Total return swap is really neat concept. I guess except 6% return for your investment is just unrealistic. If the real return rate of investment after risk is so disappointing, is there any way to get out of the rat race described in the Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Are we doomed to run in the rat race?
Continue reading What are we smoking, and when will we stop?
I had my own performance review every year, but it is the first time I give performance review to my team. Just like giving interview, sitting on the other side of the table is a total difference experience. I am still a supervisor in training, so my boss is with me when I am giving the performance reviews. It makes me more nervous than my team member. Performance review is a formal communication between the team and supervisor. The performance rating, any bonus or salary raise should not be the focus. The focus of the performance review is how to make your team perform better in the coming year. I think at the end, it is all about managing expectation. Your team will be motivated if they have the right expectation and their expectation is within their reach.
Over time I will develop my performance review style, just I have developed my interview style. For now, my performance review follows the template I read from some coaching manual I found online. First I start the review with some chit-chat, try to loose up the atmosphere. Ask open end questions how the team member feel about their work in the past evaluation period. Then I will bring out the performance report and go over it together. I will highlight their strength, encourage them to further develop strength. I will highlight their problems and come up with objectives to address the problems. One key question I ask is how we (or the upper management) can help them do their job better. I expect some whining with some useful feedback. Then we set the job objectives for the next evaluation period. Ask them what they would like to work on and try to align their interest with the task on hand. It is important to give them a sense of control over their job. Ask them what area they would like to develop since growth opportunity is also a important motivating factor. I will save the letter for last. Giving them the number too early would only distract the communication.
It is easy to give performance reviewer to an average or above team member. They meet their objectives, I can give them a pad on the back (metaphorically) for the good work they have done and they are pretty much on cruise-mode in self-development. Everyone have some weakness, so they don’t bad at all to be told that they have something to work on. On the other hand, the performance reviewer of below average team member is quite trick. I have to handle it with great care. I need to communicate the facts across and at the same time without hurting his feeling or demoralizing him. I try to phase it positively when giving him challenges to work on, but I suspect his is not too happy about the feedback.
Now, I understand why the management always reluctant to give out the ranking or letter grade rating. The average plus workers has no problem accepting their rating. It is the below average workers that is trick. I feel bad telling him in face that he is below average and probably he also feel bad being told that he is below average as well. Without the letter grade written in black and white, at least I can smooth the feedback and make it sounds less harsh. I guess I will feel differently if I don’t have to care about his motivation. If he is a contractor and I can reject him on any future contract. Maybe I will get some pleasure from making him feel bad by crushing his self image with the below average review. Nay, what the heck, if I am not going to work with him in the future, why should I waste my time and energy giving feedback to him?
It is pretty cool seeing Whistler mapped by Google Street View. The runs looks quite difference in street view than when I am skiing on it. I guess when I am skiing, I was too focus on not falling down. I didn’t take a good look at the scenery on both side of the run.
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假如有一天在你家門前出現一只神秘箱子﹐箱子上面有一個巨型紅色按鈕﹐有個神秘人拿著一箱一百萬美元現鈔來敲門﹐告訴你只要按下紅色按鈕﹐你便可以獲得到一百萬美元﹐但同時會有一個你不認識的陌生人死去﹐你會按下那個紅色按鈕嗎﹖ (以下內容含電影情節﹐未看電影的朋友﹐結局說穿了便不好看)
「百萬殺人實驗」的故事設計很有懸念﹐只是看了這兩行電影簡介﹐便引起我觀看的興趣﹐很好奇想知道故事會如何發展。女主角是Cameron Diaz﹐想不到當年「情迷索瑪莉」和「神探俏嬌娃」金髮美女﹐現在竟然淪為神經質的師奶。電影中整天擔心這擔心那﹐意外地發了一筆橫財﹐又害怕有什麼陰謀在等著她。原本以為這套電影是科幻劇情片﹐藉故事帶出探討人性道德的問題。到了一半以為自己在看恐怖片﹐爛面的神秘人﹐疑似讓市民不停流鼻血的病毒﹐還有像行屍走肉要活捉主角的喪屍。到了結局才發現被騙了﹐這套電影只不過是超長版的「迷離境界」﹐把原本半小時的電視劇集﹐加入大量無謂情節和誤導觀眾的偽伏線﹐拖長成為一齣兩小時的電影。
電影的故事改篇自Richard Mathesonh的短篇小說Button,Button﹐早年曾經拍成「迷離境界」Twlight Zone的單元劇。三個不同版本的故事﹐卻有三個不同版本的結局。原著小說結局抄經典恐怖故事The Monkey’s Paw﹐天降橫財會招來不幸﹐妻子按下紅色按鈕後,收到丈夫去偷情時被火車撞死的消息﹐那筆鉅款是保險金的賠償。當妻子向神秘人哭訴要討回丈夫時﹐神秘人很爛gag地拋下句﹐最親密的枕邊人同時也是最不熟悉的陌生人。可能原著小說結局太爛﹐電視版改寫了結局﹐妻子在收了錢後,多口向神秘人問句﹐他將會怎樣處置那紅色按鈕。神秘人很輕描淡寫地答﹐那紅色按鈕和百萬美元的選擇﹐會給與一個你不認識的陌生人便完場了。我認為這個結局最好很有深意﹐點到即止沒有把玄機說破﹐讓觀眾留下心有餘悸的回味。
電影版畫公仔畫出腸接下去說按鈕後的故事﹐主角妻子和丈夫收到百萬美元後﹐身邊開始發生連串怪事。他們努力追查神秘人的來龍去脈﹐電影還故弄玄虛搞出外星人考驗人性的實驗。紅色按鈕送到下一對被挑選作出生死決擇的夫婦﹐主角的命運很無奈地懸於別人一念之間。原本電視版完場留給觀眾的餘韻沒有了﹐取而代之是個三流驚險故事﹐主角幾經努力爭扎﹐最終還是逃不過悲劇的命運。故事的主題是按還是不按的內心交戰﹐至於那個紅色按鈕如何運作無關重要。電影畫蛇添足地去解開紅色按鈕之謎﹐讓整個故事變得犯駁無稽﹐破壞了觀眾的想像和思考的空間。
大慨外星人沒有讀研究理論基礎﹐完全不懂得如何設計實驗。紅色按鈕美其名考驗人性貪念﹐收集得來的驗數據完全無關人性﹐只不過是測試人類有多大的好奇心。紅色按鈕的旨示不盡不實﹐沒有明確寫明按下鈕的所有後果﹐不單自動落入遊戲的圈套﹐兒子更會變成殘癈或妻子死去。若果被測試的人有完全資訊﹐相信沒有多少人會選擇按鈕﹐後果這樣嚴重不要說只得一百萬﹐有一千萬也沒有用。劇中工程師丈夫曾把盒子拆開﹐發現內裏空無一物﹐只不過是一個普通的按鈕。不相信神秘人的說話﹐抱著姑且一試的心態按下去﹐其心態與想著得到一百萬﹐就算有人會死也沒關係﹐人性便有天淵之別了。
外星人也沒有讀過哲學﹐不明的形上論中的因果悖論。他們假定了選擇按下紅色按鈕是因﹐丈夫開槍殺死妻子是果。可是因果關係可能是倒過來﹐丈夫選擇開槍﹐所以陌生人按下紅色按鈕。如果不弄清楚這個因果關係﹐整個實驗沒有意思﹐只不過是按既定程序自然展開。在現代法律來看一個人應不應要受到懲罪﹐關繫於他有沒有自由意志作出決定。若果他沒有自由意志作出選擇﹐那他又如何為自己選擇負責任﹐從而受到懲罰。主角按下紅色按鈕﹐可能並非出於自由意志﹐而是在遠方的陌生人決定開槍殺妻救兒所至﹐那最後主角要為她貪一百萬元﹐付出性命作為代價便不成立了。
我有點後悔看了這齣電影﹐白白浪費了兩個小時﹐早知上youtube看半小時的舊電視版便很好了。
迷離境界舊電視版﹕
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic games is only 8 days away. I don’t feel particularly exciting about the Olympic although I am living in the hosting city. Here are my top ten reasons why I don’t like Vancouver hosting the Olympic.
and most important of all,
