How Do Fish Swim in Schools?

(9/18/2013) When I was in the army in Taiwan, I always wondered how clumsy we are to form an array without being shouted. Human are not that well coordinated. I always wonder how fish or birds swim or fly in school so swiftly. Now the science may find the answer: it is in the genes. When I watched BBC's documentary - Blue Planet, I realized that this is small fish's survival strategy. If we see the whole school of fish (instead of individual fish) as an entity, then swimming in schools will guarantee the maximal amount of survivals after being attacked by predators. Are we human beings the same as fish? Can we survive without cooperating with others?

The Odds of Winning Powerball lottery

(9/17/2013) I love this article - when is the best time to buy lottery. But do we follow its advice? Or most lottery buyers simply believe they will win one day? If you don't have time to read the whole article, here is the conclusion:

1. The expected value for the cash-up front Powerball winnings is always negative. It will never make sense to take the money up front, whether you believe the linear model or the polynomial model. 
2.  The expected value for the annuity, however, is break-even when the jackpot exceeds $345 million in the linear participation model and $380 million in the polynomial model. Since the polynomial model seems more accurate at higher jackpots, go with that one. 
3.  Taxes will probably mean that it is never profitable or sensible to play the lottery. So if you do play, try to minimize them. 

This calculation is only part of all analysis needed. The article has more complete analysis.

Innovations Inspired by Nature

(9/13/2013) Have you heard of biomimicry? Some of the most important inventions are inspired by our Mother Nature: Velcro, water collector in desert? Bloomberg has a report about 14 inventions we learn from nature. I found another news saying that the planthopper insects have GEARS in their legs, which help them hop. Stay observant!

Namibian beetle and water collector in desert.

Planthopper's legs

Bring Your Parents to Work

(9/12/2013) Should you bring your parents to work? For the millennials, their parents are playing a more important role in the children's career. Now some companies have held social event like "bring your parents to work". Personally, I am OK with it. But taking your parents to job interview? That is a little bit over the top.

 

Google+ Add New Sophisticated Photo Editing

(9/12/2013) Even with many advanced point-and-shoot camera, we are not always satisfied with the pictures we take. To improve and photo-editing the pictures, Adobe Photoshop or Apple's Aperture are our major choices. Google+ will add many good photo-editing functions on it for Chrome browser users. Though it won't form direct threat to Photoshop & Aperture soon, Google+ probably will attract many average photographers like me. Another cloud computing example.

 

Bigger is Always Better?

(9/9/2013) Is bigger in business always better? In many industries, main players seek to grow bigger to gain cost leverage (Economy of Scale) or synergy while merging with other business. For some, like Microsoft (NYT), it might have been grown too big. Microsoft is not just the leader in the PC operating system and office software. Microsoft is almost in every corner of technology landscape: Bing search engine, Xbox game consoles and games, Skype in VOIP phone call, Windows phone operations system, and now they will manufacture smartphone hardwares too. This New York Time analysis points out that Microsoft is so big that it may not be able to find a CEO who can really turn this company around. Read more for their analysis.

Microsoft's Sloppy History of Purchase

(9/3/2013) One dot in the figure does not make a trend. What if you have many dots?

You probably know that Microsoft pays $7B to purchase Nokia's handset unit to enter the smartphone marketplace. Yes, it's too early to say whether it is a "good buy." An recent news says the market share of Windows based phone in Europe is growing strong. But if we look back to its history, Microsoft's purchases often don't turn out as pretty as they have wished. Will Microsoft change its bad reputation as a series business spoiler? Well, let us see who will be the next CEO of Microsoft.