大世界 2

假設你是一個程式員。你學了 Lisp 這種程式語言後,未必真的會在上班時用它來寫程式。但是,Lisp 會為你帶來很多嶄新的思考工具,大大改善你寫程式的風格,即使你維持使用其他程式語言。

(安:即是話,未用過 Lisp 的話,你不會知道你平日用的程式語言,有什麼限制。)

無錯。

(安:你要學習和領悟新的知識或技能,才能真切體會到自己原有的知識體系,有什麼不足之處。)

— Me@2010.11.05

Programming in Lisp is like playing with the primordial forces of the universe. It feels like lightning between your fingertips. No other language even feels close.

— Glenn Ehrlich

2010.11.05 Friday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Hackers & Painters 3

1. How to Start a Startup.
  Build something users love, and spend less than you make.

2. Startups in 13 Sentences.
  Above all, understand your users.

3. Hiring is Obsolete.
  The market is a lot more discerning than any employer.

4. How to Make Wealth.
  To get rich you need to get yourself in a situation with two things, measurement and leverage.

5. You Weren’t Meant to Have a Boss.
  Startup founders seem to be working in a way that’s more natural for humans.

6. Why to Not Not Start a Startup.
  All the reasons you aren’t doing it, and why most (but not all) should be ignored.

7. Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy.
  It’s the people that matter.

8. A Student’s Guide to Startups.
  Starting a startup could well become as popular as grad school.

9. Ideas for Startups.
  The initial idea is not a blueprint, but a question.

10. Why Smart People Have Bad Ideas.
  A hacker who has learned what to make, and not just how to make, is extraordinarily powerful.

11. Be Relentlessly Resourceful.
  You have to keep trying new things.

12. The 18 Mistakes that Kill Startups.
  If you avoid every cause of failure, you succeed.

13. The Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn
  Some things about startups are kind of counterintuitive.

14. How to Fund a Startup.
  Venture funding works like gears.

15. The Hacker’s Guide to Investors.
  Hackers don’t know how little they know about this strange world.

16. How to Present to Investors.
  Explain what you’re doing and why users will want it.

17. The Equity Equation.
  You should always feel richer after trading equity.

18. A Fundraising Survival Guide.
  Founders have to treat raising money as a dangerous process.

19. The Venture Capital Squeeze.
  Why not let the founders have that first million, or at least half million?

20. The Other Road Ahead.
  You may not believe it, but I promise you, Microsoft is scared of you.

21. How Not to Die.
  Startups run on morale.

22. What Business Can Learn from Open Source.
  There may be more pain in your own company, but it won’t hurt as much.

23. What the Bubble Got Right.
  Even a small increase in the rate at which good ideas win would be a momentous change.

24. The High-Res Society.
  The economy of the future will be a fluid network of smaller, independent units.

— Y Combinator Startup Library

2010.11.04 Thursday ACHK

Easy 2

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The secret to making things easy: avoid hard problems

That may seem obvious, but in my experience most engineers prefer to focus on the hard problems. Working on hard problems is impressive to other engineers, but it’s not a great way to build successful products.

— Paul Buchheit

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2010.11.04 Thursday ACHK

學問急症室 1.2

天才省略 4.2

這段改篇自 2010 年 4 月 8 日的對話。

現在的重點,並不是研究如何令到自己「在考試前溫完書」,而是研究如何令到自己不再需要「溫完書」。換言之,你要 transcend 了「溫完書」。你要設計一個方法,令到自己無論在有沒有「溫完書」的情況下,都可以達致最佳成績。

(CN:但是,未「溫完書」,又怎能拿到好成績呢?例如,我覺得以我現有的知識,不能拿到理想的成績等級。)

什麼等級?你有沒有試過「按年份、計時間、計分數」做 past papers(歷屆試題)?

(CN:還未。)

你要試過「按年份、計時間、計分數」做 past papers,才可以知道以你現有的知識,可以拿到什麼成績等級。

所以,你要盡快開始做。即使,不幸地你發現你現時的分數只足夠拿到 C,至起碼,那個 C 是確實的。然後,你可以在 C 的基礎上,再努力溫習,拿得一分得一分。

而且,溫習了後,你只要「計時間、計分數」做另一份 past paper,就可以直接知道自己新的分數,新的成績等級。

Past papers –> 溫習課文 –> Past papers –> 溫習課文 –> …

— Me@2010.11.04

2010.11.04 Thursday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

蜘蛛絲 4

X-Men 2

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

你試試觀察這些商業戰爭,你會發現很有趣。參戰各方,原本生存於互不相干的勢力範圍。第一方在水星、第二方在冥王星、第三方在祝融星 … 例如: Amazon(網上書店)的根據地是「網絡銷售圖書」市場;Apple 的根據地是「高檔電腦」市場;Microsoft 的根據地是「作業系統程式」市場;Google 的根據地是「網絡搜尋器」市場;Nokia 的根據地是「流動電話」市場。

但是,不知怎樣,它們加入了同一堆戰團。Amazon 透過它在「網上書店」的優勢,推出「電子圖書閱讀機 Amazon Kindle」;Apple 透過它在「iPod(隨身音樂播放器)」的優勢,推出「流動智能電話 iPhone」,與 Nokia 一較高下;Google 透過它在「網絡搜尋器」的優勢,推出 Google Phone,與 Apple iPhone 一決雌雄;Apple 透過它在 iPhone 的優勢,推出「平板電腦 iPad」,與 Amazon Kindle 高手過招。

— Me@2010.11.03

There’s an old story about the person who wished his computer were as easy to use as his telephone. That wish has come true, since I no longer know how to use my telephone.

— Bjarne Stroustrup

2010.11.03 Wednesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

美貌與智慧

Beauty 7

美貌同智慧,又點會o係同一個女人身上出現?

— 許冠文

A particularly beautiful woman is a source of terror. As a rule, a beautiful woman is a terrible disappointment.

— Carl Jung

以上內容純粹講笑,請勿當真。

— Me@2010.11.03

2010.11.03 Wednesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Life is easy

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There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.

— Warren Buffett

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Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.

— Ralph W. Emerson on Art

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2010.11.03 Wednesday ACHK

學問急症室 1.1

天才省略 4.1

這段改篇自 2010 年 4 月 8 日的對話。

(CN:昨晚我做了一個溫習計劃時間表。但是,感覺上,我還有很多東西未讀。我不會有足夠時間,在考試前溫完書。)

你千萬不要有這個心態。很多人有相同的錯誤想法。他們以為考試前溫習的目的,是「溫完書」,讀完所有東西,然後才可以去考試。其實不是。「試前溫習」的真正目的,是「考試拿到好成績」。而要拿到好成績,並不需要「在考試前讀完所有東西」。

有很多時候,「解決問題」的最好方法,未必是「直接解決」,而是「把問題 transcend 掉」,令到原本的問題不再重要。換句話說,有很多時候,「解決問題」的最好方法,是令到自己毋須再解決那個「問題」。

現在的重點,並不是研究如何令到自己「在考試前溫完書」,而是研究如何令到自己不再需要「溫完書」。換言之,你要 transcend 了「溫完書」。你要設計一個方法,令到自己無論在有沒有「溫完書」的情況下,都可以達致最佳成績。

(CN:但是,未「溫完書」,又怎能拿到好成績呢?)

— Me@2010.11.02

2010.11.02 Tuesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Principles 4

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25 I started to be able to organize my information.

27 I started to be able to get rid of my OCD 80%.

28 I started to able to understand “principles”, i.e. “follow the natural laws”.

— Me@2010.02.23

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2010.11.01 Monday (c) ACHK

蜘蛛絲 3

(安:而 Apple(蘋果電腦公司)就開了第三個擂台:iPhone?)

表面上,Apple 的「領土」是 iPod 和 iPhone。實際上,Apple 的「最終根據地」是 design(設計品味)和 style(風格)。

留意,在 Apple 推出一樣產品之前,市面上往往已有同類的東西。有 iPod 以前,市場本來就有各式各樣 MP3 機(隨身音樂播放器);有 iPhone 以前,市場本來就有各式各樣手提電話。iPod 的革命性,在於之前人們不能想像有那麼好的 MP3 機;iPhone 的革命性,在於之前人們不能想像有那麼好的手提電話。

Apple 彷彿在教育世人:「你們這樣造 MP3 機是不行的。看看我的 iPod 吧! MP3 應該是這樣設計的。」 Apple 憑著它的設計品味,將原本是平庸的科技產品,塑造成一個潮流。簡稱「點石成金」。

— Me@2010.11.01

2010.11.01 Monday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Groundhog Day

電影與現實 4 | 偷天情緣 | 月黑高飛 | The Shawshank Redemption 

Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, finds himself repeating the same day over and over again.

— Wikipedia on Groundhog Day (film)

The day is not repeated if you know that it is repeated. If you know that it is repeated, you are already different. You can keep improving yourself until the time loop is broken.

— Me@2010.10.31

Phil wakes up the next morning and finds the time loop is broken; it is now February 3 and Rita is still with him. Phil is a different person than he was on February 1 and, after going outside, Phil and Rita talk about living in Punxsutawney together.

— Wikipedia on Groundhog Day (film)

2010.10.31 Sunday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

心理火警演習

這段改篇自 2010 年 4 月 8 日的對話。

我時常叫你在平日「按年份、計時間、計分數」做 past paper(歷屆試題)。其中一個主要目的,是要預演考試時候的心理狀態。

除非你以前有案例,曾經試過在考試時,因為自己「恐懼」而導致做不到任何題目,否則,你毋須為自己的「恐懼」而擔憂。

考試時你可以「恐懼」。但是,不要「恐懼」自己的「恐懼」。知不知個微妙之處?

(CN:我知。)

如果你考試時介意自己的「恐懼」,而企圖迫自己「不要恐懼」的話,你會更加「恐懼」。相反,如果你知道「考試時會恐懼」是人之常情,而接受自己的「恐懼」的話,你反而不會過份「恐懼」。你的「恐懼」會在一個可控制的範圍內,不會對你的考試表現,有明顯的實質影響。

有很多時候,「解決問題」的最好方法,未必是「直接解決」,而是「把問題 transcend 掉」,令到原本的問題不再重要。換句話說,有很多時候,「解決問題」的最好方法,是令到自己毋須再解決那個「問題」。

現在的重點,並不是研究如何令到自己「在考試期間不要恐懼」,而是令到自己不再需要「沒有恐懼」。換言之,你要 transcend 了「恐懼」,令到自己無論在有沒有「恐懼」的情況下,都可以達到最佳成績。

所以,你要在平日時常「按年份、計時間、計分數」做 past paper,以作大量的考試心理演習。

— Me@2010.10.30

2010.10.30 Saturday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

C, Lisp, and Smalltalk

Design and Research 2

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You can see the same thing in programming languages. C, Lisp, and Smalltalk were created for their own designers to use. Cobol, Ada, and Java, were created for other people to use.

If you think you’re designing something for idiots, the odds are that you’re not designing something good, even for idiots.

— Paul Graham

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2010.10.29 Friday ACHK

蜘蛛絲 2.2

有了這些電腦相關概念,我們多了很多創作「人生攻略」的思考工具。而完全不接受電腦的人,很難可以學到我們所講的處世技巧。

(安:如果你不是用「Google vs Microsoft」做例子,很難可以完備地帶出背後的道理精髓。

李先生都有講過這個要點。他用的例子是鱷魚:「如果要與鱷魚鬥,千萬不要鬥游泳,而應該引導牠去陸地同你鬥跑步。」但是,這個是一個虛構的故事。比起「Google vs Microsoft」,沒有那麼真實,亦沒有那麼詳細。)

所以說,「讀得書多」是有用的。「讀得書多」令你多了很多神奇科幻的「思考工具」,去掌握日常生活的問題。雖然我們也不是從事電腦行業,但是我們的電腦知識,令我們能理解到其他人不能理解的事情。

— Me@2010.10.29

2010.10.29 Friday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

The liar’s punishment

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* Just as the liar’s punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe any one else; so a guilty society can more easily be persuaded that any apparently innocent act is guilty than that any apparently guilty act is innocent.

— The Two Pioneers

— George Bernard Shaw

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2010.10.28 Thursday ACHK

兩部計數機

這段改篇自 2010 年 4 月 8 日的對話。

考試當日,要帶兩部計數機。

(CN:兩部計數機?)

考試時,萬一你原本的計數機壞了,而又沒有後備的話,你就斷送了一生幸福(,因為你該科將會不合格)。

(CN:那又是。)

— Me@2010.10.28

2010.10.28 Thursday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK