I liked Kai Er’s talk alot, because he explained the difference between security and privacy very clearly. While thinking about the differences between privacy and security, It never crossed my mind that better security may require privacy to be given up.
I had always thought that privacy is keeping things private, and security is to keep those private things from being public. So in that sense, security will never be able to invade privacy. However, since Kai Er’s definition of Security is “making sure that the program does what its supposed to do and not what its not supposed to do.”, or, in light of the luggage checks and surveillance camera example, protect people/information from external threats, higher security can lead to invasion of privacy in order to secure its parameters.
I prefer Kai Er’s definition of security, because it is a broader definition than mine and applies to more situations. ^_^
Another thing I felt was important is that “a program is only as strong as its weakest link” – very true. However, I especially like the part about social engineering, because no matter how good a program is, humans are always its weakest link.
So the best solution is actually to educate people and to encourage people to think and doubt more.. ^_^ Heehee.
Oh haha I remember Prof Ben asking Kai Er about Extensibility – for Kai Er’s product it was extending the product into other rfid readers and all that so that you don't have 2 spend extra resources 2 retrofit whatever you have. Prof Ben felt that its just basic common sense to work on a version that can be easily extensible from the start, and he was surprised to find out that this is not common practice. As a non-programmer, I’m not very sure about the specifics, but I understand perfectly when Kai Er said that when deadlines are coming, nobody really cares about the future, they just care about getting it to work now. I’ve seen this inefficiency happen several times in the many projects I’ve worked in – its not something that can be helped.
Other than that, I think Kai Er’s product is pretty cool, I wonder if it is available for personal use though? As in, you know how there are so many things to sign into – facebook, deviantart, gmail, etc etc every time I use the school computer – its such a chore. I wonder if it is possible to build a device that saves passwords in a secure format so that the public can use it on different PCs? Obviously it will be very different from the way the RFID program is build now, since it has to be customized for each client. How about a thumbdrive thing that can sense when you are trying to access gmail and inputs all the info for you? Of course, it has to be protected by a initial password when the user opens up the program, like the RFID program is now, but hmmmm does such a thing exist yet?
Haha. One thing I learnt after hanging around with tech geeks ( through WPF ) from this class: whenever I think of something new that is tech-ish, they’ll stare at me and say, “wei man. That is out in the market already.”
*Bleah*.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Entrepreneurial Talk
I’ve never seen myself as an entrepreneur, because I’m not the kind of person who likes to have lots and lots of money. A rudimentary knowledge of economics will teach you that people are beings that have a specific set of needs, but infinite wants – that’s what drives the economy – the ever changing “useless” fashions and trends. Personally, I’m tired of all the junk we make and throw away on a daily basis. It used to be that things were made to last for years, decades even. I still use the sofa my grandparents bought for their apartment 40+ years ago, and it is sturdy enough. Not like those flimsy Ikea chairs I bought a year ago which broke a few days back. And hand phones - people change them like changing underwear – its become a matter of habit to be trading in your old phone for the latest phone almost every month. (yes, you! ^_^)
It pains me to know that the resources used up to mass manufacture trendy electronics and senseless trinkets could be put to better use, like making cheaper laptops for the poor in India or Africa. I try my best to fight against the desire to own products that do not last, or whose value is determined by the brand name rather than its utility.
I would like to be one of the few people who cut out as many wants as possible from my life. In fact, all my phones are hand-me-downs - I would still have my old JC nokia phone if my mother doesn’t trade in my phones once in a while coz she say its too obiang.
The thing is, I don’t need alot and alot of money. Its my ambition to live in a one room flat that has enough space for my books, that’s about it. I don’t like unnecessary spaces, one room will be nice and self-sufficient. (I can imagine Prof Ben asking – “What about your husband?” Ans: WHAT husband?!?!) And the thing about entrepreneurship is, most people go into it for the money. More than half the speakers in the lecture theatre became entrepreneurs because they felt that it will bring them more money faster. (and of course they like to take the risk and has the strength to fail.) For the rest for did it for passion, I’m sure they worked at a office job for a while to earn some back up money and capital before quitting and working on their passion.
Not only that, entrepreneurs usually capitalize on people’s need for new good and gadgets that look new and cool but are not intrinsically different, so essentially they are helping to create more waste for the planet. Like last time I wanted to set up a clothing brand in secondary school... Because I like to sketch a lot I’ve got these set of cute but really depressing stick men figures that spout clichés, that I really wanted to get printed on T-shirts, stationery, accessories, bags, and stuff. But when I thought more about it I felt that it is just helping to perpetuate the consumerist myth of individuality. (i.e. people buy my clothes because they feel that it will make them different but in actually fact they are just duped into feeling different and cool.) It doesn’t change the world, doesn’t help people, it only “wastes resources”. So I dropped the idea.
Interestingly enough, the businesses presented are businesses that are more practical in nature. Trading information rather than goods – like ownskins, red sports, and hungrygowhere. I really like what hungry go where said, “Ask what people need then make something that addresses their needs,” because I believe that’s the way businesses should be made. It goes to show that “new technology is not the key in business,” because new technology gets copied amazingly fast. It is new concepts, new ways of arranging information, that is the key to businesses now, I feel.
There are several other points that I agree with the speakers. In order to set up a business, one must have the “idea, money, and people”. I know that because after JC my friend asked me to do some art for his start up and somehow I ended up trying to set up a business with him and some friends. I did my time giving out flyers in City Hall MRT. (yeah, those office people really look quite dead.) The whole thing fell apart soon tho – crappy idea, not much money, and people with wrong motives. So I can appreciate that advice very very much now. Especially the right people – I believe that everyone should come clear with each other on their motives and expectations of the start up before going into the details of the business. Because knowing your people/partner is the single most important thing even before starting up your business – you’ll have to suffer and succeed with whoever you’re saddled with – like being married like that. Divorces are ugly.
Another thing is that selling is one skill needed to be an entrepreneur – very true. I remember someone telling me this orientation game – in a room of about 100 people, everyone’s given 50 cents. Everyone is free to mingle and talk within the time limit of 30 minutes – to beg, borrow, or steal 50 cents from each other. When the time is up, the person with the most 50 cents wins the game, and everyone who doesn’t have a coin has to do a forfeit on stage. It amazed me that there are people who can end the game with over 20 dollars... Honestly if you can do that you can sell blind people spectacles. ^_^
And yes, of course, being an entrepreneur is all about learning to be in the right place at the right time, and all the hard work to make sure it happens. ^_^
The most important thing I learnt is actually the search engine optimization. I feel that it is the most useful and practical piece of advice I gained from the talk. While the rest of the things I agree with can only be experienced or learnt through experience, SEO is not.
Oh and lastly, Leslie’s words struck a chord in my heart when he said that there’s all these big MNCs in Singapore like Nike and GAP, but there is no really huge local brand. And part of his motivation for setting up Red Sports is to build something that is Singaporean, a brand that belongs to us. Yes, I believe in that too – creating a Singaporean brand that lasts. ^_^
Actually, after hong ting’s question I wanted to ask a even more evil question – if the entrepreneurs had anything they regret. Because starting up a business entails a lot of sacrifice and risk... But oh well, not able to. Ah, I ask questions very methodologically one, so I had to ask the “why you start out” before the regrets question.
It pains me to know that the resources used up to mass manufacture trendy electronics and senseless trinkets could be put to better use, like making cheaper laptops for the poor in India or Africa. I try my best to fight against the desire to own products that do not last, or whose value is determined by the brand name rather than its utility.
I would like to be one of the few people who cut out as many wants as possible from my life. In fact, all my phones are hand-me-downs - I would still have my old JC nokia phone if my mother doesn’t trade in my phones once in a while coz she say its too obiang.
The thing is, I don’t need alot and alot of money. Its my ambition to live in a one room flat that has enough space for my books, that’s about it. I don’t like unnecessary spaces, one room will be nice and self-sufficient. (I can imagine Prof Ben asking – “What about your husband?” Ans: WHAT husband?!?!) And the thing about entrepreneurship is, most people go into it for the money. More than half the speakers in the lecture theatre became entrepreneurs because they felt that it will bring them more money faster. (and of course they like to take the risk and has the strength to fail.) For the rest for did it for passion, I’m sure they worked at a office job for a while to earn some back up money and capital before quitting and working on their passion.
Not only that, entrepreneurs usually capitalize on people’s need for new good and gadgets that look new and cool but are not intrinsically different, so essentially they are helping to create more waste for the planet. Like last time I wanted to set up a clothing brand in secondary school... Because I like to sketch a lot I’ve got these set of cute but really depressing stick men figures that spout clichés, that I really wanted to get printed on T-shirts, stationery, accessories, bags, and stuff. But when I thought more about it I felt that it is just helping to perpetuate the consumerist myth of individuality. (i.e. people buy my clothes because they feel that it will make them different but in actually fact they are just duped into feeling different and cool.) It doesn’t change the world, doesn’t help people, it only “wastes resources”. So I dropped the idea.
Interestingly enough, the businesses presented are businesses that are more practical in nature. Trading information rather than goods – like ownskins, red sports, and hungrygowhere. I really like what hungry go where said, “Ask what people need then make something that addresses their needs,” because I believe that’s the way businesses should be made. It goes to show that “new technology is not the key in business,” because new technology gets copied amazingly fast. It is new concepts, new ways of arranging information, that is the key to businesses now, I feel.
There are several other points that I agree with the speakers. In order to set up a business, one must have the “idea, money, and people”. I know that because after JC my friend asked me to do some art for his start up and somehow I ended up trying to set up a business with him and some friends. I did my time giving out flyers in City Hall MRT. (yeah, those office people really look quite dead.) The whole thing fell apart soon tho – crappy idea, not much money, and people with wrong motives. So I can appreciate that advice very very much now. Especially the right people – I believe that everyone should come clear with each other on their motives and expectations of the start up before going into the details of the business. Because knowing your people/partner is the single most important thing even before starting up your business – you’ll have to suffer and succeed with whoever you’re saddled with – like being married like that. Divorces are ugly.
Another thing is that selling is one skill needed to be an entrepreneur – very true. I remember someone telling me this orientation game – in a room of about 100 people, everyone’s given 50 cents. Everyone is free to mingle and talk within the time limit of 30 minutes – to beg, borrow, or steal 50 cents from each other. When the time is up, the person with the most 50 cents wins the game, and everyone who doesn’t have a coin has to do a forfeit on stage. It amazed me that there are people who can end the game with over 20 dollars... Honestly if you can do that you can sell blind people spectacles. ^_^
And yes, of course, being an entrepreneur is all about learning to be in the right place at the right time, and all the hard work to make sure it happens. ^_^
The most important thing I learnt is actually the search engine optimization. I feel that it is the most useful and practical piece of advice I gained from the talk. While the rest of the things I agree with can only be experienced or learnt through experience, SEO is not.
Oh and lastly, Leslie’s words struck a chord in my heart when he said that there’s all these big MNCs in Singapore like Nike and GAP, but there is no really huge local brand. And part of his motivation for setting up Red Sports is to build something that is Singaporean, a brand that belongs to us. Yes, I believe in that too – creating a Singaporean brand that lasts. ^_^
Actually, after hong ting’s question I wanted to ask a even more evil question – if the entrepreneurs had anything they regret. Because starting up a business entails a lot of sacrifice and risk... But oh well, not able to. Ah, I ask questions very methodologically one, so I had to ask the “why you start out” before the regrets question.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
ten facebook tips for power users
Tips include getting the old facebook layout back and how to stalk your friends. ^_^
:http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,161688/printable.html
:http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,161688/printable.html
Friday, March 20, 2009
Dialogues: Software Engineering, Zit Seng's Talk, More pia-ing in SOC 1
More PIA-ing in COMP 1.
Justin: "OMG- Eh Kian Boon! You must take a picture of this! Must have me in the picture too okay?"
-click- *flash*
-click- *flash*
-click- *flash*
Kian Boon:"Eh Wei Man you must put your hand here - den got picture of Wei Man's hand typing.."
-click- *flash*
Wei Man: "What the hell!?"
Justin: "Eh this is evidence of Extreme coding okay? Eh Boon I look horrible in this picture - Yuhan! Take a better pic!"
Yuhan:*click - * "Uh, did I take a picture?"
Justin: "What the hell did you press?!"
Kian Boon: "Ahem, that is Extreme Data entry okay, not Extreme programming. Eh, and stop laughing la."
-click - *flash*
Justin: "Eh, serious lah!"
-click - *flash*
Yuhan: "Nah, this one la, you both look very serious in this one."
Justin: "Okay, put on Facebook. Wei Man you go on putting data into myphpadmin arh, you've got to know enough to show prof ben by tmr."
*Wei Man enters data*
15 minutes later....
Wei Man: "Eh Justin, isn't there a way to do this faster? Like importing straight from excel?"
Justin: "uh..."
Yuhan & Bryan:"Yes! Can! No Problem!"
Wei Man: "Damn you, Justin!"
************************************************
So ends my first attempt at psuedo-coding (i.e. data entry into database). It seems pretty straight-forward after some coaching from Justin who helped label and and place the information in an excel sheet for me to refer to. Other than some exceptions with special conditions, I could do it without Justin's hovering supervision. Now only the question remains - will I pass Prof Ben's test? >_< style="font-weight: bold;">So, about Software Engineering...
After I left the class that day, I went out with a friend for dinner. We ended up discussing Buddhism -
He said, "The problem with people is that they have too many things in their minds at one time. All the different thoughts are distracting them from progressing with their lives and solving their problems..."
I said, "OMG! That's Abstraction!"
So of course he asked - "What is abstraction...I was talking about meditation... -_-lll" And I had to explain the whole thing about how there's this thing in software engineering where you hide all the distracting information and just reveal the parts that are important to you so you can concentrate on the important parts to think clearer and solve questions faster.
So *heh heh* Abstraction isn't a special case of SOC. ^_^ Its applicable to real life too..
Oh and just a note: Decomposition is actually one of my favorite methods of approaching a problem - I really think that the 5 principles taught in software engineering is applicable to many aspects of thinking and planning in life. ^_^
*******
Regarding the Scrum presentations, I was very impressed with Zihan's scrum-thingy invention because it sounded very efficient, and a very good solution to a production problem. Regrettably, it is only workable with a) a small group of bonded people, b) where everyone understood exactely what everyone else was doing.
The program that Zihan used, Track, works like the other production programs that I used in my company - Devtrack and Perforce - which I didn't have a chance to present. Devtrack tracks all the tasks that people are working on at the moment, allows people to update real time when they have finished their tasks, and allowed people to see how tasks are passed from one person to another.
The problem was training the huge number of people to all use the program when they didn't see any real benefit from it because it felt like just another time wasting administrative procedure. The other problem was that the project group was continuously expanding at the rate of about 2 people per week, so it was hard to get the synergy and bonding going because everything was in a constant state of flux. Unlike Zihan's committed group who knew each other (and their end goal) well, it was not easy to implement Zihan's system at my company, no matter how good the technology/method was.
I'm starting to believe that it is much easier to motivate and handle a small group than a large group. Even if its a large group, I think the big group should be broken up into small groups with a common goal so as to improve bonding and motivation to increase efficiency.. Its not so much the method or technology, its the people and the bonding that ultimately motivates and drives the project.
***
On Zit Seng's talk..I'm actually quite lost, but I was very impressed with his passion and how he made the talk interesting with stories. I think he's a very good speaker, just regret that I'm not well versed with the technical programming terms so I can't really understand what's going on - Hong Ting summarized it for me - basically if there's problems with the application, it can be a server problem, a network problem, or a programming problem within the app, so its really hard to figure out what's the critical problem and you have to do lots of testing. I got the part where its sometimes a programming problem with the app - just have to use abit of common sense to solve it.
I was very amazed when Zit Seng talked about the smooth logistics at the 80,000 over participant Networking session overseas, because I know from first-hand experience how hard it is to organize an event with just 100 participants and all the assorted problems that come with feeding, registering, and taking care of their welfare for one night. I would love to learn their secrets..
Reminds me of a discussion I had with a friend over the deplorable condition of student societies in NUS: He spoke of how overseas student organizations can handle 2,500 participants and invite distinguished guests for their yearly political events with no trouble at all, while the Singaporean version bungled up with only 300 participants. Is it a Singaporean thing, after all? To suck at logistics? Why? Has no one really bothered to ask for advice from overseas? Or we are just not committed to logistics and don't think they are important?
(Bah. At any rate, my own opinion is that student societies are too fleeting to succeed significantly.)
***
That about sums it up - sorry for the late post, I was rushing other modules with crazy deadlines too, working on 4 projects this semester, dying, dying, dying. But I blog long and I think hard okay, and I need like a space of 2 hours or so to properly sit down and think/blog - couldn't have planned it in during the last 2 weeks..>_< forgive me? ^_^
***
Random quote of the day: "Any good programmer will have the Ctrl+S syndrome" -Bryan
Justin: "OMG- Eh Kian Boon! You must take a picture of this! Must have me in the picture too okay?"
-click- *flash*
-click- *flash*
-click- *flash*
Kian Boon:"Eh Wei Man you must put your hand here - den got picture of Wei Man's hand typing.."
-click- *flash*
Wei Man: "What the hell!?"
Justin: "Eh this is evidence of Extreme coding okay? Eh Boon I look horrible in this picture - Yuhan! Take a better pic!"
Yuhan:*click - * "Uh, did I take a picture?"
Justin: "What the hell did you press?!"
Kian Boon: "Ahem, that is Extreme Data entry okay, not Extreme programming. Eh, and stop laughing la."
-click - *flash*
Justin: "Eh, serious lah!"
-click - *flash*
Yuhan: "Nah, this one la, you both look very serious in this one."
Justin: "Okay, put on Facebook. Wei Man you go on putting data into myphpadmin arh, you've got to know enough to show prof ben by tmr."
*Wei Man enters data*
15 minutes later....
Wei Man: "Eh Justin, isn't there a way to do this faster? Like importing straight from excel?"
Justin: "uh..."
Yuhan & Bryan:"Yes! Can! No Problem!"
Wei Man: "Damn you, Justin!"
************************************************
So ends my first attempt at psuedo-coding (i.e. data entry into database). It seems pretty straight-forward after some coaching from Justin who helped label and and place the information in an excel sheet for me to refer to. Other than some exceptions with special conditions, I could do it without Justin's hovering supervision. Now only the question remains - will I pass Prof Ben's test? >_< style="font-weight: bold;">So, about Software Engineering...
After I left the class that day, I went out with a friend for dinner. We ended up discussing Buddhism -
He said, "The problem with people is that they have too many things in their minds at one time. All the different thoughts are distracting them from progressing with their lives and solving their problems..."
I said, "OMG! That's Abstraction!"
So of course he asked - "What is abstraction...I was talking about meditation... -_-lll" And I had to explain the whole thing about how there's this thing in software engineering where you hide all the distracting information and just reveal the parts that are important to you so you can concentrate on the important parts to think clearer and solve questions faster.
So *heh heh* Abstraction isn't a special case of SOC. ^_^ Its applicable to real life too..
Oh and just a note: Decomposition is actually one of my favorite methods of approaching a problem - I really think that the 5 principles taught in software engineering is applicable to many aspects of thinking and planning in life. ^_^
*******
Regarding the Scrum presentations, I was very impressed with Zihan's scrum-thingy invention because it sounded very efficient, and a very good solution to a production problem. Regrettably, it is only workable with a) a small group of bonded people, b) where everyone understood exactely what everyone else was doing.
The program that Zihan used, Track, works like the other production programs that I used in my company - Devtrack and Perforce - which I didn't have a chance to present. Devtrack tracks all the tasks that people are working on at the moment, allows people to update real time when they have finished their tasks, and allowed people to see how tasks are passed from one person to another.
The problem was training the huge number of people to all use the program when they didn't see any real benefit from it because it felt like just another time wasting administrative procedure. The other problem was that the project group was continuously expanding at the rate of about 2 people per week, so it was hard to get the synergy and bonding going because everything was in a constant state of flux. Unlike Zihan's committed group who knew each other (and their end goal) well, it was not easy to implement Zihan's system at my company, no matter how good the technology/method was.
I'm starting to believe that it is much easier to motivate and handle a small group than a large group. Even if its a large group, I think the big group should be broken up into small groups with a common goal so as to improve bonding and motivation to increase efficiency.. Its not so much the method or technology, its the people and the bonding that ultimately motivates and drives the project.
***
On Zit Seng's talk..I'm actually quite lost, but I was very impressed with his passion and how he made the talk interesting with stories. I think he's a very good speaker, just regret that I'm not well versed with the technical programming terms so I can't really understand what's going on - Hong Ting summarized it for me - basically if there's problems with the application, it can be a server problem, a network problem, or a programming problem within the app, so its really hard to figure out what's the critical problem and you have to do lots of testing. I got the part where its sometimes a programming problem with the app - just have to use abit of common sense to solve it.
I was very amazed when Zit Seng talked about the smooth logistics at the 80,000 over participant Networking session overseas, because I know from first-hand experience how hard it is to organize an event with just 100 participants and all the assorted problems that come with feeding, registering, and taking care of their welfare for one night. I would love to learn their secrets..
Reminds me of a discussion I had with a friend over the deplorable condition of student societies in NUS: He spoke of how overseas student organizations can handle 2,500 participants and invite distinguished guests for their yearly political events with no trouble at all, while the Singaporean version bungled up with only 300 participants. Is it a Singaporean thing, after all? To suck at logistics? Why? Has no one really bothered to ask for advice from overseas? Or we are just not committed to logistics and don't think they are important?
(Bah. At any rate, my own opinion is that student societies are too fleeting to succeed significantly.)
***
That about sums it up - sorry for the late post, I was rushing other modules with crazy deadlines too, working on 4 projects this semester, dying, dying, dying. But I blog long and I think hard okay, and I need like a space of 2 hours or so to properly sit down and think/blog - couldn't have planned it in during the last 2 weeks..>_< forgive me? ^_^
***
Random quote of the day: "Any good programmer will have the Ctrl+S syndrome" -Bryan
Sunday, March 8, 2009
CS3216 final project proposal
Met up with project mates for final project proposal discussion today, for about 10 hours.
Previously, the whole game had been sort of a vague blob of cool stuff but today we ironed out the main issues and came up with the skeleton UI which cemented a lot of user interactions.
I like. I'm starting to get excited about our game because it promises to introduce a new "genre" of gaming into facebook games. I am excited because I can finally see the game happening with all the concrete goals lined out. And I'm excited because each of us are trying to push our own boundaries on the part that we are working on - trying out new concepts in storytelling, UI design, game play, and even programming!
And we know what each other are trying to do and we are similarly excited to see how all these will turn out.
This project promises to be very fun...it actually succeeds where NM/CS4343 doesn't. NM/CS4343 was intended for CS and NM students to explore a research topic of their own choosing by collaborating with others to create a 3D game. However, most of us were unable to get to know our project members well since CNM students don't really know SOC students and its hard to form groups where the team is made up of strangers. Also, SOC students are forced to do programming when some of them prefer to explore content creation. CS4343 is a very stressful endeavor because all my actions have to be squeezed into this set, immutable and narrow standard of evaluating my abilities for the module, and it is very hard to break free of working on the game just to "make the grade" mentality.
CS3216 has managed to circumvent these problems by allowing the class time to get to know their classmates better, and by allowing students to explore whatever they want to explore, and learn at their own pace.
I like. Can't wait to see our app blossom into something fresh, exciting, and playful.
Previously, the whole game had been sort of a vague blob of cool stuff but today we ironed out the main issues and came up with the skeleton UI which cemented a lot of user interactions.
I like. I'm starting to get excited about our game because it promises to introduce a new "genre" of gaming into facebook games. I am excited because I can finally see the game happening with all the concrete goals lined out. And I'm excited because each of us are trying to push our own boundaries on the part that we are working on - trying out new concepts in storytelling, UI design, game play, and even programming!
And we know what each other are trying to do and we are similarly excited to see how all these will turn out.
This project promises to be very fun...it actually succeeds where NM/CS4343 doesn't. NM/CS4343 was intended for CS and NM students to explore a research topic of their own choosing by collaborating with others to create a 3D game. However, most of us were unable to get to know our project members well since CNM students don't really know SOC students and its hard to form groups where the team is made up of strangers. Also, SOC students are forced to do programming when some of them prefer to explore content creation. CS4343 is a very stressful endeavor because all my actions have to be squeezed into this set, immutable and narrow standard of evaluating my abilities for the module, and it is very hard to break free of working on the game just to "make the grade" mentality.
CS3216 has managed to circumvent these problems by allowing the class time to get to know their classmates better, and by allowing students to explore whatever they want to explore, and learn at their own pace.
I like. Can't wait to see our app blossom into something fresh, exciting, and playful.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Get Help - Team Dynamics - On Discussion
Contents:
Section 1: Get Help
Section 2: Team dynamics – Vincent’s presentation
Section 3: Prof Ben's comments.
Section 1: Get Help
Issues discussed:
Is a Tutorial page necessary?
I liked this discussion alot, mainly Boa’s comment on “how to maximize the "get help call", How to post a help efficiently, how to give rewards, tips, etc.” This is sort of a pet concern of mine – teaching a new user the “tips and tricks”.
If we’ve got a good application, how do we teach people to use it well? The key word here is “well”. In this case, using the application well is to ensure that a) your call for help reaches the right people, and b) relevant call for helps reach you also. I had the same questions for the Xbox live presentation also – how can users effectively navigate the whole pool of information out there to get to (or publicize) the one that they need?
I don’t have a solution to that yet, but I’ll be thinking. ^_^
Regarding the need for a tutorial page, the general consensus the class reached was that the help page is necessary because all app makers should assume that users are stupid. YES. I agree heartily with that. Its always rule 1 when designing UI – ALWAYS ASSUME PEOPLE ARE STUPID. You can never go wrong.
Boon brought up a very good point on how different people have different learning curves also, and look for help in different ways. So I feel that any attempt to offer help should be a multi-prong approach – e.g. a sticky comment thread in forums, a help page, instructions for first timers, etc.
Kent’s presentation
I liked Kent’s presentation alot also. Some important points he brought up was that
a) A UI that is too attractive can be distracting for the users – Users tend to lose focus.
b) I love the step by step drop down menu, it really solves the selection flow issue and acts as a mini tutorial that slowly introduces each feature to the user.
c) However, my favourite point is this: “Encouraging users to interact to other user's posts.” I feel that it is like a ping pong effect, where user A reacts to user B and user B reacts back to user A and it goes on. I wonder if it is possible to make it loop? ( This is also why I think the recent addition of the LIKE button on facebook feeds is a fantastic feature: user's input is low, but return is high.)
d) Last point – the improvements in the rewards system: Kent is right that a personalized reward is a greater incentive than a reward that is automatically given by system. (Haha I actually read this point on Wenhan’s blog and that’s the point that stuck most in my head. Personalize the interaction between users for your app! It’ll make the reward/effect more special/unique/memorable)
Some issues I encountered when I tested the new Get Help application:
1. I could offer 9000000000000000000000000000000000000 pops, and click submit!
2. I went to my requests page, and realized that the app listed that I offered 2147483647 pops instead. Hmm doesn’t tally.
3. Hong Ting tried to help me, and I tried to give him my pops. Then – I realize cannot! =(
4. Cannot see my own "ask for help" offer on my dashboard!
5. I can’t remember who said this, but someone in class said that she was irritated with the spamming of stupid get help posts on the Get Help home page. I agree... Is there a way to sort out meaningless posts v.s. urgent posts?
6. Oh and really hate being forced to put a feeling for each post for help..can I don’t put a feeling and still ask for help? =(
On thinking:
Oops I think I made some pretty dumb replies in class – I can’t think very fast under pressure so I can only say that I got to the solution through thinking. However, its not as simple as just thinking - there's alot of steps involved. In fact I have to stress the importance of having a FRAMEWORK - i.e. knowing what you want to critique/think about.
For example, if my framework was on how to make the app prettier, then I wouldn't have come up with the problem and solution I mentioned in class. However, my focus was on utility, so here's how I discovered the problem:
1. I had a framework: I intended to get to the bottom of the utility of the application, because I believe that an application which optimizes on its functionality is the best application.
2. I tried to guess what's the best/unique points of the application - What makes the application what it is - and lump all the best points on the home page.
3. After coming up with the points, I improved the UI and tested it in my mind to see if it was true. I pretended I was a person who needs help in CSS desparately. (which was partially true...I desparately needed CSS help then...)
4. I discovered that I was unable to find out if people have responded to my call for help based on the improved UI that I suggested.
Section 2: Team dynamics – Vincent’s presentation
Some important points I got from Vincent’s presentation:
1 – Non-programmers can help programmers to define the problems so that programmers know what to solve.
2 – Find out the each person's strengths and weaknesses and try to find ways to compensate one person’s weaknesses with another’s strength within a team! I’d always considered the strengths, but always missed out on the second part of the point.
I find that it is easier to discuss strengths in a group, but harder to discuss weaknesses...People like to say that they can do things, but who says “Oh I can’t do this..and this...and this... can you?”
3 – Always find someone you can argue with and not get pissed with to be your project mate.
YES. I definitely agree. I haven’t found someone to argue with though...*sad*
Section 3: Prof Ben's comments.
Prof Ben made some interesting points also, things that I’ve never thought about:
Pt. 1: “As an employee, you have no choice who you are going to work with. That’s why its always the best to be the boss/employer.”
Hm. I’ve always been an “employee” position, and always had to work with people I don’t know. But I enjoy doing that sometimes, because its always a fun challenge to find ways to work with all sorts of people and see what kind of team dynamics come out from it. Its always a new challenge to work strangers and its always exciting (albeit stressful).
The WPF grouping is probably the only group in all my NUS projects that I’ve worked in where I’ve chosen who I want to work with, since I pulled in most of the team members. It was a totally different experience from all my previous projects. I didn’t have to worry so much because I trust my team member’s skills and experience, which is why I picked them in the first place. Plus they were all very motivated people so our team morale was always quite high, and its really a very happy experience working with them. Our skills also complemented each other’s and it is a much more relaxed experience than if I was just thrown into a group of people I don’t know.
So yeah I agree it makes a big difference whether you choose who you want to work with, or you are just made to work with several strangers. That comment made me wonder if I’m just satisfied with being an “employee” all my life. Hm.
Pt. 2: “Programmers with people skills make the best Project Leaders.”
Eh... well. That’s true. But there are ways to get around this. The three points that Prof Ben brought up – Programmers know better what tasks there are, how long each task will take, and what are the dependencies for each task – are definitely valid, but there is a system that producers use, called SCRUM, that allows non-programmers to schedule tasks for programmers.
I used this method in the Lucasfilm game division, when I was working as an assistant producer. Basically when we start scheduling, I went around all the programmers to ask them what tasks they need to do to reach a certain milestone in the game. The programmers give me a list of their tasks, including all the breakdowns into sub-tasks, as well as how long they need to finish each task, and any dependencies. I basically input this into Microsoft project and tell them if they need to finish their tasks faster if not they’ll over shoot the deadline or not. ^_^ Every morning there’s a programmer meeting with us producers, and we’ll go through with everyone what they should be working on today, check that they’ve finished their previous task, and ask if there’s any problems that they anticipate in today’s work. ^_^
But I always felt that if I knew some programming, it’ll be much better – at least I can better understand the programmer’s problems and suggest solutions/ know when they are just smoking. ^_^
(oh btw... Programmers out there might be interested in this thread on my facebook note: Are Programmers Like Road Sweepers? so far its got 53 comments with comments from programmers in Lucasarts, Gambit, Mikoishi, Google..etc. ^_^ Feel free to comment! Can't wait to hear your views too!)
Pt. 3: Idea v.s. Execution
I've been drilled over and over by my lecturers: Good ideas are worth nothing. If you don't execute it, it is as good as a crappy idea. I think Archunz's point summarizes it the best: One of my favourite lecturers in NUS said this: "An idea cannot be patented; or stolen. It belongs to no-one till it has been realized."
Other comments:
On Discussion: A story.
Yeah I agree that the classroom table arrangement is super not conducive for a discussion. I like to be able to see everyone’s face when they are commenting, so easier to address questions to other people. In Lit modules we usually sit in a circle to discuss.
I hope I didn’t sound too aggressive in questioning other people and giving comments... I was very much hoping to find someone who will argue with me about my points... but very sad, only met with silence. I expected a more lively discussion since I know our class is full of intelligent people and I can’t wait to find out what they think. =(
I really don’t like silence during discussion time. I used to be very quiet during discussions, because everyone else was quiet and I didn’t dare to speak up coz I was scared I’ll say something dumb and everyone will laugh at me. Then I’ll wait until someone else starts first. Occasionally if really no one talks after a couple of minutes I’ll venture a point or two but I’ll just shut up after that if everyone else continues to keep silent. Like quite embarrassing to keep making comments if everyone’s quiet.
But then I met this person who told me that he’s got the same experience in his classes, and he absolutely hated it. He said, “This is such a Singaporean thing. Everyone waits politely for everyone else to start the topic even though they’ve got pretty interesting things to say themselves. Its a pretty screwed up system of politeness that doesn’t benefit anyone.
If you go overseas, there is no such thing as allowing other people to speak first. People are always snatching to take the lead in answering questions. That’s how the world works what, no one waits for you to start, no one’s so nice to let other people take credit. Singaporeans should learn to be more confident about their own point of view and dare to speak out, or they’ll just lose to everyone else when it comes to being in the workplace.”
Then I asked him – What if what you say is stupid? What if its wrong? Isn’t it embarrassing?
He asked me, “Why should you be embarrassed about making your points heard in class? If you think they are valid, just say it! If you say something right, everyone can learn from it, and if you say something stupid, everyone can learn from it too. Better say something stupid in the class and learn from it than making the mistake in the workplace right?”
Hmm. Still I protested – “But if you keep answering questions, then everyone else will think that you’re trying to be the teacher’s pet or something. Then you’ll feel like other people don’t like you... =( *uncomfortable feeling* in class.”
He said, “So what? What do you care about what other people think? As long as you have important points to share and discuss, who cares what other people think? You’ll definitely learn from your comments in class, because your teacher will comment on what you said even if your classmates don’t. If you don’t say it, then nobody will learn anything new. Why will other people be unhappy if you give your point of view? They can very easily give their own point of view if they want to, so there’s no reason for them to be angry at you if they can’t conquer their own fear of speaking up in class. If everyone keeps quiet, it’ll defeat the point of the discussion, doesn’t it?”
I said... “True...but I know some people want to keep quiet about their thoughts because they think that their idea is so brilliant that they don’t want to let other people know. I always feel very sad because I want to know what those intelligent people are thinking about but they are just unwilling to share. But its not their fault to not want to share what, right? So maybe that’s why the class is so silent, because its is full of intelligent people...”
He said, “If some people want to keep their ideas secret because they think that their own idea is so good that it’ll give them an edge over the other students during exams, and not talk in class discussion, they wouldn’t be able to find out if there are any problems with their ideas, or further explore how far their idea can actually go. Its their loss, and its everybody’s loss if they don’t talk in class. The loss is so much greater if everyone in the class is intelligent and holding back because they don’t want other people to know what they are thinking.
Aiyah just say what you want to say la, how bad can it get? Anyway next sem its a different class altogether already anyways. Like people will remember you. Heck it la!”
GG. I really had nothing to say in return. If anyone can tell me counterpoints to his arguments, let me know.
It was because of this conversation that I try my best to give comments during discussions. It wasn’t easy, even now I still wait for other people to start first of “politeness” – its a hard habit to break. But once I start, I really cannot stop. Honestly I really love discussions. It is a great chance to find out what other people are thinking about the same topic, and a great chance to test my ability to provide counterpoints to substantiate my arguments on the spot. Its a great litmus test to see if my ideas are feasible or misguided, and for me, very fun. I’m used to addressing questions to other people during discussion in Lit modules, and I find it very sad that outside lit modules people rarely speak up in discussions.
I’ve actually held back alot – and this is what I hate about discussions where most people keep quiet – the discussion cannot progress, alot of time is wasted, I end up saying alot of things and not learning from what I say because no one is commenting on my ideas. Its always very demoralizing. Happily, our discussion got more lively near the end and I just wish we had less silence and hence more time to discuss. Perhaps the next discussion will be better? ^_^ Haha... more fun la, if everyone talks more. Den I wldn't fall asleep and will be motivated to write long blog posts like this. Easier to blog la, if got discussion. ^_^
Section 1: Get Help
- Issues discussed: Is a Tutorial page necessary?
- Kent’s presentation
- Some issues I encountered when I tested the new Get Help application:
- On thinking
Section 2: Team dynamics – Vincent’s presentation
Section 3: Prof Ben's comments.
- Pt. 1 - Employee v.s. Employer
- Pt. 2 - Programmers = best project leader?
- Pt. 3 - Execution v.s. Idea
- On Discussion: A story. (this one must read! ^_^)
Section 1: Get Help
Issues discussed:
Is a Tutorial page necessary?
I liked this discussion alot, mainly Boa’s comment on “how to maximize the "get help call", How to post a help efficiently, how to give rewards, tips, etc.” This is sort of a pet concern of mine – teaching a new user the “tips and tricks”.
If we’ve got a good application, how do we teach people to use it well? The key word here is “well”. In this case, using the application well is to ensure that a) your call for help reaches the right people, and b) relevant call for helps reach you also. I had the same questions for the Xbox live presentation also – how can users effectively navigate the whole pool of information out there to get to (or publicize) the one that they need?
I don’t have a solution to that yet, but I’ll be thinking. ^_^
Regarding the need for a tutorial page, the general consensus the class reached was that the help page is necessary because all app makers should assume that users are stupid. YES. I agree heartily with that. Its always rule 1 when designing UI – ALWAYS ASSUME PEOPLE ARE STUPID. You can never go wrong.
Boon brought up a very good point on how different people have different learning curves also, and look for help in different ways. So I feel that any attempt to offer help should be a multi-prong approach – e.g. a sticky comment thread in forums, a help page, instructions for first timers, etc.
Kent’s presentation
I liked Kent’s presentation alot also. Some important points he brought up was that
a) A UI that is too attractive can be distracting for the users – Users tend to lose focus.
b) I love the step by step drop down menu, it really solves the selection flow issue and acts as a mini tutorial that slowly introduces each feature to the user.
c) However, my favourite point is this: “Encouraging users to interact to other user's posts.” I feel that it is like a ping pong effect, where user A reacts to user B and user B reacts back to user A and it goes on. I wonder if it is possible to make it loop? ( This is also why I think the recent addition of the LIKE button on facebook feeds is a fantastic feature: user's input is low, but return is high.)
d) Last point – the improvements in the rewards system: Kent is right that a personalized reward is a greater incentive than a reward that is automatically given by system. (Haha I actually read this point on Wenhan’s blog and that’s the point that stuck most in my head. Personalize the interaction between users for your app! It’ll make the reward/effect more special/unique/memorable)
Some issues I encountered when I tested the new Get Help application:
1. I could offer 9000000000000000000000000000000000000 pops, and click submit!
2. I went to my requests page, and realized that the app listed that I offered 2147483647 pops instead. Hmm doesn’t tally.
3. Hong Ting tried to help me, and I tried to give him my pops. Then – I realize cannot! =(
4. Cannot see my own "ask for help" offer on my dashboard!
5. I can’t remember who said this, but someone in class said that she was irritated with the spamming of stupid get help posts on the Get Help home page. I agree... Is there a way to sort out meaningless posts v.s. urgent posts?
6. Oh and really hate being forced to put a feeling for each post for help..can I don’t put a feeling and still ask for help? =(
On thinking:
Oops I think I made some pretty dumb replies in class – I can’t think very fast under pressure so I can only say that I got to the solution through thinking. However, its not as simple as just thinking - there's alot of steps involved. In fact I have to stress the importance of having a FRAMEWORK - i.e. knowing what you want to critique/think about.
For example, if my framework was on how to make the app prettier, then I wouldn't have come up with the problem and solution I mentioned in class. However, my focus was on utility, so here's how I discovered the problem:
1. I had a framework: I intended to get to the bottom of the utility of the application, because I believe that an application which optimizes on its functionality is the best application.
2. I tried to guess what's the best/unique points of the application - What makes the application what it is - and lump all the best points on the home page.
3. After coming up with the points, I improved the UI and tested it in my mind to see if it was true. I pretended I was a person who needs help in CSS desparately. (which was partially true...I desparately needed CSS help then...)
4. I discovered that I was unable to find out if people have responded to my call for help based on the improved UI that I suggested.
Section 2: Team dynamics – Vincent’s presentation
Some important points I got from Vincent’s presentation:
1 – Non-programmers can help programmers to define the problems so that programmers know what to solve.
2 – Find out the each person's strengths and weaknesses and try to find ways to compensate one person’s weaknesses with another’s strength within a team! I’d always considered the strengths, but always missed out on the second part of the point.
I find that it is easier to discuss strengths in a group, but harder to discuss weaknesses...People like to say that they can do things, but who says “Oh I can’t do this..and this...and this... can you?”
3 – Always find someone you can argue with and not get pissed with to be your project mate.
YES. I definitely agree. I haven’t found someone to argue with though...*sad*
Section 3: Prof Ben's comments.
Prof Ben made some interesting points also, things that I’ve never thought about:
Pt. 1: “As an employee, you have no choice who you are going to work with. That’s why its always the best to be the boss/employer.”
Hm. I’ve always been an “employee” position, and always had to work with people I don’t know. But I enjoy doing that sometimes, because its always a fun challenge to find ways to work with all sorts of people and see what kind of team dynamics come out from it. Its always a new challenge to work strangers and its always exciting (albeit stressful).
The WPF grouping is probably the only group in all my NUS projects that I’ve worked in where I’ve chosen who I want to work with, since I pulled in most of the team members. It was a totally different experience from all my previous projects. I didn’t have to worry so much because I trust my team member’s skills and experience, which is why I picked them in the first place. Plus they were all very motivated people so our team morale was always quite high, and its really a very happy experience working with them. Our skills also complemented each other’s and it is a much more relaxed experience than if I was just thrown into a group of people I don’t know.
So yeah I agree it makes a big difference whether you choose who you want to work with, or you are just made to work with several strangers. That comment made me wonder if I’m just satisfied with being an “employee” all my life. Hm.
Pt. 2: “Programmers with people skills make the best Project Leaders.”
Eh... well. That’s true. But there are ways to get around this. The three points that Prof Ben brought up – Programmers know better what tasks there are, how long each task will take, and what are the dependencies for each task – are definitely valid, but there is a system that producers use, called SCRUM, that allows non-programmers to schedule tasks for programmers.
I used this method in the Lucasfilm game division, when I was working as an assistant producer. Basically when we start scheduling, I went around all the programmers to ask them what tasks they need to do to reach a certain milestone in the game. The programmers give me a list of their tasks, including all the breakdowns into sub-tasks, as well as how long they need to finish each task, and any dependencies. I basically input this into Microsoft project and tell them if they need to finish their tasks faster if not they’ll over shoot the deadline or not. ^_^ Every morning there’s a programmer meeting with us producers, and we’ll go through with everyone what they should be working on today, check that they’ve finished their previous task, and ask if there’s any problems that they anticipate in today’s work. ^_^
But I always felt that if I knew some programming, it’ll be much better – at least I can better understand the programmer’s problems and suggest solutions/ know when they are just smoking. ^_^
(oh btw... Programmers out there might be interested in this thread on my facebook note: Are Programmers Like Road Sweepers? so far its got 53 comments with comments from programmers in Lucasarts, Gambit, Mikoishi, Google..etc. ^_^ Feel free to comment! Can't wait to hear your views too!)
Pt. 3: Idea v.s. Execution
I've been drilled over and over by my lecturers: Good ideas are worth nothing. If you don't execute it, it is as good as a crappy idea. I think Archunz's point summarizes it the best: One of my favourite lecturers in NUS said this: "An idea cannot be patented; or stolen. It belongs to no-one till it has been realized."
Other comments:
On Discussion: A story.
Yeah I agree that the classroom table arrangement is super not conducive for a discussion. I like to be able to see everyone’s face when they are commenting, so easier to address questions to other people. In Lit modules we usually sit in a circle to discuss.
I hope I didn’t sound too aggressive in questioning other people and giving comments... I was very much hoping to find someone who will argue with me about my points... but very sad, only met with silence. I expected a more lively discussion since I know our class is full of intelligent people and I can’t wait to find out what they think. =(
I really don’t like silence during discussion time. I used to be very quiet during discussions, because everyone else was quiet and I didn’t dare to speak up coz I was scared I’ll say something dumb and everyone will laugh at me. Then I’ll wait until someone else starts first. Occasionally if really no one talks after a couple of minutes I’ll venture a point or two but I’ll just shut up after that if everyone else continues to keep silent. Like quite embarrassing to keep making comments if everyone’s quiet.
But then I met this person who told me that he’s got the same experience in his classes, and he absolutely hated it. He said, “This is such a Singaporean thing. Everyone waits politely for everyone else to start the topic even though they’ve got pretty interesting things to say themselves. Its a pretty screwed up system of politeness that doesn’t benefit anyone.
If you go overseas, there is no such thing as allowing other people to speak first. People are always snatching to take the lead in answering questions. That’s how the world works what, no one waits for you to start, no one’s so nice to let other people take credit. Singaporeans should learn to be more confident about their own point of view and dare to speak out, or they’ll just lose to everyone else when it comes to being in the workplace.”
Then I asked him – What if what you say is stupid? What if its wrong? Isn’t it embarrassing?
He asked me, “Why should you be embarrassed about making your points heard in class? If you think they are valid, just say it! If you say something right, everyone can learn from it, and if you say something stupid, everyone can learn from it too. Better say something stupid in the class and learn from it than making the mistake in the workplace right?”
Hmm. Still I protested – “But if you keep answering questions, then everyone else will think that you’re trying to be the teacher’s pet or something. Then you’ll feel like other people don’t like you... =( *uncomfortable feeling* in class.”
He said, “So what? What do you care about what other people think? As long as you have important points to share and discuss, who cares what other people think? You’ll definitely learn from your comments in class, because your teacher will comment on what you said even if your classmates don’t. If you don’t say it, then nobody will learn anything new. Why will other people be unhappy if you give your point of view? They can very easily give their own point of view if they want to, so there’s no reason for them to be angry at you if they can’t conquer their own fear of speaking up in class. If everyone keeps quiet, it’ll defeat the point of the discussion, doesn’t it?”
I said... “True...but I know some people want to keep quiet about their thoughts because they think that their idea is so brilliant that they don’t want to let other people know. I always feel very sad because I want to know what those intelligent people are thinking about but they are just unwilling to share. But its not their fault to not want to share what, right? So maybe that’s why the class is so silent, because its is full of intelligent people...”
He said, “If some people want to keep their ideas secret because they think that their own idea is so good that it’ll give them an edge over the other students during exams, and not talk in class discussion, they wouldn’t be able to find out if there are any problems with their ideas, or further explore how far their idea can actually go. Its their loss, and its everybody’s loss if they don’t talk in class. The loss is so much greater if everyone in the class is intelligent and holding back because they don’t want other people to know what they are thinking.
Aiyah just say what you want to say la, how bad can it get? Anyway next sem its a different class altogether already anyways. Like people will remember you. Heck it la!”
GG. I really had nothing to say in return. If anyone can tell me counterpoints to his arguments, let me know.
It was because of this conversation that I try my best to give comments during discussions. It wasn’t easy, even now I still wait for other people to start first of “politeness” – its a hard habit to break. But once I start, I really cannot stop. Honestly I really love discussions. It is a great chance to find out what other people are thinking about the same topic, and a great chance to test my ability to provide counterpoints to substantiate my arguments on the spot. Its a great litmus test to see if my ideas are feasible or misguided, and for me, very fun. I’m used to addressing questions to other people during discussion in Lit modules, and I find it very sad that outside lit modules people rarely speak up in discussions.
I’ve actually held back alot – and this is what I hate about discussions where most people keep quiet – the discussion cannot progress, alot of time is wasted, I end up saying alot of things and not learning from what I say because no one is commenting on my ideas. Its always very demoralizing. Happily, our discussion got more lively near the end and I just wish we had less silence and hence more time to discuss. Perhaps the next discussion will be better? ^_^ Haha... more fun la, if everyone talks more. Den I wldn't fall asleep and will be motivated to write long blog posts like this. Easier to blog la, if got discussion. ^_^
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