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Showing posts from November, 2025

Essential Reading Before You Talk AI

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Before you raise your voice to mention Artificial Intelligence , before you plan to attend any strategic meeting on digital transformation , or even before you intend to share an article about intelligent robots, you absolutely must read An Easy Explanation of Artificial Intelligence for People from Any Field: A common ground for any discussion about artificial intelligence in the twenty first century by Dr. Son Pham. This book is not merely a reference material; it is the fundamental and compulsory preparation required to ensure you don't get lost right from the starting line. In an environment where the media is constantly inflating AI with science fiction tales and deep technical jargon, this slim volume offers a realistic lens, written in simple, accessible English—easy to understand even for those unfamiliar with technical English—helping you discard all illusions about "super AI." It provides a solid common foundation, transforming you from a vague observer into a...

Professorship in the USA: Clarifying Ranks and the Academic Career Path

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Recently, the translation of academic titles from English to Vietnamese has often encountered many shortcomings. A lack of information regarding the structure and processes of the US university system leads translators to infer meanings based on the literal sense of words, resulting in serious inaccuracies that distort the actual standing and responsibilities of American academics.  This article aims to clarify and illuminate the core professorial titles within the US academic system, using the designations: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor. It is important to remember that regardless of their title within these three ranks, they are all University Professors who hold positions of teaching, research, and knowledge shaping at universities.  I. Three Core Ranks on the Tenure-Track  The standard career path leading to a Tenured Professor position at research universities in the US is a clearly defined trajectory, demanding continuous dedication an...

The Way of Taekwondo: A Symphony of the Eight Trigrams and Humanity

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In the stream of East Asian civilization, if China prides itself on the vast mystery of Taoism, and Japan reveres the stoic tranquility of Zen, then the Korean Peninsula chose for itself a symbol that is both brilliantly colorful and majestic to serve as a guiding principle for the entire nation: Taegeuk. Not merely an image on the national flag, Taegeuk-do (The Way of Taegeuk) is the pinnacle of cultural heritage, where the essence of the Eight Trigrams and Eastern philosophy converge, reflecting a unique worldview in which humans are not insignificant before nature but stand at the center to reconcile and create the universe.  The origin of this concept stems from ancient Eastern philosophy, where Taegeuk was seen as the primordial chaotic state before dividing into Yin and Yang. However, upon closer comparison, we see that Koreans have made a strong symbolic innovation to differentiate their identity from the Chinese cradle. If China's Taiji diagram is characterized by two black...

About building real capacity for teachers in the age of AI

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On the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers' Day, every year we collectively honor the noble profession of human cultivation and reflect on the mission of education in a volatile historical context. More than a century has passed since the 'Chấn dân khí' (strengthening the national spirit) movement was initiated by patriotic Confucian scholars and intellectuals. This was a great slogan, bearing the mission of awakening and uplifting the will of the entire nation; however, after more than a hundred years of arduous endeavor, this slogan has become a boulder too large, too overwhelming for intellectuals and Confucian scholars. The efforts to enlighten the populace and strengthen the national spirit have achieved many significant accomplishments, but we also have to face a harsh reality: the national spirit has not been thoroughly revitalized, and increasingly, there appear "ngáo sĩ" (pseudo-intellectuals), those who claim to be intellectuals and guides but lack solid fou...