Daily Top Ten List

Book Summary - Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Book Description:

Irrational behaviour is a part of human nature, but as MIT professor Ariely has discovered in 20 years of researching behavioural economics, people tend to behave irrationally in a predictable fashion. Drawing on psychology and economics, behavioural economics can show us why cautious people make poor decisions about sex when aroused, why patients get greater relief from a more expensive drug over its cheaper counterpart and why honest people may steal office supplies or communal food, but not money. According to Ariely, our understanding of economics, now based on the assumption of a rational subject, should, in fact, be based on our systematic, unsurprising irrationality. Ariely argues that greater understanding of previously ignored or misunderstood forces (emotions, relativity and social norms) that influence our economic behaviour brings a variety of opportunities for re-examining individual motivation and consumer choice, as well as economic and educational policy. Ariely's intelligent, exuberant style and thought-provoking arguments make for a fascinating, eye-opening read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

My Review Rating: 4/5 Stars.

This is an insightful way of how our mind works and why we are often irrational in our decision making. This is useful if you are a consumer or working in the field of marketing as you will be able to learn some guidelines that might help you consume less or help your customers consume less.

Book Summary

1. The Truth About Relativity Why Everything Is Relative – Even When It Shouldn’t Be

a. Choices are rarely made without a reference to other similar choices and their worth. When making a decision, we make our choices based on the array of choices presented. Decoy choices are choices inserted into the mix to “help” people choose a product.

b. Groups of choices that are similar to each other are preferred over isolated choices that have hard to compare attributes.

c. Relativity also plays to our emotions of contentment and creates the keeping up with the Jones syndrome. One can solve this by moving to a smaller circle where the objectives might be different or the less competitive.

2. The Fallacy Of Supply And Demand – Why The Prices Of Pearls And Everything Else Is Up In The Air

a. The chapter starts with the discovery of black pearls in Tahitian. An entrepreneur harvested the pearls and tried to sell them to the world. Initial efforts failed. However when the pearls were marketed with the finest gem stones, sales took off.

b. The price anchor was set to a similar level as precious stones. Once we set a price to a product, our mind becomes used to the fact that it cost a certain amount. Any amount below will be considered cheap and any amount above will be considered expensive. This is regardless of the actual value of the product. This is called arbitrary coherence.

c. An experiment involving suggesting initial prices by having participants write a number then bid for a product proved a correlation of the written number and the average bid price. Also when the participants were willing to pay a certain price of one product, their willingness to pay for other items in the same category was also similarly affected.

d. Self herding is the habit formation of establishing a new price anchor and continuously reinforcing the anchor without thought. To create new anchors in a space where there are already anchors, the author suggests that one creates a product positioning that is highly differentiated.

e. Thus since our initial anchors have far reaching consequences, we should consider the value when we purchase a first product.

3. The Cost Of Zero Cost – Why We Often Pay Too Much When We Pay Nothing

a. When product choices are placed together and a certain product is free, the free product creates a large relative value that distorts the choices. In a transaction, there is a return on investment. However once a product is free, there is no visible and direct loss created thus the return is infinity and thus the free choice is almost always the overwhelming choice.

4. The Cost Of Social Norms – Why We Are Happy To Do Things But Not When We Are Paid To Do Them

a. There are 2 worlds in which we exist. One is dictated by market norms and the other by social norms. We usually try to keep the 2 markets and the people that we interact with in each separate.

b. When money enters into a transaction/request, it becomes a market and people will view the request relative to the market.

c. People work equally hard when the norm is social compared to when the pay is market competitive. If the pay is reduced, the performance drops. However if the payment was not in monetary terms (gift), social norms take place. But when the price of the gift is mentioned, the market norms return. Hence we should keep the two entirely separate.

d. Mentioning money also affects behaviour of people. When money was mentioned or suggested, people became more self reliant and less willing to ask for help. In other words, they were more rational and market oriented.

e. When a market norm and social norm converges, the social norm is easily removed but is hard to get reestablish even when money is removed from the context.

f. Social motivations are cheaper and more effective that monetary motivations and should be incorporated into policy making to help people make sound decisions.

5. The Influence Of Arousal – Why Hot Is Much Hotter Than We Realise

a. The experiment was first conducted when the student was in a normal state. Then the experiment was then conducted again when the student was in an aroused state. The results were that in an aroused state, our choices were less rational and could not be predicted by ourselves in a cold state.

b. We should give ourselves time to cool down and analyze choices instead of making snap decisions.

6. The Problem Of Procrastination And Self Control – Why We Can’t Make Ourselves Do What We Want To Do

a. This chapter explores why it is so easy to lose sight of our goals and self control. We might not understand our own lack of self control. Commitments are necessary for keeping us on track. They could either be self proposed or imposed by another authority. There is reason to believe that commitments imposed by another authority might be more effective.

7. The High Price Of Ownership – Why We Overvalue What We Have

a. In general the ownership of something causes the value of the thing to increase only in the owner’s perspective because it is easier to attach emotional experiences to the object. The owner also focuses more on the aspect of the loss of the object and its benefits.

b. The more work we put into something, the more sense of ownership we get and thus higher satisfaction from using the product (IKEA effect). Ownership can also take hold partially causing virtual ownership where we imagine ourselves using the product before we own it.

8. Keeping Doors Open – When Options Distract Us From Our Main Objective

a. We feel compelled to keep as many choices available without due consideration to opportunity cost. When we are trying to keep our doors open, we also lose our focus on our current activities. The need to keep the choices open is due to our tendency towards loss aversion.

b. When we narrow our choices to the final 2 choices, it is now even much harder to make a decision because the two are so similar. The author suggests making a decision and getting on with our lives.

9. The Effect Of Expectations – Why The Mind Gets What It Expects

a. Expectations affect our experiences. If an expectation was set before using the product, our conclusion will likely be similar to the expectation. When the expectation was not set, the conclusion was made on the basis of the product. If the information supplied to manage the expectation was shown after the product was used, this information had little effect as the expectation would already have been set by the product experience.

10. The Power Of Price – Why A 50-Cent Aspirin Can Do What A Penny Aspirin Can’t

a. Placebos run on power of suggestion and they work because the person taking the medicine expects it to work. The expectation derives from a belief that the medicine works and the body becomes conditioned to the presence of the medicine and starts a physiological response.

b. The more expensive the item, the stronger its placebo effect.

11. The Context Of Our Character Part 1 – Why We Are Dishonest And What We Can Do About It

a. There are 2 types of dishonesty. One is a highly criminal dishonesty where the decision making is based on how much they can steal. The second is committed by the average person where the object is often not money and less decision making is made.

b. When given the opportunity, most honest people will cheat. Once tempted to cheat, the magnitude of cheating did not increase beyond a certain point.

c. Honesty has an internal monitor that activates when the amount is large. When the amount is small, it is passive and the dishonest act does not get register on the virtue counter.

d. The honesty monitor can be activated in certain ways. One could put up a sign reminding a person of honesty or a mirror for self reflection. All these ways helped in bringing up the contemplation of the internal moral benchmark.

12. The Context Of Our Character, Part 2 – Why Dealing With Cash Makes Us Honest

a. When the object of dishonesty is cash, we are very unlikely to commit the dishonest act even though it might be a small amount. When the object is not cash but a product of similar value, we are inclined to commit the dishonest act. When cash is a step removed from our dishonest act, our dishonest rate goes up.

13. Beer And Free Lunches – What Is Behavioural Economics And Where Are The Free Lunches

a. We should base our decision making on how we really behave instead of how we are modelled to behave in classical economic theory.

b. We are far off from really understanding ourselves and we underestimate the external influences to our decision making.

c. PS: if you want to participate in this journey, log on to www.predicatblyirrational.com

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BOOK SUMMARY OF HOT, FLAT AND CROWDED

10 SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS ABOUT HAPPINESS

Book Summary of Hot, Flat and Crowded

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:09:00 +0000

This is the complete summary of the Book, Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L Friedman.

Yup, he is the same guy who wrote that the world is flat a few years back that highlighted how the internet and global supply chains is flattening the world. Now he is on to his next book that is highlighting Hot= Climate Change and Global Warming, Flat = Globalisation and Crowded = the growing middle class. Here is the first part of my summary.

Part 1: Where we are

1. Where birds don’t fly

American has gotten distracted by its war on terror and has become more insulated and loss its path from global leadership. Friedman argues that green is a new national strategy to take its economic to its new heights.

2. Today’s Date 1E.C.E

The trends of Hot, Flat and crowded are converging.

1. Hot= Global Warming

2. Flat= Globalisation of marketplaces

3. Crowded= Growing competition for resources

The convergence of these 3 trends increase the magnitude of problems: energy supply and demand, petrodicatorship, climate change, energy poverty and biodiversity loss

We have to do something about these 5 problems as they determine peace, security, economic growth and human rights.

Part 2: How we got there

3. Our carbon copies

This chapter focuses on energy supply and demand.

The American lifestyle is wasteful and being emulated in developing countries. If all of them reach American standards, the demand will be so high the Earth will not be able to provide the current level of resources to all. There will be intense competition for resources which will lead to conflict.

Thus a more sustainable growth model is required. The US needs to take leadership as it is the country using most of the resources right now.

4. Fill em up with dictators

This chapter focuses on petrodicatorship which is a political development in oil producing country.

As energy demand exceeds supply, oil prices rises which then gives oil producing countries a lot of money. The influx of Oil money influences politics in countries and turns it less democratic and more anti American. It also fuels terrorism and armies.

First Law of Petro Politics: As oil prices does up, the less freedom in petrolist countries

Thus reduction of oil use is necessary.

5. Global Weirding

This chapter focuses on climate change.

Climate change is real and proven. We are not sure if they will happen even faster than previous predictions. We are not sure of the changes that might happen because we have not accurately modelled the complexity of the climate.

We need to increase national awareness of climate change.

6. The Age of Noah

This chapter focuses on biodiversity loss.

Rapid climate change and human development destroys biodiversity. Loss of biodiversity directly affects human life quality. Degrading the environment means that we have to do more that the climate used to do for us.

Later is too late and we have to stop biodiversity loss now.

7. Energy Poverty

This chapter focuses on energy poverty in developing countries.

1.6 Billion people do not have access to electricity grid. Without energy, almost all aspect of life is affected. The poorest are the ones most affected by climate change.

Without electricity, one has no access to machines and communication necessary for making a living in this flat world.

This keeps the poor poorer.

With communication and electricity, we can move to a more sustainable work life style

8. Green is the new red white and blue

We have passed the point where we cannot put off dealing with the 5 problems.

The true costs of the problems are becoming clear in a transparent flat world which demands accountability.

America must take the lead because if it does not it will lose its global competitive edge. America can because it still has innovation, research and capitalist funding that is still leading edge in the world.

Plan A (There is no Plan B)

Code Green: Friedman proposes a Code Green Plan and highlights the need for a whole new system to power the economy. Need to replace the entire input of the system (dirty fuel)

The components of the Plan are Clean Electrons, Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Clean Electrons: We need to simulate innovation to find a source of electrons that is abundant, clean, reliable and cheap.

Energy Efficiency and Resource Productivity: In the short term, we must reduce the demand because Clean Energy will not be here soon.

Ethic of Conservation: Responsibility for the earth. Changing our lifestyle to something that has less effect on the earth

What We Need: A system of government policies, regulations, research funding and tax incentives that would stimulate a system for innovating, generating gland deploying clean electrons, energy efficient and resource productivity along with an ethic of conservation

On the next summary, I will cover the remaining portions of the books.

Part 3: How We Move Forward

9. 205 Easy Ways to Save the Earth

In this chapter, Friedman lists how many parties are jumping on the green bandwagon regardless of if they are really going green. He argues that the media is positioning green as the next big thing and mis-leading people into thinking that it will be easy to achieve.

He goes on to show how it is really hard to go green. He shows examples of the rapidly increasing demand on energy, the amount of investment we need to make into alternative energy and the amount of time to start these sources of energy and how hard it will be to achieve all these three. The second example he shows is that to stop the doubling of CO2 by 2050, we would have to make several major changes to the current life style all of which are also hard to achieve.

10. The Energy Internet: When IT Meets ET

The energy internet is the convergence of information technology and energy technology. This and the next 3 chapters describe a system of clean power, energy efficiency and conservation. The current power grid is built patchwork and dumb. Major regions are not interconnected and prices are set by regulation instead of market forces. The system was setup without the total cost of ownership in mind.

A scenario is painted 20 years into the future where the grid is connected to your home appliances and dynamic energy load balancing is done based on the instantaneous price of electricity. The utilities are now incentized to help your save energy and even give you loans and rebates to make your house and your appliances more efficient.

11. The Stone Age Didn’t End Because We Ran Out Of Stones

Clean energy is going to be the next global industry. We need a clean energy input to power the grid described in the previous chapter. However we have had no exponential breakthroughs yet and Friedman says that this is because of both the barrier of innovation and more importantly that we haven’t really tried. We need to create a market of clean energy. Current energy markets are dominated by the interest of oil, coal and gas companies and we need to level the playing field so the market can adopt clean energy.

A price signal is required to make sure investors will invest in the creation of clean tech companies and their products. A stable price signal will stimulate demand and confidence and pull our R&D efforts up the learning curve.

Price signals should show the true cost of burning fossil fuels. There are several ways that it could be implemented such as Carbon Taxes or Cap-and-trade schemes. Friedman concludes it doesn’t matter as much which system is implemented but the speed of the implementation.

12. If It Isn’t Boring, It Isn’t Green

We need to nurture all the cost-effective energy efficiency because it is cheaper than generating electricity. This chapter focus on how standards and regulations can optimise and lead to efficient energy usage.

Friedman uses the case of GE’s Transportation EVO Train of how tighter environmental regulation and standards drive innovation which leads to more efficient products that command a higher market premium. He also brings examples from the auto industry and air conditioning products.

Green building design can also cut operating cost even though construction cost might be higher.

The current utility incentive system has to be redesigned. Instead of aligning profits with the consumption of energy, states should reward utilities from helping to make energy use more efficient.

Transportation has to be electrified as we can then directly control the emissions from transportation. A smart grid can use the off peak power and even out loads throughout the day by exchanging power between parked cars and the grid.

13. A Million Noahs, A Million Arks

We need to develop a system for preservation of our natural assets because the degradation of these assets directly affects the quality of life. Each preservation system will need to be different depending on the local environment. There are 6 components.

1) National government policies to set aside areas for conservation and other areas for development

2) Economic opportunities for the local community to thrive without harming the local biodiversity

3) Investors with an interest in keeping the biodiversity intact and make profits

4) Local government who is able and willing to preserve and protect the areas

5) Experts with the ability to do biodiversity assessment to assess which areas should be protected

6) Education programs for the people so it is less necessary to plunder the natural world around the

14. Out Greening Al-Qaeda (Or Buy 1 Get Four Free)

Out greening is a competitive issue (economically and military). When you adopt a competitive greening strategy, you get more than 1 advantage. Being cheapest also means greenest. We need to change the current mindset of carbon neutral to pro green. Carbon neutral means a cost to the companies. But if you get the green strategy right, you can use it as a competitive tool to outcompete your competition.

Part 4 China

15: Can Red China Become Green China

China has a pollution problem because of the waste and pollution of its industry. China cannot do take the same path of dirty industrialization as the west has done because it would mean serve health problem to its citizens.

The government has realised this and has been taking small steps to go green while still keeping the economy red hot. Executing a green plan however is not easy because of the large inertia and the lack of control over local governments. Transparency in the ground is requiring for citizens to police polluters by using media outlets and civil rights movements. This is possible with the government endorsing this movement.

China is having an emergence of a clean tech industry. Buildings play a large part in the environmental policy of China mainly because of the number of buildings erected.

The US needs to take the moral ground in leading clean energy because China will follow us as it has no choice but to follow the world standard.

Part 5 America

16. China for a Day (But Not For Two)

America has been discussing greening for too long with too little action. Decisions carry too much divergent priorities. The difference between the China and US is that it takes the US takes too long to decide but measures are implemented while China can mandate in an instant but the plan might not be correctly implemented.

Decision making is being impacted by traditional energy companies that oppose any incentive to clean energy. They use advertising to mislead voters.

Congress is also negligent is letting funding go to the wrong projects instead of science and development. Government need to be funding basic research so as to seed the breakthroughs required to solve the green problem.

There is too much red tape involved in construction of a power plant. It took 11 years to connect a wind farm 275 Miles to Los Angeles. This is too slow compared to the speed at which China is building power plants of one every 2 weeks.

17. A Democratic China or a banana republic

Change will be painfully disruptive and everyone needs to be involved in bringing attention to the issue. The benefit is not immediate but it has to be done for our children.

We need a strategy to move the general public.

The energy climate era represents a new set of dangers and opportunities. We need leaders to solve this multi generational multi faceted multi trillion dollar problem.

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Term Insurance vs Whole Life Insurance Strategy

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:03:00 +0000

So for the last few weeks my girlfriend and I have been evaluating insurance policies for her. Basically it came down to a debate of 1) “Whole Life” - (WL) or 2) “Term + Invest the difference” - (TID). Before this evaultion, I always believed in “Term + Invest the difference” because the cost was lower and the returns from stock investment would be more than that I can get from whole life.

However there is always a nagging doubt that term might not be the right choice because it doesn’t cover you in old age which is the time when you might need insurance the most. In the end after much discussion we came up with a strategy that both of us thinks make financial sense. Thanks to my girlfriend whom helped put the nagging doubt to rest by crystallising my thoughts.

First let’s make sure you understand both term and whole life insurance

Term

“With term insurance, you’re covered only during the life of the policy, while you’re paying the premiums. If you carry a term life insurance policy for 50 years, regularly pay the premiums, and then quit paying and die a year later, you’re out of luck. (Well, you’d be out of luck regardless – but, in this case, your beneficiaries are out of luck, too.)”

Whole Life

“Whole life insurance, meanwhile, is designed to cover you for your whole life. These policies charge you a fixed premium each year, one that’s typically higher than term insurance. The advantage touted by insurance companies for whole life insurance is that, while part of the premium covers what term insurance would cost, the surplus resides in an account that pays interest and accumulates a cash value. As this “accumulation account” grows, your premiums can decrease over time. Eventually, in some cases, the interest earned can pay the premiums for you. So, you won’t be paying any more premiums, but you’ll still be covered for the rest of your life.” http://www.fool.com/foolu/askfoolu/2002/askfoolu020725.htm

So if you distill the 2 polcies these are the differences between the 2

1. Forced Savings in WL

2. Cost of premiums (WL is more expensive)

3. Coverage after 60-65 years old (That WL has whereas TID doesnt)

Of the 3 differences, only the coverage after 60-65 years old cannot be replicated by a TID strategy so that is what we based our decision upon.

Since the main diffierence of WL and TID is that WL covers you after 65 years old, we should then only buy WL for that function and only intend to use its insurance after 65 years old.

The strategy goes as follows

“Before 65, buy enough whole life that you will need in old age and then whatever amount of term you need to get enough coverage for current times. After 65 discontinue your term policies and hold on to your WL policies.”

The reasoning goes like this:

Before age 65 is when you have the most liabilities (loans, dependants etc) which means that the need for insurance will be highest at this point. However to get whole life is way too expensive for the average person to consider so the cheapest option is term insurance with a critical illness rider. Plus getting whole life also means that you are probably wasting money in old age since you do not need that much coverage.

After 65, most of your liabilities will have been repaid and your dependants would have grown up and thus you no longer need the insurance to ensure their livelihood or pay off debts if something happens to you. Also after 65 years old, term insurance cost also skyrockets so it is not something that is worth keeping for its cost.

Yup, so that’s the strategy. As for timing and how much to get, it based on each individual but do remember that $100,000 might not be worth much when you are 65 years old so that you need to increases your coverage as inflation catches up.

I think the most important lesson is that one should always think about what they are buying and why they are buying it. If you are reading this, most probably you have already done much research on financial planning. But most people will not have research on what to buy so go out and spread the message to them.

In the next blog post, I will discuss which WL policy we chose and why we make that selection.

Book Summary of Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L Friedman

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:00:00 +0000

This is Part 1 of the book I just finished reading. Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L Friedman. Yup, he is the same guy who wrote that the world is flat a few years back that highlighted how the internet and global supply chains is flattening the world. Now he is on to his next book that is highlighting Hot= Climate Change and Global Warming, Flat = Globalisation and Crowded = the growing middle class. Here is the first part of my summary.

Part 1: Where we are

1. Where birds don’t fly

2. Today’s Date 1E.C.E

The trends of Hot, Flat and crowded are converging.

1. Hot= Global Warming

2. Flat= Globalisation of marketplaces

3. Crowded= Growing competition for resources

The convergence of these 3 trends increase the magnitude of problems: energy supply and demand, petrodicatorship, climate change, energy poverty and biodiversity loss

We have to do something about these 5 problems as they determine peace, security, economic growth and human rights.

Part 2: How we got there

3. Our carbon copies

This chapter focuses on energy supply and demand.

The American lifestyle is wasteful and being emulated in developing countries. If all of them reach American standards, the demand will be so high the Earth will not be able to provude the current level of resources to all. There will be intense competition for resources which will lead to conflict.

Thus a more sustainable growth model is required. The US needs to take leadership as it is the country using most of the resources right now.

4. Fill em up with dictators

This chapter focuses on petrodicatorship which is a political development in oil producing country.

First Law Of Petro Politics: As oil prices does up, the less freedom in petrolist countries

Thus reduction of oil use is necessary.

5. Global Weirding

This chapter focuses on climate change.

We need to increase national awareness of climate change.

6. The Age of Noah

This chapter focuses on biodiversity loss.

Later is too late and we have to stop biodiversity loss now.

7. Energy Poverty

This chapter focuses on energy poverty in developing countries.

1.6 Billion people do not have access to electricity grid. Without energy, almost all aspect of life is affected. The poorest are the ones most affected by climate change.

Without electricity, one has no access to machines and communication necessary for making a living in this flat world.

This keeps the poor poorer.

With communication and electricity, we can move to a more sustainable work life style

8. Green is the new red white and blue

We have passed the point where we cannot put off dealing with the 5 problems.

The true costs of the problems are becoming clear in a transparent flat world which demands accountability.

Plan A (There is no Plan B)

Code Green: Friedman proposes a Code Green Plan and highlights the need for a whole new system to power the economy. Need to replace the entire input of the system (dirty fuel)

The components of the Plan are Clean Electrons, Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Clean Electrons: We need to simulate innovation to find a source of electrons that is abundant, clean, reliable and cheap.

Energy Efficiency and Resource Productivity: In the short term, we must reduce the demand because Clean Energy will not be here soon.

Ethic of Conservation: Responsibilty for the earth. Changing our lifestyle to something that has less effect on the earth

On the next summary, I will cover the remaining portions of the books.

Part 3: How We Move Forward

9. 205 Easy Ways To Save The Earth

10. The Energy Internet: When IT Meets ET

11. The Stone Age Didn’t End Because We Ran Out Of Stones

12. If It Isn’t Boring, It Isn’t Green

13. A Million Noahs, A Million Arks

14. Out Greening Al-Qaeda (Or Buy 1 Get Four Free)

Part 4: China

15: Can Red China Become Green China

Part 5: America

16. China For A Day (But Not For Two)

17. A Democratic China Or A Banana Republic

Lessons from Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:52:00 +0000

This is a book about social psychology applied to marketing, sales and general persuasion. It is an interesting read of what is essentially hundred of social studies and test complied into a laymen format with applicable real life examples.

I have complied my summary after reading the book. Do note that this is not in the order for the 50 chapters in the book. I have even grouped them under headings not found in the book for my own use.

How to encourage a response

1)The herding instinct

By saying many people are doing it
By referencing people similar to the target audience
Increasing social approval of an action
Seeing a mirror or a set of eyes encourages self reflection and a stronger sense of sticking with the social norm

2) Reducing the options

When customers are not clear about requirements
People choose the middle product as a compromise
Present at least 2 products
Present the more expensive one first

3) Fear

The more clearly people see behavioral means for ridding themselves of fear, the less they will need to resort to denial

4) Providing a memory aid at the decision making stage which you message is trying to affect

The reciprocity Principle
1) An ounce of personalize extra effort is worth a pound of persuasion
2) Three Major factors make a gift or favor more persuasive and more likely to be reciprocated

Significance
Unexpected
Personalized

3) Initiate the reciprocity without expecting anything back
4) Favors change in value over time

Recipients placed a lower value
Doers place a higher value

How to get commitment
1) Get a small commitment before asking for successively bigger ones
2) Asking "Even a bit will help" increases the possibility of an action
3) People perform to expectations when labeled
4) Asking a simple question of volunteering
5) To increase the possibility of following through - Commitment should be voluntary, active and publicly declared to others
6) Active commitments- Written are more likely to be fulfilled

How to change people’s mind

when presenting ideas that might be inconsistent with previous behavior,
free them of their previous behavior by saying it was the correct decision at that time given the evidence and information
Use the word “Because”
Adding this in your conversation with a good following reasons increases willingness of the other person to help you
Get the other party to say because to you because it reinforces their beliefs about you

How to get a positive perception

asking someone who does not like you for a favor might help change their perception of you for the better
See the virtue of others instead of their flaws
get someone/something to introduce you and blow your trumpet
promoting your weakness puts you in a better position of trust to sell your strength
Promoting a weakness and then a related strength enhances the preference of your product
Taking responsibility for your mistakes shows that you control over future events and the fix ready

Confluence

Bring up similarities between you and the other person to increase the chances of that person agreeing to a request
People like names that are similar sounding to their own
Parroting a person’s word will make them feel more at ease and confident that you have understood them
Names should be pronounceable and easy to remember
Product Slogans that rhyme
Asking for too many reasons of why a product is good might induce a negative perception because of the difficulty of coming up with the number of require reasons

Scarcity principle

The more scarce, the more people are likely to horde it
People – who knows or have it
Things – Limited quantities

Perceptual Contrast

The amount of information that a preceding message has affects the positive influence on the next message. The less information, the more influence the second message is.
People will be more likely to complete task and programs if there is an indication that there is already some progress towards completion instead of no progress.
in a competitive market, a lower starting price is better as it generates more attention and buy in from early bidders

Loss aversion principle

Instead of pointing out what they stand to gain if they do A, point out what they stand to lose if they don’t do A

Names:

Unexpected Descriptive, Ambiguous names create a sense of fascination and attraction with it compared with common and common descriptive names

Interpersonal Dynamics

Team > one person’s thinking. Encourage input but make your own decisions
a true devil advocate will increase confidence in the final position
It is easier to reach an agreement with someone when there is background information on each other

Others

learning from examples of past mistakes is more effective than just learning good practices
Cultural differences affect the strength of messages
Bundling will devalue the bundle product
Instead of using the word free, state the value of the product
“Receive $250 security program at no cost to you”

Physiology

Emotional affect decision making.
Avoid decision making when you are feeling down
Take time out before making a decision
Being distracted or tired makes you more susceptible to untrue persuasion
Caffeine consumptions make you more easily persuaded with good arguments. Bad arguments have no effect.

Ten Rules of Thumb for a Volatile Market

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:41:00 +0000

Focus on Organic Growth.

With Citi’s economic forecast calling for below-trend GDP growth (typically considered to be approximately 3% annualized) over the next year, we believe that investors will place a premium valuation on companies possessing the ability to increase their earnings at rates well in excess of the S&P 500, through organic (non-acquisitive) growth. Companies in the early stages of new product cycles or brand line extensions of popular products offer the best opportunities for organic growth and economic resilience, in our view.

Focus on Companies that Make Other Companies More Productive.

With productivity gains and resulting cost savings becoming more difficult to achieve given macroeconomic headwinds, we believe that companies will focus on those products and services offering a “value proposition” or enhanced return on investment (ROI). For example, oil service companies that possess the latest technologies can charge a premium price because they provide an efficient way to extract difficult-to-access oil and gas deposits. Similarly, technology companies that offer products that make accessing data easier and more pleasurable are likely better able to withstand slowing demand, in our opinion.

Identify Long-Term Growth Trends.

Shifting demographic patterns or new legislation can often lead to critical behavioral changes that influence the products and services consumers and corporations purchase. Often, these trends are less affected by economic conditions because of necessity. In many cases, companies enjoying either critical mass or “first mover” status reap the benefits of these changes and develop strong customer loyalty, which, in turn, can lead to strong recurring revenues.

Maintain an Emphasis on Companies Possessing Financial Flexibility.

During periods of heightened uncertainty, access to new or additional capital might be more difficult to obtain. We believe companies that possess the financial strength to fund internal or external growth opportunities through strong and rising free cash flow(and low debt service costs) will tend to exhibit lower volatility and more stable returns. Metrics that take on added importance in the late stages of a credit cycle include: interest coverage, working capital efficiency, and free cash flow. We believe companies that possess low debt levels as a percentage of total capital will be rewarded by investors,particularly when access to financing is perceived as becoming more limited.

Make Sure “Perception” Can’t Become Reality – Avoid Companies That Need to Roll Debt or Access the Capital Markets During Adverse Conditions.

Recent market events show that a company that needs to raise capital or roll maturing debt can suffer severe consequences in the current market environment. What would normally be a regular occurrence has become a potential sign of weakness, given the extreme illiquidity in the market. Furthermore, share price weakness can raise questions about the perceived inability to raise capital and put a company into bankruptcy orconservatorship just as quickly as a lack of financing options can.

Pay Attention to the Quality of Earnings.

A good measure of a corporation’s quality of earnings is how closely its free cash flow (net income + depreciation and amortization +/- changes in working capital – capitalexpenditures) matches its net income. For a time, a corporation may be able to obscure an underlying deterioration in fundamentals through financial engineering. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are based on accrual accounting and may allow for a higher degree of flexibility in recognizing revenues and expenses than free cash flow allows for.

Scrutinize Free Cash Flow.

We believe free cash flow is the clearest measure of a company’s financial flexibility. Companies generating excess free cash flow may choose to reward shareholders through the payment of a dividend or a share repurchase program. Other corporations maychoose to direct cash flow toward strategic acquisitions or internal growth opportunities. Investors should closely monitor corporations where significant changes in depreciation schedules can have a meaningful impact on near-term earnings. Additionally, a large increase in receivables or inventories can be an indication of potential trouble ahead.

Avoid Value Traps.

In our view, investors should focus on forward earnings projections because many economically sensitive companies, particularly at or near cyclical peaks, tend to appear attractively valued based on trailing earnings. A focus on consensus earnings estimaterevisions can provide investors with some insight into near-term operating momentum. Often, particularly during a period of slowing economic growth, the first earnings shortfall may act as a harbinger of future earnings disappointments.

Merger & Acquisition (M&A) Selection Criteria Shouldn’t BeDismissed.

While many investors believe a slowdown in M&A and leveraged buyout (LBO) activity could lead to a lower stock market valuation, we do not believe this implies an absenceof value. In our view, many of the same characteristics that financial buyers were drawn to over the past several years (strong free cash flow, low leverage, and solid profit margins) remain in place today, though in many cases at significantly lower valuations than last year. Screening for companies with free cash flow yields well in excess of prevailing bond yields can often be a starting place for attractive investment ideas.

Focus on the Long Term and KeepEmotions In Check.

Successfully negotiating difficult market environments requires a willingness to act quickly on investor misperceptions that frequently occur due to “panic-selling” or “group-think.” Emotionally charged markets are often driven by fear rather than thecareful analysis of fundamentals. In our view, a disciplined investment process, emphasizing strong or rising free cash flow, profit margin expansion, attractive valuation, positive changing internal dynamics, incremental market share opportunities, and strong management, can help maintain clarity in volatile markets.

Source: Citi Investment Research

Famous Logo Designs

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:57:00 +0000

Nice collection of famous logo designs.

read more | digg story

Top 10 August Travel Deals

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:37:00 +0000

Top 10 August Deals

Hot Deals from Viator - Book Ahead & Save!

1. New York Helicopter Flight - Save 10% on this sightseeing flight in NYC.

2. Grand Canyon Helicopter - Save 25% off the regular price.

3. Private Sistine Chapel Tour - Save 10% on this after hours exclusive.

4. Universal Studios Los Angeles - 2 days for the price of 1!

5. Bike Tour of Florence - Save 10% on this exciting tour in Italy!

6. Guinness Storehouse Entrance Ticket - Save 10% off admission.

7. Las Vegas Hoover Dam Tour - Save 10% off the regular price.

8. Nassau City & Country Tour - 20% off our regular price.

9. Universal Orlando Tickets - 25 USD off the 2-Park Unlimited Ticket.

10. London Chicago Show - Save 45% off premium weekday seating.

The top five cancer-causing foods

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Live Life Without Limits!
AND PASS THIS EMAIL TO WHOM YOU CARE

The top five cancer-causing foods are:

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.
7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain

------------ --------- --------- ------------ --------- --------- ------------ --------- --------- -

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to 'schedule.'

DO TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH...... ......... ..
AND PASS THIS TO ALL WHOM YOU LOVE & CARE FOR. ............ .........

10 Types of Leadership Style

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:16:00 +0000

The leadership styles we look at here are:

Autocratic leadership.

Bureaucratic leadership.

Charismatic leadership.

Democratic leadership/participative leadership.

Laissez-faire leadership.

People-oriented leadership/relations-oriented leadership.

Servant leadership.

Task-oriented leadership.

Transactional leadership.

Transformational leadership.

Source
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10 Ways To Get The Best Price For Your Car

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:31:00 +0000

I just sold my car, a Mitsubishi Mirage vintage 2000 with 90K miles on it. It was a good deal for me and the buyer. I got it for a good price so I let it off at a good price too. I know my car is reliable but I was thinking of how I could make sure that my car is in peak condition when buyers came to test drive. This is the list I came up that I think might help you get a higher price for your car.

1. Polish, wash and clean your car’s exterior and interior
First impression counts! This is important!

2. Inflate all tires equally
This reduces any chance of alignment issues. Sometimes you feel that your car is drifting. This is usually not an alignment issue but one where tires are either infliated to a different amount. In case you do any an alignment issue, you can try to hotfix the alignment issues by custom inflating your tires to “balance” it all out

If you under inflate your tires by a bit, it also helps for a less bumpy drive. However this comes at a cost of reduced mileage

3. Fill it up with premium gas
Premium gas helps a little bit for smooth acceleration. Use pump this one time!

4. Oil change and clean the engine
Bring it to a mechanic for an oil change. Oil changes will make for smoother transmission changes and acceleration. If it is due soon, bring the car in yourself. Alternatively if you are a scrimper, let the first interested buyer bring the car in for an inspection. Large auto repair chains usually bundle oil changes and 50+ point checks together for a cheap price.

Ask for the mechanic for help in cleaning the engine dirt off. The engine will look well maintained when the hood is opened

5. Change the tyre covers
30$ from Costco. This helps to improve first impression lot if you are like me and scratch the covers on the kerb when doing a parallel park,

6. Warm up the car before the buyer comes
So that the engine has the power for quick acceleration which buyers like to test
7. Get your documentation ready
a. New Smog Check
b. Service records
c. The title
d. Carfax report
e. Vin Number

8. Get a cheap mechanic check from a honest mechanic (I use a highly yelped mechanic)
You can share the cost with the first interested buyer. A recent check report will help push in decisive buyers to real buyers.

Be aware that mechanics usually tell you to change everything. So get the mechanic to highlight only the things that really need to be changed.

9. Take lots of flattering photos of your car(photoshop???)
No need to highlight the flaws. The buyers will see them when they come for the test drive. But the goal of an ad is to get response and not to close the deal. The test drive and you are the deal closer.

10. Test the market valuation
Other than checking KBB and other similar car prices, you can do a market price test.

Post a ad on Craigslist with some information. No pictures or vin number and see how many people email you to setup an appointment. Once you have 3-5 people emailing you in a week, you are probably are at a good spot.

Now post the real ad with photos and bell and whistle. Add a few hundred dollars to the price where you got response. Now people will be contacting you and you know how much your car can fetch

Bonus:Never let bird shit stay on your car for too long. After a while it starts to corrode the paint and past that point, there isn't much you can do :(

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10 Ways with Salad Dressing

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:13:00 +0000

It's not just about lettuce. Add a splash of this bottled flavor booster
to potatoes, eggs, burgers and more.

Did you know? Italian is the number one dressing choice for Americans
followed by Ranch and then Blue cheese.

1. Dressed Up Corn: Brush corn on the cob with a layer of your favorite
vinaigrette (try roasted red pepper or white wine varieties) before
grilling. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese while it's
still pipping hot for some Latino fair
=
2. Creamy Dreamy Spuds: Pour on a good glug of Blue cheese dressing into
a simple mashed potatoes for a cheese packed punch.Top with some chopped
chives or minced red onions.
=
3. Standout Slaw: Replace half mayo in your go to cole slaw recipe with
honey mustard dressing and mix thoroughly coat.Toss in chunks of avocado
for a super creamy combo.
=
4. Salad Burgers: Mix a few Tablespoons if thousand island dressing or
sun dried tomato dressing into ground meat before shaping into patties,
Grill, broil or saute as you like.Serve on crusty rolls topped with a
heaping pile of shredded lettuce
=
5. Magic Marinade: Coat chicken breasts or fish fillets in Italian or
Asian sesame dressing and let it marinate (refrigerated) for at least 30
mins before coking. Drizzle more dressing over the top right before
serving
=
6. Top Notch Toast: Pour a bit of Caesar dressing over sliced of french
bread ( or another crusty loaf) and broil until golden. Serve as an
alternative to garlic bread. Cut into croutons or crumble into homemade
seasoned bread crumbs
=
7. Cheese Lover's Pie: Top a store bought or homemade pizza crust with a
layer of three cheese dressing instead of your standard sauce. Sprinkle
with mushrooms and shredded mozzarella and bake as directed,
=
8. Mediterranean Medley: Cook rigatoni according to pkg directions.
Drain and rinse under cold water. Combine rigatoni with a splash of
greek dressing as the basis for a homemade pasta salad. Toss in some
chopped roasted red peppers, sliced olives and a handful of crumbled
feta cheese
=
9. Picnic Chicken: Dip drumsticks and bone in chicken thighs in a tangy
buttermilk ranch dressing. Then roll in seasoned bread crumbs to coat.
Bake at 350 until crust is golden and meat is cooked through about 50
mins.
=
10. Better Breakfast: Add a splash of french dressing to scrambled eggs.
Then spice them up with a bit of shredded pepper jack cheese. Garnish
with sliced green onions.

The beauty of life is not how happy you are but how happy others can be
because of you.

Should YOU Mobile? - Opportunities & Challenges in the Mobile Space

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:11:00 +0000

Hi,

I just wanted to post this great event that is happening. There will be speakers from Storm Ventures, Intel and Qik.com(of course the event will be qiked live too) and Nokia.

Date: Jun 27, 2008 (Friday)

Time: 5:30pm - 9:30pm

Location: Wilson Sonsini

More information about the event can be found at http://www.nusea.org/rainmakers2008/index.php

http://rainmakers2008.eventbrite.com/.

Top 10 Location Based Startups to track

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:45:00 +0000

1. Whrrl http://www.whrrl.com/
Whrrl is a new mobile network that lets you aggregate information as you visit different places in life. It’s generally like a location review service that’s wrapped up in a map mashup and a social network.

2. Brightkite http://brightkite.com/
The service, a device agnostic, SMS-based application, lets you "check in" at various locations out in the real world and then see who else is there, has been there, and who is nearby. You can check in via text or via the web, but text is easiest if you're mobile.

3. Loopt https://loopt.com/
Loopt is a mobile social mapping application. Using cell phones and mobile devices, it displays the locations of a user’s friends along with their presence status (available, away, etc) visually on maps or on lists. Based on GPS and related data, users can request alerts when friends are within a certain distance, send messages to groups of friends in particular area, and be able to tag and blog physical locations in a way that’s accessible to friends through Loopt. Users can also take pictures from their cell phones and tag them; these pictures will be available to friends and others on the Loopt network.

4. Rummble http://www.rummble.com/
Rummble users build their social network on with a basic relationship (i.e. friend, relation or business) but then apply tags to that. Users can review almost anything (restaurants, stores, coffee shops, etc.). Rummble has an algorithm that works out which reviews by others in the user’s network to trust, based on user’s behavior and relationship to them. Rummble functions across Web and mobile and Facebook.

5. LOcle http://locle.com/
Not much is know about this startup. Here is what i have gathered
Locle is the hottest mobile geo-social networking app, showing your location and if friends are near, without a need for GPS or operator LBS.
Locle [2] is an application for Java Mobile, Symbian S60 and S80, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry phones that allows users to share their location using either GPS or cell-tower. The application integrates into Facebook and other social networking websites with open APIs (application programming interfaces). Locle is developed by Leprecian, Ltd., who also own GSM-Tracker [3], a cell-tower semantic tagging community website.

6. PublicEarth http://www.publicearth.com/

PublicEarth’s goal is to become the premier data source for this next generation of location specific data and content. They define next generation location specific data and contact, in its essence, in the same way that the Google Maps Mashups work: “content attached through geographical coordinates to relevant points of interest in the physical world, describing in organized detail the attributes of those points of interest, accessible through a simple intuitive web mapping interface.”

7. uLocate http://www.ulocate.com/index.php
uLocate is calling WHERE a platform for mobile LBS widgets because you can personalize which services you choose to use on your cell phone and you can use the Where.com website to drag-and-drop new services to your phone.
WHERE is also the world’s first mobile location-based services (LBS) platform built with both consumers and developers in mind. The WHERE platform offers easy access to global positioning system data (GPS), a simple programming paradigm, and a unique go-to-market opportunity for mobile application developers.

8. Citysense http://www.citysense.com/home.php
Citysense, a location-based service that the company calls "social navigation." The first Citysense application is a mobile map that shows the busiest nightlife hot spots in San Francisco. Citysense is currently available only for the BlackBerry, but an iPhone version is promised.
"Citysense demonstrates the power of combining anonymous, aggregate location data for social navigation," said Sandy Pentland, chief privacy advocate and co-founder of Sense Networks.

9. RadiusIM http://www.radiusim.com/
RadiusIM relies on location-based features to differentiate it from other web-based instant-messaging services. It offers access to key IM services such as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger and Google Talk, and it lets you search for other RadiusIM users based on their location.

10. My own?
I haven’t really named my startup yet. Suggestions on the name are welcomed.
My startup(in a few words) will be on the topic of
• Discovery of Mobile generated Content
• Creation of Content on Phone
• Community Conversation
Think of it as Digg on your phoneJ
if you want one of the limited invites when it launches, just leave a comment below. Thanks!

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Using Hotwire? 10 Hot Tips on Booking Hotels via Hotwire

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:48:00 +0000

I am planning my 2 week trip through California and I was tempted to use Priceline.com and Hotwire to book my accommodation needs. The business model and how they work are not necessary the most transparent and easy to understand stuff. Both Hotwire and Priceline sell a variety of travel related products like air tickets, hotels, car rentals etc.

How Hotwire works is by showing you a few available hotels after you provide some details of your travel(i.e. Date of stay; where you want to stay and how many people will be needed a room). Hotwire then shows you their partner hotels in the area. You can see the description of the hotel, the amenities it has and an approximate location. What you cannot see if an exact name of the hotel. They do this so that with the low prices, people will still purchase hotels rooms that have not been sold. Hotwire will tell you the name of the hotel once you have paid for the booking. (Note: Hotwire does not do refunds. Once the hotel is booked, you had better be there to use your Hotwire booking. This is important!)

Because you cannot see the name of the hotel you are booking, this brings a lot of unease in most people because they want to be sure of the quality of the hotel. With that we provide our first tip.

1) How To Guess The Hotel Which You Might Be Booking

It is pretty likely that you can figure out which hotel you are booking if you go through the steps below.

Step 1: Look for the list of hotels on Better Bidding.com

For this example, I will use Los Angeles as an example. To access BetterBidding’s Hotwire list of hotels in California, just click here. BetterBidding’s list shows you by area the names and the amenities of the hotels in that area.

By comparing BetterBidding’s information and the description that Hotwire gives you after you filled in your travel details, this should allow you to pinpoint the name of the hotel to a 60% correct guess.

Step 2: Compare with TripAdvisor

Of course one is never satisfied since we are talking potentially a few hundred bucks here. So in our quest to make our guess close to 100%, Hotwire(Most of the time) also provides you a TripAdvisor rating and the number of reviews the hotel has.(Yippee!)

Now go to Tripadvisor.com and enter the hotel name that you have previously guessed. Hotwire will show an approximate number of reviews the hotel has. Just make sure the number of reviews on TripAdvisor and Hotwire matches up and you should have a 99.99% chance of getting the hotel. (I.e. Don’t ask me for a refund if this doesn’t work.)

2) Protection Is Unnecessary (Well...Not This Protection Anyway)
Hotwire has a new feature called Trip Protection. The protection protects your Non-Refundable booking against unexpected events such as medical emergencies, strikes, natural disasters and bad weather. From what I have seen, the approximate cost is about 10% of your booking. It is also highly unlikely that you will even use this protection. For its cost, you are better getting travel insurance from an insurance provider.

3) Get Starwood Preferred Guest For Free Upgrades

Starwood Preferred Guest is like a frequent flyer miles for hotels. Hotwire does not earn you points when you book a Starwood hotel through them but when you check in, sometimes the hotel will upgrade you for free if you tell them that you are a Starwood preferred guest. The membership is free so go ahead and register here.

4) Timing Is Everything

Hotwire changes their prices frequently. It has been reported that new users get a slightly better rate than returning users. ($10 at most) So if you are looking to book a hotel, clear your cookies from your web browser first before going to hotwires website.

Hotwire also has a useful chart to check when the hotels are the cheapest. In some months, hotels in an area will be 50% cheaper than their peak period.

In General, when booking a hotel, booking earlier is almost always cheaper.
5) Caveats About Hotwire

Hotwire is not the hotels’ website so they don’t really know and can’t control which room the hotel gives you when you check in. This is true even though they ask for how many people are coming with you; they do not confirm that the number of beds the hotel gives you on check in is appropriate. What they suggest you to do is that you call the hotel once you have made your reservation and quote your confirmation code, then give them your details of the number of beds required, whether you want a smoking or non smoking room and any other features you care about.

6) Pick Up The Phone And Call Directly

Compare prices on Hotwire, Tripadvisor.com, and the hotel’s website before booking. It has been reported that the hotels sometimes have promotions that make booking through the hotel itself cheaper. Also if you don’t book through hotwire, you can still cancel your reservation later on without a penalty.

Also Hotwire’s retail price is way off...so take that with a large pinch of sodium.

And if you have already made your purchase, you can ask for a refund within 24 hours of booking if you find a price that is cheaper online. You do have to screenshot and save this for proof.

7) Prices Are Higher Than Priceline

Hotwire prices are about 20-30% more expensive than Priceline. However for Priceline you have to spend time bidding for the hotel. Everytime you bid and do not receive a winning bid, you cannot rebid in 24 hours so you will need a few days to try to get the 20%-30% discount. This might mean that the hotel room might be sold while you are waiting to rebid. So if you are a patient man, go with Priceline.com(It’s fun too!)

8) Book Hotels With At Least 3.5 Stars

Hotwire gives you the most savings if you use it to book for hotels that are better than 3.5 starts. Anything lower than that and the savings become marginal and you are better booking through the hotel itself. Don’t expect Motel 6 pricing on Hotwire. Plus it is well know that Hotwire’s star rating is not entirely industry standard. Check the Tripadvisor rating and google the hotel after you have obtained the name from tip #1.

9) Check To See If The Hotel Double Charged You After You Leave The Hotel.

I am hoping this doesn’t happen to you but hotels can make mistakes. They might have missed that you already paid on Hotwire and they will still charge you again. Just make sure you look at your credit card statement. If this happens, call the hotel instead of hotwire. If that doens’t works then call Hotwire.

10) Check Out These 2 Sites

biddingfortravel.com
betterbidding.com

So there is the 10 tips I promised. I haven’t checked into my hotel yet so I will update you guys later on my experience. I just hope I do not get a “special room”

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It never works...

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:58:00 +0000

I was reading a White paper written by Russell Buckley from mobhappy.com and there was an interesting joke inside so I thought I will share this.
"
This all reminds me of a friend of mine, who I shall call Nick, because
that.s his name. When he gets very drunk and happens to be in a
restaurant, he calls the waiter over and asks for 15 eggs and 15 wine
glasses. The bemused waiter normally brings them and Nick spends about
20 minutes building a complicated pyramid of eggs and glasses. By this
time, most of the restaurant are watching in suspense.

Nick then announces that he.s going to pull the table cloth out and all the
eggs will break and fall neatly into their corresponding glasses. The
suspense is palpable as it would be truly amazing if he managed to pull
this trick off. With much theatre, Nicks grasps the table cloth, (even the
kitchen staff are watching now) and with a flourish, he yanks it hard.
Glasses and egg fly everywhere, coating the immediate vicinity in broken
glass and yolk. It.s also noticeable that not one egg has broken cleanly
into one glass. The restaurant is hushed in shock and Nick stares at the
wreckage. He then shakes his head and says, after a 4 second pause:
.It never works..."

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Rainbow in the clouds

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:12:00 +0000

Location: Sunnyvale, CA Time Sunday Apr 27th 2008. 1230pm

So I was out running on saturday and I was this great looking yet rare part of a rainbow in the sky. I guess there must be some refraction theory behind it...I wished I had a better camera to use as a wall paper but since I was out running, my Ipaq 6828 will have to suffice

A closer look at the streak of Rainbow Cloud

Doing a search for "Rainbow in the clouds" led me to this National Geographic article which unsuprisingly had a much better picture than mine

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060619-rainbow-fire.html

June 19, 2006—It looks like a rainbow that's been set on fire, but this phenomenon is as cold as ice. Known in the weather world as a circumhorizontal arc, this rare sight was caught on film on June 3 as it hung over northern Idaho near the Washington State border (map of Idaho). The arc isn't a rainbow in the traditional sense—it is caused by light passing through wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sight occurs only when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon). What's more, the hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground. When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism. If a cirrus's crystals are aligned just right, the whole cloud lights up in a spectrum of colors. This particular arc spanned several hundred square miles of sky and lasted for about an hour, according to the London Daily Mail.

A Youtube Video of a rainbow in the cloud. Taken in Singapore! My hometown! what a coincidence

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10 Ways To Make Others 10 Scientific findings about Happiness

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:20:00 +0000

Written by Varshaa Negi from NUSSU Hooked

Have we become self obsessed? Has it become all about our happiness? I don't think so. The most rewarding thing, even today, is to see someone you care about happy. Here are ten ways how one can contribute to increase the happiness of the world around.

10. Appreciate people. Make each day special for them. All it takes is for you to compliment their new hairstyle, that day’s attire or just their pretty smile. Yes, everyone has a pretty smile.

9. Crack a joke in the middle of a tense situation. Easing an uptight situation can be the biggest support one can show to others.

8. Be a good listener. Let people complete their conversation. Speech maybe silver, but silence is golden.

7. Do not keep others waiting. Acknowledge the person's value. Just being on time for a meeting, get together, party or dinner can make someone’s day. On the contrary, the failure to do so can break someone’s enthusiasm towards the following event.

6. Use the 3 magic words - Please, Sorry and Thank you - these are capable of metamorphosing any difficult situation.

5. Be the ice-breaker. Be it between common friends or your own friend and yourself. The problem understood is the equivalent to the problem solved.

4. Give a big teddy hug to people who deserve it and the people who need it. You will be surprised by the kind of wound a hug can heal.

3. Go out of your way to help others. Reach out a little from your comfort zone, and you might just be helping someone find his/her meaning in life.

2. Be generous with your praise. If they've done well, be quick to give them a pat on the back, so that they will know what they have done right! Besides, it will definitely lift their spirits, even at work!

1. Keep yourself happy. Enjoy life and smile often. If you look closely, there’s a lot to smile about in life. So smile, and then you can spread the joy. hooked

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10 Fast Track Ways To Becoming An Expert - 10 Point Summary From Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:12:00 +0000

I recently completed reading this book. It is an interesting and contempory book about network. Inside there is a section on becoming an expert in any field that you choose. I have summarized the points here.

1) Get out in front and analyze the trends and opportunities on the cutting edge
-Get to know the people who form the next big idea
-Read niche online forums, materials that might go big

2) Ask seemingly stupid questions
-This tip is pretty similar to a previous post I wrote before.Top 10 Surefire Ways To Come Up With A Million Dollar Idea

3) Know yourself and your talents
Cultivate strength and use the 80/20 rule to reduce your weakness

4) Always learn
Books, conference, educational session

5) Stay healthy by
- Physical – daily exercise
- Mental – vacations, spiritual retreat

6) Expose yourself to unusual experiences
- Different experiences give rise to different tools leading to different questions

7) Don’t get discouraged

8) Know the new technology

9) Develop a niche
- Find a small market that you can dominate. Being a big fish in a small pond is way better than being a small fish in a big pond

10) Follow the money
Where money is or going to be, there is bound to be interest. If you develop yourself as an expert in that field, you get instant creditability.

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Top Ten List Carnival #6

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 18:11:00 +0000

Hi, It has been a long time since I did a blog carnival. There were lots of entries to the blog carnival this edition. I have grouped them into Blogging, Tech, Personal Improvement, Movies and Others.

Blogging

Vaibhav Gadodia presents 9 surefire tips to get traffic to your site for new bloggers posted at Habitually Good.
Aahz presents Top 10 Sites Every Blogger Should Join posted at Philaahzophy, saying, "Whether you’re blogging to get ensure your words, thoughts and ideas reach the largest audience, just like the idea of “meeting” new people and making new friends, or just want some cold hard cash, there are some sites you absolutely need to join."
Raj presents Top ten ways to annoy your website visitors posted at MT Herald Dot Com.
Robinson Go presents The 10 Most Effective Ways to Increase Blog Traffic posted at Robinson Go dot Com, saying, "thanks and all the best!"

Tech

The Free Geek presents Top 25 Ubuntu Blogs (By the Numbers) posted at Free Geekery.
edithyeung presents 7 Phrases Successful People Would Never Say posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..
The Free Geek presents Top 10 Ways to Recycle Your Old Computer posted at The Free Geek.

Personal Improvement

MDB presents 77 Great Lists You Absolutely Need to Check Out posted at million dollar blog.com, saying, "all kind of helpful lists"
FitBuff presents Foods High in Protein: Top 10 Healthy Choices posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "This is a great top 10 list consisting of the healthiest 10 choices of lean, health-promoting protein!"
Alvaro Fernandez presents The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "Some tips to keep our brains sharp."
Tom Gilson presents Christianity: The Top Ten Misconceptions posted at Thinking Christian, saying, "Christians' top ten misconceptions about their own faith"
Meredith Mathews presents Top 10 Tips for a Productive Meeting. « Lemonade Stand Lemonade Stand, saying, "Meetings in the workplace have an innate ability of spiraling out of control, diverting from the objectives, and wasting valuable company resources (i.e. time, money and brain power). With the right structure, your meetings may start becoming a positive force that drives the work environment into a more positive place."
Cade Krueger presents Mission Statement And Ten Benefits Of A Business Plan posted at Write To Right.
Silicon Valley Blogger presents 10 Ways To Organize and Simplify Your Finances posted at The Digerati Life.
isabella mori presents the 10 paradoxes of creative people posted at change therapy, saying, "an abbreviated version of a list made by psychologist mihalyi csikszentmihalyi, perhaps the greatest living expert on the psychology of creativity. this post sparked all kinds of interesting discussions and further blog posts.
John Hill presents 10 Steps to Raising Your Vibration posted at Universe Of Success.

Movies

Meredith Mathews presents Top 10 Eighties Movies. « Lemonade Stand posted at Lemonade Stand, saying, "When you think back to the 1980s – right along side the scrunchies, puff paint and crimped hair – it is inevitable that you will recall Molly Ringwald, Ghostbusters, ET’s young Drew Barrymore, Yoda, Indiana Jones, Ferris Bueller… the list goes on. Eighties films became much a part of popular culture through it’s characters, music, famous lines and fashion."
blue skelton presents A Prayer for Owen Wilson posted at Blue Skelton Publications, saying, "My Top Ten favorite Owen Wilson Movies. Get well soon Brother

Other kind of interesting stuff

Tim Abbott presents Top Ten Lawsuits I'd Like to See Inspired by Judge Roy Pearson Suing the Pants Off His Dryc Cleaner posted at Walking the Berkshires.
Joe, John, and Greg presents Top Ten Threadless Shirts That Are Gone Forever posted at Fantastic Blognanza.
Laurie presents Top Ten Signs That It's Going To Be A Bad Day At The Office posted at Threat Assessment and Management, saying, "Given my line of work, it's a bit unusual, but true."
Kathryn presents Top Ten Recent Interviews on SFV posted at San Fran Voice.
Jon Rochetti presents Rudest Drivers - DC in at #5, Top Ten Rules posted at The DC Traveler – Washington DC travel & tourism information, saying, "Top Ten List for BAD Washington DC Drivers!!!"

10 Thoughts about Living in Silicon Valley

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 16:33:00 +0000

As a Singaporean whom just moved here 3 weeks ago, I came some cultural adjustments to make. Coming into a different culture really allowed me to see the differences in how envirnment can shapre people's behaviour and actions. Here are just 10 thoughts that I just came up with.

1. The weather

No wonder this is just about the only place in the world where people can use the weather as a conversational topic. It is really cool and dry here. Even in the afternoons, the temperature is cooling provided you are not under direct sunlight. I finally understand how movie characters can wear suits without breaking a sweat here while chasing the world villain on a busy city street. On a more negative note, my lips cracked a lot for the first two weeks. Basically almost all the skin died and peeled off leading to a definetly unkissable and horrdenous looking pair of lips At least now after all my old skin has shed, I can say that I have normal looking lips for now.

2. Cars

One thing I dun get is the size of the cars here. Why don’t everyone just drive a coupe. Why SUVs, monster trucks and MPVs? A 4 door will suffice for a family car right? No wonder oil is a big issue in the states. Also I pretty much detest what I called the driver’s handicap syndrome here. Everyone drives. Every building is spread out so far, walking becomes unviable and driving is the thing to do. It contributes to the bulk of Americans and also to the carbon emissions problem that our earth has. However I would like to say that in mountain view, I see a lot more bikers cycling to and fro work. I am still looking for a bike that I can use though.

3. Toilets

My first day here and I was urgently in need of a restroom. Yes toilets are called restrooms here. Why? Because you can really take a rest on a comfortable plush chair in the restroom. Why anyone would actually want to do that confounds me. Anyway I was at a bank and I needed a toilet. To my dismay, the toilets are employees only. So I walked out of the bank thinking that the next building has a toilet…hmm….round this corner….into another mutual bank…..asked a security guard…he said 4 blocks down…what!!! Ya…then it hit me that if you are at an unfamiliar place, getting to a toilet is pretty hard as shopping centers are pretty rare here and you have to drive to them.

4. Food Size

Ha, I was surprised that fast food here is actually normal sized. What isn’t normal sized is the Chinese/viet/western food stores. It’s a bit daunting to see like lunch and dinner on the same plate. But I have gotten used to taking half home for dinner or breakfast anyway. I guess this is probably why the “you can have anything you want, but only half of it” diet can only work in the US.

5.People

Hmm…Sunnyvale is pretty much like Singapore in this aspect. You see the occasional Caucasian. But mostly it is Mexican and Asian dominated area. (Side joke: UCLA=University of California (Los Angeles) or = University of Caucasian Lost in Asian)

6. Houses

Right so everyone has a big house. Although being the suburban area, real estate prices here are still almost the highest in the United States. House hunting was quite an experience. Looking at houses and thinking if it could fit 8 people was our primary consideration. Then after that came the neighborhood itself. Some places were obvious that it was a bad place to live in. if you see fenced gardens with dead grass and old rusty cars parked by the roadsides, you know it is time to turn around and get out of the neighbourhood.

7. Gardens

Speaking of gardens, did I mention that the gardens here can rival Singapore’s garden city label? The gardens here are really really pretty..Even the average garden has blooming flowers, squirreling squirrels, well kept patios and tall trees. It is a pretty sight when you drive down the neighborhood. However all this comes at a cost. Sprinklers are automated and critical for the survival of the garden. Given that it doesn’t rain much here and people are too busy to water their gardens, everyone has a sprinkler system that turns on near sunset. A lot of water is being used just to keep all the plants alive.

8. Running

I love running in this weather. There is no way I could break into sweat because the weather is too cooling and dry to sweat. But the throat gets quite dry when you run past a certain point. The moisture in your throat starts to wear off and you get a striking pain in your vocal cords. Sort of like a sore throat. I guess it is alright as long as I drink more water before I run.

9. Work

Work here is pretty good. I have got a pretty good boss. There are also multiple events that allow you to network and meet new people. Here it seems that everyone does attend a few events and everyone has some sort of networking experience. This is unlike Singapore where only a small segment of the population does networking. I guess the academic and high tech nature of Silicon Valley does affect how people treat networking as part of working and extending your social life.

10. Living in a shared household.

Living together with housemates is a pretty interesting experience. Most interesting is probably how billmonk has become part of our vocabulary. Billmonk is a expense record keeping website (www.billmonk.com) that allows you to bill your friends. It is an interesting concept that is probably only workable in the States and Europe. In Asian countries where living with parents is so much more common than sharing accommodation with friends, you don’t really need to split your expense with your mom and pop.

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Top 10 Secrets of the Lucky People

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 03:24:00 +0000

Everybody says that health is the most important thing. But a little bit of luck could do more. Many victims of earthquakes or airplane crashes can be very healthy, indeed…

Psychologists say that a certain type of behavior favors luck. Others say that luck is by the side of those who take their chances. The next tips are given by psychologists:

1. Imagine that luck is on your side. You have to behave in such a manner as if you expected only good things to happen to you every day, not just from time to time. Optimism is the key.

"If you're convinced that you're a lucky person, you will have a behavior which will determine those around you to be more receptive with your person," said Martin Seligman, Psychology Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

2. Try to control your negative emotions. Shyness, fury and resentments turn people against us. How to oppress them? First,
look for the cause of those emotions, in order to stop them before they control you. If you succeed, you'll have a better
opinion about yourself, you'll be more optimistic and more extroverted.

Change the way you see difficult colleagues: "X is very good at her job, even if she is short-tempered."

b We don't know what will happen, but we can improve our chance by training, putting more trust in people and in the fact that good things will happen to us due to this.

For instance, some do not share their ideas with their workmates fearing that their ideas will be stolen. But if you keep amazing ideas just for yourself, they won't be good for anybody. It is honest people that are actually appreciated.

4. Manage expectations. Set clear and realistic goals with your colleagues and clients, but be prepared: these can change. If demands overwhelm you and timescales become unrealistic, deal with the situation. Communicate your worries to your team.

5. Do not believe the world is yours. You won't be luckier if you stay home. If you're invited to certain events, enjoy the moments. Exploiting them, you can improve your luck. Be always ready, be prepared to make mistakes.

We will gain more by learning than if we stay isolated or we are not interested in what's going around.

6. Find an escape. Go to the movies or gym, retreat to the country; shifting your focus brings mental and physical relief. You'll come back with a fresh perspective, ready to tackle your problems.

7. Take charge. Worrying can keep you alert, but wallowing is pointless. Accept what you can't do and get on with what you are capable of. Don't panic when everything seems to have gone wrong. Talk to people. Sharing your concerns with colleagues who've been through the same experiences will offer you insight and coping strategies, decreasing anxiety.

8. Do not envy the others. Those that obsessively compare their life with the others end up being unhappy. For instance, if you're obsessed with the fact that somebody was promoted at the office, you will feel like a loser.

Nothing guarantees that the person is happy. In most cases, promotions bring about more headaches. What's ideal for others is not necessarily for you, too. Just focus on your own goals and desires.

9. The more people you know, the more pleasant and prone to luck you are. Why? Because if we interact with powerful people they can share some information and introduce you to important persons.

Many feel it is complicated to make friendships with such people and prefer staying home and party with close friends. It is actually much easier to keep in touch with such people, through e-mails or postcards sent on certain occasions.

The more people you know, the more opportunities you will have.

10. See the good part of the things. To be lucky, you should look at the past from a positive angle and at the present with optimism. People that pretend they're lucky remember more often the good experiences in their life than the bad ones.

If something bad happens to them, they compare it with their worst situation from which they managed to come out winning.

By: Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Top-10-Secrets-of-the-Lucky-People-62622.shtml

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10 Steps to Hosting Java on LunarPages

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:44:00 +0000

I recently created Tagxe, a peer to peer transportation website. It is coded in java as I initially wanted to develop a J2ME edition so that you can find rides using your mobile phone on the go. After coding Tagxe, I hunted around for a webhost. Alas to my dismay, Java because of its hosting complexity is not a widely supported platform for low budget hosting plans. Nevertheless I found that Lunarpages does allow Java hosting for an extra $1.99 a month. However getting it to work took some time and effort though. Searching the forums solved most of my problems but I thought I should make a tutorial so that everyone who is thinking of hosting Java on Lunarpages will be able to benefit from it.

Here is a list of things I had to do to get it to work. It is a few simple steps but if you did not know that you had to do them, you could have quite a headache trying to solve the wrong problem

1) Ask for a JSP account.
This is even after you had applied for a JSP account when you signed up for the hosting account. You will get a 404 error when you try to enter a JSP page. What you have to do it so to email tech support and ask them to activate your JSP account. After which you should be able to enter your JSP page. I have no idea why you need to do this but you have too.

2) Replace the header in web.xml.
Lunarpages uses Resin server to run Java instead of the Tomcat server commonly used by Java programmers. Because the 2 servers differ in some aspects there is bound to be some problems when you try to run a program directly. In this case, the version of web.xml language that resin use is simpler than what tomcat creates. So I had to dumb down the web.xml by replacing the header with

?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

!DOCTYPE web-app PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web Application 2.3//EN"

"http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">

web-app>

**Add a "<" before each line. I cannot add in that or else blogger will think that this code is for my blog.

3) Database Naming Changes
When you code, you usually define your database name. But when you host on Lunarpages, all your database names are prefixed with your username. This means that your uploaded code should be changed so that the database code connects to the right database.

4) Setup database with your username and password
Your new database will have no user accounts assigned to it. What you now need to do is to create a new user from Lunarpage’s cPanel and assign that account to be able to access the newly created database. There might already be other databases in your account if you have installed forums or blogging software. Remember to also update your code with the new username and password.

5) Use the Default Database Connector
My database connector did not work. I am not too sure why. But if yours does not work too, here is the default code that I found.

try {

Class.forName(driver).newInstance();

connection = DriverManager.getConnection(url,username,password);

statement = connection.createStatement(ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE, ResultSet.CONCUR_READ_ONLY);

System.out.println(connection);

statement = connection.createStatement(ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE, ResultSet.CONCUR_READ_ONLY);

}

catch (Exception myException)

{

System.out.println("database exception!" + myException.getMessage());

return false;

}

return true

6) Timing
If your application requires the use of time, you need to either add in support of time zones or manually add in the difference in server time and where your application will be used. I changed the time by adding 15 hours so that the time became Singapore time as the server is hosted in US.

7) Copy the entire web folder into public_html
Although Lunarpages support the unpacking of WAR files, I found that if you used multiple applications to develop your code, the WAR file will not be complete. Also another strange thing is that the WAR file will unpack itself into a new folder under the webapps dir. This means that instead of accessing the homepage via www.Tagxe.com, I had to use www.tagxe.com/webapps/build. Of course this didn’t make sense. In the end, the best solution is to manually copy all the pages and code into public_html folder.

8) Debug Code Anomalies
I removed an extra semi colon in my code that caused a Classnotfound exception in Resin. Tomcat has no problems with this extra semi colon though. This is yet another example of differences in servers. At least this was relatively easy to debug as Resin told me the line number that caused the error.

9) Try to get connection pooling working in the future
While surfing the forums for the solutions above, I came across many posts with problems related to connection pooling. I guess that I might have this problem when Tagxe hits the masses and has many simultaneous connections.

10) Logging
Lunarpages does not allow you to access the logs of the resin server thus rendering you unable to read your system.out.print. There is a separate jar available for logging. I have not gotten around to using it yet but it should not be hard to use.

Above are the 10 steps you more or less need to do to get java hosting on Lunarpages. It is not too hard and so fast, the hosting of java on Lunarpages seem to be reliable and smooth running. I hope my post helps everyone. If you intend to sign up for Lunarpages, please click on my referral link here.

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Top 10 Online Databases for General Research

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:00:00 +0000

When writing papers for school, it’s always good to start your research online. Many academic journals publish their articles online—which can give you a head start on research prior to heading to your local library.

Here is a list of the top 10 online research databases for general research:

Unfortunately, many of these databases might require usernames and passwords to recieve full access to journal articles. To bypass this, you can often get a free trial for a limited period, or you can search these databases from your local library. Many library computers have automatic access to journal databases. You can also find other articles and resources at scholar.com and studenthacks.org. Please leave a comment below if you have any other recommendations for online databases.

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10 Reasons to Drink Water

ZWenhan@gmail.com (ybother) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:14:00 +0000

1.Because of the thirst. The water balance is strongly linked to the electrolyte levels (mineral salts blood concentration). The sodium level in the blood is a good indicator of the existing water quantity. When it is very high, the body retains water to dilute the sodium excess: then thirst installs itself and less urine is produced.

2.Because of the temperature. Heat, humidity and exercising increase the water requirements, that's why the ingestion of
liquids during summer or when exercising should be increased. An adult needs one supplementary water liter for each exercising
hour.

3.For the kidney. To prevent and eliminate the renal calculi there is nothing better than water, preferably bottled. This works also for chronic urinary infections.

4.For the skin. Aging is associated with the water loss by the organism. The correct hydration favors a smooth and young skin.

5.For eliminating toxins. Water is actively involved in all biochemical reactions of the cell and degrades the fats. The diets rich in proteins require larger water amounts.

6.For diuresis. Besides hydrating, water ingestion increases the elimination of liquids from the organism. Alcoholic drinks, too, can do it, but they cannot be a substitute for the lost water. Instead, juices can do it.

7.Because of the age. In the elders, the thirst sensation is less intensive, especially if they do not move or suffer from dementia. Their kidneys concentrate less the urine, retaining less effectively the water. That's why they must drink a cup of water at every two hours.

8.Because of the vomits. The most frequent causes of dehydration (vomits, diarrhea and fever) cause a loss of electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, besides water. There can be lost up to 4 liters daily in case of severe vomiting or diarrhea, that's why salts must be replaced. In this case isotonic drinks or alkaline solutions are recommended.

9.Because of the diabetes. The only symptoms of the diabetes insipidus are the exaggerated thirst and the excessive urine amount. It can start gradually or suddenly at every age and it is the result of a deficiency of antidiuretic hormones, which limit the production of excessive urine. A person can drink enormous amounts (4 to 30 liters) of liquid to compensate the loss produced by so much urine.

10.For pleasure. Many complain they consume huge amounts of liquids after consuming tea or coffee, as caffeine makes them urinate with a higher frequency. Coffee, tea and other beverages cannot substitute water.

from Softpedia.com

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