Monday, May 30, 2016

How Mandarin Helps understand Hawaiian


While I was in Hawaii recently, I realized that a language concept from Mandarin helps you understand what to answer when a Hawaiian says "Mahalo"

when a Chinese speaker says "Xie,Xie" there is no phrase for you're welcome. You say "mei wen ti" which means no problem.

When a Hawaiian says"Mahalo" (thank you), you say "a ole pilikia" which means no problem. There is no phrase for you're welcome in Hawaiin.

If you are praised in Chinese you don't say thank you. You will surprise Mandarin speakers by saying "na li, na li" which is a nice way to deny the truth of what is being said. They will say "I thought you Americans always said thank you." It is a large cultural difference, that comes out of the sense of humility Chinese try to show when being praised.

At the Polynesian cultural Center they say that Polynesians originated in China and were the progenitors of everyone from the Maori to the Tahitians (the last immigrants to Hawaii from Polynesia came from Tahiti). Whether this has anything to do or not with these linguistic concepts; I'm unwilling to even take a stab. I'm just a" houle" or a "bai ren." Both phrases mean "white guy," and I think that looking at all the mistakes whites have made about people from other cultures, I'm going to close this blog.


Sunday, May 15, 2016

What is Tim Cook smoking?


Owning Apple stock is like being flushed down a toilet connected to a storm drain that flows from the Santa Monica Mountains into Santa Monica Bay. It is an endless unpleasant experience. You know the stock cannot go to zero because somewhere in the world someone will want the latest iPhone.

However when Tim Cook said this was just the beginning of the iPhone, I hurried over to the wastebasket to toss my cookies. What is he smoking?

I have some ideas for what that statement might mean. In the future,

will it make its own banana bread?

Pick a successful stock portfolio (hopefully, without Apple in it)?

Arrange a date for you with Monica Bellucci?

Well, those were just ideas off the top of my head. I'm sure Tim Cook has something great up his sleeve. Of course it won't be on the seven, because they'll stretch improvements with little meaning until we get to iPhone 17.

Apple never invested in research and development. People often said Steve Jobs was their research and development. Well guess what, he's dead and all those years of noninvestment are showing. He not only didn't leave anything to charity, he didn't leave anything to Apple either.