I found having numbers in articles or speech really turn people off.? I observe it from my reaction when I am reading finance blogs and from today’s toastmaster meeting.? The normal flow of human reception of knowledge follows words instead of numbers.? It is ok to use number to emphasis your point or to stress your point.? However, throwing out number as merely unanalyzed data should be avoided.? The listen or reader have to stop his train of thoughts and switch his brain to analyze the data.? Most of the time, he will just lose concentration and the focus never comes back.? Number is helpful if you want to examine the points given by the writer or speaker.? Therefore it is preferable to put it in a seperate table in writing or use slide when giving a speech.? Actually there is only one thing worse than numbers, equations.? It is because equations require a lot more brain power to process if it is on paper and hopeless confusing if you try to say it.

The game room at work finially finish its renovation. So I can resume my normal routine of playing foosball at work. I find the lack of foosball actually affect my productivity last week. I just keep thinking about the foosball table, and subconciously check out the game room from time to time. I am sure the other ping-pong addicts agree with me that it feel meaningless at work without the game room. Actually I don’t play foosball very much, only a session after lunch and after work. I don’t like waiting at the table, so I would go back to work if there are more the one pair of players waiting. The amount of time I play each day depends on my luck or the skill level of my partner. I will simpily go back to work after winning a couple of games or have no hope to win any game. Anyways, my work routine is back to normal now. The good thing is my foosball skill actually improved quite a bit. Although I still lose to the best player most of the time, but at least I can stand a chance if I am lucky that day.

I have been following the politic in Taiwan closely these few days.? The scandel of the president, Chen Shiu Bin, has new developement when the justice department charge his wife corruption.? I have read many commentaries on the politics since the first appearance of the scandel many months ago.? I find this incident fascinating not only because it is a lime test for Chinese democracy development, it also demostrate how power works in reality.? The information is too complicate to analyze if you try to figure out who is right and who is wrong or think along the blue vs green division.? The picture comes clear when you think each player in the game is selfish individual looking to maximize his benefit.? The action sof each player then become much more reasonable, although sometimes it may not be very moral.? In this kind of game theory situation, selfishless players who has higher goal can tip the balance in the system.? The leader of the anti-president red force, Sze Ming Tak is one of those figure.? He presistance push the president into a corner so the scandel cannot easily slip away.? Then come along another selfishless player, the prosecutor of the justice department, delivers the final blow to Chen Shiu Bin.? You don’t want to be the enemy of selfishless player, since you can’t cut any deal or reason with them.? Therefore, the best way to play safe is not standing on the way of the higher goal.

There is an interview of a HK famous blogger in Mingpao today.? I am his reader sometimes.? From his site, there are some links to more quality bloggers. I read some recent entries of those bloggers, quite a variety of different thoughts.? It is like going to a buffet all you can eat of ideas.? The most interesting entry I come across is someone talk about Paul Yip, who was my chemistry teacher in LSC.? Howcome I never see him as such a good teacher, at least not as good as the blogger claim, especially the comment about he is handsome.? The only difference I can think of is that writer is a girl, so she see things differently.? Those famous bloggers get over 2000 visit every day.? They are form a closely linked circle where everyone seems to know each one through blogs.? My blog is in a much sorry state, I think I have only around 10-20 visitors daily.? The famous bloggers all have one thing in common, their blog all focus around a differentialing selling point.? Some of them write about finance, some on technology, some on leftish social movements.? A few rare exception write general things from their professional point of view, such as doctor or teacher.? It would be too boring for me to just write about one area.? Things interest general audience doesn’t always interest me, vice versa.? I find it more interesting to gather my thoughts of the day on tiny things than comment some supposingly important world affairs.? Most people don’t know me would find my blog quite boring due to a lack of a theme.? Actually the only theme of my blog is all about myself.? The articles I write weekly are targeted more to general audience, that’s why I also cross post them on TTF forums and HK indepdent media.

One of the biggest news in Canada is the financial minster change the law on income trust.? This costs a collapse in the Toronto stock exchange and the market lost 3% in one day.? The advantage for a company change to income trust is mostly tax benefit.? As an income trust, the dividen distributed to the stock holder become expenses, so they can be deducted from taxable profit.? Many big business with steady flow of revenue are switching to income trust to evade tax.? Obviously the government is not happy about the lossing the tax reveune and decided to close this loop hole.? Most commentry on the news agree with the government’s decision, as it favours the people but not the big business.? The only complains is the Conservative government break their election promise that the income trust tax code will not change.? I think breaking promise is a minor offence in modern democracy, we already learnt not to trust the politician.? However, I think changing the tax code is not a good idea.? It is unfair to the non income trust company that their dividen are taxed twice.? What the government should really do is scrap the double taxation of the dividen instead of re-taxing the income trust.? The Canadian government is too big.? Rather than asking for more money, it should control its cost.