Wow, just...wow! "Programming cheerleaders"

As a developer, I've considered this possibility. I'm just not sure if it'd work.

But I've never considered the possibility of this actually being tried.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3208366/Programming-cheerleaders-hired-motivate-Chinese-employees.html

I'm thinking how this is probably coming out of the employees' paychecks, and all the drama that would result from this environment.

And... HK is the freest place on Earth!

http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/human-freedom-index-files/human-freedom-index-2015.pdf

Given the link between freedom and democracy, Hong Kong’s top ranking in our index may be somewhat unexpected. The territory, first administered by the United Kingdom as a colony and since 1997 ruled by mainland China under its “one country, two systems” model, has never experienced democracy. Hong Kong’s maintenance of a high degree of freedom for a long period of time indeed makes it an outlier in our survey. The pro-democracy protests that erupted in Hong Kong in 2014 may in part be a late manifestation of a pattern we’ve seen in other nondemocracies that liberalized their economies and subsequently liberalized their political systems as wealth and demands for political freedoms rose. Even so, Hong Kong is unique in that it long enjoyed high levels not only of economic freedom but also of personal liberty and income without transitioning to democracy. The territory’s close adherence to the policies and institutions it inherited from the British, including the rule of law, no doubt explain the stability its system has until recently displayed. Clearly, the pro-democracy protests represent a political agenda not acceptable to Beijing, and are a reaction to interference and perceived interference by mainland China in Hong Kong’s policies and institutions including infringements on freedom of the press and the independence of the legal system. Our index is based on data that goes no later than 2012, so does not yet capture the most recent developments, but it registers some deterioration in those areas. As the political future of Hong Kong plays out, we would not be surprised if we see a decline in its freedom ratings. - page 23.

How to evaluate your career track in 3 seconds

If you want to see if your current career track is right for you, it's really simple.

Look at the guy/gal at the top of your organizational hierachy/promotion chart/chain of command. Ask yourself if you'd like to see yourself there in 5 years...10 years...15 years.
If you don't, get out.

Example. Say you're a programmer. Look at your technical lead, up to your CTO. If you don't like what you see, maybe that career is not right for you.

fin

Thought of the Day #7

"It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to achieve extraordinary results." -Warren Buffett'

Explanation

All you people who want to be "extraordinary", the good thing is that you don't have to be extraordinary to do extraordinary things. Just think hard about what simple actions/executable plans can lead to extraordinary results.

It's that simple.

Example

Uber. Uber is extremely simple concept with huge impact.

Thought of the Day #9

Wow! I had no idea!

Work Stressing You Out? Not at These 10 Jobs

http://www.brighthub.com/office/career-planning/articles/94304.aspx

Fear of Time Passing.

 I don't like time passing.

The other day, I saw the MH370 news. I was totally shocked to notice that it has been well over a year since it went missing.

Wow. That long?

That's scary.

Because I can hardly even remember what went on between that time.

And then I walk through TST, remembering the crowds on New Year's Eve, 2015, and imagining the crowds that will come on New Year's Eve 2016.

And the visitations at the hospital for my aging relatives, the comforting words by the bedside, the nurses quietly going through their procedures. It's all very sanitized, but despite all the care, people are still the shitting, peeing, dying human beings since the dawn of man.

What have I been doing all the time?
Will I even remember what I've done?
Should I have remembered? Was it important?

Don't get me wrong. I like my job. I'd give it an A- rating of 87/100. But to be perfectly honest, what impact am I making?

-

So while writing this, I came across this. I can't put it better than this, so here it is.

www.whywork.org/about/features/stories/destiny.html

-

I think it's a rational fear. Because time is limited, and life is short if you look back.
And it's too short for even this fear.

Thought of the Day #8

Slavery is enforced not only through top-down policy, but among the slaves.
The slaves keep each other down.

Explanation:
Conspiracy theories like to see the world as being controlled by mysterious people behind the curtains.
What they tend to forget is that we really do control each other. The way we eat, dress, sleep, walk, talk, write, surf, run, swim, read, have sex, raise kids, celebrate and die. We influence each other in every possible way.

And the opposite is true too.

Just as we can keep each other down, we can raise each other up too.

Thought of the night #7: Capitalism is the ultimate social-ism

Capitalism is the ultimate social-ism.

Explanation:

The free market is driven by market forces of supply and demand, and self-interest, which is best served by rational decisions driven by the market.

It's about a common good, and you - but only in the context of a greater whole.

Thought of the Day #6: Apple vs Acer

The two computers I've used in the last 5 years has been Acer and Apple.

Acer is cheap and standard.
Reliability varies. I've had my current machine for 5 years. It works fine.
The best machines they've made have been the least fancy.
Anytime they tried to do something fancy, they've been hits and misses.

Apple is expensive and extraordinary in user experience.
Reliability seems to be pretty good. No hiccups so far.

I can't help but notice that they embody different values. And that I have somewhat conflicting values that co-exist in me.

I like Acer when I am concerned with costs. You see, I want the most bang for the buck. I don't want anything fancy, no super high-res monitor, no aluminium enclosure, no smooth trackpad. I just want the fastest machine there is within my small budget. And with this, I am ready to leave quality to luck and return faulty products if necessary.

I "like" Apple, whenever I am told that only the best matter.

Inside Out.

Or...

I like this poster better :)

1

This movie will literally show you what is inside you.

Train of thought. 

What is the train of thought? 

What is its relation to the conscious, subconscious, emotions, memories?

www.pixarpost.com/2015/01/Train-of-Thought-Concept-Art.html

Imaginary Friends. What an imaginary friends? Why do they exist? Where do they go? Why are they so strange?

Stages of psychological development.

Subconscious trauma being created.

Resulting phobia.

Subconscious forgetting.

Memories. Long-term memory storage. Forgetting.

Main Driving Emotions - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust.

Values. 

Drivers.

How phobias are formed.

The nature of imagination.

Self-talk.

Dreams.

If you look deep enough, there is so much detail. These are the ones I know. I'm sure there's more. 

Read in between the lines, because the movie presents a model of the human mind, but models are never the real thing. The truth lies in both what the model does and does not describe, and it is by filling the gaps that we discover.

2

This is no children's movie. As with many Disney/Pixar movies, it is about deeper themes. 

Disney knows more about how you and I work than most of us.

3

What people think about the movie reflects their understanding of the mind.

Thought of the Night #1

"There are only two kinds of time - 
now, 
or too late."

NOW,
or TOO LATE. 

Thought of the Day #4

Question your assumptions.

Why are work and play be divided? Why is there this invisible line between work and play?
Why are work and leisure be divided?
Why does there have to be a future?
Why is there any meaning?
Is the mind-body separate?
Is your job the best fit possible?