Bill Gates : Trustworthy Computing

https://news.microsoft.com/2012/01/11/memo-from-bill-gates

And other useful stuff:

Andrew "Bunnie" Huang - Xbox Hacking:

My best advice to aspiring hardware hackers is to be persistent and to be thorough. Significantly, persistence and thoroughness come naturally if you love what you are doing. Also, part of being a hardware hacker is being a pack rat. Buying new equipment is prohibitively expensive, so I accumulate broken and depreciated equipment and tools habitually, even if I don’t know exactly what I might do with them, or if I can fix them. It turns out that trying to fix test equipment is a learning experience in itself, and can be quite rewarding even if the conclusion is to junk the darn thing for spare parts.

Intuition - Pattern Matching - Experimentation!

Before attaching anything to the Xbox, turn it upside-down and shake it gently to ensure that there are no loose screws or parts that you might have accidentally dropped into the Xbox. A loose screw will spell the end of your video game console and presents a potential fire hazard, so this is a worthwhile check if you have any doubt in your mind.

My advisor at MIT, Tom Knight, once told me, “There are two kinds of designs in this world: those that are useful, and those that you can formally prove to be correct.”

Do you have any advice you’d like to share? (Interviewing Andy Green)

My final thought is to encourage people, especially young people, to listen to their brain when it comes to things that interest them. Don't be afraid to dig around and try to learn about things that snag your attention. That feeling you get when you wish you understood something, a kind of yearning, is your brain's way of telling you that it thinks the knowledge might be useful later. If you listen to it enough, you stand a good chance of knowing the right thing at the right time to make some small difference.

Warmcat

You should have an idea of how big you want the final board to be, how much it should cost, and of course what it should do. I always find it helpful to draw sketches and, in the case of large projects, to write design documents that help me organize and record my thoughts.

Andrew Huang: Hardware Hacking

One reason I write is to solidify my own understanding of complicated subjects. It’s easy to believe you understand a topic until you try to explain it to someone else in a rigorous fashion. Writing is how I distill my intuition into structured knowledge; I only write when I find something interesting to write about, and then I post it with a CC BY-SA license to encourage others to share it.

I made friends at several medium-sized factories in the area (ShenZhen). I started to inquire about how, exactly, these factories were able to so nimbly produce their internal test equipment, and how shanzhai were able to prototype and build such bespoke phones.

The bosses and engineers were initially reticent, not because they wanted to hide potential competitive advantages from me, but because they were ashamed of their practices. 

Ans : Don't be picky. So what if you have to reach in the scrap bin? If what you find is suitable, use it! (Pg 21 of 436)

Three blocks down the street from SEG lay the Shenzhen Bookstore. The first and most visible rack was a foreign book section, packed with classics like Stanford University professor Thomas Lee’s The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits and several titles by UCLA professor Behzad Razavi. I picked up Lee’s book, and it cost 68 kuai, or $8.50 USD. Holy cow! Jin Au Kong’s book on Maxwell’s equations? $5. Jin Au Kong taught me Maxwell’s equations at MIT.

(Quiet aside: Bunnie is a super engineer, MIT pedigree, etc. How come he couldn't make Chumby a success and Tony Faddel could with Next, and iPod and iPhone? What does Tony know that Bunnie doesn't?)

民以食为天 - min yi shi wei tian - people consider food divine - for people, food is next to heaven - the government's mandate is only as good as the food on peoples' plates

It’s absolutely mesmerizing to see a chip shooter in action. The chip shooters at the chumby PCB assembly factory were capable of placing 10,000 to 20,000 components per hour, per machine. This means that each machine could put down 3 to 6 components per second. The robotic assemblies move faster than the eye can see, and it all turns into an awe-inspiring blur. The chip shooter I saw at the chumby factory worked something like a Gatling gun: the chip gun itself was fixed, and the board danced around beneath the gun. 

.. coming soon

Challenge Yourself: How Quickly Can You Become a Lip Reader?

Learning lip reading can be a challenging but rewarding skill to develop. Of course, as this clip demonstrates, sometimes, you read lips unintentionally 😊

Step	Description	Practice
1	Start with the basics	Learn the phonetic sounds of your native language.
2	Observe without sound	Watch videos or movies in your native language without sound, focusing on lip movements and facial expressions.
3	Context is key	Gather information from context, body language, and facial expressions.
4	Practice with familiar speakers	Practice lip reading with family or friends, asking them to speak clearly and facing you directly.
5	Use mirrors	Practice in front of a mirror to observe your own lip movements and compare them to others.
6	Seek professional guidance	Consider lip reading classes or working with a speech and language therapist.
7	Join support groups	Connect with others learning lip reading through support groups or online forums.
8	Practice regularly	Dedicate regular time each day to practice lip reading.
9	Be patient and persistent	Lip reading takes time and effort to develop; celebrate small victories and stay persistent.

Resources:

1. "See What I Mean: Differences Between Deaf and Hearing Cultures" by Thomas K. Holcomb
2. "Lipreading: A Guide for Beginners" by Edward B. Nitchie
3. "The Art of Lip Reading" by Pauline Howie
4. "Lipreading: How Easy Is It?" by Geoffrey H. Plant
5. "Lipreading Made Easy" by Helena Fenlon and John Wilson

Professor Pimsleur's 16 tricks for rapid language learning

Did You Know Who Cared for Al Capone in Prison

Got here after stumbling upon "Escape from Alcatraz" by Bruce Campbell.

Upon his arrival at Atlanta, Capone was officially diagnosed with syphilis and gonorrhoea. He was also experiencing withdrawal symptoms from cocaine addiction, the use of which had perforated his nasal septum. Capone was competent at his prison job of stitching soles on shoes for eight hours a day, but his letters were barely coherent. He was seen as a weak personality, and so out of his depth dealing with bullying at the hands of fellow inmates that his cellmate, seasoned convict Red Rudensky, feared that Capone would have a breakdown. Rudensky was formerly a small-time criminal associated with the Capone gang and found himself becoming a protector for Capone.

Morris "Red" (also "Rusty") Rudensky (born Macy Motle Friedman; August 16, 1898 – April 21, 1988) was an American prohibition-era gangster, cat burglar and safe-cracker. While incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Atlanta, Rudensky became a well-known writer for an inmate-run magazine called The Atlantian. Following his release from prison, he became a spokesman and security consultant for several companies, and wrote a memoir titled The Gonif.

Born to a Jewish family on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Rudensky began his career by stealing bagels. At age 13 he was deemed incorrigible and sent to the Elmira State Reformatory. He escaped to make his way to Chicago where he cracked safes for the best price. He claimed to work for Al Capone's Chicago Outfit, Bugs Moran's North Side Mob, and The Purple Gang, a group of Jewish mobsters based in Detroit.

What Do They Do Inside You : Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro for Weight Loss

Aka, what's driven Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk stock to such massive gains in the last year? 😊

FYI, WSJ spoke to Dr. D. Narang of Northwestern.

Fun fact, once a drug has FDA approval, doctors can prescribe it for off-label use. So, these (GLP-1 class drugs) might be intended for diabetes, but doctors can prescribe them for weight loss.

They work on both the gut and the brain.

At the level of the gut, the medication slows down gastric emptying, so it slows down the way your stomach empties into your gut. It takes longer for food to get from your stomach to the rest of your digestive tract. That leads to feeling fuller faster than usual.

At the level of the brain, it interacts with your appetite center and suppresses your hunger hormone.

GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) is a hormone produced in the intestine that plays an important role in regulating blood sugar levels. It is released in response to food intake, particularly when carbohydrates and fats are consumed. GLP-1 acts on various organs in the body, including the pancreas, stomach, and brain.

GIP (Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide), also known as gastric inhibitory polypeptide, is a hormone produced by the intestines. Similar to GLP-1, GIP plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels and insulin secretion.

When we eat, GIP is released in response to the presence of nutrients, particularly carbohydrates and fats. Its main function is to stimulate the release of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin helps to lower blood sugar levels by allowing glucose to enter cells for energy or storage.

GIP is often referred to as an incretin hormone, along with GLP-1, because both hormones are released after a meal and enhance the secretion of insulin. They work in conjunction to help regulate blood sugar levels.

If You Haven't Yet, Ask the Oracle to Assess Your Ability

Thank you for your response. Based on your answers, it appears that you have a solid understanding of effective communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, motivation, and feedback within a team leadership context. Your emphasis on open communication, transparency, fostering teamwork, data-driven decision-making, and providing growth opportunities demonstrates a thoughtful and inclusive approach to leading a team.

Overall, your answers indicate that you have the potential to lead a team effectively by promoting a positive and supportive environment, encouraging personal and professional growth, and valuing open dialogue. Keep in mind that leadership skills can always be further developed and refined through practical experience and continuous learning.

Remember, effective leadership also involves adapting to different team dynamics and situations, building trust, and adapting your leadership style as needed. Best of luck in your leadership endeavors! 

Can you ask me five questions one at a time and use the answers to assess my ability to lead a team?

Of course! I'd be happy to ask you five questions to assess your ability to lead a team. Here's the first question:

1. How do you define effective communication within a team, and why is it important for a leader?

Effective communication within a team is defined as honest and assertive dialogue with the goal of achieving a win for all involved. The team wins, but all involved are expected to be better off in some way.

2. How do you promote collaboration and foster a sense of teamwork among team members?

To promote collaboration, we ensure there are forums that team members can participate in (real world or virtual) when they need help. We ensure sufficient overlap between peoples' work timings so that the probabilities of interactions are higher and use practical gimmicks like longer and fewer tables in the breakroom. The sense of teamwork is fostered by ensuring participation in roughly equal measure from all attendees and transparency - that is, communication outside of the meeting, if is impactful, is still made available to team members in a timely way (for example, an email sent out to the team saying "Godwin and I discussed the point brought up by X and we decided we would go ahead and create Y because it will be useful to everyone."). As a leader, I would take care of the team by addressing the issue of non-performers. I would talk to the underperforming person and find out the reason. If the person is aware of expectations and is not motivated to raise her game, then she will have to move on. If he is aware that he is underperforming, then we can discuss his needs and how he can close the gap. After this conversation, I would have one on ones with high performers and reassure them that steps are being taken to address the issue.

3. How do you handle conflicts or disagreements within the team?

First, I would state frequently that conflict and disagreement are welcomed as long as they are healthy. The conflict should never play out in a manner that causes a loss of morale. Therefore, drama queens are not welcome. They drain the energy and vitality of the people around them. A conflict, such as what use a resource should be put to is a good conflict. The person who loses the battle is entitled to an honest reason for why he did not get his way. When the decision is made, his feeling should be of the nature of, "I get it, but you owe me one." If there is a disagreement about whether an idea is a good one, then the culture of the organization should be data-driven so that, the person who loses the argument still feels like he gained something such as new knowledge or a better way to evaluate an idea that seemed obviously good to begin with.

4. How do you motivate and inspire your team members to achieve their best performance?

We use context to lead. We make clear how the effort of the individual in solving a particular problem will lead to group victory and personal victory. The personal victory is just growth in competence. We never issue commands. We only ask if a person could take care of X or Y. When we do make statements that could be viewed objectively as commands, that are given in such a manner as seeming to be a response to a request for advice. 

5. How do you provide constructive feedback and support the professional development of your team members?

Given that the sandwich approach has been shown to not always be the best, we get to the point directly. We point out specific instances in which a person could have chosen a different approach or response. I would say something like, "I've made similar mistakes in the past. Based on what I've learned, I would have done X or Y."  For professional development, you have to provide stretch assignments that enable a person to feel challenged. Maintain an open door policy and help people grow by finding the answers themselves. Use every encounter to evaluate, coach and build self-confidence. When you talk to your direct reports, find out what courses they are interested in and be on the lookout for good opportunities to provide that formal education.