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Geekwhat.com

A Tech, Music, and Finance Blog by Tony Chung

Can you Resist using Facebook for a week?March 25

I can’t. At least I’m pretty damn sure I can’t.

If you’re like me, chances are you have a shorcut or bookmark on your browser for Facebook. And if you work a 9 to 5, you probably click the link at least 5-10 times a day. Key words: “at least”. Facebook is an addiction. It’s a fact. But why?

I was thinking about this today. Why exactly do I feel the urge to open Facebook whenever I sit down at my computer? I summed up a few key reasons:

1. Gossip. I succumb to gossip (like you) and want to know the very latest about my group of friends. ‘Hot damn… ____ is engaged???’
2. Convenience. Facebook makes it much more convenient for me to check up on (ahem, stalk) the status of friends rather than having to make a phone call or send and instant message (especially to those I don’t communicate much with).
3. Forums and conversations. If you participate in fan groups on Facebook, it’s fun to congregate and talk with other people that share similar interests as you. And these conversations are pretty active. Heck, President Obama’s voting day event was streamed and discussed live via Facebook.
4. Blog your life. i.e. update your status. C’mon, you know you do it. You’re emotional or you just found out something super awesome …or mayb

Las Vegas Trip recapDecember 30 2008

So I visited Las Vegas these past few days with Chuck, Teresa, and my bro 12/27-12/30. I’m waiting for the flight back to SFO right now at the Vegas airport. Overall, it was a pretty awesome trip. As expected (I guess…), I ended up down $$, but not too bad… so i feel neutral right now ;) I think I spent a total of at least five to ten hours total at the tables haha

A list of the casinos we hit:

• MGM Grand
  - i stayed at MGM Grand the last time i came to vegas. it’s still pretty much the same inside. i like the layout of the building. there’s a central circular area where you play poker or bet on games. also there’s a big cage area where you can watch lions. and the cirque de soleil show, ka, is inside the building as well. one of my favorite casinos.
• Rio
  - pretty nice environment, nothing special but nice.
• O’Sheas Casino
  - really old, quality of players and dealers lower than those of the newer casinos (e.g. Wynn).
• Harrah’s
  - old, vintage. needs renovation to match up the vibe of the newer casinos.
• Venetian
  - really nice, i won the most money here so i’m biased. ;)
• Palazzo
  - average, pretty
  

Finding 10,000 Ways that Don’t WorkNovember 21 2008

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
- Thomas Edison

One of my favorite quotes.

Earlier tonight, I was looking through some old files on my hard drive. Listening to some music that I wrote a long time ago and watching some videos of early dance performances. I’m not gonna lie. When I watch those dance moves, I can’t help but cringe (not to mention goosebumps). Or listening to earlier tunes when I was screwing around and didn’t really know how to write a decent song. Perhaps you’ve had a similar feeling looking through old photos of yourself… During those moments of reminiscence, it’s actually a pretty nasty feeling and your only impulse is to press ’stop’ or close the file altogether. You think to yourself… ‘WTF was I thinking???’

But before I closed the file and shoot myself, I realized something…

I gave it a shot. I went for it. Sure, it may have been sub-par, but I did it. Yea! That’s more than most people can say really. It’s true, if I had never written those tunes or performed in those videos, then basically I have nothing to ever regret and life is good. Stable life, no crappy history. But that’s pretty boring. I feel. As long as I tried my very best in my previous works, no regrets and no hard feelings when reminiscing or hearing negative feedback from others. In fact, the very fact that viewing previous works gives me a cringe effect is proof that I’ve improved. If I didn’t improve, those works would seem awesome to me right now. Ya dig?

I’m still on my life’s journey of finding 10,000 ways that don’t work. If I have a question and it sounds stupid or the answer is obvious, I’m still gonna ask it. Eventually, things will fall into place and success will be achieved.

For your enjoyment, here are some photos from my journey thus far of finding 10,000 ways that work AND don’t work ;-) - I hope you get a good laugh from these:

Applying Ari Gold to LifeNovember 17 2008

Sometimes when I watch TV shows or films these days, I try to jump out of my position as an audience member and instead imagine myself in the roles of interesting characters. Ari Gold’s role in ‘Entourage’ is a great example.

I’m a big fan of the HBO series ‘Entourage‘, I’ve watched pretty much every episode (and some more than a few times). If you’ve ever seen the show, you’d probably agree with me that Jeremy Piven’s character, Ari Gold, steals the show. His character is incredibly believable and totally entertaining.

In the TV show, Ari Gold represents Vinnie Chase, a famous and aspiring actor in Hollywood. Ari is one of the most powerful agents in Hollywood and this is totally evident in his high-energy dialect and actions. I think there is so much to learn from the way Ari Gold presents himself and the way he pursues (and achieves) success.

1. High energy level 24-7. Ari Gold is alive and thriving at all times. If he’s not thinking, then he’s executing. Period. His energy is totally infectious, it carries over to those around him and even the audience members haha.
2. Staying fit and healthy. There are many scenes in the show where he is doing push-ups or other exercises during phone calls or at home. The guy dines well too. I think his strong health also attributes to his high energy level

Doing One Thing Very Well = SuccessOctober 6 2008

If an organization, whether it be a company or a government, can execute just one thing successfully with good sense, then there is hope and a potentially prosperous future for that org. Good God, that sounded like an excerpt from The Economist.

The above statement is actually my personal reflection on Taiwan. I noticed recently one thing that Taiwan has been executing quite successfully (besides the High Speed Rail — which is awesome and very well done). What is it Tony? Well, Taiwan has been doing an excellent job of attracting international first tier artists to perform in Taipei. A superb job. Some artists that visited (or are visiting) this year include:

1. Diana Krall
2. Linkin Park
3. Paul Potts (of European Idol fame)
4. Vitas (Russian opera singer)
5. L Arc en Ciel (Japanese band)

Seeing posters of these global acts around town really enhances the image and reputation of Taiwan. It’s almost like seeing a highly reputable list of clientele on a company’s website. Given that Taiwan is not one of the very well-known or often mentioned spots in the world, I think it’s awesome that these highly influential artists are paying a visit to Taiwan. It actually benefits both parties because both the visitng acts and the Taiwanese people are exposed to new