Reading this article on sleep deprivation makes me think I was a lot quicker mentally than I am now. Since I was little, like many children, my bedtime was mandated by my parents. Even up till high-school, I was rarely up past 11pm as my mother had a policy against me using the computer by barbarically pulling the computer's power plug out of the socket.
It wasn't until university that I really started shorting myself on sleep. The combination of freedom, high speed broadband, and difficult courses meant long hours studying and taking recreational time when I can. It wasn't really conducive to most social activities. It wasn't until second year that I finally let go of trying to do it all and started playing games instead of work. The lack of sleep killed me until I finally stopped going to classes. Luckily, my fundamental knowledge helped me maintain a decent GPA.
That lifestyle still took a toll on me though. My mental energies, whenever there were any spare from studying, was dedicated to finding new ways to break the game system, to eke out some advantage. While the hours of sleep were there, they were inconsistent, and the quality of sleep remain low. As a result, a lot of what I accomplished was less spectacular than what I did in high school.
I think that was when I decided to start really focusing on acquiring knowledge. In order to be recognized as intelligent, you need to be either quick-witted or knowledgable. Knowing that my mental reactions were shot from the lack of sleep I inflicted upon myself, I decided to acquire as much knowledge as possible. This is part of the reason why I learn: to be considered intelligent.
This article I think reinforces what I suspected since university. That I really should sleep more in order for my mental speed not to deteriorate. I've since lost my calculation speed that helped me win math competitions, but I think the knowledge base of several major topics was a good enough trade-off for me.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Fracking, Bubbles, and the American Dream
As I sit here reading the Economist, a story about hydralic fracturing prompted my interest. In the story, it compared modern day "fracking" and the gold rush of California. And the parallels are there: the rush towards a previously frontier land, the excessive number of men in such areas, and the overall rowdiness that such environments draw up.
More importantly, the comparison goes further, that it transforms the perception of the American dream. Whereas the Puritans accumulated wealth in a step-by-step gradual manner, the gold rush miners dreamed of striking it rich instantly, "won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck". Failure in the Puritans view "connoted weakness of will or defect of soul". The loss of capital was seen as a moral defect and the accumulation of wealth by thrift and hard work was seen as godly. The gold rush instead taught the lesson that it was "expected to gamble, and to fail, and to gamble again".
Likewise, the start-up technology bubble at the turn of the century gave rise to such an environment as well. Silicon valley at the time created a rush towards any company with Internet in its business plan and companies were not content with anything less than making instantly millionaires. This was exacerbated by the increasing instant awareness brought on by the fledging Internet news sites.
Fast-forward a couple of years, past the dot-com boom and bust and the great recession, and here we are again. Since the IPO of Facebook, the buying of Instagram and Tumblr, more and more companies are aiming for instant wealth. The strategy of failing is again in full force, with Internet tech news sites such as TechCrunch, AllThingsD and Hackernews publishing the successes to spur on wannabe entrepreneurs to aim big or go home. Very rarely does any company grow organically more serving a niche audience before moving to the mainstream. Like the gold rush, only a few companies eventually survive and prosper; the majority of companies barely make ends meet, if they make ends meet at all. The start-up industry, as with the gold rush, becomes little more than a casino of sorts.
What is the takeaway from this comparison? In the story, it remarks that the California Gold Rush is what spurred the technological domination of Silicon Valley. Leland Stanford grew rich off the gold rush by creating the railroads, who then founded Stanford. This led to the engineers who started tech firms in Silicon Valley and its subsequent rise of technological and economical superiority. Likewise, North Dakota may also follow this path in the future.
Unlike the found wealth of primary resources like gold and oil, the start-up bubble is not tied to a geographical location. The main "geographical location" to benefit is the Internet, where supporting industries such as virtualized cloud hosting have sprung up to take advantage of this boom. Rather than a steady industry which may profit and grow individual communities, the start-up culture has become a casino where fortunes may be made or lost in a very short amount of time. Easy come, easy go.
More importantly, the comparison goes further, that it transforms the perception of the American dream. Whereas the Puritans accumulated wealth in a step-by-step gradual manner, the gold rush miners dreamed of striking it rich instantly, "won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck". Failure in the Puritans view "connoted weakness of will or defect of soul". The loss of capital was seen as a moral defect and the accumulation of wealth by thrift and hard work was seen as godly. The gold rush instead taught the lesson that it was "expected to gamble, and to fail, and to gamble again".
Likewise, the start-up technology bubble at the turn of the century gave rise to such an environment as well. Silicon valley at the time created a rush towards any company with Internet in its business plan and companies were not content with anything less than making instantly millionaires. This was exacerbated by the increasing instant awareness brought on by the fledging Internet news sites.
Fast-forward a couple of years, past the dot-com boom and bust and the great recession, and here we are again. Since the IPO of Facebook, the buying of Instagram and Tumblr, more and more companies are aiming for instant wealth. The strategy of failing is again in full force, with Internet tech news sites such as TechCrunch, AllThingsD and Hackernews publishing the successes to spur on wannabe entrepreneurs to aim big or go home. Very rarely does any company grow organically more serving a niche audience before moving to the mainstream. Like the gold rush, only a few companies eventually survive and prosper; the majority of companies barely make ends meet, if they make ends meet at all. The start-up industry, as with the gold rush, becomes little more than a casino of sorts.
What is the takeaway from this comparison? In the story, it remarks that the California Gold Rush is what spurred the technological domination of Silicon Valley. Leland Stanford grew rich off the gold rush by creating the railroads, who then founded Stanford. This led to the engineers who started tech firms in Silicon Valley and its subsequent rise of technological and economical superiority. Likewise, North Dakota may also follow this path in the future.
Unlike the found wealth of primary resources like gold and oil, the start-up bubble is not tied to a geographical location. The main "geographical location" to benefit is the Internet, where supporting industries such as virtualized cloud hosting have sprung up to take advantage of this boom. Rather than a steady industry which may profit and grow individual communities, the start-up culture has become a casino where fortunes may be made or lost in a very short amount of time. Easy come, easy go.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
A post for new international students
I understand a bit how challenging it can be to come overseas and start a new life for school. The lack of income and everything else stacks up. Here are some tips in order to get you on track.
1. You have no credit history.
This affects more than you would think. First off, getting a phone plan will be harder as you will most likely be hit with a deposit charge. This is usually around $500 dollars, which will be returned to you after 1 year. Likewise, any other purchase that involve contracts may also require you to put a deposit. You will not be able to sign up for a credit card because you will likely have no income while in school.
Short term solution: Pay the deposits and get your phone and other essentials. This is a cost that will be returned to you after 1 year.
Long term solution: Start building credit. When you sign up for a local bank account, ask if there are any secured credit cards. This is a credit card that has a deposit that is held for one year. This way, banks are okay with lending to you because it is backed by collateral. Note that these credit cards usually involve around a $50 annual fee ($45 for Bank of America). You will be able to switch to no annual fee credit cards after one year.
2. Social Security Number
Get a social security number as soon as possible. This will allow you to more easily slide into an internship. They might ask you to provide a SSN when you get the internship. It is not the end of the world if you don't have one, it just makes the exchange a little bit more awkward. In order to get a SSN, you need a job. The only jobs that are available to first-year F-1 students are campus jobs. There are several ways to get it, including working in career services, marketing, research assistants and teaching assistants.
3. Asian Food Options
This is more noticeable for Asian students from more global cities. There are only a few restaurants in Baltimore that has Asian food, but all are mediocre at best. There is a small Chinese market (I wouldn't call it a supermarket) called Potung Trading in downtown Baltimore. Students get 10% discount if you show your Hopkins card. In Baltimore, the state of the differents types of cuisine that can be found in Baltimore:
Chinese: Bad - Mostly American Chinese
Vietnam: Bad - Only one
Korean: Good - two restaurants within Baltimore near Penn Station. Not too safe at night
Thai: Excellent - readily accessible. Stang of Siam, Thai Arroy and My Thai are the best three.
Japanese: Good - but expensive
India: Good - a number of selections but they are mediocre.
Others: Hard to find.
Most of restaurants and supermarkets are outside Baltimore in the suburbs. You will need a car or a friend with a car to get there. I will list them in another post for your google pleasure.
4. Ask for help
Reach out to alumni, especially GMBA alumni, as they know exactly where you've been. Do not be afraid. If they have trouble fulfilling your request, they will let you know. If you wish to ask a question, send a message to KingYip@jhu.edu.
1. You have no credit history.
This affects more than you would think. First off, getting a phone plan will be harder as you will most likely be hit with a deposit charge. This is usually around $500 dollars, which will be returned to you after 1 year. Likewise, any other purchase that involve contracts may also require you to put a deposit. You will not be able to sign up for a credit card because you will likely have no income while in school.
Short term solution: Pay the deposits and get your phone and other essentials. This is a cost that will be returned to you after 1 year.
Long term solution: Start building credit. When you sign up for a local bank account, ask if there are any secured credit cards. This is a credit card that has a deposit that is held for one year. This way, banks are okay with lending to you because it is backed by collateral. Note that these credit cards usually involve around a $50 annual fee ($45 for Bank of America). You will be able to switch to no annual fee credit cards after one year.
2. Social Security Number
Get a social security number as soon as possible. This will allow you to more easily slide into an internship. They might ask you to provide a SSN when you get the internship. It is not the end of the world if you don't have one, it just makes the exchange a little bit more awkward. In order to get a SSN, you need a job. The only jobs that are available to first-year F-1 students are campus jobs. There are several ways to get it, including working in career services, marketing, research assistants and teaching assistants.
3. Asian Food Options
This is more noticeable for Asian students from more global cities. There are only a few restaurants in Baltimore that has Asian food, but all are mediocre at best. There is a small Chinese market (I wouldn't call it a supermarket) called Potung Trading in downtown Baltimore. Students get 10% discount if you show your Hopkins card. In Baltimore, the state of the differents types of cuisine that can be found in Baltimore:
Chinese: Bad - Mostly American Chinese
Vietnam: Bad - Only one
Korean: Good - two restaurants within Baltimore near Penn Station. Not too safe at night
Thai: Excellent - readily accessible. Stang of Siam, Thai Arroy and My Thai are the best three.
Japanese: Good - but expensive
India: Good - a number of selections but they are mediocre.
Others: Hard to find.
Most of restaurants and supermarkets are outside Baltimore in the suburbs. You will need a car or a friend with a car to get there. I will list them in another post for your google pleasure.
4. Ask for help
Reach out to alumni, especially GMBA alumni, as they know exactly where you've been. Do not be afraid. If they have trouble fulfilling your request, they will let you know. If you wish to ask a question, send a message to KingYip@jhu.edu.
A list of restaurants in Baltimore
Elicott City
Hmart (*****) - A supermarket specializing in Korean food, but has some other East Asia food. It is the go-to place for Asian groceries
Honey Pig (****) - A 24 hour Korean BBQ joint that is a favourite of Carey GMBAs
Hunan Taste (****) - Decent Chinese food, mostly Hunan food.
Pho Saigon (****) - Best Pho place outside of Arlington/DC.
East Baltimore
Haha Food Market (***) - A supermarket specializing in Chinese foodstuffs. A bit dirtier than Hmart. Has a small Roast Duck/Pork shop.
Glen Burnie/Odenton
Grace Garden (*****) - A darling of the chowhound/online review sites, it is an excellent restaurant, if a bit out of the way.
Rockville
AJ Restaurant (*****)- Northern Chinese food and beef noodle soup. Affordable and good. Best bargain restaurant.
Bob's Noodle (****)- a Taiwanese restaurant that is affordable
Great Wall Supermarket (*****)- One of the many supermarkets in Rockville, this is the biggest and cleanest one. Specializes in Chinese foodstuffs
Dim Sum Places
There are so few Dim Sum places that are decent I list it all here. They are good, but most major city will be better.
Oriental East - Silver Spring - The closest one, but frequently super busy. Opens at 11:00am on weekends, and you have to line up before 10:40 to get a seat in the first seating.
China Garden - Rosslyn - Located in Rosslyn. Food is good, but service is usually overworked and always busy. More Cantonese than Oriental East.
Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant - Falls Church - Decor not as nice as other places. Food was better than other places. Food has a more Hong Kong/ Cantonese flavor.
Mark's Duck House - Falls Church - Another darling of the Internet review boards, the Roast Duck is the major attraction here.
Hmart (*****) - A supermarket specializing in Korean food, but has some other East Asia food. It is the go-to place for Asian groceries
Honey Pig (****) - A 24 hour Korean BBQ joint that is a favourite of Carey GMBAs
Hunan Taste (****) - Decent Chinese food, mostly Hunan food.
Pho Saigon (****) - Best Pho place outside of Arlington/DC.
East Baltimore
Haha Food Market (***) - A supermarket specializing in Chinese foodstuffs. A bit dirtier than Hmart. Has a small Roast Duck/Pork shop.
Glen Burnie/Odenton
Grace Garden (*****) - A darling of the chowhound/online review sites, it is an excellent restaurant, if a bit out of the way.
Rockville
AJ Restaurant (*****)- Northern Chinese food and beef noodle soup. Affordable and good. Best bargain restaurant.
Bob's Noodle (****)- a Taiwanese restaurant that is affordable
Great Wall Supermarket (*****)- One of the many supermarkets in Rockville, this is the biggest and cleanest one. Specializes in Chinese foodstuffs
Dim Sum Places
There are so few Dim Sum places that are decent I list it all here. They are good, but most major city will be better.
Oriental East - Silver Spring - The closest one, but frequently super busy. Opens at 11:00am on weekends, and you have to line up before 10:40 to get a seat in the first seating.
China Garden - Rosslyn - Located in Rosslyn. Food is good, but service is usually overworked and always busy. More Cantonese than Oriental East.
Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant - Falls Church - Decor not as nice as other places. Food was better than other places. Food has a more Hong Kong/ Cantonese flavor.
Mark's Duck House - Falls Church - Another darling of the Internet review boards, the Roast Duck is the major attraction here.
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