Butterfly in the storm

Butterfly in the Storm
- short poem

They instill the believe in the young us
Having passion and patient
Sky is the limit where all promises and bliss met
We try, strive and persist
Flipping our used to be fragile now frail wings

Oh how we've tried
Believe the tears and sweat would build a ladder to the sky
Before long we would rest on the clouds of eternal happiness

But we are just butterflies in the storm
With strong believe
We are just butterflies in the storm
With frail wings
We are just butterflies in the storm

Trimming the projects

Spend an hour talking to Her Guan Univ on their strategy.  Not sure I should do that, but since president Wang is an acquaintance, I felt obligated.

I thought not directing SCD will relief me, well it does, but not by much.  Current projects, from major to trivial:

1. Help kids select a college
2. CS Online
3. CHU acquisition
4. IIED
5. CalGE summer camp
6. CalGE research symposium
7. IIED CodeCamp
8. CalgGE boy scout camp
9. Digital Otter
10. CUST ESL project
11. Teaching in China project
12. Marina Asian Business Consortium
13. Seaside Tennis and Swim club acquisition
14. Stock investment
15. Real estate investment
16. Book writing
17. eat, sleep and live

Need to trim something.

The old ones die and the young one leave

It's the time in life that people close to me start dying. God father Jiang Zhu ping and dear college buddy Wang Lin zhen both passed away last few days. Yuan will for sure leave for college soon, maybe as close as Berkeley or as far as east coast. 

Did not felt too much, since all these are expected. Still, the sadness lingers in a beautiful sunny Carmel day. 

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 :)