Google's Huawei problem

The Trump administration's recent move to limit Huawei's access to US technology may be an immediate problem for Huawei but it's a double edged sword that also cuts deep into US companies' bottom line including Google.  

Right after the announcement of putting Huawai on the "entity list", the initial response is Huawei's hardware, mostly advanced chips, suppliers would be affected.  Most of their stock prices tumbled last week.  This week's news is on the software side when Google followed by not allowing Huawei use the GMP suites.  In fact, the key item here is not GMail or Google maps but the Google Playstore, which essentially put Huawei out of the Android ecosystem.  Although Huawei's Chinese users won't be affected as they don't have access to Google services for almost over a decade, Huawei's international markets outside China (e.g. EU and beyond) is the main victim.  Currently, the international markets contribute to roughly 40% of Huawei's cell phone revenue. 

It may be death by a thousands cuts. For Huawei, this is a bit too late.  Since 60% of its cell phone sales are in China and not affected by this Android ban, Huawei will survive this, unlike Blackberry or Microsoft. Once again, it will approve that compartmentalized markets are resilient to globalization issues.  If anything, Trump just handed the Chinese government the best defense of it's ban on Google's services.  

Moreover, this Android problem is actually Google's.  The recent development just reminded every Android phone makers (Samsung and alike) that their survival is in a pair of hands controlled by a head with an orange hairdo.  First, all the Chinese phone manufactures will have no doubt joining Huawei continue to develop a complete Google-less mobile app ecosystem.  Now the soon to be release P30 Mate would be equipped with the ecosystem in the EU market.  Since Samsung and other cell phone makers have already joined this ecosystem in their Chinese market offerings, it won't be a surprise they expand the option to other markets.  

This is why it's a problem for Google, which is already in a tough position in Europe.  Comparing to hardware makers, it may be feasible to move its Android licensing location (maybe some support, but that's hard to avoid the US ban) to Europe.  However, the damage is done and it would just slowing down the new ecosystem's progress.  Mobile app revenue is small for Google, but the mobile user market is the largest user base for its bottom line: e.g. search, map, etc.  It will be interesting to see what Google would do.  

Okay, my view on Google was wrong 20 years ago, let's see how it turns out this time. 

Snowden and the buzz around him

Now that Edward Snowden is in Moscow and heading to Ecuador, he can more or less relaxed in a small country until the next coup to be orchestrated by the CIA.

One simple thing most media seem to miss is the fact that, based on what Snowden exposed (and supposed to be true as the US government is after him for exposing it), multiple senior officials in the administration committed perjury in the Congressional hearings.

Personally, Edward Snowden is a hero that will go down in history for, at the least, starting a serious conversation, not about constitutional rights of the People, but how the Government tried to avoid oversight of its activities.  For most Americans, the problem is not ear dropping on their phone calls or porn viewing habits, but how procedurally public oversight is cut off.  We have the balance of power for a reason while the right to know is the foundation of that.  Secret and one-sided hearings by a secret court appointed by a single person (John Roberts) is not even remotely close to legit, especially the legitimacy is now defined by the government and can't be discussed outside that court and the administration.

I don't think Diane Feinstein and alike don't understand the concept, they just think everybody is stupid and will believe whatever she said.

As for Obama, I'm still amazed by how this guy got elected twice. Maybe I'm too naive and playing the race card is still a good move in 2012/2008.  MLK must be very sad if his soul is watching this. 

The perils of desert democracy

In the past two weeks, all eyes are shifting from Tunisia to Cairo thanks to Wikileaks. It turns out although the Mubarak seems well liked by the White House and their western allies, they dumped him much faster than road salt for the beltway. Time and time again, it's always easier to find someone else and let the sitting duck take the blame.

George Jonas articulated this point of view wonderfully in his column "The perils of desert democracy" on the National Post. Although it's true that democracy has little hope if there's few democrats, may be this time is different given the Internet/FB/Twitter ago and all. At the same time, I am not as optimistic for Egyptian's short to mid-term perspectives as many of my friends are. Maybe they'd understand my pessimistic view given that time has proven me deadly wrong on a similar point more than 20 (can't believe it's that long) years ago.

Who's been acting stupidly?

Here's a funny article about the Obama-Stupidly comments from the Examiner

My imaginary transcript of the phone conversation between Sgt. James Crowley and President Obama

Since I can't copy the whole thing, here's some funny excerpts:

"Sgt. Crowley: Hello this James.

President Obama: Hello Sgt. Crowley this is Barack Obama the President of the United States.

Sgt. Crowley: Oh that is funny. Nice one. Really who is this?

President Obama: Really Sergeant it is me you are talking to the man from the White House.

Sgt. Crowley: Hmmm. I have to be sure could you fax me over some identification please.

President Obama: NO I WILL NOT!

Sgt. Crowley: Sir how am I suppose to believe this is really you.

President Obama: Is this how a black President gets treated in America? Would you be asking President Bush for some identification?"

Racism and stupidity

It's easy to say racism is stupid. Here's the argument from both sides:

"If a mild-mannered, bespectacled Ivy League professor who walks with a cane can be pulled from his own home and arrested on a minor charge (only because of he's black), the rest of us don't stand a chance. "

From the other side, the police is doing him a public service by acting on a potential break-in. He's out of line by, allegedly, yelling the following to the police:
"you don't know who you're messing with" and something regarding the officer's mum.

I can feel the entitlement he has as a University Professor at Harvard. After all that he has achieved, he is only a black man in a nice neighborhood: he has to make extra effort to explain why he's there. Well, in the case, all he needs to do is not talking trash.

To me, both sides are losers over this.

The chain reaction

"Hay Kevin, the economy is bad..." 

Step 1: A major video game company decided that they will not spend money on new games since fewer people are buying them, they cut the contract with a small Pasadena startup that develops the new games. 

Step 2: The startup subsequently laid off one of its writer. 

Step 3: The writer who lost his job has to let his nanny go and starts homeschooling. 

Step 4: The Nanny starts to cut his own hair and stops going to a Barber shop; 

Step 5: The Barber has fewer and fewer customers and stop dinning out as he previously did. 

Step 6: The restaurant has fewer patrons so the owner cut the hours of a waitress; 

Step 7: The waitress brings home less money and can't afford new video games for her kids. 

Step 8/1: Fewer people buying video games. 

The Trillion question is where should Obama give out his money to break this cycle? 

See the Los Angeles Times report: "One lay off leads to another". 

 

John McCain on Tonight's show

Very funny opening: 

Jay: how are you doing these days? 

McCain: I slept like a baby.  I slept for two hours, wake up and cry; slept for another two hours, woke up and cry...  

Earlier in the promotional piece, Jay asked what McCain is doing.  

McCain: I'm working in the transition team.

Jay: I admire you dedication to the nation for working in the Obama transition team. 

McCain: No, I'm working in the Conan O'Brien transition team.  

Now that the election is over. The funny, lovable McCain is back.  

The Prop 8 problem: what are Californians thinking?

Barack Obama led the rest of the Democrats to a huge win on Tuesday night.  However, liberals across California suffered a major setback on Prop 8, which was surprisingly passed by a not so small margin.  

On the surface, the conservative religious groups such as those from Salt Lake were to blame. But I believe that the anti-prop 8 people ignored a very important group in California: the Latinos. Although we can count on most of them to vote for Democrats, they are also very devoted Catholics that value traditional definition of marriage: a union between a man and a woman.  Equality here may not worth much here.  

May be next time around, we should just abandon all benefits/rights associated with the magic word "marriage".  Those Constitution law scholars should think of some way that can change the legal definition as "unions", wherever financial and other benefits/rights are considered.  So, the religious can have their holy "marriage" still between a man and a woman while the others can enjoy the other rights/benefits.  

Isn't this what they ask for in the first place?  

President Barack Obama: the new era

As expected with unexpected wins in the south, Barack Obama officially won the 2008 presidential campaign. Although he's even not my favorite Democrat, I was finally converted by Barack Obama's acceptance speech tonight. 

John McCain is still my hero.  He has given a very touching, graceful concession speech.  

Frankly, Obama's victory (along with other demarcate wins), is a very lucky one due to the perfect timing of the financial crisis. Considering 90% of the black vote went to him, I have a hard time to accept this is a race not about race, at least for the blacks.  

Now that the Democrats control both the White House and the Hill, they have no excuse for the next two years.  

My prediction for today

Here's my prediction using CNN's prediction tool. 

Basically, the election will be decicded by Florida, Ohio, and Missori.  In the end, I think Obama will take Ohio and Missori and won.  

Let's see. 

Thank you Gov. Sarah Palin for making this election season the most entertaining and enjoyable

Even since the beginning of the campaign season, I was very relaxed.  For all that I care, whoever been elected, he can't be worse than W.

Now that with SNL and Gov. Sarah Palin, this election season is funnier than ever.

All I want to say, at the eve of the election, is "Thank you, Gov. Palin", for all that laught you've brought with you from the great state of Alaska, where people there are all with abundant foreign policy expertise by watching over Russia in the morning. 

Don't Vote PSA

After registration, you've got to vote, on election day, if you haven't vote ahead of time.  

What are these people waiting for to vote on the election day?  

A scando between now and Tuesday?  

It's time to make up  your mind, whatever it is, and vote. 

No, this is not the most important election of your lifetime, but well, that depends also.  Who would ever thought this nutjob did all these over the past eight years?  

The line you wait in

In a recent trip to Honolulu, I personally experienced the different treatment based on class,

the fare class.

As a savvy traveler, I shop for the cheapest flight and buy non-refundable tickets. I therefore do not mind to be put in the last for standby. However, this class-differentiating treatment is done by no else, but the TSA, a US Federal government agency. They clearly state, at the entrance of the HNL, if you have a first class ticket, or belong to an elite frequent flyer program, you're entitled to cut in the long security line: enjoying the same previlige as the pilots and crew members.

I admit that the world is not equal and money talks. As someone put it, we've seen it in Disney World, what's wrong with that? The problem is, this is done by our government and I wasn't taxed any less for this "special treatment". On top of that, this is something no politian would dare to vote for but instead, leaves to the secretary of DHS to decide, which says something about the problem.

Enjoy the essay "The Waiting Game" from the Time magazine by Steve Rushin:

"Depending on whom you believe, the average American will, over a lifetime, wait in lines for two years (says National Public Radio) or five years (according to customer-loyalty expert Nick Wreden, whose post-office branch you might want to avoid).

The crucial word is average, as wealthy Americans routinely avoid lines altogether. Once the most democratic of institutions, lines are rapidly becoming the exclusive province of suckers. Poor suckers, mostly."

Sarah Palin on SNL

While Tina Fey was doing her, Governor Sarah Palin appeared at the beginning of tonight's SNL. I had to say, she's doing pretty well there. I had to admit that one of the best impressions John McCain has left for me is when he was hosting SNL a few years ago.

Warren Buffett: "Buy America, I am"

On Page A33 of Today's (Oct. 17) Times, the Warren Buffett wrote an op-ed piece explaining why his buying US stocks now while holding almost nothing before the financial crisis started a few weeks ago. In fact, he's $80 billion richer since this summer, while everybody else has lost a big pile of cash. This makes him surpassing Bill Gates to become the richest person in the world.

Should we follow him? You bet (if you still have cash left from the market and you don't need it till next decade).

In his article, he quoted Wayne Gretzky’s advice: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”

PBS: P.O.V. Soldiers of Conscientious

Soldiers of Conscientious

Camilo Mejia was a soldier who served in the (current) Iraq war and declared himself as a conscientious objector. He was later put in military jail for his actions. In this documentary, he said:"I Have never felt freer..."

When been challenged that a so called "conscientious objector" may give up the chance to stop evil, say Hilter, he answered that "what if we have enough conscientious objectors in the German army such that the atrocities committed by the Nazis would have never happened."

"In 2004,
150,000 Germans were called for mandatory national service.
70,000 of them served in military,
80,000 of them served as conscientious objectors to serve in non-military institutions."

Clearly, ther Germans got it.

May be this is what it takes for a nation to realize what is right, and what is wrong.

The second presidential debate

I'm very disappointing by the amount of personal attacks there in this round of debate. Particularly for McCain. He didn't provide any details of his own plan, if any, but attacking Obama as well as reiterate his "record".

This may be the last straw that breaks my long lasting support to McCain. If the election were held today, he won't get my vote.

Over all, neither side is doing well for my liking. As usual, when attacks been started, false facts will be cited to their advantages. Here are some examples found by the AP on "Obama, McCain Stretch facts in debate":

Examples include:

McCAIN: Said one way out of the financial crisis is to "stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us."

THE FACTS: Although he didn't spell it out, he was referring — as he has in the past — to purchases of oil from countries hostile to the U.S. The figure is inflated and misleading. The U.S. is not spending nearly that much on oil imports and roughly one-third of what it does spend goes to friendly countries such as Canada, Mexico and Britain.

OBAMA: "I believe this is a final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years, strongly promoted by President Bush and supported by Senator McCain, that essentially said that we should strip away regulations, consumer protections, let the market run wild, and prosperity would rain down on all of us. It hasn't worked out that way. And so now we've got to take some decisive action."

THE FACTS: McCain has indeed favored less regulation over the years but supported tighter rules and accountability on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years before the start of a financial crisis prompted in part by those giant mortgage underwriters. Obama was not a leader in that unsuccessful effort. Some of the current problems can be traced to legislation passed in 1999 that lifted many regulations over the financial industry. That deregulation was championed by then-Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, a McCain supporter, but also by President Clinton, who signed the legislation, and by former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, now a top Obama economic adviser.

OBAMA: "Actually I'm cutting more than I'm spending so that it will be a net spending cut."

THE FACTS: Obama has many ambitious plans to spend more taxpayer dollars on a variety of federal programs, including clean energy technologies and job training. He's said he'll cut pork-barrel programs and the costs of the war in Iraq to pay for it — as well as raise taxes on the wealthy — but the specifics of his new spending plans greatly outweigh the few spending cuts he's identified.

Tina Fay as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live!

This is hilarious! Tina Fay is the one and Sarah Palin is indeed adorable.

Lip syncing: a must for Olympics?

Just as nobody had predicted the magnificent opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics Games, no one had expected that one of the low point of this Olympics is not doping but lip syncing by a 9-year old.

While most of people using this as their Olympic gossip, they didn't know the following fact:
First, it is the music director of the ceremony disclosed the lip syncing voluntarily as a "behind the scenes director's comment" as well as publicly giving credit to the girl who did the singing. What he didn't realized is that while he said "not perfect looking" was transformed by the media as "ugly". And this is the media claimed that they were worried about the psychological damage to both girls.

Secondly, it is common practice in Chinese and Hong Kong films to have a professional singer to sing for the picture perfect actors/actresses. Guess the director of "Momma Mia" didn't know this is an option. To many, this is a show that you want to be perfect for the audience to enjoy the performance. It turned out some (or most) of them may not care whose voice it is.

Thirdly, don't be surprised, this may be the Olympic tradition. In 2006 at Turin, the great Pavarotti was lip syncing to his tape; in 2002 at Salt Lake City, the televised opening ceremony was not live (except for the athletes), but a rehearsal taped earlier. What most shocking is that in 2000 at Sydney, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was string-syncing to a pre-recorded symphony and, wait for this, part of the recording was done by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

The amazing part is that all these facts at other Olympics were not disclosed voluntarily. The organizers admitted the syncing facts only after been caught. However, unlike the Beijing Olympics, none of these made to main stream news. No wonder the Beijing organizers and the Chinese felt they were treated unfairly.

Here is a blog on the Times: Sydney Comes Clean on Olympic Miming. Comparing to the front page coverage of the Beijing lip syncing, this is not even on the printed edition, but only on the web site.

The original source is from the Sydney Morning Herald:

"As a result, the Sydney Symphony's confirmation that it mimed its entire performance at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics comes as something of a shock. Even worse, it admits the backing tape was recorded, in part, by its southern rival, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra."

The DNC convention and the Bill Clinton speech

The biggest thing on the news after the Olympics is the DNC convention. Somehow, it all looks much like either late night infomercials and televangelicals.

The only exception to that is President Clinton's speech tonight, from Zimbio.

I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you’ll soon see, he doesn’t need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.

What a year we Democrats have had. The primary began with an all-star line up and came down to two remarkable Americans locked in a hard fought contest to the very end. The campaign generated so much heat it increased global warming.

In the end, my candidate didn’t win. But I’m very proud of the campaign she ran: she never quit on the people she stood up for, on the changes she pushed for, on the future she wants for all our children. And I’m grateful for the chance Chelsea and I had to tell Americans about the person we know and love.

I’m not so grateful for the chance to speak in the wake of her magnificent address last night. But I’ll do my best.

Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she’ll do everything she can to elect Barack Obama.

That makes two of us.

Actually that makes 18 million of us - because, like Hillary, I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November.

Here’s why.

Our nation is in trouble on two fronts: The American Dream is under siege at home, and America’s leadership in the world has been weakened.

Middle class and low-income Americans are hurting, with incomes declining; job losses, poverty and inequality rising; mortgage foreclosures and credit card debt increasing; health care coverage disappearing; and a big spike in the cost of food, utilities, and gasoline.

Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global non-proliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America to Central and Eastern Europe.

Clearly, the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America’s standing in the world.

Everything I learned in my eight years as President and in the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job.

He has a remarkable ability to inspire people, to raise our hopes and rally us to high purpose. He has the intelligence and curiosity every successful President needs. His policies on the economy, taxes, health care and energy are far superior to the Republican alternatives. He has shown a clear grasp of our foreign policy and national security challenges, and a firm commitment to repair our badly strained military. His family heritage and life experiences have given him a unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation and to restore our leadership in an ever more interdependent world. The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him. And in his first presidential decision, the selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park.

With Joe Biden’s experience and wisdom, supporting Barack Obama’s proven understanding, insight, and good instincts, America will have the national security leadership we need.

Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world. Ready to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States.

He will work for an America with more partners and fewer adversaries. He will rebuild our frayed alliances and revitalize the international institutions which help to share the costs of the world’s problems and to leverage our power and influence. He will put us back in the forefront of the world’s fight to reduce nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and to stop global warming. He will continue and enhance our nation’s global leadership in an area in which I am deeply involved, the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria, including a renewal of the battle against HIV/AIDS here at home. He will choose diplomacy first and military force as a last resort. But in a world troubled by terror; by trafficking in weapons, drugs and people; by human rights abuses; by other threats to our security, our interests, and our values, when he cannot convert adversaries into partners, he will stand up to them.

Barack Obama also will not allow the world’s problems to obscure its opportunities. Everywhere, in rich and poor countries alike, hardworking people need good jobs; secure, affordable healthcare, food, and energy; quality education for their children; and economically beneficial ways to fight global warming. These challenges cry out for American ideas and American innovation. When Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, win new allies, open new markets, and create new jobs for our people.

Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.

Look at the example the Republicans have set: American workers have given us consistently rising productivity. They’ve worked harder and produced more. What did they get in return? Declining wages, less than ¼ as many new jobs as in the previous eight years, smaller health care and pension benefits, rising poverty and the biggest increase in income inequality since the 1920s. American families by the millions are struggling with soaring health care costs and declining coverage. I will never forget the parents of children with autism and other severe conditions who told me on the campaign trail that they couldn’t afford health care and couldn’t qualify their kids for Medicaid unless they quit work or got a divorce. Are these the family values the Republicans are so proud of? What about the military families pushed to the breaking point by unprecedented multiple deployments? What about the assault on science and the defense of torture? What about the war on unions and the unlimited favors for the well connected? What about Katrina and cronyism?

America can do better than that. And Barack Obama will.

But first we have to elect him.

The choice is clear. The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a Senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America’s leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.

They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and a half million falling into poverty - and millions more losing their health insurance.

Now, in spite of all the evidence, their candidate is promising more of the same: More tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy. More band-aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured. More going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.

They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let’s send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.

My fellow Democrats, sixteen years ago, you gave me the profound honor to lead our party to victory and to lead our nation to a new era of peace and broadly shared prosperity.

Together, we prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be Commander-in-Chief. Sound familiar? It didn’t work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won’t work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.

His life is a 21st Century incarnation of the American Dream. His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the “more perfect union” of our founders’ dreams. The values of freedom and equal opportunity which have given him his historic chance will drive him as president to give all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability, their chance to build a decent life, and to show our humanity, as well as our strength, to the world.

We see that humanity, that strength, and our future in Barack and Michelle Obama and their beautiful children. We see them reinforced by the partnership with Joe Biden, his wife Jill, a dedicated teacher, and their family.

Barack Obama will lead us away from division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope. If, like me, you still believe America must always be a place called Hope, then join Hillary, Chelsea and me in making Senator Barack Obama the next President of the United States.