tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381766082024-03-05T15:29:22.837-05:00Coppers for a catSean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-38185440298742490772011-01-27T03:28:00.000-05:002011-01-27T03:28:44.849-05:00What if?What if Jesus had died another way? Bizarro cartoonist Dan Piraro has contemplated this. And so have I. Having just seen <a href="http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/2011/01/electric-jesus.html">Piraro's cartoon handling the electric chair</a>, I thought I'd post my own similar unfinished comic. It doesn't seem original now, but here it is anyway:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lh3nX4JwKgXXPPTrucCTH9OxEF-H05iOSYQevIx4iFYk7jemtG3DxM0sm7Zz1h3whLAb9UEdUKeiLFFWyR4fJtJDC-aJf6zI9VqJMVAK3k1f0mua8zYv5JeI2unsgpDbknbFGg/s1600/yeshua.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0lh3nX4JwKgXXPPTrucCTH9OxEF-H05iOSYQevIx4iFYk7jemtG3DxM0sm7Zz1h3whLAb9UEdUKeiLFFWyR4fJtJDC-aJf6zI9VqJMVAK3k1f0mua8zYv5JeI2unsgpDbknbFGg/s1600/yeshua.png" /></a></div>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-8138617681432166012010-12-09T21:34:00.000-05:002010-12-09T21:34:21.062-05:00Bow to me (and squander your potential) my robot!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://isobe.typepad.com/bowing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://isobe.typepad.com/bowing.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">When we create a robot or an AI or a new breed of dog<sup>1</sup>, do we program it to worship us, its creator?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Isn't the thought that a creator would infuse its creation with a supreme desire to worship it above and beyond anything else </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">just repugnant? And ripe with arrogance and vanity?</span><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">When humans create something, we try to give it autonomy, intelligence, free will, etc. Our last concern is that our gadgets turn around and praise us. That would be utterly ridiculous! What do i care if my robot glorifies me or not? What kind of creator would I be if I did? (Imagine further if we did create gadgets to worship us, but also programmed them to not be able to see or hear us... clever...)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It seems highly more likely that the true test a creator would present us with is not how many times we can repeat creeds, but how much we can achieve and evolve and progress independently.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">What would you prefer in 50 years? A robot that followed you around chanting your praises and leaving offerings on the kitchen table, or one that solved your problems and those of the people around you in cool and fantastical ways. (If you said "both", please read the last sentence of paragraph 2 again.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><sup>1</sup> Admittedly, dogs worship us, but it's in their nature, plus, dogs are a bit unsophisticated.</span>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-12478176506813280612010-04-22T03:05:00.000-04:002010-04-22T03:05:09.893-04:00Religion is the best DeceptionIf you're a thinking person, then you've got to be skeptical of something which demands belief based only on faith. You just have to be. Why? Well, look around. How many religions are there in the world which require blind faith from their followers? How can one choose the "correct" religion from among these many options? One cannot. There is absolutely no way. So, people end up adopting the religious faiths of their family, neighbours, or countrymen. (Thankfully, a growing number of us don't bother choosing at all.)<br />
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An alien landing on the earth confronted by its various faiths would have no clue as to which, if any, of the religions were true. The claims are all the same: "I've got an old book! It's got some good stories in it! You need it to live a good life! You need to believe in this one particular god and this one particular prophet! You want proof? No, no, there's none! You must accept everything on faith! And if you don't, you will suffer eternally in a horrible place!" There is absolutely no reason for the alien to choose one over another, and in fact, there is no real reason to make a choice in the first place. (In this scenario, one hopes that the alien has all the answers, and proceeds to enlighten our little planet rather than destroy it.)<br />
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Those who have made this choice (or have had the choice made for them) are imprisoned but are unaware of it. It is extremely difficult to break out of this prison because first and foremost, the inmates are content (indeed begging) to stay! Secondly, once their leap of faith is made, the believer is strapped into an almost unescapable philosophical straightjacket. This is why I call the deception in the title the "best" deception. It is so strong, and so unwielding to any argument. The deception can come from anywhere (one's self, one's priest, one's parents) and it's almost never recognized as deception. The only time someone recognizes this kind of deception is regarding the "other": in another culture, country, or religion. If a Christian contemplates someone of a different faith, the Christian is quite ready to say "that poor guy is deceiving himself" or "is being deceived". But it's just inconceivable to the Christian that he himself is in exactly the same situation.<br />
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If I were a believer, but could still construct logical arguments, I would have to conclude that religion was created not by a caring god, but by a devil. Faith in something without evidence is not noble or honourable, it's sinister. Why are we so gullible and so willing to be deceived?Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-50540268801046666632010-02-09T13:03:00.000-05:002010-02-09T13:03:35.892-05:00Religious Awe is the Lazy Man's Awe<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I experience just as much (if not more) awe than a religious person does when considering nature, life, the universe, etc. But whereas I know that I can come to a fuller understanding of these things through hard work and diligent study, a religious person more often than not simply says "God did that". To me, this is a lazy man's appreciation of nature. It is the behaviour of a person happy to not understand, or not willing to put in the effort to come to a better understanding of the world.<br />
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The other day, I had an idea for a skit, which featured two young boys, one scientifically-minded, and the other not. I imagined the first boy running through a field or forest, excitedly looking at flowers, plants, and insects, and trying to understand the connections between them, and wondering about their origins and evolution. With each object this boy marvelled at, the other little boy would pop into the picture and quickly blurt out "God did that!" Each time, the first boy would answer "Oh" and continue looking at the next object. With each successive "God did that!" and "Oh", the first boy's curiosity would start to wither. Perhaps it would be better to have a religious parent instead of the religious boy. More realistic that way. And sad.</div>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-56285044122785097852010-01-30T12:12:00.000-05:002010-01-30T12:12:56.667-05:00Do mathematicians create or discover?The answer to this question will significantly affect the idea of my previous post. I have a feeling that in general they discover. For example, a Tyrannosaurus Rex probably couldn't count, but that doesn't change the fact that it had 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 tail, and "x" razor-sharp teeth. So numbers "existed", but they weren't really being thought about carefully.<br />
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If mathematicians always discover (rather than create) mathematics, then my analogy in the previous post becomes quite weak. However, my faulty analogy might not change my acceptance of the (rather unlikely) possibility that an advanced civilization had a hand in the creation of the universe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-about-Mathematics-Philosophy/dp/0192893068?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Thinking about Mathematics: The Philosophy of Mathematics" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0192893068&tag=coppforacat-20" /></a>I should do some reading on the philosophy of mathematics<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0192893068" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and then post what I've learned. Stay tuned.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-34263617894302379282010-01-10T13:33:00.002-05:002010-01-10T13:39:27.437-05:00Oh my god. Did I just become a deist?I just had an idea about the plausibility of some form of creator, which is quite odd as I'm a diehard atheist (and quite possibly an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-theism">anti-theist</a>.) I was brushing my teeth, and suddenly I conceived of an idea that, unlike all other arguments I've heard for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism">deism</a>, seemed to have non-zero probability.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Hyperbolic_orthogonal_dodecahedral_honeycomb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Hyperbolic_orthogonal_dodecahedral_honeycomb.png" width="200" /></a>To get a grip on my idea, I must introduce some relatively simple concepts from mathematics. Mathematicians typically don't deal explicitly with numbers, they deal with objects. They are very good at converting practical ideas into abstract concepts for the purposes of research. For example, take the integers: ..., -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, ... along with simple addition '+'. (The ellipses, by the way, imply an endless continuation to the left and right.) Mathematicians take the integers and addition and abstract them into an object which they call a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_(mathematics)">group</a>". (Please completely divorce this mathematical term from the normal definition of the word "group" which you are thinking of right now.)<br />
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In mathematics, a "group" is a set of things (possibly finite, possibly infinite) along with an operation which describes how the things can be combined, resulting in other things from within the same group. In groups, there's one very special thing called an "identity", which actually doesn't do much of anything. Also, for each thing in the set, there exists exactly one other thing called an "inverse", and when a thing and its inverse are combined, the result is the "identity".<br />
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Making this a bit more concrete, consider the group of the integers along with addition. The special thing called the identity is zero (i.e. 0) which clearly doesn't do anything since 5 + 0 = 5. For each integer, there is one inverse. For example, the inverse of 3 is -3, since 3 + (-3) = 0. (Remember, 0 is the identity of this particular group.) As another example, the inverse of -897 is 897, since (-897) + 897 = 0.<br />
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The integers are a very large set of numbers, in fact it is an infinite set. But this infinite set can be generated by only the number 1. 1 is called a "generator" of this group. [Just continue adding 1 to itself to get all of the positive integers: 1, 2, 3, 4, ... . Then take the inverse of 1, namely -1, and continue adding it to itself to get the negative integers. To generate 0, simply add 1 + (-1).] The idea of a generator is important as it shows that a very large set can be generated by very few members (and sometimes only one).<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Group-Theory-Bedroom-Mathematical-Diversions/dp/0809052172?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Group Theory in the Bedroom, and Other Mathematical Diversions" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0809052172&tag=coppforacat-20" /></a>Groups seem like quite simple things, and they sometimes are. But their simple definition can be misleading. Once we cast away numbers and just focus on the abstract definition and objects, we start to uncover many very interesting properties. Shelves and shelves of books have been written on Group Theory and current mathematicians are expanding the theory monthly in numerous journals on the subject. (There are one or two other properties of a group, but in the interest of concision, I hope you will trust me when I say they are not very important to this argument.)<br />
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So, what is my point. How does this relate to the possibility of a creator? Well, when mathematicians first started thinking about groups, they had relatively little idea of the complexity, unexpected features, or beauty of the characteristics and theorems that would result after intense study. In a similar way, it is not so difficult to imagine a creator establishing its own kind of "cosmic group": a small set of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_particle">elementary particles</a> or energies (the generators), coupled with some initial rules dictating how these particles and energies interact (the operation). Over billions of years, the world we see today could have evolved from this very simple beginning, as the generators interact with each other, creating new matter and new energy.<br />
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This idea does not do away with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_argument#Objections_and_counterarguments">infinite regress</a> question: if there was a creator, who created it? And who created the creator of that creator, and so on ad infinitum. This idea does however alleviate a concern I've always had with the idea of a creator. Looking around me, I've always wondered why our omnipotent God (assuming one exists) didn't create a much simpler universe, with no evil, no disease, and no mosquitos. Well, perhaps a creator did create the simplest of universes, using only simple initial conditions, but really had nothing to do with any of its evolution into the current complex and mosquito-infested universe we call home. I'm in no way saying that I could believe in any of the man-made gods that my fellow humans worship. But I could see myself contemplating the possibility of an incredibly advanced alien civilization (probably indistinguishable from God, as Asimov <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke's_three_laws">puts it</a>) seeding our universe with the requisite primeval elements.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0809052172" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br class="webkit-block-placeholder" />Of course, this is all a mathematical analogy, and doesn't prove a single thing. It has simply allowed me to consider (however minute) the remote possibly of some kind of creator. Since there is absolutely no evidence for such a creator, I could never bring myself to "believe" what I have just described. However, I will certainly not deny its possibility until a philosopher or mathematician pokes holes in my reasoning.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-26544052270256606892009-12-18T11:57:00.002-05:002009-12-27T08:40:50.120-05:00Missionaries, part 1<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Reprint-New-Directions-Classics/dp/0811213463?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="The Samurai (Reprint) (New Directions Classics)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0811213463&tag=coppforacat-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0811213463" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
I'm currently reading The Samurai by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shusaku_Endo">Shusaku Endo</a>. The book follows the lives of a Spanish missionary in eastern Japan and a poor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasekura_Tsunenaga">samurai</a> caught up in the political manoeuverings of his domain's councilmen. The missionary, Velasco, is driven by an overzealous ambition to become Bishop of Japan, and plans a trip to Nueva Espana and then to Spain with some Japanese envoys and merchants in the hopes of establishing a trade treaty in exchange for full missionary rights for Spain. The novel recounts some very interesting historical events, the details of which have unfortunately been lost over the last few centuries.<br />
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I have read two of Endo's books (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Reprint-New-Directions-Classics/dp/0811213463?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Silence-Shusaku-Endo/dp/0800871863?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Silence</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0800871863" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and The Samurai) and they both deal with missionaries in Japan. The other day, while reading The Samurai, I was suddenly struck (actually restruck) with the realization that I am thoroughly against <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionary">missionary</a> work. In fact, I loathe it. I find it shameful, xenophobic, classist, racist, and baseless.<br />
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There are two cases to examine when considering missionary work. The first case assumes the religion being sold is valid. The second assumes the opposite.<br />
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The second case is easiest dealt with. In The Samurai, Velasco is expounding the Roman Catholic faith. If Christianity is false, then men and women embarking on missionary work throughout the world is an absurd waste of resources. Since, in general, most religions are exclusive, a given Christian missionary happily believes that while his or her work is worthy, that of all the "other" missionaries is not. Of course, in this scenario, all of the work is worthless. Even more damning and unforgivable in the second case is that the proselytized are torn from their native beliefs and culture for absolutely no reason.<br />
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The first case, although highly unlikely, supposes that a particular religion is in fact true. In the case of Christianity then, we are meant to believe that <a href="http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-Great-Religion-Everything/dp/0446697966?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">God</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0446697966" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> revealed "himself" to a few people in a very localized area, ignoring all of the other humans on the planet. His plan then being that over more than 2000 years, his word would be preached to, taught to, and forced upon the rest of the world in an eons-long struggle. How much easier it would have been had the all-powerful one made himself known to all nations at once, or at least on successive days? Perhaps in a few weeks, the whole world would have been happily Christian, Jesus wouldn't have died, and we would no longer have Easter. I think it would have been more than a fair trade.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-33402711169204686932009-12-13T23:05:00.005-05:002009-12-16T06:56:04.437-05:00Blogging again.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEmX6KL-hdHCDLTemkgy5o8_RxyrqY7zJcKOGRBtHjP6VUBtG98r4-gT7NZ65w-OVqe7-UV1DWtKgzjAqs1twaUk3Ro6gj605v05d_I3_oBl6oolazRH4Yk2Pav36XYF50hdLuw/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuEmX6KL-hdHCDLTemkgy5o8_RxyrqY7zJcKOGRBtHjP6VUBtG98r4-gT7NZ65w-OVqe7-UV1DWtKgzjAqs1twaUk3Ro6gj605v05d_I3_oBl6oolazRH4Yk2Pav36XYF50hdLuw/s400/photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415801456848514546" /></a><br />Wow. It's been over a year since I posted anything to this blog. I guess that was about the time when my Twitter-ing began to eclipse my blogging. Twitter is addictive and too easy to use. Blogging requires thought while tweeting does not. You can already see that these sentences are short and useless; a result of too much Twitter use.<br /><br />The reason for starting up blogging again is a little embarrassing. It's due to an article about the relationship between writing and thinking. However, I didn't even read this article, I skimmed it. But the gist of it was enough to make me rethink blogging vs. twittering. The writer claimed that if one doesn't write, then one doesn't have any serious thoughts. Writing certainly involves thinking and the organization of thought, so I bought this writer's claims quite quickly. I don't want to be guilty of not thinking about serious things, so I will start writing again.<br /><br />So, here we go...Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-66582584486709264092008-11-10T01:06:00.004-05:002008-11-10T01:12:06.586-05:00A truly mad scientistThis doesn't get any closer to our shared idea of a "mad scientist". Enjoy this TED Conference talk from February 2006 given by Clifford Stoll, a U.S. astronomer.<br /><br />(If you see a Player 7 or Player 8 message below, just click on one of them and the video will start.)<br /><br /><!--cut and paste--><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="320" height="285" id="VE_Player" align="middle"><param name="movie" value="http://static.videoegg.com/ted2/flash/loader.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="bgColor=FFFFFF&file=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/movies/CliffordStoll_2006-embed_high.flv&autoPlay=false&fullscreenURL=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/flash/fullscreen.html&forcePlay=false&logo=&allowFullscreen=true"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="scale" value="noscale"><param name="wmode" value="window"><embed src="http://static.videoegg.com/ted2/flash/loader.swf" flashvars="bgColor=FFFFFF&file=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/movies/CliffordStoll_2006-embed_high.flv&autoPlay=false&fullscreenURL=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/flash/fullscreen.html&forcePlay=false&logo=&allowFullscreen=true" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" scale="noscale" wmode="window" width="320" height="285" name="VE_Player" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-49888516954126445342008-11-09T21:56:00.005-05:002008-11-09T22:59:28.235-05:00There's a little child up there.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jRQWCzTnzgpBCsLAuiGtaIVCM-ltEloJ0wztewNAGKcLgtwjBoLPkD_gMNDZfcNwhk4k69PTKkAVGQScDR35U3MVIuao-AYKuKa6Tb4N-MikfSd-WQx75BeNuB0taN_TJareWQ/s1600-h/noise.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 197px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jRQWCzTnzgpBCsLAuiGtaIVCM-ltEloJ0wztewNAGKcLgtwjBoLPkD_gMNDZfcNwhk4k69PTKkAVGQScDR35U3MVIuao-AYKuKa6Tb4N-MikfSd-WQx75BeNuB0taN_TJareWQ/s400/noise.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266873367939530930" /></a><br />The people upstairs are too loud. I live in an apartment building west of Tokyo, and a few months ago, a family moved into the apartment above ours. This family has a young child. This young child likes to run around and bang on the floor at all hours of the day and night, as many children like to do. I have never met this child (in fact, the child is a boy). I'm sure he is quite cute and adorable, but since I've never met him, his representation in my mind is quite blurry and chaotic. I imagine a crazed kid running back and forth with heavy shoes on, pounding on the floor with bats, balls, and rocks; gleefully jumping up and down, knowing full well that he is bothering (no, terrorizing!) the apartment-dwellers below; and more than this, his parents encouraging him to jump from ever higher places, encouraging him to use bigger and bigger bats and rocks, encouraging him to never stop, to stay up late, to wake up in the middle of the night to further annoy us, ... You can see that this has had quite an effect on me. We have spoken to our landlord on a few occasions, and in fact, the flooring above has been worked on on 2 or 3 separate occasions. However, not once did anyone enter our apartment to check whether or not the sound had been diminished. So, in response to repetitive noises from above, I or my wife stand up, make a fist, and hit our ceiling in quick succession. Often, the sound stops for a good 30 minutes to an hour. But, just as often, the kid (or his parents, I'm not sure which) replies with echoing hits to his floor. The mother came down soon after they moved in to apologize for the noise, and once when I met her at our building's entrance she did the same. However, apologies mean nothing when behaviours don't change. I realize children are active and must run and jump and play, but they should do so in a park, or in a zoo, or in a detached house. Apparently, this family's last residence was in fact a house, so they aren't used to having neighbours below them. I'm tired of the noise, and I'm tired of hitting my ceiling. I guess it's time to find a new apartment.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-25786099133587457582008-11-09T10:26:00.005-05:002008-11-09T19:40:47.626-05:00Hit by a food cart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlleastlikelyto/2910864708/"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmgx8FaCbIu0uT0egO8y1RkM6xd0HVWSwOd2gY73UR8LLozQGRDnIOUfmi0xIXG5KVOM3JySn2kAtIi0YxpSm_d-LHbJJZZrDVnj1xU9A70bWYnhKw5syul5KkKNXDNjbsJANUQ/s400/flight_attendant.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266820762505454946" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">(She looks so innocent doesn't she? Photo thanks to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlleastlikelyto/">Girl Least Likely To</a>)</span></span></span><div><br />At a recent <a href="http://east08.webdirections.org/">conference</a>, I overheard some talk about flight attendants. Someone said:<blockquote>"I hate sitting in aisle seats. If you sit in an aisle seat, you are going to get hit in the head with a food cart."</blockquote>Everyone nodded in agreement.<div><br /></div><div>I started wondering if a flight attendant's blog is filled with sentences like: "Today was a slow day. I only hit 4 passengers. Fingers crossed for tomorrow." If this isn't a central theme on their blogs, it must be something they frequently discuss behind the curtain as they do their "work". On the few occasions that I've had the misfortune to step into flight attendant territory, I'm quite sure I saw a few scoreboards and Fantasy Foodcart charts hanging on the wall.</div><div><br /></div><div>(When flight attendants play <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quake">Quake</a>, do they use the drink cart weapon <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_mod">mod</a>?)</div></div>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-44351894763033943422007-04-21T20:59:00.000-04:002007-04-21T21:51:48.052-04:00I am machoInstructions to anyone who wants to become macho like me.<br /><br /><br />1. Sit on your bum many hours a day doing math research.<br /><br />2. Have your wife cook you mountains of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.<br /><br />3. Do little to no exercise.<br /><br />4. Repeat above for 8 months then move to Japan.<br /><br />5. Bask in the exclamations from your Japanese in-laws proving that you are indeed macho.<br /><br /><br />In an upcoming post, how to fix it.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-40121495490523165012007-04-21T04:05:00.000-04:002007-04-21T05:03:49.032-04:00Renting in TokyoMy wife and I are looking for an apartment in Tokyo. It's a bit difficult because we're doing so from across the country, in Tottori prefecture. Tokyo is a fairly "racially pure" city, having a foreign population of just under 3%. So perhaps I shouldn't be pissed off with the nervousness of some of the landlords with renting to a foreigner.<br /><br />The first place we called told us, once they found out that a foreigner was involved, that they would have to see us in person, and would give us their decision as to whether we were accepted after 5 days. Unfortunately, this was not possible for us, as we were not going to make 2 trips to Tokyo, nor would we go to Tokyo earlier and stay in a hotel for 5 days. I can't say whether this is a standard request or not, but I suspect not, as it came after the revelation that a non-Japanese was attempting to live there.<br /><br />The second place we called was a little less concerned with my race, until the very end, when my wife was asked whether I was white or black, and from which country I hailed.<br /><br />I suppose this is not out of the ordinary. Coming from a country where many cultures are the norm (at least in cities one one-hundredth the size of Tokyo), I can't even imagine a situation where questions like these would be possible. I would have hoped though, that the qualms these landlords have about foreigners would be evenly spread over each race, and not favouring white guys like me. Just because I lack some pigment in my skin doesn't mean I'm a good person. I'm an atheist for goodness sake!<br /><br />Anyhow, I'm being told I should take a bath now, so I will.<br /><br />I hope in my next post to tell you that I've got an apartment. I've got my white fingers crossed.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-8892833439510704252007-04-13T00:15:00.000-04:002007-04-16T02:00:05.430-04:00iPod skinsI just ordered a skin for my iPod. I hope it gets to me before I leave for Japan. It's a painting of Fuji-san by the same guy who painted this:<br /><br /><center><a target="_new" href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=61633&u=209830&amp;amp;amp;amp;m=10029&urllink=&afftrack="><img src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/4032-250x250.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><br />Of course, the guy's name is Katsushika Hokusai; his being some of the most recognizable Japanese art for those of us from the West.<br /><br />I came upon the <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=55461&u=209830&m=10029&urllink=&afftrack=">GelaSkins</a> site after marvelling at the amazing art of <a href="http://www.audrey-kawasaki.com/">Audrey Kawasaki</a>, who designed a couple of skins for the company. I headed straight for the site to buy one of her skins but, although very nice, I think they were possibly a bit too feminine for me.<br /><br />Since I'm heading to Tokyo in a few weeks, I thought the Tokyo subway map skin would be useful. However, after thinking about it for a moment, and realizing that the back of my very small iPod would be covered with the entire subway map of one of the largest cities in the world, and noting that they didn't include a magnifying lens, I opted for Fuji-san.<br /><br />Here's a variant of the Tokyo subway skin. Kinda cool and it really screams Japanese at you.<br /><br /><center><a target="_new" href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=61628&u=209830&amp;amp;m=10029&urllink=&afftrack="><img src="http://www.shareasale.com/image/1030-250x250.jpg" border="0" /></a></center><br />If you've got an iPod and you want to protect it with some scratch-resistant 3M-made ultra-thin art-covered vinyl, then check out <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=55461&u=209830&m=10029&urllink=&afftrack=">GelaSkins</a>.<br /><br /><center><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GiQCtWwa8xg"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GiQCtWwa8xg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object></center>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-42210913184128928202007-04-09T00:37:00.000-04:002007-04-09T00:44:14.220-04:00The ReactableI discovered this at the <a href="http://www.gelaskins.typepad.com/">GelaSkins blog</a>. This is extremely cool. A surface which generates sound determined by the type and position of certain custom blocks. Take a look:<br> <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zodf6_YGujo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zodf6_YGujo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br>There are more movies at <a href="http://www.youtube.com">YouTube</a>. Search for "reactable".Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-50330338945697123892007-04-01T16:21:00.000-04:002007-04-02T22:07:13.097-04:00Finished some booksI've been addicted to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/">Twitter</a> recently (see widget at top right), and have neglected my blog. I like Twitter's immediacy, and its diary-like feel. I have an awful memory, so this will be a record of my life (including the meaningless little things I do every day) that I'll be able to refer to when I need to. (Until of course, Twitter blows up and all my data is lost. I'll have to check for an archive function but I don't think there is one yet.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0700710043?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0700710043"><img style="float: left;" src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0700710043.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0700710043" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />Anyhow, I've finished a few books recently, and wanted to jot down some words about them. First, the somewhat inappropriately-named <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0700710043?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0700710043">"Adult Manga"</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0700710043" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> by Sharon Kinsella. This is not about "adult" manga - rather, it's about manga written for adults, a quite different thing. I sometimes felt a bit self-conscious reading the book on the bus. In any case, it was an interesting introduction to Japanese manga. There were a few annoying spelling and grammar mistakes, and sometimes the book felt a bit disorganized. However, if you're interested in the history of manga, how it's produced, how its production has evolved over the years, and what the future holds for the manga industry, then you should enjoy the book. There are a few black and white panels here and there, but don't expect much in terms of illustrations.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0812972864?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0812972864"><img style="float: left;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0812972864.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0812972864" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />I was initially hesitant about reading this book. I read a review at Amazon written by a Japanese person, which criticized it heavily, and without thinking, I took the side of the Japanese person. The reviewer of <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0812972864?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0812972864">"Inventing Japan"</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0812972864" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> by Ian Buruma, wasn't happy about the manner in which Japan was portrayed. However, upon reading the book, I see that it falls squarely in the realm of books that I typically read about the United States and Canada. I read Chomsky, Barlow, and McQuaig, authors who are typically critical of government and big business. Buruma points out numerous flaws in Japan's governments and armies from the time of Perry's black ships to the Tokyo Olympics in the 60s. But he doesn't directly criticize Japanese culture or the Japanese people. He possibly criticizes a certain class of Japanese people (the same people who get a finger pointed at in Chomsky's books) , namely the ruling class, which all too often is much too susceptible to bad ideas and rampant corruption. I enjoyed this little book (the main text is just under 200 pages) and would recommend to anyone with a mild interest in Japan. Quite a turnaround from my initial reaction. But it just proves that we shouldn't judge something until we've consumed it, no matter what our first impression.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/076530953X?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=076530953X"><img style="float: left;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/076530953X.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=076530953X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />The last book that I finished is a science fiction novel by Cory Doctorow, <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/076530953X?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=076530953X">"Down and out in the Magic Kingdom"</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=076530953X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />. It's hard to know how to describe the book; the premise is so bizarrely original. Most of the book takes place in and around Disneyland in California. People are able to backup their minds and memories, and duplicate bodies are easily regrown. So, if you get into a car accident, you can have your backup "self" imported into a new body. You can also "dead-head" to any particular date in the future. This is not time travel; this is going into some form of suspended animation until 100, 500, or 1000 years from now. If you don't like what you wake up to, you can dead-head for another century. These ideas get a light treatment by Doctorow in this book, but that's what makes it enjoyable. Science fiction is often much too pedantic and drawn-out. Doctorow's writing makes his futures seem palpable and believable. I read this book via email using the <a href="http://www.dailylit.com/">DailyLit</a> project.<br /><br />There. I've finally written another blog post. As I'm frantically trying to finish my math project, I'm also reading some great books: Crypto by Steven Levy (which covers the modern history of cryptography), and The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (an interesting alternate history of the second world war.)<br /><br />Heading off to Japan in a few weeks! The flavour of my posts will no doubt change quite a bit. Stay tuned!Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-45096684106025330872007-03-07T14:30:00.001-05:002008-11-01T11:01:22.594-04:00Cool Japanese music video<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/25zF8L8VpbQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/25zF8L8VpbQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_%28musician%29">Cornelius</a>' video to his experimental Fit Song.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-21936834085609491742007-03-01T17:51:00.000-05:002007-03-02T03:01:47.819-05:00Eastern Standard Tribe<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0765310457?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0765310457"><img style="float: left;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0765310457.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0765310457" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />As a resident of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Standard_Tribe">eastern standard tribe</a>, I really enjoyed <a href="http://www.craphound.com/">Cory Doctorow</a>'s third science fiction book. I may soon be transplanting myself to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Standard_Time">japan standard tribe</a> (or the j-tribe as I like to call it), giving me the opportunity to become an industrial saboteur like Art was in EST. I'll have to attempt to match my waking hours with those of my timezone brethren, while maintaining the semblance of a normal life in my new Tokyo job. The idea is to appear to be doing my job well, while in fact doing a piss-poor one, delivering an outwardly perfect-looking product, but which comes with all manner of hidden defects, whether these be in user experience, design, support, manuals, convenience, extensibility, upgradability, etc.<br /><br />Since my upcoming position in Japan is as manager of a small English school, I won't be able to sabotage a product. But I will be able to sabotage the English language. It will be more difficult with my adult students, but the young children will be easy. I'm reminded of an old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Martin">Steve Martin</a> skit:<br /><blockquote>I got a great dirty trick you can play on a 3-year old kid. See, kids learn how to talk from listening to their parents. [...] See what you do, if you have a 3-year old kid and you want to play a dirty trick on him, whenever you're around him, you talk wrong. So now it's like his first day in school and he raises his hand "May I mambo dogface to the banana patch?"</blockquote>Of course, the results of my deeds won't be obvious for many years, until the kids go on a homestay program in Vancouver, or until they enter an international law program. Possibly, one of them might someday translate from article 31(1) of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_the_Law_of_Treaties">Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties</a>:<br /><blockquote>A treaty shall be perforated in good smarm in reluctance with the salivary meaning to be trodden to the stems of the treaty in their varnish and in the light of its hairbrush and tortoise.</blockquote>I have to be honest now. Although I was able to nicely weave Steve Martin into this blog post, I had an ulterior motive for doing so. If you <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersection_%28set_theory%29">intersect</a> the text of Doctorow's book with all of Steve Martin's stand-up routines, three words from the following sentence stand out. Doctorow writes:<br /><blockquote>The boats are mambo, but I think that banana patch the hotel soon.</blockquote>The Art character is attempting to shock the guy on the other end of the comm out of his doziness with some nonsensicality. It works, but it also shocks those readers who, in their youth, spent hours listening to Steve Martin comedy records. It creates a warm little buzz, that then grows and forces you to put down the book, jump on the net, and attempt to download mp3 versions of all of Martin's routines. These readers, and presumably Doctorow himself, are part of another tribe - the SMT (definitely not to be confused with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal">Sony Music Tribe</a>.)<br /><br />I thought for sure Amazon would select "boats are mambo" and "banana patch" as SIPs (statistically improbable phrases) from Doctorow's <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0765310457?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0765310457">book</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0765310457" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />, but they instead chose the much more highly improbable "axe head" and "left channel" (dripping sarcasm here). The book's title was also chosen as a SIP and this makes sense - the title is quite cool. However, this book is fraught with SIPs much more sippy than "left channel" or "axe head". Amazon should polish their algorithms a tad. (For some reason Amazon.ca doesn't show SIPs yet, so you'll have go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eastern-Standard-Tribe-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765310457/sr=8-1/qid=1172812645/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2458155-2631842?ie=UTF8&s=books">here</a> to see what they are.)<br /><br />This is not really a review - I don't like reviews. It's more of a rambling recommendation. If the first paragraph above piqued your interest, then go find this book. You will be glad you did.<br /><br />Oh, and if you need driving directions from Mambo Avenue to Banana Patch Court, just click <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Mambo+Ave,+North+Port,+FL+34286&daddr=Banana+Patch+Ct,+Osprey,+FL+34229&f=l&sll=27.088435,-82.250841&sspn=0.008176,0.021629&amp;layer=&ie=UTF8&z=11&om=1">here</a>.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-60814075885830312962007-02-26T17:47:00.000-05:002007-02-28T16:06:39.142-05:00C for Concubine<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0312192525?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0312192525"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0312192525.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" style="float: left;" border="0" /></a><img alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&amp;amp;amp;amp;o=15&a=0312192525" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><span style="font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"> <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://static.jamglue.com/flash/inline-player.swf?1171265229" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" wmode="transparent" quality="high" flashvars="rootId=68728&hostname=http://www.jamglue.com&autoStart=0" align="absmiddle" height="20" width="20" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></span> The Concubine's Tattoo by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Joh_Rowland">Laura Joh Rowland</a> is a 1998 novel set during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_shogunate">Tokugawa Shogunate</a> period (a.k.a Edo Period) of Japan. The hero is Sano Ichiro, a detective in the employ of the shogun, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Tsunayoshi">Tokugawa Tsunayoshi</a> (who ruled from 1680-1709). Sano must quickly solve the murder of one of the shogun's concubines, who suddently (and violently) dies in her chamber, interrupting Sano's wedding ceremony.<br /><br />The book is pulp fiction, set in historical Japan. I typically enjoy reading pulp fiction which centres on a subject that I'm fascinated with (which is why I like reading Michael Crichton.) I'm fascinated by Japan so I thought I'd really enjoy the book. However, I was left less than satisfied with the writing style. (The story would make a great movie though.)<br /><br />I discovered something new about Japanese culture from this book - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin">burakumin</a>. This is a minority group in Japan that has historically (and perhaps still presently) been discriminated against. I'll let you read the above Wikipedia entry if you're interested. Interestingly, in another book I'm currently reading (<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0824823184?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0824823184">Adult Manga: Culture and Power in Contemporary Japan</a><img alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0824823184" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> by Sharon Kinsella,) the burakumin are thought to perhaps be some of the original creators or purveyors of manga in the early 20th century. Also, in the 60s and 70s, there was a prevalent theme in manga associated with the rights of the lower classes, including a number of stories featuring Burakumin protagonists.<br /><br />Another Sano Ichiro detective book sits on my shelf, S for Samurai... I mean, The Samurai's Wife. Both books were gifts, so I'm bound to read them. I hope Rowland's writing improved for her next detective novel.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-63569446900080188682007-02-25T01:20:00.001-05:002008-11-01T11:05:06.299-04:00To: Lisa Simpson<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1840224088?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=1840224088"><img style="float: left;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1840224088.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" /></a><img alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=1840224088" border="0" height="1" width="1" />Ever since December 1992, I've wondered about the novel <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Frome">Ethan Frome</a>. During that month, an episode of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_simpsons">The Simpsons</a> aired, in which <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Simpson">Lisa</a> is presented with a gift of this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Wharton">Edith Wharton</a> novel. "Finally a copy of Ethan Frome to call my own!" she says. I had no idea what the joke was, although I'm pretty sure that I still laughed. (I learned recently that the enormous tome Lisa received is actually only about 100 pages long. So, if that was indeed the joke, then possibly only American Literature majors caught it.)<br /><br />I decided to read the book as my trial of the <a href="http://www.dailylit.com/about">DailyLit</a> web service. The creators describe it thusly:<br /><blockquote>We got the idea for DailyLit after the New York Times serialized a few classic works in special supplements a few summers ago. We wound up reading books that we had always meant to simply by virtue of making them part of our daily routine of reading the newspaper. The only thing we do more consistenly than read the paper is read email. Bingo!</blockquote>I received sections of the novel daily through email. It was an interesting experience. At first, it felt odd reading a book via Google Mail, but I quickly got used to it. I discovered that the novel is in fact a romance, and although I don't go out of my way to pick up romance novels, I got caught up in the writing and in the setting. An odd twist at the end of the book was a bit anticlimactic for me, but I enjoyed the experience overall.<br /><br />I'd recommend the book (as well as DailyLit) to any power web users out there who may feel like they're letting their literariness slip. I'm currently reading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_doctorow">Cory Doctorow</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_and_Out_in_the_Magic_Kingdom">Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom</a> using the service and am quite enjoying it. (You typically cannot read such recent works using DailyLit, but Doctorow ensured this novel was published under a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons">Creative Commons</a> license.)<br /><br />There's a weak Simpsons thread in this post, so I'll take the opportunity to include here a trailer to the upcoming movie:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A2h3PeUtWAA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A2h3PeUtWAA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-59600292080057989052007-02-19T15:53:00.000-05:002007-02-20T00:17:26.348-05:00Wrong about JapanI recently finished this book by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Carey">Peter Carey</a>. I had picked it up in the hardcover bargain section of one of the big bookstores because of its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga">manga</a> theme. The book was mildly interesting, although perhaps someone who hasn't spent some time in Japan would find it more so.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0679313486?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0679313486"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0679313478.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" style="float: left;" border="0" /></a>The mindset that Carey exhibits throughout the book is one which many foreigners share (including myself) when they travel there. We see and feel the history and vastly different culture and we imagine our Japanese hosts as experts in linguistics, literature, classical music, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony">tea ceremonies</a>, construction, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime">anime</a>, World War II, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki">kabuki</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noh">Noh</a>, Asian geopolitics, food, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono">kimono</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geta_%28footwear%29">geta</a>, sushi, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koto_%28musical_instrument%29">koto</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha">geisha</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji">kanji</a> and any number of other Japanese topics. We become disappointed when their expert knowledge is not forthcoming. But these are unrealistic expectations. How many of us could answer questions about our country, province, or hometown? I couldn't say much more than "hockey" and "poutine" if a Japanese person asked me about Canadian culture. Perhaps others could be more verbose.<br /><br />The first time I met my wife-to-be, I found myself asking her about her feelings towards Americans because of Hiroshima. That's similar to her asking me how I felt about Newfoundlanders, due to their late entry into Confederation. It's just completely irrelevant. (Although, it does rub me the wrong way that it took them so long to join, damn them! ... kidding of course.)<br /><br />The book tells the journey of father (Carey) and son, as they try to each discover their own personal "real Japans". Carey's publishing connections allow him to set up some impressive interviews in Japan (for example, with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyazaki_Hayao">Miyazaki Hayao</a>, creator of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonari_No_Totoro">My Neighbor Totoro</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_mononoke">Princess Mononoke</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_away">Spirited Away</a>) which he is later disappointed with, because his supposed clever insights into Japanese animation (and other cultural aspects) are not met with the enthusiasm and understanding he expects.<br /><br />There are a few minor factual errors (I've become a manga expert while reading <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0824823184?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0824823184">Adult Manga</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0824823184" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />) and a number of interesting manga illustrations.<br /><br />Recommended for fathers with young teen aged sons, either of whom are interested in Japan.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-54073516349490200202007-02-17T19:04:00.000-05:002007-02-17T19:48:10.348-05:00An uneven matchI'll let the graphics speak for themselves. Visit this site (<a href="http://www.wellingtongrey.net/miscellanea/archive/index.html">www.wellingtongrey.net</a>) for more interesting graphics and cartoons.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eigology.com/images/science.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.eigology.com/images/science.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eigology.com/images/faith.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.eigology.com/images/faith.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-26754691690821925702007-02-17T01:34:00.000-05:002007-02-17T01:51:45.899-05:00Pinball FunkOne of the first mp3s I ever downloaded way back when Napster was cool, was a Sesame Street song (perhaps) called "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12". I believe this song is the reason I love jazz (and related genres), pinball (although I can't remember the last time I played), and numbers (especially, seven!). Check it out:<br /><embed style="width: 400px; height: 326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2780804592573424880&hl=en-CA" flashvars=""></embed><br />I am now trying to convince myself not to buy the DVD "Sesame Street: Old School (1969-1974)".<br /><br />"Don't do it."Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-86832284300219799642007-02-14T18:09:00.000-05:002007-02-14T19:06:16.630-05:00I baked with yeast!Today I got the urge to make some bread. My wife and I have been on a "submarine sandwich" binge for the last little while so I made long buns. I've made a few breads in the past, but this was my first (non-breadmaker) yeast bread. Here's what they looked like before going in the oven<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/390618390_6c28da75b5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/390618390_6c28da75b5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />and here's after.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/390620544_ce07fe54b0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/390620544_ce07fe54b0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The odd-shaped one is supposed to resemble a heart for Valentine's Day. I forgot to snap a pic, but I drew a jam heart on it.<br /><br />I'll have to try again, because although these were pretty tasty, they were a bit small and had the consistency of dinner rolls. In fact, if I added a bit of flavour, they would taste exactly like the delicious rolls one is served at Red Lobster.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38176608.post-17194300834799718812007-01-30T00:11:00.001-05:002007-01-30T00:22:24.957-05:00Greg Palast's "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy"I almost didn't read this book because the cover contains a quote by Michael Moore (he describes the book as "Courageous reporting.") Although I think I'm quite left of centre politically, I cringed through a number of scenes in Fahrenheit 911, and wasn't too impressed with him after having watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Moore_Hates_America">Michael Moore Hates America</a>. However, the book came well recommended, and not being one to judge a book by its cover, I started reading <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0452285674?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0452285674">The Best Democracy Money Can Buy</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0452285674" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Palast">Greg Palast</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0452285674?ie=UTF8&tag=coppforacat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0452285674"><img src="http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0452285674.01._AA_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg" style="float: left;" border="0" /></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.ca/e/ir?t=coppforacat-20&l=as2&o=15&a=0452285674" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />The book's subtitle is "An investigative reporter exposes the truth about globalization, corporate cons, and high-finance fraudsters". Britain's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune_%28magazine%29">Tribune Magazine</a> called Palast "the most important investigative journalist of our time." On some level, I was reminded of books by Noam Chomsky (the New York Times said he "is arguably the most important intellectual alive today,") although Palast's writing style is much less dry and perhaps a little too familiar for some readers (he likes to emphasize by using such adjectives as "<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fucking">fucking</a>".)<br /><br />I recommend the book: even with its swearing, length (~350 pages), and occasional feeling of disorganization. I suppose it's sometimes difficult to nicely put together so many depressing facts about our political and economic leaders.Sean O'Haganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04281839561200918652noreply@blogger.com0