Tech Talk with Toni

Money grows on trees—the tree is a metaphor for your mind. Defining a problem is the first step to solving it, but have you ever considered the value your solution will create? Before jumping into problem-solving, it's crucial to ask: Is this the right problem to tackle, and is solving it worth the cost? As professionals—especially in tech—it’s easy to fall into the habit of building solutions without pausing to assess whether the effort aligns with the value it delivers. For example, imagine spending weeks building an automated self-watering system for a cactus. Sure, it’s a cool project, but was it really worth the time and resources? After all, a cactus only needs watering once a week, and it would take less than a minute to do it yourself. Sometimes, solving the problem manually is the most effective and resource-efficient option. Your salary is directly linked to the value you bring to a company, and time and energy are finite resources. How we choose to allocate them signif...

 Finding a pathway from start to finish As a member of many projects in my lifetime—from growing bean plants in a Styrofoam cup for Science class to working on an Accounting group project during my university days—I think I know a thing or two about working on something with a deadline. However, outside of the well-structured educational system projects are not as neatly defined and new problems can arise along the way. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to ensure that the final product meets the expectations of stakeholders at a reasonable time.  It turns out that this is easier said that done, there are always backstories of what went wrong behind the scenes even in the most successful projects. For example: The Sydney Opera House faced massive design complexities, budget overruns, delays, and political turmoil, but through innovative solutions, public support, and perseverance, it overcame these challenges to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an iconic c...

 The longest word in many English dictionaries is "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis," a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust.   Today's post is inspired by the influx of Excel formula-related questions people have asked me (even though I'm not that good at it). Steve Jobs said, "If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution."  I've solved many problems by doing this well enough. When you are unable to put your problem into words, you have a harder time finding the solution since you will be Googling or prompting ChatGPT with the wrong things. Imagine a dictionary with a bunch of nonsensical definitions – pretty useless, right? That's what our problem-solving process becomes without a solid starting point. Speaking of foundations, did you know I used to obsess over the origin of words (aka etymology) in science class? Turns out, every word has a story, and it can be surprisingly illuminating. Ta...

  : Matthew 18:20  This post is inspired by the competition that the Ministry of Digital Transformation has been promoting for the upcoming week.  A group of Software Developers will be solving problems in hopes of winning an unprecedented cash prize of $350,000 TTD! There is truly beauty when a diversity of thoughts comes together to create a solution. The transition from predominantly individual assignments in primary and secondary school to frequent group projects in university aims to showcase this beauty. However, the advantage of having more eyes on the same problem can sometimes go unrealized, depending on the composition of the team. I can testify that I have been on a project where it felt as if I was the only one who cared about my GPA. Therefore, choose your team wisely, if you have the ability to do so. Strike a balance between creativity and practicality. After all, a solution that can't be implemented is just a dream. Now that we've established the importanc...