Warm Strangers Vienna Teng

I like to be pleasantly surprised. After two CDs, I thought that would be the end of my Vienna Teng collection. I liked her music, at the same level of Charlotte Church’s first two CDs. Two are enough for my library. After all, I have more music than the time of the day.

Then, through Kid’s connection, I got her Warm Strangers album. In this CD, she moved up from a niche voice singer to a big league star. Her other two CDs were good, but couldn’t hold my attention long enough. After several songs, I would start to press the skip button, hoping to find something that was not a re-mix of the same ingredients. This one, however, every songs was distinctively her and has lasting power. I could savor each of them and would try to play them again.

ITunes starred six out of the entire 12 songs. That’s impressive. The bonus track, a Taiwan folk song, was a treat. Her Mandarin voice was sweet and authentic. I can imagine a tour in Taiwan and China entirely in Chinese songs. Imagine her parents’ proud expressions.

Yes, I knew this is her second CD and I actually had her third, Dreaming Through Noise before this one.

In the haunting song, Where Have All The Flowers Gone by Peter, Paul, and Mary. One of the verses wonder where have all the young girls gone. Of course, the song is about anti-war and the girls were mourning their dead boy friends. It appears that many Chinese young men, and their Indian counter-parts will soon wonder where to find eligible brides in the world.

The Economist reported that China will have a surplus of eligible bachelors as many as the entire Germany’s population! India, South Korea, Taiwan, and several mid-eastern countries are heading the same imbalance. This article reminded me the short-fiction Goddess, by Linda Nagata, in which future Indian elders routinely implant a gender selector in young woman’s wombs — have a boy or have no child what-so-ever. Modern Chinese and Indians would depend on the skills of the ultrasonic technicians for such decisions.

A surprise consequence is the size of the dowry. As eligible maids become less available, they command higher dowry or whatever forms of payment from the groom’s side. Parents of young boys need to save more, since wealth is part of the bidding to win a bride.

The society will fix this problem by itself. The surplus men will be denied opportunity to have a traditional family. They will share a wife with someone else, import a bride from outside, or stay single. The society will gain its gender balance in one or two generations no matter what. The question is really how violent the process will be — unwed young male is the source of most mayhem in the world.

Maybe the song is hinting a solution after all? Where have all the young men gone? Gone to graveyard everyone. Oh when will they ever learn?

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner 978-0060889579

Do Indian men really have smaller penises? Can you imagine the tease toward our brown friends?

They over-hyped the book dead. All interesting concepts were ruined by all those blogs, media coverage, and party talks. It read like a long re-run. Many meant-to-be startling or new concepts have become old and stale by the time I read them.

Other than that, the chapters were unorganized. Steven and Stephen jumped from one concept to another with very weak linkages. By the time I reached the end of the chapter, I needed to think back the original concept and frequently found the trace-back too winding. The biggest let-down was their approach. Behavior economists should examine data and found insights that explain the world. Instead, the book read like a 300-page news magazine. The articles were interesting, just not very social economical.

The chapter on geoengineering was simply ideas, with good scientific theories behind them. That is disappointing, since I expected experiments or prototypes. Nathan Myhrvold is a billionair and his venture is well-funded. Why are those ideas not backed by solid proofs?

The chapter on “cheap and simple” fixes felt just naive. There are almost insurmountable problems. Historical examples of simple solutions do not guarantee, what-so-ever, that the next one will just emerge miraculously. Most of those solutions took Herculean efforts, rare ingenuity and talents, and solid funding. If we all just sit and wait, the miracle will never come.

They went to length to refute the existence of altruism. Every good Samaritan did good for some incentives, they claimed. No one is completely altruistic, everyone does it for themselves, at least partially. Altruism is an intention and can never be proven one way or the other, with or without the existence of any incentive. Philosophically, however, what good is for humanity to prove that altruism does not exist?

The epilogue, on monkeys, was extremely entertaining. I was laughing out loud. Good closing.

開始聽三國，總共上百回．有空聽聽，也得年把才聽的完．

曹操聚了各路諸侯，以袁紹為首伐董卓，第一個就碰到華雄．他把袁軍殺的一榻糊塗．終於關羽以馬弓手的低職，一刀取了華雄的首級，揚名立萬．

如果水滸講的是政府腐敗，三國就是政治權謀的黑暗了．曹操有名的”寧教我負天下人，休教天下人負我”． 袁術怕孫監搶功，不發糧草．孫監因此敗陣，差點丟了腦袋．三國的軍事政治鬥爭，於此舖開．

靈劍 鄭丰 978-986-6712-74-6

靈劍是天關雙俠的前集.鄭丰被捧成”女版金庸”.神雕三部是永遠的經典,她的武俠也比的上金庸的二級作品了.靈劍的情節誨暗悽慘,鄭丰兩集都把虎嘯山莊安排的很不幸.其實”醫俠”是個很有詩意的想法,凌霄也有英雄的特質,典型武俠他不左擁右抱,稱霸武林,也至少能贏得美人歸.但鄭丰兩本都給他悲劇黑暗,這是她對武俠的突破嗎?我讀了40年武俠,還不大習慣離開那模式呢.

傳統的武功已經是超能了,鄭丰還加上了靈能及巫毒.天關裏,主角的武功平常(他是百花掌門,下毒的).這部有改善,但被天關中傳頌的大決戰,卻只有一點篇幅帶過.筆墨放在了燕龍偉大的犧牲上.可惜那過程太”成人”,鄭丰不能寫的露骨.遺憾.

武俠就是中國的007,不論如何的公式化,讀者都要能忘了這現實,看完了得不能自及的幻想自己是那英雄主角.天關還行,靈劍看完還真有點失落,沒那期待的滿足感.

鄭丰有個部落格.可以去給她加點人氣.

What the Dog Saw Malcolm Gladwell ISBN: 978-0316075848

This is Malcolm’s best book.

I must be a Malcolm fan, having read every books he published so far. Before this one, the best was still the Tipping Point. I read others like I read Harry Potter #4 to #7: probably wouldn’t had I not read #1 to #3 already. Sequel power.

I made a mental note that this be my last Malcolm Gladwell when I picked up What the Dog Saw. The only other non-fiction writer that I have the complete collection was Michael Porter. Last chance, Gladwell. I delayed Black Swan for you. You’d better be brilliant for this one.

I was a turned off when I have read the preface. What?! He just collected his past shorter works into a book? That’s it?! He was milking me (like a cash cow). He did not work for this book. He was a paid writer for the New Yorker and now was re-selling his past works.

I read for entertainment that has different forms: positive emotional stimulus, intellectual enhancements through well presented facts, or deeper understanding of a worthy cause. This is why my favorite genre is SciFi. The good ones have all three.

Since each chapter in the book was not related and not too long, I paused whenever I finished one. It is a good bed-time book: one chapter then turn off the light. After the first two, I told Daughter, “Gladwell was just showing off his writing skills.” “That’s good,” she replied. “I like his style.” I did too.

Then they got better. I would have forgotten all about his writing skills and hooked by his stories that aimed to shed a new light into an old or familiar social issue. Malcolm was effective in moving, changing, or at least entertaining people. I felt myself changed, maybe not much, but perceivable, after reading his works. That’s exciting, I wanted to talk about what I read in dinner parties and expect others to get excited too.

OK, Malcolm, you just earned my money for your next book.

This generation that defined American’s tastes and styles is now old. Unfortunately, the new ones, call them X, Y, post-80, whatever, has not taken over the most important reign: money. No wonder entertainment industries still try to wring the last billions out of us, the baby boomers.

Up in the Air, a movie by George Clooney, tells the story of a man who travels over 320 days a year, for over 10 years. The poignant part of the movie was when he explained how all the happy memories are with people and he had none. This is like Lost in Translation: about the sadness of a lonely old man.

Several years ago, I glanced, from the doorway, into that lifestyle. Those membership status were earned with the most precious commodity of all: part of the life. Those black, silver, gold membership cards are badges of hardwork and achievements. The flip side of those glamorous perks — priority queues, preferential treatments, discounts, etc. — is a sad life-style that is unhealthy, exhausting, and lonely.

It’s Complicated was wonderfully written, rich, and satisfying. Meryl Streep certainly was a charming old woman. Unlike Julie and Julia, she was giggling and easily-overwhelmed in this one like a hormone-infused teenager, only in her 50s. It is officially a chick-flick when the only nude scene was Alec Baldwin’s. There were several LOL scenes that had everyone thumping their feet or slapping their thighs. The kids are also wonderfully played, particularly the future brother-in-law. Over-all, this movie was quite enjoyable.

I never quite understood the toll of a divorce; every one of my divorced friends exhibited its weight. I do see its effects on children. The movie set a good guideline: be honest with them. Kids need to deal with the divorce like their parents. Don’t make it worse.

Maybe I should check out options for my sagging eye lids too?

Becoming Human http://www.becominghuman.org/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beta/evolution/

PBS recently aired this 3-part series of human evolution. The style and structure are like other PBS documentary/educational programs: a narrator with impeccable voice, interviews with impressive experts, and revelations of break-through knowledge. This subject, human evolution, is of interest, so I watched, yes, all three episodes.

We knew that apes became bipeds (primates that walk with two hind legs), then became human. My surprise was that there were many kinds of bipeds that had the advantage of walking more efficiently and seeing farther away. Bipeds, therefore, can hunt in the prairie; unlike their 4-legged cousins that can only gather in the forests. If there were many bipeds, how come there is only one human being now?

Then Africa went through a period of drastic weather changes: drought, flood, and back to drought, repeated many times over several thousand years. Those weather cycles eliminated those bipeds that cannot adopt and only Homo Erectus survived. They have larger brains and adapt better. Homo Erectus migrated from Africa to Europe and pretty much the whole world. They had less hair for more efficient heat disipation over the long distance. They could chase fury animals until the prey became too hot to move. After the kill, their two-legged efficiency enabled them to carry the carcasses back home. The hairlessness and walking capacity were unique advantage for day time huntng. When the sun sets, they built fire to fend off predators. That created communication and social skills. But we are not Homo Erectus, we are Homo Sapiens. Home Erectus went extinct too.

When Africa became desert, Homo Erectus couldn’t survive. Only less than few hundreds went to the coast side and learned to fish. They became smaller (more energy efficient) and even smarter. Several thousand years later, they became Homo Sapiens. In the mean time, those Homo Eractus dominated the rest of the world: Europe, Asia, etc.

Gradually, Homo Sapiens wandered off Africa in search for better food sources. Somehow, when they encountered Homo Erectus, their genetic cousin vanished. They consumed the same foods and therefore are natural rivalries. Homo Sapiens became the dominant resident of this planet some 200,000 years ago.

The most interesting fact is that others have dominated the world for far, far longer time: bipeds and Homo Erectus all survived over 500,000 years. History predicts that Homo Sapiens’ domination will be of limited time. One day, Homo Sapiens will exist only in fossil form.

I will, of course, be long dead. I wonder what would they think when they found the fossil that was me.

其實我忘了水滸的結局了. 小時候看到招安,就義憤填噟,摔書不看了. 這次耐性的一回回的聽完了. 中國的四大小說,設計都是說書的型式. iPod,正好提供聽書的環境.

戰死沙場的也就罷了,船伙張橫的英魂,武松的左手,都令人嘆息. 但那是打戰的代價. 方臘那邊,不也死了許多嗎? 平方臘後,水滸散將,一個個走了. 李俊赴船出海. 武松出家. 燕青也消遙而去. 這些都能令人暗嘆佩服. 但宋江,盧俊義被奸黨毒害,沒得好死. 是不是施耐庵暗示宋江的領導錯誤? 只是陪上了李逵,花榮,當了副將.

最悽涼的是吳用. 他雖無武功,但在梁山,征南,宋江給了他舞台. 從此只是一介文人,滿腹雄韜,沒有發揮的可能. 那就罷了. 現在連能說話的朋友都沒了. 於是鬱悶到了無生趣,自盡忠義堂.

水滸悲劇,給人最大的感嘆,是英雄慘死,奸黨得勝. 讀者及聽眾的不平,也就是水滸流傳不衰的重點原因了.

這是我重讀四大小說的第一本. 老實說,我紅樓從來沒看完過,也不會去看了. 但三國西遊,現在十分嚮往開讀哦.

Avatar James Cameron

We all went to the bathroom before the movie started and stayed away from any liquid during the entire show. That was a good plan.

We came out of the theater with different opinions. She shrugged, “It’s OK.” I thought it was just slightly shy of Star Trek, the best movie of 2009.

James Cameron pushed computer animation to a new level. The visual effects would be worth a ticket or two already. The facial expressions, sceneries, animals, plants, integration of real and animinated characters were all perfectly done. In fact, I felt Jack Sully was dull as a real character than his avatar.

The plot was quite simple and not something to linger over. The conflict was simplistic. The villain was thinly developed and stereotyped. So was the “suit” character; of course he has to be shallow, but not flat.

Pandora was magical. It is really the the main character: the mysteryy gradually unveiled, relationships developed, and the main characters impossibly trapped, torn, and changed. The flying scene was a cool moment. It reminded me a famous Kung Fu fiction in which the main characters rode a pair of large birds together. The bonding was so nicely magical.

A computer graphicist commented that in a couple of years, the effects will wear off and people will realize it is just a so-so movie. Guess there is no point arguing a prediction, since time will have the final say. I think you will enjoy it no matter what. Just go to the bathroom before it starts.