by Ariel Yeh
I would like to share one of my most interesting learning experiences, an NTU course called “Principles and Practices of Global Innovation,” a special course involving three universities around the world, including the University of Southern California, Peking University, and National Taiwan University. Lectures are designed to take full advantage of the fact that a single classroom spans multiple countries and cultures. With the growing influence of globalization in both industry and academia, in addition to the critical need for multicultural collaboration, I decided to sign up for this unique course immediately. The most important thing we have learned is to cooperate with students from different cultural backgrounds on interdisciplinary projects. Each of us teamed up with members from each campus and we made proposals for changing or redesigning our colleges. Our final project was to design a Green Campus. During our discussions, challenges to the formation of practical needs were often brought up. For example, PKU students complained that the food served on campus was inferior and forced students to go outside the university to eat. However, USC responded that they have a meal plan in a cafeteria that provides all varieties of fresh food every day. But then USC students added that even though such healthy food was easily available, they tended to grab food that wasn’t so good for them. Another challenge we had in the discussion concerned how to save more electricity in dormitories. This was initiated by the USC group since they felt guilty about not utilizing daylight more, as they tended to stay up late and sleep during the daytime. However NTU students have to purchase an electricity card, which constrains the way we spend our time after dark. Nevertheless, we were all astonished to learn that on the PKU campus electricity is automatically shut down between 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. We felt very sorry for them! Also included are lectures on Innovative Design Thinking (IDT), which incorporates market and lifestyle insights to support systematic reasoning from abstract to detailed innovation. For example, just few years ago the Sony Walkman was a hot seller because of its portability. However, Sony couldn’t keep that niche for long as soon as iPods hit the market, and they were able to beat out Sony because Apple envisioned the future needs for personalized products with user friendly design. Among many unique advantages of the course, I was able to spend twelve days in Beijing, which allowed us to meet face-to-face and also gave us the chance to visit three successful companies, Cisco, Lenovo, and Google. The CEO of Cisco reminded us that innovation might be critical for one company, but in practice Cisco itself would not overemphasize it. He explained this by using charts to show how moderate a role innovation played in the company’s investment projects. During the Beijing trip we had such a great time with PKU students that we even went to karaoke together to sing popular Chinese songs. By exchanging our experiences, we not only learned a lot but also built up close friendships that will be beneficial for future projects. I learned to perceive cultural differences not as obstacles to be overcome but as wonderful tools to be used in developing new and different ideas in innovation. On top of that, networking with outstanding elites is one more important skill. Some other information for your reference: “Principles and Practices of Global Innovation” is open to 20 students per year with applications and interviews held by Professor Wei-Cheng Tian of the Creativity and Entrepreneurship Program at NTU. According to Professor Tian, “We are looking for open-minded students from all majors. However, you have to be prepared that the course will take a lot of your time as well as effort. Only when you fully participate can you learn about the abstract concept of innovation.” I sincerely hope that everyone who is interested in the course will find it a great opportunity to join our big family! by Matthew Au “Sometimes I am beset by fears that circumstances and national considerations might tear us apart just when we are so happy with each other that separation would be a torment.” – abstract of letter from Aung San Suu Kyi to her husband, Michael Aris, 1971. We know Aung San Suu Kyi as the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, as the iron-willed politician who stared down her military oppressors, and as the lady who has single-handedly attracted the West’s attention to her country for the past two decades. We exalt her strengths so much that it sometimes slips our minds just how human she really is.
Here is a woman who spent most of her married life away from her husband, not even being able to be at his deathbed when he passed away. She was also absent for a significant part of her children’s lives, missing out on their formative years, defining moments, and memories. She traded everything she had for a sliver of hope that her country might one day see democracy. And for that she was punished with the most heart-wrenching pain not of isolation in detention, but of deprivation from the simplest familial joy. In 1997, Suu Kyi was temporarily released from house arrest and was deliberating whether or not to reunite with her husband, who was then in Britain diagnosed with prostate cancer. She decided against it for fear of the junta denying her re-entry into Myanmar. Aris passed away on 27 March 1999, on his 53rd birthday; he had not seen his wife for the last four years of his life. Bertil Lintner, a journalist and Myanmar authority once called Suu Kyi “a saint-like figure who can do nothing wrong” – but this is an accolade without applause and a celebration devoid of joy. Life, or rather, death, prepared Suu Kyi well for her destiny. Daughter of Aung San, Myanmar’s independence hero, she lost her father to assassination when she was just two years old. Her baby sister died just days after delivery and her elder brother Aung San Lin drowned in a pool when she was eight. Life took everything and gave nothing to this family. Yet while all of this would have shattered any mortal’s soul, Suu Kyi’s mother, Khin Kyi was the steel that would not be bent. Described by Suu Kyi as a perfectionist, Khin Kyi was the role model and source of strength that would tide her through the rough waves of politics and life. But fate was to crush even this last vessel of support. In 1988, Suu Kyi returned to Myanmar to nurse her critically ill mother, who was then leading the country’s pro-democracy movement. Her health took a turn for the worse and Suu Kyi suddenly found herself taking over her mother’s rein. Little did she then know then that this would mark the start of two decades of isolation, unjust persecution, and cruel separation from her loved ones. Yet for all that she has been through, Suu Kyi replied in a BBC interview, when asked if years of house-arrest had any effect on her: “They could not do anything to me. They can lock me up, but here (pointing to her head), they cannot touch me.” What Suu Kyi has achieved from her tiny confinement is monumental. There is a running joke in the United States that Myanmar is only a “boutique issue,” something foreign media pay perfunctory attention to as a token of responsibility for any self-proclaimed democratic nation. But regardless of the intent, she has always been able to call upon the international community’s might in her battle with the country’s dictators. Any Suu Kyi-related public speech or assembly has to be approved by the authorities, which takes a deliberately long time to approve. Then there are random offenses that she is charged with, without fair trial, to further lengthen her house arrest. But Suu Kyi bore all these things with poise and wisdom, always maintaining a love-all approach and despite relentless persecution from the military, she has called it the country’s “protector.” Slowly, however, the demographics of the country is changing, with staunch supporters of the junta gradually aging and the more western-influenced younger generations eager to steer the country out of her doldrums. And they know that true democracy is the answer. Somewhere underneath the currents, the tides are changing. Suu Kyi was released from house arrest on 13 November 2010, and over 600 political detainees were released in 2011. Finally, in a by-election held on 1 April 2012, Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to snag 48 out of 664 parliamentary seats. However, changes are not going to happen overnight. 48 seats in a 664-seat parliament is what David is to Goliath, and everyone is holding their breath to see if the military will honor the election results. Should it really change its spots, then Suu Kyi can re-enter parliament after two tumultuous decades. It is a pricey ticket, one forged of blood, tears, and a myriad of incomprehensible sacrifices from Suu Kyi and her supporters. Let us see if it really brings democracy to Myanmar. by Julie Szu Yi Lee
Most of us have a diet consisting of food with unpronounceable artificial additives produced from chemically polluted soil and water. Such food carries many problems and threatens the ecosystem as well as our bodies and those who work on farms. We often seem to turn a deaf ear to these problems, but it’s time for our palates to wake up and take notice! Many of these issues can be solved simply by shopping at a farmers market, where you will be offered freshly harvested products and locally produced, hand-made organic food. Before the industrial revolution, markets were places where people traded for food, and in Taiwan, traditional farmers markets lost popularity during the economic boom while wholesale supermarkets greatly expanded. City dwellers in particular showed a great preference for food in a supermarket rather than that which comes straight from the farm. But with the decline of the farmers markets comes the loss of the social ties that link rural and urban areas. In previous historical periods it was hard for people to imagine buying food without knowing how it was manufactured and who grew it. Conversations between producer and consumer were also lost, not to mention stories behind the food itself. These were not just connections between humans and nature, but vital elements that bridged people with the larger community. The essence of dining shouldn’t be about labels on food packages but entail a direct knowledge of the natural taste of food and the knowledge that lies behind it. The ethos of this new dining culture is that we ask about the source of our food, and that we should think about the land and its water and the people whose work changes according to the seasons. It may be a cliché to say so, but as consumers we can help to rebuild the food chain by buying from the farmers directly at a farmers market, and in the meantime we can also get food at a fairer price. We can help farmers stay in business while being able to eat more nutritious produce and help to protect the environment. If you are hungry now with an appetite for fresher taste and more fairness to those who produce our food, you can help to put an end to the lack of connection between ourselves and our food. All you have to do is make a good choice and dig in! Information on shopping with the farmers market The Bow-to-Land Farmers Market Starts the third Sunday of every month from 10:00 to 17:00 Located at No.2, Alley 14, Lane 230, Sec. 3, Tingzhou Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei by Wei-wei Chan
Sometimes, when we think about art, a sense of ineffable awe strikes us. It’s a common sentiment that art exists far away from the ordinary world we live in, or that art is exclusive to the well-educated or the well-to-do. Few really feel related to it even if we all have arts-and-crafts classes during our years of compulsory education. But the following article might reverse your preconceptions. Actually, art isn’t something well-preserved in museums or a valuable object hung on the wall remote from everyday life. It can be represented anywhere in any form. Some art is simply meant for giggles. Some is created to challenge our habits of thinking and living. Still other art objects are open to touch or even to use. But whatever aim artworks try to achieve, they all serve the aesthetic needs of the human soul. Oftentimes, when life gets dull or stressful, people turn to things that stimulate their senses or things that tickle them. Works of applied art do just that! They are the creations of designers who observe the mentality and behavior of average people and provide a unique solution. Let’s take a look at some examples. “Don’t Miss A Sec” by Monica Bonvicini This art exhibit is a usable public toilet situated on a bustling sidewalk near the river Thames in London. Constructed with one-way glass, this toilet allows the user to see out, knowing what’s going on outside the enclosed cube, while passers-by can’t peep inside. Though it’s definite that you would feel a bit uneasy with your pants down inside it, this toilet serves a very practical purpose and allows us to attend to nature’s unwanted call. When excusing yourself for a while, you would never have to worry about missing any part of the spectacle on the street in front of you! “Double Happiness” by Didier Fiuza Faustino Originally built for the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennial of Urbanism and Architecture, this artwork is a billboard turned into a swing set and serves as urban furniture, allowing participants to experience a cityscape from the height of billboard. This swing set, says the French-Portuguese architect, is a response to society’s materialism, “where individual desires seem to be prevailing over all.” Through this thrilling experience, people can “recover an awareness of the physical world.” Besides, it can revive public spaces and reactivate abandoned billboard structures, offering swing-sitters a new perception of the relationship between space and the human body. A Ceiling Mural in a Smoking Area The image on the left is from an anti-smoking campaign proposed by an advertising agency in Mumbai, India for the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA). In the ceiling painting shown above, real smokers stand under a photograph fashioned after the CPAA print. The warning is so obvious that it needs no explanation here, but what’s worth pointing out is the black humor given to this serious issue. Mourners looking into your open grave might not give you any more information than repulsive pictures of polluted lungs printed on cigarette boxes, but this image certainly expresses the same warning in a much more fun way! We all study general art education in school, but it tends to alienate us from art. Yet art does not have to be unapproachable. As seen in the examples given above, art can go beyond discussions of art movements or the works of great masters in a steady evolution of artistic styles. Art can also be about making life better. Above all, art is an aesthetic response to the circumstances we are in. Even without artistic training, our prehistoric ancestors made fantastic cave paintings. So why not strip yourself of the prejudices about art that school has cast on you and start feeling and seeing the world around you? It would be a lot more fun, and life just might become full of surprises again. by Shu-An Yang
The Magazine The Big Issue was founded in London in 1991 and is sold in ten different countries, including Britain, Japan, Australia, Korea, and Taiwan.The Big Issue is sold by homeless people and this is regarded as a novel business model. The Big Issue is both an ordinary company in which employees are responsible for producing, editing, and selling magazines, and also a non-profit organization that assists homeless people regain control of their lives, since the seller makes 50 NT for each copy he or she sells. According to the company, the magazine “is a publication especially for people who are on the tramp. By offering an opportunity to earn a living by themselves, The Big Issue attempts to encourage the homeless to recapture their initiative.” “Raise up your hands, rather than just reach out with them.” The Taiwan Operation The Taiwan headquarters of The Big Issue is located at Huashan 1914 Creative Park near the Shandao Temple MRT station. The magazine only has seven local employees, including three editors responsible for the content, two full-time salespeople, and two publishers who are in charge of managing the street sellers. The articles in the magazine are quite diverse and include essays on literature and the arts, current events, environmental issues, and so on. Some of the writers are overseas journalists who send their completed articles to the editors in Taiwan. Because of the small number of employees, the magazine is not able to provide complete training for the street sellers. And they also have trouble keeping these sellers from giving up too easily. “The attitude of homeless people can be very unstable,” said one worker at the issuing center. The Sellers Most of the sellers are elderly or disabled. They are introduced to The Big Issue by social assistance associations and are given a seminar to explain the details of the job. Next, they begin a three-day probation to experience sales work first-hand. For most of these sellers, the job is welcome since it is difficult for them to find ordinary work. “I am glad that I decided to join the magazine and I am very satisfied. After all, I am old and poor,” said one seller. On average they can sell twenty copies a day, and if they are lucky up to thirty copies. But this depends on the locations that you choose. Inevitably, life on the street isn’t easy. Terrible weather, heavy bundles, and the apathetic expressions of pedestrians are frustrations that sellers must confront every day. Their working hours are long, often more than ten hours per day. Standing for such a long time can be difficult for the elderly and the disadvantaged. In conclusion, their work is toilsome and full of challenges – and perhaps even harder than we imagine, because the most arduous part of the job is mustering up the courage to stick with it and to change their lives. These are homeless people who are trying their hardest to pick themselves up! by Robin Lin
Apple, Samsung, HTC… well-known names that pop into your head when you think of smartphones. Small, light, wide-screen, cutting-edge phones with high pixel cameras and many useful apps have swept across the globe. It seems that none of us can live without them even for a moment. However, some people out there are still using old phones with keypads to dial, send text messages, and play music and games. Maybe the man next to you on the MRT is Facebooking with an iPhone, but the student on the other side of you might be playing a mini game on an old-fashioned phone. Is one better than the other? Smart phones are equipped with many apps and can be viewed as a combination of a phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA). High-resolution touchscreens and web browsers seem to be attracting most users. Recent data suggests that people use their smart phones only 54% of the time to make phone calls. This means that the other 46% involves text messaging, checking out the Internet, and playing games. Ken, a 17-year old high school student, said that a smartphone has brought him many benefits. “It’s hard to believe this gadget has totally changed my world, but it did! It’s a good navigator; it’s great when I need to search for information; and it’s the best entertainment when I need to kill time.” Obviously, people are enjoying all these extra functions, not just making phone calls. However, there are always two sides of a question. Yvonne, a 22-year-old college graduate, remarked that “my smart phone is quite good, but actually I don’t really enjoy it now. I found myself easily becoming distracted by so many texts and messages on Facebook. Besides, my doctor told me that I have a ‘texting thumb’ because I am spending too much time touching the screen.” And what about traditional phones? When it comes to functions, they definitely can’t catch up to their smart enemies. So why are people still using them? Brian, a 25-year-old office worker, told us: “First, it’s cheaper. I can’t afford a smart phone on my little salary. Even though they have some discounts, the expenses of making calls are really high. Also, my old phone is more durable; if I drop it it won’t become broken. With a smartphone, maybe the screen will crack or the whole thing will just break down. It will take lots of money to repair it. And I won’t be distracted by texting or having easy access to the Net.” “However, I have to confess,” he added, “I can’t get any information or know what my friends are doing. Nor can I shop online or play interesting games like Angry Birds. It doesn't really matter to me, though.” As I mentioned before, things always have two sides. Smartphones can give you a convenient, fast way of living your daily life, but they can also be a distraction or make you suffer in other ways. If you own a traditional phone, you probably cannot get the latest news or chat with your friends instantly; however, you can focus more on what you’re doing and protect your privacy. After all is said and done, it depends on you: how you use it. No matter which kind you choose, just to make sure it doesn’t get in the way. You are using them, not being used by them! by Briana Leong
Everybody loves an Internet meme. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Memes pleasantly come into our lives, they generously entertain us and all of our friends; they’re conveniently free and accessible. But nowadays, internet memes are a lot more than just a free and easy form of entertainment, they’re viruses of the mind, and we’re unconsciously spreading them. So guess what? We’re all infected by internet memes! The word meme comes from the Greek word “to imitate” and was first described in 1976 by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins as “a self-replicating unit of culture.” Dawkins argued that “cultural ideas can be copied between people, just like genes.” An internet meme then, is an idea or a cultural phenomenon, usually a joke that is spread via the web. There is a specific kind of internet meme known as the image macro. An image macro is defined by Wikipedia as an image superimposed with text for humorous effects. Its caption often consists of intentionally bad grammar or misspelled words as an exaggerated form of humor. Now we’ve all seen image macros before, from the Forever Alone Guy to the Annoying Facebook Girl to faces of Yao Ming and Obama. Our world has been taken up by images of cats, babies, and awkward penguins. Most of us have even shared these images via social networks such as Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook. And why not? They make us laugh, they help us survive the mundane daily routines of our ordinary lives. When boredom sets in in class or at work, scroll, click, click, scroll - and an hour or two have passed. But have you seriously thought about the unique characteristics of image macros as well as the effects they have on us? Marshall McLuhan, regarded as one of the founders of media theory, pointed out in the 1960s that the media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the substance of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. Nicholas Carr, in his book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains, has expressed that his mind now “expects [him] to take in information the way the Internet distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles.” This is understandable as readers worldwide are now struggling to read. We seem to have lost all sense of concentration and focus, we are now unable to read a piece longer than four paragraphs. Our minds are in a state of staccato, we jump from word to word and skim through a long piece of writing. We almost never finish what we’re reading because we won’t return once we exit through a link in the middle of an essay. As Carr puts it, “once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski.” The image macro is perhaps the most representative form of such a swiftly moving stream of particles. Their most addictive character? They’re quick to read and easy to understand. The picture of an image macro serves as a template and together with the superimposed captions, they form millions of ideas that don’t require any form of explanation. One can say that in this way image macros are productively creative and fun. But others feel that they might be dangerous to our minds because they could be easily exploited. An Internet meme has to fulfill two criteria in order to spread and “go viral.” The first is that it must be easily copied; second, it has to be appreciated by a vast audience of Internet users on multiple levels. Image macros are highly volatile, and the picture that serves as the template can be found everywhere. As for the caption, you can write anything you want. But in order to gain popularity and attract sharers, the content has to be appealing to everyone. This is precisely why most image macros deal with stereotypes. Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network, has said that memes “usually take pieces of content from popular culture and take them out of context for their own amusement.” But what happens when these ignorant stereotypes allow such misconceptions to sink into the depths of our brains? Sometimes, the information presented can be inaccurate, the truths can be untrue, and the opinions lopsided and unfair. The bite-size information of image macros has decreased our ability to think critically, to make fair judgments and form substantial opinions. People are becoming a lot more boring and unoriginal. We now have blogs that say nothing aside from image macros, Facebook pages that reveal nothing but a collage of likes and dislikes. Young teens have also expressed that they dislike the collective impact of memes. People are no longer living and creating but turning into ghosts in a world of machines. Image macros have taken over our lives and their popularity is snowballing every day, clogging email inboxes and Facebook newsfeeds. Brad Kim, editor of the famous website, Know Your Meme, remarked that “once limited to an underground subculture of ‘Internet-crazy users,’ image macros now reach anyone with an Internet connection — people young and old, male and female.” Image macros are like highly contagious viruses, transmitting from one person to another. Memes have gone viral and we’re all infected. The future seems pretty gloomy. by Michelle Tsai
As we begin once again to see seniors in graduation gowns wandering through the NTU campus, we begin to meditate on the important life issues facing us at the end of our academic paths. Everybody is bewildered and perplexed about our future careers, so here are some tips for landing a job that seniors have emphasize as a result of their own personal experiences: 1. Take Courses Outside Your Department Chen-Ze Lee majors in Mechanical Engineering and is now an intern at a company not closely related to his major. “Jobs are much more stressful than school,” he remarked, “because of the level of competition. When you’re in school people can tolerate your mistakes, but not on the job. So read more books and take courses outside your own professional field. In addition, prepare some questions you’re confused about and communicate with experienced workers in the field. You can gain a lot from these resources.” 2. Join Clubs Yen-Ting Chen, a Computer Science major and webmaster of a well-known platform for freelance piano composers, was formerly a member of the NTU piano club. “Besides professional courses, you can join clubs to learn other skills which are not core skills in your own department. What’s more, you can learn to smooth a conflict, communicate, negotiate, and cooperate as a team.” 3. Become an Intern K.D. Chang, an Economics major, interns at Globally Buyable 2.0. “Companies put emphasis on making profits, not reading course materials. In school we have fixed schedules and summer vacations. In contrast, firms have only broad earnings seasons. People who are new to a company, like interns, should ask lots of questions and learn as much as they can. However, colleagues are not bound to be your mentors, unlike professors, who are obliged to preach to students.” 4. Become an Overseas Exchange Student Jacky Tsai, who majors in Finance, became an intern at Morgan Stanley in Washington, D.C. “The thing I learned from my internship is that you have to find the job you really love and are interested in, so you can keep your work passionate. As a result, you can come to enjoy your niche and become valuable to the industry. We are in a highly competitive world, and cool companies want top players. How can you become one of them if you dislike what you are doing every day?” 5. Double Major K.D. Chang added: “Before considering your career you should ask yourself first: Who do I want to become? What kind of life do I want to live? After all, the objectives you set will determine how much effort you should pay. The world keeps changing all the time, and if you possess the ability to cross fields or even nations, you can handle any situation with ease.” 6. Participate In Extracurricular Activities Yi-Hung Lin double majors in Medicine and Finance: “There are many lecture series and speeches held at NTU regarding careers such as ‘My Career Path.’ From these you can gain a preliminary understanding of any industry and personal experiences which can benefit you when choosing a job.” 7. Cultivate Logical Thinking Jacky Tsai noted that “attitude is the thing that really matters. We are living in a small world, and your new boss or interviewer can easily learn your reputation from your colleagues or classmates. Be responsible and show your strong willingness to learn whatever projects you have to do.” But don’t worry! Even if you think you have none of the traits outlined above, you can still make an effort to change from now on. Don’t jump off a cliff, put opportunity and luck on your side. As Jacky Tsai put it: “Make yourself into a positive person. Everyone will encounter some difficulties and obstacles, and all of us stumble sometimes. But when you stand up again you will also be a stronger person. Whenever you face the sun your shadow always falls behind you.” |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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