SNOMED CT... the way forward?

I'm glad my home country has decided to adopt SNOMED CT as the standard medical terminology to be used in electronic health records (EHR) [source]. Now all that learning won't be for nothing! ;)

Hopefully with worldwide adoption, SNOMED will finally be available without charge. Perhaps some day we would be able to import the extensive vocabulary into Freebase, DBPedia and/or Wikipedia.

If you're looking for a good browser for SNOMED, I would highly recommend SNOB. It's available freely and a server-based version is currently in development. SNOB allows you to browse, create subsets and displays crossmaps with other vocabulary.

I also highly recommend that you license the use of the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) in your systems if you qualify. The project was started by the National Library Museum (NLM) in 1986 and provides a centrally-managed methathesaurus plus a whole bunch of other tools including a web services API.

Blog Title Needs to Change

It's unfortunate that someone decided to name their production on lesbian relationships, "I Can't Think Straight". The subject matter of this film goes against my moral standings. Hence I have decided to rename my blog. I shall now call it, "Thinking Anew".

Making My Living

This photo would probably be condemned for poor technical quality, but I liked it anyway. It captures two generations of Cambodian working hard to earn their living. This picture was taken on our minivan, on the way to Tonle Sap.

Going Home

I took this picture whilst touring the floating village on Tonlé Sap late in the evening. I have to assume that she was heading for home. Always a good feeling.

Simplexity

I attended a seminar given by my centre's director yesterday, during which he spoke about a book he was currently reading - Simplexity. The book is supposedly about how to make complex things simple. It's next on my list of books to buy!

This picture I feel merges complexity (in the fabric designs) and the simplicity of the lady's lifestyle in a remote village. This photo was also taken during my trip to Thailand last year. The cultural village is found near the city of Chiang Rai.

Mindfulness

One of the core components of Buddhist teaching is the Noble Eightfold Path. One of the guiding principles to enlightenment is Right Mindfulness, and it is about calming oneself and being aware of one's thoughts, actions or motivations. Allow me to extend this and apply it to my own beliefs, that mindfulness includes an awareness of the presence of the Almighty and His creation. For a long time now, I occasionally find myself asking this question, and awe at God's divinity.

I took this picture when visiting Chiang Mai, Thailand with my wife and her family in August last year.

My Prayer for You

I took this photo while visiting a temple in Tokyo, Japan. If my memory hasn't failed me, devotees would write their prayers on paper and tie them along these poles in hope that they will be answered.

So my friend, I am not near you during this hour of need. But I pray, that your burden be eased and joy will once again enter your life.

Don't Take Everything

An important lesson I learnt from master photographer Jeffrey Wong! This picture was taken in the famed Chatuchak market in Bangkok, Thailand. I was taking many pictures including this one, when my friend Jef walked over and gave me an important lessong I will always remember, "Don't take everything."

Some of the many pitfalls of digital photography includes complacency and the unseeing eye. When the price of storage is generously low, and the room for error unfathomable, our ability to selectively capture beauty diminishes.

Have you ever?

Just thought for a moment... "I exist."

Cold Creations

This ice structure was sculptured by Mother Nature. One of those days I was grateful that I lugged my camera up the mountain.

The River of Dreams

While in Siem Reap, you have to take a boat trip on Tonlé Sap. It's a beautiful lake south of the city and leads southeast to the city of Phnom Penh then on to the Mekong River. We knew about the trip late in the afternoon, but were still able to find a boatman and his son to take us out to the lake.

Island of Dreams

Sibu Island Resort (SIR) was the favourite island I loved to visit for my annual retreats. It is one of the few beach resorts lying on a cluster of island known as Pulau Sibu. SIR was the only resort on one of the islands and it's my pauper's Club Med. I enjoyed walking down to the semi-private beach where I once tried to rip apart a coconut as if I was an Orang Utan. I spent many good times and cherish memories with friends and my wife.

The small little island is where we would go to snorkel. I remember during one of my visits, the boatman left us about 50 metres from shore as it was high tide and he didn't want to risk his boat running aground on the corals. We swam against the outgoing currents to reach the shore. It was then that we met a guy from East Malaysia, and he caught a really large squid that day. He took it back and had the chef make a tasty grilled-squid dinner. He was really kind and shared with us his feast.

I wish I could turn back time... so much has changed. Pain and suffering had crept in.

Anyway, since it is also the National Day weekend for Malaysians, I dedicate these fond memories to my friends across the causeway (some in Singapore). Merdeka!

Lonely Boy

This picture was taken outside of where we stayed during our trip to Siem Reap. We just had our dinner and were on our way back to the guesthouse when I saw this guy sitting on the roof of the opposite building; watching and waiting as Mother Earth drew her curtains.

I used this picture a lot whenever I felt lonely, but perhaps it is more deserving. There's a time to "act" and left for the day. When evening comes, we go into silent contemplation and reflection. That's what it should portray!

Why does dawn symbolise hope while dusk is often associated with despair? I have always enjoyed sunsets, they remind me of rest that I desire.

Sunset in Kaslo

Lakewood Inn is perhaps the most memorable stop we made on our nine day journey. First, we got lost. Yes, for the first time in the entire trip, my Garmin 60CSx failed me. But not that the GPS wasn't any good. It is still the best navigation device I have used so far. The problem was with the maps. Lakewood Inn was so remote that even the townsfolk in Kaslo did not know of its existence.

Fortunately, a quarter solved our problems. We called and our host gave us general directions on how to get to the inn. And so we backtracked and headed down a steep winding dirt track that eventually brought us to our destination. Phew.

It's the kind of lakeside resort that gives you the creeps (Crystal Lake feeling), but yet had so much peace and tranquility suitable for a restful vacation. There was no communication with the outside world except at the owner's home.

If you are in need for a real vacation, I would strongly recommend Lakewood Inn.

Dawn Breaks Over Medicine Lake

This picture was taken during my road trip in 2006. We woke up early during our two days stay in Jasper to try and catch sunrise in the mountains. Here as dawn breaks over the mountains, a strong warm beam casts its light on the trees growing along the banks of Medicine Lake.

The Last Beacon

This picture was taken at Porteau Cove on our way to Whistler. A spider had spun a fine web just next to the lamp, giving the feeling of age and abandonment. The lone lamp with the blue sea as a back drop acts like a beacon, hence I entitled this picture "The Last Beacon".

Thing of the Past?

This picture was taken at protest march staged by Dr Chee Soon Juan and his supporters, during the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Annual Meeting 2006 that was held in Singapore. These "protesters" were recently charged for their willful disobedience of Singapore's strict laws against public assemblies. In the coming days, we may see some amendments to these rules after a rousing National Day Rally speech by Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong.

Disclaimer: I took this photo as a record of events that I believe belongs to Singapore's history. It does not support any political parties/agendas or represent my political views.

Keeping It Clean

This is one of my favourites, even though some might disagree with the framing, blur and noise. Here it reminds me of the people who have taken the less glamorous vocation of cleaning the streets, and how they have kept Singapore "Clean and Green".

Lonely Hope

Yellow is frequently used to symbolise hope and gray is commonly associated with stormy periods. It reminds me of how I often felt and sometimes still do, and I had a Barry Manilow song to help me get through.

Fill My Cup

This was another picture taken in Chinatown, Singapore. We were at a Hindu temple taking snapshots of worshiper on the sunny weekend. There was this cute little boy running around drinking goat's milk. Before this photo was taken, he was busy posing for us photographers wannabes. Later, her ran to this lady (I assume that's his grandma) and asked for more milk.

The caption for this photo inspired me to find an old hymn on Imeem, and here's what I found...

Yellow Meat Guarantee

A taste of home. I didn't realise I had this picture in my stash. This was taken for my Street Photography course assignment. A group of us spent the afternoon and evening in Singapore's Chinatown taking pictures. Funny... I wonder what other meat colours can you find in durians. Pink?

A Helping Hand

I took this photo from a coach shuttling us from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, our next and final destination. We were passing one of the rural villages along the banks of the Tonlé Sap when I saw these two ladies packing their personal belongings atop a minivan. The misty effect is not the result of any camera tricks but because the photo was shot through a glass window.

Infinite Chains

In one of the rooms on the ground floor of Tuol Sleng, shackles used to chain prisoners are hung in rows that provides a grim remembrance of how many victims were tortured and kill on this compound.

Finding Myself in Vancouver

Here's one more from the Granville Island photoshoot. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to move out of my comfort zones.

Trapped

Today's my friend and colleague's last day at iCapture, so I thought I post something different and dedicate it to our friendship. This series of photograph was taken at Granville Island, a TFCD shoot with Sally. There were three photographers that day: Byron, my sister and I.

The Room

This is one of the rooms used to imprison the innocent. The chains shackled the detainees in the cramp makeshift walls. The size of this cell was already considered a luxury.

Green Pastures

These photos were taken as a record of prisoners who were imprisoned, tortured and killed. This is one of many boards that captures the images of these men, women and children who were murdered by pure insanity.

You will find many close up photos of these victims here. Looking at them brings me tremendous sadness as I recall the many stories of pain that hung on the top floor of this savage building that used to be a school.

Till today, I remember the story about a woman engineer who answered Pol Pot's call to rebuild the Angkor empire. She was trained in developing irrigation systems and quickly left her village so that she could help develop water systems that could help bring back the golden era where padi fields were bountiful. Little did she know that she would be sent to her death.

Can such cruelty and injustice exist?

Sadly and painfully... yes.

The Bed

A bed is always considered a place to rest, a place of comfort. But in Tuol Sleng, this was exactly the opposite. The picture hanging on the wall was taken shortly after Vietnamese troops liberated the city. The bed and instruments of torture were used for the most unthinkable reasons.

The Burning Bush

The tree, evening glow and streaming clouds gave an impression of a fiery forest. The picture was taken in Kaslo, BC.

Determination or Desperation?

This picture was taken at protest march staged by Dr Chee Soon Juan and his supporters, during the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Annual Meeting 2006 that was held in Singapore.

Disclaimer: I took this photo as a record of events that I believe belongs to Singapore's history. It does not support any political parties/agendas or represent my political views.

Despair

This picture is self-describing. The pile of bones and rags were left there deliberately as a testimony to the horrible crimes committed.

Learning

This being an auspicious day (888), I shall post a more palatable snapshot of Cambodia.

We visited Siem Reap after spending 2 days in Phnom Penh, during which, we visited the famous temples of the great Angkor empire. Despite my fear of heights, I decided to join my friends in scaling to the top of Angkor Wat, and I was really glad I did. I found this scene of a professional photographer (inferred from the D2X strap and her request for a signed model release) conversing with two monks. I assumed she was on a photo assignment.

What makes this my favourite photo taken during my trip to Cambodia, was the humility to learn portrayed in this setting. Let me attempt not to sound too prejudice... the couple appeared to be from a first world country, while the monks were obviously from a much poorer and less developed nation. Even so, the lady photographer found it necessary be seated at a lower position as she listened attentively to her "teachers". Remarkable!

Blood Memories

When we arrived at Choeung Ek, many little kids came to greet us with offers to pose in front of our cameras. You would hear their pleading voices saying, "Kamera, kamera, one, two, three smile." And, "1 dollar, 1 dollar". We had learnt that these kids were often victims of syndicates exploiting the little ones to beg for the tourist dollars. And I guess that's why I was very reluctant to take up any of their offers. Besides, if you obliged one kid, a flock soon follows.

In the middle of the Killing Fields site stands a structure known as the Stupa. Interestingly, this is what a stupa is supposed to be:

A stupa (from Sanskrit and Pāli: m., स्तूप, stūpa, literally meaning "heap") is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics--once thought to be places of Buddhist worship--typically, the remains of a Buddha or saint. [source]

But for this great monument, skulls, bone fragments, clothes, sandals etc., are placed on wooden shelves as a testimony to the horrible crimes that happened on this bloodied soil. At the entrance of the stupa, there's a small urn for placing joss sticks offered for the dead.

Being there, and even now, it all seemed so surreal. How could men be so capable of such atrocities? Men, women and children brutally beaten to death and thrown into pits to die. But sadly, it is real.

Peek in the Past, Look to the Future

Perhaps some of you might recall that I was using this title as my MSN Personal Message together with this photo as an icon. This picture was also taken from within the minivan that was bringing us to Choeung Ek.

The full caption I had in mind actually consists of three parts, but for brevity I decided on only using the first and last phrases. Here's what the picture attempts to portray:

1. Peek in the Past - I was seated in the middle on the first row, and had a perfect view of the road ahead. It was hot and sunny that day, so whilst we sat in the van, we had the curtains blocking out most of the sunshine, hence giving this high contrast view through the windshield. The vehicle had just turned from a well-paved asphalt road, onto a dirt track as we made our way to the Killing Fields. There were no road dividers, and you can see oncoming motorbikes and bicycles sharing the narrow path. Looking out, you can also see zinc-roofed timber houses that were a stark contrast from the brick an mortar buildings in the heart of Phnom Penh.

2. Dwell in the Present - The three of us were shaded in the comfort of the minivan and kept cool with modern day innovations such as the air-conditioner!

3. Look to the Future - It was a long journey and we were anxious to arrive at our destination. The narrowing perspective of the road also gives a feeling of the "light at the end of the tunnel".

Exposing My Toast

A special request from stan, here are the codes...

Python script to query Freebase [download]:

from django.utils import simplejson
from freebase.api import HTTPMetawebSession, MetawebError

mss = HTTPMetawebSession('www.freebase.com')

print 'Content-Type: application/x-suggestions+json; charset=UTF-8'

form = cgi.FieldStorage()
queryString = form['q'].value

try:
 results = mss.search(queryString, 'false', '10', '0', 'html')
 suggestions = [queryString]
 terms = []
 for result in results:
     terms.append(result.name)
 suggestions.append(terms)
 print simplejson.dumps(suggestions)
except Exception:
 print "<An error occured.>"

Additions to freebase-python API (session.py) [download]:

def search(self, _query, _strict, _limit, _start, _escape):
 """search Freebase"""
 service = '/api/service/search'

 self.log.info('%s: %s',
               service,
               Delayed(logformat, _query))

 r = self._httpreq_json(service, form=dict(query=_query,strict=_strict,limit=_limit,start=_start,escape=_escape))

 return self._mqlresult(r)

Please feel free to point out any areas that I can improve. I'm still trying to resolve the issue whereby the suggestions do not return quickly enough.

Note: The text is truncated at the end. I will post a link to the source codes later. My apologies. [Updated] Download links now available.

Pagoda of Enlightenment (Wat Phnom)

This majestic Wat (pagoda) was one of the first landmarks we visited when we arrived in Phnom Penh. The weather was hot, humid and we had just settled in. Hardly a good start to our adventure.

Before visiting the temple, we each had a USD1 meal that included a plate of "nasi goreng" (Cambodian-style) and a huge fresh coconut. After lunch, we walked up the stairs to visit the temples that were built atop the same hill. Whilst taking pictures and enduring the warm afternoon, an english-speaking local guide walked over and offered to show us around. We knew what this meant: a huge tip was to follow.

Strangely, my worldly-wise friend decided to take up his offer and hence, we spent most of the afternoon walking around, appreciating the architecture and listening not so attentively to the stories the guide was sharing with us. I was preoccupied with snapping pictures and was hardly paying any attention to him. Although I did learnt that head of a Buddha statue was buried under the concrete dome. The statue head was recovered by Lady Penh who later erected the hilltop temple to house it. The capital city was also named in her honour.

After our mini-tour, he brought us to a nearby drink stall to cool down from the heat. There the killer question came - how much? It didn't turn out too expensive, only USD10. Seven dollars for his time, and 1 dollar for each can of coke we drank. I just didn't like the feeling of being suckered.

But while we were seated chatting with him. He suddenly told us about how he planned to live his life. It had all the hallmarks of a practising buddhist and I deeply admired his simplicity. He was a tourguide by profession. He had been doing outbound tours previously, be recently changed to inbound tours such as the one we just had. And when he has earned enough, he wanted to travel the world. After he is satisfied, he planned to return and settled down - wife, kids etc. Then he would school his kids and watch them grow up. Then when he's old, children are all grown up, he'll daily sit out in his backyard and await his death.

That short time we had conversing about his life made every cent count.

Another physical milestone

... and a picture to celebrate the breath-taking moment (something we lacked at that point in time).


Here's an earlier photo of Cypress Lake at an elevation of 802 metres.

Rift

I took this picture in 2006, whilst travelling with two friends in Cambodia. We were on our way to the Choeung Ek, better known as the Killing Fields. It was a really hot day, but I guess these Cambodian kids were used to it. I wasn't too sure what was going on, but I snap this shot from the minivan.


Thoughts about this photograph came only after I returned home to Singapore and worked on processing my huge stash of images from my trip. This picture signifies many conflicts we know of; we turn our backs to each other and cross murky barriers. Sometimes we use tools that lead to bloodshed. Aren't there better ways to resolve our differences?

Blueberry Picking

Spent a half a day touring Pitt Meadows, and here are some pictures to share. Hope they'll get you salivating!


Okay nothing to drool about. It took a bit of courage for me to be near bees. One actually landed on my hair and I quickly swiped it off. Lucky for me, that did not agitate it enough to release pheromones and marked me a target. I have never liked being near bees even though I love honey - absolutely no correlation. When I was in primary school - when Fuzziebrain was a small young boy - I witness a classmate getting stung and crying real badly. That was after another classmate threw a stone at the nest. Boys will be boys, ya?


So you'll never catch me trying this silly stunt. Anyway, we paid $2 each to enter the Dr Bee carnival, so I thought I better make picture sense. This needed a little more courage to walk up close to get a better shot of Dr Bee growing his Bee Beard. Took him quite a while to thicken his beard. He had placed a queen bee in a bottle and attached it round his neck like a necklace. His helper then threw the bees on to his chest, and they gradually coaxed the bees to cluster around the trapped queen. Lots of bees buzzing around me, but I'm glad I got this shot.


Dr Bee closeup! Checkout the flapping wings!


Now for the more interesting part of the day. We spent a few hours at a blueberry farm. 5 of us trawling rows of blueberry shrubs and picking every large bluish fruit and putting them in our plastic bags and pails. And while we picked, we ate.


In all, we collected 11 pounds of blueberry and a small bag of strawberries, which the farm owner gave it to us for free. We paid $1.50 per pound. But it was worth it. Not so much about the fruits, but the time spent with my family.

Freshly toasted!

I have made a small but significant change to the Freebase Search Plugin I was working on a while ago. I have moved the suggest script over to Google App Engine and should perform a little faster and will be more reliable in the long term (as long as Google does not start charging me exorbitant fees to run the script). It is my first foray into the world of Python, so please forgive me for any petty bugs that might exist in the code.

The script uses the Freebase Python Client API with some modifications. I added an additional method that utilises the Freebase search API. I'll be happy to share with anyone interested in the changes I have made. Just drop me a comment.

Meanwhile, try out the plugin and let me know what you think. Better still, contribute to the social knowledge base and make this an even more useful tool for everyone.

Freebase

To help promote awareness and use of Freebase, I have made a search plugin for use with Firefox. You can install it from this link [Updated] link.

For those of you who have not been introduced to Freebase, you may find this FAQ really useful. But in a nutshell, Freebase is a public collaboration to build a structured knowledge base akin to Wikipedia. Other similar projects include DBPedia and OpenCyc. You can find my profile here.

O Twine me...

My application to participate in the Twine beta was approved recently. There are introductions written about Twine [1] so I won't spend time trying to explain what it is. But the feedbacks that I've read recently have been mostly unfavourable [2, 3].

I'm not a fan of too many wannabes, but I think Twine has much to offer (I might be biased). Through the contributions from like-minded Semweb enthusiasts, I have learnt a bit more about the Semantic Web and many related topics. There are other topics that I have subscribed to, e.g. Adobe Flex , Artificial intelligence, Intelligent Agents and many more that you can subscribe to and share your knowledge. I have started two twines on Game theory and Data Privacy, and you are most welcome to join me if you are already a beta participant.

As a Twine member, I am given the opportunity to invite more users to the community. After a first round of offer to friends and colleagues, I still have quite a number of invites on hand. If you are keen to explore Twine, please leave a comment on my blog and I will get in touch with you as soon as possible. I will try my best to give out as many as I can, but please understand that I have only a limited number of invitations to send.

Accepted...

Woohoo... I recently received notification that one of my photos was accepted for publication in Schmap. It isn't as exciting as to have your paper well-received by a esteemed research journal, but satisfying all the same. This picture was taken in Christopher Columbus Park, Boston, while Dr K and myself were walking the Freedom Trail.

A Summary of Web Things

I have always been fascinated by new technology, and I was very happy to have had the opportunity to participate in the Web 2.0 initiative at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), School of Information Technology (SIT). In preparation for the Workplan 2007/2008, staff from all ranks were encouraged to brainstorm and share ideas in bringing Web 2.0 technologies to SIT; through teaching, working and project development for the school's industrial partners. This was very much in the spirit of the collaborative web. So kudos to the management for its staff engagement focus.

So allow me to take stock of my Web 2.0 journey in NYP. A picture paints a thousand words, so I have illustrated a summary of what communities I have joined and contributed:

The Web 2.0 technologies and communities have been grouped in eight different categories. Some of them have been described in my earlier post. This is not an exhaustive list of communities out there. The check marks indicate sites that I have a user account or technologies that I have used. I am also currently actively contributing content/data to some of these.

So what's next? R/WW seems to have the answer... do they? You decide.

| View | Upload your own

For me, the next Internet Age will definitely see the importance of sharing data in a form palatable for machine consumption, collaborating and publishing ontologies that make sense and relations of linked data; and agents that can make assertions and decisions on behalf of humans.

It hasn't been easy

These past few weeks have been the hardest. First I found out that one of my best friends is gravely ill. Then Cocoa left us this morning. It was totally unexpected. Only yesterday did we all go out for a stroll, basking in the little sun we have had, and showering in what we thought was snow.

I took this picture of her at the end of our walk, and that's how she'll be remembered.

Windows 2008, here I come!

This is way cool. Easycgi has migrated my website from a Windows Server 2003 platform to a 2008 version with IIS 7.0. All that was done within 24 hours of my request. Now that is service!

Maybe this weekend I should get started on the new OS and to explore its features, even though I only have a year to do so. I just completed one course on server virtualization with 3 more to go. If you're interested in learning more about the latest server OS, there are a few courses and books that are currently offered free on Microsoft Learning.

Post conference blues

Not that I missed the conference much... but I'm having a really lousy throat made worse after I walked 3km yesterday. Funny, sometimes the best way to get around town is on foot!

The Launch wasn't all that great. The location was a little too small for comfort. The halls were okay, but the common areas and partner exhibition areas were too tight. It was really hard getting around and even worse trying to get my lunch.

The sandwich I had was pretty okay. Cold turkey hams, lettuce, mayonnaise, honey mustard and buns. I couldn't ask for much since this was a no-cost event and marketing budgets seem to be tighter these days. But I had a good time eating my bun on the balcony. You couldn't do this in Singapore without feeling the discomforts of heat and humidity. The air is fresh as Westin Bayshore was located along the harbour front.

I was most disappointed by the complimentary copies of Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 and Windows Server 2008. The licenses issued were only good for a year after your first installation. That makes me worry about using it at all. But you know what, I'll probably find sometime to evaluate the new server software. After all, I really need to have a server or 64-bit OS to fully utilize the excess RAM I have in my computer now.

But more importantly, what did I learn?

• A few more tips and tricks about using Visual Studio 2008.
  
• That Windows Hyper-V is actually running on SUSE.
  
• Different methods for virtualisation.
• Identifying the User Group leaders in Vancouver and meeting them face-to-face.
• Not all MS experts can answer what Microsoft is doing for the Semantic Web (I mean, I couldn't find one. The chump just shrugged and said, "Don't know."). My English must have sucked. Too much powder. Duh.
• SQL Server 2008 is still not ready, and so is Hyper-V.
• SP1 will make Vista closer to what consumers want in an operating system.
• A lady photographer (I can't remember her name) was commissioned by Microsoft to take pictures of IT heroes from 18 different countries.

Nevertheless, I am grateful to Microsoft for organizing the event. A little more knowledge is always good. Thanks for the freebies and lunch. But I really hope you guys can think of other ways to make software more affordable. And please, give us a feature to deactivate our copy of Windows so that we can do a re-installation without needing to call your hotline and feel like a pirate.

It's been a while

I just came across an interesting site with a very different perspective on the Web 2.0: The Drama 2.0 Show. Isn't it good to read the alternative opinion on your pet subjects?

They were recently critical of Data Portability, and how it's a useless endeavour by a bunch of techno-elites. To be fair, the Internet that is now so much a part of our lives, was only possible because of these tech geniuses. So cut them some slack ya?

However, I cannot disagree with them that the ability to move around one's personal data has a general following. The demand for human consumption of portability is pale, and the usefulness in LinkedData remains a necessity for software agents and data integration. Basically... no one cares.

One of other poser requires deeper thoughts: just how can I prevent others from adding links to me without my consent? How much entropy exists in such data links? And how much cost is paid for in reduced privacy? I am particularly interested in quantifying the level of privacy available in a set of published data. If you have any good resources to get me started, I'll be most grateful if you could point me the direction.

Btw, it seems there will be a Singapore launch event for Microsoft Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008. Thanks to Mokkie for sharing the information. You can register here here.

Microsoft Launch Party

Yeah! I finally get the chance to attend the launch events for Microsoft's 2008 products. These include Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008. In case you haven't already registered, here's the website for the launch events held worldwide. Strangely, Singapore does not appear on the list. This reminds me of how Oracle stopped holding developer events in Singapore after 2000. For Singaporeans, the nearest venue you can attend the conference is in Kuala Lumpur. That shouldn't be too expensive.

Busy Busy Busy

That's what it has been for me this past week. To kick off my week, I had a fantastic haircut and now I am feeling so much better without long trains behind my ears and on my neck. I guess the only time that I deliberately wanted to keep my hair long was back in 1993 - pre-enlistment times. Ya know... would you?

Anyway, I have been busy trying to grapple with some new stuff, geeky stuff. Ya, and I had fun. So here's a gist of what I have been toying around with the whole week:

• Longwell - a software written by the good people at MIT for browsing RDF data.
  
• Freebase - a collaborative effort to compile knowledge similar to Wikipedia, but with greater structure.
  
• Freebase-suggest - is an AJAX library for auto-completion using the Freebase dataset.
  

And for this weekend, I need to work on a PHP-based search engine for an intranet portal. Remnants of a past project that urgently needs some upgrade. So that will occupy my weekends. And yes, I need to work on my website too. I spent some lunch time today brushing up on my CSS, at the same time, working out a skeletal view of my website. And I should think it will be ready in a few weeks time. It better!

Train rides have been rather fruitful for me this past week. Last Friday, I picked up two books from Chapters: Dangerous Ground and First Team: Fires of War. Both authored by Larry Bond. I have a few other novels published by him, and I really enjoyed reading them. I guess I really like fictitious full-blown war scenarios such as Red Phoenix and Vortex. Larry also co-authored Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy. If I remember correctly, I read this novel over 3 times. The other books that I have are Cauldron, Day of Wrath and The Enemy Within. Only when composing this post did I find out that Larry has his own series called "First Team". Well it seems I bought the 3rd part of the series and might have to source the other 2 and the 4th to be published soon. If you have read Red Storm Rising and you haven't read Larry's books, then I'd suggest that you start. ;)

Reconciliation and God's Gifts

Each year, there was always some saying or teaching from Father Scott at St. Clare's that I would remember for a long time. In 2006, when I visited Canada during Fall, I remembered his sermon and key message: "What would Jesus do?"

In his New Year Eve's Mass yesterday, he ended the service talking about the show Evan Almighty. Evan asked for God to change him, but God gave him opportunities to change instead. The underlying message is that God doesn't always answer our prayers in the way we want it.

A while ago, I asked for God for the gift of reconciliation. And instead of answering my prayer in the way I expected Him to, He brought me reconciliation with someone I haven't spoked to for a decade. That cheered my heart so much, and I move to the new year with greater hope and happiness.