Category Archives: Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Rise of the Hegemon

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Hegemon definition- a dominant leader, state, or group that exerts significant political, economic, or cultural control over others.

In his speech to theWorld Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland CanadianPrime Minister Carney alluded to a the end of rules based international order.

Reading between the lines, this is attributed to hegemonic behaviour.  The American hegemony was specifically referenced in the speech although China was not.

What Changed

I agree with Prime Minister Carneys assessment of a change in the world order where rules based behaviour is largely being replaced by acceptance of rule breaking by dominant leaders/ states (e.g. Trump, U.S.)

For me a key question is what changed to lead us to the current state?

I believe China has operated under hegemonic principles for decades but the U.S. adhered to the rule of law which enabled other countries to do so as well.

The recent U.S leadership change has resulted in hegemonic behaviour similar to China and Russia and unfortunately has left no single dominant country to support the rule of law.

What Now

We can only hope Carnies call to arms will succeed .

By acting together, as he proposes,  the “middle” countries referenced in his speech should be able to form a dominant group able to overcome the political, economic and cultural control exercised by the hemegon’s (i.e., China and the United States. )

When countries that value and recognize the need for  international rule of law act accordingly pressures to act  in alignment with political direction from the one or two dominant nations can be overcome.

As Carney states, the old order is gone but by acting in unison we can create an unified international order based on decency and common morality.  The bullies will, in essence, be vanquished.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes, Uncategorized

MSI Codex R2 Gaming desktop Review

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My most recent post focused on a flaw in my new Codex R2 desktop PC.     My intention was to draw attention to weakness in the companies support chain not the product itself.

That  post created a bit of a false impression of a flawed product so now I want to do a full review focusing on the PC itself because not withstanding the broken network adaptor this is the best PC I have ever purchased.

That is from a long line of both past and present machinesI have owned, this is the best.  The features, combined with basic capabilities were top notch value when compared to the price.

Truth in Advertising

As is my usual practice I did a lot of research before purchasing.  I wanted hardware with a solid reputation from a trusted manufacturer  that would support basic personal use.

The Codec R2 comes in a few sub- models but all are based on current gen 13/14 intel Central processing units (CPU) and MSI’s own Geforce graphic processing units (GPU).

My model had a modest 16 gig of ddr5 ram but easily upgradable to 96 gig).  The clock speed is a comfortable 4.3 ghz, more ports than I need and great light show based aesthetics overall.

Specifications Aside

For me, the actual usage experience is more important than the specifications which really just guide expectations.   For me expectations were wildly exceeded .

From boot up to program load, game visuals to productivity program usage everything is fast and seamless.  Even a VM instance of Windows XP for legacy gaming works better than my standalone windows machines ever did.

I did replace the flawed network port with a PCIe card and now get blazing wired internet up to the max limitations of my ISP and router port.

The Recommendation

For a measly $900 cdn , I think this may be the best value on the market for a mid range gaming desktop.  I strongly recommend it, if you are in the market for a versatile multi-purpose machine, take a look at this one.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes, Uncategorized

Strategic Decision Making

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My last post was about making good decisions.  Building on the main idea of that post today I will add some ideas that support the long term planning view versus fearful knee jerk reactions.

Just read the other day an interesting point about how succeeding does not require winning every time.  Achieving your goal is underpinned by deciding to focus on the overall outcome not steps along the way.

Roger Federer Example

At a recent convocation in Newfoundland, tennis star Roger Federer noted how his individual point win loss record was only 54%.  That is he lost one of every two points.

Yet his overall lifetime tournament win record was 80%.  The point was his strategic focus  was on decisions that supported the goal – winning the tournament, not tactical events along the way.

Focus on the Strategic Outcome

Strategy is defined as a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.  Along the way to achieving your strategic goal it is likely many decisions will be required.

The important take-away for the Federer example or my previous blog about avoiding fear or impulsive actions is to understand losing or having bad stuff happens but this should not deter from achieving your overall objective.

Like Roger Federer by focusing on the end result you can still be successful.  Micro decision making can actually be detrimental.  Don’t overly worry about the present, its the future that really counts.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Computer Technology: Art or Science

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Over the last week or so I have been troubleshooting some problems within my home network.  As a result I have come to wonder how much managing computers software and hardware is an art versus a science

Tools and Usage

I have come to realize the tools themselves are exact and follow  a systematic methodology.  In that sense they are exact, for example, either on or off, do this or do that.  

I found though how you use them has many variations and subtle nuances where emotions (the artsy side) can play a role as much as logic (the science side).

Background

My web sites have be set up to use encryption via secure socket layer (SSL) with authentication provided by an independent Certificate Authority.

Basically content exchanges between someones computer and mine (both to and from) is encrypted so it can only be read by the intended recipient.

Also through the use of a certificate granted by a trusted source called a certificate authority (CA)  the sender can be sure the computer they are connecting to is mine. The CA is Let’s Encrypt in my case.

If the certificate is not valid your browser will warn you about the potential perils of proceeding – i.e, the target computer might not belong to who you think it does.

The certificate authority has a process I must follow every 90 days  so they can be confident I own the domain name and associated compute.

What Happened

Although my certificates have been in place for over 4 years (renewing every 90 days as required) something went wrong recently and my websites and servers were shown as unsafe.  (That is I had no valid certificate).

Without going into great detail, which would bore the majority of my audience, the point of the story is my troubleshooting which lasted over a week was fraught with many illogical, but perhaps artful steps.

In the end, I did it.  I finally got a solution. What interested me most though was the fact I needed to really dance around to get what I wanted (A valid certificate installed on my server).

It turns out this was not just a do this/do that type of recipe with straightforward repeatable instructions, which technically is what you would expect.

Artificial Intelligense

This experience has given me a better understanding of some of the pitfalls of artificial intelligence.   As computers think more like humans the art of behavior (emotional motivation) versus the scientific ways of acting will come out more and more.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Tales of Woe – Customer Service Conspiracy Theory

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I had an oil change at Rally Subaru in Edmonton on Monday this week.  Not only was I very disappointed with every aspect of  the service , also my email complaint afterwards was fully ignored.  My tale of woe follows.

First the Conspiracy Theory

 I had given a poor rating on google following my service 6 months ago and I wonder if they purposely provided even more egrigious service this time to rid themselves of a customer.
Or perhaps they are just that incompetent.

My Tale of Woe

On arrival for the appointment I was advised the service would take 1 hour and 15 minutes,  it took 3 hours.  This however, is not my complaint, I understand unavoidable circumstances can extend a service call. However,  in this case,  based on the facts as they were conveyed to me this was totally avoidable.
After 1 hour and 25 minutes I received a text advising the oil change was completed and an inspection report showing this was attached to the text but also the engine belly pan bolts were broken during removal and I was requested to authorize the additional work.
I was in the waiting area just steps from my service advisor but surprisingly she only sent me a text.
Before approving the additional work of about $200 with tax and service charges I asked the advisor why I was just being advised now of the broken bolts.  She said the there was an oil spill during the change, which although finished (removing the belly pan is not required to do the change)they decided to remove the belly pan to clean up so there would not be a smell of burning oil .  At this point my options seemed limited so I approved the service.  I suspect the belly pan has never been removed since I purchased the vehicle.
– I ask myself, why do I need to pay for a mistake made by the service technician (spilling oil)?
– Why were 2 bolts broken?  After the first could not penetrating oil have been used to remove the second.  Why was I not given the choice to have just the one broken bolt fixed
and live with a burning oil smell for a brief period?
I lost 1.5 hours of my own time together with about $200 extra cost, the explanation was poor and I had to seek out more details myself and obviously I still have questions.  I am really puzzled why I have to cover the cost of a technicians error.
I plan to seek a new service provider for maintenance although I have been a customer since 2009 this incident is really unacceptable to me.
Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes, Uncategorized

Uncontrollable Changes

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Over the last couple of months I have really encountered the impact of changes outside my control.  Naively, many years ago, I registered my own domain, implemented a Dynamic Domain Name Service, created some web sites, added application servers like mail and such.

Then I sat back thinking I would enjoy the fruits of my labours for years to come.  Not so.  Over the years the hours of support needed to maintain my technology has been very significant.  Not because I changed anything first, my changes were to keep up with the changes all around me.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL)

A recent example of this, just one of many over the last 20 plus years, was a change to the the way “Lets Encrypt” (a free certificate authority service) , validated the ssl certificate they issued.

As a result my renewal at the end of April failed and since I was on a trip out of the country, even with my remote access I could not fix it until my return ho e.  Frustrating.

As a result, it was very difficult to access my websites as encrypted requests via ssl got errors.  Also the self signed certificate on my router, which I used for remote access stymied me form correcting the renewal.

Nothing New

Of course this constant change in technical environments, software and hardware, is not new and over the years I have asked myself many times “Why did this stop working?”

For the most part the answer has been, something I do not control changed.  With today’s technology it is not possible to function in isolation but mores the pity.  So much effort required just to keep up with the status quo.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Don’t Get Swept Away

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Sometimes when it feels like you are swimming against the waters flow and will be swept downstream at any moment, don’t forget you are in control and making it to the other side is your choice.

It is often easier to just go along with others.  In many cases, this is the best approach, least stressful, and it can be fully satisfying.   However, that is not always true.

Most importantly following the crowd or going with the flow should be a conscious choice.  Do it because you want to not because others want you to.

Sheep Mentality

Sheep are often used to describe the follower mentality.  This animal species is well known for traveling in a pack.  The rare sheep that does not stay with the herd is labeled the black sheep (to highlight that they are different and perhaps not in a positive way).

Being part of a group can be the best approach for you but it should not be the default selection.  The group should not decide for you unless you want them to.

Social Animals

Humans are correctly classified as social animals and numerous psychology studies have demonstrated our need for positive interaction with others to maintain our mental health.

This does not mean you cannot swim upstream against the flow if that is the best thing for you.  However, it does require initiative and determination both of which are usually considered to be positive traits, within circumstantial constraints.

Unfortunately open but respectful independence should be a right but depending on your geographic location this is not always the case.

Notwithstanding the challenges, if you choose to take a different path because it is right for you, I applaud you.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Understand me, please

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The act of imparting or exchanging information, providing direction, or passing on the news is more of an art than it is a science.  Clarity is founded on an individual perspective and to some extent, it is unique to each of us.

Strangely, because of the subjective quality implicit in any message the being coherent and intelligible with what we perceive to be full transparency can still result in misunderstanding.

Assumptions

In almost every communication both the sender and the receiver include things they accept as true or certain without the need for elucidation (i.e., assumptions)

Without assumptions being explicitly identified and defined it is easy for parties to believe the information being exchanged has a unique and clear meaning.  Sigh, sadly this is often not the case.  Depending on the assumptions the message could be very different.

Avoiding Miscommunication

One way communication is most likely to be misinterpreted.  Without the opportunity to test the message (i.e., two-way exchange), combined with a message that appears complete and clear it is easy for the recipient to assume they understood.

This situation applies to the information provider as well.  Without receiving feedback they can only assume the everyone understood the point and all is well.

In these situations, surprises occur frequently and the result is often by choruses of “that is not what I meant” and “well that is what you said”.    The intent of the message is not achieved.

Keeping the content simple is obviously one way to achieve clarity but most important is testing/validating the communication on multiple sources, getting feedback, and modifying accordingly.

This of course is really critical when providing directions or instructions on how to do something.  Misunderstandings can lead to costly mistakes.

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Life Events – Changes

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In March 2020 the world population was subject to a life-changing event in the form of a global pandemic.  The current advanced state of communications technology-enabled rapid response in virtually every corner of the globe.

 What began as an adventure to avoid illness has become a way of life, albeit with limited success relative to avoiding illness.  Although the first peak of infection was addressed as more people sought to return to more normal day to day routine, the peak returned.

What Next?

The drastic steps to lock down our interaction with others did work but at a significant cost to both our economies and quality of life. The gradual return to commercial activity worldwide has been accompanied by a commensurate rise in the number of viral cases.

Another severe lock-down on travel, restaurants, and retail shopping will likely be another shock for a stuttering economy.   On the good news, front looms the upcoming U.S. election with hoped for the ejection of the current abysmal leadership.

A Way of Life

The search for a vaccine and even better a cure is ongoing and could (optimistically speaking) start to change the way we interact with each other as early as the spring of 2021.

Even then though, I believe it is likely many of the freedoms and little pleasures we once took for granted will continue to be curtailed for some time, perhaps another six months.

Social gatherings, travel, and the workplace are going to be impacted by sometimes as returning to less stringent public health practices and normal transaction volumes is probably not going to occur overnight.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Keeper of the Rules

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Civilized society is rule based.  These range from the undocumented rules which can be religious in nature or just based on logic and common sense ( e.g. etiquette) to those are clearly documented (often called laws)

Undocumented rules are typically maintained through social pressure while documented laws are maintained both through preventive and detective methods by designated guardians with unique powers of enforcement.

Law Enforcement

Those that enforce our rules come in a variety of roles and levels of empowerment from private security to local and national police.  Depending on the role they may be subservient to governments, corporations or just private individuals.

The power granted these guardians or referees of our rules can lead to corruption and so we also have specific enforcers to monitor, detect and prevent or end corruption by our law enforcement officers when it occurs.

Working Together

Unfortunately the multi-tiered enforcement structure leads to turf wars and other inefficiencies.  Basic human nature can cause our law enforcers at different levels to battle each other just to exercise their authority and prove they are right.

Sadly maintaining perspective when regularly exposed to deceit and malfeasance requires incredible strength of will and our guardians or referees who we respect and grant license to keep the rules are not always able to maintain an unbiased view.

Flawed but Works

With the the many process flaws built into our rule enforcement it never ceases to amaze me the respect and authority we grant   our designated enforcers and their leaders nor the fact so few cases of self enforcement by individuals occur.

I guess flawed as it may be the current enforcement systems work well enough, although  there are times those when I been personally exposed to the inadequacy of the systems that I wonder if there is a better way, we just have not found it yet.