Amasing Numbers - Crazy world

The earlier three episodes are equally impressing,

educational...!

via PZ (the presentation on leadership is inspiring, yet humbling).

Info Addict

Whereas, I pride myself of (relatively) easily adapting to new situations, and thus not holding onto old habits too rigidly but rather finding ways to modify them and/or embrace new, the craving for the new information has been ever present one. My Google Reader feeds span many different topics and too many subscriptions that require some organisation and direction through filtering in order to acquire more focused knowledge. Than again, variety is the space of life where creativity brews readily.

This article, nicely explains our constant desire for 'more (...)' fuelled by curiosity and envy. It cites number of psychology studies to explain the information addiction. Though, it can equally help with better understanding of any other over/consumption.

More than helping with the addiction, my interest in the article is in understanding how a good advertisement makes a product insanely desirable.

Interesting...!


Credit: 'insanely' great => Apple 1984.
Article: Aaron via Twitter.

Inbox count: Zero

This has been my - in a day-and-age of powerful search engines and huge storage spaces - pointless ‘down-time-task’ during the last week or so. While deleting, labelling and archiving messages in my three (personal/career/fun) consolidated email addresses I have come across some interesting stuff that GMail remembered, and I long since forgot. In spite of risks, and unlike what Viktor Mayer-Schonberger believes, I’m all for the digital remembrance in a pursuit of ‘global consciences’, which - as the Internet matures - is obtainable.

The cool find is the Photoshop work by Monkey from 2005; whereas a surprising one was the apparent finding of the measurable change in my personality.

...!

Global Hypnosis

It was back during the Japan trip when Pere and I talked about the globalisation aspect that influences human minds, where everyone eats, reads, watches, thinks, does, wants, ..., the same things. He then shared with me some of the Chomisy's materials on how a few control many in the post WWII world. Not unlike it was the case in ancient times when the most popular book was the medium, a desired mind-state for masses is still achieved through the control of the media. This time though, books got replaced by 'gloving rectangles'. The article cites 'imagines' the research by Stanford University which "suggests that Americans spend the vast majority of each day staring at, interacting with, and deriving satisfaction from glowing rectangles." And what seems like a staggering number, "Researchers were able to identify nearly 30 varieties of glowing rectangles that play some role throughout the course of each day."

With every new rectangle in our world Thinking outside of the box gets harder and harder.

...!

Credit: Image source.

UPDATED: not that it makes any difference to the point made in this post, it is worth 'knowing' that Onion is not a legitimate news site. Reading their interview with Neil Armstrong where he allegedly proclaimed: "I suppose it really was one small step for man, one giant lie for mankind." prompted me to search for an explanation that justifies the popular belief. So just as the majority (under global hypnosis) I have 'no doubt' that BBC article is true, and Onion one false.

On Career

Think about it: out of the 24 hours at your disposal each day, most of your waking hours are spend at doing what?

For someone who (feels like he) just started his carrier at the first (real) job after the graduation, I sure am not a person to be giving carrier advice. Nevertheless, considering I went through quite a few eventful situations during the interesting – to say the least – path that led to this particular departure point, inevitably, I learned few things on the topic. Most of these lessons, could not be better summarised nor presented than by Garr Reynolds cute presentation on Daniel Pink’s The Adventures of Johnny Bunko:

1. There is no plan
2. Think strengths, not weaknesses
3. It’s not about you
4. Persistence trumps talent
5. Make excellent mistakes
6. Leave an imprint

Career Advice '08

View more documents from garr.

Few more points to add on to it:

• Flexible Strategy

Whereas, goals/plans do not work for me - at all (for now); I tried, and I tried harder - still, somewhere along prolonged, and at times painful lessons, I "...found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable" (Dwight D. Eisenhower).

More important than planning are values that like a lighthouse provide guidance pointing towards your target (overall objective) when decisions are to be made. And to be moving in your desired direction in the most efficient manner, it's good to have a strategy. Ideally, the strategy employed would be evaluated and modified as necessary after each step.

It was one of the conversation on job-search with Raoul when he shared with me importance of being strategic yet flexible about it. At the time I wanted to go straight through the wall; head first, naturally.

• When to jump the ship

Equally important is to recognise the signs indicating that it is a time to make a next career move; in this case, it's more like a leap than a mare step. If the fire inside is not burning as brightly as it should, if there is no more hunger, curiosity, contribution, progress, recognition, satisfaction... it’s time to move on. And when the time comes ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. This article, elaborates eight alarming signs to lookout for:

1. Your role has become marginalised
2. You've stopped growing
3. You're missing from the big picture
4. You're being excluded
5. Your level of influence is waning
6. You no longer enjoy the work
7. Continuous improvement isn't part of the mantra
8. Greener pastures truly are greener

It was the tostmaters's session where I learned about the psychology study which found that happiness at work requires one to be satisfied with at least two out of the three aspects:

1. what you do
2. who you work with
3. your pay

Well, I had 2/3 when I left teaching at NP. The first one outweighed the sum of last two.


And if your 'lighthouse' demands serious corporate ladder climbing, then consider that it's easier to climb in a zig-zag pattern than straight up.

• Not/Every/thing matters

Regardless of which steps end up being chosen, it really doesn't matter how one feels of an outcome afterwards. As in reality - when a little bit wider (link to dir po svemiru) scope of things is considered than seen from a current vantage point - the level of control one has is insignificant. And moreover, one is completely clueless to what kind of circumstances and accompanying feelings a step taken will lead to next. Though, WHEN shit happens, laugh it off and keep rolling with - hopefully - a new lesson learned.

On this note: one of the criteria that has mostly been there for me when making a next step was to put my self in a position with more choices, the logic was that more choices one has the more free one is; and freedom is very important in my kingdom as without it there's no happiness. Loved Daniel Gilbert's presentation which completly thows this thinking upside down.

• Embrace Insanity

Last, but definitely not the least, make sure that the journey is crazily enjoyable. Fitting bottom line is Murray’s advice for the ages: “Keep your sense of humour”.

hvFun...!

Credit for reference:
Patrice for PresentationZen,
Alvin for ComputerWorld,
Chao for TED
Lighthouse analogy: The Monk who sold his Ferrari, Robin Sharma

Credit for the title inspiration: Prophet, by Khail Gibran

Pragmatism

Think before you act!

This old cliché, is simply explained by Peter Bregman in this post which might help you to put it into practice more often.

In summary:

...is the natural way to react. We react reflexively - before thinking (back in a day when humans were facing a 'hungry tiger' on a daily basis, there was no (much) time left for deliberation) - to the event and face the consequences - be it good or bad - of this automatic reaction as an outcome.

The better - and the more appropriate for today's day and age - approach, instead of reacting directly to the past event, is to take a moment to think about the future outcome that we desire following the event that just took place and then react accordingly:

This small change in the activity chain yields big results. I first learned it a while back as the SOCS principle (easy to remember by thinking of socks) when reading Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman:

Situation - what is it that you are facing
Option - which reaction options are available to you in this situation
Consequences - what are the consequences of the each reaction
Solution - chose the option that has consequences most aligned with the desired outcome

“You can’t escape the consequences of your actions.” - Steve Pavlina

gdLuck...!

Obama the Saviour

If it wasn't already clear from previous posts, like a big majority around the world, I am a fan and believer of the hopeful change that the 44th US president will bring about from this day onwards.

Many things have been said about the man in the past year leading towards the inauguration, but in particular I like what NY Times had to say describing his character: 

"It’s not willpower or self-discipline he shows as much as an organized unconscious. Through some deep, bottom-up process, he has developed strategies for equanimity, and now he’s become a homeostasis machine. 

...At every challenging moment, his instinct was to self-remove and establish an observer’s perspective. 

...He doesn’t seem to need the audience’s love. But they need his. The audiences hunger for his affection, while he is calm, appreciative and didactic.

...And it is easy to sketch out a scenario in which he could be a great president. He would be untroubled by self-destructive demons or indiscipline. With that cool manner, he would see reality unfiltered. He could gather — already has gathered — some of the smartest minds in public policy, and, untroubled by intellectual insecurity, he could give them free rein. Though he is young, it is easy to imagine him at the cabinet table, leading a subtle discussion of some long-term problem."

Wouldn't it be nice, if the only negative that the article had to say about Obama - "Far from a celebrity fad, he is self-contained, self-controlled and maybe even a little dull." - stays as the only true negiative remark eight years from now as well, when the 45th commander-in-chief is sworn in.

To the tune of the presently predominant theme, let's

hope...!

Ps:
And the man is a baller :)



Worth reading is the Time's Person of the Year interview, and the list of 50 facts, where you can also find the interview with his wife, Michelle.

PPs: SuperObama image source. 

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New Year, old tune

While back in Melbourne, enjoying the time with the family, I also tried to resurrect my degree from the ashes. There is some hope it might happen. It's very slim, but worth a shot. During the meeting with the representatives from the UniMelb's Science Faculty, I was told that they will take my request into consideration...

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Dear A and D,

Thank you for seeing me on the last Friday.

As discussed, I was able to successfully complete the two out of the three subjects listed below, and hence humbly request approval to enroll into one more subject in order to finalize my degree.

As you will know, during my time in Singapore I had full time employment lasting all the way through till the last quarter of the semester. Since my residential visa, apartment and the laptop were tied up to the job, I had to invest time and effort to sort those logistical issues. In addition, I looked for a new job and went to three interviews. Lastly, out of the three subjects, I was most unsure of receiving the approval for the 'Mapping Global Economic Change', leaving it's major assignment the last. This resulted with the submission that was one week overdue. The assignment was heavily penalized for lateness, resulting in the failure.

Also, please take into consideration that though my leave of absence has been prolonged, I have initially requested to enroll in two NUS modules (one per semester) after one year of leave of absence.

The next semester at NUS runs from January till May, with deadline for adding subjects on the 19th of January. With your kind approval, I would like to enroll into one more subject from the NUS's School of Computing.

Please find attached the page from NUS admin system showing the results. I will send you the original transcript as soon as I receive it.

Thank you,

Z
(student Id)

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I am asking myself, will I ever learn... Doing the same mistake over and over again... and again... Thinking of the lessons I 'learned' - or I should say: taken with me - from the previous failure, and yet failing to act upon them - stupid...!

Oooh Freedom...

• Schoolless,
  
• Degreeless,
  
• Jobless,
  
• Homeless,
  
• Countryless, 
  
• Planless,
  
• Responsibilitylees,
  
• Desireless,
• Passionless,
• Emotionless,

...less...!

Ps: thanks stupidity!

Obama rules

UPDATED, 1st Aug 09: In agreement with Obama, economist Nicholas Stern argues that green investments will stimulate the economic growth we need.

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It's hard not to fall under Obama's spell of change, hope and optimism. True, the mandatory comparison with the predecessor makes him an automatic superstar. None the less, one cannot ignore his oratorical power, and the fresh new outlook on needed policies. For the example, take the recent New York Times article reporting on the apparent concern by many that the current economic crisis will even further overshadowed overwhelming environmental concerns, and put on hold any plans to do something about it. Where many see the concern, Obama sees the opportunity for the change:

"President-elect Barack Obama is arguing that there is no better time than the present to invest heavily in clean energy technologies. Such investment, he says, would confront the threat of unchecked warming, reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil and help revive the American economy."

amen...!

Ps: via Schazi's FBK:

Why like this...?

I'm just working flat out on the assignment, trying to salvage my degree, but couldn't help myself but to put up this quick excerpt: 

Samura (2008) reports about Africa's aid addiction during the past 50 years. Amongst others, noting the issues brought about by the prevalent corruption. The corruption that is being inadvertently first thought in schools where “Teachers demand bribes from their students because they cannot get by on their wages.”

On the other hand, Stiglitz(2006, p46) brings up - a  common sense sounding - point: "A country's most important resource is its people." He elaborates further by saying that countries that do not invest widely into education find it hard to tap into the potential of its people, and have difficulties attracting foreign investment. Hence, the country itself fails to live up to its potential. 

Considering the two points above, can you please answer the following for me:

Why not simply fund the education system directly?

...instead of trusting the management of the aid into the hands of corrupted politicians?

By the way, what is happening with all this foreign aid anyhow? 

Don't tell me; it's complicated...! 

References:  

Samura, S. (2008), The pitfalls of Africa's aid addiction, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7740652.stm, Cited Nov 2008. 

Stiglitz, J. (2006), Making Globalization Work, New York: W.W. Norton

Problems...

“What you resist persists.” Carl Jung

Credit: quote via Nola, video via this post. 

4th decade

"We don´t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

 George Bernard Shaw

And another lap around The Sun completed. Adding further to the already impressive distance covered, while going by a notch quicker then the last one.

I haven´t seen so much fanfare regarding the birthday in years, maybe even decades. Why so much excitement about the zero at the end of the number? Sure, if it was a three digit number, I might have less trouble understanding it. 

So many friends of the similar age are talking about getting old, slower, out of shape, etc, etc... Sorry all; I can´t relate at all. Partially, I credit my prolonged school life for this lack of the ability to sympathise with the generation. I´m surrounded with the youth, where average age does not exceed early to mid twenties, all my life. So somehow rather, my mind neglected to notice the changes in the mirror´s reflection. Though the looks might not support it, I still feel as youthfully energetic and crazy as ever. 

I don´t get - and I hope I never will  - why so many people stress about having yet another birthday. Not only it is a great excuse to make another day just a bit more special, and to catch up with your family and friends for few (too many) drinks, but it also serves as the greatest sign that, despite anything, things are still going great...!

Ps: my niece turned one today - Sritan Rodendan Petra! 

Pps: people having a drink in the name of my birthday from Croatia, Germany, France, through Iran, Spora and Australia, all the way to Mexico is very cool. - I´m one lucky F...ellow.

Procrastination

Yesterday, on the day when the promise of change arrived to America, and hopefully the world as a whole, some things around here stayed the same old, same old: Here's the email that I sent to the professor of my Globalisation class regarding the assignment that is due on the 7th Nov, and he´s reply:

Hi H,

I need more time for my paper. With you approval, I will submit

 no later then Monday 17th at 2pm. I'm badly behind with the paper. On top of that, just moments ago, I have found out that my group for other module has decided to change the direction, and we need to rework the project before our presentation this Saturday, and the subsequent submission on the following Wednesday. Given the extension, I am confident of producing the work worth your reading time. I apologise for the inconvenience caused,

Z
--------------------------------------

No, Z. I am afraid 13 Nov 9 am is the absolute deadline and nothing short of medical reasons can be excused. So you do have to work something out.

--------------------------------------

Good luck to my assignments...!

Ps: pictured procrastination through the process of some trivial change.

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As good as WE get!?

Human beings will not further evolve genetically, and this is due to our current world that is as close to utopia as it will get to - for the time being.

"This gloomy message is from" geneticist, Professor Steve Jones.

Even if the future proves Prof Jones to be wrong, let's hope we have a great deal of room for a cultural-intellectual development. Sure enough, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that we should do so; that we MUST do so...!

Passion of my Profession

Baby Step closer to MrProfessional

Since this morning, it looks even more promising that Huge was right to say that the next interview should be just about negotiation of the terms and conditions for the contract. I received the reply to my 'thank you' latter from the CEO. I am happy with the way I wrote that BS latter last night (apart from the few typos that my tired, running on adrenaline brain did not direct). In particular, I like how I manged to summarise some of the things discussed during the interview, so I'll share it here:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8 October, 2008. 08:35

Hi Z,

I am happy to have met you too.  MrP [the 1st guy who interviewed me] will be in touch with you shortly.  There may be an opportunity for further discussion.  Hopefully we can arrive at a win-win situation.

Best regards,

CEO

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7 October, 2008. 20:18

Dear MrCEO,

I would like to express my appreciation for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me earlier today. It was a pleasure having a conversation with you about the SA position at HC, the potential career paths, and the vision that you have for the future of the company. 

In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to say that after our conversation, I feel even more confident that the job represents a win-win situation. I believe that with my international exposure, teamwork and communication skills, along with analytical and creative abilities, as well as eagerness to learn and work hard, I can provide tangible business value to HC's customers, and in turn to HC itself. At the same time, the SA position represents a junction where I can further hone my skills, and develop myself both professionally and personally, while learning by working on diverse type of challenges.

Again, thank you, and I hope that HC and myself can move into the next phase of our respective maturation process together.

Sincerely,

Z        

Not so professional question

• Who is higher on a corporate ladder than a CEO of a company to interview an applicant for a common job?  
  
• After you have been interviewed by the CEO, what would be the reason to come back for another interview...? 

Just now talking to Huge, he brought out this very good point. A point that once brought up seems like a common sense; a point that escaped my mind... 

As Voltaire would say: "Common sense is not so common!" 

...! 

Random nuggets

The Large Hadron Collider is a really big experiment:

Hope is that it will help answer the ultimate questions on the life, universe and everything:

- LHC explained with the passion by "Rock-star physicist" Brian Cox of at TED.

- The Universe is biiiiiiiiig. To get a better sense of the size, take a very cool journey to its edge.

- Detailed, five parts story about the LHC on Horizon, BBC.

- Stephen Hawking: Universe, six parts documentary.

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This post summarises 10 most influential studies in social psychology. Very nice read, on stuff such as why do we lie to ourselves, why do we conform to each other, why do we develop group mentality...

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Preetam, a colleague at work, who is highly involved with many things Web 2.0 had a nice story to share from the recent barCamp in Bangkok: the most popular presentation given was by the Japanese girl on 'How to date a Japanese girl'.

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Some very creative advertisement posters; with animals; on poverty.

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"Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like."

I don't know to which context this line by Will Rogers refers to, but to me it sure sounds like a definition for Consumerism.

Balkanization

I came across the term just now for the 1st time while doing the readings for my subject on Globalization. The term, as defined on Wikipedia, refers to the process of fragmentation of a state/region into smaller states/regions. The interesting part on the Wikipedia entry are the two animations depicting the constantly changing state borders in the region. One during the Balkan Civil War, showing the chronological brake up of Yugoslavia, and the other presenting the border fluidity since the late 18th century.

....(until when) will the history keep repeating itself...?