Ryan Anson: Straddling Worlds Apart

In preparation for my wedding with Laura this past May, I discovered and retained the services of San Francisco photographer-journalist Ryan Anson. He captured our wedding admirably. We felt honored to work with him, and to do our part to support his broader photographic endeavors to illuminate events in troubled parts of the world.

So I was very happy to see PBS recently feature his multi-year photographic expose of the turmoil in Muslim communities across Southeast Asia: "PBS Frontline: On the Edge of the Crescent". His highly reflective photo journalism deserves wide distribution.







Way to go Ryan. Thank you for providing us with a provocative and humbling glimpse of the human condition everywhere.

lyndonwong

Chrysler champions Y! Smart Ads

Dodge Caravan SmartAds 2007 Sep 13
Originally uploaded by Lyndon Wong

Yesterday marked a significant inflection point for "The Initiative". Chrysler has publicly endorsed the merits of dynamic message personalization as part of an online advertising strategy. They did so by confidently associating the launch of the 2008 Dodge Caravan with Yahoo! Smart Ads.

We (the extended Y! Smart Ads team) will make them proud.

Yahoo! Smart Ads see the light of day

CNN segment on Y! Smart Ads
Originally uploaded by Lyndon Wong

In quick succession, the New York Times, NPR's All Things Considered, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN's Jim Ledbetter have reported on the recent announcement of Yahoo! Smart Ads.



This counter-point essay in the NYT Bits Blog lays out the challenge and thus opportunity that Smart Ads present to the advertising industry:



It's gratifying, and a bit startling, to see this idea to increase the relevance of display advertising so quickly capture the imagination of highly intelligent and articulate observers. There's no turning back, because we certainly would not wish the alternative on anyone.

Oh, I almost forgot... I'm hiring product marketers dedicated to the Yahoo! Smart Ad initiative -- the positions are on LinkedIn, and on careers.yahoo.com

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In Praise of the Canadian Rockies

Rocky Mountain Flowers
Originally uploaded by Lyndon Wong

My partner-in-life Laura and I recently honeymooned in the Banff and Jasper national parks of Canada. I can not think of enough superlatives to describe this UNESCO World Heritage site. Up close, and from afar, the entire region exudes epic beauty.

Behind the Beat

Henry Hung Quartet
Originally uploaded by Lyndon Wong

The above quartet of talented jazz musicians led by Henry Hung deserves much credit for the festive atmosphere of our recent wedding on May 19, 2007. Trumpeter Henry Hung, guitarist Brian Moran, percussionist Micha Patri and the unidentified bassist brought their unique jazz touch to a repetoire spanning Aaron Copland, Cole Porter, Joao Gilberto and the Beatles.

These musicians rocked the house, and even brought my father to his feet in an enthusiastic drum circle. That was no small feat!

Feel the Beat

Feel the Beat
Originally uploaded by Lyndon Wong

Laura and I pulled off our wedding on May 19, 2007. In celebration of our special moment, we engaged in the traditional drumming of the garbage can lid and cow bell.

We are indebted to our families and friends for helping to make this joyful day possible. I've posted some photos taken by guests.

In praise of small homes

Pope Leighey House interior
Originally uploaded by Lyndon Wong.

Interesting NY Times article this morning about Loren Pope . While the writer focused on Pope's admirable impact on college counseling, I gravitated to the short mention of Pope's association with Frank Lloyd Wright.

With further research, I found wikipedia entries on both Pope and the 1200 square foot home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loren_Pope
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope-Leighey_House

What a fascinating individual!

Barack on Flickr

DSC_0045.JPG
Originally uploaded by Barack Obama.

A Yahoo staffer noted this recently... Barack Obama, or more likely his campaign team, has established a flickr photo feed to cover his campaign for the U.S. presidency. Here, he announces his candidacy to the residents of Springfield, Illinois -- poetically associating himself with Abraham Lincoln.

I suspect of all the presidential aspirants, he will be covered most extensively by user-generated content and various social media systems.