I-Robot

I-Robot

Jeffrey Rayport, a Harvard professor, visited Google this week to talk about his book "Best Face Forward”. Jeffrey argued that new technology is changing the way how businesses are building relationships with consumers and gave examples of how people are currently interfacing with technology and robotic devices.

Apparently, users of the iPod in the Mid-West have come to believe that their iPod knows what is going on in their life and selects appropriate music for the moment. At the end of a 10k run they get exhausted and all of a sudden iPod switches to the theme of "Rocky" and they see Stallone working out in a gym, making them realize that they can make it to the finish as well. The iPod as an intelligent device that is interactive, wearable and knows who you are.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a device with extra sensory perception that could be used for dating? The iDate would be able to take the guessing part out of the process. No more 2nd or 3rd dates that won't be going anywhere; no more wasted time or emotional energy because of a misinterpretation of the word 'maybe'.. I see a big market potential!

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Zhang Zi-Yi as Jen

(Updated) Over the last couple of months, I've met a lot of interesting women and learned a lot. Mostly about myself. One of the things I came to realize was that despite the fact that from a character perspective Asian women might be more closely aligned with my personality than American women, I always found myself more attracted to white women. That was, until 2 weeks ago when I met somebody from China. She’s attractive, a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor. A combination I find hard to resist.

So what did I really learn about myself? That I’m contradicting myself a lot. How’s that for useful knowledge!

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of beautiful Asian women and breathtaking battles. It also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy.
In some Asian cultures, it’s considered impolite to ask for something. You are supposed to wait until something is offered to you. So how to determine the right moment for a first kiss - or the suggestion for a more ‘adventurous’ next date? At times, women are already hard to understand as it is and adding a cultural component to it might be the ouverture for another Greek tragedy.

Casablanca

Rick and Sam..

With the temperature climbing to the 90's today, I had a craving to see Casablanca on this hot summer day.

Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.
Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We're in the desert.
Rick: I was misinformed.

Casablanca transports you to another era and is a classic tale of lost love found again and then put at risk of being lost once and for all. Rick is our hero, and his lost love is the stunningly beautiful Ilsa. He has been wounded, and has built a life to avoid repeated injury. After some of my dating adventures over the past year, it's a life that starts to look more and more appealing.

Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake.
Sam: [lying] I don't know what you mean, Miss Elsa.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By."

Sam isn’t playing anymore but Ladysmith Black Mambazo is. Tomorrow in San Francisco. And although Ilsa won't be joining me, I'm excited because another lady will.

Gone with the Wind

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh

"Gone with the wind" - Last night I finally watched this Epic movie for the first time ever. It is the story of the beautiful and willful Scarlett O'Hara and her rapacious drive to insulate herself from the hardships of war. The film romanticizes the vision of the South as it never really was and that disappeared after the civil war. Gone with the wind... and so is my Kaboom girl.

After deciding that we were not 'getting anywhere', I felt kind of sad. Not because of what really was, but more about missing on what could have been. Anticipation creates a perfect world, a happy place to wander around. Until the wind blows it away..

Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation

Although she is preparing for her bar exam, my date still was able to take a break from studying and we were planning to see "My summer of Love". It turned out that the schedule on the Internet was outdated so we ended up seeing "War of the Worlds" instead.

My date used to be a teacher and is still tutoring English language for Asian companies. Before the movie, we had a quick dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant. After I ordered a beef curry, the Asian waiter asked me if I wanted the beef with 'brick'. I didn't have any clue what he was talking about. After he had repeated the question twice, I still didn't understand him and just confirmed that 'brick' would be ok.

My date smiled and asked me 'You don't know what you just ordered, do you?' I answered 'No, I don't..'

A couple of minutes later, the waiter came back to apologize; they were out of 'brick' and he wanted to know if rice was ok as well.

Foxy Lady

Robben Ford

Robben Ford is one of the great guitarists of our time. Wednesday evening I found myself sitting in the Kuumbwa jazz club in Santa Cruz, less than 6 feet away from the stage where Robben Ford and his band were playing. An intimate club setting, a bottle of wine on the table and great music.

Sometimes, I have those flashes of really feeling good about life in general and about myself in particular. I had one of those on Wednesday evening. It wasn't just the show; I was sitting next to the co-founder of RockShox, a major brand name for Mountain bike and Motorbike suspension systems. A successful women who was able to retire in her thirties and had made an excellent choice by picking me to join her. I'm sure the Gods were smiling on me. At least for one evening.

Mad Hot Ballroom

From clumsy to graceful

Where I'd be hoping for a long weekend with my Kaboom girl, we ended up seeing a movie and spending some quality time on the couch.

The movie we watched, "Mad Hot Ballroom", explores teams of young dancers in four New York City elementary schools. Many of the youngsters live in poverty, come from broken homes and live in neighborhoods of despair. The children have 10 weeks to prepare for a city ballroom dancing competition, with categories that include the meringue, tango and swing.

It's a really sweet movie although it didn't show any details about the challenging home situation of the children. One girl describes her ideal future husband as someone who has an education and doesn't deal drugs. Another talks about her mother's friends being drunk at parties, and one suggests that her mother dump her father because he cheats on her.

Despite their young age, some of the children showed an incredible sense of style and rhytm, and it was amazing to watch the kids evolve from clumsy to close-to-graceful and from hesitant to confident. Is that something that only can be learned at a younger age? Maybe I should run an experiment and take some Salsa lessons. As with most women nowadays, my Kaboom girl has a full life; but as dancing is one of her passions, this would most likely enable me to spend more time with her. And if things wouldn't work out, my new found grace would surely attract other women.. :)