Author: Tony Tam

  • Heard on HBR podcast, the triangle of a job

    Heard on HBR podcast, the triangle of a job

    It is often not possible to get all three 1. job satisfaction and meaning 2. money 3. lifestyle Most jobs can give you 2 out of 3. You may have to adopt a side hustle to fullfil the missing piece.

  • Cat person

    Cat person

    I am a cat person.  My personality matches a cat.  I like people watching and lazying in the sun. I move slowly, only pouncing when there is something that intensely interests me.  I have a deep-seated fear of dogs biting me randomly. I also raised a cat person and now she is 18!

  • Let’s meet at 5:37

    Let’s meet at 5:37

    It’s an odd time to tell someone else to meet.  Why not 5:30 or 5:35? It is a lot more precise and shows that I have planned it out.  I mean what I say. It’s odd, I know. But it’s precise, exact and intended. Let’s meet at 5:37.  See you in 9 minutes.  Could you…

  • SF Public Library: Merced Branch

    SF Public Library: Merced Branch

    Getting There The Merced Branch of the San Francisco Public Library system is 1/2 block from the 28, K buses.  Right acrossed from the Stonestown mall.  There is plenty of street parking with 2 car parking for 10 minutes. What is different? One standout of this library is the central garden space with maple trees…

  • No skin in the game?

    No skin in the game?

    (The photo was posted in the Chinese section of the SF Public Library near Stonestown shopping mall, written in simplified Chinese.  It takes a lot of effort for me to read in the simple form.  It basically says that it’s up to us as individuals to learn and thrive in a democratic society.  There are…

  • Are you on the diagonal?

    Are you on the diagonal?

    In the book Skin In The Game, the author (pg. 61) stated a saying by the brothers Geoff and Vince Graham: I am, at the Fed level, libertarian; at the state level, Republican at the local level, Democrat; and at the family and friends level, a socialist. The author’s argument is that we cannot apply…

  • Spending habits in 2019

    Spending habits in 2019

    In 2019, I wanted try something a bit different than 2018. In 2018, I didn’t buy anything that was not a consumable. In 2019, I wanted to be less extreme and only buy non consumables once every quarter. In Q1 2019 – I have bought 2 pairs of shoes and that is it. Something else…

  • Mis en place

    Mis en place

    I remember my mom tried to teach me this when I was young. Put things back in it’s place. Of course she said it in Chinese. She was not very successful in teaching me. I was not a great listener when I was young. I am still struggling with this at home, everything back in…

  • Skin in the game: regulation vs. being sued

    Skin in the game: regulation vs. being sued

    Take a company like Facebook. They leave millions of passwords in plain text, they created the news feed where dictators use the various Facebook products (Instagram, FB, Whatsapp) to spread fake propaganda, they violate our privacy repeatedly (even those of us who don’t use it, but are connected to people who do) and hijack our…

  • Tech Mentorship Final Proposal

    Tech Mentorship Final Proposal

    Target audience: Female engineers at the 2, 3, 4 levels Purpose Introduce them to engineers, at least 2 levels beyond, who can help them with Expanding their technical breath, depth and quality. Review their work and help them think about ways to increase their impact. Improve their problem solving skills. Expose them to opportunities they…