Kevin Hamano - imported from kevinhamano.com

Carrie Underwood

Sun, 20 May 2012 18:06:58 -0500

The world’s most photogenic, Paula Deen riding, Angelina Jolie’s leg kicking, nyan cat flying guy.

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:53:35 -0500

You're welcome :)

Of course I'd share you!

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:58:24 -0500

I randomly created these on a whim as a means of contextualizing the way in which brands can and sometimes do become verbs. Originally, they were meant for things and places. I took a step back and decided to mix things a up a bit by applying them to people as well. (Continued below images)

So you have it. Who would you pin? Who would you Digg? Who would you tweet?

Hope you have fun with this. I plan on creating more things in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, thanks for dropping by. You're pretty awesome sauce! (Don't LOL at it. Maybe "loi" or just say hi to me on Twitter.)

PS: feel free to use these images.

Logos and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Facebook Interest Lists

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:05:47 -0500

I created these lists to 1. help me discover cool new things and 2. readily have access to information via the Facebook interface (such as news going on in The Bay). Here's a list of the lists I've created in case you wanted to use them as well.

San Francisco
Hidden San Francisco
SF Bay Area Food Festivals and Events
SF Bay Area Food Trucks
SF Bay Area Foodie
SF Bay Area News
South Bay (SJ) Food Trucks

Los Angeles
Hidden Los Angeles
Los Angeles Foodie
Los Angeles News
LA/OC Food Festivals and Events
LA/OC Food Trucks

Orange County
Orange County Foodie
Orange County News

San Diego
San Diego Foodie
San Diego News

Internet
Memes and Other Random Internet Things

Technology
Gamification Augmented Reality - Yeah, there's not a whole lot on Facebook...
Light Painting - Same...

Mobile Gaming
Mobile Game Development Companies
Mobile Gaming News

I'm particularly fond of the latter half :) Hope you enjoy these lists and find them useful!

PS: All of these are works in progress. If you have an item or two you would like to suggest, just let me know!

Site Updated

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:37:47 -0600

I just updated the site with a lot of information. I'm quite excited! :D

e-Business Card

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:13:01 -0500

Inspired by recent developments in business regarding information exchange, I decided to create my own e-Business Card. The card can be viewed here.

Cupcakes and Barcodes

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:53:27 -0500

I was confused for a good ten seconds after searching for "cupcake car"

I thought something was going on with my java again, but as it turned out, Google just changed its logo to a barcode. Just a bit of random amusement for the day.

The New Normal

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:36:41 -0500

I think the whole idea of a new norm coming out of the current recession is quite fascinating. It is really quite interesting, moreover, to note how this new economy will effect Generation Y. I know, in terms of me, it has made me even more emboldened to learn and do so many things that I have never done before.

They say education is one of the best investments one can make during this time. In lieu of not working the 9-5, I definitely hope this is true. At the very least, I will come out at the end of this year with knowledge of how to buy and sell real estate.

On another level, I have made it a point to create my own work. I hope this will serve to prevent me from becoming members of a lost generation.

It really is a serious time to examine what is going on, what current policies are, what they will do to members of my generation, and how changes can be made to be more proactive than reactive.

A Recipe for Innovation

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:47:40 -0500

Some ask how it is possible that I can be a political science major, with a minor in Asian American studies; additionally have a concentration in business administration, and so many more interests in between?

Simply put, it is because I have a natural curiosity that drives me to understand the world around me and its many nuances. Granted, there are too many things out there to learn in a lifetime, I have been able to focus my studies on a couple of areas including:

Human Capital Management
Customer Service Management
Experience design
Sustainability
Social Media
Real-time Web
Marketing
Policy Making

Such a breadth of subjects to focus in on, and yet, this has allowed for something quite magical to happen. It has given me the ability to innovate in a, dare I say, innovative way. It is a means by which I believe companies will drive innovation in the future and provide for the development of more jobs.

No longer will research or innovation be driven by silo-ed departments (for instance, health sciences only using health science literature to inform scientific and business development). Instead, there will or at least should be a cross breeding of disciplines. Taking the example of health science, though not at all apparent, there may very well be great benefit in pairing current research with such used in chemical engineering, social media, and/or even economics. Many of the most successful things, companies, and people including the internet; Cisco, Google, Bell Labs; and the vice-chairman of Citigroup now counsel for President Obama, Lewis Kagan (a mathematics and history major, later JD); have thrived from the combination of disciplines.

Looking at myself, though the benefits of having such a breadth of knowledge, skills, and abilities may not be apparent; it has lent itself to developing this unique eye for innovation.

Especially in these trying times, it is an asset that I am quite proud of. And, though the road has been rough in terms of letting others know why I chose the path I chose, in retrospect, it is also one that I would not change. I can only hope that others share my views, help me out, help others out, and develop their own special mix of disciplines to create a newer, better, more vibrant... and innovative, economy.

Shades of California

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:04:20 -0500

All of the UC's do in fact have different shades of blue and gold.

UC Berkeley - Yale Blue & California Gold (Golden Bear/Oski)
UC Davis - Aggie Blue & Gold (Aggie)
UC Irvine - UC Irvine Blue & UC Irvine Gold (Anteater/Peter)
UCLA - UCLA Blue & UCLA Gold (Bruin/Joe and Josephine)
UC Merced - Royal Blue & Gold (Golden Bobcats)
UC Riverside - Sky Blue & Gold (The Highlanders/Scotty)
UC San Diego - Navy Blue & Gold (Tritons)
UC Santa Barbara - Blue & Gold in assorted shades (Gauchos)
UC Santa Cruz - UCSC Blue & UCSC Gold (Banana Slugs/Sammy)
UCSF - Teal

I think UCSF is the most interesting. So simple and to the point.

I Can't Wait

Mon, 11 May 2009 22:06:54 -0500

It's funny how we get so used to saying, "I can't wait until I graduate," because when the time comes, it's really hard not to go back on this claim. Granted, I have one more week before I officially graduate, I really wish I knew what more was in store.

Even if I get a position here, decide to work there, or travel to this place and that, to come out of what has been a lifetime of education and (largely) knowing where to go, is kind of alarming. What's perhaps more worrisome to me, however, is not that I will be leaving this place soon, but that I will be leaving so many connections I've been able to cultivate in my four years at Cal--friends made in class, in organization, in work, during rainy days, on the bus, while studying--in short, you.

Like the words Elphaba sang in "For Good,"

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart

I truly hope that I will be able to see you soon. In the case that this does not occur, I can only hope that I see your name in the newspaper, for all the right reasons.

Best wishes, Kevin

My Visual Resume

Sun, 03 May 2009 00:40:03 -0500

Check it!

(Click to enlarge)

Reaching New Heights by Embracing Tumbles

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:45:02 -0500

I recently wrote about a perception of quality that many have simply with regards to brand names. This recent article out of Stanford Magazine, reveals even more with regards to perception and how it affects quality.

As professor Carol Dweck reveals,

"Why some people achieve their potential while equally talented others don‚Äôt," is a matter of "whether you look at ability as something inherent that needs to be demonstrated or as something that can be developed."

For that someone that believes the latter, he or she is able to make leaps and bounds in terms of performance. In testing a group of elementary school students on her theory, she was able to find that:

Students for whom performance is paramount want to look smart even if it means not learning a thing in the process. For them, each task is a challenge to their self-image, and each setback becomes a personal threat. So they pursue only activities at which they‚Äôre sure to shine‚Äîand avoid the sorts of experiences necessary to grow and flourish in any endeavor. Students with learning goals, on the other hand, take necessary risks and don‚Äôt worry about failure because each mistake becomes a chance to learn.

Behaviors that are developed earlier in life, if not altered significantly early enough, will simply persist in life including in both college and the work force. Thus, in order to test for what might be thought of as a false sense of performance in the work force, organizations must be willing to see to it that their selection screens see through what might otherwise be a facade for great performance. At the same time, this also means that education must be significantly tailored to encourage and motivate students to set personal development goals and achieve them. Only by doing this at an early stage will society be ensuring that more of its own become the high performers that they can be.

Earth Hour

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:59:36 -0500

Loving the official anthem for LA's celebration. I really want to go!

Suggest: Changes in Search

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:22:54 -0500

On Google's homepage, have you noticed something different? With Google's new suggest feature, you can type in your search query and have the system automatically suggest what it is you might be typing or might want.

For instance, "How to find a job."

This does not only allow you to search for this, but it also pulls up extensions of this phrase:

fast in a recession online in this economy (and so on)

What this will do, will not only create for more specific and localized searches, but changes in terms of advertising online:

No longer will there be the same kind of long-tail targeting that was utilized by those who saw opportunity in search queries that were largely ignored by the mainstream.
The first search query that is suggested will become the new one position in organic searches.
The opportunity for spelling error optimization will be reduced.

In all, this is not only a better business model for Google but a better thing for a wider array of individuals and companies.

Visualizing Everyday Life

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:43:49 -0500

In this word of billion dollar markets and consumer desires pointing everywhichway, data collection is key to gaining a competitive edge. Such integral part of business life, it's amazing that this has not been applied to daily life, until now that is.

Introducing DAYTUM,

Currently in Beta, Daytum is a home for collecting and communicating your daily data. Begin tracking anything you can count and display the results immediately... or just look around and see what other members are recording.

I recently signed up for an invitation after seeing one of my friends on it and I am thoroughly impressed. On my page, you will not only see the amount of time I spend doing X, Y, and Z in relation to each another, but other bytes of data like the types of food I have recently eaten.

I can't wait to see this become a part of the current social networking environment as there is so much potential. Once information is able to be fed into the site and the site is able to provide visual feeds out, DAYTUM will be able to provide an even more unique and exciting online experience.

Finished Transfering Domains

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:21:55 -0500

I hope it all transferred well. Let me know if there are any bugs.

A Perception of Quality

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:04:19 -0500

Stemming from my twitter yesterday about how fellow students in my business class can skip class and later complain about not doing well, I again noticed a couple of things which began to make me think about how society perceives quality.

What sparked this thought was a fellow classmate who came in halfway through the class. After sitting down, she proceeded to look around the classroom as if she had misplaced something. It wasn't too long before I realized she was looking for the sign-in sheet. After spotting it, she tried to get it earlier by tapping the shoulder of another student in the row in front of us, who was about to receive the sheet. Right when this front row student was about to pass it back to the late student, the front row student was scolded by another student for not passing it on in the correct direction.

The sign-in sheet continued to make its projected way through the rows.

Eventually, it got to the late student sitting next to me. Still listening intently to my professor, I thought it odd that it was taking her so long to simply initial her name. I soon found out that she was signing in for not only herself but four others.

Granted there has to be a change in the manner in which attendance is taken and those who abuse the system need to be reprimanded, but more importantly, how is it that so many can turn a deaf ear to individuals who comprise an organization identified for its quality and caliber of students. More bluntly, how is it that business majors can get away with this sort of activity then find their way into major corporations.

Surely, if I was doing the hiring, I would want to find a way to weed out these students who, for lack of a better word, abuse the system to find their way to the top. Herein lies not high performers persay (unless your measuring and looking for insufficiency) but a perception of high performance.

Perhaps, these students are really smart. So smart that they are simply able to absorb content from looking at slides their friends give them, or reading the text book; but then why would we increase the capacity of classes to accommodate these students? Couldn't they just learn the material on their own?

Although, I don't mean to say that this is the way to do it, there is still seemingly something missing from this equation, including that there exists a university with students and professors engaging in meaningful, constructive, and innovative dialogue.

When friends ask friends, "Is X class an easy class," 1. what is easy for me, might not be easy for someone else, and more importantly 2. what does it really matter except in terms of grades. Shouldn't we be scored in terms of how much learned, not how to cheat the system? By this token, shouldn't we look for the best performers and not those who are just really good at choosing classes or faking one's way to the top?

In a day and age where so many people are getting laid off, it really behooves organizations to look into this culture which is concealed by a perception of quality. They should do this not only to get the highest performance out of new hires, but to sustain a culture of learning and development to really take organizations to the next level.

Differentiating Revolutionarily

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:16:25 -0500

Although it may not seem like it, but there are thousands of tech companies that start every year. So many of them fall short and even fewer go public.

Why?

Many of these companies are just copycats of a successful venture with only a small set of differentiators that might otherwise allow them to have a leg up. Except in the case of patents, to create an additional feature, although possibly useful, is not all that hard to do.

Looking at the Web 2.0 space, say there is a "Feature A." "Feature A" is amazing. It's the next best thing since sliced bread. It is what makes your social network so much better than your main competitor, say Facebook. Although this may be true, what is to prevent them from adding feature. Just as you were able to figure out the coding needed for this unique feature, your main competitor would have just as many, if not more, human and monetary resources to create a similar function.

The goal thus is to create something that is "revolutionary" different that fulfills a problem that society has. Truly, we do not need another Facebook. We need something that will mobilize the power of social network to create physical change, for instance or better ways to monetize the internet.

Taking a more tangible case, and my reason for writing this, I saw this ad on Facebook.

Intrigued by what the tag line meant, I clicked it. What I got was a bag full of consumer brand logos and some green text. Immediately I thought it was one of those secret shopper sites, but that's another story. Instead, WeSeed was a site that would allow the average person a way of learning about the stock market through products they know and love (though I'm still not sure about the meaning of the tag line).

Other than me thinking that this was not the best way to approach the dynamics of the stock market, I wondered how different it could be from a site that I had known and used for a long time The UpDown. The UpDown, though not but on exactly the same principle as shopping, still used fake stocks to create fake returns--but it gave you money for performing better than the stock market. By in larger, I had done fairly well earning over $5 in two months.

Anyway, I checked the site further and found nothing to differentiate itself except for the selling principle and that the interface was green. I'm not sure how successful this site will be, but if it's anything like the so many tech companies that start on a simple but different principle, there's no doubt that suffer similar consequences--it will be eaten or just fade away.

So next time, differentiate and differentiate revolutionarily to help solve a problem or improve on an existing and significant need.

25 Things and Social Networking

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:09:43 -0500

You probably know about the 25 Random Things About You phenomenon that has been proliferating on Facebook. If you haven't then you should know that it's a chain-letter exercise where you list out 25 random things about yourself and tag your friends to do the same. Oh, and it's also been featured in Time and The New York Times. That's right, two huge news sources.

According to Time, "assuming someone [spends] 10 minutes to come up with their list, this recent bout of viral narcissism has sent roughly 800,000 hours of worktime productivity down the drain."

Recently, there has been a surge of pictures being added with images of various characters resembling different types of individuals. In these pictures, people who most resemble such headings as "The Cute One," or "Likes to Take Naps," are tagged as that character. Those tagged are further encouraged to copy the picture, post it, and do the same.

Here are examples of such pictures,

Character Set 1
Character Set 2
Character Set 3
Character Set 4

It is interesting to see how open people are and how they interact with social networking spaces. Moreover, it is interesting to see how such activities take the place of task productivity (for instance, to finish reading and working on a paper).

In a time and place where so many workforces are reorganizing their human capital, one has to look at the influence social networking is and will have on workforce performance. Is it something that should be permitted in the workplace? Does it increase productivity? Does it decrease it? Is it an inherent tool within Generation Y's arsenal that allows them to better function?--These are questions that will have to be explored and tested sooner than later in order to harness the power of technology and create more effective individuals.