Anyway, GeoCities is shutting down:

GeoCities will close later this year

Why is this is question?

GeoCities will close later this year.

Why is GeoCities not accepting new customers?

We have decided to discontinue the process of allowing new customers to sign up for GeoCities accounts as we focus on helping our customers explore and build new relationships online in other ways. We will be closing GeoCities later this year.
I’m a GeoCities customer. What’s happening to my site?

Existing GeoCities accounts have not changed. You can continue to enjoy your web site and GeoCities services until later this year. You don’t need to change a thing right now — we just wanted you to let you know about the closure as soon as possible. We’ll provide more details about closing GeoCities and how to save your site data this summer, and we will update the help center with more details at that time. (Source: Yahoo!)

Previously Yahoo announced the closure of the Yahoo Briefcase service. Now it’s GeoCities. More is to come I believe. It’s reorganization time for Yahoo!.

When Microsoft got their interns to talk about their projects, a few people stood up and leave. So basically they’re not there for Microsoft at all. It’s kinda sad and funny at the same time. I, too, wasn’t there for Microsoft products. I am working in the building next to them so we just walk over to check MobFest out. After MobFest, Arzhou, Raine and Uzyn had some supper (or dinner). And yesterday, I was at Microsoft Singapore again for RIAction and they had lots of Adobe stuff there. Google and Yahoo! was there too.

I think it is really generous for them to let competitor products step into the company. It requires a certain amount of openness and generosity to allow that to happen. I mean they could have rejected these things and no one would say that they are selfish. After all, it’s not in their commercial interest to host these sort of events. Sure they could sip in a bit of Microsoft talks here and there but they don’t really have to do that too. I don’t think the company deserved to be made a butt of jokes all the time.

Sad incident at wal-mart (Need HELP)

A sister and her brother were inside a new Wal-Mart. The sister at eight years of age and the brother seventeen years of age. The brother was wanting to buy a present for his little sister because her birthday was coming soon. As they were about to leave, she had to go to the bathroom. Her brother showed her where the restrooms were and he began looking at earrings he thought she might like for her birthday. As he started to buy the earrings, he saw people running out from the end of the store where the toilet located screaming and yelling with fear. In the next moment he smelled smoke and saw flames. He ran to his little sister as fast as he could but when he got to the bathrooms the fire was already blazing. He knew he had to make sure help was coming. When the fire trucks arrived it was already too late. They assured the family that there were no survivors. Two days later,the family got a call from the hospital. They told them that they had someone there by the name of Sandy. They asked, ‘How did you get this number?’ The hospital replied that the little girl had a purse clutched in her little hand with a card that gave her name and number on it. The family drove to the hospital to see their little angel.While they thanked God for her survival, they noticed her arms were burnt so severely they were both amputated and her face was burned and she needed surgery. The family didn’t have any health insurance and very little money to cover the bill. This family needs our HELP!

NOTE:Every time someone reposts this story, YAHOO will take $2.00 off the hospital bill. DO NOT DELETE! MYSPACE IS TRACKING THIS! Please forward this ‘Sad Wal-Mart Story’. God knows who you are. Karma knows it could happen to you!

I hope MySpace sees this post. Maybe Yahoo can consider donating more?

Yahoo to replace Yang as CEO, ending rocky reign

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo Inc. co-foundr Jerry Yang is stepping down as chief executive, ending a rocky reign marked by his refusal to sell the Internet company to Microsoft Corp. for $47.5 billion — more than triple Yahoo’s current market value.

The change in command announced Monday won’t be completed until Yahoo finds his replacement. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it is interviewing candidates inside and outside Yahoo in a search led by its chairman, Roy Bostock, and the executive recruitment firm Heidrick & Struggles.

“Jerry and the board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level,” Bostock said.

Yang, who started working on Yahoo with Stanford University classmate David Filo in 1994, will revert to “Chief Yahoo,” a titular role he filled before replacing former movie studio boss Terry Semel as CEO in June 2007. He will also remain on Yahoo’s board of directors. (Source: Associated Press)

Yang has been criticized heavily not having shown support for the Microsoft proposed acquisition. Today Yahoo trades around 10 bucks and is not looking to recover too soon.

I personally feel a little sentimental to all these web companies. Hate to see them just disappear.

Yahoo played hard-to-get during Microsoft’s courtship. Fail!

Yahoo tells Microsoft: ‘Buy us’

The internet portal’s co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang made the comment despite the fact Yahoo rejected a $33 (£21) a share offer from Microsoft back in May.

Mr Yang’s suggestion also came hours after Google pulled out of an internet advertising partnership with Yahoo.

“To this day the best thing for Microsoft to do is buy Yahoo,” said Mr Yang.

During the on stage conversation in front of a standing-room only crowd, Mr Yang was asked why the company did not take the $33 a share offered back in the summer. The company’s share price closed Wednesday below $14 (£8.80) a share.

“They walked away from a public offering and we were ready to negotiate. We wanted to negotiate a deal. We felt we weren’t that far apart.

“At the end of the day, they withdrew and they have since been clear about not wanting to buy the company,” explained Mr Yang in a rare public appearance.

Microsoft did however come back and offer to buy the search part of Yahoo, but a deal was never struck.

Again Mr Yang said the offer then was not good enough but he still remained open to persuasion.

Mr Yang told the summit “I am passionate about Yahoo”

Mr Yang said he was “disappointed that they [Google] didn’t want to defend this deal.” (Source: BBC)

Before we took this PHP 5 cert exam, there was one other guy who did it in this center. I reach there on time:

Me: Afternoon, I have a test at 3 for PHP.
Front desk: PHP?
Me: Exam 200-500.
FD: You taking CCNA?
Me: Nah… The one by Zend.

I tell you she was absolutely clueless. I almost fell asleep doing the questions. I found myself sinking lower and lower into my seat. There was no one in the room, just me and seventy questions.

I probably can’t discuss the PHP exam questions but let’s just say the questions are kinda strange. It’s just not what you would expect. I expected the test to be more about explaining the code kinda thing but that almost didn’t appear at all. CCNA questions are a lot better and open internet (open book) too.

I finished the 70 questions and thinking I would fail. I clicked on the End Exam button, closed my eyes and all that my mind could think about is this red-colored ‘Fail’ word to be displayed.

It didn’t.

(Yahoo!)

The certificate would come next month. Congrats to Uzyn!

Listed on PHP Yellow Pages already, that was fast!

The Yahoo! way is about rejecting a business deals and have many shareholders upset and then watch executives start exiting the company. It’s a sad state. Today, Yahoo! trades at around 21USD.

Day Zero of BroadcastAsia

Egripment BV and idoit preparing:

I took the above picture because of ‘idoit’. Look what look? Got upskirt? Where?

So late still have the carpet undone? Jia you ba…

Actual BroadcastAsia event

Panasonic presents their P2HD bar complete with hunk babes and motorcycles. I like the lamp post. P2HD for the win! Just wondering how much money is put in for this:

Oh the whole bar setup deserves another shot:

Sony – I must not be outdone! Studio shot for the win!

Full Sony HDNA set up. Sony brought almost all their studio and hi definition products, even Sony Vegas Pro is there. No consumer products sighted. Not to be outdone, Panasonic brought the world largest 103 inch 1080p HD plasma display.

The televisions depict confused people in lifts. It’s conveys the message well. Canon decides to get women to talk about racing cars.

Singapore is hosting some racing event soon so I guess that’s kinda appropriate. MediaCorp brought a racing car too.

Here’s SingTel showcasing their Hot Belt 1 – a set of satellites that covers most parts of the world:

Singapore Media Fusion at BroadcastAsia, most are 3D related stuff. Singapore loves 3D, HD and 24D durians!

Okay, time to move on to CommunicAsia 2008.

CommunicAsia 2008

Fast rotating satellite dish spotted. I know nothing about satellites but it just looked kinda cool when it spins:

Yahoo shows off some thing purple and cool. There give you free ice-cream in local flavors too. I think I see Milo Peng there or something. They did homework before the exhibition.

My favorite telecommunications equipment company is there and I couldn’t resist a shot:

LG’s Secret is out. Black Label Series. It’s a lousy name. I thought it was new line of L’Oreal mascara:

Samsung shows you new mobile line Soul. All pictures here is taken with a Samsung U600. I have to freeze myself to take pictures and I become excellent at that after a year of usage. Thanks Samsung.

This reminds me, I agreed to put up some Samsung viral video at my other blog. NTT Docomo lets you have a peek on 3G Long term evolution (LTE) or pre-4G. Very nice stuff there:

I met a team of bloggers doing some coverage there, probably a press event going on. Anyway, I’m surprised by the number of consumer visitors in CommunicAsia 2008 as CommunicAsia seems to be targeting industry people more. I am not aware of any product launch. Trade-show-wise, CommunicAsia has too much content and not all are relevant.