Richard Yoo’s Weblog

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This a great video showing how directional antennas work using a light bulb:

You know, I’ve only seen J.J. just like in that photo… you know… running around with a beer while serving food… pretty accurate action shot in my book.

RARE is the city where a chef can set up tables inside a former car dealership and pack the house nightly. But on a recent evening in Houston, I sat inside that space, which has been reborn as Reef, a bustling, hyper-inventive seafood restaurant, and thought about the unusual fish on my plate: a Gulf of Mexico wahoo, to which the chef and co-owner Bryan Caswell had done unexpected, and unexpectedly delicious, things.

I was thinking, too, about how, in the years since I left Houston, where I grew up, it’s gone from a city where the high-end restaurants were as gilded as they were mostly mediocre to a place with a world-class food scene and a rising generation of culinary stars. Instead of playing catch-up to restaurant trends elsewhere, Houston’s most talented chefs are finding their own voice: uncovering the food traditions of the area’s ethnic populations, experimenting with little-known seafood varieties from the nearby gulf, and embracing Texas’s strange agricultural rhythms.

Remixing Regional Flavors in Houston

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

I wasn’t sure if yo-yo was competition worthy – but I can certainly say that Pen Spinning isn’t…

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

In case you want to see the 2010 Superbowl ads again… you can see them at:

2010 USA TODAY Ad MeterSM tracks Super Bowl XLIV ads

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Where is all this extra time going to come from?!

It might seem efficient to have back-to-back appointments with small buffers to compensate for meetings running over and time to get to the next one, but what about the time needed to process what happened in the meeting? In every appointment I have, whether with a client about a project, a partner about a strategic alliance about collaborations we’re getting underway, or a guest about the radio show, there’s usually some sort of follow-up that needs to be done after the meeting. Wouldn’t it be more effective to do that while it’s still fresh on my mind?

The Importance of Buffers

Not the highest production value – but still entertaining…

All the details about the Toyota gas pedal problem…

Toyota has released their official “fix” for the sticky CTS-made gas pedals on the recalled models affected. From their graphic, it’s difficult to understand what parts are involved, and how they work. Thanks to our recent tear-down of the CTS pedal, we have the pictures and familiarity with the unit to explain it in detail.

Toyota Gas Pedal Fix Explained – With Exclusive Photos

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

I hate no idea there was a term for it… Transition Time!

My intentions are good. I don’t like being late. Most people who are late don’t like being late. And I never plan to be late or intend to be late. I understand that it’s disrespectful and unprofessional. Not to mention uncomfortable.

Here’s my problem: I have a very high need to be efficient and productive. And transition time is neither of those things; it’s annoying.

Optimize Transition Time (And Stop Being Late)

This video tells all…

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba

Clearly, these people have not experienced recess in a hot area like Texas But maybe they’re on to something…

Can something as simple as the timing of recess make a difference in a child’s health and behavior?

Some experts think it can, and now some schools are rescheduling recess — sending students out to play before they sit down for lunch. The switch appears to have led to some surprising changes in both cafeteria and classroom.

Play, Then Eat: Shift May Bring Gains at School

Everyone I know, knows that I’m not a fan of netbooks… the short list goes like this:

• They’re not that much smaller – Yes, they seem small and cute at quick glance… but then you notice how thick they are, and you quickly realize that a sub-notebook is about the same weight overall. Oh, and the tiny keyboards on the netbooks are a pain to type on.
• They aren’t any less expensive – back in the days when laptops cost north of a grand, a $300 to $400 netbook sounded like a good idea… but these days you can get full laptops in that price range – fully loaded too with DVD burners and plenty of RAM.
• They’re not a full PC – They have really slow processors, hardly any storage, and tiny screen… you can try to surf on the web with them, but deep down inside you wish you had a real laptop… did I mention that terrible and tiny keyboard?

Ultimately – you keep yearning for a full notebook….

I could go on and on, but this article isn’t about netbooks… its about the iPad… so here’s what I think about it:

• It isn’t not that much smaller – Yes, its only a 1/2 inch thick… but even the Apple Macbook Air is just a shy thicker than the tablet… there are many PC laptops that are in the sub one-inch catagory now as well…
• It isn’t any less expensive – With an average price of about $600 to $700 you could just get a real laptop (PC or Mac).
• Its not a full PC – you can’t run actual applications… there’s no Flash support in the browser either. And I can’t imagine what it would be like to type on the on-screen keyboard for a long email message or anything.

Ultimately – I think you’d be yearning for a full notebook…. if you were traveling you’d either carry a laptop along with the iPad or just leave the iPad at home…

Many of the limitations of the iPhone (no Flash, expensive, no keyboard) were great compromises since it fit in my pocket.. in fact, the iPhone is so compelling I still carry it in addition to my Blackberry everywhere I go… its always with me. But in a large size – I’m not willing to compromise.

With all that said – I’m sure it will sell well enough to keep its shelf-space in the Apples stores for many quarters to come, but…. to me, its just another toy from Apple like the Apple TV… neat toy… but not something everyone will need or want to have.

Update: For those of you who think it’ll crush the Kindle…

• The kindle is tiny – its about the equivalent to a small magazine in my bag. In comparison, the iPad is huge.
• The Kindle is inexpensive for what it is – Its less than 1/2 the cost of the iPad and here’s no subscription fee for data access.
• The Kindle is what it is – Its an ebook reader and it doesn’t try to be more than it is. The e-ink screen is amazing. It has a real keyboard so those few times you want to type in a something (search, etc) its easy to do.

The kindle’s competition is the paper book (not the iPad) – and I think its better than a paper book – much better.

The state of Gates on Daily Show…

This is great news!

“We are listening to our passengers and enhancing our internet offerings with free services for 45 minutes,” said Tim Joniec, director of Customer Relations and Special Services for the Houston Airport System.

Free Wi-Fi minutes at Houston airports

How to get things done 2.0…

Those who value excellence and hard work generally do better than others on specific tasks when they are reminded of those values. But when a task is presented as fun, researchers report, the same individuals often will do worse than those who say they are less motivated to achieve.

Those Less Motivated to Achieve Will Excel on Tasks Seen as Fun

So maybe he really can hold is breath as long as he claims…

I had no idea these crooks had gotten this sophisticated…. yikes!

Pictured below is what’s known as a skimmer, or a device made to be affixed to the mouth of an ATM machine and secretly swipe credit and debit card information when bank customers slip their cards into the machines to pull out money. Skimmers have been around for years, of course, but thieves are constantly improving them, and the device picture below is a perfect example of that evolution.

This particular skimmer was found Dec. 6, 2009, attached to the front of a Citibank ATM in Woodland Hills, Calif. Would you have been able to spot this?

Would You Have Spotted the Fraud?

Microsoft just published the keynote from CES 2010:

Posted by richardyoo on Natuba