Have only my dreams

Love this simple poem: HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.  - Yeats

Digital Otter Center for Community Services

http://digitalotter.org/

Issue: Describe the community issue your service-learning organization addresses and how it addresses that issue.

Many Monterey Bay area community members, especially those underserved, need technology support, such as learning basic internet, using basic software, troubleshooting of problems with their computers, and maintaining their system software and hardwares.  There is currently no consistent, organized effort to support the needs.  We establish the “Digital Otter Center” or the DOC, for Community Service to provide drop-in computer hardware/software troubleshooting, technology tutoring, technology advising to local students, small business, non-profit organizations.

Site supervisor's personal connection to issue: Describe your service-learning supervisor’s personal connection to that issue.You will need to ask your site supervisor this. That is, you should not guess or make something up.

“Apply technology to better the world” is one of the Dr. Eric Tao’s missions. Over the last 20 years, he founded and developed several programs in the Monterey Bay region to achieve that mission - the BS Computer Science program, Institute for Innovation and Economic Development, California Institute for Global Education, etc.  Dr. Tao believes that access to technology opens the door for everyone, especially the underserved, to education, career, and economic opportunities.  Digital Otter will empower the underprivileged to gain access to the powerful computing technology. 

Have to live close to the ocean

Walked yoyo in Carmel River State Beach this morning at the break of dawn.  Wonderful experience.

Have to live close to the ocean
where all lives are coming from
where the waves are changing yet eternal
the shoreline belong to none but all
the wind and air flow unimpeded by natural or artificial berriers
so you can see, breath and feel forever, in both space and time

Its can be peaceful or raging
can be beatiful or terrorfying
can bring and destroy live
make you think, sing and cry

have to live close to the ocean

Best Job - Monday Morning

There are two best jobs, it seems to me, entrepreneurs and professors.  Both of them essentially work for everyone yet no one.  Both of them have a lot of freedom and take major risks.  In these line of "work", there is no vacation, clock-in or out, the failures are considered learning and winning can be huge.

I am so happy I can be both.

Often, like today, it is hard to get out of bed, after all the parties, meals and tennis yesterday.  But once I got up, I can't wait to get to my office and start another day of learning, teaching, planning, developing, research and helping colleague and students.

Although sometimes I complain that I put in top 1% effort but just receive top 3% income, but overall, I have to say I am extremely lucky.

Back to work.

Lack of Vision

Participated a full day retreat as a faculty member.  People are working hard, their hearts are in the right place: educate the students.  But it hurts me to know their vision of the program is so petty - to conform to the external common standards.  I always promote the ideas that we should the best or the first.  If our ultimate goal is the conform to a common standard, we are just a factory.  Might be shiny, efficient factory that produce a lot of coders. But a factory still.

The lack of big passion and courage and innovation saddened me.  Especially I pick and mentored most of them over the years.  What is the difference between a our university and a truck driver training school?  It hurts me to just thinkimg about this.

The new building is done, young faculty are ready to take over the wheel.  If the vision is no longer grand, exciting and courageous, maybe I should take a back seat now.



epilogue (my email to SCD college March 2016

It is indeed a paradox - we all believe better skills should lead to better jobs yet as a country, better skills workforce does not always lead to better economy.

Why?

I submit to you, my dear colleagues, the skills we can measure are the skills of today.  What we should prepare our students are the skills of tomorrow.  But, you said, what are those?  Well, we don't know.  But we know the US is built first on dreams and innovations, second on knowledge and skills.

Are we instilling inspiration and innovation in our students?

Or we are so focused on drilling them on job skills which might result in they going to a first world university but getting a third world education experience?

Are our students completing the degree with excitement of changing the world?

Or they will be very satisfied with a just-above-average paycheck?

How do we balance, what I often lamented, between "timely training for today and timeliness education for the future"

Well, we all have a Doctor of Philosophy, let's find out.  I am not sure we will reach a conclusion, but the process is so much fun.

Eric

on a windy Sat morning

Clarity

Played tennis Sunday against Ken, an advanced player with a flat fast first serve.  Over the last few months, I have been developing a habit of focusing on the return of serve that bring me a refreshing mindset. After I position myself according to the condition of the serve, and

1. I make sure my grip is a proper forehand grip, that is my less reliable side 
2. I touch my tip of my racket to the ground slightly to make sure I lower my weight
3. I decide where I plan to return the ball to
4. I go thru the split step just when the server start his back swing;
5. This is most important step, as it leave the servers hand.:  I focus on the fuzzy yellow ball so intensely that I see nothing else
6. When the ball is coming to me, I don't think much, just let my instinct play the ball (since the ball is coming so fast, there is no time for analysis)

I found out not only I return the ball better, I start to enjoy the return and make it a part of my weaponry. 

The level of clarity feels wonderful.  Now I should apply it to other area of my life, instead of worry and avoidance, if I prepare intensely and stay focus, each of those challenge is an opportunity to shine, to win.

Crazy

I might be crazy.  I have to believe that there are people thrive on craziness.

Biked in to campus, it is quiet.  Today is the day before Thanksgiving, most people take today off since there is not classes.

Good time to spend 10 min on reflection:

Direct a school with a thousand students and thirty faculty and staff
Sit on four boards of corporations
Fund raising for a 40 million dollar school building
Working on three startups - Zuess, Zeaqua, CalGE and Longtails (did I say three)
Direct the institute for innovation
Teach six courses per year
Launch the largest CS degree program online in California
Working on two books - grow innovators / invincible company
Prepare talks to Global Trade Conference, Hanhai Startup University, Kyushu Institute of Technology
Manage my investment portfolio of real estate and stocks

and

Biking
Tennis
Parting

I work 12-14 hours a day mostly, Sometimes 16.

Income might just reached top 1%, but workload is absolutely top 0.1%.  I am way underpaid.

People call me crazy, I shrug it off.

But when my mom call me crazy, I might have to step back and think about it.

Call me crazy.

My little Kingdom

Start to realize why I have been welling to spend enormous hours in School of ITCD, soon to be know as School of Computing and Design.  It is my little Kingdom. Small, it is just a little building, with 35 employee and 600 students.  I built it, expanded its territory, got rid of the old regime when I was still just young man.  Hired a cadre of strong generals, Dr. N, Dr. S and General C.  I have a set of loyal and capable court support, chief of staff A, weapon chief K.

Although there are often disgruntles, most people benefited from my realm, each general got their growing territory to handle.  Each one has something to be unhappy with me, as any monarch.  I report to no one directly, but like any leaders, I have answer to the nebulous "people". As long as we are growing and the industry is supporting the people "our graduates", everyone respects me and follow my decisions.  Occasionally they speak badly behind my back when I can't provide them more resource, but they at least showing support most of the time in public.

But the old King is now getting frail and older. In a few years, I need to step down and let a new ruler move the kingdom forward and continue to take care of the people :)

East Coast College Tour 2014 - draft

A LONG-PLANNED MEANINGFUL TRIP

Brought the JJ and DD to a long awaited college tour of the east coast.

We started in the current US capital, DC, trekked back the country's political and educational journey. Going north and back in Time, we visited DC, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

The university we've toured, Georgetown, Princeton, Yale, MIT an Harvard.

During the last day, we walk the freedom trail, It was a glorious sunny day, the 300 years of history was passing through under our feet in merely 5 hours.

It is not only a trip for the them to know the universities of the east coast and, to inspired them to work hard, to have a passion to be different, and to be a leader.  It is also for me to enjoy the time with the fast growing DD and JJ.

JJ has matured to be an intelligent, hard-working, focused and beautiful young woman.  With her intelligence and passion, she will  go far.  She needs to development a sense of service, not everything is about her own benefits.  It would  be difficult concept for her to learn.

DD is growing up to be more caring.  He is for sure smart, but spending most of his open time on games reduces his exposure to common senses, which worries me tremendous. His lack of interest in almost anything other than video game troubles me tremendous.   Hopefully trips like this will open his mind and inspire him to do more. 

HUNG’S PLACE AND DC

We met Hung Hung's place on Sunday morning, whom I love to see more.   Her lovely family is also growing up, mirroring the age of JJ and DD, we also face the same challenges. 

With a surprisingly nice rental Toyota sienna as our transportation for next 7 days, we started a red eye flight from SFO to BWI.

We tour the Georgetown University and Capital with Hung's family.  All of us were in awe with the grander of the capital.  The country had a big and noble dream, and from the early stage, it worked hard to achieve those dreams. “Out of Many - One” That should the motto of any group.  Even the school of computing and design which I lead.

The Georgetown was no ton the main menu but since it is close to Hung’s place, Hung booked it for us. We were pleasantly surprised how well organized the info session and the tour is.  Georgetown put together a good show, the information session is in it best, well appointed auditorium, with more than 2 hundred participants, it was well organized and presented.  The tour guides, a pair of boy and girl, were passionate and well rehearsed. 

Other than the history and building, the tour guide is the only channel for presenting the university.  Very important, I should make sure our tour guide is well trained.

The status of Sun Yat-Sen in the international building startled me, he is the one that I admire and try to model from and went to the Sun Yat-Sen University to learn how to serve the people and the country of China.  It is still just a dream, fading but not dead yet.

Georgetown is also where Song Chu-Yu, prominent politician in Taiwan and a distance family friend receive his doctorate.  The location is wonderful, across the Potomac river from DC, where many US president gave speech regulars.  Bill Clinton was a undergrads before going to Yale Law.

A strong service and Jesuit tradition is both the strength and weakness of the campus.  Every students are required to take several religious class, even thought the guides downplay it, it is still a requirement.  JJ is very interested in Georgetown, it is a great school, but not sure it worth the efforts and money, compared to the bests of UCs.

SHORT MEAL, WALK AND HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA

Philly played an important yet short role in the country’s history and our trip.  And B Franklin has been a name often mentioned in our book reading so it provide additional meanings. We stay downtown, tried to be close to independent square.  The night we arrive we search for the best Philly cheese steak sandwich.  It is a working men’s town., we drove thru some dark and “sketchy”, accruing to DD and JJ.  The lady run the street side shop was clearly tired and had no desire to serve.  The sandwich is mediocre, a bit over priced.  Not a meal or a trip that we will treasure.

We took the early morning walk to the in dependent square, let DD, Captain “Too Sharp”, lead the way, help us thru the two hours of navigating the downtown Philly street. The museum is fine but not remarkable, maybe we had too little time for a proper tour.  Visiting the east coast and Philly again in a snowy winter might be interesting

ISOLATED STUDIOUS PRINCETON

Princeton is in a picturistic little town where DD enjoyed a lot, Maybe because the tour guide is an Engineering major.  He did a OK job showing us around campus, but compared to the well trained Georgetown, he is clearly not prepared for the tour guide and for a public speaker.  But the campus and outstanding curriculum make the tour enjoyable. and memorable.  

We met JJ's outstanding English teacher Grumman at the gate of the campus, who brought her daughter to the campus, what a nice surprise!

EXPENSIVE HIGHWAY

While I remember and expect there are often tolls on the east coast, we are still surprised how often we have to pay for highways and bridges, $13 for entering NYC, ouch!  The GPS was a wonderful invention, without it, it would be almost impossible to navigate the narrow streets of east coast cities.  But it often can't be trusted, so I turn the GPS and my phone's GPS on at the same time, they behave like a pair of arguing spouse and I had to be the judge every other turn.  It worked but was dizzying.

NYC Experience

Finding the vacation home at Hamilton Heights of Manhattan was a challenge, but we managed it well with the GPS.  Finding parking for two days near was a nightmare.  I drove the big van around the block for over an hour, finally had to double park on a long street and wait for another people to leave.  I was about to give up and drove 3 miles to a garage, pay $50 a day and take a taxi back, someone on the end of 142 street just stroll slowly and drove his SUV away.  Perfect!

I found the vacation home on AirBnB, very useful site.  Compared to the $400 price tag of a typical business hotel in downtown, this vacation home is spacious, with free internet, kitchen and half price.  Even the parking was an issue, I was rather satisfied.

We walked for miles on the

- Les Miserables
- 911 memorial
- Kefi restaurant
- Meeting Mike at "Good to Eat"
- Taxi and subway
- Downtown and uptown 

YALE

- JJ's friend
- Pizza and beer
- building
- student housing

BOSTON Experience

- Plain hotel
- Looking for beer
- Freedom trail

MIT

- Music minor/concentration
- Hacker

Harvard

- Extra curricula activities

Reflection on elite colleges

- Financial package and quarter million price-tag
- True value
- Best of the mediocre vs Mediocre of the Best?
- East and West
- Enlightened poor vs uninspired affluent
- The productive nigh at airport

College Unbound

Finishing a book that Sathya lended me on the future of higher ed.  Most of the chapters discussed the three subject, higher cost, lack of accountabilty, and innovation.   There are some very informative reportings in the book.  The problem, challenge and value of higher-ed is well documented, including this book.  But what a university should about it?

Solutions I propose are simple:  Connected Learning - the learner should be connected to learning material, big data, learning plan, classmates, mentors and professors in a comprehensive yet efficient way to enhance their learning..  Assessment and exercise should be just in time, low risk and plenty. 

The most valuable part of higher-ed might be hardest to enhance with technology: inspiration and serendipity.  That might still have to done in a class-room based experince.  

Novel, script and movie

I always lamented that so many great stories happened during the 20th century China yet few great literature was written, let alone the level of Le Miserable.

Maybe that is one of the task is for me to write the novels and scripts that tell all the worthy stories.