Continuing my theme of sharing a few of my daily snaps taken with Path on my iPhone, here’s another set covering the last couple of months.

Since nearly all my immediate family are using Path it’s become my favourite way to share a slice of my life in Hong Kong with them. Given they weren’t smartphone users till very recently I’ve been amazed how quickly they’ve taken to it. My dad in particular seemed surprised at how easy it was for him to learn how to use his iPhone and I imagine a big part of this also has to do with how beautifully well designed Path is.

Related posts you might like:

1. Hong Kong Path 1
2. Hong Kong Moments VI
3. More Hong Kong Moments

Fair warning if you’re only interested in travel related content you might want to turn off now – this is a heavily tech related article!

For those who work with Drupal, the open source content management system, a question of many people’s minds now is whether they should upgrade to Drupal 7 or stay on an earlier version (usually 6). This is an especially tricky decision for larger websites using Drupal since the upgrade process is often far from simple. If you’re interested in upgrading and looking for reasons to persuade decisions makers, below is a list of the top reasons I’ve come across to make the leap:

1. Responsive Template Support

With responsive design becoming increasingly popular, if you’re looking to implement a new theme using this technique it will be much simpler to do in D7. Trying to do this in D6 would be far less efficient due to the outdated version of jQuery and other resources.

Source

2. More Extensible Fields

CCK fields in allow you to greatly customise content types and extend vocabularies/taxonomies (e.g. adding region codes to a set of countries). This is now built into the core of D7 (called Fields API) making it even more extensible and easier/quicker to make changes.

Source

3. Better Backend Interface

Changes include a new administration theme, reorganisation of the menu system, inline administration links, more thorough use of drag and drop, inclusion of the Vertical Tabs module and a new administration toolbar. Your editorial team will thank you.

Source 1 & 2

4. Bulk Image Upload

This is one of the most frequently requested features by many content editors if your site uses a lot of photos – this is now possible in D7 with conversion to the new Media module.

Source 1 & 2

5. Better Workflow Capabilities

Workbench provides improvements for managing content in D7, including a simplified UI for content editors and a customizable editorial workflow that integrates with access control permissions. Great if you have a large team of editors.

Source

6. Semantic Web Technologies

D7 includes RDFa which is an extension to HTML5 that helps you markup things like People, Places, Events, and Reviews. Search Engines and Web Services use this markup to generate better search listings and give you better visibility.

Source

7. Revamped Database Layer

D7 improves on D6, with a fully Object Orientated database layer that provides the ability to support multiple database types at once, transaction support, master/slave replication support, database specific optimisations, and improved database portability. This provides much more flexibility to developers.

Source

8. Improved Caching Support

D7 provides a better inbuilt caching system and improved support for third-party caching systems including Boost, Varnish, and Memcached.

Source

9. Based on Latest Version of PHP

Which performs better, contains 100’s of bug fixes and security updates.

Source

10. More Efficient Development

Development work on each successive version of Drupal has become more efficient. We are right in the middle of the version life-cycle between D7 and the release of D8 with most major modules being in a stable state – now is the optimal time to upgrade so you can take advantage of the efficiencies gained from D7.

Source

Note: none of the above is black & white but should at least provide a starting point for debate. Let me know if you have any other good reasons to upgrade.

Related posts you might like:

1. Festive Upgrade
2. Forcing DISQUS To Sync With WordPress
3. Upgrade

Over the past seven years I have worked on a variety of outsourced software projects with people from the US, Europe, India & China which has led me to one rarely spoken but rather obvious truth: even in well-managed environments outsourcing doesn’t work very well and often leads to less-than-satisfactory outcomes.

This has less to do with cultural differences than the plain fact that the client and service provider are thousands of miles apart and more often than not the latter oversells their capabilities and underestimates the complexities in order to win the contract. Since the only real reason the client wants to offshore is to save money it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy which even the best technologies and processes cannot solve.

Having experienced both onshore & offshore sides first hand (as client and provider) I can tell you that neither is pretty. One side ends up working all hours to deliver (poorly) on impossible schedules while the other spends much of their time trying to smooth over the cracks and divert any blame. In all this chaos best practices fly out the window and it becomes an unsightly scramble to the finish line. In the end both sides lose out.

This is not to say anyone is incompetent or malicious, just that the odds are stacked against them. Think about all the silly misunderstandings you’ve had with family or friends caused by simple communication mistakes. Now remove the face-to-face element and translate it into a foreign language you only partially understand. You get the idea.

There are undoubtedly examples of successful projects which have been outsourced but dig a little beneath the surface and you may not like what you find.

Photograph by David Doubilet (National Geographic)

In a perverse sort of fait accompli as the world begins to flatten, outsourcing will become a thing of the past since an engineer in China/India will no longer be that much cheaper than one down the road. Those working in outsourcing jobs today will become more focused on domestic markets in the future but for those considering sending projects offshore now, it deserves a second thought. In the medium-long term the costs/benefits simply don’t add up.

For companies who don’t have the right talent in-house to deliver complex technology projects it’s better to look at cloud based solutions which are externally managed rather than trying to reinvent the wheel yourself. Where this isn’t possible the closer to home you can find the skills required, the better.

Related posts you might like:

1. Secret Restaurant
2. Secret Pig’s Hoof Restaurant

Unless you’re one of the privileged few who live on the peak, Hong Kong Island’s inhabitants for the most part live around the shoreline perimeter. While you’re never likely to be far away from its green climbs it’s surprising that so few seem to ascend up into them even though there are a plethora of trails to suit all abilities which criss-cross the mountain.

On Sunday mornings I regularly go for hikes along the paths which begin from Mount Butler road behind my apartment at Quarry Bay. My favourite route leads all the way to Parkview (Stage 2 of the Wilson Trail), affording spectacular views over the city. If you’re feeling adventurous you can continue all the way to Stanley on the other side of the island.

When you’re feeling hungry cheap eats can be found at one of the city’s countless cha chaan teng eateries which serve a somewhat weird blend of Asian and Western cuisine in what could be described a fusion food of an acquired taste.

The above was shot at Wah Kee Cart Noodles (華記小食店) in Tsing Yi – proving that you’re never more than HK $20 away from a bowl of noodles and miscellaneous animal parts in even the most remote locations of Hong Kong.

For typography lovers, old signage provides wonderful examples of how Cantonese and English co-existed during colonial times, and continues to this day. If you’re considering a trip to Hong Kong there’s no need to worry about the language barrier since 50%+ of the population speak both.

Hong Kong imports all its signature Toyota Crown red taxis from Japan which all run on LPG in order to be more environmentally friendly. If you want to catch one to take you across the harbour you’re supposed to hail it by making an ocean wave motion.

Each neighbourhood has its own wet market area which are a visual treat for those brought up on pre-packaged supermarkets.

Fresh meat is chopped and hung in the open-air by butchers wielding impossibly large cleavers which they slam down with such speed and force that you almost dare not look for fear of fingers being lost!

Dried roots, vegetables and fish are sold by the kilo.

Pak Choi can be found everywhere in copious supply, even on the flag of Hong Kong (hehe).

A shop carrying paper items to be burnt as offerings for the dead is being run two assistants at the other end of the spectrum. Everything you might need for the afterlife is catered for here, including paper money, paper clothes, and even a paper transit card!

One weekend I stumbled across a meetup of classic motorbike enthusiasts with their magnificent machines on full display.

Quite where you could enjoy riding a bike in Hong Kong I’m not so sure – perhaps something more akin to Akira…

In leafier neighbourhoods things are not always so glamorous – this village near Lai Chi Kok (荔枝角) had clearly seen better days although its residents were friendly and even gave me a tour of their ancestral home. Beware of stay dogs in these sorts of areas which will happily give you a run for your money.

I came across this abandoned building which looked like it was being prepared for demolition – all the windows, doors and interior fittings had been ripped out leaving only a concrete and brick shell surrounded by dense foliage.

What memories this building contained are now surely gone…

A tree growing through the center of a large building, just another random day in Hong Kong.

Related posts you might like:

1. Hong Kong Moments III
2. Hong Kong Moments IV
3. More Hong Kong Moments

Visiting on a Sunday evening, I was expecting it to be quiet (or even closed), but on the contrary was teeming with people enjoying snacks from the vendors carts which line both sides of the street.

Although Ningxia night market is small in comparison to others, you’re still spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding what to eat. The great thing is you can try a bit of everything you fancy such are the small portions and low prices.

Everything is displayed in abundance beneath the brightly glowing fluorescent lighting of each stall. Between some carts were small tables where you could sit down and eat before moving to the next tasty treat.

Despite the crowds and tight spaces everything looked safe and sanitary with vendors all being licensed and regulated.

Although the market is mainly only food, in the middle is book stall selling a random assortment of titles.

Brightly coloured candied fruit brings out the inner child in everyone.

This young woman looked somewhat lost in her work, perhaps wishing she was elsewhere?

How about some BBQ pig intestines on a stick?

Or an encounter with the Taipei equivalent or Gordon Ramsay – this guy was in the zone with his noodle skills!

Others were far less enamoured and opted to sit out all the hustle and bustle!

Behind the stalls are more traditional restaurants which are also open during the daytime. This baker looked a little suspicious of my camera!

Overall Ningxia is a great night market for a more local experience away from the crushing crowds of the larger ones. More info and good directions can be found here.

Related posts you might like:

1. Shida Night Market
2. Ximending Night Market
3. Shilin Night Market

Background

Over the past year I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in a number of mobile projects (apps + web) and I wanted to reflect on the lessons I’ve learnt along the way and highlight some of the useful tools out there that can help you on your way.

Design process

In the beginning you start with a vague idea but the most important questions to answer upfront are why would someone want to use this? and what will make them want to continue using it? In other words what value will your product provide your users? If you can’t come up with a compelling answer then now is the time to stop and rethink.

Once the basic requirements are fleshed out I like to start sketching out ideas on paper, rapidly refining them until they are at a point where I am happy with the general flow. You don’t need to be an artist to do this and it is generally faster than jumping straight in on the computer.

I then move into OmniGraffle (my favourite tool for creating mockups) and began to experiment with how it might look. There are some great stencils available which can get you quickly started with the standard iOS components. On each screen mockup I like to annotate the different touch gestures which are available - this is particularly important for developers and anyone else to understand your intentions.

A handy way to present and test mockups is to save each screen as an individual image to a Dropbox folder then browse through them as a slide show on your iPhone using the Dropbox app.

Multiple platforms

While my personal bias leans heavily in favour of Apple’s iOS platform, I’ve also worked on apps for Android and Nokia (both Symbian & Meego). The key issue when designing across multiple platforms is in maintaining consistency while still respecting the different sets of UX guidelines. Throw into the mix Android device fragmentation and you’ve got a design nightmare from hell.

Don’t try designing/building in parallel if you want to remain sane!

API

If your app is going to read/write data from the web then you’re going to need an Application Programming Interface (API) which provides a standard mechanism for your app to talk to a Content Management System (CMS) using structured XML/JSON markup language.

The tricky part is often serving images which need to be provided in a standard set of sizes / ratios. For open source CMS’s like Drupal you can use modules like ImageCache which enable you to build a workflow for editors whereby they upload each image at a high-resolution and then the CMS automatically scales and compress’ it into a number of preset sub-sizes to be served through the API.

Between your API and the app you’ll want some sort of caching layer(s) to prevent traffic spikes from crippling your servers. Common solutions include Memcache, Boost, Varnish, and Akamai which maybe used individually or in conjunction together.

It’s important to think through the API structure carefully since once the apps are launched you can’t just change it on the fly without breaking them (versioning can help).

Implementation

Whether building the app in-house or outsourcing the development work elsewhere I prefer to take an agile approach to iterative development (using SCRUM), using tools like Basecamp or Pivotal Tracker to project manage the entire process. This helps maintain a ‘single source of truth’ where each team member can always access the latest information and assets.

Getting real feedback is essential for being able to review and refine functional elements since mockups can never tell you exactly how it’s going to feel in your hands. Apple doesn’t make it particularly easy for developers to distribute apps for beta testing before release to the App Store but luckily TestFlight has come to the rescue with a far less painful system. Constantly question the value of each element to ensure you only include those that are absolutely necessary – this is harder than it sounds since the temptation and pressure is often to do more than is needed. Less is more.

Mobile app versus mobile web

At this point you might be asking why you need a mobile app when you can target all smartphone platforms with a mobile web site instead? The arguments for and against each approach are well documented but the simple answer is that in order to distribute through as many channels as possible you need both.

While native apps do provide an arguably slicker user experience than a mobile web site, when it comes to people sharing links through social networks like Facebook and Twitter the mobile web site is still going to be a users first point of contact and provides a better experience than being directed to the desktop version in a mobile browser.

Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Akamai you can automatically detect whether the user is on a mobile or desktop browser and redirect them between the two versions as necessary. In the next few years it seems likely that HTML5 and responsive designwill further narrowing the gap between each approach making it even more of a moot point.

Lessons learnt

1. Mockup every detail in every usage scenario - no matter how obvious or trivial something might seem to you, your developer will build it differently if you don’t, but remember you still need room to refine (see next point).
2. Build a prototype then remove as much as you can – some things only become obvious once you begin to use something for real and a working prototype is the best way to do this before being fully committed.
3. Don’t try to develop on multiple platforms at the same time – unless you have a strong grasp of the different UI patterns and guidelines for each.
4. A solid API and good documentation goes a long way – remember that the app is only half the solution. The API which serves and receives data from the app has to be just a well thought through (some useful pointers).
5. Never go near a non-native app development environment – you might save a bit of time but ultimately wont end up with a product which is nearly as performant or as polished as a native app. It just isn’t worth it (see next point).
6. Performance is key to a good mobile user experience – nobody likes laggy interfaces, especially so on mobile where people expect perfectly fluid interactions. There are lots of tricks to optimise this but don’t underestimate how much time it will take.
7. Backup you app store encryption certificates/passwords – misplacing these can be a very painful learning experience as they cannot be recovered.
8. Test, test, test – nothing is ever 100% bug free but by thoroughly testing each function from end to end you’ll likely pick up most of the big ones. If you’re using URL redirection anywhere be sure that referral data is being passed along correctly.

Conclusion

Whereas on the desktop the temptation is to jam pack every pixel of white space with irrelevant junk, designing for mobile comes with its own set of constraints which force you to focus on the key features which really matter. This is a good thing but can be hard when a large number of stakeholders are involved. As the demand for mobile first products increases, so hopefully will understanding and thus design should improve across the board.

Related posts you might like:

1. Designing Emptiness
2. Tufte on iPhone Resolution

Book reviews are not usually my thing, but having recently finished Haruki Murakami’s epic three-volume novel, 1Q84, events conspired which were a little too coincidental to pass over. For those unfamiliar with Murakami’s work, he is one of Japan’s most famous authors whose work is humorous and surreal, often focusing on themes of alienation and loneliness. Many of his novels focus on the mundane lives of ordinary people who are suddenly catapulted into deranged circumstances.

Within the book one of the main characters, Tengo (天吾), reads a short story titled ‘Town of Cats’ while on the train to visit his ageing father who lives in a sanatorium. While the tale takes on a larger meaning within the context of Tengo’s estranged relationship with his father, it’s just as fantastical on its own and even more so when I found myself inside the story on recent train journey through New Taipei (新北)…

When the train left Tokyo Station, Tengo took out the paperback that he had brought along. It was an anthology of short stories on the theme of travel and it included a tale called “Town of Cats,” a fantastical piece by a German writer with whom Tengo was not familiar. According to the book’s foreword, the story had been written in the period between the two World Wars.

In the story, a young man is travelling alone with no particular destination in mind. He rides the train and gets off at any stop that arouses his interest. He takes a room, sees the sights, and stays for as long as he likes. When he has had enough, he boards another train. He spends every vacation this way.

One day, he sees a lovely river from the train window. Gentle green hills line the meandering stream, and below them lies a pretty little town with an old stone bridge. The train stops at the town’s station, and the young man steps down with his bag. No one else gets off, and, as soon as he alights, the train departs.

No workers man the station, which must see very little activity. The young man crosses the bridge and walks into the town. All the shops are shuttered, the town hall deserted. No one occupies the desk at the town’s only hotel. The place seems totally uninhabited. Perhaps all the people are off napping somewhere. But it is only ten-thirty in the morning, far too early for that. Perhaps something has caused all the people to abandon the town. In any case, the next train will not come until the following morning, so he has no choice but to spend the night here. He wanders around the town to kill time.

In fact, this is a town of cats. When the sun starts to go down, many cats come trooping across the bridge—cats of all different kinds and colors. They are much larger than ordinary cats, but they are still cats. The young man is shocked by this sight. He rushes into the bell tower in the center of town and climbs to the top to hide. The cats go about their business, raising the shop shutters or seating themselves at their desks to start their day’s work. Soon, more cats come, crossing the bridge into town like the others. They enter the shops to buy things or go to the town hall to handle administrative matters or eat a meal at the hotel restaurant or drink beer at the tavern and sing lively cat songs. Because cats can see in the dark, they need almost no lights, but that particular night the glow of the full moon floods the town, enabling the young man to see every detail from his perch in the bell tower. When dawn approaches, the cats finish their work, close up the shops, and swarm back across the bridge.

By the time the sun comes up, the cats are gone, and the town is deserted again. The young man climbs down, picks one of the hotel beds for himself, and goes to sleep. When he gets hungry, he eats some bread and fish that have been left in the hotel kitchen. When darkness approaches, he hides in the bell tower again and observes the cats’ activities until dawn. Trains stop at the station before noon and in the late afternoon. No passengers alight, and no one boards, either. Still, the trains stop at the station for exactly one minute, then pull out again. He could take one of these trains and leave the creepy cat town behind. But he doesn’t. Being young, he has a lively curiosity and is ready for adventure. He wants to see more of this strange spectacle. If possible, he wants to find out when and how this place became a town of cats.

On his third night, a hubbub breaks out in the square below the bell tower. “Hey, do you smell something human?” one of the cats says. “Now that you mention it, I thought there was a funny smell the past few days,” another chimes in, twitching his nose. “Me, too,” yet another cat says. “That’s weird. There shouldn’t be any humans here,” someone adds. “No, of course not. There’s no way a human could get into this town of cats.” “But that smell is definitely here.”

The cats form groups and begin to search the town like bands of vigilantes. It takes them very little time to discover that the bell tower is the source of the smell. The young man hears their soft paws padding up the stairs. That’s it, they’ve got me! he thinks. His smell seems to have roused the cats to anger. Humans are not supposed to set foot in this town. The cats have big, sharp claws and white fangs. He has no idea what terrible fate awaits him if he is discovered, but he is sure that they will not let him leave the town alive.

Three cats climb to the top of the bell tower and sniff the air. “Strange,” one cat says, twitching his whiskers, “I smell a human, but there’s no one here.”

“It is strange,” a second cat says. “But there really isn’t anyone here. Let’s go and look somewhere else.”

The cats cock their heads, puzzled, then retreat down the stairs. The young man hears their footsteps fading into the dark of night. He breathes a sigh of relief, but he doesn’t understand what just happened. There was no way they could have missed him. But for some reason they didn’t see him. In any case, he decides that when morning comes he will go to the station and take the train out of this town. His luck can’t last forever.

The next morning, however, the train does not stop at the station. He watches it pass by without slowing down. The afternoon train does the same. He can see the engineer seated at the controls. But the train shows no sign of stopping. It is as though no one can see the young man waiting for a train—or even see the station itself. Once the afternoon train disappears down the track, the place grows quieter than ever. The sun begins to sink. It is time for the cats to come. The young man knows that he is irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he is meant to be lost. It is another world, which has been prepared especially for him. And never again, for all eternity, will the train stop at this station to take him back to the world he came from.

Tengo read the story twice. The phrase “the place where he is meant to be lost” attracted his attention. He closed the book and let his eyes wander across the drab industrial scene passing by the train window. Soon afterward, he drifted off to sleep—not a long nap but a deep one. He woke covered in sweat. The train was moving along the southern coastline of the Boso Peninsula in midsummer.∗

To find the cat town for yourself first take a train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang Station (瑞芳車站). From here change to the Pingxi Line (平溪線) and get off at Houtong (侯硐貓村).

Although during the holidays you may find the area full of tourists there are some interesting small villages to check out along the route.

Related posts you might like:

1. Wuzhen – Ancient Canal Town
2. China Town
3. Lost in Hangzhou

As with learning to drive, you can’t just strap a tank on your back and jump in the water. There’s a considerable amount of theory you have to learn and practice to ensure you don’t end up hurting yourself (or worse). Some of this is done through text-book study and the rest through confined-water dives when you get to practice all the various skills required.

The deeper you dive, the higher the pressure exerted against your body and the air spaces it contains (ears, sinuses and lungs), meaning that you have to equalise as you descend to correct the pressure imbalance. Likewise, the amount of nitrogen your body absorbs increases with depth so you must be careful to keep this within reasonable limits to ensure your body can eliminate it without complications.

To avoid Decompression Illness (DCI) the key things to remember are to never hold your breath (which could cause lung over expansion injuries), always slowly ascend from every dive (no faster than 18 metres/minute), and dive well within the limits of dive tables and computers. It sounds quite scary but accidents are actually pretty easy to avoid as long as you’re careful and plan ahead.

Another key skill you’ll learn is to maintain neutral buoyancy underwater – that is, being able to float without sinking or rising, almost weightless like an astronaut. You do this by wearing lead weights and inflating/deflating a jacket called a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD). When you’re on dry land all this gear weighs a tonne (making is hard to walk) but once in the water you’ll hardly notice it.

After the first couple of dives you should hopefully have mastered the basics and can then begin to enjoy what you really came to see – the amazing aquatic environment with its abundance of exotic animals and plants. As a general rule of thumb: if it’s very pretty, very ugly, or it doesn’t flee from you – don’t touch it!

As my friend found out, the last thing you want is a close encounter with the spines of a sea urchin (he had to stick his foot in near boiling water for 30 mins afterwards to remove the poison).

While it was fun taking the course, it was actually quite a lot of work, with late nights each day taking tests and reviewing the study material. The exams are all multiple-choice and not particularly hard but important to make sure you dive safely. Once you pass you shouldn’t exceed depths of more than 18 metres (30 metres for experienced divers). The maximum depth I reached during my dives that week was 13 meters.

It’s hard to appreciate just how much life there is under the sea until you’ve been there – it was well beyond my expectations.

In order to avoid damage to the coral or other plants you should always try to stay off the bottom and tie back any dangling apparatus.

The area of Kenting we stayed in was right next to the sea and it was amazing to see just how connected most people’s lives there are to the water. It appeared most of the economy revolved around fishing and diving.

From the brightly coloured to the weird and wonderful – sea worms and snakes were a common sight. Although mostly harmless, I didn’t want to get too close to this fellow!

The sea temperature at this time of year ranged from around 24 – 27°C which was quite pleasant for up to about an hour in a wet suit.

Most divers carry an alternate inflator regulator which can be used by your buddy in the event that they run-out of air or experience an equipment malfunction. During practice it was quite scary to suddenly be unable to draw breath and quickly signal to your buddy to share air. It’s therefore important to stay close to each other at all times.

More strange-looking aquatic life – I wish I knew what it was all called.

Since light is absorbed by water it gets darker as you get deeper. Photographers have to use underwater lights to capture these sorts of vivid colours.

The creature above is called a nudibranch which is a type of sea slug. There are more than 3,000 known species and a marine biologist who was diving with us (and took all the photos here) thinks it may be new type unseen before.

I’m not sure where I’ll go diving next, but hopefully it wont be before too long. If you’re interested in diving in Kenting, the place I went is called U-Dive which is owned by a Canadian instructor so communication isn’t an issue.

Related posts you might like:

1. MUJI Design in Taiwan

For the majority of people who live and work in the commercial hub of Hong Kong, towards the south of the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island itself, visiting the New Territories is somewhat of a rarity – most people only ever pass through on their way to Shenzhen unless they have relatives living there.

Some areas along the border are “Closed Frontier Areas” designed to restrict illegal activities, of which Sha Tau Kok was one, although restrictions were eased in February this year making our trip possible. We decided to visit purely out of curiosity to see what was there!

Most of the Shau Tau Kok’s residents are from Hakka farming or Hoklo fishing backgrounds but due to the decline of these industries in the area over the last few decades, younger better educated generations have long moved to live and work in more urban areas of Hong Kong. Some of the remaining older generations live on in the villages, with families returning at festivals and holidays to spend time with them but the areas is clearly in serious decline.

Many of the traditional houses are empty and abandoned with nature being left to take its course. Above a rotten doorway gives way to an empty house filled with debris and hanging vines.

Although some of the houses have been cleared out you can still see the remains of items left behind by their previous residents.

Entering these premises is probably not recommended  since many of their ceilings and floors have collapsed.

We came across this old black and white tv on table open to the elements – an eery reminder that people were living here not that long ago.

Foliage is slowly regaining a foothold in every nook and cranny – concrete walls and floors are no match for mother nature.

Once house was particularly creepy with various trinkets and photos of ancestors still lining the peeling walls. It looked as if someone might almost be living there still, although maybe not of the walking and breathing kind!

A crumbling outhouse sits beneath a tree with broken pots lying scattered around – perhaps this was a latrine or part of a kitchen.

Further up the hill a school lies empty, having closed in 1998 (so a local told us). It doesn’t look like anyone plays basketball much here anymore.

The same theme continues everywhere with buildings at various stages of disrepair and ruin. While this might not be grade A listed heritage, it’s a shame to see it disappearing.

One of the few residents we came across didn’t seem to mind me taking her photo – I wondered what she thought about what’s happening to her village.

In another outhouse large dusty wicker baskets lay unused for who knows how long.

Some areas are still off-limits and due to the lack of human activity have become a thriving natural habitat for animals and plants. It reminded me of the DMZ between North and South Korea.

On the other side of the border fence, in contrast to the rotting buildings, you can see some of Shenzhen’s towering apartment blocks – a sharp reminder of China’s rapid rise.

You can reach Sha Tau Kok by public light bus no. 55k about 30 mins from outside Sheung Shui MTR Station.

Related posts you might like:

1. Wuzhen – Ancient Canal Town
2. China Town
3. A Walk Through Nantou

When people ask me what I do for a living I often struggle to explain myself – being a ‘Product Manager’ can mean a lot of different things but whether you’re building something physical like a car, or virtual like an app, a Product Manager has to be able to operate on multiple fronts to juggle business, technical, and creative demands.

Ryan Singer (of 37signals fame) recently wrote the best definition of Product Management I’ve seen so far:

“Managing the product” means deciding what we do to the product and then making it happen.

When you unpack that, it involves strategy (what is important to do?), resources (how much time can we spend on it?), managing development (what do we need to build in order to do it?), managing experience (how will it look and work, how does it integrate into what we already have?). And all of it with regard to the bottom line of the business. Given a strategy, resources we have, a user experience bar to uphold — given all that, what can we do and why is it worth doing?

Therefore a Product Manager has to be a generalist with diverse skills and the ability to successfully piece together a jigsaw puzzle from many (often conflicting) pieces which form the bigger picture. But how do you become a jack of all trades, master of many (as opposed to none)? Is it even possible?

While you don’t have to be a polymath or a Renaissance man to excel at Product Management (although it may help!), if you have a sound sense of intuition, good taste, focus and the ability to logically deconstruct problems then you’re well on your way.

On a daily basis I’ll be speaking with people from many areas – technical, editorial, design, marketing, sales, business development and somehow I have to pull all their and my ideas into something which is feasible and will generate the desired outcome. This can be interesting and exciting, but in big organisations there is a tendency to have to spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to keep competing egos happy which can become a major headache.

While there are many schools of thought about how you prioritise what to work on, it’s all to easy too get distracted by the deluge of requests which invariably come your way on a daily basis. To remain productive I’ve found it useful to constantly ask myself (and those making the requests) the following questions:

• Why are we doing this?
• What problems are we solving?
• Is this actually useful?
• Are we adding value?
• Will this change behaviour?
• Is there an easier way?
• What could we be doing instead?
• Is it really worth it?

Inspired by my experiences and some of the principles in REWORK (a must-read), I’ve tried to pull together a list of values a Product Manager should follow to be successful in a manifesto of sorts…

Product Managers strive to:

1. Build products which matter to others - by providing value that improves lives
2. Ignore “real world” constraints – they are just an excuse for not trying
3. Understand what people want - before they know they want it
4. Design for their users - make decisions based on user experience
5. Relentlessly simplify and streamline - focus on doing one thing really well
6. Build on what works - experiment, analyse, get feedback, iterate, improve
7. Be influenced but don’t steal – copycats follow instead of lead
8. Get into the habit of saying no by default – keep your priories straight
9. Build consensus and set expectations – under promise, over deliver
10. Create simple actionable plans - with assigned tasks and high-level milestones

For this to be more than just a fuzzy list I find it helpful to have it within eyeshot at all times in order to preempt straying from the path and remind myself of what’s important. This is a work in progress and I’ll try to update the above over time – feel free to leave a comment below to let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.∗