Kaiwen Blog 凯文的博客

One possible outcome, of course, is that Google pulls out of China.  Then there is not much more to talk about.  What if, what if Google does not at the end, wow, what a power move in negotiation and PR stunt.  Talking about the difference between the thread of force and the use of force, starting with no.  Google now has gained the world’s attention, again (outside of the largest Internet user base of China, of course).

But even when Google stays, it needs another power to succeed in China, the power of focus.  China is a primary market in its own right, flock of people and businesses are thinking everyday how to succeed and survive there, purely thinking in Chinese.  Google sure can thrive in the US with all its top PhD talents single-mindedly pursuing product perfection, but can the same products succeed just by putting on a different resource bundle (tech term for user interface in another language)?

It is a given that people living in China think differently from those in America, but not that different and quite understandable if you give it enough thought and are willing to use all available and ethical means.  My proposal number one is that Google partners with Microsoft in China.  As far as I know, Windows (not Mac OS or Linux) is the OS in China, critical for MSN messenger to get a foot hold amid vast users of QQ.  Yes, you are fierce competitors everywhere else, as with Apple and Yahoo, but in China, it makes sense that you two (yes, you Google and Microsoft) work together.

I have not thought through the upside for Microsoft, so my proposal number two is that Google should make China the primary market of the upcoming Chrome OS.  It is free and it is all about online applications (including online games).

to be continued: champion of green tech and none pornography

Recently I stumbled upon an enlightening presentation given by a Stanford Business School professor Chip Heath on the topic of what makes ideas stick.

He first asked the audience if anyone has heard that the only man-made structure visible to the eyes in outer space is the Great Wall of China. Many people raised their hands. He then said he was originally fooled by this urban legend himself too! Yes, the Great Wall is very long, but it’s also not very wide. So if it is visible from outer space, any 8-lane highway will do.

Professor Heath’s point is, without advertising budget and coordinated marketing effort, urban legends are able to stick to many people’s mind and spread far away. How can we learn from them to create messages for something as meaningful as helping countless children in poor areas of China? Professor Heath described the SUCCES formula in the book “Made to Stick” he co-authored with his brother Dan Heath. SUCCES stands for Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Story.

On the authors’ website, they provided some supporting materials for the book.  One of their handy PDF readings mentions the message from the Girl Effect organization:

“The world is a mess. Poverty. AIDS. Hunger. War. So what else is new?
What if there were an unexpected solution that could turn this sinking
ship around? Would you even know it if you saw it? It’s not the
internet. It’s not science. It’s not the government. It’s not money…”

Go to http://www.girleffect.org to find out what that is!

I believe both girleffect and CTEF focus on helping the children in need to become successful world citizens of the future. As CTEF has focused its effort on China’s poor rural areas, meaningful results are everywhere on its website and keep coming in all the time. By the way, my definition of a successful world citizen has 3 criteria:

* They are self-confident and self-reliant. They have faith in themselves and their future.
* They have empathy and respect for others. They care and unite others.
* They understand the world enough so that they know what will bring them true happiness and fulfillment. They know what they want, and know that when they relentlessly pursue their goals they’re also making the society better, better for their own future, for their family, and for everyone.

I want to work on my little definitions to make them meet the SUCCES criteria. I can definitely pick up tons of concrete examples from all the works done by CTEF.

We have 3 levels of potential disasters: level 1 within our body (virus, genes), level 2 among ourselves (social break-down, war), level 3 beyond us (natural disasters).

Stories and movies have been rehearsing many of these possibilities in our consciousness (virus break out, wars, alien invasion, end of the world, etc.). However, all rehearsals are missing effective and systematic approaches to solutions. We depend on ourselves to avoid mistakes that lead to level 2 and ignite level 1/3 before they happen. We rehearse ourselves to prepare for and save ourselves from all 3 levels.

Both level 1 and 3 disasters have the potential to invoke level 2. To prevent level 2, using the power of identity is more effective than the power of consequence. Refer to The Power of Fear and Texas driver in the Made to Stick book.

We empower ourselves when our knowledge is holographic, as each individual knows all major knowledge, like each cell contains the genetic information for the whole body.

Education: use history as the main theme for introducing systems of knowledges.

The proliferation of electronic gadgets and their features have exploded in recent years and will only increase in the future: iPhone/iPod, Android, Blackberry, digital photo frames/cameras, etc. However, it is difficult to find one that is exactly what I want: music, video, phone, watch, multi-lingual, book, camera, lightweight, adaptable, long battery, etc. What I want is not a single physical device, but device systems with connectors and modules to combine and transform for different uses.

First of the 2 key elements of the system is connectors. They should have the following requirements:

* interchangeable, provides durable and standardized physical (several sizes) and electronic signal connections.
* each contains re-chargeable battery to supply power to attached module.
* provides secure and fool-proof wireless signals among paired modules (wifi, bluetooth, or wireless-USB).  They can pair up by physical connection and press of a button.  When the indicator lights steady, the shared secret key is established.
* stackable battery charging.
* interchangable for easy swap.

Second of the key elements of the system is modules. They can meet the following goals:

* provides different functions
* allows customized designs
* interchangable, provides data duplication and redundancy
* each module might have its own local software or logic to process data before sending out
* every feature of the current gadgets can be an independent module: CPU unit, storage, display, inputs, GPS, camera/camcorder lens, audio I/O, cell phone signal, etc.

Let me describe a scenario. I will start with 3 pieces of modules: a CPU unit, a data storage unit, and a cellphone connection unit. They are physically attached together with the connectors, safely stowed in a zipped pocket. Externally, I have a few separate displays connected wirelessly: 1 touch screen, 1 e-ink display, 1 on my watch, and 1 pico projector. I also have a few wireless input devices, including a simple keyboard, 1 multi-lingual keyboard with specialized logic, and 1 writing pad with stroke recognition. I can choose to physically attach the writing pad with the e-ink display during commute, but actual data goes into the CPU unit, stored in the storage unit, and synchronized to the cloud and a backup unit at home with the cellphone connection unit. When I travel, I can bring a lens unit, bound with a GPS and an image process unit. When I run out of battery, I can stack them together to charge at the same time (including wireless charge), swap, or turn off wireless and combine them physically.

I think the current technology is capable to do this now, think the size of eye-fi SD cards and device batteries. All they need to do is to adjust their design philosophy. Do not try to have every feature on a single device. The key is a connector design with the requirements mentioned above.

On new year’s eve, I migrated my web site server and started this new blog.  Wish the world a better place in 2009, my friends more moments with happiness, my family ever closer in the heart , and myself a better person.