David Zen's Blog, page 2
December 25, 2015
Anger & Wrath: Two Very Different Emotions
A recent article in the Financial Times about 'good' anger reminded me of a lecture on anger that I attended several years ago at a small Buddhist center in Wimbledon. The lecture, delivered by a Buddhist monk, was about the dangers of anger and the benefits of letting it go -- related to the broader message of letting go of anguish that is central to Buddhism. I broadly agreed, and agree now, with these points.
But I found myself wondering as I listened to the monk, why is it part of human nature to feel anger? There must be a purpose. And the purpose, it seemed apparent as I sat listening, is to show others when they have crossed beyond the limits of proper behavior. Such signals have clear value as a defense mechanism, to assert authority, and for other purposes.
After the lecture, I approached the monk to test my hypothesis on the purpose of anger. He nodded, and responded something like this:"In Buddhism, we talk about 'anger' and 'wrath'. Anger is a dangerous emotion that interferes with right action. Wrath is a different, allowing us to show our moral outrage without debilitating anger."
This distinction between anger and wrath is an important one. The two emotions are very different, divided as the monk observed by whether they take over our ordinary rational behavior. As an evolved reflex, it makes sense for humans to be engineered to show beneficial wrath through the trigger of anger. But the two emotions need not go together. The ability to show appropriate wrath without debilitating anger is an important skill for an advanced being.
But I found myself wondering as I listened to the monk, why is it part of human nature to feel anger? There must be a purpose. And the purpose, it seemed apparent as I sat listening, is to show others when they have crossed beyond the limits of proper behavior. Such signals have clear value as a defense mechanism, to assert authority, and for other purposes.
After the lecture, I approached the monk to test my hypothesis on the purpose of anger. He nodded, and responded something like this:"In Buddhism, we talk about 'anger' and 'wrath'. Anger is a dangerous emotion that interferes with right action. Wrath is a different, allowing us to show our moral outrage without debilitating anger."
This distinction between anger and wrath is an important one. The two emotions are very different, divided as the monk observed by whether they take over our ordinary rational behavior. As an evolved reflex, it makes sense for humans to be engineered to show beneficial wrath through the trigger of anger. But the two emotions need not go together. The ability to show appropriate wrath without debilitating anger is an important skill for an advanced being.
December 13, 2015
Artificial Intelligence and Our Emotions
There is a large amount of interest (maybe hype?) in the business and investment world these days about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine intelligence (MI). These areas are related: AI focusing on replication of human intelligence while MI (which subsumes AI) using computer processing to address a broad set of data-intensive problems with approaches that may or may not be human-like.
I personally have been investing in companies whose business models center on MI, including Sparrho, Lexoo and Contego, and I'm currently considering Qlearsite. And beyond these and other companies' near-in efforts to solve particular business problems with MI, I have been following with interest the debate on further out questions about what AI and MI hold for the future of society. A fascinating aspect of this is how computers can interact with and/or replicate our emotions.
I am not among those like Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and Nick Bostrom who perceive existential risk to humanity from AI. While the fears of the singularity and similar phenomena are not fanciful, they are (in my view) too far out, with too many technical barriers and defenses in the way, for us to engage in hand-wringing now. But I do agree that debating these issues is important and interesting.
Computers are already intruding into how we experience reality, including our emotions. I have previously blogged about Start-Ups Offering Mind-Altering Technologies. One of the companies Thync that I mentioned in that blog has now launched its product and claims to be getting great customer results in providing energy, calm, mindfulness, fitness and sleep. Authors like Nick Bostrom and Nate Soares have asked whether we can teach ethics to an AI, and Cambridge University has just launched a center focusing on ethical issues for AI. More philosophically we wonder whether an AI can experience genuine emotion (I recommend the film Ex Machina on this point). Technology and research in these areas will certainly continue to advance (some of the most popular channels of my investee Sparrho, which aggregates and recommends science content, focus on MI and neuroscience).
I have explored my own take on these issues, and my interest in the nature of reality, from a business perspective in my second novel Enlightenment Inc.. The novel spins out the implications of a simple, addictive application that significantly changes the way users perceive reality. I am now looking for an agent and publisher for this novel (any leads are welcome), and want to make sure I get it into print before reality again begins closely imitating my fiction.
I personally have been investing in companies whose business models center on MI, including Sparrho, Lexoo and Contego, and I'm currently considering Qlearsite. And beyond these and other companies' near-in efforts to solve particular business problems with MI, I have been following with interest the debate on further out questions about what AI and MI hold for the future of society. A fascinating aspect of this is how computers can interact with and/or replicate our emotions.
I am not among those like Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and Nick Bostrom who perceive existential risk to humanity from AI. While the fears of the singularity and similar phenomena are not fanciful, they are (in my view) too far out, with too many technical barriers and defenses in the way, for us to engage in hand-wringing now. But I do agree that debating these issues is important and interesting.
Computers are already intruding into how we experience reality, including our emotions. I have previously blogged about Start-Ups Offering Mind-Altering Technologies. One of the companies Thync that I mentioned in that blog has now launched its product and claims to be getting great customer results in providing energy, calm, mindfulness, fitness and sleep. Authors like Nick Bostrom and Nate Soares have asked whether we can teach ethics to an AI, and Cambridge University has just launched a center focusing on ethical issues for AI. More philosophically we wonder whether an AI can experience genuine emotion (I recommend the film Ex Machina on this point). Technology and research in these areas will certainly continue to advance (some of the most popular channels of my investee Sparrho, which aggregates and recommends science content, focus on MI and neuroscience).
I have explored my own take on these issues, and my interest in the nature of reality, from a business perspective in my second novel Enlightenment Inc.. The novel spins out the implications of a simple, addictive application that significantly changes the way users perceive reality. I am now looking for an agent and publisher for this novel (any leads are welcome), and want to make sure I get it into print before reality again begins closely imitating my fiction.
October 19, 2015
China and the UK -- Friendship or Confrontation
With the visit of China's President Xi Jinping to the UK this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne have been visibly eager to please Mr Xi and pursue closer commercial ties with China. They hold out hope of a "golden decade" with China. This has drawn criticism from various quarters that the UK government is bowing to Chinese power, with the US and other western allies of the UK being particularly vocal.
I strongly support the UK initiative, because the potential commercial and cultural benefits of close cooperation with China are massive. I need not spell these out here. There is little or nothing to gain from petty politics, like the short-sighted decision last year of the US not to cooperate with China's proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The other side of the coin is whether the UK is wrongly surrendering its position on important issues of global politics (such as Chinese territorial ambitions in the South China Sea) and human rights (such as Chinese conduct in Tibet and Xinjiang, the latter visited by George Osborne on his recent trip to China). These are of course important issues, but they are not ones on which confrontation with China is the necessarily the right course. Indeed, the UK will be better able to engage constructively on such issues from a position of cooperation with China. A recent post on the China Global Impact blog put it well: "We have an opportunity to use China’s needs to our advantage. Instead of seeing dubious motives behind China’s moves, we should recognise that it is their needs that provide the UK with opportunity."
Importantly, commercial cooperation with China does not mean that the UK somehow surrenders its democratic political values (although this point of view might reasonably be challenged with respect to Tibet). On this, an article today in the Financial Times concluded aptly: "Sharp differences between the two countries’ political systems, diplomatic alliances and attitudes toward human rights suggest that no matter how well choreographed the current mood of bonhomie may be, future ruptures are virtually assured. Nevertheless, the size of the potential commercial opportunity is such that the UK is justified in rolling out the reddest of red carpets for the Chinese Communist leader this week."
I strongly support the UK initiative, because the potential commercial and cultural benefits of close cooperation with China are massive. I need not spell these out here. There is little or nothing to gain from petty politics, like the short-sighted decision last year of the US not to cooperate with China's proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The other side of the coin is whether the UK is wrongly surrendering its position on important issues of global politics (such as Chinese territorial ambitions in the South China Sea) and human rights (such as Chinese conduct in Tibet and Xinjiang, the latter visited by George Osborne on his recent trip to China). These are of course important issues, but they are not ones on which confrontation with China is the necessarily the right course. Indeed, the UK will be better able to engage constructively on such issues from a position of cooperation with China. A recent post on the China Global Impact blog put it well: "We have an opportunity to use China’s needs to our advantage. Instead of seeing dubious motives behind China’s moves, we should recognise that it is their needs that provide the UK with opportunity."
Importantly, commercial cooperation with China does not mean that the UK somehow surrenders its democratic political values (although this point of view might reasonably be challenged with respect to Tibet). On this, an article today in the Financial Times concluded aptly: "Sharp differences between the two countries’ political systems, diplomatic alliances and attitudes toward human rights suggest that no matter how well choreographed the current mood of bonhomie may be, future ruptures are virtually assured. Nevertheless, the size of the potential commercial opportunity is such that the UK is justified in rolling out the reddest of red carpets for the Chinese Communist leader this week."
October 4, 2015
Traditional v Self Publishing -- A Personal View
Self-publishing is really on the rise, particularly for ebooks. This is evident both in the statistics (such as this recent report by AuthorEarnings) and anecdotally. I attend the monthly Byte the Book digital publishing salon in London's Soho, and it's all about independent and self-publishing opportunities, and how traditional publishers are not providing a good deal for most authors.
However, as I near completion of my second novel, I continue to aspire to move from self-publishing (I used CompletelyNovel for The Deal: 交易 Jiāo Yì) to traditional publishing. This was really brought home to me through a Writers & Artists event that I just attended How to Hook an Agent. There are two big, and related, reasons for me to take this route.
First, I am an international lawyer and investor by profession (although I now also devote a fair amount of time to my novels). My scarce commodity is time, not money. So the better economics of self-publishing are not particularly relevant for me, especially since I don't have time to do the marketing that makes self-publishing work. I know traditional publishers also now do less and less marketing (other than for their top authors), but I have an intuition that I would do better financially and much better in terms of distribution and attention if I can find a good traditional publisher.
Second, at the Writers & Artists event, I was impressed by the idea of a long-term relationship with a well-connected and energetic agent. It seems well worth it to give 15% of my writing income to a person whose focus and incentive is to build my career. I also like the idea of having the additional, educated set of opinions on my team, to help me set direction for future writing and explore new opportunities (for example, I immodestly believe that my first two novels could translate to excellent movie scripts).
Fingers crossed that I will soon find the perfect agent and take my nascent work as a novelist to the next level.
However, as I near completion of my second novel, I continue to aspire to move from self-publishing (I used CompletelyNovel for The Deal: 交易 Jiāo Yì) to traditional publishing. This was really brought home to me through a Writers & Artists event that I just attended How to Hook an Agent. There are two big, and related, reasons for me to take this route.
First, I am an international lawyer and investor by profession (although I now also devote a fair amount of time to my novels). My scarce commodity is time, not money. So the better economics of self-publishing are not particularly relevant for me, especially since I don't have time to do the marketing that makes self-publishing work. I know traditional publishers also now do less and less marketing (other than for their top authors), but I have an intuition that I would do better financially and much better in terms of distribution and attention if I can find a good traditional publisher.
Second, at the Writers & Artists event, I was impressed by the idea of a long-term relationship with a well-connected and energetic agent. It seems well worth it to give 15% of my writing income to a person whose focus and incentive is to build my career. I also like the idea of having the additional, educated set of opinions on my team, to help me set direction for future writing and explore new opportunities (for example, I immodestly believe that my first two novels could translate to excellent movie scripts).
Fingers crossed that I will soon find the perfect agent and take my nascent work as a novelist to the next level.
June 17, 2015
Healthy at Age 80 -- Part II
Several years ago, I conceived of goal that I call "healthy at 80". My first blog on this describes what I mean by the goal, and how I started to pursue it. I promised updates and this is the first.
The most important thing I have observed is that a healthy lifestyle becomes easier over time as it becomes habit. The main actions I have been taking to be healthy at 80 continue to involve diet and yoga, and these are now simply part of my life. My cholesterol levels declined even further a year after the initial 25% drop -- I assume as a result of consistently good diet.
I have a few related observations. First, yoga is an excellent practice to gradually quiet the mind and encourage mindfulness/presence. I had tea this week with an old friend who has practised meditation for 25 years. She observed that different people find different practices useful to encourage mindfulness, and that it makes sense to choose a practice that works for you.
Second, an also on the theme of individuality, I have been learning about the rapidly developing science of the personal microbiome of gut bacteria. Apparently, the microbiome differs hugely between people, and has a major influence on how we process foods. So the right diet is also likely to a very personal matter.
I seem to have chosen a path to long-term health that is working for me, but I will keep monitoring and adjusting it -- and blogging about anything important that I observe!
The most important thing I have observed is that a healthy lifestyle becomes easier over time as it becomes habit. The main actions I have been taking to be healthy at 80 continue to involve diet and yoga, and these are now simply part of my life. My cholesterol levels declined even further a year after the initial 25% drop -- I assume as a result of consistently good diet.
I have a few related observations. First, yoga is an excellent practice to gradually quiet the mind and encourage mindfulness/presence. I had tea this week with an old friend who has practised meditation for 25 years. She observed that different people find different practices useful to encourage mindfulness, and that it makes sense to choose a practice that works for you.
Second, an also on the theme of individuality, I have been learning about the rapidly developing science of the personal microbiome of gut bacteria. Apparently, the microbiome differs hugely between people, and has a major influence on how we process foods. So the right diet is also likely to a very personal matter.
I seem to have chosen a path to long-term health that is working for me, but I will keep monitoring and adjusting it -- and blogging about anything important that I observe!
April 11, 2015
Start-Up Investing -- Three Key Questions
When I consider investments in early-stage start-ups, there are three key questions that I ask:
1. Product - Does the company serve a real need in a way that can provide sustainable competitive advantage?
2. Team - Does it have a great team, led by a first-class CEO?
3. Market Economics - Can it grow into a sizable market in a way that is scalable (i.e. revenues grow significantly faster than costs)?
The answer to all three questions must usually be 'Yes' before I will even consider an investment. (There are some exceptions -- e.g. for companies that can generate income quickly at moderate risk, like some property companies.) I also usually reject investments in markets that I do not understand very well (again with the exception that I am sometimes willing to rely on someone trusted who does understand the market).
A key reason for applying these rules is that in start-up investing, avoiding mistakes is just as important as picking winners. All of my problem investments have been ones that could have been screened out if I had properly asked the 3 questions above. This is sometimes hard to do, and investing is a learning process.
I have developed these questions from my own experience, and the views of others, including:
- John Mullins, The New Business Road Test: What Entrepeneurs and Executives Should Do Before Writing a Business Plan
- W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne, Blue Ocean Strategy: How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant
- Peter Thiel, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
- Russell Buckley of Ballpark Ventures, in a recent speech to Harvard Business School Angels.
And as in other areas I expect I will keep learning.
1. Product - Does the company serve a real need in a way that can provide sustainable competitive advantage?
2. Team - Does it have a great team, led by a first-class CEO?
3. Market Economics - Can it grow into a sizable market in a way that is scalable (i.e. revenues grow significantly faster than costs)?
The answer to all three questions must usually be 'Yes' before I will even consider an investment. (There are some exceptions -- e.g. for companies that can generate income quickly at moderate risk, like some property companies.) I also usually reject investments in markets that I do not understand very well (again with the exception that I am sometimes willing to rely on someone trusted who does understand the market).
A key reason for applying these rules is that in start-up investing, avoiding mistakes is just as important as picking winners. All of my problem investments have been ones that could have been screened out if I had properly asked the 3 questions above. This is sometimes hard to do, and investing is a learning process.
I have developed these questions from my own experience, and the views of others, including:
- John Mullins, The New Business Road Test: What Entrepeneurs and Executives Should Do Before Writing a Business Plan
- W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne, Blue Ocean Strategy: How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant
- Peter Thiel, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
- Russell Buckley of Ballpark Ventures, in a recent speech to Harvard Business School Angels.
And as in other areas I expect I will keep learning.
March 24, 2015
Chinese Overseas Investment Grows and Changes
I have written often as an investor about the growth of Chinese outbound investment in Europe and the United States -- such as here and here. This trend continues to accelerate. For example, a Financial Times article yesterday reported that large Chinese financial companies are looking to convince the Chinese government to make it much easier over time for Chinese investors to access international markets.
Cross-border investment to China provides the backdrop for my novel The Deal, and I expect that Chinese outbound investment will feature in future novels -- although my second novel focuses primarily on the United States (with various global linkages).
There are several drivers of the growth of Chinese overseas investment (and changes in investment focus within this overall trend), including:
1. Diversification. Chinese investors are looking to diversify away from a slowing Chinese economy. Individual Chinese in particular want to protect assets from arbitrary government action, including as part of President Xi Jinping's aggressive anti-corruption campaign.
2. Access to Technology. As the Chinese economy continues to move from low-cost manufacturing to sectors requiring greater technological sophistication, access to western technology is important. Chinese companies and universities are becoming better at technological innovation, but they still lag the West.
3. Economic Rebalancing. Related to the previous point, as China rebalances from an export-led manufacturing economy towards a consumption-led and service-based economy, the focus of foreign investment by Chinese companies is less on natural resources (although this remains important) and more on other sectors. On the other hand, food production will remain a major focus of foreign investment, since food security will remain an important issue in China.
4. Increasing Sophistication. As individual Chinese investors become more sophisticated, they are changing from a primary focus on familiar investments (particularly foreign property in cities like London and New York) to a wider variety of investments.
Cross-border investment to China provides the backdrop for my novel The Deal, and I expect that Chinese outbound investment will feature in future novels -- although my second novel focuses primarily on the United States (with various global linkages).
There are several drivers of the growth of Chinese overseas investment (and changes in investment focus within this overall trend), including:
1. Diversification. Chinese investors are looking to diversify away from a slowing Chinese economy. Individual Chinese in particular want to protect assets from arbitrary government action, including as part of President Xi Jinping's aggressive anti-corruption campaign.
2. Access to Technology. As the Chinese economy continues to move from low-cost manufacturing to sectors requiring greater technological sophistication, access to western technology is important. Chinese companies and universities are becoming better at technological innovation, but they still lag the West.
3. Economic Rebalancing. Related to the previous point, as China rebalances from an export-led manufacturing economy towards a consumption-led and service-based economy, the focus of foreign investment by Chinese companies is less on natural resources (although this remains important) and more on other sectors. On the other hand, food production will remain a major focus of foreign investment, since food security will remain an important issue in China.
4. Increasing Sophistication. As individual Chinese investors become more sophisticated, they are changing from a primary focus on familiar investments (particularly foreign property in cities like London and New York) to a wider variety of investments.
March 9, 2015
Start-Ups Offering Mind-Altering Technologies
I have started to notice start-ups promising that their technologies will change the way we perceive the world. This started with virtual reality (VR) displays led by Google Glass (recently temporarily abandoned by Google) and Facebook's Oculus Rift. And recently things have started to get a lot more interesting.
Magic Leap claims to be taking VR to the next level by building an interface using their 'Digital Lightfield' display technology that will "deliver experiences that are so unique, so unexpected, so never-been-seen-before, they can only be described as magical". They have even brought on board well-known sci-fi author Neal Stephenson as their 'Chief Futurist'.
And Thync plans to move beyond interfaces to actually change the way we think. It promises to "use neurosignaling to induce shifts in energy and calm states within minutes".
Start-ups like these are certainly just the tip of the iceberg of a future in which technology will become more and more integrated over the coming decades into the way we think and perceive the world. The Google Glass website now says "The Journey Doesn't End Here"--Google will certainly be back with more, as will many other established companies and start-ups.
I have been thinking about these issues for some time, and am now ready to spill the beans that my second novel is about a California start-up that's in this space in a particularly interesting and dangerous way. I am nearly done with a second draft of the novel, and hope to be pushing it towards publication soon. Watch this space for more information.
Magic Leap claims to be taking VR to the next level by building an interface using their 'Digital Lightfield' display technology that will "deliver experiences that are so unique, so unexpected, so never-been-seen-before, they can only be described as magical". They have even brought on board well-known sci-fi author Neal Stephenson as their 'Chief Futurist'.
And Thync plans to move beyond interfaces to actually change the way we think. It promises to "use neurosignaling to induce shifts in energy and calm states within minutes".
Start-ups like these are certainly just the tip of the iceberg of a future in which technology will become more and more integrated over the coming decades into the way we think and perceive the world. The Google Glass website now says "The Journey Doesn't End Here"--Google will certainly be back with more, as will many other established companies and start-ups.
I have been thinking about these issues for some time, and am now ready to spill the beans that my second novel is about a California start-up that's in this space in a particularly interesting and dangerous way. I am nearly done with a second draft of the novel, and hope to be pushing it towards publication soon. Watch this space for more information.
January 23, 2015
Will We Be Poorer and Less Equal?
Over three years ago, I blogged about the inevitability that Western democracies will become poorer, and more unequal. I’ll pat myself on the back for being at least a little prescient about an issue that is now getting a lot of attention.
In his celebrated book Capital in the Twenty-First Century published last year, Thomas Piketty provided detailed evidence that inequality is happening, and offered an economic theory to explain why—involving the relative growth rates of economic growth and growth of capital. Two other things in the past week reminded me of this phenomenon.
First were news reports of reduced global growth forecasts by the International Monetary Fund, driven largely by slowing growth in China. The Asian superpower, which remains the biggest engine of global growth, is also one of the world’s most unequal countries. Growing inequality is not just a problem in the West.
Second, I attended a lecture in London by former Harvard president and Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury Lawrence Summers. His thesis was that Western democracies cannot remain stable without the promise of growing middle class incomes and opportunity, and he questioned whether Europe is taking the steps needed to promote continued prosperity.
I find myself wondering whether we are too late. The global elite who seem to be in control hardly seem likely to willingly give up their increasingly privileged position—Oxfam has just reported that the top 1% now own more assets than the bottom 99%. I work with such people often, and it’s generally not out of malice that they hold onto power and assets—indeed I see a lot of philanthropy. It’s just that the people who control a system stacked in their favor have no incentive to change it. And the challenges of resources—especially the global climate and the need to feed a global population that continues to grow rapidly—make the problem all the more intractable.
There are reasons for hope that a better path forward will emerge. Lawrence Summers predicted in his lecture that the solutions will lie in technological change, and others like Peter Thiel (Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future) and Amory Lovins (Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era) have suggested the same. I hope they are right. And while we wait to find out, I hope that people will increasingly pay attention to the increasingly clear messages that growth is not an absolute good, and that wealth must be shared.
In his celebrated book Capital in the Twenty-First Century published last year, Thomas Piketty provided detailed evidence that inequality is happening, and offered an economic theory to explain why—involving the relative growth rates of economic growth and growth of capital. Two other things in the past week reminded me of this phenomenon.
First were news reports of reduced global growth forecasts by the International Monetary Fund, driven largely by slowing growth in China. The Asian superpower, which remains the biggest engine of global growth, is also one of the world’s most unequal countries. Growing inequality is not just a problem in the West.
Second, I attended a lecture in London by former Harvard president and Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury Lawrence Summers. His thesis was that Western democracies cannot remain stable without the promise of growing middle class incomes and opportunity, and he questioned whether Europe is taking the steps needed to promote continued prosperity.
I find myself wondering whether we are too late. The global elite who seem to be in control hardly seem likely to willingly give up their increasingly privileged position—Oxfam has just reported that the top 1% now own more assets than the bottom 99%. I work with such people often, and it’s generally not out of malice that they hold onto power and assets—indeed I see a lot of philanthropy. It’s just that the people who control a system stacked in their favor have no incentive to change it. And the challenges of resources—especially the global climate and the need to feed a global population that continues to grow rapidly—make the problem all the more intractable.
There are reasons for hope that a better path forward will emerge. Lawrence Summers predicted in his lecture that the solutions will lie in technological change, and others like Peter Thiel (Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future) and Amory Lovins (Reinventing Fire: Bold Business Solutions for the New Energy Era) have suggested the same. I hope they are right. And while we wait to find out, I hope that people will increasingly pay attention to the increasingly clear messages that growth is not an absolute good, and that wealth must be shared.
December 24, 2014
Chinese Corruption: Truth Gets Even Closer to My Fiction
I recently posted about the surprising resemblance between corrupt conduct in China revealed in the trial of Liu Tienan and the corruption described in my novel The Deal: 交易 Jiao Yi. Now, an even more striking resemblance has been reported.
In The Deal, one of the key enablers of the central corruption involves weaknesses in the Chinese property registration system. This week, the Chinese government announced updates to that system as part of its anti-corruption drive. Score one for me for seeing that coming, I think!
For readers to whom this all sounds a little technical, I offer the assurance that the point of The Deal (and my planned future novels -- including one in progress) is that issues like this in international transactions can lead to very exciting intrigue. As I say often, I am trying to do for novels about international deals what John Grisham has done for novels about the law. So of course I add interesting characters, sex and the like to help keep the pages turning.
In The Deal, one of the key enablers of the central corruption involves weaknesses in the Chinese property registration system. This week, the Chinese government announced updates to that system as part of its anti-corruption drive. Score one for me for seeing that coming, I think!
For readers to whom this all sounds a little technical, I offer the assurance that the point of The Deal (and my planned future novels -- including one in progress) is that issues like this in international transactions can lead to very exciting intrigue. As I say often, I am trying to do for novels about international deals what John Grisham has done for novels about the law. So of course I add interesting characters, sex and the like to help keep the pages turning.
