Re: On Violence

Thanks for an awesome post, Sam! This comment has grown too long and self-evident, so I decided it should be a post.

Violence is neither good nor bad, and very emotionally-charged in real-life.

I think we can all agree that

- What we're really talking about here is force, as in voluntary initiation of force. Violence is one kind of force. Force is violence plus (Orwell doublespeak:)) - what about blackmail, intimidation, fraud, theft, hacking, exploitation, all sorts of abuse...? Self-defense/defense on others behalf is the exception. For the sake of completeness, people who like being victims are considered to be gaining something too, so it's not force to them.

- Initiation of force (IoF) is immoral, regardless of social approval, or culture, or other factor.

- IoF is involuntary for the victim.

- IoF leads to a win-lose game, like the Hunger Games...it's best to be a winner, though that usually doesn't last. (Live by force, die by force)

- No rational agent likes losing.

- No institution, policy, relationship can be moral if it's existence is based on initiation of force.

- Monopolies on IoFs are especially dangerous, have the ability to override all checks & balances (by definition) and are immoral (see above).

- IoF is generally not socially acceptable in most societies WHEN PEOPLE see it for what it is.

- IoF sounds awesome in games, on paper, in media, even in fantasies. The reality is often so terrible people will choose anything but see it directly. This allows IoFs to continue indefinitely.

- Initiation of force generally comes from people who don't see an achievable win-win solution where they get what they want. Solutions where both parties are getting the best possible outcome are always desirable and of higher utility, to both parties.

- Therefore, self-defense is the last resort, a choice only after force has been initiated. It is most costly.

- The best way to prevent violence and other IoF is to make all situations/games win-win, so that everyone rational (but not necessarily moral) simply do not consider playing a win-lose game at all.

I've read what several religions and moral philosophies say about violence, and at the end of the day, I find that it's easiest and most useful to simply consider all IoF to be immoral, without exception.

A Bright Idea from Year 10: What if government was voluntary?

Remember the time when we sat out in the outdoor cafeteria besides the Astroturf back at SIS? Well, I had a great many ideas there. One of them went like this. "Why don't we let the people decide where they want to put their tax money and how much?" I don't remember the following discussion, but I guess it doesn't really matter. What mattered was that it sounded like a good idea.

If you ask me, I still think it's a good idea. Of course, now I know how complicated and unreadable tax codes have become.

The advantages are obvious. 

Don't like their fancy new development scheme in the New Territories? Put your money somewhere else.

Don't like the NSA? (Hello NSA bots/agents!) Just don't pay them. The effects would be instantaneous - can you imagine what a conservative 40% reduction in budget would do to them? (OK, maybe they're making money elsewhere)

Don't like wars? You can now not pay for them. How many people would actually want to pay for a war, when you consider all the marvelous possibilities. 

Don't like Common Core? Don't pay them.

Like the National parks just a bit? Pay them.

Like your government library? Pay them. Maybe they'll even get smart and create patron programs.

Government school ruined your childhood? Don't pay them ever again!

Enjoyed your stay at the hospital? Pay 'em.

Isn't this fun? Of course. It's infinitely better than demonstrations, getting monitored and/or arrested by police you paid for with your hard-earned money!

And here's some food for thought. Why has no major government adopted such a scheme?

Hint: It would be like shooting oneself in the foot!

1 Year On the Job

On 16th June 2014, I celebrated my 1 year anniversary...on the job.

When I first joined, I didn't know what I wanted. I was fresh, not even out of college. All I knew was that I liked programming, software and thinking in new, alien ways.

One year on, I think I know a few things.

• I want and get interesting, meaningful projects. I like to be able to tell myself what a great day I had, what awesome things I did, before I go to bed every night. 
• To learn and appreciate lessons, truths about life, applicable no matter what the future may hold.
• Punctuality. Punctuality is vital to the modern world. But truth is more important. The balance between rigid measures and flexibility is achieved through tolerance, but communicating fully and honestly - Say the manager asks if I can come in at 9 tmr for a meeting. But I know 9 is not makeable because I really feel tired and need sleep. I negotiate a new time, instead of being a sucker.
• Schedules. Project time estimates are always tricky. Then add politics, people relations and monetary considerations. Estimates can either get seriously bent, or the team-members will become cynics. Truth simplifies this and negotiation helps all parties accept it. 
• I hold the attitude that the facts are the facts, and if you don't want to hear it, it's your problem and not mine. But since we're in the same boat, I must help you get it.
• Assistance. When I need help, I ask for help immediately. In a team, an individual's time is also part of the team's time. If you waste your own time, you're wasting the team's time. Get the best people to do for you if possible.
• Atmosphere. Programmers need cozy, quiet, enclosed areas for brain work, and cozy, quiet group areas for focused group-work. Managers unfamiliar with development work generally do not realize this. 
• Managers. I believe that managers are there so that team members can be productive. If it means taking flak from other managers, well, that's what they're paid to do. If it means celebrating each small victory or project completion, surprise us! A sweet,satisfying aftertaste after every project is what makes developers come back for more.
• Retention. You want to know why some companies keep doing well? Employee retention. Retain good people who know the systems well, help them become better, let them help others improve and they'll pay you back many fold. If you let them leave, the skills, invested training and tech know-how leaves with them. (The best example of this is the HKUST Robotics Team. They do well consistently, thanks to the strong mentorship by former members.)
• Hard work. Programming is hard. That's a given. When you become incapable of it, stop and doing something else. I wasted many hours in the beginning in unproductive times.

• Stay Fresh!
  In development, there is usually most to learn if you venture into an unknown territory. Like a PHP programmer venturing into Python Django. But on the job, these opportunities are rarely given to you, because people tend to trust those who are already proficient at it. I found that if I wanted to be challenged and practice my learning ability, I had to get new assignment. 
  
  To get new assignments, one has to finish off the outstanding ones first. Knowing that not all projects are equal, simply focus on the most important/urgent ones first and let the rest wait. Most people have this myopic tunnel vision when they are in a hurry, under stress or desperate for completion. If they can see the light approaching, they'll believe you are doing great.

Memorable experiences?

The few times nasty clients shouted over the phone about not getting what they want quick enough, while I am trying to solve difficult technical problems on their behalf. I simply let them vent while I put the phone down. After some moments, they started to become self-conscious, wandered if I was listening and I said "Anything else?". That was a good day.

• The difference between a good day and a terrible day can be made in moments just like this. It takes patience and a good mood to best resolve conflicts with irrational people.

What made it work ultimately, was the people. Nice people you can share anything with, secure people who don't play political games, a few good managers willing to improve conditions all the time, a laissez-faire CEO who does his job and lets us do ours.

In all honesty, I can say I have enjoyed my current position for the majority of the year. Out of 100, I would give it an 80 - enough for an A.

To sum up, the past year has a dose of reality, a course on what life is like for the 9 to 6 people. Despite all the feel-good stuff floating around, there are very few people who can honestly say they enjoy every single second of being on the job, that every little detail is incredibly interesting and satisfying. You mix with the great with the not-so-good, explain/cope/forget/rant/resolve away the not-so-good and call it a good day!

Cheers!

Re: White Paper on Hong Kong: SNAFU

Basically, they are stating what we all know, however we try to hide, justify, talk, debate, blog. Who controls the weapons and money ultimately controls everything. The controllers change, but the system always stays the same.

So you want to emigrate. But every nation on Earth is basically that. Hard to say it'll be much better, or worse.

You can't run away, you can't really fight, actively persuading others rarely works.

It probably looks like a last stand.

But it isn't. We have greater relative freedom than anytime in history. The powers that be are more hard-pressed than ever to justify their existences and actions. There is more love than there probably ever was. There are greater numbers of educated, literate people than there ever was. There are more independent thinking, smart people who know what's going on than ever before.

The only moral thing you CAN do is to live a moral life full of love, be a hero (not a victim) and avoid anything immoral.

Your sadness is something to be happy about, cherish and worth understanding. At least you are human. I have worked with heartless people who are incapable of deep feelings. Those are people who are dangerous with authority and you have to be vigilant with. They are the zombies, however competent. Have nothing to do with them.

Hiking Insight: Peak to Chai Wan

Last night, I dreamed I was walking alone on an overgrown path through some nasty woods. It was sunny. It felt like one of the many paths in TorilMud, but the forest looked like HK.

Today, I woke up bored. As always, I try to make up the goals for my day. "OK God, today, I will do something challenging."

But challenge was not found. So I went looking for it.

It started as a short walk. There were many instances where I thought I should stop, but the dream kept me going. Like how I got thirsty, so I bought drinks from kiosks and vending machines. In total, I spent $25 dollars just on drinks, drinking 3L of fluids. I also sampled the various natural water sources, and found the tastes rather strange. Around 5 hours later, I have no negative symptoms.

At one point, I saw a bus I could chase down but decided to forget it and keep walking. After 5 hours, I ended up walking from the Peak to Chai Wan.

The 20km+ (approx.) was one long hike to be completely unprepared for. It's very different from a half-marathon with nearly the same distance - slopes, rough paths, heat. Besides, I didn't explicitly train for this. It turned out surprisingly good and just challenging enough. :)

Things about Nature I learnt:

• Thank humanity for transportation! Without it, it would take me up to 4 hours to get home!
• Thank all the forerunners for creating the paths. One wouldn't get very far bushwhacking!
• Animals are cruel. Along the way, I saw a fly fly straight into a spider web, a spider doing something nasty with its trapped prey, 2 big snakes crossing my path just meters ahead, worms struggling unsuccessfully from ants. Animals will be animals!
• Nature is cruel. The temperature this afternoon was about 32 degrees and quite humid. Everywhere I walked, there was a strong smell of dead vegetation composting. In nature, you die, you get recycled.
• We are born able to take a lot of punishment! We are all capable of walking very long distances, provided some basic necessities.
• There is something about being close to nature that makes one smarter...    Plants are great at being fairly chaotic. I wonder if one get smarter unconsciously attempting to understand the underlying patterns with a clear mind. 
• ... and happier! Plants don't get unhappy! They grow and wilt completely in the moment, according to its nature. There is much humor in stupidity/simple-mindedness! 
• Nature has to first be respected before you can do anything with it. One has to understand soil before he can make paths and roads. A hiker has to understand hydration before he can walk long distances that would cause him to sweat a significant amount of his bodyweight.

Some trivia about part of the trail I took!

• Sir Cecil's Ride is probably the nicest path you can take if you don't like too many Ups and Downs. The only downside is that it's a bit boring! Nevertheless, I can only imagine what it must have been like to ride the trail on a horse back in the 1930s! http://blog.walkthetalk.hk/2005/09/hong-kong-by-sir-cecil-clementi.html