Author Archives: sinyaw

Blackjack and Craps

Posted on January 12, 2008 by sinyaw

I have been fond of gambling through-out my life, intrigued by the odds, pay-out, and strategy. Mathematics dominates this industry and plays key roles in every nuances of every game. Of course, making money with skills, strategy, and luck is … Continue reading →

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Learning Mandarin: False Eastern promise

Posted on January 7, 2008 by sinyaw

I am a big fan of The Economist. Read it religeously every week. But this recent article got me scratching my head. Who was the editor of that issue? This article argues that it is economically a bad decision for … Continue reading →

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2007

Posted on January 5, 2008 by sinyaw

I rarely have writer’s blocks on concepts; it is the mincing of words that stumped me. I envy those who have proses flowing out of the keyboard effortlessly. To me, chiseling on granite. It seems fitting to commemorate the passing … Continue reading →

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How We Die

Posted on December 21, 2007 by sinyaw

How We Die: Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter Sherwin B. NulandISBN: 978-0679742449 Pub. Date: January 15, 1995 Publisher: Vintage House is a popular TV series about a medical doctor trying to solve some very difficult cases. Death fascinates me like … Continue reading →

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China Shrank

Posted on December 19, 2007 by sinyaw

New York Times reported that World Bank has been computing GPD, based on PPP, with 1980’s prices all the time. After they have switched to current prices, China’s GPD shrank to mere US$6 trillions, instead of US$10 trillions. China Daily … Continue reading →

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On a Clear Day You Can See …

Posted on December 10, 2007 by sinyaw

Adobe CS3 is an amazing collection of creativity software. I recently acquired them and upgraded my sadly outdated PhotoShop 7. As an amateur, I barely scratched the features, among the first to play is the photo stitching feature. Click to … Continue reading →

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A China Literature Form

Posted on December 8, 2007 by sinyaw

天觀雙俠 (繁體中文) 鄭丰 (陳宇慧)ISBN: 9789867131881 Pub. Date: 2007å¹´07月19æ—¥ Publisher: 奇幻基地 How do I describe this style of literature? The straight translation will be “KungFu fictions.” But that is not justice. On the other hand, many will snicker at even trying … Continue reading →

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A leisurely city

Posted on December 5, 2007 by sinyaw

In this city of more than ten million, I bet half of them thought of the same thing: the Sunday lazy sun is warming the afternoon, how about hanging out in the park, playing Mahjongg over a cup of tea. … Continue reading →

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Another Year

Posted on December 4, 2007 by sinyaw

According to China Daily, China's economy grew 11.2% in 2007. As for 2008, the forecast is 10.8%. I still remember government's target of 8% at the end of 2006. Guess many countries hope to deal with China's problem — having … Continue reading →

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High-Tech Hopefuls: India and China

Posted on December 2, 2007 by sinyaw

The Economist Special Report on India and China Nov. 3rd, 2007 The Economist had a special report on India and China titled High-Tech Hopefuls. As I would expect from any world-class publication, I have always found this magazine fair and … Continue reading →

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