Kitten of war

The intelligence of animals goes beyond our need for war. It is something we will never ever surpass. (Image taken from http://parentsofdeployed.homestead.com)

My favorite merienda

Coke and Chocovron from Ian Maliksi. That one pack lasts only a day or two. The Coke lasts shorter.


Yeah, I know. My father died of stroke. In his later years, he suffered from high sugar level. Coffee na nga lang. Hehehe.....

Theodore Kaczynski

The only reason why I am posting about Teddy Kaczynski is because I watched a feature about him and "evil minds" on National Geographic.

I relied only on Google for the correct spelling of his name, and from what I have gathered, he was also a teacher, and a mathematician. He finished his Ph.D in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, specializing in geometric function theory. He attended Harvard, and was assistant professor at University of California, Berkeley at age 25. Two years later, however, he resigned from his post and disappeared for so many years. Apparently, during his absence from the public eye, he sent out mail bombs to universities and airlines, from his forest cabin in Montana. This lasted for 17 long years.

He was so exact in his procedure that no trace was ever linked to him. In 1995, he sent his Manifesto to the New York Times, explaining his purpose, leading to one of the most expensive FBI hunt in the US history. He was later captured because of the tip of his own brother, who recognized his style of writing in the published manifesto.

He was incarcerated and pleaded guilty to several counts of murder, attempted murder, and destruction of property. This he did in order to avoid death penalty. He is now in prison serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Reactions:

1. Ph D in Mathematics intertwined with a high IQ spells trouble.
2. Only those people very close to you can fuck you up.
3. Cliche though it is, criminals pay - even after 17 years and meticulous planning.
4. Media rocks. If it were not for the NY Times, he would still be a UNABomber (Universities and Airlines Bomber)
5. Whatever you do, DO NOT publish your manifesto over New York Times.
6. Corollary to number 5, most intelligent people do the publishing in trying to explain what they do and why they do it. Their reason? They feel that no one understands them, they are so above everybody else. The result? A major fuckup. Do not assume everybody is lesser than you are.
7. Assistant professor? Oh well, what about assistant instructor? I think that will produce another bomber? This is a question... not a manifesto.
8. There is something wrong with modern geometry. I know of a topologist who got hit by a pedicab. He said to the driver: Why did you hit me? Do you not know that I am the only topology expert in the Philippines? (I hope John does not read this. Hehehe)
9. I know what is lacking in this man's life. A woman. That's the difference with John Nash. See advanced geometry + PhD Math - wife = UNABomber. advanced geometry + Ph D Math + wife = Nobel Prize. And here's the cliche - Behind the success and failure of a man is double X.
10. I rest my case. Off to NOT pursuing the Ph D.

(The image is from wikipedia)

Tropic Thunder is still number one!

(Image is from http://comingsoon.net; The African American, believe it or not, is Robert Downey, Jr.)

For the week ending August 22, Tropic Thunder is still number one in US box office, with a total gross of over US$65.6 Million to date. The movie was released 12 days ago, and stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. (Data from The-Numbers.com)

Tropic Thunder is Rated R due to its "pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material". Its Rotten Tomatoes rating is currently at 84% or "Fresh".

Google. Back at one.

Google is numero uno! Best big company to work for. Rank number one.

This is according to the ranking of Fortune Magazine this year. Google is ranked 150 in the Fortune 1000, and gives stock options to 99% of its employees. Why is it number one? Read the previous statement. And add this: GOOG (Google) went past US$700 a share. Go figure.

US Basketball slithers past Españoles stalwarts to regain the Gold

Bryant here reacts to the crowd after making the basket. Spain gave them a hard time until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, getting as close as 2 points. The shooting spree ended with the Americans above the rest of the world. Final score: US 118, Spain 107. Nothing to be ashamed of. Hey, these two countries battled in Manila Bay in May 1898. Just coincidence.

Gotta pee, hold my fishing rod....

From Yahoo News.

In this undated photo released by the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission, David Hayes holds his state record-breaking channel catfish while his three-year-old granddaughter Alyssa holds the Barbie rod and reel that Hayes used to reel in the 21-pound, 1 ounce fish in Elkin, N.C.

(AP Photo/N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission)

***The makers of the Barbie rod are now claiming the catch.

Technorati Profile

2. On the starting point of Philosophy of the One.

The problem is not whether to begin with experience but where to begin from the wide array of choices.

We can begin with the individuality of existents, or with their plurality. We can consider their operations or their activities. For modern science, we can focus on either structure or composition.

But wherever we choose to start, we must never forget that the fundamental datum of experience should be the basis of all knowledge. This started with the Greek philosophers (Plato and Aristotle), gradually lost by the time of Descartes - mathematician that he was - and then, reinstalled when Locke came. After Locke, Hume retorts while science was having the time of its life with Newton and the others. Now, of course, Kant, in order to dispel Hume's skepticism employed a priori reasoning, which may have been friendlier to dogma and orthodox "truths", but later yielded to idealism. Kant wrote the preface of the Matrix trilogy. Sartre and the existentialists went on with chapter one.

For our part, we will start with the analysis on the problem change, as how classical philosophy started.

If You Hate A Person

from this site.

George Atento says: I don't hate a person. Because if I hate a person, I either blow his/her head off with a hand grenade, or with an M109 Howitzer. That is why I try to be at peace with everybody. I am a peaceful man. Hehehe.....

What Olympics Is All About

BEIJING, Aug 10 - Russia and Georgia, waging a bloody conflict in Europe, called a truce at the Olympics when two of their competitors wrapped themselves in an emotionally charged medals podium embrace.

The incident happened after the final of the women's 10m air pistol shooting event in which Natalia Paderina, a soldier in the Russian army, took silver ahead of Georgia's Nino Salukvadze, who took bronze.

"This is a small victory for my people," said Salukvadze. "When it comes to sport, we will always remain friends and nothing will come between our friendship."

(from Yahoo Sports)

Ice Cream Power

Cartwheel Galaxy Photo from National Geographic

This false-color view of the Cartwheel galaxy was created by combining images captured by four space telescopes: Galaxy Evolution Explorer, Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory. Astronomers think a smaller galaxy, possibly one of two galaxies seen here (bottom left), passed through the center of the Cartwheel galaxy about 100 million years ago.Photograph courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

Taken in its entirety for educational purpose at http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/enlarge/cartwheel-galaxy.html

Have you heard about Scour? Check it out!

Link: http://scour.com/invite/godfather0618/

Did you hear about Scour? It is the next gen search engine with Google/Yahoo/MSN results and user comments all on one page.

Best of all we get rewarded for using it by collecting points with every search, comment and vote.

The points are redeemable for Visa gift cards It's like earning credit card or airline points just for searching. Hit the link below to join and we will both get points!

http://scour.com/invite/godfather0618/

I know you'll like it!

8 Gold Medals!

Newsvine - Get Smarter Here

Phelps should be nationalized here so we could get medals.  Just one man.  Eight golds. 

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Countries that do not use the Metric System

China's divided reality. Much like home

one-world.jpg (JPEG Image, 765x492 pixels)

I remember the time we hosted APEC Summit, when we tried hard to hide the informal settlements in various places in Manila and the South.  This is the Chinese version for Beijing 2008

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Oil Prices too high? This is a sure problem buster!

2757257987_dee8ef0d6b_o.jpg (JPEG Image, 1024x768 pixels) - Scaled (67%)

We should have this in the Philippines!

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Sad reality of war

583-Iraq_US_Troops.standalone.prod_affiliate.138.jpg (JPEG Image, 624x438 pixels)

There is nothing more sad than the casualties of war - especially if they are children. This one survived. And we don't know if he fared well. Well, at least he can see the enemy's playstation.

The person on the left is also a child so far away from home. His is a tragedy of sorts. Oh, what folly indeed.

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Paris Hilton John McCain Ad: Britney Spears Response

A response to the Paris Hilton response....

13 Things that do not make sense

Here is a link that is so cool I promise you that you will curse your science teachers for not teaching you as much. For my physics students, please don't click the link. Hehehe.... It only goes to show that:

1. You don't learn everything in school.
2. 99% of what you learn in school are 90% unimportant.
3. What you learn will/should be unlearned in real life.
4. You should not be enrolled forever. A perennial student will not earn more than those who have not. S/He will only earn slower. Remember that Bill Gates did not finish college at first. Then later, he was given a doctorate degree.
5. This list has nothing to do with the link.
6. It is a darn waste of time to read number 6. Just go click the link.

Facts and Opinions on the Beijing Olympics

Fact: This guy is JB Walsh.

Opinion: He looks victorious.

Fact: He is representing the country in Swimming.

Opinion: His name sounds Fil-Am to me.

Fact: Last August 10, 2008, he swam for Heat 2 of the 200m Butterfly. He clocked 1:59.39.

Opinion: That's way off Olympic standards.

Fact: Last 2004, the following were the winners.

GOLD Michael Phelps, USA 01:54.0
SILVER Takashi Yamamoto, JPN 01:54.6
BRONZE Stephen Parry, GBR 01:55.5

Opinion: 4 seconds for 200m swimming is forever.

Fact: This guy placed 29th overall in this heat.

Opinion: Look at my opinion on the time.

Fact: There are members of Team Philippines who did not represent the country in any prior sports event in the last 4 years.

Opinion: Some of them were dropouts of US Team. They did not make the cut there, and ended up representing the country who has no money to send their athletes, no money to feed their athletes, and no money to train their athletes, but enough money to send politicians and scumbags in China.

Fact: We don't have a medal until this day.Opinion:

Our only hope is our boxing athlete.

Fact: We DON'T have a MEDAL until this day.

Opinion: We should stop sending participants in the Olympics if we know they won't win anyway. Sure, we can use the "exposure" excuse. But, fact is, 80% of our population is near poverty or below poverty line. We should cater to our lower needs first (Motivation-Hygiene Theory). The stomach of the nation is grumbling. The body of the nation is malnourished. And we are going to the Olympics to entertain ourselves.

Fact: Olympics represents unity. Russia is on a warpath with Georgia. Both are in the Olympic Games now.

Opinion: The first marathon represents a war cry, not triumph in sports.

Fact: In 1936, Berlin hosted the Olympics. Derr Fuhrer stood proudly for the Aryan race. Three years later, they invaded Austria and Poland to start the Second World War.



In Munich 1972, members of Israeli Team were hostaged by terrorists. They killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, and one German police officer, before being killed.

Opinion: None. It's pretty obvious.


I say we train athletes. Support sports. But leave the politicians. I still believe there are many untapped warriors in our provinces, but due to poverty and politicking, they don't get discovered. I believe that it is better to pursue with the Palarong Pambansa of the Keon days. Discover talents. And send only those who can beat the Asian records at least. And stop sending the Fil-Ams who first tried out as Americans.

Fast forward to 2012. I tell you.

Typical Millionaire according to Danko and Stanley (Millionaire Next Door)

PORTRAIT of a MILLIONAIRE

1. 70% of head of millionaire households make 80% of their household income. Meaning, most wives just stay at home.

2. 1 in 5 of millionaires are retired and 2/3 of those that work are self-employed.

3. 60% of millionaires that are self-employed consider themselves to be entrepreneurs.

4. Many of them have dull businesses: welding contractors, rice farmers, auctioneers, owners of mobile-home parks, pest controllers, coin and stamp dealers, and paving contractors.

5. 50% of millionaires have stay-at-home spouses. The number one occupation of millionaire spouses, if they do work are teachers. Why? For one, it's a low-maintenance occupation. You don't have to dress expensively.

6. Their average household net worth is $3.7 million. Nearly 6% have a net worth of over $10 million. (1990s figure)

7. On average, their total annual realized income is less than 7% of their wealth. That means they only live on less than 7% of their wealth. Further, it means that their income so is so little compared to their wealth. If ever they need to spend all their earn, they can live 14 years without working (100/7).

8. 97% of them are homeowners (Cure number 5 for lean purse in Richest Man in Babylon: Own thy own home). Half of them have lived on the same home for more than twenty years and have enjoyed significant increases in the value of their homes (Buffett is a typical example) .

9. 4/5 of them are first-generation affluent. Meaning, they never received economic outpatient care from their parents. Most of their parents were never affluent.

10. They live well below their means. They wear inexpensive suits and drive American cars. Most don't drive current model year (12.3% drive cars which are 6 years or older). 17.1% of them patronize used cars. Only 1/5 of millionaires lease their cars.

11. Here it is: Millionaire wives are more conservative spenders than the person who brings home the bacon. "I can't get my wife to spend any money"

12. Millionaires are able to save/invest at least 15% of their income (Average is 20%).

13. Millionaires accumulated enough wealth, and are frugal enough, to live more than 10 years without earning any income. One such millionaire has a realized income of just 2% of his wealth. That means he can live 50 years without working, if he lives on all his annual income. But since they save 15% of their income, this will be longer.

14. More millionaires live in a low-profile neighborhood. They have more than 6x the wealth of their neighbors, but they look poorer than them, because they are more frugal.

15. They value education and are fairly well-educated. Many of them hold advanced degrees.18% have master’s degrees, 8 % are law degrees, 6% are medical degrees, and 6% are P.H.D.’s. Though more than half (55%) of their children went to (or are attending) private schools, only 1/6 of them went to private schools.

16. About 2/3 of them work between 45-55 hours a week. Meaning, they aren't lazy. They still work much even though they have reached a level of position that requires little, if at all, work.


Reference:

Stanley, Thomas and Danko, William (1996). The Millionaire Next Door. New York: Pocket Books.

Stronghold Game

This is the cover of the Stronghold Game as can be accessed here.  It was released in 2001.  One thing that keeps me up all night.  A strategy game set in the Age of Castles, one learns a lot from this.  Here are some of my realizations from this game that can be applied in life, and in managing companies:

1.  One cannot be too goody-goody.  When people are not afraid of the leader, the subordinates wander around.  They are not efficient, and can often be seen resting and being lazy.  One needs to be tough and fill the castle with "bad things" in order for people to be afraid of you.

2.  Religion cannot affect work.  I remember one office mate back in the 90s who would absent himself during devotional days.  He was told: "Duty first before devotion".  He filed for resignation.  

3.  To balance fear, you have to give them a lot of food (double rations).  Applied today, one must fulfill the lower physical needs (Maslow, Herzberg) in order for them not to leave the "castle".

4.  If they leave the castle, you have to either give them more food, or lower the taxes, even give them a little bribe to make them stay.  You can also give them entertainment (traveling fair, jester, marriage) in order to turn their minds away from the empty granary.  In present day companies, if one cannot give enough compensation, management can resort to entertainment - company programs, outings, team building whatever.  It can also resort to giving small gifts in order to keep key players/employees.  When things turn right, then go tough again.

5.  No matter how high the taxes, people will be happy if they have food, food, and food.  Fulfill the physical needs and then, tax them like crazy.  In the macroeconomic scenario, one can raise the taxes if the basic needs of the people are taken cared of.  This should be the priority of the government.

6.   The machines should be placed considering time and motion.  Else, the time required to produce goods will be multiplied.  Realization:  We need more (Industrial) Engineers.  We should listen more to the science of the experts.  Finally, we should study our production cycle.

7.  Everybody must be in their proper place.  We cannot have more quarrymen than we need.  We cannot multiply woodcutters aimlessly.  I am sure I am going to hurt a lot of people but here goes:  We cannot send all our children to Nursing because the projected demand we are contemplating (behind the background of 70-80k a semester program) may not be realized after four or five years.  Else, we produce underemployment or a terrible mismatch of skills and position.  The Government should prevent an overflow of one program by mandating stiffer regulations on schools.  There are schools who have yet to produce a board passer.  Yet they advertise nationwide, using those artistas.

8.  All surplus must be sold.  Applying now, we must be lean and mean.  All unnecessary things must be sold and converted to liquid assets.

9.  A huge amount of gold, after some time, gets boring.  One should experience war from time to time.  In life, success is sweeter after every battle.

10.  No matter how hard the terrain, one can build a castle and become successful.  No matter how hard the times, one can be successful in business.  One needs a lot of expertise. One needs to study a lot.  The leaders can show the way.  

11.  In any siege.  If the leader is killed, no matter how many soldiers you have, you lose.  One must then take care of keeping the leaders.  The others are just wheat grass.  In the company, workers can come and go.  But the leaders must be kept.  Else, the stronghold falls.

Your stronghold awaits you.

Sub Lesson 1: Pay yourself first

Again, from "The Richest Man in Babylon" and a host of other books...

The usual understanding of the word "savings" goes like this:  Here is wo/man x earning y pesos a month.  S/he receives his/her pay.  What s/he does is to budget his/her money and then, try as much as possible to save something.  Something should be left.  Well, this is wrong.

The idea is to pay yourself first.  Put the savings first.  Pay yourself first.  Yes, before you pay Globe/Smart for your cellphone bills. Before you pay Manila Water or Meralco.  Before you pay Kuya Rey for the transport service.  The budget should be clear so that you are able to take the 10% before spending.  That way, there is always the certainty that something is saved.  

Later, you will realize that you are able to survive with just the 90% on your pocket/ATM.  Then, much later, just like me, you will realize that 10% is very low.  And you start adding up to the percentage.

Reminder though.  This is a test of discipline.  It does not go this way - I wasn't able to save for my Babylonian box this payday.  It doesn't matter, I will double it next time.  That is not the way to do it.  The key is consistency of purpose.  Don't put much savings now and then get it later.  Remember that the money you put there should be kept there forever.  It's like a share in Buffett's Berkshire.  

Further, the money kept there should multiply itself.  First, through bank interest.  Later, if it gets bigger, you can invest it in a good enterprise - stock market, mutual funds, your own business.  No matter what you do, you have to continue saving. 

Babylonian lessons

Some things I have learned and re-learned in the past 17 years (been in the workforce for that long...)

1.  It is not how much you earn but how much you save from what you earn that matters.  Expenses multiply with the uptrend of your income.  

2.  One should always live below his means.  One should save at least 1/10 of his/her salary/income.  That amount should not be spent later.  Rather, that amount should be accumulated, and invested for a profit.  You should not save in order to spend.  If you must accrue for future expense, do so, but don't forget to save at least 10% of your salary. 

3.  Do not buy things that will not have value for you five years from now.  If you can invest your money in a company that earns at least 15% per annum, your original investment will quadruple in 10 years.  Hence, ask yourself, "If I buy this piece of ornament, will it generate 4x more than its purchase value after ten years?"

For example, I have P20,000.00.  Should I spend it on a new cellphone?  If I buy a cellphone, I gain the cellphone - a depreciable asset that returns to its salvage value (if it will not be stolen from me) in four or five years.  And, I lost 20k in cash.  If such a purchase is good, it should generate 80k in 10 years, because at 15% per annum, your 20k will be 80k in 10 years.  Hence, before buying something, look at the return.  You are not losing 20k only.  You are balancing it against the quadrupled amount in 10 years.  

4.  Don't buy on credit unless it concerns your life.  And even if it does concern your life, don't prolong the payment.

5.  Take care of your body.  It's expensive not to.

6.  Don't marry a model.  Unless her name is in Forbes 500.

7.  Teach them young.  Do not spoil the kids with material things.  Teach them to save money.

8.  Don't be in a high-maintenance job.  If you are earning 40k, and needs to spend 30k on transportation/car maintenance, gym, spa and clothing, it would be better to earn 20k, and spend 10k.  Because it is easier to earn 20k than 40k.  If you must earn more, then you must be able to save more.  For proof, just listen to the sob stories of those artistas who made a killing then, and now has to beg in order to live decently.  "The problem with you is you earn a lot".  (Millionaire Next Door) 

9.  Save for the future.  If you cannot increase your income, decrease your expense.  If you will suddenly stop working, how far can you go on your savings?  Many people live from paycheck to paycheck.  And later in their lives, they are forced to ride buses, at 60 or 65, begging not to retire yet because they have not saved enough.  In "Millionaire Next Door", the author coined the term "go-to-hell-fund", the savings that will ensure the person to be unemployed for the next 10 years and still survive.  What is the most important thing here?  It's not the income.  It's the expense. 

Let's say, one person is only spending 90% of his/her salary:

Then, in ten years time, he will have 1 year of extra savings.  In order to accumulate 10 years of extra savings based on the same base expense, one has to work for ten times the ten years time - that is, 100 years! - in order to accumulate the gth fund.  Of course, in real life, the savings should be invested.  Remember the parable of the talents.

Bottom line, in the algebra of equations here, the income cancels out, and what matters is the expense (I will not put them here so as not to cause hemorrhage)

10.  Prepare an annualized budget.  I have been doing this since 1988 (I was a second year college student then at UST).  You should know how much you are spending on transportation, food, entertainment, grocery, cellphone, etc.

Take my example, my transportation expense is 11% of my income.  It's up 1% from last year.  I can't do anything about it, so where can I deduct in order to balance out?  I can start drinking water instead of drinking Coke.  I can stop buying books.  I can minimize on my cellcards (by not answering to "me pasok ba sir bukas?" questions, or "sir, galit ka ba sa akin?" questions).  Now, this will also be helpful for career moves.  If I am going to be paid 50% more, but will have to move to Manila, I will have to think a great deal.  For one, the transportation cost will have to multiply by 2.5x.  Doing the math, my transportation cost will be 18.33% of my salary.  That is 7.33% up from the present setup.  Is the increase enough to pull down the other expense by that much?  If the answer is yes, I may consider moving to Manila factoring all the other things.

11.  Be humble.  A low-profile person need not buy a lot of good dresses/suits that cost so dear.  It's just a frame of mind.  The moment you start thinking about what the other people say, then, that's the time you start spending a lot.  

12.  It's a long way, but don't give up.  There, I have said it.  No explanations needed.