Thursday, February 21, 2008

Left- ver. right-handed, results of the experiment

In my post of September 25, 2007 I wrote about an experiment I am to perform. Change from right to the left hand for using the mouse.

It is almost half year now. Ghosh, I am a heavy user! The result: some stramge tickling in my LEFT hand. I feel like Marvin from Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy", pain in the diodes of the hand :-D

Btw., strangeness of the writing ceased after a month-NOW i feel a bit strange typing, just changed the mouse back to righ hand... it is amazing what we are doing to our bodies.
Mind...adopts. I did not become more clever, though, stupid "tovar" (=donkey) as usual :-{

I am definitely to try to buy the kneeling ("prayer", hehe) chair for sitting in front of the machine, because positions I am making sometimes when staring into the screen for 12 hours are... in delicate words, dangerous. Here in Taiwan I do not see them around, but heard there is IKEA, so maybe there I could find it. Will do my best.

Conclusion of the experiment: change the hand for your mouse when you notice any troubles. It seems half year is a good timing, when intensively sitting in front of the machine.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Alchemy

P.Coelho, "Alchemist"
I took this book in my hand after avoiding to do so for quite a time, because of the fame of the author. Ill fame.

It is a curse for a writer to write such a book.

It has something of Hesse's spirit (especially from "Siddartha"), with its naiveness, or I should say virginity? A bit of Richard Bach (from "Seagull Jonathan Livingston" or "Illusions") is also present. But it is original in its way of simple story-telling. Overloaded with short slogans of common wisdom, it merges them, however, into eatable food for brain. Although, forget about "high literature" encountering it. It might be in a book-shelf of philosophologist's children, not his own. {Philosophology...see R.M. Pirsig's definition in "Lila"-it is what people usually call "Philosophy", but it can not, should not be perverted this as it is in schools, teaching, learning it, is "-logy", living it is "-sophy"}.

Brain, I said, not ignorant sponge. These "wisdoms" are terribly politically correct when compared with other beliefs and cultures, but maintain realistic outlook in the book. Exactly how shepherd should see the world. And I know, my family were shepherds for generations, I still have it in my blood and head.

I am not to read some other book by P. Coelho soon, anyway. Too high a pitch for my ears.
Only... 'Pilgrimage', his 1st book, might be interesting for me, as I plan to go to Santiago de Compostella as an atheistic pilgrim. Sometimes our ways as readers are almost as uncertain as the book heros'.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Chinese discoveries

In his book "1421 - The Year China Discovered America" Gavin Menzies gives his view on the chinese discoveries. He is not historician, and his book could go more to the 'not-so-serious-history' part of the shelves in the library, but this does not discard his work.
As a submarine captain he travelled the seas which he describes, and as he was born in China and, obviously, conected to it throughout his life, he seems to be well equipped to reveal some of the dark spots in Chinese history, which emerged as China closed to outer work in 15th century.
As everyhing else, Chinese did this closeing thoroughly, and little of knowledge about outer world was saved of destruction then. But, as there was so wast a wealth of it, G.M could find some evidence for his claims.
Sure, it puts our critical mind to work, but it is always worth exercising it.
The book is written in a highly readable manner, and its layout of proofs tends to be documented, so anyone can check. Some assumptions of G.M. are obviously too stretched ot limited ones, but, then, this is why the book is given to public, that it would process it and give counter-proofs or corroborations.
I enjoy reading it as I was enjoying reading Cook's diaries 25 years ago :-)

And it is growing: on http://www.1421.tv/ online Alexandrian library is building the book further, describing ther discovery of the world by Chinese.
I find it very interesting concept, "research program" in an Imre Lakatos' way, we could say. "Proofs and refutations" of Popper could also be written about it, one day. Means, I like the attitude, Menzies is somewhat old-fashioned in his scientific method, as a sailor of the old school should be. "Novel", New Age approach would be to submit "revalation", but he rather submits his findings and proofs, ideas, and with it submits it to criticism and attempts of refutation. I think this method is good for historical research today. Let's see if he'll succeed to move the public opinion beyond current belief, in fact, beyond curent boistering of Europeans as these who "discovered" the world.