Hello again,
Pastel green leaves
Powder blue cloudless skies
Free parking, vast choices
Sparse restaurants, cheap fuel
Jetskis pulled by an SUV
Blond boarders tanned
Leaves circling in the hollows of wind
A sea of bikes yet no sidewalks
Invites, Evites, soundbites, obedient dogs
I see you
Hello again,
Spanish voices
Throaty engine basslines
Tweeting seagulls and wispy currents
Slow train and long klaxon
VC talk and Apple chatter
I hear you
Hello again,
Chilly nights, sweet western fragrance
Lily blooms and asphalt melt
Refried beans and classic coffee
Quiet woods and startup engines
I feel you
I'm home.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Coercion: choose one
1.Coercion: People have no choice but to accept it.
2.Tradition: Alternatives have never occurred to people.
3.Apathy: People don’t care one way or another.
4.Pragmatic acquiescence: People know it’s not ideal, but it seems like fate.
5.Instrumental acceptance: It’s not satisfactory, but it gives people some long-term benefit.
6.Normative agreement: People believe it is the right thing to do in the circumstances.
7.Ideal normative agreement: People believe it is the ideal outcome.
- David Held, Political Theory in the Modern State (1989)
2.Tradition: Alternatives have never occurred to people.
3.Apathy: People don’t care one way or another.
4.Pragmatic acquiescence: People know it’s not ideal, but it seems like fate.
5.Instrumental acceptance: It’s not satisfactory, but it gives people some long-term benefit.
6.Normative agreement: People believe it is the right thing to do in the circumstances.
7.Ideal normative agreement: People believe it is the ideal outcome.
- David Held, Political Theory in the Modern State (1989)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Taxis in Singapore
Taxis in Singapore are usually blue or yellow in colour, and are run by about 7 companies. The most popular one is Comfort Delcro and Citycab.
The government does not permit driver-owned taxis. Instead, drivers lease their cabs from one of the cab companies.
Rent of a taxi is S$130 a day (US$100 a day). To break even, each taxi must carry at least 40 passengers a day. The taxi is usually in use for about 20 hours a day, and occasionally 24.
The predominant taxi models are:
Toyota Crown (3.0 litre, diesel)
Hyundai Sonata
There are also a few Mercedes Benz, Chevrolet and Nissan Cedric taxis in use.
The taxi of choice used to be the Nissan Cedric, which gave favour to Toyota's trusty Crown for reliability reasons. Recently, the Hyundai Sonata burst onto the scene as the cab of choice because of its cheap automatic transmission. You don't want to be caught in rush hour traffic on the AYE with a manual transmission.
Taxi drivers usually work in pairs, and do a shift each (day or night). Some "crazy" taxi drivers do not have a partner, and regularly drive over 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The government mandates that all taxis be replaced after 5 years' service.
Typically, a taxi will run 600 kilometers (400 miles) every day. Most taxis on the roads of Singapore are about 3 years old, with over 600,000 kilometers on the clock (that's 400,000 miles). One three-year-old Toyota Crown had 845,000 km (600,000 miles) on the clock. And it felt new. All drivers swore that they had not replaced their engines even once.
Taxis are always serviced every month. That's a full government-mandated service, not just an oil change. Taxi drivers don't like this service, because it's half a shift of lost revenue.
Singapore taxis burn about 4200 US Gallons (17,500 litres) of fuel a year.
Having said that, taxis in Singapore are cheap. Much cheaper than they are in the US, or Europe. A trip from Changi airport to downtown (about 12 miles) will not set you back more than $S25 - that's about US$19. Compare that with $55 from SFO to San Francisco, a similar distance. Fares are strictly metered, and the meters are inspected by the government. A taxi driver may not charge for extras that he isn't entitled to. Extras include the rush hour, booking by phone (convenience charge of $2.50), weekends, late nights and ERP fees.
Most of my friends in Singapore have gotten by without the use of a car. In metropolitan and residential areas, a cab is a maximum of 7 minutes away if you book one by phone. The automated phone service delivers a taxi to your location, based on driver availability in the region, and even remembers your name an call location based on caller ID. It works well, except on Sunday mornings, when everyone goes to church.
What I noticed is that many senior "uncle" drivers seemed to be in the older, more traditional Toyota Crown cabs with manual transmission. They seem to have the same opinions about life in Singapore, and all agree that they are forced to work very hard to compensate for the high cost of living. Driving a taxi is something they do because they have to, not out of choice. They speak deferently of the government, though remind me that as a tourist, I am unaware of the harsh realities that Singapore society bestows on its elders with few savings.
In my next post, I'll explore some innovations from the Singapore MRT (subway system) and I'll show you how it's possible to organize a system for mass comfort, mass transit, and mass throughput.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Experts need to assume more risk
Noreena Hertz presented an excellent Ted talk on what the consequence is of trusting "experts".
A few interesting points:
1. It has been shown that decision-making centres in the brain are "switched off" when experts are being listened to
2. Experts are not infallible. Yet there is a growing market of trust in experts (that's why law, medicine, financial advice or any profession with specialized knowledge are growing industries)
3. Actively manage dissent. Welcome dissent and recognize the value of disagreement
4. Democratize expertise, for example, as Miss Hertz suggests, using Prediction Markets, like Best Buy does.
I was previously involved in a startup company that supplied technology similar to that used by Best Buy in "democratizing" expertise to make key decisions. The theory was: a shipping clerk is sometimes party to very key information ("the word on the street") that certain VPs might not be - a method of him contributing this information and this information being aggregated would lead to more reliable forecasts.
While I am equally afraid as Miss Hertz is of putting trust in experts, I would like to suggest an additional factor that might improve one's risk in putting trust in experts: how much skin do they have in the game?
I have benefited from the best medical advice in my life from my very own father, who, knowing I was sick, made it a point to call me on the other side of the world and never stopped asking questions, in a desperate bid to eliminate conditions that he was aware of. The questions continued months after, sometimes years after I was healed. And then I realized why: I was his son, and he had a big stake in my health.
Malpractice insurance, legal indemnity, "past performance is not an indicator of future performance" and a general "I'll give it my best shot, but I don't promise anything" have made it all too easy for professionals to become complacent. I have never heard of a young University graduate fearing going to Law school for the consequences of him sending an innocent man to death row or a doctor fearing becoming a doctor because the consequences of a misdiagnosis would be on his conscience.
My point is that incentives have become increasingly skewed, but the expert titles increasingly valuable (which means that demand for experts has consistently outstripped supply). People have consequently become a lot more trusting and are willing to trade risk for money that they pay the experts. It should be the other way round!
Next time you choose a professional, don't look at his academic, business or other qualifications as hard as you look at his references. When had this person failed, and how did he treat that failure? Does this person actively seek to earn your trust, by demonstrating that a loss for you will be a loss for her? Will this person care about the consequences of the advice he gives, much like Noreena Hertz cared about the consequences of her father drinking a large amount of water?
A few interesting points:
1. It has been shown that decision-making centres in the brain are "switched off" when experts are being listened to
2. Experts are not infallible. Yet there is a growing market of trust in experts (that's why law, medicine, financial advice or any profession with specialized knowledge are growing industries)
3. Actively manage dissent. Welcome dissent and recognize the value of disagreement
4. Democratize expertise, for example, as Miss Hertz suggests, using Prediction Markets, like Best Buy does.
I was previously involved in a startup company that supplied technology similar to that used by Best Buy in "democratizing" expertise to make key decisions. The theory was: a shipping clerk is sometimes party to very key information ("the word on the street") that certain VPs might not be - a method of him contributing this information and this information being aggregated would lead to more reliable forecasts.
While I am equally afraid as Miss Hertz is of putting trust in experts, I would like to suggest an additional factor that might improve one's risk in putting trust in experts: how much skin do they have in the game?
I have benefited from the best medical advice in my life from my very own father, who, knowing I was sick, made it a point to call me on the other side of the world and never stopped asking questions, in a desperate bid to eliminate conditions that he was aware of. The questions continued months after, sometimes years after I was healed. And then I realized why: I was his son, and he had a big stake in my health.
Malpractice insurance, legal indemnity, "past performance is not an indicator of future performance" and a general "I'll give it my best shot, but I don't promise anything" have made it all too easy for professionals to become complacent. I have never heard of a young University graduate fearing going to Law school for the consequences of him sending an innocent man to death row or a doctor fearing becoming a doctor because the consequences of a misdiagnosis would be on his conscience.
My point is that incentives have become increasingly skewed, but the expert titles increasingly valuable (which means that demand for experts has consistently outstripped supply). People have consequently become a lot more trusting and are willing to trade risk for money that they pay the experts. It should be the other way round!
Next time you choose a professional, don't look at his academic, business or other qualifications as hard as you look at his references. When had this person failed, and how did he treat that failure? Does this person actively seek to earn your trust, by demonstrating that a loss for you will be a loss for her? Will this person care about the consequences of the advice he gives, much like Noreena Hertz cared about the consequences of her father drinking a large amount of water?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Will the austerity plan create jobs?
Yes it will.
Having lived ten years in the United States, I have tired of hearing the same old speech that is designed to promote fear. Marilyn Manson explained the reasons why very eloquently in the Michael Moore film "Bowling for Columbine".
At last, a President that looks ahead to the future! A true entrepreneur, who encourages risk, innovation, with (wait for it) even less resources than before, in return for a great reward.
The State of the Union speech signals the end to spending taxpayers' money to "boost the economy." To my chagrin, and that of my fellow Americans, I've seen my money go up in smoke. Unemployment is flirting dangerously with the headline 10% number, and new investment is now going to Singapore and so are the jobs (mine too). Only last summer, I found it exceptionally hard to hire a Ruby on Rails developer in Singapore, but now that's changing...
Anyway, back to my country: with signals come expectations. If expectations are met, credibility follows. A credible commitment to reduce public debt would spur investment and therefore job creation. And, create more long term investment if our bondholders found the value of their bonds stabilizing.
Mr Obama, thank you. I aspire to be an entrepreneur like yourself.
Alam Kasenally
Having lived ten years in the United States, I have tired of hearing the same old speech that is designed to promote fear. Marilyn Manson explained the reasons why very eloquently in the Michael Moore film "Bowling for Columbine".
At last, a President that looks ahead to the future! A true entrepreneur, who encourages risk, innovation, with (wait for it) even less resources than before, in return for a great reward.
The State of the Union speech signals the end to spending taxpayers' money to "boost the economy." To my chagrin, and that of my fellow Americans, I've seen my money go up in smoke. Unemployment is flirting dangerously with the headline 10% number, and new investment is now going to Singapore and so are the jobs (mine too). Only last summer, I found it exceptionally hard to hire a Ruby on Rails developer in Singapore, but now that's changing...
Anyway, back to my country: with signals come expectations. If expectations are met, credibility follows. A credible commitment to reduce public debt would spur investment and therefore job creation. And, create more long term investment if our bondholders found the value of their bonds stabilizing.
Mr Obama, thank you. I aspire to be an entrepreneur like yourself.
Alam Kasenally
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Ipod Touch and belonging
On my return from Singapore, I met my friend RJ on Ramona Street in Palo Alto. RJ is about 65, and was sporting a black knitted ski cap, a dark green windbreaker, jeans, two T shirts and thick boots. We sat down to talk.
When he asked me for the launch date for my "website" (as he called my startup) and I told him, he said he'd write it down in his Ipod Touch, which he brought out from his winter coat, and deftly entered into iCal. He next showed me photos of the family he once had and also an app or two I hadn't seen.
RJ is homeless and has been so for 6 years. When he's collected enough money from his pension, he'll move to Italy, where he'll join his aunt in Tuscany in her two bedroom appartment. I hope RJ makes it to Italy. That's where he was born, and that's where he belongs.
The story of how he acquired the iPod Touch is even more fascinating. One evening, in Cupertino, a lady approached him on the street and asked "Sir, if you could have anything you wanted, what would you ask for for Christmas?"
RJ thought long and hard, and finally said "an iPod Touch". The reasons why, he said, were that he could own it without a monthly fee, and make outgoing calls for free using Google Voice (or for a fixed monthly fee using Skype). Receiving calls was a little bit of a (surmountable) challenge. He could also check and send email (he sported both Gmail and Yahoo email addresses, but said that he preferred Gmail.
The mysterious benefactor disappeared and appeared at the same time the next day brandishing an Apple carrier bag, containing the iPod Touch in question. "Happy Christmas, Sir!" she smiled. He never saw her again.
"You see," said RJ, "People like that restore my faith in the goodness of humanity... I used to have friends, plenty of friends. But once I became homeless, I suddenly didn't. Therefore Skype and Google Voice work fine for me. Forget receiving calls, I mean, who's going to call a guy like me anyway?"
As I drove home that wintry evening in my heated car, i thought of the veracity of RJ's claim that this generous gift had changed his life. How it had given him the opportunity to look for jobs, the opportunity to exist as a digital citizen of the world, connected to each and everybody, to know about the history of Singapore (which he explained to me in fine detail - the only thing he couldn't remember was Lee Kwan Yew's name), to know that Jerry Brown had been elected as governor of California (I had been absent during the election, but equally connected, so had no excuse).
And slowly, I began to smile. My friend did belong.
When he asked me for the launch date for my "website" (as he called my startup) and I told him, he said he'd write it down in his Ipod Touch, which he brought out from his winter coat, and deftly entered into iCal. He next showed me photos of the family he once had and also an app or two I hadn't seen.
RJ is homeless and has been so for 6 years. When he's collected enough money from his pension, he'll move to Italy, where he'll join his aunt in Tuscany in her two bedroom appartment. I hope RJ makes it to Italy. That's where he was born, and that's where he belongs.
The story of how he acquired the iPod Touch is even more fascinating. One evening, in Cupertino, a lady approached him on the street and asked "Sir, if you could have anything you wanted, what would you ask for for Christmas?"
RJ thought long and hard, and finally said "an iPod Touch". The reasons why, he said, were that he could own it without a monthly fee, and make outgoing calls for free using Google Voice (or for a fixed monthly fee using Skype). Receiving calls was a little bit of a (surmountable) challenge. He could also check and send email (he sported both Gmail and Yahoo email addresses, but said that he preferred Gmail.
The mysterious benefactor disappeared and appeared at the same time the next day brandishing an Apple carrier bag, containing the iPod Touch in question. "Happy Christmas, Sir!" she smiled. He never saw her again.
"You see," said RJ, "People like that restore my faith in the goodness of humanity... I used to have friends, plenty of friends. But once I became homeless, I suddenly didn't. Therefore Skype and Google Voice work fine for me. Forget receiving calls, I mean, who's going to call a guy like me anyway?"
As I drove home that wintry evening in my heated car, i thought of the veracity of RJ's claim that this generous gift had changed his life. How it had given him the opportunity to look for jobs, the opportunity to exist as a digital citizen of the world, connected to each and everybody, to know about the history of Singapore (which he explained to me in fine detail - the only thing he couldn't remember was Lee Kwan Yew's name), to know that Jerry Brown had been elected as governor of California (I had been absent during the election, but equally connected, so had no excuse).
And slowly, I began to smile. My friend did belong.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Do you need to keep your people happy?
In today's yesterday's FT Jonathan Moules explores ways that small companies, startups in particular, can keep people happy.
Mr Moules discusses various ways startups attempt to retain employees, and makes it clear that money, being an extrinsic motivator, doesn't work. To know why, watch this humorous exposé based on the work of Dan Pink.
Having come to Silicon Valley and survived two booms and two busts, I've witnessed (and enjoyed) many attempts to make employees feel a sense of community, camaraderie and belonging, as tools for higher retention. These attempts have included:
Unlimited Frappucinos
Company ski trips to Tahoe
Friday beer bashes
All-hands meetings, where the CEO has been in a dunk-tank
Free lunches (who said there was no such thing)
Free massages
Free concierge service
"Free" car (haha the taxman smiled all the way to the treasury with that!)
All of these incentives have more or less been extrinsic ones, and like Mr Pink predicts, have become old. Perks like these get taken for granted, and treated like rights, then abused, ignored and even criticized.
Mr Moules describes the experience of meeting the Queen (a customer of one of his case companies) as an experience that is not likely to be forgotten, hence making the case for unique experiences being likely to encourage intrinsic motivation.
In the last six months, I've learned four things, which might seem rather obvious but are in fact often overlooked during the hiring process.
1. The motivation to perform, excel and stay needs to come from within, and this needs to be demonstrated by the potential candidate. Does the candidate believe that the cause you, as a founder, are working for, is bigger than herself and yourself? Don't let your love for a candidate cloud your vision and assume that she has this motivation. Put her to the test during her probationary period (yes, pay well for this probationary period!)
2. Hire slowly, fire quickly. Enough said.
3. Empower your team by giving them ownership over the entire company. Only then will they understand and be able to feel their importance. Give them a little bit of trust, then, if they pass the test, a little more. See how they react when they are given unexpected responsibility (eg, when you're on a flight or you're sick). Is it "not their problem" and do they do nothing? Or do they try hard to avoid potential problems, and represent the company with pride just like you would?
4. Learn what your candidates passions and dreams in life are. And, if this candidate is passionate about your company, make sure that being with your company will allow this candidate's passions to flourish. Only then will the employee be truly happy. While it might not be your responsibility as a founder to provide a venue for candidates to develop their passions, if your company happens to be a vehicle, you'll see much of the passion transformed into love for your own company.
Although I made many friends at Liberate Technologies, I often wondered what I was doing working for a company that made software for TV when I didn't even have a TV of my own :)
What's paradoxical about love and religion is that there is more published work about these two topics than about anything else: novels, self-help books, literary analyses, plays, comedies, sacred texts, manuals, poems, translations, blog posts, magazines, tweets. And yet, these are the two topics where no matter how much you read, you won't be further enlightened.
So, you may read all the books and blogposts you want trying to understand what love is. But when you experience love, you'll know that it's love, even if you hadn't read those books.
The same goes for hiring.
When you have the right candidate who is right for your company, you'll just know. And, like in a marriage, if you have to try hard to retain her, you're with the wrong employee.
I think there are two types of cult:
The ones led by people (exemplified by someone who came from Indiana) who make their followers drink spiked Kool Aid in the name of faith.
Those (exemplified by a leader who comes from Finland) whose members brew their own version of Kool Aid, also in the name of faith.
When I read this excellent essay on how to hire like you're hiring for a cult, I'd love to think the author was talking about the latter type of cult :)
Mr Moules discusses various ways startups attempt to retain employees, and makes it clear that money, being an extrinsic motivator, doesn't work. To know why, watch this humorous exposé based on the work of Dan Pink.
We get free coffee!
Having come to Silicon Valley and survived two booms and two busts, I've witnessed (and enjoyed) many attempts to make employees feel a sense of community, camaraderie and belonging, as tools for higher retention. These attempts have included:
Unlimited Frappucinos
Company ski trips to Tahoe
Friday beer bashes
All-hands meetings, where the CEO has been in a dunk-tank
Free lunches (who said there was no such thing)
Free massages
Free concierge service
"Free" car (haha the taxman smiled all the way to the treasury with that!)
All of these incentives have more or less been extrinsic ones, and like Mr Pink predicts, have become old. Perks like these get taken for granted, and treated like rights, then abused, ignored and even criticized.
Mr Moules describes the experience of meeting the Queen (a customer of one of his case companies) as an experience that is not likely to be forgotten, hence making the case for unique experiences being likely to encourage intrinsic motivation.
What I've learned
In the last six months, I've learned four things, which might seem rather obvious but are in fact often overlooked during the hiring process.
1. The motivation to perform, excel and stay needs to come from within, and this needs to be demonstrated by the potential candidate. Does the candidate believe that the cause you, as a founder, are working for, is bigger than herself and yourself? Don't let your love for a candidate cloud your vision and assume that she has this motivation. Put her to the test during her probationary period (yes, pay well for this probationary period!)
2. Hire slowly, fire quickly. Enough said.
3. Empower your team by giving them ownership over the entire company. Only then will they understand and be able to feel their importance. Give them a little bit of trust, then, if they pass the test, a little more. See how they react when they are given unexpected responsibility (eg, when you're on a flight or you're sick). Is it "not their problem" and do they do nothing? Or do they try hard to avoid potential problems, and represent the company with pride just like you would?
4. Learn what your candidates passions and dreams in life are. And, if this candidate is passionate about your company, make sure that being with your company will allow this candidate's passions to flourish. Only then will the employee be truly happy. While it might not be your responsibility as a founder to provide a venue for candidates to develop their passions, if your company happens to be a vehicle, you'll see much of the passion transformed into love for your own company.
Although I made many friends at Liberate Technologies, I often wondered what I was doing working for a company that made software for TV when I didn't even have a TV of my own :)
Love
What's paradoxical about love and religion is that there is more published work about these two topics than about anything else: novels, self-help books, literary analyses, plays, comedies, sacred texts, manuals, poems, translations, blog posts, magazines, tweets. And yet, these are the two topics where no matter how much you read, you won't be further enlightened.
So, you may read all the books and blogposts you want trying to understand what love is. But when you experience love, you'll know that it's love, even if you hadn't read those books.
The same goes for hiring.
When you have the right candidate who is right for your company, you'll just know. And, like in a marriage, if you have to try hard to retain her, you're with the wrong employee.
Drink this for me! Or, I'll create that for us
I think there are two types of cult:
When I read this excellent essay on how to hire like you're hiring for a cult, I'd love to think the author was talking about the latter type of cult :)
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