Today, most operating systems have become very stable that they can run many days without crashing, but Toyota’s cars, famous for quality and dependability, are crashing left and right, even after re-call service.  Even though Toyota claims it is mechanical problem, but people widely speculates that it is a software bug from dozens of micro-chips in the car.  The computer joke is creeping into my Camry now.

Nonetheless, I think the trend of increased computer use in automobiles will continue.  Ten years in the future, after numerous trials and errors, those software bugs will be worked out and safety laws will enforce software safety requirements.  Another ten years later, because software-controlled cars are so common place and the computer can drive so much faster and safer, some super highways might allow computer-drivers or computer-assisted driving only, like some sci-fi movies.

Meanwhile, "driving one of these suspect Toyotas raises your chances of dying in a car crash over the next two years from .01907 percent (that’s 19 one-thousandths of 1 percent, when rounded off) to .01935 percent (also 19 one-thousandths of one percent)", so I will continue driving my Camry, learn how to stop a gone-wild Camry, and prepare to enjoy the unexpected thrill.

It is already difficult to stop Chinese from smoking (the leading cause of death, more than environmental caused cancer) due to the social environment.  It is probably harder to erase their demand for something related to health, unless their cultural identities are changed.  It reminds me the human organ market, originating from Israel.

The video link provided in the article is in Chinese.  It argues that the farms are helping preserve tigers, incurring a cost of millions of dollars a year for feeding 1500 in the largest farm in Guilin.  After more than 18 years in operation, it seeks economic sustainability by tapping tigers from natural death (aging and fighting).

It seems to me that might be reasonable, but transparency and supervision are required.  I also need to think through the numbers to see if it makes sense.

That caused me to think some social issues. First, China has a problem with preferring boys over girls. Because of deep cultural tradition and perception of a son over daughter in elderly care, parents want to have boys. But when the boys grow up, there too many boys, and they need girls to get married. What if, with the switch of a gene, the hospital switch the gender of babies when they are little. When they grow up, they switch back, so everyone is happy. It is just like some of the fish which can “switch sexes at times when there is a scarcity of either males or females”.

Second, what if we turn on FoxL2 in male? Will that turn off Sox9 gene and testosterone in male, turning man into woman? It is a fact that, compared to women, men are predominantly the aggressors in the society, causing various social problems (crimes, wars, etc.). Rather than keeping men in prison, what if we give them a gene therapy, just turn off their Sox9? Is this a humane solution?

Certainly, there are broader considerations for both of these solutions. The China population issue, the real solution might be to give people real insurance when they grow old, and to change the cultural view on girls. For the crime solution, education might be more fundamental than mere gender switch.

I have a few additional thoughts on Buffet’s idea.  First, the 1-for-1 ratio is too dramatic to get started.  We can think the ratio as a continuum from the current actual ratio to the target ratio of 1-for-1.  Thus, at the beginning, we can start issuing ICs comparable the current trade deficit ratio.  With a target date when the trade balance should be achieved, say 5 years, we adjust the ratio month-by-month gradually toward the 1-for-1 target.

Second, different countries may have different deficit ratio now.  We can let the beginning ratio to be specific to each country, while keeping the same pace for merging into the target ratio.

Third, we can have an even gentler ramp-up period, where we start the ICs ratio equal to the previous period’s deficit statistics.  When the deficit reduce, we continue to adjust the ratio, but never adjust with any deficit increases.  When the market is warmed up to the ICs, say in a year, we start the time clock to drive the ratio towards our 1-for-1 target.

Generally speaking, phase change from mediocrity to excellence requires extraordinary inputs, which we often describe as inspiration, commitment, focus, perseverance, talent, etc..  Money per se, without intrinsic value to our life or sense of calling, cannot create such brilliant and consistent energy, except for desire of shortcuts planted into our mind by external influences.

There are two general human drives that can create such commitment and perseverance.  First, you are very poor physically or psychologically, and your survival instinct drives you to extraordinary height, often with some luck elements as in the surviver bias.  Second, you have a comfortable life with no distractions, and you found the passion of your life, which makes you unstoppable.  In success or failure, you charge on, completely obsorbed.

Let us call the first kind of drive the drive of survival, the second the drive of calling.  An ideal society should eliminate its average citizens the drive of survival and provide an environment for the drive of calling.  However, the path to the drive of calling remains squarely in the hands of each individual.

1. Password protection (software)
2. Chinese display support (software): UTF-8
3. Content organization support (software): folder or tagging
4. Shortcut setup (software): supports jumping around among several relevant materials across contents in the library
5. Paper version and kindle version bundle (business model): classics needs both paper version for reference and kindle version for reading
6. Tactical navigation (hardware): horizontal slider or touch-sensitive stripe below the screen (next to the progress bar) with a simple, small, and responsive digital display similar to a dumb watch to indicate location in the reading or list.