Author Archives: sinyaw

What’s common between software engineers and musicians?

Posted on October 31, 2010 by sinyaw

This came out of a conversation I had recently, with a software engineer whose wife is a musician. They both express their ideas via instruments that have hardly changed for long time, although frequently tweaked. They both express the creativity … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Thoughts, Witness to my life | 1 Comment

Election Season

Posted on October 25, 2010 by sinyaw

Why is California not governable? Gray Davis exited in disgrace and Arnold really did not do much better. So neither the professional politician nor outsider worked. Is there any hope for either Jerry Brown or Meg Whitman to make this … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind | Leave a comment

Would you be better off next year?

Posted on October 20, 2010 by sinyaw

IMF publishes World Economic Outlook twice a year. The latest one was out in October. You need to read only the executive summary and the first table to get the idea. It predicts that the US will have 2.7% growth … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 Words, Peek into my mind | Leave a comment

The Fairness Question (I-1098)

Posted on October 15, 2010 by sinyaw

Fairness is an opinion frequently disguised with numbers and charts. It is also the most convenient excuse to justify whatever action. I have learned never to enter an argument on whether something is fair or not. No one wins on … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind, Seattle | 5 Comments

Ice Age v. Global Warming

Posted on October 11, 2010 by sinyaw

Fallen Angels Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Michael Flynn 978-0743471817 I nearly forgot about fictions. For so long, my reading queue has been exclusive non-fictions. Anything else got de-prioritized. Kid left this book for me after her visit and it popped … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews | Leave a comment

Pineapple Cake 鳳梨酥

Posted on October 6, 2010 by sinyaw

Spoken In Taiwanese (a dialect of Chinese, very similar to those spoken in southern FuJian Province), Pineapple pronounced like On-Lie, very similar to “Fortune is Coming.” The fruit therefore became a symbol for prosperity and a favorite gift. But fresh … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews, China, Tour guides, Witness to my life | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Inception

Posted on September 28, 2010 by sinyaw

Inception Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page Yet another which-reality-are-you-in movie (the best one is still Matrix). The teaser has sufficiently prepared me. The rest of this review will be spoiling. Stop reading if you care. The key idea is that people … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Reviews | 2 Comments

RMB v. Dollar

Posted on September 22, 2010 by sinyaw

Do you want RMB to appreciate? Whatever Timothy Geithner said about its effects on the US economy, would that be good for you? (One of my pet peeves is how westerners brutalized the Chinese currency. They say Yu-An, in two … Continue reading →

Posted in China | 1 Comment

Fanapi

Posted on September 18, 2010 by sinyaw

Americans call them hurricanes. I grew up knowing them as typhoons. About 10 of them come every year. Most of them just brought lots of rain. Once in a while, they wreaked havoc no less than Katrina. Fanapi is a … Continue reading →

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Telling Stories

Posted on September 15, 2010 by sinyaw

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting Robert Mckee November 25, 1997978-0060391683 Remember Peter and the Wolf? I loved Sergei Prokofiev’s use of Bassoon; the enjoyment probably came from my ability to identify that unique sound. Most people … Continue reading →

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