fuqaha

After using iPhone X and Note 8 for about two weeks:

iPhone X wins in these areas:
– FaceID. Faster unlock and more reliable than Note 8’s Facial Recognition. Note 8 Facial Recognition tend to fail at night or when conditions are not optimum for capturing your face. I can feel the split-second delay to unlock Note 8 using Facial Recognition compared to iPhone X’s FaceID. That could potentially be caused by different type of implementations (iPhone X is using hardware, while Note 8 is using software for Facial ID). At the end, I had to rely on Note 8’s fingerprint more than its Facial Recognition.
– Ease of use. I would think that having no Home button is going to make me gone bonkers. Nope, after a day of use, the flow is pretty natural and easy to adapt.
– The notch at the top of the phone is not much as an issue that people bitch about.

It has become apparent that USA and China switch places nowadays in all kind of areas:

a. Political – USA is now the laughing stock of the developed world, fallen from grace while China is picking up admiration for its push for global recognition. Democracy is now a popularity contest on who has the loudest voice for the lowest common denominator, while the harsh communist ideology seemed a perfect fit for capitalism.

b. Innovation – USA being a country that was built by migrants is now closing its doors for fear of job-stealing Mexicans and Indians (or bluntly, any non-whites), while China is steaming ahead with innovative products and services, churning out startups and companies that beat those in Silicon Valley.

c. Internal turmoil – Who could have expected that the victor of WWII now has budding Nazis in its own turf, championing white purity. This is simply madness. China on the other hand, has grown by leaps and bounds. Not so many years ago, she openly murdered hundreds of students in an open square, yet nowadays seem to put the people above all else (quality education, growing middle income, stronger government that put harsh penalty on corruption with emphasis on merit for political positions).

d. Green energy – China has already surpassed its 2020 renewable energy target while USA withdrew itself from Paris accord for ‘being unfair to the citizens of USA’, while conveniently forgetting that for the last 100 years, USA is the worst polluter in the world.

I believe China is at an inflection point in its civilization. Once they were perceived to be the barbaric far-east country that lacked norms and etiquettes that makes a civilization well, civil. Recent advances in technology, political will for global domination, its affection for renewable energy have helped China to jump a few steps forward.

One day, in the same way Japan leapfrogged the western world soon after WWII, I am expecting and sincerely hoping to see China and its population to be the beacon of civilized world.

Fuqaha
13 October 2017

It has been a long while since I last wrote on this blog.

Project management is one of the most critical elements in running a business. I have decided to put effort into mastering this subject. As I go along, I will be sharing tidbits here for all to benefit from.

I decided to write this down in a blog simply because writing helps me firm up understanding of the subject. If I cant summarise Project Management in writing, then probably the subject hasnt been mastered yet.

What is a project, really?

In my own definition, a project is simply tasks that need to be completed within a certain duration of time. Thus by definition, a project has

• Beginning
• Middle
• End

Examples of projects can be development of a new application, new sales/marketing campaign, integration with new vendors, to building a new house (or demolishing it), or construction of highways.

Continue reading “Project Management Basics: What is a project?” →