The Third View

Problems with Problems

2011-11-06T14:51:00.000+08:00

One size does not fit all. In fact, many sizes still won't fit all. There are certain levels of gaps people are willing to live with.

If you have multiple problems, and you can't solve everything at one time, do you hold off applying the solution to one until you find the solutions to the rest, or do you go on and fix one broken chair and work your way until the entire house is looking brand new again?

A holistic approach to designing solutions is a very good practice in many situations. But when time and resources are critical, simpler and more practical methods are considered.

Think big but start small. Gain momentum from each small success. Will you wait for all the lights to turn green before starting the car?

If your power and resources allow you to give only to three out of a hundred deserving people, will you choose to be terribly unpopular to the 97, but appreciated by the three? Or will you be on the safe side and be thought of as a fair man?

While inspired by the ideal of justice, fairness is not sameness or always following the letter of the law. Fairness makes room for us to generate solutions and compromises based on reason and circumstance.

Our actions define our values as our values drive our actions. Whatever great values we speak of, they are only words until they are seen in works. Lies, deceit, and manipulation are the actions of the fool. Caring and serving are the works of the respectable.

I'd rather be guilty than incompetent. Incompetence is a disease. Cure it before it kills.

I delayed for an hour, I was doing fine. I delayed for a day, and the graces disappear. I delayed for a week, all the noises appear, I delayed for a month I was deemed incompetent and unwilling.

The problem with problems is that they become excuses for not solving a problem.

Why Test the Waters When You Can Jump In and Make Waves

2010-07-25T14:09:00.002+08:00

In business, while you’re testing the waters, someone else is already making millions out of a mediocre product because of lack of market competition. Create, release, optimize, and innovate. Why waste your time waiting for an assurance that a million people will buy your product? By the time you’ve confirmed that, they’ve already bought one from someone else.

In the workplace, the company is losing valuable time and money because some grumpy employee decided that he is indispensable, and shouts out a hundred complains before getting something simple done. You care less because you don’t want to get involved with him and you just wait until the company fires him and give you his tasks. By the time it happens, the project is so messed up that whoever takes over just becomes the fall guy for the failure. Ask, initiate, volunteer, and deliver. The earlier you do it, the more you’ll learn and the more you’ll accomplish.

In health, you start feeling weird in some part of your body. But you’re too afraid to know what’s wrong with you so you decided to ignore it and let the pain go away by taking pain relievers. The feeling gets worst in time so you increase your dosage of the pain pills. But you’re not really fixing anything aren’t you? You go to the doctor and it’s too late, because he’s going to have to cut something off your body to save your life. Alright maybe this is going too far. It could be something far less serious. Either way - observe, consult, find a second opinion, and follow professional advice. Do not wait for things to get worst, else you’ll get a big slap in the face from Dr. House.

In friendships, you’re too careful to trust anyone. You don’t show your true self and you’re anxious to open up then end up being fooled around by some low I.Q. control freak. You get old and you wonder why you don’t have any real close friends. But come to think of it, you never made anyone feel comfortable around you because of your paranoid behavior. Trust, take risks, fail, and get up smarter than ever.

In marriage…..well in marriage I suggest you test the waters first. Otherwise you may end up creating everlasting tsunamis.

Hope

2010-06-30T19:11:00.013+08:00

There are a lot of reasons to celebrate today. Actually, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate everyday. But what happened today is very meaningful and historical. It is a re-defining step in the face of Philippine history, hopefully. I'm not really a Noynoy fan, but nor am I his critic. I would assume everyone agrees that at this moment in time, it is better to give the man the benefit of the doubt and do what we can, to help him change our country.

Let's take a step backwards and not forget the first reason we are celebrating today - "the exit of the Macapagal-Arroyo regime". I won't even go into the details of how people so much hate this outgoing government. But speaking for myself, the things I'm most frustrated about are the "unsettled/unresolved issues". There are just too much of them - the election cheating/fraud accusations, the ZTE-NBN scam, the fertilizer fund scam, the questionable SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth) of her family, and just recently the midnight appointments. There could be a lot more, but these were the most talked about. I mean why would an outgoing government try to force appointments of his allies, friends, or families before the end of her term? I just hate the way the government for the past years, have treated the Filipino people as if we're uneducated fools. They even have to produce video advertisements of what they call "accomplishments" of the government. If someone has really accomplished a lot, she wouldn't even have to say a thing. The successes will speak for themselves.

Actually, it is more likely that these things they're showing us, are "failures", wrapped around with manipulated statistics to make the package look good. In one episode of a TV news program, they looked deeper into how the government counted the number of Filipinos employed and according to the media, the government multiplied the number of new houses built with the number of supposed workers needed to build a house. So if there are 100 new houses built in a town and it takes 10 workers to build one house, the government assumed that a thousand workers were employed during the course of the construction of these 100 houses. So tell me, how could someone who is supposed to help and protect the Filipino people, do things like this to us? I can't believe these people can even have a good sleep at nights, and even show their faces in video advertisements.

Hopefully it all ends now. We've been longing for true change and real accomplishments. I really hope the new government will have the will, dedication, and wisdom to do what it's supposed to do. I hope that in the next coming years I wouldn't be bitter about paying taxes, I wouldn't feel helpless against corrupt politicians and organizations, I wouldn't feel supportive of revolutionary movements or beliefs, and I wouldn't feel confused or suspicious about government decisions. Instead, I would not only be proud of my country and it's people, but also, of my president.

On 3D Graphics Exam and Nimbus Clouds

2010-06-22T15:44:00.002+08:00

I did some "tripin" last Sunday and sent source codes of games I wrote ages ago to a well-known game developer company. They called me to schedule a 3-hour technical exam and so I went there today all dressed up, and gave it a shot. The moment I entered their office I immediately noticed the "gamish" ambiance. The place is dark, as if you're inside dungeons and dragons. Some of the people I'm seeing are wearing slippers and shorts and some looked like they've been working (or playing) all night and all day. The whole place is scattered with posters and banners of games developed by the company. I was accompanied to a computer station for the online exam, and around me are young people playing various games, most notable of which, was Warcraft (DOTA).

The exam was divided into two major parts: one is on general programming and optimization concepts, and the second part is on 3D and computer graphics concepts and programming. The first part was pretty manageable, but the second part really required a review of the high-level to mid-level details of 3D concepts. I mean, of course I remember what Phong and Gouraud methods are used for, but I surely could not remember the detailed difference between the two shading models. Yes I remember vector operations and their use in coordinate translations and transformations, but I surely could not remember the exact derivation formula to translate an object from its local coordinate system to the world coordinate system. So in short, I left more than half of the 3D graphics-related questions blank. The good thing about that is that I finished (or should I say unfinished) the 3-hour exam in roughly just 35-40 minutes. I really do not expect them to call me back. But it was indeed a very refreshing and fun experience.

On a side note, the sky above our place was really beautiful this morning. Clouds are shaped like spears thrown from the north side to the south side of the sun. On my way back, I was looking forward to taking some pictures in case I see a similar sight. To my disappointment, the sky is already fully covered with dark nimbus without recognizable shapes :(. And that is the reason why this post doesn't come attached with a photo.

Frustrated Web Designer

2010-06-19T13:35:00.002+08:00

Yep, that was me 12 years ago. While digging into my old files looking for an old source code, I saw these set of sample HTML pages I supposedly designed a long time ago. Nice try, but definitely looking like a rushed work of a newbie.

Page 1. My Supposed Programming Site - "what's that again, dithering???"

Page 2. My Supposed Company Site - "hater, as if I'm not using their software =)"

Page 3. My Supposed Blog Site - "Laetitia Casta, the best model"

Page 4. My Supposed Rock Band Site - "Metallica, the best metal band"

KISS Topic of the Day - "TOUCH"

2010-06-17T19:23:00.002+08:00

Keep It Simple Stupid - "Touch"

"Quiet yet meaningful hands"

KNOWN TRANSLATIONS

- the event of something coming in contact with the body
- the faculty by which external objects or forces are perceived through contact with the body
- a suggestion of some quality
- a distinguishing style
- the act of putting two things together with no space between them
- a slight but appreciable amount
- a communicative interaction
- a slight attack of illness
- the act of soliciting money (as a gift or loan)
- deftness in handling matters
- affect emotionally
- be relevant to
- comprehend
- consume
- color lightly

Worst Translation

a slight attack of illness

Third View Translation

unselfish gesture

My Photo

"Touch of green touching the sky" (Nueva Ecija, December 2005)

My Quote

"Depending on his motives, a man holding a woman's hand is either touching her soul, her life, her heart, or just her skin."

On Facebook Mobile and McKinley Hill

2010-06-16T23:43:00.003+08:00

Today's the first time I used an iPod Touch to post something in my FB wall. The "Facebook for iPhone" application annoyingly adds its signature to the posts in addition to the "mobile" icon that comes with it. Safari is the way to go.

UPDATE (06/25):
After a few days of use, came to realize that it's much easier and more efficient to use the App version over Safari browsing. So I'll stick to the App and just bear the annoyance of the signature.

McKinley Hill seems like a nice place to work. Not too crowded yet, just like The Fort 5 years ago. Indoor parking costs 50 pesos for 12 hours.

Why Parents Should Limit Their Kids' Access to Online Social Networks

2010-06-15T18:16:00.002+08:00

1. There's just too many other more important or worthwhile things that they can learn and do. How about household chores, reading books, doing their homework, and playing outside with real playmates and friends? Ok, if you want your kid to learn computer tech early on, then teach him how to use productivity tools such as office applications. If he's into graphics, teach him Photoshop or some photo editting tools, if he loves science or any other specific educational subject or topic show him how to research through the internet. If he loves to play the piano or the guitar, show him how to find musical pieces and other resources in the internet.
2. Let's face it, these social-network-based games can be really addictive.
3. They're more likely to come across contents that they're not supposed to be exposed to. If they're using the computer and the internet for a specific purpose, they're less likely to stumble on these things. For example, a kid is online to study photoshop techniques, and Google's for "photoshop". She gets a very meaningful and helpful first page on the Google results. Then she checked out her Facebook page and saw a Vanessa Hudgens video posted by a friend. She searches for "Vanessa Hudgens" and boom - first page results shows sites containing the keywords "gossip", "nude", and "scandal".
4. They barely have an idea on the importance of privacy, and this uncaring attitude that causes them to share whatever they like, including family and personal information, could be dangerous. Adult users know well enough the dangers when they post something in their pages or blogs, and it is their choice on which to share and which not.
5. The reasons or justifications for using it are often invalid or illogical. I was reading this page on "Why Kids Should Have Facebook", and I can't help but smile on the reasons provided by the readers (most of them acknowledging that they're kids themselves). One kid answered, "cause almost every kid does (have)". Another kid says, "to ask what the homework for a certain class was". There's one who smartly answered, "it teaches them a lot of skills for life like socializing, picking and choosing their friends". And most of them, really just want to have fun. Here's a real life proof that these reasons are really invalid. Some of my son's friends have Facebook accounts, he never felt the need to have one. He socializes well, and have a lot of friends in school and in our community. He enjoys biking, playing with his toys, playing basketball, going for swimming, watching cartoons, and sometimes playing games in the computer or in his PSP. He really doesn't need the fun that Facebook has to offer. Most of all, he doesn't need an online social network to know the homework, if he missed the class for some reason.

KISS Topic of the Day - "FREE"

2010-06-15T11:58:00.001+08:00

Keep It Simple Stupid - "Free"

Freedom Heroes

KNOWN TRANSLATIONS

- not imprisoned
- obtainable without payment
- unconstrained
- (in mathematics) unconstrained by relators
- unobstructed, not in use, without obligations
- (in software) guaranteeing freedom to users and developers
- programming not bound

Worst Translation

obtainable without payment

Third View Translation

conscientious

My Photo

"Free as a Child" (Taguig, June 2010)

My Quote

"As long as we can think, say, and do things in accordance with our good conscience, then we are free."

KISS Topic of the Day - "SIGN"

2010-06-14T07:37:00.001+08:00

Keep It Simple Stupid - "Sign"

Signs

KNOWN TRANSLATIONS

- a visible indication
- a clearly visible object
- a traffic sign
- a meaningful gesture
- any of several specialized non-alphabetic symbols
- an astrological sign, such as taurus
- in mathematics, positive or negative polarity
- a linguistic unit in sign language equivalent to word in spoken languages
- an omen
- a property of the body that indicates a disease and, unlike a symptom, is unlikely to be noticed by the patient
- to write one's signature on a document
- to give legal consent by writing one's signature
- to persuade to sign a contract
- to write one's signature somewhere
- to give autographs
- to communicate using sign language

Worst Translation

an omen

Best Translation

an indication

My Photo

"Sin City Sign" (Las Vegas, June 2007)

My Quote

"Failure of a team could be a sign of bad leadership, but not knowing that you've already failed is a definite sign of absence of leadership."