19 Jun 2012

Visiting Professor Adrian David Cheok Shanghai East China University of Science and Technology

posted in: Keynote Speeches and Talks |

This week I was a visiting professor at Shanghai East China University of Science and Technology. I was invited by Professor Gaoqi He who was an incredible warm and friendly host. I had two classes in the school on the topic of multi sensory mixed reality and on the final day a public talk where people came from other universities. For the class, it was mainly undergraduate with some graduate students. I particularly enjoyed to discuss with the students when they asked questions. There were a couple of students who were from Africa (but who spoke Chinese and English!) who asked very deep questions. Such as what are the long term effects of internet hugging. I spent some time in the lab ans it was great to see some students who seemed shy come up to me with great ideas and questions. There was one student Jingyuan Chen who I had a very interesting and impressing talk with in the lab. He came to talk to me and he wanted to ask about possible ways to make interactive origami. We talked about robots doing origami. But then he said something profound. He said for origami the *process* is important. I totally agree and I think this applies to all of life. Having a robot or outsourcing tasks can actually decrease happiness because humans find pleasure in “flow” in being involved in the process. I noticed this student really makes origami and had a whole collection on his desk. I was impressed he is putting his passions and hobbies into action and making real things. This is the best way to have creativity. To have passion from your heart.

PHOTO SET: EAST CHINA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

19 Jun 2012

Microsoft Augmented Reality HMD may have Wifi and 4G enabled communication

posted in: Uncategorized |

aceconference:

Microsoft Augmented Reality HMD may have Wifi and 4G enabled communication.

Microsoft lays out a roadmap for its “Fortaleza” Kinect Glasses — which appears to be a research project the company is working on. There’s little mention of the hardware involved, but the glasses appear to be Wi-Fi- or 4G-enabled and incorporate augmented reality in a way that’s similar to Google’s Project Glass augmented reality glasses. Described as a “breakthrough heads up and hands-free device,” Kinect Glasses is marked as a 2014 product that won’t launch alongside the Xbox 720 console. Microsoft doesn’t provide any specifics about how the glasses will work on the Xbox, but they do appear to be designed to be mobile for use away from the console.

19 Jun 2012

Secrets of Banquet with Shanghai Professors.

posted in: Uncategorized |

On my final night at Shanghai’s East China University of Science and Technology I was treated to a banquet dinner. There was about 40 professors and students, and the professors came from other universities also such as Shanghai Fudan and Shanghai Jiao Tong universities which in the China system are like the Stanford’s and MIT’s in China. I was told to sit at a table next to the Dean. I hadn’t met him before so I asked the normal safe questions such as what are the schools departments, research, etc. Which I am sure he has been asked thousands of times before. The food started to come out and in typical Chinese styles it was an amazing banquet of many delicious foods. But what interested me is that everyone did a “cheers” to each other individually. So it was almost one hour of cheering. When people came to me I did click my glass and say cheers. But what I soon realized is that in Shanghai they have the custom to cheer lower than your glass (to show respect or friendship I guess). At first I didn’t realize but I soon figured it out. Basically you should try to do a cheers with your glass lower than the other. What was amusing is that I realized this led to “lowering glass escalation” and even when people were standing up they clinked their glasses together lower and lower below the hip in the attempt to be lower than the other person. I found this custom to be sweet and humble, I appreciate such humble style, even with these top professors, leaders in society. Next was something to me amazing. Suddenly one of the party, a university ab tech got up and started singing Italian opera – they said it was for me as I was a foreigner. Her singing was amazing and I felt so touched at this act of kindness. Please see the video I took of the lady singing. I had been to many Chinese banquet dinners in Singapore as part of delegations, visits to the university, some Ministerial dinners. Now I realize our visitors must have thought Singapore was so incredibly boring. Almost all the banquet dinners I attended to in Singapore were so quiet, dull, and frankly boring. I used to dread having to go to them, and I always couldn’t wait to leave. I wondered, Singapore culture derived from Chinese culture. How did it become so boring and sanitized? The banquet ended and everyone was warmly smiling and saying their farewell. I really appreciated the happy warmth of the people in Shanghai.

18 Jun 2012

Brilliant Advice! Startups, life, learning and happiness: Are you interested?

posted in: Uncategorized |

Brilliant Advice! Startups, life, learning and happiness: Are you interested?

joelgascoigne:

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie

Earlier this week I took a trip to the barber since my hair was getting a little long. It ended up being one of the…

18 Jun 2012

Sal Khan’s 2012 MIT commencement address

posted in: Uncategorized |

Remember that real success is maximizing your internally derived happiness. It will not come from external status or money or praise. It will come from a feeling of contribution. A feeling that you are using your gifts in the best way possible.

Khan Academy founder Sal Khan’s 2012 MIT commencement address, a fine addition to the season’s best and a complement to some of the most timeless graduation speeches in modern history, including David Foster Wallace, Ellen DeGeneres, Aaron Sorkin, Barack Obama, Ray Bradbury, J. K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Robert Krulwich, Meryl Streep, and Jeff Bezos.

Start every morning with a smile — even a forced one — it will make you happier. Replace the words “I have to” with “I get to” in your vocabulary. Smile with your mouth, your eyes, your ears, your face, your body at every living thing you see. Be a source of energy and optimism. Surround yourself with people that make you better. Realize or even rationalize that the grass is truly greener on your side of the fence. Just the belief that it is becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

View stressful, political interactions as nothing more than a deeply immersive strategy game. One that can be won if you stay focused on what matters most and your emotions and ego are not tied to your argument. 

If you find yourself arguing with someone whom you respect and love, try to surrender your own ego to the shared identity you have with that person. In the heat of an argument, do the opposite of what your pride tells you to do. If you have the self-control, stop talking and give your opponent a random, intense minute-long hug.

Make people feel that you care about them. And here’s, a well, a little secret, the best way to do this is to actually care about them.

Make people feel that you are listening to them. Another little secret, the best way to do this is to actually listen.

When you gain or lose material things, remember how silly they really are. How little they mean relative to your health and relationships.

When you feel stressed, look up at the night sky and ponder the distance to the next star and the age of the universe. Think of all the other stressed sentient creatures from other star systems and galaxies looking out in the vastness of space in wonder and awe and take comfort in your shared experience. 

When you feel overwhelmed, walk alone through the woods and forget your name, your title, your education and view yourself for what you really are — another mammal wondering why it is here but appreciating the fact that your civilization has not as yet been evaporated by a supernova. 

Try to build true empathy. Regardless of your actual spiritual beliefs, it is sometimes helpful to imagine that time is not linear; that in past or future, or I guess parallel life, you literally are, have been or will be every person. That after this life, you will go back in time and be reincarnated as the person you are arguing with, or passing judgment on (and will then have to put up with the current version of you). 

(via explore-blog)

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