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Showing posts from January, 2006

Justice

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Plato’s Republic, begins with a discourse between Socrates, Glaucon, Lysias, Euthydemus, Thrasymachus, Charmantides, Clitophon, and Cephalus. I think this discourse is the best part of the book. Here is my abridged retelling of the dialog (I am not going to research who said what – otherwise, I would just post the whole discourse here. Socrates is the principal actor here, the others are just there to keep the discourse going, so they have been lumped together as Friend): Socrates: “What is justice?” Friend: “It is doing good to ones friends and harm to ones enemies.” Socrates: “Sounds sensible. But what if your friend was really your enemy and your enemy was really your friend? Then you would have harmed your friend and done good to your enemy.” Friend: “Well, we should amend that to say, ‘Do good to true friends and harm to true enemies’”. Socrates: “Ah! That is much better. But how do we distinguish between true friend and true enemy?” Friend: “That is not easy.” Socrates: “So i

A ... hmmm ... moment

"Falling in love is a lot like dying. You never get to do it enough to become good at it." unattributed - found on the Internet in various places

Not yet immune to diddling my time away

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Sigh. Mental state is going down - if it continues, it will eventually affect my emotional state. I've been off work for a week so far as Sofia works in Spain. The kids are out of the house for several hours each day, so I had hopes of actually accomplishing stuff. The problem is that ... nada. If I am reincarnated, I'm afraid I might come back as an apple fritter . The house is a little bit messier than when I got here. I manage to occupy my time with things non-productive - internet is a big time killer, so is playing with various development tools (no games or TV have sapped my time). Joi had a post on how she managed to accomplish some things. The problem is that there is no manage formula for doing things. In the end, you just have to do it. Currently mulling over why I find it hard to start things (or finish them when I start). I know one problem I have is lack of sense of urgency. Maybe it is rooted in my educational experience where I had very little work (or maybe fou

Article 8(j)

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Who wouldn't be proud to see their spouse sitting on a panel at a UN conference? Sofia is in Spain for 2 weeks attending 2 conferences. Conference 1 comes to an end this week and conference 2 starts next week. Image nabbed from here .

Working too hard?

I have no idea what they are selling. And this marks the first time I've done two posts in one day. If you disable ActiveX controls and such, then you can see it at this link . If you see nothing, then you need to go and get Shockwave installed. If all you hear is that space wind in the background then you need to either (1) wait until it finishes playing 2'26", or (2) scroll down the page until you get to the media bar on the left side and hit stop. You need to press play to start the video (at least I do). [Updated 30-January-2006 to provide external link for those who do not run ActiveX controls from my blog.]

Substitute for real content

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In lieu of real content, I'll just post a pic of my kid's from June-2005. Copyright of the image is mine.

False sincerity

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Just got my MasterCard statement. It is a little bit higher than usual because it contains some additional expenses related to Christmas. Anyhow, I have a look at the minimum payment due and see that it is $0.00, which is odd, since it should be around $43.00. Look at the last page and see that MasterCard is trying to be nice to me: Need a bit of breathing space? Go ahead and skip this month's President's Choice Financial MasterCard payment! The usual interest will apply, but your account remains in good standing. So don't bother to pay this statement, and breathe a little easier this month! How nice and thoughtful of them! I guess they are not the bloodsucking money vampires I thought they were. I wonder how many people are going to be fooled by this deceptive gesture of kindness? Sure, maybe, in my case, it is only $43, but it's peanuts to MasterCard which is charging me 18.97% per annum on outstanding balances. They stand to make at least an extra $22.55 by my not pa

Language changes

It is interesting to see how language changes, whether in the way words are pronounced or their meanings. As far as meanings go, I can't really say things like this anymore (and probably not for more than 50 years past): "I'm feeling quite gay today!" "I'm feeling quite happy today!" "Phew! I am fagged out." "Phew! I am exhausted." "I'm just going outside to fetch a faggot." "I'm just going outside to fetch a bundle of sticks." "We wish to conduct this meeting in an orderly manner, so please refrain from any ejaculations - spontaneous or otherwise." "We wish to conduct this meeting in an orderly manner, so please refrain from any outbursts - spontaneous or otherwise." You can often see how pronunciation has changed over the years by looking at nursery rhymes: Goosey, goosey, gander , Whither shall I wander ? Upstairs, and downstairs, And in my lady's chamber . There I met an old man

Are you a statistic?

Of course you are. So am I. It is so impersonal. Die of leukemia at 20 - a statistic. Robbed at gunpoint – another statistic. Have a pulmonary embolism – yet another statistic. Just … this time round, I might be that statistic. Suddenly it becomes personal. CT scan at 13:45. Details at eleven. Note: my emotional state is fine. I am probably far too dispassionate for my own good. On the other hand, I find it hard to get worked up on speculation. The probability is that I have a viral infection of the lung lining. It hurts on my right side when I take deep breaths. But … there is just the threat of a possibility that it might be something else that I have to have all this extra testing done. Sigh. Had X-rays and an ECG last night. [Update: 21-January-2006. The results of the CT scan show that my lungs are perfectly healthy and I have no blood clot, pneumonia, collapsed lung, cancer or anything that might explain the pain. So it is being put down to a viral infection of the lung lining.]

The 50% solution

People often talk about relationships being 50-50. I disagree, if your contribution to a relationship is only 50%, then that relationship will soon be over. Why? Because there are days when one partner or the other, simply is not going to be able to give their 50%. On these days, there is a gap / gulf between the two. Once you get enough days with a gulf between the two, the relationship falls apart. Relationships are 100-100. Each member of the relationship gives 100%. This way, on days when one or the other or both are unable to give 100%, they are covered. And hopefully, the number of days when there is a gap between the two is either zero or very few.

Anthem

Finally got around to reading Ayn Rand 's novella Anthem . Considering that many consider a must read, a life changing book (at least those on the extreme libertarian and right sides of the political / social spectrum), I must confess to being less than impressed. It is a fairly typical story about a dystopian society. Although, it is not so much a story as a polemic against collectivism dressed in the form of narrative prose. Certainly I would not go as far as the dust jacket in claiming "ANTHEM is one of the most beautiful prose poems ever written." There are many such stories: Metropolis by Thea von Harbou Lost Horizon by James Hilton Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson 1984 by George Orwell The Giver by Lois Lowry and many others I've read and can't remember off the top of my head. A good excerpt from the book - our protagonist has presented something (electric light) before a council and is re

Triskaidekaphobia

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Just realized that today is Friday the 13th. A day of bad luck. Technically, the fear of Friday the 13th is called Paraskavedekatriaphobia .Fortunately, there is help . If that doesn’t work, you can try here . Personally, I don’t believe in superstitions (although, others might argue that my religious faith is one big superstition). Scouring the internet for ways of weaseling myself out of having to come up with anything original to say, I’ve decided to post these superstitions about love for all the romantics. For a girl to meet her sweetheart or to kiss him for the first time under the light of a new moon is considered to be exceptionally lucky, for it means that she will soon become his bride, that their marriage will be blessed with undying love, and that neither of them will know the pinch of poverty. The meeting-place of lovers should be upon a hillside, especially where there is heather, near a stream or river, on the seashore, or in the heart of a wood, for then, it is said, ne

Bagged or bagless?

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About six months ago, our vacuum cleaner broke (well, it had been gradually falling apart over the years, but the main floor sweeping / rug beating attachment finally gave out). It was a rather expensive canister type bagged vacuum cleaner we had bought at Sears. It served us well. When looking for a replacement, we decided to go with an upright bagless type. It is much easier to use and vacuuming is much less a chore than with the other. However, we have discovered two major problems. The first is that an upright vacuum does not fit under the furniture (whereas the business end of the old vacuum cleaner fit under no problem) – consequently this necessitates much more furniture moving. The second problem, which for me is extremely significant, is that bagless vacuum cleaners suck! Sure, there may be no messy bag to replace, but the vacuum cleaner has an air filter that needs to be periodically cleaned. In our case, every time we decide to use the vacuum cleaner (sometimes we can skip a

Successful Christmas gifts

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Sure, the Christmas season may be over and we have all turned back into pre-festive pumpkins, but ... it is always interesting to see what gifts we ached over ended up being a hit with the kids. For Jason it's really a no brainer. His favourite gift, bar none is a $1 plastic sword and sheath I bought for him. He carries it with him at all times, stuck in his pants ready to do battle with foreboding enemies at the slightest provocation. He was so enamoured with it that the night he got it (we open gifts on the 24th after dinner) that he refused to be bathed without his sword. Sofia had to fasten it to his nakedness before he consented to being bathed. With Tania, it is a bit more difficult, but I think she really enjoys her Princess Monopoly gift. We've played it a number of times and so far she is not tiring of it. The game is actually a bit more fun than real Monopoly since it is a little faster paced and not so complicated. Images were found here and here . Hmmm ... Blogger

In search of a Haruspex

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One thing I am not very good at is reading between the lines - all I see is white space. Although, given sufficient information, I am perfectly capable of reaching logical conclusions - after all, all roads lead to Rome and facts lead to undeniable conclusions. I suspect my work situation is not very good. Not because of anything I've done or failed to do. I think I am still in good standing. The problem is that the project I work on is running out of money - actually, the budget was extremely tight last year before I took my 6 month unpaid leave of absence (which I think was a welcome relief on the budget). Coming back, they were optimistic about getting additional funding, but that has not materialized - maybe later this year. The industry I work in, we are contracted to do work, which means that funds are allocated to specific projects - diverting funds for other projects is a big no-no. When I came back, I requested to work a compressed workweek (37-1/2 hours in 4 days). This w

Epiphany

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Today is the Epiphany – the Twelfth Day of Christmas. I always remember it as the day the 3 Magi finished their journey Bethlehem and presented gifts or gold, myrrh, and frankincense to the infant Jesus (not that my traditional of cultural memory is necessarily any good). What sort of gifts are truly valuable gifts? For me it is time. Not quality time, but time given freely without bounds and constraints. Anyone can mail out a Christmas card, or birthday card, or a thinking of you card. Typically we call this sort of action thoughful . But there is more to being thoughtful, there is the time required to pen a few personal sentences. As our lives get busier, there is a tendency to believe in the myth of quality time . Granted, the way time is spent should always be of the utmost quality, but, still quantity is an important aspect. While I may only interact with my kids for a limited period of time (quality time, so to speak), I try to be around and available, because that is what they w

To know

The word science comes to English from the Latin scientia – meaning knowledge or skill. Which in turn is likely derived from the latin verb scio – to know, to understand (undoubtedly, this is the origin of the English “see” as in “See!? See!?” ;-) While I love science and knowledge, I often find science and scientists irritating in their lack of imagination and slavery to orthodoxy. Of course, any large body or institution exists only to serve orthodoxy – nothing else. That anything else ever gets accomplished or advanced is a testament to the ingenuity of bright and tireless individuals. Not that preserving orthodoxy is bad in itself. After all, you want a stable body of knowledge that is generally regarded as accurate and correct. On the other hand, you want people to challenge the orthodoxy. Regardless of what science news story comes out, I always analyze it in the context of what I know and whether or not it makes sense. I just don’t accept somebody’s say-so. Another irritating

Metallic bitters

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It has been 10 days since I came down with strep throat . At least I'm able to swallow without fear (actually swallowing was pretty much back to normal after 5 days of being on antibiotics). The main gripe I have now is that things still taste and feel funny in the mouth and throat. There seems to be a perpetual bitter metallic taste which seems to start deep in my throat and extend all the way up into my nose. Food hasn't tasted right in over a week! (ok, ok, a week if you ignore the fact I didn't eat the first 3 days of the infection). A mandarin should be sweet and juicy leaving me with a "ah, that was refreshing" sensation. But instead it is a one-dimensional, metallic taste sensation. Food has lost its pleasure - ok, maybe that is a good thing, but I can hardly wait until I can pop something in my mouth and say "Yum!" Aside from that, I've got extremely dry and cracked lips. Frilly little painful fjords are breaking out. Not sure if this is par

Happy Birthday!

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Today Sofia celebrates an indeterminate age (as she has for the last many years ;-) There are things I'd like to say to you my love on your special day: I am forever thankful God sent you my way. Like a gift from up above, you showed me how it is to feel real love. I know many mountains we've had to climb and sometimes forever has seemed like a very long time. Yes, we've endured our share of pain, but together we have so much to gain. Bigger mountains may lie ahead, but together there is no hill we can not tread. So always remember my love for you, and there is nothing together we can not do. I'll be here forever - my love is true. The person beside me, that would be you. Poem was nabbed from here . Picture is an original of us at the Colca Canyon in Peru (1996) - hence copyright is mine.

Irish Blessing

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May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand. May God be with you and bless you: May you see your children's children. May you be poor in misfortune, Rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness From this day forward. May the road rise up to meet you May the wind be always at your back May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home And may the hand of a friend always be near. May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you. Image taken from here .

Enter the new year

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(yes, a dull and unimaginative title) Looking back at 2005 I have: - enjoyed a 6 month leave of unpaid absence from work this was a wonderful time of bonding between me and JJ. I also discovered that I am not really able to accomplish a whole lot with a kid running around the house. So the dream of jump starting a new career during that time fizzled. On the other hand, my sense of desperation at leaving my job for anything else faded. - stepped out of despondency I can't claim this is a result of any effort on my part, but it is nice to no longer have dark shadows crossing my soul. I may not have found my path yet, but at least I am enjoying the sunshine. - started blogging while the first few months were slow and uninspired. For some reason I started acquiring new friends through my blog beginning at the end of September. People who presence and comments have added colour, sounds, aromas and textures to my journey. - not yet done my 2004 taxes Well, not everything is perfect, I ho