
Why assign a “research paper” where no one does actual research, only a “google” search?
What is the purpose of a carpool lane if there’s a bus in front of you going 10 mph?
Why have a “workout” for three minutes a day? Who can’t spare ten?

In a world where “time is money”, I’m out of both.
In a world where technology is supposed to “free up time”, I’ve never been busier.
In a world where Christians are expected to be patient, sometimes I just want to convert.

(Okay, that one wasn’t true, but you get the point.)

It’s astounding, isn’t it? Do you ever just feel overwhelmed? Do you ever want to run out of your classroom or your office, jump on a plane and head for an island? Ever feel like deadlines are just that.lines in the distance that could virtually kill you to reach?

And then, there’s Jesus giving us these words from the Gospel. Read them again.

“Do not worry about tomorrow?” Is He kidding?
Doesn’t Jesus know how busy I am? Doesn’t He get it?
How can the Lord of the Universe dismiss my stress so easily?

He can dismiss it precisely because He is the Lord of the Universe.and what stresses me, doesn’t stress Jesus.

That isn’t to say that Jesus doesn’t care that you are stressed; He cares about you.
That isn’t to say you shouldn’t “bother” Jesus with your stress, share your life with Him.
That isn’t to say that some days (months) won’t be harder than others, He’s there for all of it.

It is to say that the only thing that puts your life, your stress, your school or job, your relationships, your fears, your hopes and your dreams into perspective.is Jesus, in the now.

If you’re too busy to pray.you’re too busy.

I used to start everyday with coffee and a list of “to do”s.
Now I start every day with prayer, then exercise, then coffee (and prayer), then the list.and that has made all the difference.

God is the Lord of the present.
If you’re stressed in your life right now, ask Him to be the Lord of your now and let tomorrow take care of itself.

Salvation Given
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” - Matthew 6:34

“Don’t be so immersed in the work of the Lord that you forget or neglect the Lord of the work.” - John Paul II

(john: just when i needed it. mysterious ways… mysterious ways.)

(john: for your birthday viewing pleasure… how they make crayons from Mr. Rogers picture-picture. and thank you vince for pointing out my ineptitude with search engines.)

I’ve joined the mass exodus away from Blogger to Wordpress.  Blogger beta just wasn’t coming fast enough for me, and the features were slow in coming.  I’ll have a new template for ya after midterms.

(john: Anyone watch Battlestar Galactica? Hehe… If you do you’ll see why I thought this was funny.)

I’ve been following a news story the past few days. James Kim, a CNET editor, and his family went on vacation about two week ago in Oregon. When they didn’t return home to SF on 11/27, friends and family started worrying. About a week later after a lot of buzz in blogosphere and a lucky break, a manhunt began to look for the family. A few days ago, a lucky break surfaced. James Kim’s cellphone had received a text message a day after the family was last seen. The signal was traced back to a remote area in Oregon where the roads were supposed to be closed during the winter. It was pure chance that the cellphone had coverage just long enough to receive a txt message in such a remote area. Anyway, the rescuers were able to narrow down the search area with this information. Three days ago, a helicopter hired by the family found Kati Kim, their 3 year old daughter and their infant daughter huddled in their snowbound car but in good health.

Their car had gotten stuck in a snow drift 8 days earlier. The weather was harsh, and temperatures reached 20-30 degrees at night. The family had survived by using the car heater to stay warm until the gas ran out and then burned the tires to keep warm. The family only had some baby food; so Kati nursed her two daughters. On Saturday morning, James set out in just a jacket, sneakers, and two pairs of pants to find help for his family. He said he would return by 1pm if he could not find help. He never returned.

Today, they found James’ body face down in a ravine. He had made an 8 mile circle and ended up just a mile from his family’s car separated by a sheer cliff. I’ve been praying for the family, and my heart just sank when I read the news today. I was happy for them when they found his family, but I guess it just hit home because I could relate to this guy. A young dad with children about the age of Isabel who went out to get help for his family. There were a lot of circumstances that could’ve made all the differences, too. Just sad… Please pray for his family.
[Link - CNET]