NVIDIA recently unveiled a new compute and software platform at COMPUTEX, the annual computer trade show. They claim this platform will revolutionise data centres, turning them into factories that produce AI tokens at scale. The small box in the photo is the unit I’m particularly interested in. It’s likely the only one in their portfolio that doesn’t require additional service from Taipower.

The public works administration's uprooting of trees along Zhongzheng Road has been a mini-controversy for a few months. The city removed the old trees to make way for the underground construction of a new MRT train line. The city also said they were sick.

The section of the road affected by the tree removal is an area I know well. Pre-COVID, I would be there regularly. I found myself there last night for a dinner event, and it was a disorienting experience. Bare of the lovely trees, the road had been reduced to its ugly concrete roots, and stepping out of the restaurant, I could not figure out where I was or which way to go.

The new reality is both saddening and enraging at the same time. If I were a resident of the area, the removal action would have miffed me. Suddenly, my lovely neighborhood looked like any old, shabby concrete shithole in Taiwan.

I cannot help thinking that the city officials at some deep level must hate themselves to cancel out one of the success stories over the decades. Whoever planted them there (and around the city, for that matter) both beautified and preserved a bit of green in an otherwise concrete urban desert.

For decades, the "developmental" mindset of "more concrete the better" has been the practical urban planning and economic development tool. Taiwan and Taipei have spent tons of money on vanity architecture projects that were never completed or proved too complex for local firms to deliver. But these trees were a success.

A citizen’s news station produces the news report.

The news report reminds me that citizen journalism is needed more than ever all over the U.S., both as a countervailing force to corporate media and as a curative to the “QAnon”-conspiratorial lines of communication fracturing the body politic and dividing the country. Reconnecting national news to its local roots would help people understand each other and motivate them to seek truth and positive action for change. Getting officials and others to listen and respond would be the next step.

MSD

It’s difficult to describe to friends and family in the USA how utterly broken the medical system is there. For many with decent insurance, there is little appreciation for how much better, fairer, and cheaper it could all be. Until you have experienced the Taiwan medical system, you realize that the US does not have a single system but rather an assortment of medical markets, broken ones at that. I can and will expound on this topic some other day.

But for now, my motivation for writing this brief entry is to express a bit of delight for today’s latest “hack” (and to praise the National Health Insurance Administration). Consider this bit of XML:

 

<?xml version=“1.0” encoding="utf–8”?>
<myhealthbank> <bdata>
    <b1.1>A**********</b1.1>
    <b1.2>20211029</b1.2>
     <r0>【民眾下載健康存摺資料之聲明書】健康存摺有您的詳細就醫醫療資料，
 下載後請妥善保管，資料如有需要轉交第三人或企業、公司使用，
應請自行評估風險及責任。提醒您：資料提供給第三人時請留意 
是否只提供部分資料、並約定使用期間及日後可要求刪除資料的權利。 </r0>
    <r1>

 

That’s the opening bit to my comprehensive health records detailing office visits, prescriptions filled at pharmacies, test results, etc. A log of every interaction with doctors, clinics, and hospitals over the years is available to me and my doctors. The data is available in various formats for human and computer consumption, and I can download it on demand by logging into my account on the NHI website.

Logging into the website is not a mere matter of username and password. Taiwan has put in place a system based on crypto smartcards. Ming Fu has one for interacting with government services and fulfilling regulatory requirements. And just about everyone living here has an NHI smart card. The embedded crypto chip provides a secure means to establish identity and authorization to access my records and NHI services. The same card serves me when visiting doctors and paying for services.

MSD

Some impressions of iPad Cursor support after a couple weeks using it with a Magic Trackpad:

1. I like it. Visually and practically, it works well.

2. It has rough edges: invoking Slide Over does not work for me reliably or smoothly. If you have even mild or slight motor problems, the process is painful and frustrating. Apple needs to rethink this a bit.

3. iPad has four modes of primary input currently: hand gestures, keyboard, trackpad, and pencil. Now they need to unify the experience so one can accomplish all basic interactions with one or the other.

   1. Example: I want to be able to use the pencil to tap on things and invoke actions, like bringing up Control Center, just like with the trackpad.

   2. Example: I want keyboard shortcuts for invoking and manipulating the various multitasking UIs and modes, especially Slide Over.

4. Also, I would like to see Siri added as a fifth input device for these functions.

   1. Example: "Siri, show Slide Over" … "hide Slide Over" … "done"

   2. Example: "Siri, split the screen on the right, add Safari"

5. iPad as a chameleon that can change its look and mission by combining (or removing) specialized components, much like a camera system, makes it a fun and versatile platform. But at the basic levels of interaction, I would like to see these components be co-equal in capability and usage.

MSD