Sunday, July 15, 2007

Transformers is COOOL!

Just saw Transformers in a IMAX cinema (although no IMAX version for Transformers) and came back. Yes, it's very very cool, just as I expected.



I grew up with the likes of Optimus Prime, Jazz, Mirage and Prowl...I still remember that after I got a good score in the exam, father would buy me a model. I had many autobots models and some decepticons such as Starscream, Devastator to make my wars. Almost 20 years passed, now it's time for nostalgia.



The other reason that I went to the cinema is ILM. They made the most incredible movies and never let the fans down. But there are still some imperfections in the movie: Some of the decepticons seems more complex but less colorful than in the cartoon TV series. As a result, in the fight scenes it's difficult to distinguish them. On the other hand some decepticons such as Frenzy and Starscream are too ugly - too bright or too imaginary, are they just made by metal pieces and sticks?



Transformers may not be the best of the best movie this summer, but simply it will be the most highly anticipated movie this year. I love it and will be looking forward to the continuation.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Various Pseudowire Emulation Comparison


(click the picture to enlarge)


Reference:
Nadim Constantine. Overlay Service PWE Transport

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Phenomenal David Beckham

Beckham must be the most famous soccer star. He is glamorous, has very cool and changing hairstyle, and loves his star wife Spice Girl Victoria. But that's not all.


The Athletics

When talking about Beckham, some people in China will say "he's good-looking, but plays just so so, girls love him". I will say they didn't see much about him or soccer matches.

I watched the match (live on TV, of course) bewteen Man. Utd and Wimbledon on the opening day of season in 1996, Beckham scored 55 yards away from the half-way line. In the following two years, he became a young star in England because of his good passing.

But that's not the reason I like him (nor he joined Real Madrid later). In world cup 1998, he was sent off against Argentina in the quarter-finals which made him the scapegoat of England's failure and nobody remembered he scored a brilliant free-kick against Columbia days ago. In the following season, Beckham showed he had good character in bucketloads and makde the critics eat their words. It made Beckham a great player, a great man.

In summer 2003, England's captain moved to Real Madrid. At first he was not recognized by Madridistas because they loved players like Redondo more than the galaxy stars. But soon he made a conquest of the fans by showing both his magical soccer skills and brave spirit. Then things changed in January 2007. After his agent announced he would be a player of LA Galaxy club next season, he was dropped by both Real Madrid and England national team. He could only watch his teammates playing on the stand. At that time, many people thought Beckham would disappear from the top soccer matches and be reaching the end of his career. But again, Beckham proved they were wrong. He didn't give up and showed a good attitude in training, succeeded to get back to the squad of Real Madrid and helped the club win the 30th leage champion incrediblely. Meanwhile, The England nation team called him back, who was always rewarded with a standing ovation when withdrawn in the international matches later.


The Money

As a 32 years old man, Beckham has a million-dollar-a-week contract with LA Galaxy, a £10m-a-year contract with adidas, while other major deals are worth at least £11m a year, which make him the world's third highest-earning sports star.

Real Madrid marketing director Jose Sanchez told The Sun: "In the past four years we have generated more than 440 million euros in marketing and commercial activities. In that time, profits from merchandising increased by 137 per cent."

Beckham owns a £2.5m home dubbed "Beckingham Palace" with a £100,000 20ft bronze statue of the Beckhams in the grounds, a £166,000 Bentley Arnage, a £110,00 Ferrari 360 Spyder, a £150,000 armour-plated Mercedes S500 and a £50,000 wedding ring.

As a sports star, he costs much, earns much and spends much.


In conclusion, Beckham is a brilliant soccer player (at least the world's best free-kick expert), a super star from the marketing aspect, a great man who loves family very much and never gives up in the dark time. The Beckham phenomenon has make a huge influence on the soccer player transfer market - I think most big clubs will like Kaka more than Ronaldinho :-).

Try to be a man like David Beckham (but "there’s only one David Beckham").

Friday, July 06, 2007

Inter-AS MPLS VPN Options Comparison


(click the picture to enlarge)


Reference:
Nadim Constantine. BGP/MPLS Layer 3 VPN Services Part II: MPLS-VPN Routing and Label Switching