This is amazing! Really enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
It would be wonderful if you could also share or write a post about your vibe coding journey to put this together!
1,319 karma · joined October 8, 2009
It would be wonderful if you could also share or write a post about your vibe coding journey to put this together!
I’d say that if someone is extremely obese, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to bring their weight down just through medication and counseling because most people lack the motivation or self-awareness to turn it into a lifestyle, which is KEY to keeping the weight off. In most cases, bariatric surgery would be their only option. It’s also very easy for folks to fall off the bandwagon while going on a weight loss journey - I’ve always had periods of being overweight to the point of obese since I was young and it’s been a yo-yo of getting fit and then slowly slumping back into being unhealthy over the years until I had the mental shift that it’s a lifestyle change. Getting people to this state through telemedicine may be difficult. It’s a hard space to be in but definitely one that will have an unending supply of patients due to the way the world eats these days. Let me know if I can help in any way. Best of luck!
Being a product of the same education system, I can empathize. However, things have changed and I know of very different experiences. Although there exists rigidity in structure, administrators have become much more flexible and don't expect the same deference to authority that might have existed. Here are a couple of examples:
1) The story of how CS3216 got started in NUS is classic: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~cs3216/
Students knew of the recently started Facebook class in Stanford and thought it was a great class to have in NUS as well. They wrote out a proposal for the class. They approached a few lecturers in the CS dept before finding one sympathetic to their needs. He committed to teaching the class. They refined the proposal with him. Then they went to the Dean and over a pizza, gave him a well thought-out proposal for the course, got his approval and further edited and refined it with his input. The course was implemented immediately the following semester. The pace of getting it done is definitely not usual but they did it.
2) From personal experience, having gone on a year-long exchange program, I came back to find that certain modules I had done overseas were not all mapped back, which left me having done extra modules which didn't count anywhere and still one short of graduating. I went to the relevant authorities - sent a bunch of emails and had face-to-face meetings. Initially, I was told by an administrator that it was impossible and I would have to do an extra semester. I smiled at the person and changed tack. I figured out ways that the school could map the modules I HAD done and approached someone who could approve that. Eventually, I got the module mapping accepted and I graduated without wasting an extra semester.
My takeaways: 1) Look at your problem from their point of view - the extra administration it would require etc. This will lead you to 2.
2) Don't just show up with a problem. Do your research and propose solutions to your problem. If you ease the thinking required by the relevant authority, it will help ease your approval process.
3) Don't take NO for an answer - especially if you think you're right. Change tacks if one approach does not work.
4) Communicating properly helps a lot. Always start with deference and build a relationship before presenting your problem and solutions. They'll find it a lot harder to turn you down.
However, although it still applies to a certain degree, Singapore and Singaporeans in general have come a long way since he coined the term. People are more willing to take risks and question authority these days. A simple way to highlight this is the dramatic increase in the number of entrepreneurs here - which by definition refers to someone taking risks and pushing the envelope when required.
Anyway, here's the excerpt from his book on NUTS, where he explains what he means and gives examples: http://bit.ly/nouturn
Maybe it'll help elucidate why he coined the term and help decide how much it still applies.