Greek Complexity

Links of the day - Feb 9, 2012

Triple the fun today:

The Zuckerberg Tax -- a US tax lawyer's suggestions for increasing taxes on the mega-rich. Do tax lawyers get paid on a commission basis?

Turin's Enduring Importance -- a quick history of Alan Turing's seminal contributions to modern computing

You Are Solving The Wrong Problem -- I didn't understand how the title was relevant to the problem he outlines at the start of the post until the end of the post when I had my "A-ha!" moment. Very nice. Clearly showed me how I, like everyone else, really was looking at the wrong problem!

 

You probably already know this but for the dodos out there (not you, of course, dear reader) I'm just being cheeky with the tax lawyer commission jibe above.

Too young to fail? Or too experienced not to?

I just read two interesting articles, both on Technology Review, and published independently just a couple of days apart. What's interesting is, one of them writes about youth and even a lack of formal education potentially being keys to entrepreneurial success, while the other makes a strong case for older, experienced entrepreneurs. So two opposing views in the same magazine!

Who is right? You decide. See Too Young to Fail and Innovation without Age Limits.

To be fair, the first article doesn't actually opine that young, smart people not yet tarnished by preconceived notions will definitely succeed as entrepreneurs. It simply reports on a sort of experiment being run by Peter Thiel, billionaire founder of Paypal, who does believe in this idea.

Inventory that walks

Here's a TED video that's like a mini Discovery Channel-style documentary. It's futuristic like many TED videos but actually tells us about something that has existed for a while now.

What is the video about? How e-commerce orders are handled in warehouses. Is that a snore I hear? Just watch this.

Link of the day - Feb 2, 2012

MIT's Technology Review provides a tantalising glimpse into multi-disciplinary research into the concept of consciousness using tools and concepts from statistics, bio-engineering, anaesthetics and neuroscience: The Mystery Behind Anesthesia

Taxi hypocrisy

I had a near-death experience a few days ago. On the road. In a taxi. No, don't stereotype by assuming this was in India or Thailand or Vietnam. In Singapore. I'll begin at the end.

Nearing the end of a journey in a taxi, the taxi driver grumbles that Singapore has too many cars on the road and traffic is getting bad. Even though cars are much more expensive than elsewhere in the world.

Driver: Singaporeans don't care. They just buy.

I don't disagree.

Then, as an afterthought: "Do you have a car?"

Me: No.

Driver (surprised): Why? You don't want?

Me: I ride a motorbike.

Driver (aghast): Oh, you should be careful! Not because bikes are unsafe but because drivers in Singapore aren't very good.

Me (thinking): Tell me about it.

Me (aloud): Um-hm.

Driver continues his discourse on the topic.

Me: I do ride carefully. I prefer bikes because they're quicker, cheaper, better for the environment, easier to maintain, more fun...

The conversation ended soon after when he dropped me off.

And my near-death experience? This chap earlier whizzed along merrily at 150 km/h, driving one-handed, weaving in and out of traffic across several lanes without signalling. The speed limit was 90 and dropped to 80 in sections. And he's telling me about Singaporean drivers not being very good. I hadn't even told him that I needed to get home a hurry.

Where are the traffic police and what are they up to?

A funnier but just as illuminating incident occurred a few years ago when I was in a taxi heading to driving school. The driver wanted to know if I was getting a car driving licence. When I said motorbike, he cautioned me just as Mr Near Death did but then added, "Son, get your licence, have fun, but watch out for the taxis!"

Now, that's honest advice :-)