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Talking to Brian always works up my brain cells. We had a good three-hour chat on Skype tonight. Technology is a good thing.

While we were having some casual talk about religion and childraring practices, he brought up a practice by some parents from a book called Babywise. It literally broke my heart when he told me that someone he knows is following the teachings of that book, a book that instructs parents to treat babies as if they are mind-manipulating bastards, a book that goes against EVERYTHING modern science and research has told us NOT to do to a baby. It broke my heart not because the book exists, but rahter, that I kept on having an image in my head of a baby being treated the way the book instructs parents to treat him/her — how can any parent have the heart to do those things to an newborn infant!? It’s so distrubing on so many levels. And I wish there was something I can do for those poor babies.

People are blind when it comes to inaccurate information published in books — if it’s in print, it must be true. Or, is it?

For the first time in over seven months, Grace and I finally got a chance to eat out by ourselves while her mom stayed and home to babysit Bryan (well, he was already sleeping by then anyway). It was a refreshing experience I know we will get very few of.

One unrelated note: On the way to the restaurant, we saw a mother driving a luxury SUV with her child in the backseat watching a LCD monitor playing cartoon. I wonder if most parents are spending too much time and effort trying to keep their children pre-occupied with “stuff” instead of trying to get to know them, REALLY get to know them or bond with them with parent-child activities. Not too long ago, NPR had a guest from Sesame Workshop introducing their latest product, Sesame Beginnings, a DVD set for infans 6+ months to watch WITH the presence of parents. The rationale behind the production of the series, according to Sesame Workshop, is that their research showed that parents have been showing Sesame Street to young children even though the program was not produced with young children in mind. So they figured they might as well produce something more age appropriate for that age group. Makes sense, I guess.

The issue is, of course, how young is too young to get a child “hooked” on TV? This raised some serious concerns from some early childhood experts and educators. There simply weren’t enough studies to support or disprove either side’s arguements. To me, I see TV monitor and DVD players as another education medium. You shouldn’t abuse it. When used appropriately with careful measure, it can be as effective as a read-along electronic book (and there are TONS of those in the market today — more batteries down the drain).

Mark posted an article about waiters and how to tell someone’s personality from how this person treats waiters. The article is very interesting and made me recall my own experience as a waiter as well as how some people I have known have treated them. It’s probably a pretty good indicator of, not just personality, but if this person can be a true friend, someone who’d extend a helping hand when you are in deep shit (metaphorically speaking).

The article was based on a set of management rules developed by Bill Swanson, CEO of Raytheon Company, called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. Raytheon gives the booklet away for free in hope to inspire young people to become leaders. I placed an order for a copy but couldn’t wait for it to come in the mail. So I Googled and found this instead (taken from an article at CCG):

1. Learn to say, "I don’t know." If used when appropriate, it will be often.
2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.
3. If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
4. Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what’s there, but few can see what isn’t there.
5. Presentation rule: When something appears on a slide presentation, assume the world knows about it, and deal with it accordingly.
6. Work for a boss with whom you are comfortable telling it like it is. Remember that you can’t pick your relatives, but you can pick your boss.
7. Constantly review developments to make sure that the actual benefits are what they are supposed to be. Avoid Newton’s Law.
8. However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.
9. Persistence or tenacity is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties, discouragement, or indifference. Don’t be known as a good starter but a poor finisher.
10. In doing your project, don’t wait for others; go after them, and make sure it gets done.
11. Confirm your instructions and the commitments of others in writing. Don’t assume it will get done!
12. Don’t be timid; speak up. Express yourself, and promote your ideas.
13. Practice shows that those who speak the most knowingly and confidently often end up with the assignment to get it done.
14. Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports.
15. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.
16. Don’t overlook the fact that you are working for a boss.
    * Keep him or her informed. Avoid surprises!
    * Whatever the boss wants takes top priority.
17. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered business.
    * You must make promises. Don’t lean on the often-used phrase, "I can’t estimate it because it depends upon many uncertain factors."
18. Never direct a complaint to the top. A serious offense is to "cc" a person’s boss.
19. When dealing with outsiders, remember that you represent the company. Be careful of your commitments.
20. Cultivate the habit of "boiling matters down" to the simplest terms. An elevator speech is the best way.
21. Don’t get excited in engineering emergencies. Keep your feet on the ground.
22. Cultivate the habit of making quick, clean-cut decisions.
23. When making decisions, the “pros” are much easier to deal with than the “cons”. Your boss wants to see the “cons” also.
24. Don’t ever lose your sense of humor.
25. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.
26. Treat the name of the company as if it were your own.
27. Beg for the bad news.
28. You remember 1/3 of what you read, 1/2 of what people tell you, but 100% of what you feel.
29. You can’t publish a sneaker
30. When facing issues or problems that are becoming drawn-out, “short them to the ground.”
31. When faced with decisions, try to look at them as if you were one level up in the organization. Your perspective will change quickly.
32. A person who is nice to you but rude to others is not a nice person. (This rule never fails).
33. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, an amateur built an ark that survived a flood while a large group of professionals built the Titanic!

Additional rules from an interview in USA Today:

1. When in charge, be in charge. “When you get the key to the bus, it’s time to drive.”
2. Hold people to the highest standard or the organization will gravitate toward mediocrity.
3. When things go wrong, true leaders take responsibility and rectify a mistake with speed and passion. They take action that most people would find too hard.
4. If you are doing something and it doesn’t work, no one will care that it was done on cost and on schedule. If it works and exceeds expectations, no one will remember if it was late and overrun.

Good stuff.

Some dude in Canada has been using a paper clip to try to trade up to a house (eventually). He’s been doing a pretty good job at getting that goal… If you are into “MySpace”, this is him.

An excerpt from C | Net:

MacDonald, 26, currently lives in Montreal and has spent the last year doing odd jobs and traveling. But the project that began as a throwback to “bigger and better,” a game he and his friends played as children, has now become his full-time occupation. And it’s allowed him to spawn a Net cult following that’s hoping he’ll succeed. Popular blogs such as boingboing have been tracking his progress for months.

MacDonald’s trades have gone as follows:

• Paper clip for a fish-shaped pen
• Fish-shaped pen for a clay doorknob with a funny face on it
• Clay doorknob for a camping stove
• Stove for a generator
• Generator for an “instant party”
• Instant party for a snowmobile
• Snowmobile for an all-expenses-paid trip to Yahk, British Columbia
• Yahk trip for a panel van
• Van for a recording contract
• Recording contract for the year of free rent in Phoenix

Pretty crazy and GOOD idea!

via [News.com]

It’s crazy how nature never stops coming up with stuff that just stumps the best scientists of the day…

The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus uses the toughest glue on Earth to stick to river rocks, and now scientists are trying to figure out how to produce the stuff.

The adhesive can withstand an enormous amount of stress, equal to the force felt by a quarter with more than three cars piled on top of it. That’s two to three times more force than the best retail glues can handle.

The single-celled bacterium uses sugar molecules to stay put in rivers, streams, and water pipes, a new study found. It’s not clear how the glue actually works, however, but researchers presume some special proteins must be attached to the sugars.

“There are obvious applications since this adhesive works on wet surfaces,” said study leader Yves Brun, an Indiana University bacteriologist. “One possibility would be as a biodegradable surgical adhesive.”

Engineers could use the superior stickum too, Brun and colleagues say.

But making it has proved challenging. Like a mess of chewing gum, the gunk globs to everything, including the tools used to create it.

“We tried washing the glue off,” Brun said. “It didn’t work.”

Nuts!

Even though the scientists don’t know why it’s working the way it is working, I am glad they didn’t retreat to “Creationism” and give up….

Finally got all the paperwork from my accountant in NYC. It’s SOOO worth it to have a tax accountant to look into every possible way of saving money and get my max possible returns every year. I so don’t understand why some people still think they can save more money on taxes than the money they spend on a good tax accountant (ahem, you know who you are ). I mean, what can their $30 software know that a good tax accountant doesn’t know more about? And besides, a software can’t help you save what it doesn’t know. On the other hand, a good tax accountant can always put 2 and 2 together, ask follow up questions if he thinks additional savings can be itemized or simply being there to answer all the questions throughout the rest of the year on best practice to save money before the next tax season comes.

On the flip side, my corporate tax filing was late because stupid FedEx messed up. Either way, this is going to be another good year despite (or maybe because of?) my unemployment… My accountant never disappoints. He’s always come through even when I didn’t think I could get too much more out of the previous year’s return!!

For the most part, I don’t mind paying taxes because the United States still has great social services for its people. Brian used to tell me that he’s always glad to pay Austrian taxes because their social programs far outweight the high percentage of taxes he pays in Europe. Even though U.S. still has a lot to improve upon in some areas, but hey, things could be worse!

After having installed a couple of blog spam quarantine solutions, I finally decided it’s time to stop the spam bots to even have a chance to waste the server resource. So I went ahead and installed Anti-Spam Image plugin. Don’t get me wrong, I think Sebastian’s advise to install Spam Karma was an excellet idea (I only wished I’d listened sooner), but I hate the fact that those spam messages even got a chance to live in the database and waste my server’s resource to process them… Hopefully Anti-Spam Image will at least cut down on the spams from spam bots so that I can just deal with the less annoying spams manually…

It’s always inspiring to read about great people and their great stories. In Steve Wozniak’s case, it’s interesting to see how HP has stayed a stubborn and old-fashioned company since the 70s. HP could have been Apple (and there’d never be an Apple), but it screwed up…. Not that they’ll ever admit that they regret passing on Woz’s designs for the original Apple I and Apple II, but it’s pretty clear that some company cultures stink and will always stay that way…

Excerpt from an article:

On the eve of its long-delayed China launch, BlackBerry is facing a sudden challenge from a cheaper Chinese rival called, unapologetically, RedBerry.

The new service, aimed squarely at BlackBerry, was launched this month by China Unicom Ltd., the state-controlled telecommunications giant that ranks as China’s second-biggest mobile operator.

The new RedBerry service could pose a major challenge to Research in Motion Ltd., which is planning to launch BlackBerry in China by the end of next month. Its China launch has been delayed by two years of negotiations and regulatory obstacles, and RedBerry has now been introduced ahead of it.

Wow… Sweet! Chinese businessmen’s got to be one of the most “innovative” and “honest” people in the world… Innovative in stealing and coming up with original names for products they stole and honest in having no shame in doing it. I look forward to having such a great country and people to lead the world into the next century. I get excited just thinking about it! Woohoo!

C|Net has an interesting article on companies using organic methods to repel or eliminate undesired bugs for argricultural purposes. Great idea!

Organic biopesticides comprise only a small fraction of the overall $30 billion pesticide market, but they are growing rapidly–22 percent a year thanks to technological, regulatory and market forces. By 2010, biopesticides could account for more than $1 billion in revenues, according to some estimates. Other companies in the field include Valent Biosciences, Suterra, Certis and Nutra Park.

The business has come a long way from previous years when biopesticide scientists were viewed as modern-day snake oil salesmen. A number of start-ups formed in the 1990s were based on sound science from university labs but cratered in the dot-com meltdown.

AgraQuest, which has $10 million in annual sales today, was one of many companies that, back then, canceled plans to go public. But now new investors such as Texas Pacific Group Ventures are aiming to rapidly grow the company’s revenue by expanding relationships with farmers and retail outlets like Wal-Mart.

To maximize agricultural production, pesticides are not going away. But instead of using harmful chemicals, leveraging nature against nature is probably the best and sustainable way to go! I mean, how much longer will it take for those commerical chemicals to reach a level where all food chains are contaminated with them that we won’t be able to eat anything without dying from one disease or another caused by the chemicals?

Grace was feeling sick on Sunday. I got a box of oranges at Safeway and one of those manual juicers from Longs. I came home and started juicing. It was a fun experience at first until my wriests started to get really sored.

It turns out that a box of oranges at $5 produces about 2.5 liters of fresh juice (with lots of pulp though, but we like it that way; also, give or take a few ounces because I added two grapefruits for flavor). I used to think those 2.5-liter “not from concentrate” cartons of juice were expensive at $3. But the economy of scale really demonstrated itself in this simple juicing experiment.

But I guess I really can’t buy the notion of “freshness” straight from my own kitchen… Maybe this whole excercise would be more worthwhile if the oranges were organic or something when Bryan is old enough to drink orange juice…

Shopping for baby products can be an frustrating experience sometimes. The market is flooded with inferior (and sometimes just plain dangerous) products with extremely poor designs. Just about the only thing good about these products is their price — they are all dirt cheaply made in the great manufacturing capital of the world, China.

Because of that reason, I am always on the look out for great designs priced for everybody. Not having visited Daddytypes for a few months, I hopped over to the site and found an article mentioning the Orbit Baby Infant System. It’s a company founded by a couple of Stanford grads with ideas to make transporting babies safer. Great ideas with a good cause, I thought. The design is delicious and the concepts look wonderful… Wonderful until I saw the price, that is. At about $900 a pop, this “safe and good looking” product is effectively priced out of reach for most working class parents.

That’s what I don’t understand about innovative products like Bugaboo or the Orbit Baby. Do the rules of economics not apply to those systems? Can they not find an equilibrium where they can manufacturer something innovative and affordable all at the same time? I mean, it’s not like there are no substitutes out there! Why can’t there be an Apple in the baby products market? Why can’t there be a Target supermarket for babies?

Now that I Know how much the Orbit System costs, I feel like a snob just by drooling at the pictures. Is it true that maybe the manufacturing cost is just so high on such a well-made and designed system that the product can be justifies at that price point? Or is it simply a “Stanford” thing that it’s OK to be snobs because this is the Bay Area where most people make lots of money from the high-tech industry anyway and can afford to spend that kind of money? Maybe the profit-making scheme is blinding their noble objective to make the safest baby transpotation system? Or maybe they think being safe should always come at a price (only the rice should be able to survive a crash in their system)? I just don’t get it.

Maybe more classes in economics will help me see the world more clearly.

Blah… Just another rant from a financially strained parent…