Saturday, April 30, 2016

Reviewing The Fallacy Behind the World Taiji and Qi Gong Day


Today is World Taichi (or Taiji) and Qi Gong Day.  It is one of those "kumbaya" scenarios where everyone wanted to feel good because they are all following a certain practice.

They usually assemble together, hoping that they could change the state of the globe with one hot exhale of carbon dioxide.  Do you think they could be the cause of global warming?  ... One wonders if they think that their act could decrease world hunger and diminish the threat of global warming.  . . . Hmmmm!? 


This group reminded us of the Art of War cult.  (That is another long post.) 


Ruminations and Afterthoughts 




So, how many Taiji players do you really know, who could comprehend the technicalities on how this martial art system really works!? 

From our observation, the majority of the "Taiji" masses are always concentrating on a few "big picture" technicalities and the final outcome without understanding the true connection between the grand fundamental points.


There are some knowledgeable people who could explain to the newbies on how the fundamentals worked from a ground up perspective. 


Then there are the numerous messengers who usually dominate their entire group as the authority and delineate the newbies on how it all works from a top down view in terms of the "imaginary results."  . . . 

Interestingly, a few of them could barely transform their Taiji experience into their daily life on a 24/7 basis. Humorously, they are the salespeople of the group.

The commonality of the novices is that some of them are studying it for the purpose of finding some level of self-enlightenment. Once the fundamentals are learned (not mastered), they dashed to their favorite social media channels and boost to the world about their neophyte achievement.

Some might get lucky in receiving the benefits from practicing it correctly. The rest of them are just declaring that it does help them without personally specifying the long-term benefits. 


The rarity during one's learning of Taiji or any other internal martial arts is to discover the skilled person who could patiently explain to the novices- the connecting "balancing point" between the general perspective and the wide array of specific points with real examples. 

The challenge for the "skilled person" is determining whether it is worth his/her time to explain that "balancing point" to them. ... In summary, that skilled person would rather spend time honing their skills in their own private terrain.


The Assessment Points 
In any niche, the ratio between the group of messengers-pseudo specialists are greater than the experts. To filter the competent instructors from the masses of amateurs, assess their skills carefully.  

Use their advanced students as the measuring gauge. Study if they are able to integrate the attributes of breathing, balancing and rhythm into their practice. Examine if they can stay "relaxed, grounded, centered, calm and whole" in each and all of their movements.  Those two grand perspective are what most "current and future" students have always missed.


Following are other assessment points:
  • Are the advanced students able to mindful about the principles before ever employing a move? 
  • Are the advanced students able to stay focused on their movement without being distracted?
  • Are the advanced students able to practice in isolation?
  • Are the advanced students able to utilize their Taiji skills outside of their practice?
  • Are the advanced students able to multi-process within their surroundings ?
# Click here for a good listing of errors that most novice Taiji players usually displayed in their practice.

The knowledge of identifying what are the relevant factors is what the serious Taiji players are focused on.  



The Chief Benefit of Taiji 
Building and augmenting the skill of one's mindfulness is the name of the game.   The state of mindfulness could enable the desktop strategists to understand certain Chinese strategic classics in a different light. 


One could build this unique skill through the practice of integrating the state of relaxation, the state of grounded, the state of centered, the state of calm and the state of being whole through the control of the breath. Regardless of the difficulty, it could be done 

The other options to building the skill of mindfulness are: Six Harmonies and Eight Methods System; Aikido; Baguazhang; Xingyiquan, and Yiquan.


Suggestion to the Serious Taiij Players
It is difficult to learn "real" Taiji in a group setting unless the group is quite serious about it.  In most cases, most group setting focuses on the social aspect of the activity.   . . . Those who are seriously interested in learning Taiji, should seek a competent instructor who is patiently experienced in teaching them on an one on one basis before ever seeking an expert.  


Final Points
So, what is the fallacy?  ... The day and the time for Taiji practice does not matter to some serious players. They could practice in isolation or with a group of technical equals who understand the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) behind their practice and will practice with a purpose.  One of the most significant traditions that counts is the daily practice of their personal exercises.

The importance of timely practice only concerns the serious Taiij players who have studied traditional Chinese medicine.   


Side Note
The ultra class experts are usually staying away from the ranked amateurs who have publicized themselves as the true specialists.  They isolated themselves from the masses for the purpose of staying focused to their practice to the nth degree.   ... In some rare instances, some of these experts usually privately trained their most dedicated students behind the closed doors for the purpose of preserving the essence of the system.  ... 

You could learn more about this topic by visiting the following sites

# # #

Thursday, April 28, 2016

A Note on World's Intellectual Property Day






Two day ago was WIPO Day.  It is a day where the "creative and strategic"  thinkers  would reflect on whether their ideas possessed any strategic monetary value.

                                          

For those who are innovative enough to create "state of the art" intellectual property (IP), today is World Intellectual Property day.  That was your day.



Creating IP means being strategically creative.  ...  Recently, World Creativity Week was celebrated.  ...  Now it is time to protect your intellectual property.



#

One can only thrive in this global economy by incrementally enhancing their "competitive advantage"

The two most relevant points that some people usually miss are:
  • Identifying what is the advantage
  • Determining the protection of the advantage.
Jiang Tai Gong book "Six Secret Teachings" emphasizes "the importance of protecting one's advantage" regardless of the situation.

King Wen asked Tai Gong:"How does one preserve the state's territory?"

Tai Gong said: "Do not estrange your relatives. Do not neglect the masses. Be concillatory and solicitous towards nearby states and control all that is under you. Do not loan the authority of state to other men. If you loan the authority of state to other men, then you will lose your authority. Do not hurt those of lower position to benefit those of higher position. Do not abandon the fundamental to save those that are inconsequential.

When the sun is at midday, you should dry things. If you grasp a knife, you must cut. If you hold an axe, you must attack."

"If at the height of the day, you do not dry things in the sun, this is termed losing the opportunity.

If you grasp a knife but do not cut anything, you will lose the moment for profits. If you hold an axe and do not attack, enemies will attack instead."

"If trickling streams are not blocked, they will become great rivers. If you do not extinguish the smallest flames, there is nothing much you can do when it turns into great flames.

If you do not eliminate the two-leaf sapling, you might have to use the axe to remove it in future." "For this reason, the ruler must focus on developing wealth within his state. Without material wealth, he has nothing with which to spread beneficence or to bring his relatives together.

If he estranges his relatives it will be harmful. If he loses the common people, he will be defeated. "

"Do not loan sharp weapons to other men. If you loan sharp weapons to other men, you will be hurt by them and will not live out your allotted span of years." 

King Wen said:"What do you mean by benevolence and righteousness?"

Tai Gong replied: "Respect the common people, unite your relatives. If you respect the common people, they will be in harmony. And if you unite your relatives, they will be happy. This is the way to implement the essential cords of benevolence and righteousness."

"Do not allow other men to snatch away your awesomeness. Rely on your wisdom, follow the norm. Those that submit and accord with you, treat them generously and virtuously. Those that oppose you, break with force. If you respect the people and trust, the state will be peaceful and populace submissive." - T’ai Kung Liu-t’ao (Six Secret Teachings)

You can find more on this topic in the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China.


Side Notes
Click here on a historical situation where the possible leaking of a trade secret can determine the fortune of a famous food company and click here on the legal specifics behind the outcome.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Post Winter 2015: IPTV Trends (2)



Broadcasting & Cable
... satellite, cable, IPTV, and OTT services. Through its innovative Behind Every Screen(R) approach, Thomson Video Networks combines both on-premises and ...


Major US pay-TV providers post weakest ever quarterly additions
Rapid tv news
IPTV providers actually added 140,000 video subscribers in Q1 2015, yet this was still down compared with Q1 2014 that saw 251,000 net additions. That said ...


NanoTech Acquires Mobile Application Developer UpLink.to
PR Newswire (press release)
With seven technology business units, focusing on 3D, Content, Media & IPTV, Mobile Apps, and Manufacturing, the company has a unique business model.

TV Connect prepares to open its doors
Broadband TV News
... as showcase software-based video processing up to 4K, support for exciting new trends in OTT and Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) TV, and end-to-end IPTV.

Orange sees strong Q1 adds, slows decline in sales, EBITDA
Telecompaper (subscription)
Among fixed broadband customers, IPTV and satellite TV customers rose to 7.41 million from 6.64 million. Orange had 188.2 million mobile customers at the end ...



Global Technological Trends
M&A Analysis - FTTH Growth Trend Sees Buyers Circling T-2 - AUG ...
Telecoms Insight (registration)
T-2 operates across the entire telecoms market, offering mobile, fixed voice, broadband and IPTV services, making it one of the larger players in Slovenia.


Report: Global growth forecast for broadcast and media tech industry
IPTV News
Sales and profitability across the broadcast and media (B&MT) sector continue to grow according to the latest IABM Industry Index released today. The positive ...


Global Smart TV Market 2015 Share, Scope, Trends and Forecast to ...
Digital Journal

This TV allows users to install and run advanced applications based on specific platforms, but should not be confused with an IPTV that only provides access to ...


To Cable Or Not To Cable
Satellite revenues overtake cable

Broadband TV News
Meanwhile, IPTV – the fastest growing platform – will climb from a 10% share in 2014 to 13% by 2020. Satellite TV revenues will reach $94.8 billion in 2020, with ...


Canadians opt for IPTV over cable, satellite
Cartt.ca (subscription)
“The ongoing trend of the cable companies losing customers to the IPTV companies continued with the latest subscriber results,” said Boon Dog partner Mario
...

Internet drives Swiss cable growth
Broadband TV News
... customers through their internet access services, but can't halt the loss of classic cable TV subscriptions caused by the strong competition with IPTV providers.



Most OTA cord cutters come from satellite
IPTV News
TiVo has released the findings of an in-depth survey of Over The Air (OTA) TV consumers revealing that a materially higher percentage of cord cutters are ...


Internet fibre race down to the wire for telecoms as broadband ...
The Globe and Mail (subscription)
To date, telcos have remained competitive by bundling their broadband service with popular Internet protocol television (IPTV) offerings, says Barclays Capital ...




Saturday, April 23, 2016

Winter 2015 IPTV Trends



/// Our schedule has been busy that we forgot to publish the following IPTV Trends posts.  Please read and enjoy.  ///

The Numbers Game
27% of US broadband households own streaming media device
IPTV News
Parks Associates announced new research today showing 27% of US broadband households now own a streaming media device and nearly 90% of these ...

76% of Brits consume news digitally
IPTV News
As much as 76% of Brits now consume their news digitally, a recent study from 72Point has revealed. Online is playing a greater part in the way we get our news ...

Gaming to fuel $150bn digital content market by 2019
IPTV News
A new report from Juniper Research has found that the value of the global digital content market will reach $154 billion annually by 2019, an increase of nearly ...



Report: 4K to grow 45% from 2015-2019
IPTV News-14 hours ago
Technavio, a tech-focused research firm, has published a new report on the global ultra HD TV market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 45% from ...


SATELLITE
NSR Report Finds Linear TV via Satellite Still Strong Despite OTT ...
Satellite PR News (press release)
The research firm's new report “Linear TV via Satellite: DTH, OTT & IPTV, 8th Edition” projects an increase of more than 21,000 channels across both ...

OTT
Industry Trend Analysis - Unique Local Content Key To OTT ...
Telecoms Insight (registration)
However, it is estimated that Netflix had 700,000 Dutch subscribers in Q414, a small proportion of the total 8.023mn IPTV, fibre, cable and satellite subscriptions.

The opposite of OTT? Event cinema revenue to hit $1bn
IPTV News
Event Cinema is defined as non-theatrical programming in cinemas enabled by  the transition to digital projection technology, and covers everything from operas ...


Vendor content strategies push retail OTT past IPTV box shipments

DigitalTVEurope.net
The content strategies of vendors will lead to global sales of OTT TV retail set-top boxes exceeding telecom IPTV set-top shipments this year, according to

Big data set to warm up video screens
CMO-21
This month, Telstra announced that it had made an equity investment in Taiwanese- based Gorilla Technology Group, to amplify its growing IPTV and OTT ...

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Technology Evolves: The Latest Security Feature For The Web Browser Niche

(updated at 04.23.16 1800 hr)

Most of us are big fans of evolving tools.   In the information economy, many products are slowly integrated into one framework.  For the modern day web surfers,  the browser is the hub that integrates the cloud,  the web-accessed mobile phone and the search engine.

Someone in our group just noticed that Opera Software has just added a free vpn feature to their browser.

The Possible Positive
Performance
The browser is entirely written in C++.  Therefore it should be idealistically fast.

A Computerworld Review
Computerworld downloaded and installed the Mac version of Opera's preview, enabled the VPN, and successfully browsed to numerous websites. Some, however, took a very long time to load, at least on the first instance.


Some paranoids believed that the slow load time means that this is a "a wolf in sheep's clothing" scenario.

Only the paranoids survive.  -  Andrew Grove

While most VPN are quite slow, the first version of any new feature in most software app is occasionally slow and unfocused.

While my preferences are Firefox and Chrome as my "alpha" browsers, I do like the Opera browser for its "sheer" efficiency.  


It is only a matter of time that the Firefox browser, the Chrome browser and other browsers will possess the same feature within a few cyber seasons.

In the information economy, most software features can be duplicated in a cyber moment.

The Negatives
The first negative is that the company "might" be owned by a PRC's group soon.  Some security conscious people do not trust the new owners.


The other big negative will affect the competing VPN's companies. If a browser has a free and efficient VPN module, why would they need to purchase a VPN service?

The Question of the Day
Why would a "soon to be owned by a PRC company" software company released a product that circumvents their own country's blocking efforts using VPNs?

The Big Tangible Picture
To increase user-ship in a consumer-driven economy,  releasing new and innovative features is a requirement.  Historically, the Opera browser has provided innovative features that have been emulated by other competing browsers. 

Since 2015,  the Opera Browser is the fourth most popular browser within the mobile phone niche.

The Gold Priority
Safety and security should always be the number one priority when surfing the web. However, we concluded that some of the security-conscious people would rather "wait for Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome to include this feature instead of using the Opera browser.  

Opera Browser currently has the temporary technological lead.  In most instances, it will be popular with the security-driven paranoids. 

In the future,  some of us will soon be experimenting with this  evolving tool on an experimental base.

Monday, April 18, 2016

In Planning, Never a Useless Move. In Strategy, No Step is in Vain.

(updated on 04.21.16)

That is the famous quote from Chen Hao, a famous Tang dynasty military official. It can be found in Samuel Griffith's translation of Sun Tzu essay.

Planning efficient moves in a complex situation is considered the pinnacle of strategic and tactical planning  while implementing zero inefficient steps during the operation.

While every ambitious  field strategist have quietly wished that they can achieve this level of excellence, the key is having the mindful skill of understanding the configuration of the Big Tangible Picture.

Regardless of the strategic terrain, understanding the disposition and its discourse within it is significant to the ambitious strategist who wanted to complete his mission with the objective of acquiring "minimum to zero" damage.
 



Reminder

The "under-resourced" strategist cannot plan against an extreme competitor without assessing the predictability and the competitive positions of the situation for the obvious strategic reasons. 

While executing the strategy, he must know that the transitional state of the target is in a static mode or in a predictable change mode.   Regardless of the pace of the situation, the strategist must be prepared for  all scenarios.  

Just remember that fortune favors the prepared mind. 

The Importance of Planning and Preparation 
“Invest in preparedness, not prediction…I will never get to know the unknown since, by definition, it is unknown. However, I can always guess how it might affect me, and I should base my decisions around that…you always control what you do, so make this your end”. 
Nassim Nicholas Taleb - The Black Swan; The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Reading Hints: 
Reminder
One could only predict the probable outcome of any strategic situation when he understands the following factors:
  • the predictability factor that operates behind it; and 
  • how one's strategic position corresponds to that situation. 



Sunday, April 3, 2016

Play Ball! (Insights on the Irrelevancy of Moneyball)

(updated 04.09.15)

Go [ Pick a Team Name ].  Play Ball!

True strategists have never been a fan of this unique "talent evaluation" approach.   It is an integration of hype and minor substance.   Ask Tony LaRussa.

Click hereherehere and here for Tony La Russa's view of Moneyball.


                               
Quick Synopsis
The Oakland A's and many professional baseball teams have been using Sabermetrics as a talent evaluation process for numerous years. 

During the early stage of Moneyball, the A's management somehow discovered a few unique indicators within the statistics  that most of its implementers did not noticed. They became moderately successful with their Moneyball processthat a book was written about it. Then. many other baseball teams began to copy their process.

It was good publicity for the A's. However, no good deed goes unpunished.

Since the inception of the Moneyball book, the Oakland A's still has not won the World Series . However the Boston Red Sox team who possessed a larger strategic foundation (i.e, intelligence gathering resources, economics, logistics, etc.), used the Moneyball process as a part of their strategic foundation to win three World Series since 2004.

Side notes: The odds of the Red Sox reaching the playoffs again are about 50-50.


During the successful years of the A's, an associate and I had a discussion with a local Bay Area sport media insider on the Moneyball phenomenon He told us that the A's management should have kept the technicalities behind the process a secret. It was a major blunder to allow Michael Lewis to get an insider look on the team's talent evaluation process. Even Michael Lewis agreed that his book caused the A's to lose a few opportunities.

Since 2012, the A's have regained some of their magic and began to make a push to contend for the playoffs.  They still have not been able to prevail over their first opponent.

Last season, their record was less than .500.  I suspected they might achieve a similar record.


Assessing Competition From a Macro View
In the information economy, successful innovation is regularly imitated. ... 

The larger and well-resourced competition would usually adapt any successful process or tool into their system quite well. In most instances, they can afford to err. The smaller competitors regularly operated on the margin of near-zero error. The outcome is obvious if they blundered. In most cases, they are regularly focused on low-risk, low reward ventures.


Thoughts on the Moneyball Movie
Years ago, I saw the Moneyball movie and thought that it was ok. It was a nice narrative of a fairy tale.  

I knew people who were A's fans who loved the movie. After they saw the movie, I usually asked them about the projected timeline for the A's winning another World Series.  ... After a few moments of contemplation, they began to have their own breathing challenges. 

Some of them were just bandwagon jumpers until the A's went through a dry spell of losing seasons. Then, they left their team and pretended to be Giants fans. Most of them did not even live in Oakland. 

These bandwagon jumpers do not know anything historical about the game, and the team but the score and the names of a few players.   It was so pathetic.   

Click here on why one might question the loyalty of A's fans.


Ruminations from the Compass Desk
Following is a series of lessons that one can learn from the Oakland A's campaign from the days of Moneyball until now:


Lesson #1
Always credit luck as the origin of your success.


Lesson #2
Never offer outsiders any tangible insight to your trade secrets

Lesson #3
Never provide your competition the opportunity to utilize your trade secrets against you.

Lesson #4
In the information economy, every relevant competitor has a similar tool set. Obtaining the exclusive skill and the strategic experience to master the toolset is always the first challenge. Once success is attained, concealing the secret variation of the general toolkit becomes the other challenge.

Lesson #5
It is nice to cheer for the underdog. However, the majority of the masses only remember the grand winner, not the losers.

Note: So, do you remember the losers for the last five World Series? 

Lesson #6
The complete knowledge of one's grand terrain and the resourcefulness of each contending competitor have usually enabled the "persevering" strategist to succeed on the long run. (Read the last quote from Chapter 10 of the Art of War. You might understand why. )

Lesson #7a
No specific process is perfect. It evolves due to situational changes

Lesson #7b
The precise execution of the process is a prevailing factor. 

Lesson #7c
Regardless of the process or the strategy, the attribute of talent and the accessibility of resources have usually prevail in extreme situations.  A good strategy never hurts

Lesson #7d
In a predictable (and an even parity-based) situation, the strategic experience of the chief decision maker becomes relevant.

Lesson #8
The knowledge of identifying the pretenders, the underdogs and the contenders is quite important in all strategic situations.

Lesson #9
When the scarcity of resources becomes tangible, the competitive strategists have usually spend more time in the act of assessing the specifics.  Then, they compared their own assessment of themselves to the assessment of their competition.

Lesson #10
Connecting the specifics to the grand overview usually means that one has a understanding of the Big Tangible Picture (BTP).

Lesson #11a
One's own comprehension of the configuration behind the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) is usually proportional to the implementation of their strategic advantage (aka. strategic power)

Lesson #11b


Protecting the Advantage
In reference to lesson one, the first chapter of Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings (The Civil Teaching) provides a sound and solid perspective on how to protect one's advantage.

Read, review and reflect.

King Wen asked Tai Gong:"How does one preserve the state's territory?"

Tai Gong said: "Do not estrange your relatives. Do not neglect the masses. Be concillatory and solicitous towards nearby states and control all that is under you. Do not loan the authority of state to other men. If you loan the authority of state to other men, then you will lose your authority. Do not hurt those of lower position to benefit those of higher position. Do not abandon the fundamental to save those that are inconsequential.

When the sun is at midday, you should dry things. If you grasp a knife, you must cut. If you hold an axe, you must attack."

"If at the height of the day, you do not dry things in the sun, this is termed losing the opportunity.

If you grasp a knife but do not cut anything, you will lose the moment for profits. If you hold an axe and do not attack, enemies will attack instead."

"If trickling streams are not blocked, they will become great rivers. If you do not extinguish the smallest flames, there is nothing much you can do when it turns into great flames.

If you do not eliminate the two-leaf sapling, you might have to use the axe to remove it in future." "For this reason, the ruler must focus on developing wealth within his state. Without material wealth, he has nothing with which to spread beneficence or to bring his relatives together.

If he estranges his relatives it will be harmful. If he loses the common people, he will be defeated. "

"Do not loan sharp weapons to other men. If you loan sharp weapons to other men, you will be hurt by them and will not live out your allotted span of years."

King Wen said:"What do you mean by benevolence and righteousness?"

Tai Gong replied: "Respect the common people, unite your relatives. If you respect the common people, they will be in harmony. And if you unite your relatives, they will be happy. This is the way to implement the essential cords of benevolence and righteousness."

"Do not allow other men to snatch away your awesomeness. Rely on your wisdom, follow the norm. Those that submit and accord with you, treat them generously and virtuously. Those that oppose you, break with force. If you respect the people and trust, the state will be peaceful and populace submissive." 
- T’ai Kung Liu-t’ao (Six Secret Teachings)

More on this subject matter can be found in the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China.

###

Friday, April 1, 2016

The 26 Replies by The Cult of Art of War on Why Their Sunzi Strategies Fail


Following is a listing of the top 26 replies by The Cult of Art of War whenever their Sunzi strategies did not work:
26. Where were you when this problem occurred?
25.  I was busy shopping for that special tramslation of Sunzi that I saw Wesley Snipes was reading in the Passenger 57 movie.
24.  I was too busy quoting Michael Douglas lines from the Wall Street movie
23.  I was too busy watching the Art of War movie marathon on the Grit channel.
22.  I was taking inspirational advice from a female strategist (from the East Coast) who claimed that being happy is everything.  
21.  You don't say.
20. That’s weird…
19. It’s never done that before.
18. It worked yesterday.
17. How is that possible?
16. It must be a tactical performance problem.  Therefore, the fault is not mine's.
15. What did I say to get the team to walk out on me? 
14. There has to be something funky in the implementation of the tactics.
13. I haven’t practiced that Sun Bin tactic (or that stratagem from 36 Strategems)  in weeks.
12. We must utilized the wrong translation of Sunzi
11. It’s just some unlucky coincidence.
10. I can’t think of everything !
09. Someone told me if I read Sunzi before the meeting, that I will win.
08. It works, but the tactic hasn’t been thoroughly tested yet.
07. Somebody must have changed my instruction. Identify that "meathead." 
06. While my goal is to triumph over the competition without a bloodshed , I just had to go opposite.
05. Even though it doesn’t work, How does it feel?
04. You can’t use that tactic with my team.
03. Why do I have to assess the situation, don't you know who I am?
02.  My version of Sunzi did not resolve my inner demons
01. It worked on my head while I am sniffing crack