iPhone’s China Play

Posted on September 27, 2009 by sinyaw

When the first iPhone craze swept over the US, I opined on Apple’s strategic mistake treating the China market: the largest in the world. IPhones are not supported in China. If you wish to use this cool gadget there, you need to jailbreak it and void all warranties. Thousands of people did just that, paying two surcharges: the more expensive handset that did not come bundled with AT&T and the jailbreaking fees.

With its deal with China Unicom, a much smaller player in China, iPhone now has an official presence in China. But the venture faces a thriving industry of jail-broken iPhones.

A customer has choices: buy a jail-broken iPhone and stay with the their current China Mobile account or a legitimate one with a new phone number. This week, they learned that door #2 is more expensive. The 3GS version (16GB) costs $440 and without the WiFi feature, compared to the US Apple store price of $200, full featured.

Apple picked a weak partner, irked the customer with its pricing, and ignored the competing channel. Essentially, it continues to cultivate competition by marketing the touch-screen smart-phone segment and weak-playing the largest market in the world.

Let’s see how other handset vendors play this.

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Water Leak

Posted on September 23, 2009 by sinyaw

Bad things are good at choosing the worst timing.

We needed to be away better part of this Saturday. Everything was planned and arranged: set the timer to turn on lights, arranged a friend to feed/walk dog, programmed GPS, chose attires. Late at night, we dragged our tired bodies into the house and found the puddle in the kitchen. Accusatory eyes turned to dog, wagging excitedly that we are finally back. The friend called, “We thought of the dog too. But the puddle reappeared after we walked him.” (Do you have a friend who will clean up a puddle in your kitchen.) What? I had a refrigerator leak?
For a hardwood-floored kitchen, refrigerator leak is a big problem. Replacing the damaged planks would be costly, dusty, and time consuming.

Sunday morning, I found the water tube was jetting out from a pin hole. The tube had enough slack that made the fix simple: cut off from the leak point and re-connect the tube. Ten minutes later, I found a part with so much calcium deposits that it must be replaced.

Four trips, three stores, and 3 and half hours later. I got the damn $3 part (1/4″ to 1/4″ compression union, with inserts on both sides). Another hour after, I gave up on my wrenches and went to a neighbor to borrow his. Another 30 minutes, I fixed the leak.

Both a professional plumber and myself would have taken 15 minutes to fix the leak. What separated us are the speed of diagnosing the problem, the time to secure the right part, and the tool readiness. For those, a professional would have charged me hundreds of dollars. I got paid with a nice cold beer, a bit bragging right, and some domestic brownie points.

I think I was paid better for the job.

One week later…

Water jetted out from underneath the refrigerator again. I am calm and ready this time. Rolled out the fridge, turned off the water source, cut off the leak point, and reconnect the tube. I clamped the tube too tight and the tube was pinched crack.

And I will turn off the water tube before vacation next time.

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Sudoku

Posted on September 19, 2009 by sinyaw

It is not a difficult, but it demands concentration, good memory, and logic to play. It also takes practices, lots of them, to play well. Wait. These are the same requirements for pretty much everything in life. Aren’t they?

I really never played before this summer. Previously, I solved it like a programmer would, using the dependable backtracking algorithm. Even with aggressive sub-tree pruning, the simplest level still daunted this weekend programmer.

If you don’t know the game, it is deceivingly simple. There is a 9-by-9 grid divided into 9 3-by-3 sections. Each row, column, or section shall have exactly digit from 1 to 9 exactly once. Sudoku was invented in America and popularized in Japan. The name means “lonely digits (數獨),” describing the single rule of no digit will meet its same ever. Search the word and you shall find thousands of site offering you endless puzzles to solve. Almost every periodical has a puzzle or two somewhere in the pages.

Surprisingly, the best algorithms to solve Sudoku use graph theories, the same used in various networking problems. Imagine each row, column, and section are nodes attached to the root that is the whole puzzle itself. Those nodes are connected, since they share cells. Each of those nodes has sub-nodes that represent each permutation. The result is a complex graph and the solution will be a sub-graph.

To find the solution, the algorithm systematically prune the graph until the last one: the solution. The algorithm is very similar to those used to solve many networking problems. Unfortunately, it also belongs to the same class of the problem known as NP-Complete. Human kind has not found solution to any problem in this class. We have also proven that a solution to one will also solve all in the class. Whoever finds a good algorithm to solve Sudoku is likely to become a six millionaire. Since there are at least six million-dollar awards unclaimed so far. (The P=NP problem is not related to Sudoku. I think.) He or she is likely to become a multi-billionaire, since the applications of this algorithm are very profiting.

Why is Sudoku so popular? It is both simple and challenging. A child can solve one; a genius mathematician would be stumped. It has a maddening mid-game that seems impossible, followed by an exhilarating phase that everything falls into places. On my iTouch, I downloaded Enjoy Sudoku Daily, a free app on the iTunes Store. Next time you are stuck in an airplane seat, flip the magazine to the Sudoku page and give it a try.

If you get addicted to it, welcome to the club.

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水滸: 招安

Posted on September 15, 2009 by sinyaw

如果施耐庵不寫招安,水滸能流傳下來嗎?

宋江的招安心態,我看來有兩個因素:一是士大夫的愚忠,二是沒有大志. 官府功名,還是正途. 他在梁山的地位,終是草莽,當官才是他們該做的. 另外,就是沒有能得天下的信心. 覺得他不可能成為下一朝代的開國皇帝.

我還是認為施耐庵為了現實低頭了,他不寫招安,不就反了嗎.他的命都沒了,還談什麼小說?

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Lynbrook’s Solar Panels

Posted on September 10, 2009 by sinyaw

Every year, we watched Lynbrook High School like river flowing through time. Graduation, prom night buses, marching band tournaments, various concerts, etc. all flow through our front door like leaves on the water current predictably. This year, the parking lot closed right after the last school day. Hmm, what’s going on?

Several months later, no only the parking lot re-paved. The parking spaces are now sheltered — with solar panels. How cool is that!

Clearly we passed Measure B last year that enabled schools to improve their facilities. Measure B money cannot be used for operational purposes, like staff salaries or library books. Lynbrook chose to go green with a massive solar panel installation. This was a win-win-win-win decisoin.

The parking lot has a new layer of pavement. The cars are sheltered from rain and other elements. This earth gets a bit greener. And, lastly, the school saves a million dollar in electricity every year. Now, that million dolloars are operational money and the school can use it however it sees fit.

All Fremont Union high schools are doing the same. Everyday, I walk my dog past Lynbrook parking lot and see my tax dollars doing something cool. Nice.

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Obama Addressed Students

Posted on September 8, 2009 by sinyaw

What’s the controversy? I bet no k-12 students are politically aware, let alone partisan. They say their pledges in the morning, salute to the flag, and sing national anthem with all their hearts. They are patriotic. They all knew that the president is the leader of the country. They are eager to follow.

The president’s addresses were rarely controversial. They were all inspirational, similar to commencement speeches, and focused on the positive attitudes toward life. President Obama was not exceptional:

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home — none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.

The controversy, it seems, is on the person himself. People objected to his speech even before they knew the contents. “Indoctrination!” they shouted.
The true reason for the objection is to weaken Mr. Obama’s public support. This is a nation run on leadership, charisma, or even charm. Mr. Obama has used his popularity as a main weapon to win battles. His opponents knew that and would do anything to abate it.

Plain old politics.

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Boarding Number War

Posted on September 6, 2009 by sinyaw

Soutwest Airline is one of the most popular Harvard MBA cases. It has a legendary founder, Herb Kelleher. It operates with a completely different model than the traditional wisdom and does not pursue customer satisfaction blindly. It created a new business model for airlines. More importantly, it has defied the general gloom of the industry and been a business success.

Southwest run airplanes like buses: no assigned seating. This is probably the most hated feature and the company has stubbornly stuck to it for years. In the old days, you need to arrive early to get a placard, first come, first serve. I used to check in an hour before flight and get #89, pretty much the last one to board. I swear someone was auctioning off his number once. Later, the company allowed electronic seating order assignment. Seasoned travelers learned to check in precisely 24 hours prior to the fly time to get a better number. A friend of mine did exactly that only to get A39 — 38 people managed to get ahead of her within minutes from the starting time.

Wherever there is a demand, there could be profit. I am amused that the company now plan to sell the boarding numbers. Note that elite members of Southwest’s frequent flyers club always got preferred boarding numbers. It is not clear if $10 can get ahead of them. But the rest of the population are now more likely to get back-row seats with no over-head compartment space. They cannot compete with their diligence or efforts anymore. They must get inline with capitalism: compete with money.

Sigh.. Just charge me more and give me a seat already.

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想北京

Posted on September 4, 2009 by sinyaw

女兒FB上貼了篇”如果回北京要去那”. 翻成中文大家共享.

  1. 鹿港小鎮: 炒年糕,巧克力冰沙
  2. A-Che (加勒比海拉丁风情餐厅,东直门外,澳使馆对面): 好玩的吃吃喝喝,和服務員講講爛中文
  3. 大董烤鴨: 北京烤鴨第一.
  4. 鼎泰豐: 麻辣乾絲,小籠湯包,芒果刨冰,綜合刨冰,也許再加個松糕.
  5. 回學校: 回念一番
  6. 大山子798: 太酷的地方,朋友在那打工.
  7. 三里屯: 從沒玩過這街.
  8. 超市: 買alaskas,太想吃了.
  9. Jenny Lou: 什麼地方同時買得到cheese,美國KitKat糖,和烈酒?
  10. Toni & Guy: 做個頭,和我的髪師聊聊,按按頭,香一香.
Posted in China, Peek into my mind | 4 Comments

Little League Baseball

Posted on August 31, 2009 by sinyaw

The news shocked the whole island. No one could have believed it. Our kids, the Red Leaf team, did not just win. They won the World Series! That event, in 1969, started the Little League Baseball fever in Taiwan. For years, the whole island would stay up all night to watch the game and everyone will be celebrating the next day. We did not have much to go for and this was one event that we all waited for every year.

Year after year, our kids brought back the trophies. Then came the year we did not win. People demanded accountability, newspapers ran scathing opinions on the failure of the system, government officials apologized. Several years later, we got our grooves back. But everything had changed. Taiwan was a thriving economy and baseball, little league or else, became a recreation, instead of a national obsession. We won Junior League and Senior League championships on and off. When we won, we were happy. When we lost, heads did not roll anymore.

Last we won was 1996. Every time I heard someone mentioned Williamport, PA, I felt the nostalgia of the whole family, heck, the whole village, staying up and cheering for our team that was playing half a world away. But there isn’t a baseball mitten in my house and my kids never played.

Yesterday, Chinese Taipei played California for the championship. I was glued to the TV and found my heart clung to every pitch. At the end, we lost 3 to 6. Players were in tears and I was sad. My passion for little league, however, was rekindled. I will watch for this event next year and cheer for my home team.

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Canadian Summer

Posted on August 30, 2009 by sinyaw

I decided that I like Canada, probably because I always visited in the summer. The sceneries are beautiful and people friendly. English works and stores accept US dollars. Where else can you find wild blossoms with glaciers as backdrop?

People are surprised that I visited Banff in August. If those slopes are meant for skiing, they would rate nothing less than double black diamonds: way out of my league. One of the local waitresses said she never went “up there” except for skiing.

The lakes are breath-taking, glaciers stunning, and hiking trails very satisfying. This is heaven for landscape and wild-life photographers. I can imagine its winter to be even more beautiful. The temperature, however, can go as low as -50°C, indoor.

Click on any picture to see the whole set. (This photo, and some others, are taken by my daughters.)

Day 1, Aug 20th

Arrived Calgary. Rented car and headed west. Instead of rushing to Lake Louise, where we will stay, we Turned into Hwy 1A after the town of Banff for a more scenic route. We had several short stops and took a short hike at Johnston Station; it was like an appetizer for the ensuing 3 days feast.

I was stunned when I walked into the hotel room. The window framed the view that stopped all other thoughts and activities. Kids produced their cameras and started clicking. When we realized that there are still daylight to catch, we threw down the bags and ran to the lake side. Days end around 8:30pm here.
Day 2 Started the Plain of Six Glaciers hike around 9am. It was a strenuous hike to reach the teahouse at the top. After a simple lunch, we continued to the lookout point: another more strenuous 1.3km hike. The surreal closeness of the glaciers was worth the work. Hiking back drained all our energy and cold beers was soooo good at the hotel’s Lakeview Lounge.
Day 3 Woke up early and headed Jasper. An hour and half later, we stopped at Columbia Icefield: a chunk of ice big enough to cover the city of Vancouver. A special huge-wheeled bus took us onto the Athbasca Glacier. It was out-of-worldly to walk on 300-meter deep ice. Remember to wear good traction shoes and bring a jacket. The glacier gust was not forgiving.

Forty-five minutes of drive later, we stopped at the Athbasca Fall and turned into Hwy 93A. That led us to Mt. Edith Cavell.

There an amazing Angelic Glacier, a huge, all-white, winged entity, floated in the mid-air and right in front of us. As we walked closer, we found what seemed like dirt and gravel was actually nearly 20-foot of ice lightly covered with moraine. Several ice caves were at the foot of the glacier. They lured us like honey for bees. Inside the caves was dark and cold. Droplets fell into my collar and I realized this thing was MELTING. I thought of glacier avalanches “Good thing that my remains will be well preserved.”

Day 4 The last stop before leaving the Lake Louise area was Moraine Lake, a preferred alternative many who wished to avoid the crowd and commercialization around Lake Louise. We hiked an easy trail to Consolation Lakes. This less traveled trail passed through woods with a torrent stream on the side. There are sections completely covered by boulders that required careful negotiation and footing. An hour later we arrived the mirror-like lake and understood their namesakes. The serenity was soothing.

By mid-afternoon, we came to the town of Banff: charming with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. I can see brisk business and rowdy crowd in the ski season.
Day 5 What to do for half a day in Calgary? Hmm…

We chose Calgary Tower, Art Central, and Eau Claire Market. They are all in the City Center and within walking distance to each others. Honestly, none of them are tourist destinations but interesting enough to hang around. Many buildings in Calgary are connected with a +15 system that allow pedestrians to walk about without getting outside or crossing streets. It also effectively moved the foot-traffic related businesses, café, gallery, bakery, etc., inside. The streets of Calgary are really indoor and on the 2nd floor.

“Would you go back again?” asked one of our house guests several days later. That question seemed more real to him than “Do you recommend it to me?” I blabbed out, “Of course I would!” We probably explore less than a tenth of the park and they all seems worth lingering for hours. “Maybe Yellowstone first,” I thought. “Since I also promised to go back there.”

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