Just finished the API book on Safari Online.
This book goes into the business side of the API as a strategy for businesses and touched on some aspects of the technical side of the implementation like security, authentication, load balancing and etc. It opens up my eyes how the Google Map API, Twitter and other seemingly free on-line services are powering the internet. And you can even make money out of it like Netflix and Amazon API are doing. I was surprised by how many of the developers out there are taking in all these services (like NY Times) and re-packaging into something creative and useful to the end users (like NPR). It’s like an ecosystems that feeds on itself. Nice.
Monthly Archives: December 2012
Book Review: “Designing Embedded Systems” by John Catsoulis
I read this book on Safari Online – great technical resource. This book serves a good refresher for me in the system design discipline. I’ve done a lot of computer system designs but I’m not exposed to the arena of embedded designs. So I’ve learned a few new things and got a taste of what it’s like to do embedded designs that go into most of the appliances. Due to the volume and competitive nature of the market. The designs tend to be very cost sensitive.
The author starts out on introducing the system design including assembly language programming, electronics 101, simple power source designs (a big part of the embedded system), The he goes into great lengths on all the major buses like SPI, I2C, RS232, LPC, Irda, Ethernet, and etc. Some of the buses are new to me. Next, he touches on the analog design for environment monitor and control, which are essential for embedded system. Finally he dives into the various kinds of controller chips, starting with the simple 8-bit controller all the way to 32-bit one.
After reading this book, I feel like dabbling with embedded designs as a hobby like creating a automatic train, and other simple controller to control the house. Heck, I may even want to design a smart trap for that gopher/mole that’s been digging up my lawn!
Book Review: “Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System–and Themselves” by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Just finished the long audiobook. Wow, I don’t know how the author did it, the book reads like a novel with all the conversations among the key players of the economic disaster of the 2008. I’m really shocked about how clueless the top echelon in the financial industry, which may have contributed to the fiasco in the first place.
The reward system of the financial industry appears to be morbid. The more risk a person take, the more he gets rewarded if he got lucky but the company and in this case the US tax players bear the risks and consequences.
Solving the 2008 problem was not something one can figure out from textbook. Even the government officials like Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner were short of the experience in handling it and they had to play be ears as waves and waves of financial shock hit the industry (like the flip-flopping of buying up toxic assets and injecting capital directly in the troubled company) , which is and was essential connected like a web of dominoes. When one falls, it would drag down the rest of the industry given the size the leverage the people are taking. In this case, it started out from Bears Stearn, then Lehman Brothers, then AIG. The others are teetering on the edge of bankruptcy until the major rescue with TARP.
Warren Buffet seemed to be tapped frequently as the white knight to buy cheap assets when the financial companies were in a dire need of capital. It really helps to have lots of cash and be an able and willing funding source of the last resort. I think only the Fed can claim to be one, an official one, nevertheless.
There are a few interesting events like hand carrying a check of $9 Billions from Japan back to Morgan Stanley because of a bank holiday preventing wire transfer, shotgun wedding meetings arranged by Paulson and Geithner, forced feed of capital injection into the 9 major financial firms to beef up their balance sheet and to avoid a financial Armageddon.
After reading this book, I can’t help to be cynical of the investment banks and the financial industry in general. How does one get to be paid millions in bonus and not having to risk anything?
This is a good book depicting the greed and shallowness of the people involved. The characters and their names were difficult to follow except for the key ones. There are sufficient details in the book for the future historian to judge what happened. I have made my conclusion.
Sonicare Toothbrush Repair
My daughter’s Sonicare Pro Electric toothbrush broke. It doesn’t vibrate any more. I googled around and saw the Lithium Ion battery may be the culprit. So I opened it up to look around. I verified that the battery is registering 4.0V, which is still fine. When I bent the stem a bit, the toothbrush started vibrating again. I determined that there must be a broken trace on the printer circuit board (PCB) probably induced by the vibration or a kid’s abuse. I decided that it’s not worth my trouble to revive the unit. It was difficult to repair as along the way, I broke the inductive wire connected to charge the battery. My decision – discard/recycle it. It not worth the trouble. It may be a fun project to root cause the problem but not for me. I have better things to do. It costs ~$60 to purchase a new one.
Book Review: “Mind Mapping for Dummies” by Florian Rustler
I was introduced to the concept of Mind Mapping through the book “Moon Walking with Einstein.” Decided to check out the concept with this book. It’s a thinking structure that’s supposed to mimic how our brain neurons work so that we can assimilate information quickly, retain and recall contents easily. The author spent almost half of book on the technology side of the mind mapping and the other half on techniques, which is probably the right mix. The color prints are wonderful and I’ve learned a few things. Will need to practice more to be good at it.
My key takeaways:
On mapping: use 1 keyword per branch and Use graphic elements like colors, symbols, pictures, boxes, and connecting arrows.
One can use the mind map to prepare a talk/presentation, taking notes in talks, lectures and meetings, and manage projects.
There are lots of desktop software and apps available to help with the mind mapping, e.g. Freemind (free), iMindMap from Tony Buzan, Mindjet MindManager, and etc. The author provides a pretty review of the various software offerings. It does go into the inner working of the Mindjet Mindmanager and iMindMap.
On mindmapping reading materials:
A. Preparation: Skim the text (get an initial impression , and prioritize), recall the background knowledge (in a mindmap), setting questions you’d like to address and aims (what you want out of it).
B. Reading process: 1. Skim reading: read through from introductions, summaries, headings/subheadings and tables and illustrations. 2. Preview: read the first and last paragraphs of section section of a chapter. 3. Immersion: go into details if you haven’t got what you want. 4. Difficult Passages: focus on those passages.
C. Generate a mindmap from different sources.
Learning and Preparing for Exams:
1. Taking your mind-mapping notes: Tips on taking notes: 1. arrange keywords in a non-linear sequence, 2. Don’t write everything down word for word. 3. Link what you hear to what you already know. 4. Structure what you’ve heard. 5. Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols. Generate special study mind maps.
2. Entering your own thoughts.
3. Revising regularly.
4. Explain it to others.
Mindmapping for creativity
4P Creativity Model: People, process, press (team or org climate), and product.
Creative Problem Solving: The Situation in the center of the circle surrounded by teh following:
A. Clarification: Formulate challenges <-> Explore the vision.
B. Transformation: Explore ideas <-> Formulate the solutions.
C. Implementation: Formulate plans <-> Explore acceptances.
Principles of creativity – two-stage thinking
Divergent thinking: a broad search for many new and different alternatives.
Convergent thinking: a focused, positive evaluation of alternatives.
Mind Mapping is both divergent and convergent at the same time. applying keywords and using branches is divergent. Embedding each branch within a structure is convergent.
Developing and ordering ideas with MindManager:
1. Formulate an issue.
2. Inputting ideas.
3. Evaluating ideas.
4. Structuring ideas.