Happy Independence Day.

Enjoy this glorious Day!

Can you have your cake and eat it?

An Interesting Translation of Sunzi's Art of War

Source: Original Art of War
(updated at 060617)

This book presents superb clarity in its translation and its commentary.  ... We  cheerfully recommended it to those who are interested in a word by word translation. 

You can secure a copy at your favorite internet book store or your local book shop.

Click here if you are interested in another perspective of Sunzi's essay.

Psychology is Strategy: Why Time Flies

(updated at 032617 16:16:16)

To implement strategy properly, one must learn how to synchronize time, human element and technology into one movement.

In most instances, most people do not know how to perceive the time that it takes to complete a grand objective.  

Alan Burdick's book on the "perception of time" sort of discussed this subject matter 

Click here, here, here, here, and here for interesting reviews on this book. 

From a Baguazhang practice perspective, some of us have viewed the completion of a grand objective (macro project objective)  in terms of eight different states of changes (four seasons and four micro-seasons).  

Completing the objective while being mindfully staying ahead of  changes is always the challenge.  

More to come.  ...

Beating the Odds. Our Book Recommendation: A Man for All Markets (Edward O. Thorpe)

(updated at  03.18.17, 12:38 hrs)

If you are a strategist who enjoys capitalistic competition and numbers, I highly recommend this autobiography by Edward O.Thorp.

Click here, click here,  click here, click here, click here,  click here,  click here  and  click here for some unique perspectives.


At this moment, I do not believe if I can quite append any new insights about the mindset of this genius.   

However, he indirectly uses his view of "The Five Critical Strategic Factors."
 

Shop, read and enjoy. 

Profiting in the Info Economy: Using the Various Indexes to Assess the Future.

(revised at 18:18)

Following are some of the indexes that some of our associates have utilized  to assess the state of the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) of the information economy:

Terrain

• The Baltic Dry Index (the successor version of The Baltic Freight Index)  

The # of packages that are being delivered around our globe offer the trend state of the world's economy. 

I saw a story somewhere between 2007 and 2008, where the the state of the logisitic business ( FedEx , UPS, DHL, etc) predicted the immediate slowdown of the global economy because of the declining quantity of freight shipments during the previous year or the previous three consecutive quarters for that year.

• Google Trends  This index monitoring the day to day flow of the information economy 
• WorldoMeter  (Real-time Global statistics)
• Standard and Poor 500 (S and P 500) Index
• The Economist Magazine's Crony Capitalism Index
• The Supply Chain Index
• U.S. Postal Service

Viewing the Consumer Marketplace

• The Purchase Power Parity
• The Big Mac Index   Out here in the west coast, some of us preferred the In -n- out burger double-double. 
• The Pizza Slice Index   The price goes up while the "baseline" standard of quality stays the same.
• Wilshire Index
• Comscore.com
• The Dollar Index

Effectiveness of Logistics and Process

• The Popularity of Programming Language Index  
• Cisco's Visual Networking Index (VNI)

More to come

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.

Zhao Style Bagua Seminar in the S.F. Bay Area

For information on the Baguazhang seminars or to reserve a spot please call Wushu Resources at 1-415-876-0922

Support Your Local Library

source: NYPL

These days, there are a diminutive number of social causes that are worth talking about. However, supporting the local library is one of the few causes that has millions of benefits. 

it is one of the few public institutions where the local taxpayers are receiving the most "bang for their bucks" in reference to how it assists the people of all social-economic denomination in their mission to improve their well-being regardless of their ethnicity, their culture, etc. 

Nevertheless, the grand objective of any public library is to educate and enlighten their uninformed users to the dimensions that are beyond their current terrain.

It does not matter whether you are in Seattle, Washington, USA, New York city or in Stuttgart, Germany, or in Singapore, the library is the bastion of the less privileged and ambitious underdogs. 

We highly recommended that you donate a few dollars or euros and/or volunteer some of your spare time to your local library.

A Defensive Pointer for Surviving in The Cyber Economy: Using Panopticlick

To protect oneself from non-consensual Web tracking, check out panoticlick.  Also, click here for more information on this nice defensive tool  and click here on other security tools.

Click here for three good rules for online safety and click here for the 10 immutable laws of cyber security.

As we enter into 2016, it is advisable for each one of us to be mindfully aware of our surroundings and beyond.

Suggestions of Strategy Books for The Desktop Strategic Thinker

(updated on 12.25.15  5:55 am)

"A desk (or a conference room) is a dangerous place to view (or manage) the world." 
- Our version of a John Le Carre quote.

Suggestion

To succeed in the information economy, one must understand the "connective configuration" behind The Big Tangible Picture that operates within our information economy.  We highly recommend the following two books

Click here on our perspective 
of The Tao of Spycraft book.

Click here on our review on the 
Strategies for the Human Realm book.

Final Thoughts 
Once the Sunzi's essay and Jiang Tai Gong's classic are understood, it is time for the serious strategic thinkers to advance to those two books.

Both books are quite dry read for most amateurs unless one is seriously interested in enhancing their strategic analysis skill.

# # #

The First Key to Becoming a Successful Strategist: Gaining Guidance from Reading the Right Books

If you are interested in amplifying the scope of your strategic expertise, we highly recommended the reading of the following books:

• Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
• The Physics of Wall Street
• The Effective Executive (This is a great book for business management conscious strategist by Peter Drucker.)
• Seven Military Classics of Ancient China (Sawyer's translation)
• The Art of War (Sawyer's translation)
• Six Secret Teachings (Sawyer's translation)
• The Tao of Deception
• Strategies For The Human Realm  (Sawyer's translation on Li Quan's Tai-Pai Yin Ching)
• Sun Tzu The Art of Warfare (Ames translation)
• Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare (Ames translation)
• Military Methods  (Sawyer's translation of Sun Bin's essay on warfare)
• The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
• The Water Margin
• Cook Ding's Kitchen's books on martial art philosophy
• The Protracted Game (Understanding the gist of Chinese military mindset) 
• Basketball for the Player, the Fan and the Coach (by Red Auerbach)
• Yi Jing ( The Chinese Oracle)
• Li Chi Ching 
• Dao De Jing (The gist of Daoism)
• Zhuang Zi (Another view of Daoism)
• My 60 Memorable Games (Robert James Fischer)
• The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe (Roger Penrose)
• Perl Best Practices (for old school programmers)

• ...

More to come,  ..

An Interesting Book to Read

(updated at 17:17 hrs)

Roger Penrose is one of those science geniuses who can transform the complexity of physics to a comprehensive overview for the general audience.   

Understanding the laws of physics is another way of assessing the grand terrain that is beyond your settings.

You can read more about this book by clicking here.

Bruce Bochy's Book of Walks: A Book For Strategic Walkers, Cyclists and Baguazhang Players

(Updated at 13:11 hrs)

A good strategist rarely ever focuses on the x's and o's on a 24/7 basis. He/she needs to spend some time de-stressing himself for the purpose of staying relaxed and centered.

The Bochy's Perspective
One of our favorite game strategists is Bruce Bochy.  Beside managing three world series championship teams in the last five years,  he recently wrote a book on his favorite walking routes in the various cities.

"... I get out and take these walks for a workout but also to give me some clarity, or a mental break. It also allows me to see sights and sounds and smells of the places I go. ..."  - Bruce Bochy (an interview with a Canadian Newspaper)

Interview
Click here  on a radio interview on Bochy's new book  

"in 2006, Bruce Bochy has brought home three World Series trophies and earned accolades for his managerial maneuvering, all the while maintaining his trademark calm demeanor. What's the secret to keeping that famously large head cool? Walks. Not the intentional baseball kind, but the leisurely, reflective variety. Bochy joins us to discuss his favorite walking routes, the team's performance so far in 2015 and the much anticipated return of outfielder Hunter Pence."  -SF Commonwealth Club Interview 

Click here for a transcript of another interview with Mr. Bochy. 

Comments From The Compass Desk
Mikhail Botvinnik, the late world Russian chess champion, usually took a long walk before any chess match.

Walking is good.  Scripting is good.   But walking in circles could be better.    

Focus on the process of walking while paying attention to the specifics within the terrain is the challenge.

A proficient Baguazhang player who walks the circle, focuses on many objective points while the neophytes and non-BGZ players might focus on one or more of the following: the pace; the range of the circle; the pain and the discomfort; and/or the specifics within the environment.  

# # #

Celebrating the World's Intellectual Property Day

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

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

#

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.

Strategists! Celebrate The World Creativity Day. (It Is Now World Creativity and Innovation Week)

(updated: 04.19.15)

There is no more World Creativity day.  . . .  It is now World Creativity and Innovation week.

There are various different ways  to create and innovate.  It is quite depended on the way the innovators think.   . . .  Changing their experience to perceive the information is  always a challenge especially when they think that their perception is correct.

In complex situations, we preferred the practice of viewing "The Singularity of Big Picture" by comprehending the "periphery of the connectivity" that lies within it.

Q: Does that point makes sense to you?

In some instances, creativity could be inspired by positive and negative events.

The real challenge is to create a sound and solid idea  under the stress of time and resources.


Side Note 
It is always fun to create and innovate an new idea. If it does not connect to a current or future need.  The "pseudo" innovative strategist is wasting the employer's time, resources and efforts.

Identifying the marketplace needs should always be the first step.  Determining whether one has the leadership,  the tactics, the resources, the technology and the strategy to innovate an well-thought out product that meets the marketplace is the real challenge.

Too many companies have wasted an abundance  of resources, creating stuff that does not meet the marketplace.  The presumption is that there is a minimum of 9000+ of failures for every one macro success.  ( I am surmising that the number of failures is higher.)

Without ever knowing the range of current and future needs and wants of the marketplace, they operate on the  notion that "we will build it and they will come."    Unless your company is positioned in the top 1% of the marketplace, the risk of succeeding is quite low.


The Compass Process of Seeing the Big Tangible Picture In a Problem
The following set of five steps  is based on the presumption that the problem is complex and difficult to solve.

1. Defining what is the problem
2. Identifying the general factors that operates within the the system that connects to the problem;
3. Determining the particular strategic state of the system;
4. Understanding the configuration within each factor;
5. Determining the capability within the "connective" configuration of the factors
6. Experimenting with the periphery of each component with the option of performing a succession of calculations.

More to come

A Review on The John Batchelor Radio Show on WABC (Part 2)

Source: JohnBatchelor,com  

updated on 10.09.2014 

Abstract 
The John Batchelor Show is the most intelligent and informative show on the radio wave.  (Some people have considered the radio to be obsolete.) I have been listening to it for many years.  The attraction is its extensiveness view on political news, and international matters.

His analysis of current events (national and international) is quite sober and intelligent.   ...  What I have always liked about Mr. Batchelor is that he doesn't overwhelm the audience with his own personal politics, unlike most right wing radio, there is substance in his show. 

The discussions on international affairs better than anyone else in the "news talk" business because of his frequently interviews with the foreign correspondents from the many international cities (i.e., London, Cairo,
Damascus, Tel Aviv, etc.) and an array of subject matter experts (sme). 

Listening to the reporting from the scene of the crime is always interesting regardless of the interviewees and the experts political leanings.   ... Differing the facts from the opinions requires some deep listening proficiency and profound strategic assessment skills.  (I presumed that you can perform that feat in a cyber moment while drinking a 20 oz of green tea.) 

Beside international affairs,  Batchelor's also touches on a diversity of national matters (i.e, economics, energy, automobiles, space programs, etc.)
... He also follows the feats of certain politicians from California, NY, Texas, and other relevant states. 

The Compass View 

There is no shouting, no screaming and no "demonization" of the other side of the political realm in this show. It is very unusual in today's political climate, which is probably why the mindless masses categorized him under the caption of boring.  ... Although I don't always agree with him, but his points are quite thought-out 

Paraphrasing what someone said previously, Batchelor's reminds me of an orchestra conductor directing his ever-talented quartet. He does a superb job in coordinating the flow and ebb of an interview during the real time of the interview. 

Interestingly I preferred his approach of refusing calls from the listeners. It filters out the "emotional debris" from the non-informative, political-leaning novices. Therefore, the information flow from the show to the listeners is smooth and concise.  

The Schema   
The show usually follows the template of focused on macro national matters and earth-shaking international affairs with great depth for the first three hours.

In the fourth hr, Batchelor usually interviews an author who has written a specific historical topic or a scientific subject matter that many intelligent people would find intriguing and educational.   

Some of these interviews are occasionally replayed on his Sunday show. You can download his show through Apple itunes and his web site. 

Miscellaneous Notes  

Unlike most tv and radio talk show hosts,  Batchelor's and his producer do their homework on the various topics and his array of interesting guests. He usually asks smart questions and superb follow-up questions.   ...  His daily habit of reading one book per day enhances his questioning acumen by 10 fold.   .. 

The entertainment value is in the quality of his show. His bumper music does a good job in presenting the theme that invokes the theater of the mind.  

Comments From the Compass Desk 
I believed that his show is the most "connected" radio show in terms of defining what are the significant matters and how it might impact the future of our global economy. 

This info-tainment-based radio show might not appeal to everyone. It usually requires someone who is moderately informed, reasonably well-read and open-minded.

If you wanted a sober insight from an ultra class professional,  I highly recommend the John Batchelor radio show.  

Side Notes 
Click here for part one of this topic and click here for an insightful 2011 interview on Mr. Batchelor from Jewishpress.com .

# # #

The John Batchelor Show on WABC: An Intelligent and Informative Radio Show for the Smart Strategists and News Addicts:

(updated 10.05.2014)

Anyone who is interested in the current slew of global news and foreign policy, should listen to The John Batchelor Show . It encompasses four hours of infotainment that brings to listeners breaking news with a carefully cultivated team of sources and correspondents around the world.

Batchelor does a 7-day-a-week radio show from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. (est) on WABC and is well-versed in national and international affairs

Profile
John Batchelor is a novelist and a host of a national radio news show that is located in New York City, who does his homework in knowing the next set of news stories and his many guests.

The Show 
The first three hours focuses on macro national matters and earth-shaking international affairs with great depth.

The fourth hr of the show is usually focuses on a book that depicts a specific historical or a scientific topic that many intelligent people would find intriguing.   We will elaborate more in our next post.

Click here for part 2.

Side Notes

Reading the WSJ and NYT while listening to this show is one of my favorite practices.  I occasionally see how certain news stories are connected to my current reading items..

If you are a radio fan, visit the C. Crane company. We have never received a freebie from them or anyone else. We are just a big fan of their specialized radios and their assortment of electronic products.

Listen to Dr. Ralph Sawyer's View on the Dao De Jing on the John Batchelor's Radio Show

This past evening, John Batchelor  interviewed Dr. Ralph D. Sawyer, a famous Chinese military history expert and the translator of Sun Tzu (Sunzi) Art of War on the martial perspective of Dao De Jing. 

Click here  for the audio. 

Comments From the Compass Desk 
Those who have complied with the essence of the Dao De Jing, understand that the principal challenge in life is to fluidly manage the on-coming changes while maintaining their virtue. 

One of the most challenging tasks for any reader of the Dao De Jing  is to connect their personal experiences to one of the 81 chapters.   This feat would enable one to comprehend the state of their virtue while deciding on how to adjust to the extremity of a situation. It also allows him/her to anticipate certain forthcoming opportunities.

Our experience tells us that this feat could only be achieved by consistently possessing and maintaining a center of mindfulness.   ... More on this unique view will be expanded in a future post.   

Side note: You could learn more on the basics of centerness by visiting Cook Ding's Kitchen.

We highly recommended this translation of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching)  for those who are involved in a highly competitive terrain  and are in need of a "worldly" viewpoint.   . . . 

Endorsement  of Other Translations
We also highly endorsed the D.C. Lau's  and  the Dr. Roger T. Ames translation of the Dao De Jing  for a different perspective.

Side Note 
Choosing the tactical approach of wu-wei to complete for any objective in an predictable setting is easy for any neophyte/professional amateur.  Determining the predictability of a situation while implementing the same "idealistic" approach in an uncertain setting is the real challenge.  We will discuss more on this topic later.

# # #

Dr. Ralph Sawyer on the John Batchelor's Radio Show

updated on 4.23.14

We have heard through our sources that Dr. Ralph D. Sawyer, a famous Chinese Military History expert and the translator of Sun Tzu (Sunzi) Art of War, have been recently interviewed by John Batchelor's.  This future radio interview will be focused on his recent book on the Zhou era and the Martial version of Dao De Jing. 

Notes on the John Batchelor Show
The John Batchelor's show usually focuses on a multitude of national and international issues that matters.  Mr. Batchelor does a superlative job in transforming an issue into a well-thought out story. Their "book review" portion of the show is always fascinating.  

Some of us preferred the weekly "Hotel California" segment that focuses on the state of California or the Tuesday segment on the conservative view of the economy while I personally preferred the topic of "NASA and space travel."

Those who are engaged in the "moderate to high risk, high reward" strategy game, could learn something unique from this show.

Click here  if you are interested in listening to any of John Batchelor recent radio shows.  

Comments From the Compass Desk 
Those who have complied with the essence of the Dao De Jing, know that the challenge in life is to manage the on-coming changes while maintaining their virtue. 

One of the most challenging tasks for anyone  is to connect their personal experiences to one of the 81 chapters of Dao De Jing.  Our experience tells us that this feat could only be achieved by consistently possessing and maintaining a center of mindfulness.   ... We will expand our view on this matter in a future post.   

Side note: You could learn more on the basics of centerness by visiting Cook Ding's Kitchen.

We highly recommended this translation of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) especially for those who are involved in a highly competitive situation.   . . .  We also highly endorsed the D.C. Lau's  and  the Dr. Roger T. Ames translation of the Dao De Jing  . 

# # #