a priori thinking

Nobel prize–winner and game theory pioneer Reinhard Selten observed that people work diligently to be rational ex post. That is, we commonly look back at how a situation played out to try and understand how a better outcome might have been achieved. This contrasts with a game theory approach in which the goal is to develop a strategy that will lead to that better outcome a priori.

7 December 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

Some notes on people skills and emotional intelligence – 1

Five essential people skills: rapport building curiosity communication ambition and conflict resolution Assertiveness: the ability to speak and act in ways that naturally cause people to respond attentively and positively. Use phrases like “You could be right about that. . . .” or “I understand how you feel. . . .” Keep a diary of aggressive and passive behaviour on your part. …

7 December 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

Writings of an Anglican bishop

I am reminded of the writings of an Anglican bishop: When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world; As I grew older and wiser I realised the world would not change. And I decided to shorten my sights somewhat and change only my country. But it too seemed immovable. As I entered my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I sought to change only my family, those closest to me, but alas they would have none of it. ...

6 December 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

Political Intelligence requires a thorough understanding of the dynamics of leverage, which simply means your ability to get others to do what you want.

Political Intelligence requires a thorough understanding of the dynamics of leverage, which simply means your ability to get others to do wh_at you want.

3 September 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

How to Sharpen Your Political IQ for a Smoother Career Path

Navigating the intricacies of office politics can often feel like walking through a minefield. However, developing a keen political IQ can not only help you survive but thrive in your professional environment. Here’s how to smarten up your game and make the most out of your work relationships. Clearly Map Out Your Path to Success Before you can even think about manoeuvring through the maze of office politics, you need to have a clear idea of where you want to go. What are your career goals? What milestones do you need to hit along the way? Understanding your ambitions will give you a roadmap to navigate through the complexity of the workplace. ...

3 September 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

Mastering Digital Content Strategy - A Comprehensive Guide

Below are some key components that could make or break your digital content game. QR Codes Quick Response (QR) codes are easy-to-scan and can instantly redirect users to websites, product pages, or other digital locations, making them a versatile tool in modern marketing. Semi-Automated Information Architecture Incorporate auto-tagging and internal linking within your content to simplify user navigation and to make your website more SEO-friendly. Mobile-First Approach A responsive e-commerce platform ensures your site is accessible across devices, thereby increasing your reach and user engagement. ...

3 September 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

2013 blogs in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 51,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 19 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

9 January 2014 · Shafiq Alibhai

Navigating the Big Data Journey - Understanding its Life Cycle

In this post, we’ll break down the big data life cycle into its essential components, offering a roadmap for navigating this multifaceted landscape. The Eight Key Challenges Capture: This is where it all starts. You can’t analyse what you don’t have, so capturing relevant data from diverse sources is the initial step. The challenge here lies in determining what data is useful and then finding effective ways to collect it. ...

29 December 2013 · Shafiq Alibhai

My 2014 New Year's Resolution - Less is More

My New Year’s Resolution for 2014: Simplifying to Amplify With the year winding down and 2014 just around the corner, I’ve been doing a bit of introspection. What can I do differently next year to make it even better than the last? After some thought, I’ve decided to keep things simple. So simple, in fact, that I’ve got just one New Year’s Resolution for 2014. 1. Blog More Often Yep, that’s it. Just one resolution, but one that holds a lot of weight for me. I believe that the act of writing consistently will not only help me communicate more effectively but also help me refine my thoughts on various subjects. Whether it’s design, code, commentary, or just everyday randomness, I want this space to be a rich tapestry of ideas and inspirations. ...

28 December 2013 · Shafiq Alibhai

Applicable values for AddItemRequest.Item.Country

Applicable values for AddItemRequest.Item.Country • AA(in/out) NOTE: APO/FPO was defined in eBay list previously but they are not defined in ISO 3166. This country will remain on eBay country code list for backward compatibility.• AD (in/out) Andorra. • AE (in/out) United Arab Emirates. • AF (in/out) Afghanistan. • AG (in/out) Antigua and Barbuda. • AI (in/out) Anguilla. • AL (in/out) Albania. • AM (in/out) Armenia. • AN (in/out) Netherlands Antilles. • AO (in/out) Angola. • AQ (in/out) Antarctica. • AR (in/out) Argentina. • AS (in/out) American Samoa. • AT (in/out) Austria. • AU (in/out) Australia. • AW (in/out) Aruba. • AZ (in/out) Azerbaijan. • BA (in/out) Bosnia and Herzegovina. • BB (in/out) Barbados. • BD (in/out) Bangladesh. • BE (in/out) Belgium. • BF (in/out) Burkina Faso. • BG (in/out) Bulgaria. • BH (in/out) Bahrain. • BI (in/out) Burundi. • BJ (in/out) Benin. • BM (in/out) Bermuda. • BN (in/out) Brunei Darussalam. • BO (in/out) Bolivia. • BR (in/out) Brazil. • BS (in/out) Bahamas. • BT (in/out) Bhutan. • BV (in/out) Bouvet Island. • BW (in/out) Botswana. • BY (in/out) Belarus. • BZ (in/out) Belize . • CA (in/out) Canada. • CC (in/out) Cocos (Keeling) Islands. • CD (in/out) Congo, The Democratic Republic of the. • CF (in/out) Central African Republic. • CG (in/out) Congo. • CH (in/out) Switzerland. • CI (in/out) Cote d’Ivoire. • CK (in/out) Cook Islands. • CL (in/out) Chile. • CM (in/out) Cameroon. • CN (in/out) China. • CO (in/out) Colombia. • CR (in/out) Costa Rica. • CU (in/out) Cuba. • CustomCode (in/out) Reserved for internal or future use • CV (in/out) Cape Verde. • CX (in/out) Christmas Island. • CY (in/out) Cyprus. • CZ (in/out) Czech Republic. • DE (in/out) Germany. • DJ (in/out) Djibouti. • DK (in/out) Denmark. • DM (in/out) Dominica. • DO (in/out) Dominican Republic. • DZ (in/out) Algeria. • EC (in/out) Ecuador. • EE (in/out) Estonia. • EG (in/out) Egypt. • EH (in/out) Western Sahara. • ER (in/out) Eritrea. • ES (in/out) Spain. • ET (in/out) Ethiopia. • FI (in/out) Finland. • FJ (in/out) Fiji. • FK (in/out) Falkland Islands (Malvinas). • FM (in/out) Micronesia, Federated States of. • FO (in/out) Faroe Islands. • FR (in/out) France. • GA (in/out) Gabon. • GB (in/out) United Kingdom. • GD (in/out) Grenada. • GE (in/out) Georgia. • GF (in/out) French Guiana. • GG (in/out) Guernsey • GH (in/out) Ghana. • GI (in/out) Gibraltar. • GL (in/out) Greenland. • GM (in/out) Gambia. • GN (in/out) Guinea. • GP (in/out) Guadeloupe. • GQ (in/out) Equatorial Guinea. • GR (in/out) Greece. • GS (in/out) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. • GT (in/out) Guatemala. • GU (in/out) Guam. • GW (in/out) Guinea-Bissau. • GY (in/out) Guyana. • HK (in/out) Hong Kong. • HM (in/out) Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands. • HN (in/out) Honduras. • HR (in/out) Croatia. • HT (in/out) Haiti. • HU (in/out) Hungary. • ID (in/out) Indonesia. • IE (in/out) Ireland. • IL (in/out) Israel. • IN (in/out) India. • IO (in/out) British Indian Ocean Territory. • IQ (in/out) Iraq. • IR (in/out) Iran, Islamic Republic of. • IS (in/out) Iceland. • IT (in/out) Italy. • JE (in/out) Jersey • JM (in/out) Jamaica. • JO (in/out) Jordan. • JP (in/out) Japan. • KE (in/out) Kenya. • KG (in/out) Kyrgyzstan. • KH (in/out) Cambodia. • KI (in/out) Kiribati. • KM (in/out) Comoros. • KN (in/out) Saint Kitts and Nevis. • KP (in/out) Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of. • KR (in/out) Korea, Republic of. • KW (in/out) Kuwait. • KY (in/out) Cayman Islands. • KZ (in/out) Kazakhstan. • LA (in/out) Lao People’s Democratic Republic. • LB (in/out) Lebanon. • LC (in/out) Saint Lucia. • LI (in/out) Liechtenstein. • LK (in/out) Sri Lanka. • LR (in/out) Liberia. • LS (in/out) Lesotho. • LT (in/out) Lithuania. • LU (in/out) Luxembourg. • LV (in/out) Latvia. • LY (in/out) Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. • MA (in/out) Morocco. • MC (in/out) Monaco. • MD (in/out) Moldova, Republic of. • ME (in/out) Montenegro. • MG (in/out) Madagascar. • MH (in/out) Marshall Islands. • MK (in/out) Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of. • ML (in/out) Mali. • MM (in/out) Myanmar. • MN (in/out) Mongolia. • MO (in/out) Macao. • MP (in/out) Northern Mariana Islands. • MQ (in/out) Martinique. • MR (in/out) Mauritania. • MS (in/out) Montserrat. • MT (in/out) Malta. • MU (in/out) Mauritius. • MV (in/out) Maldives. • MW (in/out) Malawi. • MX (in/out) Mexico. • MY (in/out) Malaysia. • MZ (in/out) Mozambique. • NA (in/out) Namibia. • NC (in/out) New Caledonia. • NE (in/out) Niger. • NF (in/out) Norfolk Island. • NG (in/out) Nigeria. • NI (in/out) Nicaragua. • NL (in/out) Netherlands. • NO (in/out) Norway. • NP (in/out) Nepal. • NR (in/out) Nauru. • NU (in/out) Niue. • NZ (in/out) New Zealand. • OM (in/out) Oman. • PA (in/out) Panama. • PE (in/out) Peru. • PF (in/out) French Polynesia. Includes Tahiti. • PG (in/out) Papua New Guinea. • PH (in/out) Philippines. • PK (in/out) Pakistan. • PL (in/out) Poland. • PM (in/out) Saint Pierre and Miquelon. • PN (in/out) Pitcairn. • PR (in/out) Puerto Rico. • PS (in/out) Palestinian territory, Occupied. • PT (in/out) Portugal. • PW (in/out) Palau. • PY (in/out) Paraguay. • QA (in/out) Qatar. • QM (in/out) NOTE : Guernsey was defined in eBay list previously but they are not defined in ISO 3166. This country will remain on eBay country list for backward compatibility. • QN (in/out) NOTE: Jan Mayen was defined in eBay list previously but they are not defined in ISO 3166. This country will remain on eBay country list for backward compatibility. • QO (in/out) NOTE: Jersey was defined in eBay list previously but they are not defined in ISO 3166. This country will remain on eBay country list for backward compatibility. • RE (in/out) Reunion. • RO (in/out) Romania. • RS (in/out) Serbia • RU (in/out) Russian Federation. • RW (in/out) Rwanda. • SA (in/out) Saudi Arabia. • SB (in/out) Solomon Islands. • SC (in/out) Seychelles. • SD (in/out) Sudan. • SE (in/out) Sweden. • SG (in/out) Singapore. • SH (in/out) Saint Helena. • SI (in/out) Slovenia. • SJ (in/out) Svalbard and Jan Mayen. • SK (in/out) Slovakia. • SL (in/out) Sierra Leone. • SM (in/out) San Marino. • SN (in/out) Senegal. • SO (in/out) Somalia. • SR (in/out) Suriname. • ST (in/out) Sao Tome and Principe. • SV (in/out) El Salvador. • SY (in/out) Syrian Arab Republic. • SZ (in/out) Swaziland. • TC (in/out) Turks and Caicos Islands. • TD (in/out) Chad. • TF (in/out) French Southern Territories. • TG (in/out) Togo. • TH (in/out) Thailand. • TJ (in/out) Tajikistan. • TK (in/out) Tokelau. • TM (in/out) Turkmenistan. • TN (in/out) Tunisia. • TO (in/out) Tonga. • TP (in/out) No longer in use. • TR (in/out) Turkey. • TT (in/out) Trinidad and Tobago. • TV (in/out) Tuvalu. • TW (in/out) Taiwan, Province of China. • TZ (in/out) Tanzania, United Republic of. • UA (in/out) Ukraine. • UG (in/out) Uganda. • UM (in/out) NOTE: United States Minor Outlying Islands was defined in the eBay list previously but is no longer a viable option. This country will remain on eBay country list for backward compatibility. Use ‘US’ instead. • US (in/out) United States. • UY (in/out) Uruguay. • UZ (in/out) Uzbekistan. • VA (in/out) Holy See (Vatican City state). • VC (in/out) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. • VE (in/out) Venezuela. • VG (in/out) Virgin Islands, British. • VI (in/out) Virgin Islands, U.S. • VN (in/out) Viet Nam. • VU (in/out) Vanuatu. • WF (in/out) Wallis and Futuna. • WS (in/out) Samoa. • YE (in/out) Yemen. • YT (in/out) Mayotte. • YU (in/out) No longer in use. See RS for Serbia and ME for Montenegro. • ZA (in/out) South Africa. • ZM (in/out) Zambia. • ZW (in/out) Zimbabwe. • ZZ (in/out) Unknown country

26 October 2013 · Shafiq Alibhai