I just found a new favourite pastime: playing the Vocabulary.com Challenge. A great example of gamification, it makes learning new words engaging and actually quite fun. I do wonder if such a similar thing exists for Chinese/Mandarin.
Business vs. IT
I felt like a lawyer. The call was in less than 12 hours, and I was busy preparing my case, consolidating evidence and building my story. To be honest, I wasn't 100% behind the argument I was preparing to put across, but I didn’t really have much of a choice. I had to believe -- how... Continue Reading →
Creating on the iPad
Creating on the iPad... it's just not the same as creating on the computer. When on the iPad, I'm far more a consumer. Typing is laboured, and sharing isn't as easy. If I see an image on Facebook or Linked In, and I want to share that with my Google+ followers, it's not straightforward at... Continue Reading →
People Watching
People watching used to be a favourite hobby of mine. Sitting at a café, observing without judging. Then technology came along. And I don't observe people so much anymore. I mean, you can't observe both the screen and the people around you, can you? A real pity, really. Technology has filled all those little spaces... Continue Reading →
Some thoughts on the thinking behind building things
I’m going to write a bit about my thinking process whenever I build things, whether it’s websites, VBA applications, or financial models. I’m not too sure if this is going to be a “oh that’s so obvious why is he telling me this?” piece, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, one person’s normal behaviour... Continue Reading →
What Courage Is
Was on one of my regular runs today when the words "courage is not acting in the absence of fear, but in spite of it" suddenly came to mind and never left. Can't quite remember where exactly I read it or heard it, but those words have always comforted me in times of need. Here... Continue Reading →
Business vs. IT
I was reminded today in a book I'm reading on visual analytics that the purpose of any analytical project is ultimately to make better decisions. Coming from a mixed business and IT background, I have had my fair share of IT vs. Business conundrums. With my IT hat on, I'm always thinking about efficiency, optimisation, ease-of-use,... Continue Reading →
Risk vs. Uncertainty (Part I)
I can’t believe I didn’t write about it before today: the difference between uncertainty and risk. I’d originally thought that uncertainty and risk were one and the same. If you’re uncertain about something, about taking some action, and you had to decide whether or not to take that action, it was a risky action to... Continue Reading →
A kindler, gentler philosophy of success
A great talk by one of my favourite authors Alain de Botton, speaking on success. A quote that I absolutely love, from the talk: The next time you see someone driving a Ferrari, don't think this is somebody who's greedy. Think of this as somebody who's incredibly vulnerable, and in need of love.
On theory, practice, and Snowflake Schemas
Just the other day I learnt that the data warehouse I was working on was designed using a Star and Snowflake schema. I'd known enough about them to know that this meant the data was set up on fact and "dimensional" tables, but not much other than that. So the moment I had some time... Continue Reading →
Donn, fragments 