Becoming A Customer

 Human pyschology in approaching purchases - a deal, a package, a commitment, an arrangement or a perceived need - can be fascinating, bewildering or just being held captive.

Try assessing whether you would enter into the following product arrangement.

1.    You pay upfront in money for a promise of services.

2.     The annual charges increase every financial or calender year - and will definitely be charged more if we had breached some detailed promise on our part.

3.     You are asked to disclose personal details of yourself, your lifestyle and your movements before the product is sold to you.
There is no guarantee your privacy is protected in practice in the data base of such providers.

4.    Legislation makes it compulsory for you, your entity or business to have  or require the product.

5.  The people, software robot or website interface you deal with, after buying the product, have a different personality or customer interactive approach after you buy from them.

6.    The contract for such products is purposefully made complex, utilises legalise and high sounding technical terms and has so many pages that turns off most customers from ever reading it.

7.     There have been rogue players in the product sector that you want to deal with.  Gross breaches of contract, uncivil behaviour and unexplained penalties have been landmarks of such providers.

8.    Authorities and governments have declared such providers as too big to fail.

9.    Such providers often hold us as captives by luring us with peanuts and diversions as earning points, making us buy things we do not need and make us wait for a long time before we can claim our membership rewards.   The common thread in such provider programs are getting us to be involved in churning of transactions that add volume and margin to their business.

10.    Promises of payback, claims and refunds of our upfront financial payments are laced with conditions, percentages ans administrative splitting of hairs.

#yongkevthoughts

Coastal Vulnerability

 Which coast of the continental island of Australia is most vulnerable?

It all depends what the Canberra government places its emphasis in the risk matrix.  Is vulnerability translated in terms of population over run, biosecurity invasion, foreign ownership, trading shifts, geopolitical exposure or wartime attacks?

The geographical location of Australia initially denotes remoteness, long distances and a colony-like existence between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.   Unfettered skies offer striking oppprtunities to watch the night maps overhead, conduct nuclear weapon experiments and execution of joint nation military excercises.
Populations cling mainly to the Aussie coast in pockets of suburbia, leaving Indigenous Country mainly seemingly empty but full of mineral resources.

The capital of the Commonwealth of Australia is conveniently shucked like a oyster in the south east, between skiing slopes, agricultural farms, surfing beaches and her economic hubs.  Is the rest of the land open to take over, without much impact for the nation?  Famously during the age of conquest drive from the Japanese Imperial Army in the mid 20th century, the sitting Australian Prime Minister kept secret from the public about Canberra, in the worst of scenario, willing to not defend her territory above an imaginary geographical line above the border between Queensland and New South Wales. This "Brisbane Line" roughly synchronises with the Tropic of Capricorn.

In World War 2, most of the Aussie troops were deployed overseas for the needs of Mother Britain.  In the future, will history repeat for Canberra, utilising most of its offensive and defensive war resources in supporting USA geopolitical wants?  With a population of only around 27 million in 2024, non citizens included in the count, can Canberra have sufficient human power to first take care of Australia's independent strategic interests?

Australian coasts are only a passage for unwelcome intruders on the way to the riches within.

The extensive coast facing the Southern Ocean, say from Tasmania to Albany in WA, historically has been the source of whaling legends, endless desert driving, rich farming lands and ports of refuge (whether for Europeans fleeing religious persecution or 1940s American GIs enjoying a respite of R and R in Melbourne).  In the 21st century, perhaps this is the least vulnerable of Aussie coasts in times of war.

Going clockwise around Australia to Perth, we have the Indian Ocean Highway if we then drive north to Exmouth and onwards to the extensive mining resources in Western Australia ( just below the Nusantara isles like Java and Bali).

Although there is a key naval base near Perth ( HMAS Stirling),the western coast remains primarily exposed to invaders of any kind.  Detection on a timely basis as such is of very low probability.  Any mass scale invasion by foreigners is lust for control of the huge trove of natural resources in the state of Western Australia.

The Northern Territory already increasingly hosts foreign troops, battle arsenal and war prep exercises.
It can be compared to what happened to South Korea, Okinawa and the Phillippines after WW2.

Perhaps Darwin is the star attraction in Australian defence.  It is a built up entry and exit point closest to South East Asia.  South of the city has become a focus for militaries of aligned nations to be a staging point handling perceived or actual threats ( depending on your point of view) to Australia or the allied nations themselves.  The vastness and relative emptiness of the NT are perfect as bases for monitoring the skies for spying on other countries or conducting battles in the stratosphere.

From a major military hub in Townsville to the NSW South Coast ( HMAS  Albatross), the eastern side of Australia has most of the infrastructure, power grids, residential housing, telecommunications and economic veins of the country.    Invasion of such a coast would seriously imply management of masses of people, control of trade and holding hostage of talent and skills.  It can bring a nation to her knees, but logically what a price to pay for such a scenario.

Technology wise and in terms of infrastructure, the eastern seaboard of Australia remains backward, with no high speed train networks, relatively few start ups and scattered centres of biotech.  So what is the attraction for invading such a coast?

To be realistic, Australia is historically and geographically mainly far removed from any action in the Northern Hemisphere.   (Critics point to Pearl Harbour attacks in December 1941to demolish any sense of such security for the USA due to geographical distance).

It has no land borders to contend with.  The South Pacific to its east offers a friendly relative in New Zealand and a host of Polynesian and Melanesian isles.
Canberra always had this opportunity to chart her own destiny but has never done sufficiently in this respect.

Amazingly, Canberra is pretty lax in building up her relationships with South east Asia, particularly Indonesia, with the latter's span of territory from Sumatra to Irian Jaya, almost shaped like an Akruba hat sited north of Australia.

Australia does not need to control any choke points of shipping trade like the major canals of the world. 
It has enough coastal land to accomodate a larger population which can be useful in contributing to a better defensive strategy.

Canberra can think outside the square to adopt a neutrality status like Switzerland  in world affairs.
Australia can better offer itself as a positive beacon for an ever uncertain world, instead of, in the worst circumstances, of being a foot soldier in the military campaigns and strategies waged by
foreigners.


#yongkevthoughts

AI

 

We may no longer require human beings or robots to read the news in broadcasts or telecasts.  Who still allocates a time slot, predetermined by others, to listen or watch what we can read ourselves, at our own leisure on other more accessible mediums?

Instead of focusing on sharing common joy and values, our instant gratification electronic wifi controlled social media can simmer and dwell in arguments, self centred opinions and assertive pushing of agendas.

The contemporary world is bristling with content in the virtual communication universe.   There is freedom to embrace, reject or ignore the views and impressions presented.   Yet, mutual understanding, compromise, tolerance and cooperation can be so much less between different cultures, societies and religions.

The human being can overtax its capability and capacity in use of ears and eyes.  Transactions can be executed without leaving a seated position.  There can be blurred lines between mental, visual and physical reality.

Sophisticated algorithms enable the better application and execution of artificial intelligence.  The outcome is an immediate summation and utilisation of whatever vast amount of data and other information they have access to.  However, can AI apply a much needed layer of ethics, a soul, gut feel, human judgement and instinctive response of a human being?

Robotic service interaction can learn from experience but never have the savvy, perspective and context of human interaction.  Robots and machines can replace
automated, repetitive and mundane transactions.   A human touch is irreplaceable and will be priced even more in the market.

Reflect on processed food, robotic waiters, software driven chats and driverless vehicles.   They can be used to reduce costs and boost profit margins, but increase problems due to the absence of another human interacting with you.

Do you want your daily routine to be filled with AI only?   It is as humiliating as being without the company of a plant or animal day in day out.  Can AI be only as intelligent or developed as human beings allow them to be, or will they evolve to a stage beyond the imagination and control of their human inventors?   AI operates based on energy sources and mechanisms accessible to them - they do not have a life of their own.

What back ups do human societies have in the event of a break down of AI processes?   Will AI possibly contaminate and corrupt the integrity of data, information and skills they own?   When AI calls the shots in the supply of utilities, transport links, finance and trade, surgery procedures and routine diagnosis, supply chains and software that run the wheels of a virtual community, can they hold us to ransom?    The ultimate enemy of human beings can be not another dictator or traditional evil.

One thing though for sure is that AI will know each and all of us better than ourselves.   Will this inherent ability be misused or abused by another human being, corporate or government to help control the masses?  Most likely this is already a reality.

#yongkevthoughts

Interdependencies!

 

When I had an unexpected electrical supply cut:

I did not have wifi to phone the related electricity wholesale supplier for help.

It was single digit temperatures outside during a winter night, so I learnt to appreciate when I could easily keep warm inside by the flick of a switch.

I could not boil kettle water to make a hot drink for comfort - nor cook on the stove top.

I had to depend on battery powered devices to shine a light in the dark.

I had to just read a good book beside a solar garden light, as my electronic interface devices had run out of power - and there was no electricity to recharge the power banks.

I had to take a cold shower and could not do the laundry.

I could not open automatically operated doors, windows or gates.

What do they always say, "Never put all your eggs in one place".

You can still rely on your separate and independent sources of power, away from the commercial grid, if you have them.  As the population grows, as supply chains get disrupted, as the number of suppliers are fewer and more events outside our influence and control arise,  it is more important than ever to update our personal and collective risks.

Do we have a back up choice if petrol prices hit the roof at the bowser?  EVs still require us to use electrical power, the critical question is from.which source do we generate the electric power for such vehicles.

Gas may cause breathing health issues indoors if not used properly, but can be a back up to electricity for hot water and cooking requirements. 

Looking further beyond to diversify your business or personal needs, do you depend on only a single provider for most of your needs? Remember several retail providers, whether in insurance, tourism, telecommunications, food supply, construction or utilities, can be owned by the same parent company - and if the latter collapses, we can find ourselves with the carpet being pulled under.

Large businesses around the world tend to be vertically integrated, owning different parts of the chain of sourcing, production, logistics and sales - so if your business is dependent on such scenarios, do prepare for back ups, not just in supply, transport and parts, but also in the higher risks of being pressured in pricing dynamics.

Review your dependencies, whether in over relying on a small range of markets, customers, suppliers, revenue options, sales channels or only a few large players that can make or break your choices.

#yongkevthoughts

Thoughts on Singapore - On the Cusp of the Future

 

Every society has its
downs and ups. Do we recognise, sharpen and utilise our inherent advantages - and do we counter our disadvantages?

Size of territory, the lack of available natural resources and geopolitical risks can be set off by strategic planning and implementation, quality education for the public, technological value add and having an embedded practical vision for a nation.

Governance can be betrayed by divisive politics, short term manipulation, obsessive diversions, pervasive corruption and undue foreign influence.

Does your goverment cloud you with petty issues, falling standards, band aid solutions and lack of initiative?

Singapore is not just economically rich, but has societal attitudes borne out of its unavoidable deficiencies.
It has developed as a beacon of refuge from instability and as a captivator of talent ignored or under appreciated in other places. 

Singapore does walk on a tightrope between competing interests.  Its colonial heritage, future socio-political development and dependence on an open market are all two edged swords of opportunity and crisis.

Taxes can be low but costs of car ownership and properties prohibitively high.  Spatial freedom can be a challenge for visitors with loads of open space and lower populations from nations with too much land.   Singapore is a world critical transport hub by air and shipping, due partly to its location.
Will it be caught up in a war not of its making but due to its geographical and trading eminence?

#yongkevthoughts

Of Storms and Responsibility

The storm over the metropolitan Sydney area yesterday was pretty cyclonic - and we have had not so much rain so far for the month of March in the Sydney basin since 1942. 

We have always been asked to prepare ahead and to clean out the roof gutters before anything negative occurs. Soil erosion is also an immediate risk, especially if we continue to be deluged every evening. Inadequate drainage is a causative factor behind most flash floods. 

I applaud the work of our State Emergency Services or SES - always mopping up, rescuing people in a time of need and in helping us, also often taking some measure of personal risks themselves.

I have been watching the creek near my place and also noted that downstream this Creek in Fairy Meadow, Wollongong Council has been carrying out dredging activities recently. Good on them. 

The storm risks to my neighbourhood are dislodged roof tiles, as the Illawarra coast faces open ocean winds. 

It is always the perfect storm, king tides, unexpected volume of rainfall, old trees, too much bush and pre-storm existing risks in topography and drainage that combine to create havoc. Insurers can keep mum, politicians often only think of themselves and the official policy of climate change denial make responsible authorities unprepared. 

Modern society, especially in Western nations, can spend more time pampering their individual sensitivities than preventing obvious physical risks to the community. The price to pay falls on the individual consumer, not insurers who can just pass the buck and developers who can build on marginal quality sites.