When even the buses are too crowded

One thing I realized in the contrast between taking the bus at night and taking the bus during "normal" commute hours is just how much more passengers there are in the latter. Honestly I was slightly annoyed the bus had to stop at every stop to let people off, compared to the bus at night in which it'll breeze through all the stops until my destination. Now that schools have begun Fall semester the negative effect is compounded: last Friday it took me a solid hour to get home, where it usually takes 40 minutes.

The population density of my neighborhood is only going to go up (there's two huge housing constructions happening on the western and eastern end), so if the buses are crowded now, I'm not sure how they are going to handle the additional thousands of people. There's but two main road arteries that leads out of the neighborhood, and even now it's already super congested during rush hour. Street parking is already impossible so let's add another hundreds of cars? Good luck with that. 

I sold my own car, electing to take public transportation, to avoid the above hassles. A few years from now however I can foresee that even taking the bus might be untenable due to the increase in passengers. Won't do me much good if I can't get on the bus and have to keep waiting for the next one (or one after that). I don't think I can live with the amount of wasted time if my combined commute to and from extends well beyond two hours.

For the sake of curiosity, I started to look at alternatives.

One would be the motorcycle. There are no laws prohibiting lane-splitting in California so a bike can simply weave through heavy traffic to get up front (as I see motorcyclists do all the time). Compared to cars, bikes are dirt cheap to buy and insure (no $21K Ducati Panigales in my future), get impossibly excellent fuel mileage, and are stupid easy to park. I plan to stay off the freeways so I don't think it'll be all that dangerous, either. 

I reckon an M1 license is in my future. 

At least it isn't busy on the weekends. 

Students on an early afternoon bus

I take the bus to work at 1:30pm, and to my surprise I constantly find students on the bus. Not hordes, but there's always a few. Isn't it just a bit early for these kids to be out of school? Perhaps they are delinquents.

The earliest school dismissal I ever experienced was back in middle school: 2pm, and even then I thought it was nuts to be let out that early, because it meant school started at an ungodly hour of 7am (I was never a morning person). As I reflect about it now, my teachers had to arrive earlier than that. Sleep is overrated, I guess. 

My first two years of primary school was in China, and school in Asia is an all-day affair: the day begins promptly at 8 o'clock, and we didn't start walking home until after 5. It was de-facto, full-time daycare service for the parents because school hours complemented normal adult work schedules perfectly; no one needed to take off work early to pick up their kids. In that regards I think the system in Asia is more conducive to workforce productivity. 

There was a two-hour break for lunch and nap time, so cumulatively classroom learning hours was the same. There weren't beds or anything for naps, we were tiny enough to lie down on paired desks or chairs. I didn't appreciate it back then (I've hated naps since I can remember) but looking back now I think structured naps are an excellent idea, especially for little children. Not only is more sleep always beneficial, kid's attention spans being short as they are, having a sleep break in between morning and afternoon ought to help learning retention tremendously. 

Obviously, such a system would never get implemented in America (because "freedom"), though I bet a sizable amount of parents wouldn't mind sticking their kids in school for longer hours. Children sleeping on desks and chairs (or floor even) would be considered torture here in the States so schools would need dedicated dorms, and who has the money for that? 

So instead we've got kids let out of school early in the afternoon and making a ruckus on the bus, as they are wont to do. Perhaps I'm just an misanthropic curmudgeon who's getting old.  

19th and Holloway. 

VR technology not ready for prime time

One of the computer labs on campus got newly setup with VR stations. I've never tried VR so I was eager to have a go. After adjusting the HTC Vive unit for my unusually large head, I was dropped right inside the International Space Station. The ability to traverse the station unencumbered in all directions is indeed quite awesome, though cognizant of my motion sickness tendencies I knew the experience would have to be brief. 

Even without my dizziness propensities, VR is not something I'd want to do for an extended period of time. The weight of the Vive unit becomes burdensome very quickly, putting excessive  pressure on the neck. Headset manufacturers should utilize lighter materials such as carbon-fiber, but that would absolutely balloon the purchase price. Until that become economical, VR is best enjoyed in spurts (for me at least). I can't picture myself watching an entire movie wearing a heavy VR device. 

Wouldn't it be hilarious if the next Avatar movie shot in VR format. 

Being a first generation product, I found the HTC Vive headset's resolution to be wholly inadequate (I guess the University couldn't afford the Vive Pro). When the "screen" is this close to the eyes, the outlines of each pixel is readily apparent. A resolution of 1080×1200 per eye may read high on the spec sheet, especially compared to the typical 1920x1080 HD television, but I think it needs to be at least doubled for true immersion. 

It'll take quite the computer to push 2160x2400 pixels to each eye at above 90 Hz (ideally 120 Hz), assuming a headset of such stature is even currently possible.

The bottom line is that I don't think contemporary VR hardware and form-factor is ready for long term, sustained use. Headsets needs to be exponentially lighter in weight, and the screens inside must be 'Retina Display' levels of pixel density (whatever that is for a device mere inches from your face). Until that evolution, I see VR as nothing more than a novelty item akin to a theme park ride. 

Some shadow play before leaving for work. 

First time night commute on MUNI

Heading home from work last night was the first time I took the bus this late (I get off at 10:30pm), and I have to say it was not anything out of the ordinary. The only small hiccup is the duration between buses is absurdly long compared to normal commute hours. I thought the app was malfunctioning when I checked schedules on NextBus and saw the next train wasn't for another 25 minutes. Had I drove I wouldn't been home already in that time. 

Fortunately the prolonged intervals is offset by the lack of traffic at that time of the night, so the trains and buses are quite quick. There's immensely less passengers too, which meant fewer stops and pickups. I was amazed that my connect bus got from Balboa Park station to my house in 10 minutes, where it'd normally take 25 minutes when the sun is out. Even with the extended wait times, the trip home last night ended up taking the same amount of time when I worked "normal" hours. 

One negative though is that San Francisco, as famously usual, is bitterly cold at that time of night. Yesterday was no different: (Karl the) fog rolled in heavy and there was an ever so slight of a drizzle; standing at an unprotected bus stop for 20 minutes was not exactly the most comfortable occasion. I think I'll start packing a beanie.

Do I miss having a car, then? The time saved by driving compared to an hour on the train and bus is significant (~45 minutes). However, to achieve my current financial goals I am willing to trade that time for more money. Compared to the fiscal outlay of car ownership, a MUNI unlimited monthly pass is but 78 dollars. There's always UBER if a train never arrives or I really need to get home quickly. 

But let's see how day two and onwards go. 

A train station all to myself. 

Fall semester 2018 begins

Fall semester starts up at work today, and for the first time in three months the campus will be teeming with people, largely wild-eyed freshmen not knowing which building is which. Summer is officially over as far as I'm concerned (suck it, Labor Day) and pretty soon it'll be pitch dark before 6pm. Once the calendar turns over to September, the rest of the year goes by super swiftly.

My own brother is also about to start his final year of undergrad. He is majoring in sociology, which on one hand more knowledge is always great, but on the other what the heck is he going to do for money armed with such a degree? What other paths are there for a sociologist other than remain in academia? Hindsight being what it is, I think my brother chose the wrong major; even he knows it's large useless. 

Children of rich households can afford to study a silly subject for a diploma, but sons and daughters of the poor and lower middle-class haven't got the luxury of a parental safety chute. The purpose of college for people like us is to enhance our ability to attain a well paying job. A big reason why I chose to major in business was because I figure business skills are paramount and applicable to all industries. I would've loved to major in philosophy and have heated discussions about the differences of Platonic and Socratic thought, but like sociology that won't pay any of the bills unless I continued on further and  become a researcher. 

I wonder how many incoming freshmen are cognizant of the monetary utility of the major they selected. Most probably don't care because it's infinitely more fun to think about all the alcohol-fueled sex college is fertile ground for. But student loan debt is at record highs; don't high school counselors have a duty to direct kids to the proper channels so that the debt incurred would be worth the future income?

Some of these kids would be a better served not by a standard four-year institution, but rather an accredited trade school. Despite being maligned and stigmatized by society as low-rung, blue-collar jobs can pay equally well as the office desk. The growth potential can be the same, too: the auto mechanic, can after years of service, open his own shop and reap all the profits. One does not need to wear a white-collar to make six-figures.

I think it'll benefit the university system and society as a whole if some forethought and advice is given to kids beforehand, that college is not the only option to a good career. Because one can always become a Youtuber or Instagram influencer. 

This is the sound of settling...

Quick thoughts on 'Crazy Rich Asians'

Last evening I finally saw Crazy Rich Asians, and it's everything I thought I didn’t need but my god is it ever so beautifully there. I've stated before that the whole Asian-American representation thing wasn't as big a deal for me as it is for others, but Crazy Rich Asians proved me utterly foolish: it was so awesome to see an English language film full of normal characters I can identify with on a cultural level. 

I never thought the jubilation I got from watching Better Luck Tomorrow the first time could be found again, yet here I am, profoundly moved by Crazy Rich Asians.  

What a wonderful adaption of the novel by director Jon M. Chu and company. Speaking as someone who have read the book, the movie excellently cherry-picked the major components of the story, presenting it with a simplistic fluidity that's equally satisfying for those who haven't read the source material. The minute details on how particular plot-points came to be are all in the novel, should audiences choose to dive deeper. 

I especially loved how even when the film deviates from the book - like the final arc,  little homages are sprinkled in as a nod to those that have read it. It's brilliantly done. 

There were two moments in the film where someone in the theatre was for sure chopping onions: when Kina Grannis (as herself) started singing Can’t Help Falling In Love during the wedding sequence, and in the ending scenes where a cover of Coldplay's Yellow is sung in the background.  

I really dig how Crazy Rich Asians is unabashedly, well, Asian: the themes and motifs are just as they are, pure and unexplained. Particularly, the crucial mahjong scene is sheer genius in it’s absence of how the game is played and what the individual tiles stood for. The creators didn't care you don't know mahjong: it's simply there, unreservedly. The intertwining of Chinese culture within Crazy Rich Asians is deeply heartfelt because it's such catharsis to see it presented without patronization. 

The sequel cannot come soon enough.  

For the culture. 

S&P hits all time high

The S&P 500 index hit all time highs yesterday, and we’re officially in the longest bull market in history. This should be great news for those of us with skin in the equities game, but it seems everybody is busy steeling themselves for the eventual correction to come. This bull run indeed won’t last forever but suffice it to say none of us can predict when the downturn will occur. Chances are equally good that if you take money out of stocks now, you’ll forgo any gains that may still come. 

Of course, everyone wants the gains and can't bear to lose a penny. Perhaps I was taught differently: the money I’ve got in the stock market is money that if it completely disappears tomorrow, I’d be completely okay. Capital I’d otherwise fret losing is secured in my savings account, insured by the government. When the bear market does arrive I will not be selling any of my funds: my investment horizon is measured in decades, not years. The market will eventually climb back up just like it did from the 'Great Recession'. 

I’m relatively young so obviously I can risk the cyclical whims of the equities market, unlike the soon-to-be retiree counting on his nest-egg to live out the rest of his life (like my parents). But that person shouldn’t have any money in the stock market anyways, given the supremely low risk tolerance at his stage in life. The impending correction shouldn’t affect him at all. 

There’s some rumblings regarding the yield-curve and how an inversion of it is a solid indicator of a looming recession. It’s mainly food for investors trying to time the market, but for regular folks like me, I think it’s largely noise. Even if the yield-curve were to invert, the bull market can still go on for many more months before correction happens. Again, none of us can predict the fall. 

My investments are quite sound (if I do say so myself) so I’m ready to ride out whatever is to come. Money that I'd absolutely need within the next few years is either in savings or have been moved to it already. Have to say, I’m thoroughly liking the recent increases of the interest rate: after many years of sub 1% returns it's nice to be at least competitive with inflation. 

The colors here are just fantastic.