Black Swan

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I’m having a tough time in my personal life. So I saw this movie by myself. And plus geeks love natlalie portman because she’s the Queue!!!

Okay, in Black Swan, she’s the Swan Queue. The movie follows her audition for the role and obtaining it, and her attempt to excel at playing the black swan and win the love of her director, a charismatic and slightly eccentric Thomas Leroy played by Vincent Cassel, without the act of the love.
The movie may seem shallow to those deeply entrenched in the ballet theatre, but for me, it is the first time I heard about the Swan Lake story. There exist not only the white swan, a prince, but also a black swan and a monster. The black swan seduces the prince and white swan commits suicide. Oh, right, white swan is a princess, and her committing suicide relieves her of a curse that makes her the swan and she is, therefore, free.
Nina, the white swan struggles with controlling and a single parent and her mental condition that has her fantasizing and hallucinating (for the most part without the help of drugs) many things that we, the movie viewer, believe to be true–because they are completely within the norm of what could happen to a child of a constricting single mother and high competitive show business of New York ballet theater.
One wonders, what could have been a better outcome ? She has won and achieved what her mother had given up to have her for–to become the star in a ballet production. It would seem that after all the torment she suffers to achieve this, the hard work, the physical pain, and all that mental illness, and to have survived and displayed to the audience her brilliant performance, that any thing else would just ruin perfection.
In an ideal world, I would like to find a better outcome. But those tears in the white swan’s eyes as she closes them for the last time. I could not bear the thought of bringing her back to this world, to her mother, to her director, and to her friends all of whom may love her, but are actually really her antagonizers.
At least, at this moment, I don’t want to imagine the after, the ER scene, and 3 months later… It all seem so meaningless.
Oh, as an aside, loved Winona Ryder as Beth, very very memorable character, just as her Amanda (spock’s mother)…

Black Swan

Posted on by under Uncategorized

I’m having a tough time in my personal life. So I saw this movie by myself. And plus geeks love natlalie portman because she’s the Queue!!!

Okay, in Black Swan, she’s the Swan Queue. The movie follows her audition for the role and obtaining it, and her attempt to excel at playing the black swan and win the love of her director, a charismatic and slightly eccentric Thomas Leroy played by Vincent Cassel, without the act of the love.
The movie may seem shallow to those deeply entrenched in the ballet theatre, but for me, it is the first time I heard about the Swan Lake story. There exist not only the white swan, a prince, but also a black swan and a monster. The black swan seduces the prince and white swan commits suicide. Oh, right, white swan is a princess, and her committing suicide relieves her of a curse that makes her the swan and she is, therefore, free.
Nina, the white swan struggles with controlling and a single parent and her mental condition that has her fantasizing and hallucinating (for the most part without the help of drugs) many things that we, the movie viewer, believe to be true–because they are completely within the norm of what could happen to a child of a constricting single mother and high competitive show business of New York ballet theater.
One wonders, what could have been a better outcome ? She has won and achieved what her mother had given up to have her for–to become the star in a ballet production. It would seem that after all the torment she suffers to achieve this, the hard work, the physical pain, and all that mental illness, and to have survived and displayed to the audience her brilliant performance, that any thing else would just ruin perfection.
In an ideal world, I would like to find a better outcome. But those tears in the white swan’s eyes as she closes them for the last time. I could not bear the thought of bringing her back to this world, to her mother, to her director, and to her friends all of whom may love her, but are actually really her antagonizers.
At least, at this moment, I don’t want to imagine the after, the ER scene, and 3 months later… It all seem so meaningless.
Oh, as an aside, loved Winona Ryder as Beth, very very memorable character, just as her Amanda (spock’s mother)…
ahh, aside 2, Lesbian love scene is way over hyped…, and for those who thinks it’s an hallucination, it’s probably not. Mila Kunis is probably lying to her in her attempts to get her role as the Swan Queue.

Treaty and Inflation

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During lunch conversation from some co-workers in the high-tech industry in the Silicone Valley recently, I found an interesting thing to suggest to Mr obama and Hu, which is for China to factor into current talks and negotiations a treaty with the United States in which Chinese visitors can more easily gain access to the United States and that Chinese immigrants have an extra tax break.

And the deal would be structured in such a way that Chinese government forgives a portion of American debt in exchange for an equal amount in tax credit for Chinese immigrants. Further more, as America opens up to China for cultural exchange and visitors, this will truly facilitate a mutually beneficial resolution to the mounting debt America owes China.

It’s almost free money to the US, and it gives China face when America puts back on the bully face, and China finds out that once again, it is really very lonely in the world of developing and developed nations.

Chinese government’s investment arm can certainly purchase companies founded by Chinese people in America, that way, the debt won’t be lost completely to inflation and other occurrences that reduces their real value. This can be done immediately.

It’s kind of surprising that there hasn’t been very noticeable inflation for the consumer. For businesses, they are probably starting to feel it, but for consumers, bread is bread, and in recent few months it seems that price has gone down by maybe 10% to 30%. Looking it up, it seems that this link says that there are several factors. The high unemployment is listed as a top problem, because, basically, inflation will not occur in the United States to cause people to not have food to eat. When wages are low or none, inflation cannot happen, because there is no demand for stuff.

Other reasons listed are Tight money (suspicious), low oil price, lack of debt driven consumer. Well, money doesn’t seem to be tight, given historical low rates. (The actual reason being the conditions for obtaining the loans are stricter, but that just means there aren’t as many good businesses out there as there ought be). oil price is out of control and debt driven consumerism is dead, hopefully.
As I talk about this, I’m growing suspicious of this low wages and unemployment being a deterrent of inflation. When was the last time, when I wanted something, and seller said to me: “hey, kid, look, I know you can’t afford the price, so I’m going to not increase the price to support my own business, so you can have what you want.” I mean, that’s basically what this unemployment relieving inflation is saying, and I just don’t buy it.
Perhaps, collectively the businesses of America is fighting the government’s attempt to inflate the dollar by charging each other low rates for service rendered and products provided in order to punish the government for the war. No inflation means they cannot pay back war debts, which forces them to end the war.
I hope that’s the case, because the war is almost over and let’s inflate prices and our salaries.
bubblies for everybody, and a scotch on the rocks for me.
😉

Treaty and Inflation

Posted on by under Uncategorized

During lunch conversation from some co-workers in the high-tech industry in the Silicone Valley recently, I found an interesting thing to suggest to Mr obama and Hu, which is for China to factor into current talks and negotiations a treaty with the United States in which Chinese visitors can more easily gain access to the United States and that Chinese immigrants have an extra tax break.

And the deal would be structured in such a way that Chinese government forgives a portion of American debt in exchange for an equal amount in tax credit for Chinese immigrants. Further more, as America opens up to China for cultural exchange and visitors, this will truly facilitate a mutually beneficial resolution to the mounting debt America owes China.

It’s almost free money to the US, and it gives China face when America puts back on the bully face, and China finds out that once again, it is really very lonely in the world of developing and developed nations.

Chinese government’s investment arm can certainly purchase companies founded by Chinese people in America, that way, the debt won’t be lost completely to inflation and other occurrences that reduces their real value. This can be done immediately.

It’s kind of surprising that there hasn’t been very noticeable inflation for the consumer. For businesses, they are probably starting to feel it, but for consumers, bread is bread, and in recent few months it seems that price has gone down by maybe 10% to 30%. Looking it up, it seems that this link says that there are several factors. The high unemployment is listed as a top problem, because, basically, inflation will not occur in the United States to cause people to not have food to eat. When wages are low or none, inflation cannot happen, because there is no demand for stuff.

Other reasons listed are Tight money (suspicious), low oil price, lack of debt driven consumer. Well, money doesn’t seem to be tight, given historical low rates. (The actual reason being the conditions for obtaining the loans are stricter, but that just means there aren’t as many good businesses out there as there ought be). oil price is out of control and debt driven consumerism is dead, hopefully.
As I talk about this, I’m growing suspicious of this low wages and unemployment being a deterrent of inflation. When was the last time, when I wanted something, and seller said to me: “hey, kid, look, I know you can’t afford the price, so I’m going to not increase the price to support my own business, so you can have what you want.” I mean, that’s basically what this unemployment relieving inflation is saying, and I just don’t buy it.
Perhaps, collectively the businesses of America is fighting the government’s attempt to inflate the dollar by charging each other low rates for service rendered and products provided in order to punish the government for the war. No inflation means they cannot pay back war debts, which forces them to end the war.
I hope that’s the case, because the war is almost over and let’s inflate prices and our salaries.
bubblies for everybody, and an authentic bottle of maotai for me.
😉

Why did god let me come into being if I am to turn out so useless to the world?

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Famous last words…

既生瑜何生亮既生亮何生瑜 ??????

Sigh, the main point of this blog entry is to talk about a simplification to the world. So, why is marriage such a notoriously hard to deal with relationship? The real reason is that it has no end. Well, “till death do we part” according to western ideals, but essentially (and in some religions specified to be) endless, and especially, that there is no “after” the event. The reason why an unending stream is difficult to comprehend and manage is because merely that it does not end.

Suppose we reform the human marriage institution and make it so that by default the marriage expires after 5 years, that if they so wish, they can renew it for 2-years thenceforth. By default, we expect there to be hot romance and happiness and commitment and children for that entire duration, but it is expected that it end at the end of that time, and that it is an exception for it to be renewed. Second marriages will be renewed only at 2-year intervals.

More than three quarter of all marriage problems will be completely solved if this were the cases. (Stated here without proof)

And it would give more meaning to “getting a marriage license” if you have to renew it or get a new one.

Most abstract thoughts (including formalized thoughts about math, CS, engineering, and the likes) are had with the assumption that the universe, and all things conceived and manufactured continue without end. But realistically, most things we deal with, however large, actually are bounded and have a definitive and accessible end point, and that there is time and space afterwards.

alas, useless garbage

New year, Girl, China and Political Correctness

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Ahh, It’s new year time, time to post a new piece of art from the f-collection. So, during an email conversation with a friend in China, I found that I had to type things in a politically correct way. I asked her to read my blog, but she couldn’t see it.

So, is it the great Huawei-Cisco-Incompatibility? Or are you too busy?
Trying to be PC has it’s payoff, which is that she actually will receive that email and will remain unaccosted. Here in the United States, we have such great lives, having personal freedom guaranteed by law. I can safely sleep at night knowing that nobody else is reading my emails and that I won’t be punished for typing something into a email window or because I’ve received a _private_ and _personal_ email from someone in my personal email account !!
This will be such a great year in America!

oh, ps, if you are a girl who’s reading my blog not for glory or money but because you want to get to know me, that other girl is not a gf, wana go out on a date with me?
oh. ps2, If you are that other girl, can I take you out to dinner some time?

Quick question for my audience

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What is the right reaction to this antagonizing behavior?

Confrontational situation:
You walk in and calmly and explains the problem and ask for it to be addressed reasonably.
Your opponent stands up, defensively, and says loudly (so that everyone can hear his signal for this attack)
“Huan. STAY CALM! I know you are very upset, But let’s be reasonable here, what you say is not the case and that we are right and you are wrong.”
People on his side on seeing this attack pattern will swoop in and follow suit:
“Please, Huan, stay calm! There is no need to be so upset!”
At this point, all I have stated were the facts and then I stand there and listen to three people accusing me of being UNCALM and UNREASONABLE.
Now, if I reacted in any way, (“what are you talking about? I am calm!!”, “But here are the facts…”, “Would not be reasonable if xyz were the case instead”…) I will be met with the same
“Huan, stay calm! Let’s be reasonable here.”
And try as you might, your reasoning, your composure will not remove the coloring that your opponent in this meeting are putting on you. In fact, maintaining composure and not react to the obvious provocation is quite a challenge.
Later on, in a court of law, everyone in the room will say:
“We tried to reason with Huan but he was very agitated, we tried to calm him down, in fact we have recordings of us saying ‘CALM DOWN HUAN!!'” and he just exploded!
What is the correct response to this kind of attack pattern? I mean, there doesn’t really seem to be any option left for me, and the only exit, that would not lessen my ground in court, is an immediate and silent departure.
Hypothetically speaking, for those of you who are monitoring my blog for pay or glory. This blog entry does not purport to be related to an actual situation that have or will take place before, after, or on the instant of this blog entry’s posting.

The King of California

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In this day of post-christmatic Sunday, I watched a movie on Netflix. “King of California”

Apparently, according to the movie, the name California was originally a made-up name to mean a place with lots of gold…
Michael Douglas’s character, Charlie, tries to find gold by digging into a Costco floor (yes through the cement, and into the sewage line). Needless to say, he died in search of the mythical gold leaving her daughter Miranda by herself. The movie ends with Miranda finding new immigrants, Chinese, I believe, asking her if he’s arrived at America. (It’s a thing of Chinese language to use some supportive sounds to ask a question. “America, ma?” I remember my own arrival in the US, when I had asked a similar question by saying “Shannon ne?”, where the “ne”, making it a question asking where is shannon, got swallowed by Shannon, and the person I asked could not understand why I was saying some girl’s name at him, and explains patiently, “No, I’m Chris, Shannon is somebody else!”
Alas, I feel that I am closer to Charlie’s gold than to Miranda’s suffering from Charlie and certainly long time has past since that time when I was fresh out of the water.
Some days, like today, I really really envy Charlie, and I wish I had the faith, the conviction, and the vision of that bright yellow light so that I could take off my oxygen mask and swim through the narrow opening and into the wide golden brilliance.

Why do I care about privacy?

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You might wonder why I spend so much time on my blog complaining about the lack of protection for personal privacy.

In my previous entry, I mentioned that one way to motivate personal privacy protection is to reverse the corporation argument. When the laws for corporations were established, it is modeled after a human being, with rights to hold property and to enter legally binding contracts. Certainly the supreme court recently upheld that view of corporation by giving corporations in the US the right to have political views and to participate in politics–just as any person would.
So, let’s reverse this argument. If a corporation is modeled after a person, and there are secrets, as long as they’re deemed trade secrets, that are protected by law. Should a person not be guaranteed his privacy in the same way?
More plainly, I think most people will agree with me that bank account names and passwords should be protected. Because that guarantees a person his personal property–a fundamental right in America. That means YOU CANNOT LOG INTO MY BANK ACCOUNT AND LOOK AT HOW MUCH MONEY i HAVE, and YOU CANNOT TAKE THAT MONEY OUT AND PUT IT INTO ANOTHER ACCOUNT EVEN IF THAT OTHER ACCOUNT IS MINE ALSO!!!!!!
Let’s phrase it another way. This American Government has secrets. There are very strict federal laws that disallows making public information, or even make individuals aware of or aware of the existence of certain information. And some of these secrets are about disagreeable agendas or actions or mistakes or direct violations of laws by the government.
By the same token, and by the 5th amendments, individuals should not have to make public or even make the government aware of information that it does not want them to know, EVEN if it’s evidence of my own wrong doing!!!
So this means if I have a secret contract to work with my employers competition, and I keep this information on my personal device. My employer should be breaking laws and should be punished severely if they come to know of this act by reading my personal emails (which I have kept off of company computers). If my employers put a camera in my home. If my employer put listening devices (AKA bugs) on my person, or in my food. If my employer installed a device on my pen to record the text of my writing. If my employer put a tracking device on my person, personal clothing, my car, my bike, my personal laptops.
ALL of these things are severe violations of my personal privacy rights!
If further, my employer make this information public, or to make it known to my peers at work. This should be considered a greater offense and should be punished severely!
If an agent does this on behave of my employer, the employer and the agent should both be punished.
If you are an employee of the company and you violate my privacy on your own accord for competitive reasons, then there should be federal law–not corporate rules–that prevents this act. I should be able to take you to court for reading my personal email because we work together!!
Now, needless to say I feel that my hypothetical taking of a contracting job with a competitor may be immoral and illegal, but that does not give the company the right to invade any of my personal privacies!!
Nor to do so indirectly!!
The company cannot spy on me! And it should also be illegal for the company to require or prefer the signature of a release allowing them to do so.
Btw, this release is stated indirectly, typically that you agree to not sue the company for privacy violations. Because it doesn’t say the company will do that, but it prevents you from seeking justice after the fact. So think of it this way. After you sign that, they can put a camera in your bathroom and watch you and your wife and your kids shower, and they can take the money that your hard work makes for the company and hire a person full time to do this, and you cannot sue because you agreed to it as part of the condition to work for them.
Alternatively, companies may ask you to sign this agreement at the exit. Which means they might have done so already and just want buy the right to keep those tapes and watch them again and again and you release them for what? maybe 3-months severance? maybe 6 weeks? maybe 100 stock units? It’s not worth it no matter how much they give you.
This clause should be as illegal as blacklisting union member!!
There really should be federals safe guarding day-to-day personal privacy of American Citizens.

Corporate e-spies

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Ahh, I finally found the terminology for what I’ve been complaining about Industrial Espionage. So, all those people snooping on my computer, are dong so for commercial reasons.

There are people, be it hackers or government agents or people hired by the bosses to monitor employees, who have access to personal information: Full content of personal emails sent to me and received by me, recording of my verbal communication with other people, and video recording of my behavior.

The important aspects of my insecurity are two: privacy and identity. Privacy means information about me and originating from me, especially in a password protected situation, should not be known to other people. Aside from my believing that privacy is an important civil right, the more important fact is that it is important to my continuation as a live human that some things are private. If corporations are modeled after people (Legal entity being an alias for a person), why is it that corporation secrets (trade secrets) are protected but my personal secrets are not guaranteed? There must be reasonable privacy in America!

A second problem is one of identity. If you intrude into my electronic communication, it is obviously the case that you are also able to type in an email as if it was typed by me. In that case, my identity has been used in ways that I do not wish it to be used. For reasons I will not discuss in detail here, this should not be allowed. Identity theft should not be allowed in any case!

So in terms of privacy, if you are a….

Government agent and you are invading my privacy by monitoring my electronic communications: Please continue as usual. Please try to not understate my male prowess in your writings into the permanent records you have on file for me as it cannot be exaggerated.

Corporate agent from a competitor of my employee and you are invading my privacy: Please stop. I believe this is illegal under various state trade secret laws. If I find out about this you will be sued by my employer.

Corporate agent from my boss: please continue, please exaggerate my accomplishments in your report to my boss, if you let me know who you are, I will do the same for you.

My competing coworker: Please stop, this should not be allowed. Your act of personal selfishness is detrimental to my productivity and eventually to your bottom line.