Category Archives: Peek into my mind

三國(2): 官渡之戰

Posted on September 4, 2011 by sinyaw

聽完過五關宰六將,真是過癮. 劉備三兄弟終於團圓,又得趙雲. 評書人,袁闊城,話頭一轉,說起曹操破袁紹. 官渡之戰是最精彩的一段,曹操以近十分之一的兵力,隔水對抗袁紹. 對壘多時後,他夜襲烏巢,把袁紹的糧燒了. 袁紹想稱機拿官渡,但不料曹操烏巢的兵大勝而回,反而首尾受敵. 結果十萬大兵,只剩800人退回黎陽. 這一戰,奠定了曹操的地位,也毀了袁紹. 小時看三國,只想諸葛亮打勝仗. 一面看一面氣,為什麼又輸了. 現在的角度不同了,官渡之戰的關鍵,是許攸倒戈,他有烏巢的資訊,曹操因此出兵夜襲. 而許攸倒戈,是因為袁紹沒有管理能力. 歷史雖以成敗論英雄,但是袁曹的人格及管理能力,在這官渡之戰呈現無疑. 從管理的角度看,官渡是雙方的”決定性時機”. 但袁紹以為可以用兵力致勝,而掉以輕心,留下了烏巢這弱點. 曹操要以少致勝,必然想出奇.袁紹低估了對方. 但曹操的膽識,必須佩服. 敢以十分之一兵力對敵,也有”執行能力”,信任許攸,打下烏巢. 這是得霸業的能力,不是運氣.

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How Medicinal?

Posted on August 28, 2011 by sinyaw

Two years in a row since I arrived, Myrtle Beach hosted Seattle Hempfest: a celebration for Marijuana or “the world’s largest marijuana decriminalization gathering.” This year, the envelope was, again, pushed a bit further. Jonathan Martin of Seattle Times reported: … Continue reading →

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The Solution to the US Economy: Science

Posted on August 13, 2011 by sinyaw

The USA headquarters 133 of the biggest 500 companies in the world, followed by Japan 68, and China 61. There are many reasons these countries did well in the arena of economy, for the US it is about innovation. The … Continue reading →

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Pay back time will come

Posted on August 2, 2011 by sinyaw

Let’s put some data on the table: US Annualized GDP: 15.0 trillion Current debt ceiling: 14.3 trillion Current US debts: 14.3 trillion (yep, at the ceiling) US Federal spending: 3.6 trillion Federal tax revenue: 2.2 trillion US Federal deficit: 1.4 … Continue reading →

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Non-Myths of Programming

Posted on August 1, 2011 by sinyaw

The July, 2011, issue of CACM has this interesting article on the Non-Myths of Programming. If you are a member, don’t skip. Both kids study science and engineering, neither of them ventured into software or computer. I have curiously inquired … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Thoughts, Peek into my mind | 1 Comment

Borders no more

Posted on July 28, 2011 by sinyaw

Sad, Borders is closing doors. This is inevitable as brick-and-mortar bookstores, as well as all traditional media distributors, are giving ways to Internet. Although I have largely converted to Kindle, I assumed that close-out sales will be great bargains. On … Continue reading →

Posted in Peek into my mind, Witness to my life | 1 Comment

Girl Power

Posted on July 10, 2011 by sinyaw

“I don’t promote man to management,” my friend, a CEO of a 100-employee company that does trading and services in Asia, said to me. I was astonished. “What if one is very good at management?” “Their failure rate is too … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Thoughts, Peek into my mind | 3 Comments

USCIS v. USA

Posted on July 3, 2011 by sinyaw

Jose Vargas proposed that if an illegal immigrant came into the country since young age and stayed long enough to earn a bachelor’s degree, he should be granted legal status. He did not do this out of altruism; he is … Continue reading →

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Chrome Book, yet another thin client

Posted on June 24, 2011 by sinyaw

The battle between thick- and thin-client started in the mid-80s. At one corner was the Unix camp who led the technological innovation and was pushing a new thing called X Windows: a desktop standard for all Unix workstations. Over the … Continue reading →

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Back to Beijing

Posted on June 18, 2011 by sinyaw

Truth is, I never left. Three years ago. Several of us arrived around the same time. Us transient people of this great city from else countries, drank the city in by the fire hoses. We, like all transient people, experienced … Continue reading →

Posted in 100 Words, Peek into my mind | 2 Comments