fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Singapore says passengers do not have Covid after ‘cruise to nowhere’ returns early
By: The Asian Affairs
Tags: Covid 19, Cruises, Asean, Singapore

According to Singapore’s health ministry, the Singaporean passenger who tested positive for Covid-19 aboard a cruise ship has subsequently tested negative for the disease.

The passenger, an 83-year-old man, was onboard the Quantum of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean, which set sail for a round trip to the city-state on Dec. 7 with no port of call in between. After the passenger went through a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test on the cruise liner which returned positive for Covid-19, the ship was forced to return on Wednesday, a day earlier than expected.

In order to diagnose cases, PCR tests have been commonly used as they are effective in their diagnosis, but results take hours to return.

“His initial sample has since been re-tested for (Covid-19) contamination at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) and has returned negative. The Ministry of Health said Wednesday night, adding that another test will be performed the next day to confirm his Covid-19 status, a second fresh sample checked by NPHL has also returned negative.

The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday afternoon that the passenger did not have Covid-19.

“In its statement, the health ministry added, “We have rescinded the Quarantine Orders of his close contacts, who had previously been put on quarantine as a precautionary measure while investigations were underway.

At 2:30 p.m., the passenger was taken to the National Infectious Disease Centre. Singapore time on Wednesday, according to the Tourism Board of Singapore.

The tourism board added that all 1,680 passengers and 1,148 crew on board had tested negative for the virus prior to the ship’s departure. Passengers and crew members who came into direct contact with the person concerned were isolated and other passengers were forcibly checked before being able to depart the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, where the ship was docked.

Royal Caribbean said its entire crew would undergo PCR tests on Thursday in a separate statement, while the ship would be thoroughly washed and disinfected.

In the midst of the pandemic, Singapore’s “cruise to nowhere” initiative is an effort to strengthen travel demand. Cruise liners have to receive a compulsory safety certification to participate and will be subject to an examination before they are permitted to start sailing.
To engage a buyer’s agent or not
By: Money Pit Digger
Tags: Buyers Agent, Singapore, Property Agent

After a session of wishful thinking and pencilling our house-hunting criteria, it was time to start “shopping”. Or maybe not. You see, I have developed an innate ability to detect hard work over a long period of time, and this felt suspiciously like a labourious task to me.

This meant that we “needed” a buyer’s agent — a property agent to represent us as potential buyers. I am a strong believer of leaving the important things to the professionals.

Of course, if I presented it as a fait accompli to The Wife, it could potentially be detrimental to my life span. Caution was the way to play this.

“Do you think we need to engage a property agent to help us in our house-hunting?” I asked in the most innocuous tone I could muster.

“Why leh? Can’t we do this by ourselves?” The Wife responded to my loaded question with two trick questions of her own.

The first question was not one I could answer honestly. I couldn’t possibly reveal to The Wife that I was not particularly keen to get off my couch and put in significant elbow sweat towards a thankless job she wanted me to do.

The second question seemed like a yes-no question… except that it wasn’t. If I had said “yes”, I would assume full responsibility for everything going forward, especially anything bad. And I was not stupid enough to fall for that. If I had replied “no”, it would seem too obvious that I was trying to skirt the issue and if she found out otherwise, it would be a disaster of epic proportions.

“Technically, it is possible. I am concerned that if we do this by ourselves, we may inadvertently make costly mistakes along the way and that wouldn’t be a smart thing to do,” I found myself verbalising my well-crafted answer.

“Yah, but I don’t want to pay 1% of the purchase price to the property agent for something we could have done ourselves,” The Wife protested.

I could see that we were approaching an impasse so I decided that I needed more data to support my case. “Let me do some research on the HDB resale procedures first to see if we can go the DIY route,” I foolishly offered.

Volunteering to do some work to avoid even more work was not the best outcome I had hoped for but if it paid off, I could just cruise along the entire process of buying a HDB resale flat. It was worth the gambit.
Knowing what we want for our next home
By: Money Pit Digger
Tags: House Hunting, Property Search, Singapore

To facilitate our property search, we knew that we had to set specific criteria to narrow down the possibilities. (This would apply even if we were to appoint a property agent to help us.)

After a quick process of elimination, we decided that we would look to purchase a HDB resale flat instead of a condominium (not worth the premium) or HDB BTO flat (waiting time too long).

Criterion 1: HDB resale flat

The reason why we even contemplated relocation in the first place was because The Wife wanted more space, so it definitely has to be bigger than our current place.

Criterion 2: Floor area bigger than a 4-room flat

I sat down with The Wife to quickly round up the rest of our criteria (in no particular order):

Criterion 3: On a reasonably high floor, at least 10th storey and above

Criterion 4: In a stack that has a good unblocked view and is not directly next to the lifts or rubbish chute

Criterion 5: Preferably not too old, with >90 years’ lease tenure left

Criterion 6: Convenient location with adequate amenities and good public transport connections

Criterion 7: Well-maintained estate with friendly neighbours

In short, we want the best of all worlds. I am not particularly smart but even I could figure out that our combined criteria is the perfect recipe for a high purchase price, which is extremely doable… if I could conjure money from nowhere.

Since our resources are not unlimited, something’s gotta give and we would have to compromise somewhere. But it was way too early to lower our expectations. I guess we had to start viewing potential units first before we could decide what we were willing to give up.
Black Friday Buys
Tags: Singapore, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, 1111, Sales

The doorbell keeps ringing and it’s all the parcels arriving from last week’s Black Friday sale. Parents are complaining but it’s all worth it.

Anyway, they should be proud of their son. I can’t navigate the wet market but I can read the stock market. I may not be an Aunty killer but I can be the Amazon.com killer.

Back to Black Friday. I’ve already been hunting for deals for awhile now. Sadly, money doesn’t grow on trees. I regretted not buying during 9.9. I held out for a better bargain during 11.11. BFCM was time to take the plunge. Speaking of which, I am intrigued by return policies in America.

**America’s Return Policy**

Don’t like it? Return it.

When chatting on international Facebook pages or forums, they’d be discussing how they simply ordered two items and return the one the don’t like. I wonder how this has affected their consumer culture over the years.

For us, we spend a lot of time deliberating and “testing” the product out at stores before biting the bullet. But even then, it’s still a hit or miss. It keeps us prudent and at the same time the sales person can take in a deep breath after clinching the deal.

For myself, buying a wrong product means I head over to sell it to a third party, usually at a loss. Hello Carousell. Sometimes, it’s a wrestling match with those “Carouhell-ers”. I hate lowballers.

So… Hope that this time, I don’t suffer buyer’s remorse… And oh great. Just got an e-mail for 12.12.
Public Libraries: My Personal Experience
By: Meily Villaverde
Tags: Singapore, Library, Public Institutions, National Library, Reading

When I was 14, I found myself venturing alone to Singapore’s National Library during a family vacation. I was bored and the hotel we stayed at was located near the building so I went on my way after having dinner with my parents.

Having never gone to a large public library up until that point, the Central Public Library was a complete game-changer. Being on the basement floor, they took great advantage of the wide floorspace, having a multitude collection of reading materials. I found myself engrossed in a novel until 9pm.

Song Tao (2019)

In the article “12 Ways Libraries Are Good for the Country”, the author conveys descriptive reasons and the key benefits of a library, which I agree to and have seen happen at this library.

People of all age ranges were welcome: children with picture books, students studying at the desks, the middle-aged and elderly immersed in books and newspapers. Even the disabled could visit with the help of lifts. Background wasn’t an issue either since I, a foreigner, could walk in the library without feeling different.

I do wish that there were more public libraries funded by government institutions in the city where I live. Although some may argue that it is costly to fund, I do believe that it will benefit the community in the long run. As Benjamin Franklin puts it: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Introducing Transparent Traits in Scala 3
By: Knoldus Inc.
Tags: Singapore, Scalatraits, Singaporetech, Knoldus Singapore, Newfeatures

I am learning Scala 3 and as I go along, I want to share about it with our community. In this quest, I had written an article a few days back on Trait Parameters in Scala 3. Check it out! In this article, I am going to write about a new feature of Scala 3, called Transparent Traits. Firstly, we will look into the problem that this feature is trying to solve and then the feature itself.

A brief history

In Scala, a trait can be used to represent the type of a val or a def . Also, traits are reusable components which help in code reuse. Looking at an example here -

In this code, the inferred type of mkOrder is Order with Id with Produc t.

Ignoring how Product is inferred for a moment, do we need Id in the type in this case? Here, it simply is as an implementation detail where we want every class extending Id trait to give a concrete implementation for its method id . Therefore, Id is not necessarily representing a type here.

Scala 3 Transparent Traits

In Scala 3, it is possible to suppress traits while inferring the type. We need to mark such traits as transparent. Re-writing the above code using Scala 3.

In this piece of code, as we have marked the Id trait as transparent, it is suppressed while inferring the type of mkOrder . This is it. Do this much and have no complex type inferences.

Product Trait — As you had seen with the Scala 2 example, the inferred type was Order with Id with Product . Product is a trait in Scala which is inherited to every case class automatically and hence was part of the inferred type. In Scala 3, Product trait has been marked as transparent. So therefore in my example using Scala 3, the inferred type is simply Order because I have marked Id as transparent and Product is automatically treated as transparent.

Rules for inference

Following are the rules for dropping transparent traits while inferring the types. (As stated in official documentation)

When inferring a type of a type variable, or the type of a val, or the return type of a def,

where that type is not higher-kinded,

and where B is its known upper bound or Any if none exists:

is its known upper bound or if none exists: If the type inferred so far is of the form T1 & ... & Tn where n >= 1 , replace the maximal number of transparent Ti s by Any , while ensuring that the resulting type is still a subtype of the bound B .

where , replace the maximal number of transparent s by , while ensuring that the resulting type is still a subtype of the bound . However, do not perform this widening if all transparent traits Ti can get replaced in that way.

Transparent Scala 3 traits.

scala.Product

java.lang.Serializable

java.lang.Comparable

This brings us to the end of this blog. Hope you got something to learn from this. Please feel free to drop us a message in case of any queries and checkout other blogs written by my fellow engineers here.

References

http://dotty.epfl.ch/docs/reference/other-new-features/transparent-traits.html
The imperative to relocate
By: Money Pit Digger
Tags: Moving, Relocation, WFH, Singapore

I never thought we will ever move away from our humble abode in the Far End of the Northeastern Territories. It was the first apartment we bought when we were still young and it was already fully paid up some years ago.

We got really lucky back then. Although our ballot number wasn’t in the single digits or even double digits, we managed to select the exact unit we wanted — in one of the development’s best stacks on a high floor. The apartment has a lovely unblocked view of the skies which afforded us many memorable sunrises and sunsets.

Since there is only the two of us, 990 sq ft of real estate has been more than enough space over the years. Sure, the apartment needs some TLC and decluttering but we could have made it work (read: The Wife could have made me make it work).

I suspect this would have been our “happily ever after” if not for the Circuit Breaker earlier this year.

As much as The Wife and I love each other, the Circuit Breaker took our marriage to its extreme limits. Facing each other 24/7 is all good when we are on lovey-dovey vacations to dream destinations but all hell breaks loose when we have to get work done from home.

Working from home (WFH) is unlikely to go anywhere soon so The Wife decided that we need more space away from each other while we are at home. “More space = a bigger apartment = that is why we need to move = because I said so,” The Wife patiently explained to me.

Caught between a rock (her fist) and a hard place (her palm), I decided that going along with The Wife’s plan and not asking any questions would be the smart thing to do. Survival 101 must prevail.
Singapore Nature Walks. If you have an empty day spread ahead…
By: Swetha Pujari
Tags: Nature, Singapore, Nparks, Parks, Walking

PICK # 1 :: MACRITCHIE RESERVOIR PARK

Macritchie is a green paradise, akin to a forest and quite soothing if you escape into a less-than-an-hour board walk. But if you are a first-timer, it could pose some challenges in navigating your way back.

Other than some exquisite trails, you can rent a Kayak and row in the pristine waters all by yourself. Or gear up with energy drinks (and in my case, some granola bars as well), and pick it raw by hiking the ~10km round-trip Tree top course. This can take anywhere between 3–5 hours solely depending on the number of snack/Photo breaks. And of course, your walking pace. The trick is to plan it on a cloudy day.

Monkeys, a potpourri of birds and sometimes if you really behave well, a Monitor Lizard might come and delight you.
Tarsus Group Strengthens Tyrexpo Asia with New Thailand Show
By: Retreading Business
Tags: Thailand, Singapore, Exhibitions, Busines, Tyres

Tarsus Group, the organisers of the Tyrexpo Asia exhibition, have announced that they plan to annualise the event, making it rotate between Singapore (odd years) and Bangkok (even years).

Tyrexpo Asia Expands into Thailand

The inaugural Bangkok edition will be launched in 27–29 April 2022. The next upcoming edition will be in 17 to 19 NOV 2021, Singapore.

With growing opportunities in Southeast Asia, Tyrexpo Asia 2022 Bangkok will be held in Thailand, the largest automotive hub in Southeast Asia. This strategic event will bring together regional emerging markets like Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, further growing the Southeast Asia tyre market. It will be held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Alwin Seow, Events Director at Tarsus said: “The tyre industry has been resilient during the pandemic, and both events targeting at different geographical regions are a good platform for recovery for top buyers and sellers to gather. We expect to attract 120 exhibitors and 3,000 local and international attendees, where both shows will provide a valuable opportunity for leading and emerging international regional suppliers to promote their services within the tyre, equipment & tools and tyre accessories market sectors.”
How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child in Singapore
By: Juie Lara
Tags: Day Care Center, Singapore, Preschool Singapore, Kindergarten, Preschool

Choosing the Top preschool in Singapore that is a good fit for your child can be both exciting as well as overwhelming. Preschool is the first step towards your child’s academic journey and sets the foundation for all future learning. As a parent, you want to select the right preschool and program, but how do you know you’re making the best choice for your child?

At Carpe Diem, these are a few key things we suggest you consider when making your decision:

1.Your Child’s Learning Style

It is important to put your child at the center of your decision-making process. Ask yourself the following questions: What kind of environment will they thrive in? What makes them excited, uncomfortable, or puts them a tease? What challenges do you think will arise when the time comes? In what areas would you like to see the most growth in your child after a year in preschool?

Considering your child’s personality and early learning traits will help you determine if the preschool you’re interested in will match up and provide the kind of learning environment your child needs most.

2. The School’s Philosophy

Each preschool has its own educational style and philosophy. Some are known for fostering students’ independence while others hone their creativity above all else. At Carpe Diem we focus on unlocking a child’s full potential by developing all eight intelligences through the Multiple-Intelligence based curriculum in a nurturing and positive environment.

This leads back to your child’s learning style. What are you hoping your child gains from the preschool experience? Knowing what you want your child to achieve through attending preschool plays a big role in determining which one is right for you.

3. The Teachers

Early childhood learning is built on trusting relationships. Studies show that when teachers are optimistic and caring, children learn better and they develop faster. Working with young kids is not easy, your child needs teachers who are genuinely happy, dedicated and excited about their role as early childhood professionals. A good preschool is one with committed and well-trained teachers who exude optimism and contribute to the overall positivity of the preschool.

4. Make a List and Compare

Once you have determined the right goals for your child’s preschool education, narrow down your choices by making a list to compare the shortlisted preschools against the criteria you have set. Get in touch with the respective preschools to find out more about their program and ask all the questions you might have had when making your list. This way you can make an informed decision on the right fit for your child and find the ideal preschool for your child’s learning development.

Carpe Diem encourages you to consider these 4 useful tips when choosing the right preschool for your child. For more information about our multiple-intelligence based curriculum and experiential learning environment, click here!

Source: carpediem.com.sg
2020 軟體工程師薪水報告！哪些公司薪水最高呢？
By: 矽谷輕鬆談 Kenji
Tags: Salary, 軟體工程師, 薪水, Software Engineer, Silicon Valley

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
The Relocation of Silicon Valley
By: Sarah Alister
Tags: Tech News Today, Software Development, Technology, Venture Capital, Silicon Valley

Why Austin, TX?

🚀 Business-friendly tax laws makes it all the more rewarding for companies to relocate to Austin. The corporate income tax rate in California is 8.84%, while Texas does not have a corporate income tax rate.

Top Marginal Corporate Income Tax Rates as of January 1, 2020 by Tax Foundation

🧠 When it comes to diversity in the tech industry, its a façade in Silicon Valley compared to Austin. Companies intentionally show the small fraction of Women and POC they have employed to the media to appear inclusive, but when it comes to the statistics of diversity, otherwise is proven.

🏡 The affordable cost of living in Texas is definitely a breathe of fresh air for the Bay Area residents. A laid-back lifestyle, vibrant music and arts scene, and outdoor living space. Who wouldn’t want to relocate there?

💸 Remote hiring outside of affluent neighborhoods for individuals means cheaper talent for companies. Engineers residing in Austin aren’t necessarily expecting a salary as large as employees who reside in the Bay Area, so this factor benefits companies.
Session 8— Silicon Valley Teenpreneur Program by Edudot
Tags: Edudot, Silicon Valley, Teenpreneur

Today the session is about Fundraising and was teached by Madhu Chamarty. Fundraising is how to gain funds in order for the start-up to run.

The main thing Madhu talked about is how to make investors willing to invest in your start-up. There are three main questions which consists of mainly whys. There’s why?, why now?, and why you?

First the why? Which is the simplest form of the question. It’s basically talking about the main problem and what the business idea is trying to solve. Second is the why now? This is to ask about why would the investor invest in the business now. And lastly is the why you? It is mainly talking about our team which runs the business. All of these three questions must be able to be answered during pitches to the investors in order for them to be much more convinced to invest their money.

From what I’ve understood from today’s session, fundraising is all about convincing investors so that they would be confident into giving away their money. In order to do that we need to have strong pitches and statements so that they would intrigue with the business idea. The main tip Madhu gave was to get the investor’s attention in the first 30 seconds of the pitch. If you succeed doing this it is likely that the investor would be willing invest. Even if you do the smallest mistake during the pitch, once the investor already likes you as a person, they would not change their mind.
Networking resources for Engineering Managers
Tags: Product Management, Engineering Mangement, Networking, Management, Silicon Valley

Engineering Management can be a lonely job. Also, people tend to get better at Management only with experience. In the journey, it can be very helpful to have a peer group of other engineering manager, with whom one can discuss, debug and learn from their challenges. This group can be ones mentors, sponsors, past managers, network of weak connections who can help in the Engineering Manager leadership development journey.

Below are the list of resources to hone and develop a network as an Engineering Manager. These resources can be helpful for high TLs or TLMs looking to convert to an EM role, new EMs to learn from each other’s experiences, seasoned EMs to grow their network outside work :
Whither Silicon Valley?
By: T. K. Rengarajan
Tags: AI, Quantum, Happiness, Technology, Silicon Valley

18 Dec 2020

It is that time again. Not so much the Holidays but a season of prognostications of the end of Silicon Valley. Like the vulgar philosopher of our time said, this or any point of view will be right, eventually. It is the perfect halting problem.

Silicon Valley is the epicenter of the information age. The right comparison is industrial revolution not automotive industry. The vast expanse of the information age will pervade both agricultural and industrial age artifacts through digital transformation.

Silicon Valley is a continuous metropolis that subsumes the cities of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose with over 7M residents. Even so, the information economy is far bigger and will outgrow Silicon Valley.

Just as the industrial age magnified the muscle, the information age magnifies the mind. We are racing towards a world where work is as easy as the specification of work.

Entire new technologies are in nascent stages: AI, robots, drones, AR/VR, digital marketplaces, quantum computing, IoT, wearables, autonomous driving, 3D printing, cloud, bigdata, genetic medicine, satellite internet, smart grids and mindfulness.

In the meanwhile, there are good reasons that rumors of the Death of the Silicon Valley are exaggerated. Our economy is becoming more robustly diversified as we combine top universities (Stanford, Berkeley, UCSF etc), diverse population, and a risk-taking society that celebrates startups. After all, here it is better to have “done a startup” and failed than to have never “done a startup” at all.

Already we have more than adequate technologies to ensure a life of dignity for all humans. Humans no longer have to screw the many to ensure a good life for a few. We also know that marginal happiness diminishes beyond a threshold of income.

How will we spend the new abundance that comes from our amplified new productive powers? I hope we spend our wealth in making ourselves happier and treading lightly on Planet Earth.

🙏🏾

Ranga
So… you’re not counting the IEEE Spectrum as ‘trade press’?
By: Bob Koure
Tags: Startup, LinkedIn, Big Technology, Tech, Silicon Valley

So what does that mean for the rest of us? Unlike other industries (ie, healthcare), there is no trade press.

So… you’re not counting the IEEE Spectrum as ‘trade press’?

Back when I was a software engineer I realized that there were journals that we read, and the public pretty much didn’t or couldn’t — and there were popular magazines about tech for the public, that, as engineers, we generally didn’t bother reading. Isn’t that “didn’t or couldn’t” the definition of ‘trade press’?
Happy Holidays from SVCREATES
Tags: Silicon Valley, Holidays, Gratitude, Arts And Culture

Happy Holidays from SVCREATES

Happy Holidays!

As we close out this truly incredible, unprecedented year, we are reflecting on the many people and institutions who kept us hopeful this year. We are feeling the depth and importance of our community, of those people and institutions that are woven inextricably into our work and our daily lives. We are grateful.

We are grateful for the Silicon Valley artists, culture workers, and arts leaders who have nurtured our souls and brought us joy, learning, and inspiration during this dark time of COVID-19, wildfires, a divided nation, and contentious election season. Your work embodies the collective humanity of the arts.

We are grateful for our institutional funders and partners at the County of Santa Clara, San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, California Arts Council, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and VMC Foundation, Community Vision, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Applied Materials Foundation, and the Packard, Hewlett, Morgan, Castellano and Rainin Foundations. Know that our staff loves working with each of you and we could not do what we do without you!

We are grateful for the SVCREATES team, for seemingly boundless faith in the unique impact the arts have on all our lives, their belief in this special community, and their tireless work in support of our arts ecosystem.

Thank you to Alexandra and Alyssa for adjusting our capacity-building programs to meet the challenges of COVID-19, converting our offerings to Zoom, and doubling the number and value of our grants to artists and organizations this year.

Thank you to Daniel and Kristen for lifting our spirits and the voices of our creative culture through Content Magazine and pivoting to host virtual Pick-Up Parties.

Thank you to Tanuja, Zakiya, and Alyssarhaye for building the ArtsWeb coalitions and advancing this shared services pilot program.

Thank you to Tanuja for driving the installation of Like a Multivitamin at Valley Medical Center and leading our sixth year of ArtsEdConnect arts education grants for local teachers.

Thank you to Sarah for managing the office, overseeing accounting, and keeping my schedule. And to Stephanie for paying our bills and processing payroll.

Thank you to Spoke Consulting for keeping us on message and to Financial Administrative Support Services for keeping our books.

We are grateful for our Board of Directors for their time, talent, and treasure. You are thought partners, champions, and fiduciaries. We have co-created, strategized, and worried together.

Perhaps most importantly, we are inspired by you and grateful for you. Thank you for giving meaning to our work and our passion for this place.

What a year, and what a team! Our offices will be closed until next year while we clear our heads, renew our spirits, and say good riddance to 2020.

Happy 2021,

Connie Martinez
Facebook is a Doomsday Machine
By: Kopjes Kattenoppas
Tags: Tech, Big Data, Social Media, Facebook, Silicon Valley

Facebook is a Doomsday Machine

“Limitations to the Doomsday Machine comparison are obvious: Facebook cannot in an instant reduce a city to ruins the way a nuclear bomb can. And whereas the Doomsday Machine was conceived of as a world-ending device so as to forestall the end of the world, Facebook started because a semi-inebriated Harvard undergrad was bored one night. But the stakes are still life-and-death. Megascale is nearly the existential threat that megadeath is. No single machine should be able to control the fate of the world’s population — and that’s what both the Doomsday Machine and Facebook are built to do.”

—Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic

More doom and gloom to read under the christmas tree here:
‘They Treated Me Like a Discardable Object’
By: Dave Gershgorn
Tags: Racism, Work, Technology, Silicon Valley, Google

‘They Treated Me Like a Discardable Object’

In the early days of December, one of the world’s most well-known Black A.I. researchers, Timnit Gebru, made national headlines when she was ousted from Google, where she studied the limitations of artificial intelligence.

Her dismissal stemmed from an email she sent to internal groups for women and allies that expressed frustration at the lack of action taken by the company. She was also working on a research paper critical of the company’s tactics for developing massive algorithms, specifically how they can affect already marginalized communities.

Listen to Gebru tell her story in her own words on Slate’s What Next: TBD podcast, where she talks about her firing, the research paper, and co-founding the group Black in AI.

I also recommend reading the interview Gebru did with VentureBeat’s Khari Johnson. Here’s a preview:
Silicon Valley: High Technology, Innovation
By: Info Statix
Tags: Research And Development, Techfirm, Social Media, Global, Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a region in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay, area in Northern California.

This serves as a

Global center for high technology, innovation, and social media

Although as boundaries have increased in recent decades.

Tech Industry

San Juan is the Valley’s largest city the third-largest in California and the tenth-largest in the United States.

But Why Silicon?

Originally referred to a large number of innovators and manufacturers in the region specializing in silicon-based transistors and integrated circuit chips.

Silicon Valley was born through several contributing factors intersecting including a skilled STEM research-based housed in the area, universities, plentiful venture capital, and steady US Department of Defense.

Stanford

Stanford University leadership was especially important in the valleys.

Early development in the 1890s,

Stanford University leaders saw its mission as a service to the west and shaped the school accordingly at the same time the perceived exploration in the West.

The hands of eastern interests fueled booster like attempts to build the self-sufficient local industry.

Thus, regionalism helped align Stanford’s interests with those of the area’s high tech firms for the first 50 years of Silicon Valley’s.

In the 1940s and 1950s,

Frederick Terman, Stanford’s Dean of engineering and provost, and Hearst facility and graduates started their own companies.

This is credited with nurturing Hewlett Packard and associates and other high-tech firms.
Trends and Venture Capital Sheep-ism: Why Unsexy is Sexy
By: Marvin Liao
Tags: Startup, Angel Investors, Investing, Venture Capital, Silicon Valley

“No Conflict, No Interest” & ”Being Contrarian but Right” are the terms bandied around by Venture capitalists. But what do they really mean?

If you think about most recent tech history, most of the biggest & most popular companies now were very unpopular or had a very difficult time fundraising at seed. Uber, Carta, CreditKarma, AirBnB are the companies that stand out to me.

It’s so easy to say it was clear these were going to be the dominant successful companies they are today. But hindsight is 20/20 as always. It was not that obvious back then. In fact, the decision to invest was widely derided by most investors and the media.

The returns can usually be found at the Frontier & usually driven by Outsiders

Upstream is where action is, higher risk yet higher gain. VC Investing is options investing. Asymmetric bets are where returns come from. You can only lose the amount you invest in but the upside is literally multiple times higher than the base amount u put in.

Or to be safe, just do what everyone is doing: invest in founders from Stanford. But that is where everyone is looking. Competition is for losers as Peter Thiel famously stated.

You are probably better off looking at founders from UC Berkeley who are just as good but under-invested in.

Consensus sucks. Consensus is usually wrong & not fact. People are naturally risk-averse and this is why the saying “No one every gets fired for buying from IBM or Mckinsey” exists. (Both suck by the way). The Venture capital version of this is why you see so many me too investments in the same sector that are considered hot. One infamous example in my mind, there were literally hundreds of Food delivery startups funded in 2015 after Greylock & Social Capital led a series B round into Sprig. That sector overall has turned into a major bust overall.

But to be contrarian, we are fighting against our own biological instincts that have been developed for thousands of years. We’re naturally social creatures affected by everyone around us.

That is why there are so few truly original thinkers in the world, even more so in Venture Capital where we literally are in a bubble. This is why diversity of thinking & background is so important to break out of this bubble. This is why you need to travel, read and talk to different kinds of people. This is where ‘First Principle” thinking is critical and a good understanding of your inclinations ie. self awareness. I’ve also found studying cognitive bias like “availability,” “confirmation,” “pessimism” or “optimism”, “halo effect or “status quo” biases can be helpful.

And most important as an investor, once you have done your homework and thinking, have the conviction and commitment to follow through. The hardest part is actually the final decision to invest regardless of what anyone else thinks.

Listen to this Newsletter: https://listencat.com/the-hard-fork-by-marvin-liao-podcast/
These 5 emerging startup hubs in Asia may soon outpace Silicon Valley
Tags: Asia, Emerging Startup Hubs, Business Strategy, Investment, Silicon Valley

Written by Liza Mazurina for EDGE196.

Despite the deterring conditions of Covid-19, many startup harbors in Asia continue to flourish. Here are 5 emerging startup hubs in Asia you should know about.

In the past few years, the region of Asia has become known as an outspoken leader in the movement of technological revival. One year ago, the Asia-Pacific region was the primary global destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) for the first time, with more than one-third share of global investment flow. And, even though the unending struggle with the pandemic is heavily pressing the economy, Asia still leads the race of the digital transformation in the world — beating Silicon Valley.

Because Asia is well-known for its growing layer of the tech-savvy middle class, local incentive schemes, and long-term growth potential these reasons have made this region attractive for all types of investors. Additionally, technological development in Asia has helped the region to withstand the worst times of the Covid-19 pandemic. After all, it took only 2–3 weeks to come up with an AI-based Covid test system, and the already well-prepared digitization scene allowed to accommodate the increased demand for work-from-home apps and home delivery services, as McKinsey says.

Now, Asia houses a few tech-advanced hubs that nurture the love for technology and accommodate both talented entrepreneurs and investors willing to push the innovation wheel forward. EDGE196 makes a valuable contribution to this list by providing startup ecosystem players money, mentorship, and market access. EDGE196’s startup ecosystem provides a great starting ground for everyone aspiring for higher success.

Right now, let’s have a look at 5 emerging startup hubs in Asia aiming to become the next Silicon Valley.
Looking to relocate from Silicon Valley or NYC to Miami?
By: Meghan Maloof Berdellans
Tags: Real Estate, Relocation, Miami, Austin, Silicon Valley

Moishe Mana’s vision for Flagler Street in the Flagler District: Heart of Downtown Miami

The Magic City is now a hotspot with a growing population of tech and Silicon Valley natives who have been flocking to this great city in droves. It’s something we like to call the Mass ‘Techxodus’.

Why Miami and Not Austin?

Major players in Miami such as City of Miami Mayor, Francis Suarez and Billionaire Entrepreneur and Visionary Moishe Mana, have been at the forefront of building a tech hub in the center of Downtown Miami in the coveted and historic ‘Flagler District.’

To be at the forefront of something big

Affordable real estate

No state income, inheritance and estate taxes

Diversity of culture and thought

Sunny weather all year round

Active communities

World-class healthcare

Sandy beaches

Various forms of entertainment

Incredible dining

Work-Life Balance

Recently, Mayor Suarez has made a splash on Twitter in his interactions with tech entrepreneurs from the Valley and he and Mana’s team are working together to make this vision a reality.

Whatever was the reason that prompted you to considering relocating to Miami, we’re here to help with any questions you may have and any relocation services you may need.

Looking to relocate to Miami? S&S Global’s team of relocation concierges are here to help you with all things turn-key relocation from your commercial and residential real estate transactions, to furnishing your home, dealing with internet providers and filling the refrigerator with groceries.

Want to chat more about moving to Miami? Email me at meg@megconnolly.com or tweet me at @megconnolly_!
How Semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence will work together in future applications?
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Silicon Valley, Semiconductors, Tier1silicon

Tier1silicon

Nowadays, AI (Artificial Intelligence) has overgrown since its initial development in the 1950s. As we advance, semiconductor and AI technology will evolve in tandem to reach maximum profitability.

Experts predict the AI market will reach $733.7 billion in worth by 2027. This growth will increase the demand for integrated circuits, processors, and improved sensors. All of these are dependent on semiconductor technology.

Artificial intelligence having huge growth and impact on the semiconductor sector because AI essentially allows computers to “think” and “learn,” semiconductor technology needs to adapt to these unique considerations. Semiconductor manufacturers must focus on efficiency instead of prioritizing speed and power,

Researchers have already created chips that mimic human synapses, firing only when needed instead of always remaining “on.” Also, nonvolatile memory technology allows data storage even when turned off. Combining this with processing logic will enable chips to adapt to AI demands.

However, current AI chips are quite big and costly. For making AI products practical for everyday consumers, more innovation must occur in this area.

AI industries are positively impacted by semiconductor technology. As we advance, Artificial Intelligence will inevitably change the way our world works. As it stands, AI researchers and developers already have begun to disrupt the following markets:

Industrial

Automotive

Agriculture

Media

Healthcare

Retail

Construction

Financial services

In addition to this, with IoT, artificial intelligence will only increase demand and innovation in the semiconductor sector.

For more information, visit our website tier1silicon.com
Session 7— Silicon Valley Teenpreneur Program by Edudot
Tags: Edudot, Silicon Valley, Teenpreneur

Today the mentor was Sean Macmannis, a UC Berkeley alumni. He talked about the concept of a Go-To Market (GTM) strategy. This is a strategy that is applied when a business is ready to release their product to the market.

There are five main factors included in the GTM strategy. This includes market definition, customers, distribution model, product positioning and price.

From what I’ve understood, a GTM strategy is basically a preparation that the business needs to do before the product gets launched. It doesn’t even need to wait for the product to be accomplished, a GTM strategy can be made beforehand.

In terms of my business idea, a GTM strategy makes me think of how I can apply that five main factors. First, the market definition is the market size of my business, which is the people who are able to work and make their own money. Next is the customers. This is a deeper understanding of my target market. I took the age group to get a more specific look of my target customers which is within an age range 20-40 years old. Next is the distribution model. This is how my customers are gonna receive the service I provided. Since my business is gonna be based online through websites and I hope apps in the future, customers can access through their mobile phones or laptops through the internet. Next is the product positioning. This is basically the unique selling point of my product and what differentiates from competitors. And lastly the price. Which is something I still think about and I hope I can discover as time goes by.

This session teaches me a lot on what I need to prepare in order to have customers using the product I provide. This also makes me focus on an exact target market group so that I would get customers even when I had just started.
Shared on LinkedIn Staurt.
By: Sridhar Pai Tonse
Tags: Silicon Valley, Exodus, Tech Exodus

The Great Tech-xodus: Why Startups (Like Mine) Are Leaving Silicon Valley In Droves

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Future = Opportunity. Just like a Problem is.
By: Gio Kakhiani
Tags: Silicon Valley, Ycombinator, Startup Grind, Startups

Had the pleasure of talking to Bill Reichert of Garage Tech Ventures at the @Startup Grind Georgia event. It’s such an unfortunate thing that in Silicon Valley people of his expertise walk in the streets and the rest of the world struggles to get the access… But anyway thanks to Colin Donohue and the rest of The Startup Grind Team for making Europe-Asia Connect Conference.

To get to my point for years I’ve struggled to understand what was the difference between a startup solving a problem and a startup building a future. As I believe I’m building a future and my problem is not of today, this thought kept me up at night: How do I present my startup in a way that makes sense?

And now with a very simple exchange with Bill I came to an epiphany and huge load got off of my mind.

What I didn’t understand before and I realize now is that building a future is an opportunity. Just like solving a problem. Investors do not invest in your solution just cause you’re a problem-solver. They see an opportunity in solving a problem. Bigger the problem and a need for solution, the better. That’s why investors want to see the problem clearly, it helps them understand and believe in your solution.

So if you can make it very clear why the future you’re building is going to happen then you don’t need to be solving the problem of today. You just need to present your solution as an opportunity. Period.

There’s nothing new about what I’ve written above. But I have never looked at it from this perspective. And it eases my mind.
In the Room with Jessica Lessin
By: The Room Podcast
Tags: Tech, News, Podcast, Silicon Valley

Key Theme 1: Know what’s valuable, and don’t give it away!

Jessica walks us through her path to founder, which did not start out with a typical path. After graduating Harvard and covering faculty news at the Crimson, Jessica went on to institutional news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal. There, she covered the tech beat, mainly because she was the youngest in the room. Three years later, Jessica realized that no one was paying attention to something huge: the fact that the world was being fundamentally changed by tech. The biggest story of the moment needed a new platform. Even when digital news and media became increasingly crowded, she has been able to charge $399 for access to The Information. Jessica dives into why The Information charges for access and how she has been able to understand her reader and what they find valuable.

Key Theme 2: Growth & Sustainability

Unlike many Silicon Valley startup stories, Jessica has managed to build a multi-million dollar business without outside investment. In 2016, The Information reached profitability, a milestone some of the largest tech giants, have yet to crack. Jessica walks through her thinking around taking outside funding and how the company has grown over the past seven years. Jessica has progressively has grown her team and discusses tradeoffs in growing too quickly too soon. We get an inside peek at how her team has changed over the years and where she’s excited to see The Information grow next (hint: The world is getting smaller, and Silicon Valley is reaching farther).

Key Theme 3: Dealing with Controversy

As both an editor of a news publication and founder, Jessica has had to navigate breaking hard-hitting news stories as well as guiding her company through difficult times. The Information has broached industry-changing topics such as sexual harassment in venture capital, gender diversity and representation, management conflict, layoffs, IPOs, and acquisitions, to name a few. Jessica tells us about what it was like to launch a groundbreaking story as she was about to get on a long-haul flight, and then find out that The Information was being sued for the story as wifi was about to shut off. In these moments, Jessica reflected on what it takes to keep fighting for what you believe is right and being an even-keeled leader amidst turbulence. Jessica provides personal wisdom on keeping your head high, forging ahead, and grounding yourself in values even when it feels like a thankless job. Jessica’s anecdotes remind us that resilience is a consistent founder superpower.