My First Video Log - BlackSwan

This is my first video Log, I talked here about the theory of BlackSwan.

Enjoy

A Proposal to Replace Geo-Database Replication

No it’s not Virus replication am referring to here, its Database replication. For those who don't know what Replication is, in sharing information, the process of keeping the duplicated sources of data in sync is called Replication.

Let’s say I have a team updating a database and another team who must work on the same database but unfortunately not in the office, they are on the field.

The concept is easy, make a copy the database on the field team handheld/mobile devices and let them update it, when they come back to the office we detect only the changes between the office database and the field database and import only those changes. The changes are usually called the delta records.

This process is called replication. This process has caused some problems previously

DBMSs allow you to replicate a part of the database or the entire database.


Back to the Roots
So Replication was invented by the database vendors for this main reason, keeping things insync. Why field users don't update the database directly by connecting to the Internet and save all this delta changes hassle. Performance is one reason, security and consistency are other reasons.

Lets Enhance this Architecture
Let’s go back to the roots and try to re-invent the wheel here. Why updating the office database from the field is slow? Because whatever Database software you are using, is designed in a way that allows high interactivity between the client and the server that work on LAN network perfectly. Thus it’s slow for limited Internet connection.

If we redesigned this software or at least created an interface for thin clients, depending on compressing heavy objects or sending named objects instead of heavy ones or even serializing the objects. All this summed would create a more convenient environment for field users and will also create a centralized up to date database.

VIVA Bahrain creates a Tipping Point for Nokia 1202

Just after the buzz over the launch of VIVA Bahrain starts to drop and their remarkable offer ( Free SMS/Calls to any VIVA number) coming to an end soon, U noticed lot of people start carrying a second (or third phone). 90% of the time this phone was Nokia 1202.

This small pattern reminded me of a book I read 2 months ago called the Tipping Point for Malcolm Gladwell. The tipping point is a point at which things get nuts without any apparent or enforced reason. For example sales goes up suddenly without any Marketing campaign, Crime level gets low without any increase in the police force, etc. Usually the reasons behind a tipping point share 2 properties, randomness and effectiveness.


So What happened?
When VIVA launched their offer, people start getting the free SIM card. Looking for a temporary cheap phone available, they all seem to stumble upon this Nokia 1202 with a cost of BD 9. They buy it, mobile shops noticing this particular phone sell the most, order even more creating an epidemic.

I know this barely affect Nokia profit, but it was a pattern worth noticing.

I really find the Tipping point is just another alias of the BlackSwan introduced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. A theory I will write about in another post.