Category: Language

Checkers Program

Arthur Samuel (IBM) was not a renowned Checkers player, but he developed a system (algorithm and data base) to play against human opponents (with rising level of competence). His program remembered “bad” moves and “good” moves. Over time, the program was able to beat a reasonably good Checkers player.

It was one of the early projects for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Chess Programs

Deep Blue was developed by IBM to compete against Gary Kasparov, World Champion in Chess.

Chess has many more possible moves than Checkers, but IBM hired three Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) graduates who developed Deep Thought (Computer Chess Champion that outplayed other chess programs). One graduate designed and implemented a special chip capable of fast multi-level pruning. The other two, who are knowledgeable in Chess, helped with the software (e.g. database of games and strategies).

Computer History Museum (CHM) had an exhibit on the evolution of Computer Chess and a panel discussion including AI experts and Computer Chess Pioneers.

Go Programs

The complexity of “Go” — which surpasses that of Chess — challenged AI researchers (e.g. Deep / Machine Learning) to develop “Go” systems capable of beating experienced human players.

I joined Toastmasters International over a decade to hone my Public Speaking and Leadership skills.

I completed DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster). I also volunteered as Club Ambassador.

I was a member of five Toastmasters Clubs (not concurrently). Although all clubs follow the general guidelines, they tweak the meeting agenda.

My last club was founded by Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs. It is special in one aspect. It holds a mini “Pitch Practice” on the first meeting of every month and a full Pitch Practice on the middle month of every quarter. One has to state the problem, solution, the differentiators and finally ask for cooperation or funding (as appropriate). All in two minutes or less.

There were no Toastmasters clubs in Myanmar. There have been TEDx talks for three years or so.

In our younger days, there was a Rotary Club which had a public speaking component.

In a previous year, three women set the record by placing First, Second and Third in the “World Championship of Public Speaking”. It has been a decade since there was a woman Champion. The runner-up was from China. The winner and third place winner were from the USA.

In the past few years, the winners were from Asia and the Middle East.

Listening and evaluation are important in communications.

During our High School days, we had a visiting Brother. He told a story and asked us to repeat the tongue twister.

“A city, which was plagued with pickpockets, asked someone to tackle the problem. The problem went away. How and Why?

When he saw a pickpocket
pick the pocket of a man
he picked the pocket of the pickpocket
and put the pickings
in the pocket of the man
whose pocket the pickpocket had picked. “

Uzin Aung Chaw (Victor, C69) added :

When he saw the pickpocket picked the pocket, he picked the pocket of the pickpocket and repocket the pickings into the pocket whose pocket was picked by the pickpocket.

Ashin Pannagavesaka wrote :

The very first one I ever learnt was: She sells seashells on the seashore!
Another one from our primary school days was: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. So, if Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled 🌶 peppers, where is the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Type of games

• Athletic games (Badminton, Football, Hockey)
• Board games (Checkers, Chess, Scrabble)
• Card games (Bridge, Solitaire)
• Word games (Lexicon, Scrabble)

Obsolete games

With the advent of the Internet and sophisticated games, the following games are obsolete.

• Gin (Top)
• Doe (Gon Nyin)
• Htoke Si
• Tug o war
• Kite flying
• Phunn Khone Dann
• Hide and Seek
• Treasure Hunt
• Fizz Buzz
• Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?
• Simple Simon Says
• Musical Chairs
• River Jordan
• Rope Skipping
• Limbo
• London Bridge is falling down
• Blind Man’s Buff
• Hokey Pokey
• Whispering
• Charade

Old Games

• Thone Pone Phair
• Ket
• Mah Jong
• Follow the leader
• Fizz Buzz
• Marbles
• Sit Tu Yin (Burmese Chess)
• Chinese Checkers
• Chinese Chess
• Pontoon
• Foosball

Dr. Nyunt Wai commented that Message should be more important than Messenger (e.g. media, format).

Keynote speakers also emphasize on the importance of Message. What is the key take away from the Keynote Speech? Videos, slides, humor … are entertaining, but without a memorable idea to act upon, a speech is usually not memorable.

Story Telling is powerful, informative, aspiring, educational, entertaining …

Books, movies, music, arts, history, archaeology, … leverage the art of Story Telling.

Thanks to my Thin Sayas, Myin Sayas and Kyar Sayas for helping me learn and develop the art of Story Telling.

• Action
  End a presentation with “Call for Action”
• Audience
  Know your audience
  Fine tune your presentation to match the audience
• Audio Quality
  Check the speaker system
  Appropriate volume
• Constructive criticism
  Use applicable suggestions from past presentations
• Coverage
  Breadth
  Depth
• Dress
  Formal
  Semi-formal
  Informal
• Message
• Persuasion
• Presentation
  Use appropriate technique
• Props
  if relevant (and allowed)
• Strengths
• Video Quality
  Check the video system
• Weaknesses
  for improvement

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2025

Authors and Poets

In our younger days, there were some aspiring Mixed Language Authors and Poets.

Sample

If you want the Du Wun Kye
I ta kei bin sutt pay mei
Love hmar lar kwe A chit ye

Loose rendition in English

If you want the Northern Star
I really will pluck it [from the sky for you]
Will you love me My dearest

Most quoted verse

U Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70) wrote : I remember reading the “probably most quoted” Mixed Language verse in an old Burmese magazine.

When I see a pyo ka-nya.
I will go to hto ney yar.
when I give her yee zar sar,
she will give me khon ba nat sar.

Probably someone’s real life episode.

Jataka Tale

It started with

One day Lay Gyi Moe Gyi Kya
Maha Za Net Ka
Thinn Baw Paw ka Khone Cha.

Seven, seven days later
Mei Kha Lar come and save

To the Kyauk Phyar
…

Loose rendition

One day [there was turbulence in the high sea]
Forceful winds & Heavy rain
Maha Janaka
from [the upper deck of the troubled ship]
dived into the ocean

A week later [seeing Janaka raging against the rough weather]
Ma Ni Mei Kha Lar [a guardian deity]
came [and offered] to save him

[Janaka later found himself]
on a stone “bed”
…

• We are familiar with Conventional Wisdom.
• Sometimes, it pays to try something unconventional.

Euclid

• Euclid proposed five Postulates, which form the foundation of Euclidean Geometry.
• Some mathematicians questioned whether the Fifth Postulate (aka Parallel Postulate) was needed. It gave birth to Non-Euclidean Geometry (used in Navigation).

Newton

• Sir Isaac Newton formulated the Laws of Motion.
• High school texts describe three Laws of Motion.
• Some questioned if two laws are sufficient.
  The following is their reasoning:
  Force = Mass x Acceleration
  If there is no Force, there can be no Acceleration.
  It implies that the Velocity remains constant.
  If the initial state is stationary, the object continues to be in that state. If the object is in motion, the object continues to move with that velocity.
• One law can be deduced (using First Principles) by another law.

Physics

• The size and the speed of the object effect the “Laws of Motion”.
• Classical Physics, which was Conventional Wisdom for its time, gave way to Modern Physics (including Quantum Mechanics).

Grace Murray Hopper

• Rear Admiral (One Star General) Grace Murray Hopper is a Pioneer & Prime Mover in Computers and Computing.
• She won the prestigious ACM Turing Award.
• ACM also have the Grace Murray Hopper Award for outstanding young computer scientists who had a significant contribution before the age of 30.
• She is credited with coining the term “Bug” for a computer (hardware or software) failure.
• She does not like the word, “It’s always been done that way.”
  She has a clock which runs in the reverse direction of conventional clocks.

Technical Obsoloscence

You are an oldie if you have used the following:

• Blackboard
• Carbon paper
• Chalk
• Eraser
• Exercise Book
• Ferrite Core Memory
• Floppy Disk
• Gestener
• Punched Card
• Punched Paper Tape
• Rotary Phone
• Slate
• Slide rule
• Telephone Kiosk
• Typewriter
• Vinyl Record

Some are on display in museums and at vintage fairs.

Bookshops

During our school days, SPHS has its own book shop.

Later, we bought books from Ava House and the RIT Book shop. The official exchange rate was five kyats to a US Dollar. For books, the price was converted using six kyats to a Dollar.

Exercise Books

The exercise books are available in different sizes. They range from 40 pages to 200 pages.

An exercise book with 80 pages costs around 50 pyas.

The exercise book brought over to the US by Ko Benny Tan (M70) shows

• the badges of the Universities and Institutes under the then New Education System
• the badge of Trade Corporation (9) Rangoon
• Ko Benny’s other names
• subject name.

Inside the book is the calligraphy of Angelina Tan (his personal copier and sweet heart),

The exercise book was put on display at SPZP-2000.

Ko Benny was a Golden Sponsor, designer of mementos and co-Chair of the Working Committee for SPZP-2000.