SHANE OUCHI I do what I love and fake the rest…
Author Archive
Random Ramblings On Perceptive Stochastic Refinement
Coming from a signal processing and control theory background, I often observe life as a sampling of data points that, over time, are steered towards certain outcomes based upon the feedback loops that affect our decisions. But control theory and data interpretation should not be so much about data mining and determinism as it should [...]
Stay Hungry. Think Different. Live Life.
In light of the recent passing of Steve Jobs, I found myself in reflection mode about who I am and what it meant to belong to the bigger picture. Jobs taught us not to squander our lives away. He was the road less taken. He was the epitome of rags to riches. He was a [...]
The Diversity Of Conformity: Specialization In the New Age of Global Imperialism
“If it were necessary to give the briefest possible definition of imperialism, we should have to say that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism.” – Vladimir Lenin The global intranet has created a well-established means for leveling the playing field in many aspects of society. It has worked to accomplish three main goals: 1. [...]
2011 Eastern Conference Finals: Six Steps To The Bulls Making A Comeback!
Down 2-1, the Bulls find themselves in unfamiliar waters this playoffs. Coach Thibodeau, and his staff have been incredibly successful all season with their uptempo, energetic, trap and rotate defense. Moreover, Coach Thibodeau stated earlier last week that he wouldn’t change what has worked for him all season. However, in my opinion, Thibs has veered [...]
Debt Ceiling: How Does The US Government Keep Exceeding It?
Usually, for us commoners, if we exceed our debt limitations or have the inability to pay-off our minimum interest coverage, we get slapped with a coke and a smile, along with the biggest stack of bankruptcy papers you ever seen. For the US government, it’s a little different. The debt ceiling expands as a function [...]
Debt Ceiling: What is it?
Have you ever owned a credit card? They usually give you a credit limit, right? Well, say your credit limit is $1000. We would state that your debt allowance (or leverage) is $1000 for that “one-leg” of debt based upon your financial situation. Now, imagine you go in for a mortgage loan, and a bank [...]
A Shift Toward Specialization: Higher Transaction Costs Due to Free Speech
Truthfully, I think being politically correct is wrong. Plain wrong. But not because I don’t want to call Asians, “Asians” instead of “Orientals” or whether to say “Blacks” vs “African Americans”, but because of transaction costs that are established by actions such as too many people mistaking social miscues and slangs as derogatory actions. Furthermore, [...]
A Trader’s Advantage Using Hereditary Habits
Unlike the movie “Seven” that portrays the seven deadly sins: anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony, version of the movie would have probably been about 60 mins shorter…And in my version, they wouldn’t be called deadly sins as much as they would be called…er…habits. Hereditary habits. Only 3 of the 7 above… Fear, [...]
Religious Edicts Dictate Ethical Business Practices
Religion has been an important entity in developing the social, political and cultural guidelines throughout most of anthropological history. Before there were skyscrapers, banking systems and online trading platforms, there were men, women and children sacrificing articles of food & possession to appease the god(s) that watched over them. And although, through time and space, [...]
Karma of Stocks: Reversion to the Mean or Deterministic?
If you’ve ever invested in stocks, you’ve probably heard the term “reversion to the mean” thrown around like a pigskin on the beach. However, what you might not understand is the forethought that goes into drawing such a conclusion. For centuries, scientist, mathematicians, philosophers, and now, traders, have been trying to discern determinism vs statistical [...]
Practice vs Theory: Account for Model Error In Your Investments
If you recall the article about transaction costs, you will remember that we compared the intangible and tangible costs associated with analyzing any decision. However, these costs, however accurate they may be, are still theoretical. In theory, we can estimate opportunity cost or even calculate out taxable income, but these estimates (and even the actuals [...]
Implied Volatility: What the Central Limit Theorem Tells You
“VIX has reached an all-time high of $48.36,” said every financial broadcast station on September 29, 2008 as the market continued its avalanche. But what the heck is this VIX?? Is it that thing that you rub on your chest when you’re sick, and you forget that you have it on your hand when you [...]
Don’t Forget The Cost of Transaction
Don’t you love your iPhone? What about your Android? Which do YOU like better? iPhone sort of brings you to a seamless, forefront of completely integrated technology, whereas Android brings you to the forefront of centralized computing and development. Oh, and of course, the iPhone has its classy, sleek exterior while the Android has a [...]
IMAC: An Entrepreneur’s Way Of Life
Did you watch Rebecca Black’s Video “Friday” and think to yourself…”How could a song get any worse?” Well, I did. But I did learn two extremely important lessons: (1) 13-year old kids should not be driving cars (if you don’t get it, then watch the video above); (2) if you have an end goal, then [...]
Money Isn’t The Root Of All Evil…
Didn’t you always wonder what that evil monkey on Family Guy was doing in Chris’ closet? Finally, he came clean one day and told a story about how he came home one day to find his wife cheating on him, and it drove him crazy. But what stuck with me was the journey, the bond, [...]
Generation X, Y, Z — How To Bridge The Networking Gap (Part II)
In the last post, we discussed the nuances between Generation X, Y, Z and showed a little summary of the evolution of each generation. In this post, I’d like to highlight 3 effective points to communicate with Generations X and Y such that each will be able to understand how to best connect with the [...]
Generation X, Y, Z — How To Bridge The Networking Gap (Part I)
When you hear the words Generation X or Generation Y, what comes to mind? Perhaps, genome experiments or Star Trek or some combination of that? Or maybe these are just too well known, and everyone already associates these phrases to be the pre-1970s generation and the pre-2000s generation, respectively. Nonetheless, I’m sure that many social [...]
Marketing & Networking Strategies — Successful Product Branding…
Marketing & Networking strategies should be vastly similar in their approach to connecting with their audience. Marketing wants to appeal their product & branding to a target audience, and networking has that same goal except that the product and branding includes a person’s own identity. But the common goal is the same: understanding your target [...]
Parenting Snafus, Part IV — Business is Life…
Whether a trade, a barter, a transaction, or a job, business is a part of life. Raising your kid should be no different. The social hierarchy that exists within a business is similar to that of a family. The same for allowances, chores, and the ideas of leadership and management. When building a business, you [...]
Parenting Snafus, Part III — “I Have A Dream…and Then I Woke Up”
Each child is influenced by different things, encounters different problems, and develops into a different person. So, why treat each child like they’re the same? I know that a lot of parents believe that they should treat each kid fairly, and that it’s not fair to allow one kid to do one thing, and the [...]
Parenting Snafus, Part II — The White Xmas Lie That Caused The Crash
Every kid in the Western Hemisphere believes in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy, and the stork. Why? I’m not sure. The whole premise of easing a kid’s fear of losing their teeth or “bribing” a kid to be “good” for a couple of gifts can be counter-intuitive in their development. In fact, [...]
Parenting Snafus, Part I — Winners Hedge
Too much emphasis in the current world has been put on sportsmanship and morality, and while being an upstanding citizen and abiding by the rules is an important lesson to learn, sometimes being too empathetic to your fellow man can be a bad idea. We are taught, too often, that sportsmanship and good morals are [...]
Two Minute Drill: Your Average, Sub-Mediocre Life…
The two minute drill…your interesting tidbit of the day in two mins or less… One of the most interesting thing that I’ve seen in this world is the fact that most people spend (8 hrs at work + 2 hrs driving) * 5 hrs / day = 50 hrs / week working at a job [...]