NYT endorses legalization of marijuana

"The federal government should repeal the ban on marijuana" claimed by NYT editorial board today. It has already triggered an intense debate in this morning's political TV programs in NBC/ABC/CBS. Hard for me to believe that the story in Prohibition era can be applied to the ban of marijuana.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/27/opinion/sunday/high-time-marijuana-legalization.html?_r=0

To be or not to be a wise politician

Winning World Cup probably made all Germans feel everything is coming up roses. German Chancellor, Merkel, now enjoys 71% popularity and this may be the interesting paradox for any likable politicians. " The wise man voluntarily does in good times that which the stupid man involuntarily has to do in bad times 聰明人在順境自願做的事就是蠢蛋在逆境時被迫做的事". Merkel lowers the retirement age from age 67 to 63 (US is still 66.2 and will go up) and spends only 1.2% GDP on infrastructure compared to 4.2% in the 1970s. Her predecessor, Schroder, had a painful and unpopular economic reform and was repudiated by voters. Do we need a wise or a stupid politician for the long-term economic growth?    Wise or stupid politican

dogfight in medical school admissions

Medical school admission has become a dogfight. In 2002-2013, enrollment in 141 accredited medical school increases less than 22% while number of students to take MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) in the same period increases by a whopping 65%. Nowadays every field is competitive including physicians since 粥不增僧增  On top of that, D.O. (doctor of osteopathic medicine) starts to encroach M.D. residency chances, though D.O. enrollment is not as competitive as M.D.  (In 2012, the average MCAT and GPA for students entering U.S.-based M.D. programs were 31.2 and 3.68 respectively, and 26.85 and 3.51 for D.O. matriculants.)  

vacuum transistor

Moore's law has commanded MOSFET transistor channel length down to 16nm and max. speed up to 40GHz. Physics, especially the tunneling effect, must start to rein in further significant advancement (Well, I'm thinking inside the box). Now, a promising(?) research on vacuum transistor (similar to the old bulky vacuum tube) may push the speed 100X faster or more. Since the extremely short channel length is much less than the mean free path of air particle, exactly what vacuum transistors require, these still-experimental transistors may push computing technology to another unimaginable milestone.  vacuum transistor

Reputation quotients of major companies

The 2013 Harris Poll for the "reputation quotient, RQ(名聲指數)" of major companies. Excellent: RQ>75 Poor: RQ<55. Amazon and Apple proudly take the top and runner-up positions while AIG and Goldman Sachs disgracefully cower at rock bottom.  

Blend Learning model in Innova Schools

To revamp the school system by asking the help from a design company which has done Apple's first mouse and Wells Fargo's recent ATM interface? The design company, Ideo, did create a very successful school network, Innova Schools, by adopting the blend learning model. This model emphasizes the combination of group learning (4-6 students) and individual learning by adopting Khan Academy online resources. To facilitate the blend learning model, classroom walls can be adjusted to accommodate more students or to break up spaces. It seems to be a highly acclaimed educational project sponsored by the Peruvian billionaire , Rodriguez-Pastor.
Innova Schools