CFA Level I Exam

Hubby & I wrote the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level I exam today. It was a miserable experience both studying for the darn thing, and also taking it. Hubby was smart: he didn't even bother studying for the exam. In fact, he didn't even know how to use the authorized calculator for the test (he used a Texas Instruments BA II Plus, while I stuck with my trusty HP12C). I was so filled with utter contempt and hatred for this test, that I wanted to write a passionate post titled "Why the CFA Program Blows". But I have better things to do.

Yo! Yao!

If you go to Wu-Liu.com (joint website for hubby & myself), you'll see some pics of a bunch of us who went to see the Rockets play the Golden State warriors a couple of months ago. Being a good ol' Texan (who acts more like a SoCal dude) hubby is a HUGE Rockets fan. Being the supportive wife, I made signs to cheer on our Asian brother: Yao Ming.

Yao is awesome to watch, and he has an affable public persona. He comes across as a classy guy - unlike some of the other punks in the NBA who think they're all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips. So imagine my delight when I saw that there's a documentary called "Basketball Diplomacy: From Mao to Yao" that will air this Sunday, June 1 on MSNBC at 8PM ET, PT. It's hosted by Lisa Ling. I don't really know much about Lisa, other than the fact that she hosts (used to host?) some talk show and is (was?) dating Rick Yune.

Baghdad Blogger Unveiled

Saw on MetaFilter, that the Baghdad blogger has been identified. I love his writing - it's so passionate and witty.

Do I Look Fat in This?

Several topics for today already, so I moved the entry here.

Enhance Those Reflexes Through Gaming

I used to joke that gaming was good for you because it helps you improve your reflexes. Sure enough, a BBC news article reports that there may be some truth to this. According to Nature News Service, researchers Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier have found that "game-players react to fast-moving objects more efficiently ... and can track up to five objects at a time - 30% more than non-players."

The benefits are found by playing action-packed games like Grand Theft Auto, as opposed to puzzle games like Tetris. Good thing I just bought a copy of GTA III from eBay for hubby!

I love the fact that they point out that the initial study was done exclusively on men because the "...duo failed to find keen female gamers on campus". Where were these cool studies when I was is college? I sure would have volunteered!

You can discuss this at Slashdot, or MetaFilter, where I first read about this.

Fishing for Gifts

I'm proud to say that I've successfully dodged absolutely each and every wedding shower, bachelorette party and baby shower I have ever been invited to. So it's safe to say that I don't even know what goes on at those things, other than how they are portrayed on "Sex in the City" and "Gilmore Girls" (don't laugh - it's a good show). It's not even intentional: for whatever reason, I always happen to have something scheduled on the days that these things occur. So imagine my disappointment when I was invited to... oh, let's call her Jane... Jane's baby shower, and it conflicted with existing plans.

Jane isn't even really my friend. She's a friend of hubby. But since hubby is one of the world's most sociable guys, and his friends actually make an effort to get to know ME as a person (and not just as an extention of him), I was only somewhat surprised to be invited to her baby shower. As is customary of such events (or so I imagine), it wasn't even Jane who invited me to the shower, it was her friend Mary. I have absolutely no idea who Mary is, but I received an email from her one day asking me to "SAVE THE DATE!" for Jane's baby shower, and to expect snail mail invitations. After briefly consulting with my calendar, I sent off a reply letting her know I would be unable to attend.

Weeks pass, and I completely forgot about it until I received an invitation sent to hubby's office, but addressed to me. Sure enough, it's from Mary, giving directions to Jane's baby shower, along with a notice indicating where the baby registry is. I had already informed Mary of my prior plans, so why did she send me an invite anyway?

My theory: when my sister got married, my parents called their friends in advance to ask whether they would be able to attend. Only those who were coming received invitations: the ones who weren't never got one so they wouldn't feel obligated to buy a wedding present. Maybe only Chinese people do this (or maybe just my parents), but I like that practice and subscribe to that logic. Therefore, I automatically lept to the conclusion that the reverse is also true: you would only send an invite knowing that the person couldn't attend just so they would have to buy a gift! In my warped little mind, that's what I assumed: Mary sent me a superfluous invite just to solicit a gift for Jane. I know, I'm being way too petty, and for all I know Mary sent the unnecessary invite because she just plain forgot that I had already RSVP'd. But I was annoyed to enough to forward her a copy of my original email (the one that said I wasn't coming) along with the message, "In case you didn't get my first email, here it is again - I'm STILL not able to come". I'm paraphrasing, but you get the picture. Oh, and I'm not sending a gift out of principle.

Bowling for Columbine: Fact or Fiction?

I admit upfront: I have not see the movie yet, but I do remember Michael Moore making an a$$ out of himself at the Oscars with contraversial statements in his acceptance speech. I also recall booing and hissing from the audience while the Oscar Police cut him off with loud music. Anyhow, the reason I'm writing about this is because my friend Scott referred me to a website which suggests that the movie "Bowling for Columbine" is not a documentary (by the Academy's own definition) and thus should not have won an Oscar for that category. **POLITICAL RANT WARNING** I'm about as antigun as they come, so power to anybody who challenges the NRA. But my feelings towards firearms aside, if it's true that "Bowling for Columbine" is not a documentary, then I agree that Moore should get his Oscar revoked. Otherwise, that would be like "The Pianist" winning an award for "Best Animated Film". Ooo... shouldn't have used that example since I have lots (of bad things) to say about Roman Polanski...

Disk Drive Spring Cleaning

I'm buying a new computer in the near future, so it's not quite as important for me, but here's an article about hard drive spring cleaning. By cleaning out your hard drive, you'll benefit from the following:

• Your computer will run faster
• Your computer will crash less often
• You can find items easier
• You're be more likely to back up your files for safekeeping
• You're less likely to have spyware and other undesirables lurking around

Slashdot has a discussion thread on this topic.

Temporary Hiatus

FYI: I won't be updating my blog regularly again until June 1, 2003. Long, miserable, story.

Oh, and Happy Memorial Day!

Origin of SARS

According to a WSJ article (subscription may be required), the World Health Organization has lifted a travel warning to Hong Kong. Yay! The Journal also reports that "local researchers announced the disease came from civet cats -- a delicacy eaten by some Chinese." Eeew.

TypePad

All the really spiffy weblogs out there are powered by Movable Type. I've been itching to give it a shot myself, but there was something in their FAQ about "If you have never installed a CGI program, the Movable Type installation process can be intimidating..." that stopped me in my tracks.

I was tooling around Mena Trott's DollarShort.org website (got there by accident because I was looking for a way to implement the cool full-scale calendars for archive posts in Blogger), when I noticed a post about TypePad. It appears that Six Apart Ltd., the creator of Movable Type, has closed their Series A financing that was lead by a Japanese frim called Neoteny Co. Ltd. Neoteny's website has a blog for reporting information like recent news. Very cool.

I've already signed up for TypePad newsletters, and it looks like they will initially offer only a paid service, i.e., no free version. I'd love to try it out, but I'm only two months into my $35 annual Blogger Pro paid subscription. Very tempting tho...

"Enough"

The tagline for the movie "Enough" (starring Jennifer Lopez) is "Everyone has their limit". I certainly hit mine while trying to watching this POS (piece of doo-doo) movie. Fortunately, I recorded it on my trusty TiVo so I was able to skim through the bad parts... which ended up being most of it. Being a cardio kickboxing instructor, my favorite part of the movie was where Slim (JLo) trains to fight. Emphasis on the TRAINING, and not where she actually beats the crap out of her husband, Mitch (Billy Campbell). In fact, I'm inspired to take a self-defense workshop hosted by Women Defending Ourselves here in the Bay Area.

I'm glad that the movie raises awareness of domestic violence, and illustrates how unacceptable it is, but I don't agree with its message that it is okay to murder your abuser. I intentionally used the word "murder" as opposed "kill" since I've watched enough "Law & Order" to know that it's first degree murder (as opposed to manslaughter) where there is intent.

I applaud the efforts of organizations such as Calgary-based HomeFront, whose mission is to reduce domestic violence through coordinated community action, involving social service agencies, law enforcement and the criminal justice system. They have created some graphic yet effective ads depicting violence in public settings: a boardroom and a restaurant, as a comparison to domestic violence. They're difficult to watch but make their point well. Thanks to MetaFilter.com where I saw the link.

Mad Cow Disease in Canada

2003 is becoming an increasingly bad year for my home country (Oh Canada!). First SARS, and now mad-cow disease up in Alberta. The really scary thing is they don't know the source of the cow's disease.

Pleonasms and Oxymora

I took a course on English writing as a requirement for my Industrial Engineering undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto (the other U of T). The only thing I remember from that class is that I'm supposed to avoid using redundant words, e.g., "dead corpse" and "end result". I just learned today that these redundancies are called pleonasms.

The opposite of a pleonasm, is an oxymoron (the plural of which is "oxymora", not "oxymorons"). Here's a list of some quotes containing oxymora. I'll provide one below that is especially meaningful to me lately because I just watched the movie "Matrix Reloaded":

We must believe in free will. We have no choice. -- Isaac B. Singer

I first read about this in the MetaFilter Weblog.

Surveillance Systems in SF Taxis

I took a taxi to a meeting last week, and noticed that there were stickers all over the windows indicating that a "FareView" in-vehicle camera system was installed inside. I asked the cabbie about it, and he informed me that it's a new system that was implemented in all San Francisco taxi cabs a few weeks ago. The next time you take a cab, look at the windshield near the rear view mirror: you'll see a small digital camera that looks like ones in those advertised in those annoying Internet pop-up windows. According to Silent Witness, the Canadian (woo hoo!) company (Nasdaq: SILW, Toronto Stock Exchange: SWE) behind FareView, the camera "... snaps a picture every time a door is opened, the fare meter is initiated, or the driver presses a panic button. Each digital image is stamped with the date and vehicle identification number, then stored in the recorder unit installed elsewhere in the vehicle."

The taxi driver told me that the FareView images are stored in the taxi and are not transmitted (wirelessly or otherwise) anywhere, i.e., there's no central database. There's enough memory for 3-5 days worth of information, at which time older pictures are overwritten. May be Big Brother-esque to some, but I think it's a great crime deterrent, and protects both taxi drivers and passengers alike.

Top 10 Things I Hate About Star Trek

Happy Fun Pundit's list of Top 10 Things I Hate About Star Trek. Pretty darn funny. First saw the link in one of Wil Wheaton's posts.

The Diamond Industry Blows

Ever since I went to business school at MIT Sloan, I have been disgusted at the diamond industry, and especially De Beers, the blatantly monopolistic, price-rigging company that uses marketing to pressure (primarily) men into shelling out one month (maybe even two) of their hard-earned salary to purchase diamond engagement rings to prove their undying love. Whatever. So imagine my horror when I read this WSJ article about how some women are now expecting even LARGER, gaudier, rings. Anybody who demands such a gesture doesn't deserve to be loved in return.

P2P Most Disruptive Free Software

Internet content filtering software provider N2H2 released a new list of the "Five Most Disruptive Free Applications" (see their 5/13/03 press release) based on the number of downloads, feedback from N2H2 customers, and by measuring security and productivity impact in the workplace. Here's the list - top five software that hamper worker productivity and decrease network security:

1. Peer-to-peer file-sharing programs
2. Online games
3. Desktop movie players
4. Password helpers
5. Browser toolbars

The Gospel According to Neo

I'm looking forward to watching Matrix Reloaded this weekend. I thought the first movie was thought-provoking, but some folks have actually studied it and have made direct comparisons with various religions, especially Christianity. Read about it in the Christan Science Monitor and follow the discussion at Slashdot where I first saw this.

Hacker Jargon

I really enjoy reading Phil Ringnalda's blog, and also his readers' comments. Every now and again, however, I encounter an interesting acronym or term and I don't understand what it means exactly (actually, this is more of a problem I encounter on Slashdot, but I digress). For instance, I suspect that it's not a compliment to be called a "troll", but exactly *is* a troll (and I'm not talking about the ones JRR Tolkien writes about)? And what does "RTFM" stand for (most recently encountered in the comments section on one of Phil's posts on a CSS slam?

Well, if you too would like the answer to these (and other) questions, look no further than The Jargon Dictionary! Please visit this fine reference for details, but here are the abbreviated definitions of "troll" and "RTFM" I found there:

• troll v., n.: 1. [From the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban] To utter a posting on Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or flames; or, the post itself.
• RTFM /R-T-F-M/ imp.: [Unix] Abbreviation for 'Read The [Fine] Manual'... . Note: I put square brackets around "Fine" because they used a different word but I'm trying to keep my blog PG-13.

Wil Wheaton

TNG (The Next Generation) is my favorite Star Trek series, but like a lot of Trekkies, I disliked Wesley... intensely. Even so, I visited Wil Wheaton's website recently (Wil Wheaton is the actor who played Wesley). It's surprisingly entertaining and thoughtful. Definitely worth a visit.

Klingon Speaker Wanted

I admit it, I'm a Trekkie (tho my interest is insufficient for me to watch Enterprise), but even I was taken offguard by this CNN.com article about a Multnomah County, Oregon office that has a job position for fluent Klingon speakers to help treat certain mental health patients. You can discuss the article at Slashdot.

Gasoline Experiment Terminated

So my hypothesis that Station X was mixing funky stuff in their gasoline was not supported by my recent crude (and probably flawed) experiment. I managed to drive at least 350 miles on a tank of their gas before hitting the red line in my car. Oh well.

How to Make a Telemarketer Cry

A lawyer recount's this great story about how he was awakened by a telemarketer's call at 5:24AM -- a mistake that cost the offender $500. I saw this at Slashdot where you can read other people's responses to this.

Visual Thesaurus

Merriam-Webster is a handy online dictionary and thesaurus. If you're looking for something more colorful and fun (but arguably less detailed and informative) try the Visual Thesaurus which is based on WordNet. They have an online version (free) and also an offline/desktop version you can purchase and download.

Law & Order vs. CSI

Hilarious moments in this week's episode of Law & Order (no spoilers here). Some of their stories are supposed to be "ripped from the headlines" and this one was about a prestigious, exclusive nursery school with $20K/year tuition fees, and the over-anxious, zealous parents who harrass and cajole the admissions office to get their children in. Sounds like the 92nd Street Y!

There's a great scene where this uppity socialite ruefully moans about having to move to Greenwich to "start all over again and rebuild their lives" because her daughter didn't get accepted to that particular nursery school and she didn't want her friends to know. Yes, nursery school. I guess if you're that wealthy, these things matter.

But the most interesting part of the show, however, occurs near the beginning when the coroner mentions that the CSU (crime scene unit) missed some evidence at the crime scene. Then Lenny Briscoe, ever the cynical and crusty cop (love his character) scoffs, "Those crime scene guys are highly overrated. The problem is they all think they're cops." That was an obvious and unnecessary dig at the highly popular show CBS show CSI (Crime Scene Investigation). Cheap shot! I'm an avid viewer of both programs, and I think CSI is the superior show. Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of Law & Order, should worry more about improving the quality of his own shows (he is also creator/producer of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent), rather than downplaying others.

Game News for Nerds

My friend Crystal reads Slashdot. I've started reading it too, but most of it is too technical for my puny brain to comprehend. In case you're wondering where the name "Slashdot" came from, it's a parody of a URL (interesting tidbit I got from watching CNN Headline News this morning). Your next question is probably why CNN Headline News was reporting about Slashdot. Well, they have just launched a new section for gamers. Their tagline is "Game News for Nerds". Excellent! Something to complement the information on GameSpot. Oh, and CNN said that in many ways, Slashdot is the "grand daddy of blogs". Cool.