哲子戲 Philosophist’s Camp

I read this funny joke on the bulletin board at the shooting range today.  Major General Peter Cosgrove is the chief of the  Australian Defence Forace from 2002 to 2005.

General Cosgrove was interviewed on the radio recently. You’ll love his reply to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns and children.  Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you gotta love this! This is one of the best comeback lines of all time.  It is a portion of an ABC interview between a female broadcaster and General Cosgrove who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military headquarters.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
So, General Cosgrove, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?

GENERAL COSGROVE:
We’re going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery and shooting.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Shooting! That’s a bit irresponsible, isn’t it?

GENERAL COSGROVE:
I don’t see why, they’ll be properly supervised on the rifle range.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
Don’t you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

GENERAL COSGROVE:
I don’t see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
But you’re equipping them to become violent killers.

GENERAL COSGROVE:
Well, Ma’am, you’re equipped to be a prostitute, but you’re not one, are you?

The radio went silent and the interview ended.

早幾個月出差工幹﹐在飛機上看了「驚天奪寶」第一集﹐感覺不錯便順便看第二集﹐ 可是看到一半飛機便降落。我一直提不起興趣繼續看下半集﹐結果一拖便拖了兩個多月﹐到了這個週未不想太早睡覺﹐又想不到看什麼是好﹐才決定完成這套電影。既然我到一半可以放下來兩個月﹐想當然這套電影也不會精彩。正如所有荷里活續集的定律﹐續集一定拍得比第一集差﹐這套電影又怎會例外呢。

今集故事劇情照舊老土﹐三人行東奔西跑去尋金。開場時主角奪寶的動機﹐是洗察祖先刺殺林肯的污名﹐他連在追尋的寶藏是什麼東西也不知道。上集潛入國會圖書館偷獨立宣言﹐雖然跨張但不失驚險。今集偷入白金漢宮與白宮﹐奪取英女王與美國總統的書桌中的秘格﹐就過份地兒戲失真。英美兩國元首的辦公室像是無掩雞籠﹐可以讓尋寶探險家自出自入﹐大既拉登也不用花心思策劃恐怖襲擊﹐乾脆走去刺殺英美元首還易容。綁架美國總統更是天荒夜譚﹐那有總統蠢得隨便去孤身犯險﹐幼稚園也有教不要跟陌生人走﹐不怕綁架也會怕性侵犯嘛。

上集尋找是聖殿騎士的寶藏﹐今集則是印地安人傳說的黃金之城。黃金之城的傳說不是在南美洲嗎﹖怎麼竟然跑了去總統山。不知何解上集美國國父興建的寶藏地下城的機關﹐與今集印地安人興建的黃金地下城十分相似。不過如果印地安人有如此先進的技術﹐就不用怕白人在新世界侵佔殖民地了。最神奇就是古代遺蹟的設計者﹐總喜歡建築一些大而無當的機關﹐好讓主角表演打不死的體能。若果要消滅入侵者﹐簡單的陷阱反而更有效。要通過這些看似複習的機關其實很容易﹐帶幾枝索繩槍和定向炸藥就可以搞定了﹐探險家應該看看職業特工隊。

這齣電影故事的合理性得負分﹐故事最大的敗筆是那個不知所謂的奸角。 那些冒險電影的典型老土橋段﹐還可以勉強說是視覺刺激﹐可是那有奸角作壞事的理由是要名留千古﹐而且還選擇了一個極低能的方法﹐發掘出某個古代重要遺蹟。先不說奸角強迫主角尋寶根本行不通﹐就算是用自己的努力去尋寶﹐發現遺蹟也不可能名留千古﹐名字分分鐘連晚間新聞頭條也上不了。又不是掘到寶藏有錢分﹐大眾才不理會誰人發掘出什麼。考古學家和尋寶家的名字﹐只會在學術期刊上名留千古。電影開始的四分三﹐奸角明明好不威風八面﹐有一大班手下跟出跟入。怎麼最後到進入遺蹟時﹐他又會忽然腦殘不帶部下﹐自己一個人跟主角五個人走。他又不是有三頭六臂﹐可以五個人打一個人。在危機四伏的地道中﹐敵人中還有兩個是壯漢﹐就算他有槍都一樣死梗﹐何況他只是兩手空空。

今集電影的名字﹐源於影片中美國總統一代傳一代的秘冊。不過這次尋寶好像與總統秘冊沒有直接關連﹐總統秘冊只不過其中一條線索。倒全不如索性把電影名字改為「驚天奪寶:黃金之城」﹐俗氣低能的名字才與這電影相配。在電影臨完場前﹐總統問主角對秘冊第四十七的看法 ﹐很明顯這頁中的線索將會是第三集開端。不過第三集多數不關我事﹐看這些無聊電影簡直是浪費時間﹐第三集只會比第二集拍得差﹐下次說不定會去尋找外星人遺蹟呢﹗

早前給公司派去印度工幹﹐起行前在公司的圖書館中﹐找來本「文化智商」臨急抱佛腳﹐惡補一下如何與其他文化打交道。那本「文化智商」始終是寫給商務人看﹐雖然當中有很多有用的貼士﹐但欠缺有深度的文化分析。就好像買了台新電腦﹐讀完說明書懂雖得使用﹐但我是想打開機蓋看看內部結構﹐明白其中的設計理論。我想要的不是文化用家指南﹐而是文化的設計藍圖。剛好出發前回大學有事辦﹐閒逛大學書店看到本封面很醒目吸引﹐人類學一年級課本的「調查文化」﹐正好可以解答我對於文化的疑問。便二話不說買了下來﹐放入行李跟著我飛越半個地球去印度﹐希望可以幫助我認識印度文化。雖然這本書的內容豐富有趣﹐可是在沒有任何相關學識的基礎﹐死啃硬讀一本四百多頁的課本不是件易容的事。在印度期間旅遊有空時就拿出來看﹐等飛機看﹐坐飛機看﹐坐火車也看﹐連在海灘日光浴也在看。一般人會讀些雜誌小說輕讀物﹐像我這樣讀大學課本的人﹐還要讀得津津有味可算是異類。與我一起旅行的同事也說我是怪人﹐他拿起來翻看不夠幾頁便放棄了。不過二個月下來才看了四分三﹐回來加拿大後事務繁忙﹐差不多用了個多月才完成剩下來的頁數。

這本書的作者是史丹福大學的人類學教授﹐她從人類學的角度去研究文化。 這本書並不是單純記錄不同社會的文化現像﹐而用這些文化現像作為例子﹐綜合歸納出一套分析文化的系統架構﹐幫助我們快速適應新的文化環境﹐理解來自不同文化背景的人的差異。很多人對文化這一個慨念的認識十分矇糊﹐以為文學﹐藝術﹐生活習慣﹐宗教等就是等同於文化。從定義上說文化的內容可以很空泛﹐任何影響一個社群行為的價值系統就是文化。文化並不局限於國家或民族才擁有﹐任何有一定數目的人群也可以構成自己的文化。而很多時候不同文化互相重疊﹐一個人可以屬於複數的社群。例如我自己就同時受中華文化﹐西方文化與工程師文化的影響。然而文化不是獨立存在的抽像慨念﹐是必透要過行為才能顯現出來﹐分析文化就必須從行為開始入手﹐以不同的行為模式來推論背後不同的文化脈絡。

作者將文化分類為八個主要慨念﹐我們可以從不同文化對這八個觀念的不同理解﹐去作為切入點去審視文化對行為的影響。這八個慨念分別是﹐對空間的認知﹐對時間的認知﹐語言﹐人際關係﹐身體與自我﹐食物﹐衣著﹐和重要時地人的集體記憶。書中使用大量文化例子﹐去解釋不同文化如何申延出不同的行為。就算單純以獵奇眼光看這本書﹐認識其他文化聞所未聞的奇風異俗﹐也有如看國家地理頻道像有趣。不要以為四百多頁很厚﹐因為文化現像實在太多研究資料﹐盡管作者已極其博學多材﹐盡可能地包括羅列所有重要的事例﹐但每個例子也只能從略介簡。如讀者想對某方便的資料感興趣﹐可以按卷末的參考書目﹐去發掘更多深入的研究。

讀閱這書的最大得著是擴闊眼光﹐發現原來世界上很多人的思考方式與我們完全不同﹐他們的文化觀念與我們的南轅北轍﹐他們的行為看似亳無道理﹐還不是因為文化前設不同所致。我們日常接觸不同文化時﹐通常也只會很表面地看到﹐食物﹐衣著或語言的不同。其實在這八個文化觀念中的首兩個﹐很多時被忽略對空間與時間的認知﹐才是最重要的文化分歧。我們接受西方教育長大的人﹐很自然認為空間與時間是一堆數字﹐是宇宙中絕對的刻度﹐可以量度可以加減剩除。在很多原始文化中﹐空間是一個相對的觀念﹐畫夜春夏秋冬是個一環接一環的循環﹐並非會隨時間流逝的一分一秒。我們對空間的認知源自地圖﹐可以分割可以規範可以擁有。不過有些文化中﹐空間的認知源自空間的功用﹐又或者空間是身份的像徵。書中還有其他很有趣例子﹐只是太雜太廣太鎖碎﹐不能一一在此盡錄。所有例子的共通點﹐就是可以利用文化去解釋﹐不同社群行為上的差異。

作者本身是美國人﹐她主力研究土耳其文化﹐因此書中的例子偏頗西方和中東文化。若果作者能夠加插多些東方文化的例子﹐特別是中國和印度文化﹐相信閱讀起來會更加有趣。作為人類學文化研究的課本﹐這本書是一個很入門索引﹐為讀者慨覽所有與文化相關的課題。不過作者終始是讀人文科出身﹐不免思想沾染了人文的迂腐﹐認為文化沒有分高低﹐先進落後﹐文化只各不相同。書本序言也曾提及現代主義基礎的文化觀﹐作者只是以政治不正確與過時為理由否定了﹐並沒有提出更加充份的解釋﹐也沒有公正地引述其他支持文化絕對主義的論點﹐有點誤導讀者文化相對主義才是正確之嫌。作者身為一個人類學家﹐沒有理由不知道文化也會絕種的事實。一個會走上被淘汰絕種之路的文化﹐無可否認自然就是落後的文化。反之文化也可以響其他文化﹐用感染的方式把文化傳播開出。最有影響力同化他人的文化﹐毫無疑問就是最先進的文化。

I learned dancing a few times before.  The first time I took dancing class was in university and failed miserably.   The second time I took dancing class was a few years ago.  I took the beginning class twice but still fail to dance.  This time, I am taking dancing lesson preparing for the first dance in my wedding.  Failure is not an option, I gotta look good on my big day.

Unlike previous classes, this time we took private lesson. The instructor arranged a dance for us, we just have to practice hard and memorize the steps.  I found learning dancing this way is much easier than in group class.  In group class, I have to follow the beats when learning the steps, so I have a hard time keeping up.  The steps taught in the group class are too general, so I still have to create my own dance out of the steps I learned, which is too advance for my level.  My brain can’t process the music and lead the steps at the same time.  The private class is totally different.  I learned the steps without music and I don’t have to think what to do next.  I just have to practice a lot and have perfect muscle memory of the steps.  Once I know how to dance smoothly, I can easily synchronize the steps with the music.  I will only able to dance one dance really well, but nothing else, yet that’s good enough for now.

Many people think dancing is a form of art to express yourself.  By associate dance with art will scary away many men, art is too feminine.  Dance doesn’t have to be an art, it can be just some motor skill of body co-ordination.  If you think dancing is about learn some programed steps, dancing is not that hard.  Forget about artistic sense or expression, dancing is all about timing and balance.   What’s important is that your move synchronize with the music and you make the right steps without falling down or stepping on your partner.  If you can dance in the perfect form, your dance ought to look good.  Dance the perfect form require only practice, no artistic talent is needed.  Given enough time and determination, anyone can achieve that.  Artistic whatever is just some optional decorations on top of a perfect dance, like icing on a cake, which not important at all.  Since dancing has certification, starting with the bronze level, then silver level and graduate with the gold level, it got me interested to get the dancing certifications.  It would be a nice addition to my list of qualifications.

I have been wearing the same belt for 13 years.  I bought the belt in the university bookstore in my first year.  It has made of leather and has a small university logo at the end.  Over all these years, the belt witness my growth in waist size.  I am slowly moving from one the belt hole to another closer to the end.  The belt is surprisingly durable and still survive as one piece under my daily abuse.   Although it is pretty much out of shape, the lining in many places are coming out and the leather surface lost of its texture.  The belt is way past its life cycle but I don’t want to throw it away because a belt is very personal item like your wallet.  I use the same belt everyday and I don’t know what belt should I get as replacement, so I keep just using it.  Finally I made up my mind and buy myself a new belt.

My new belt is a Liger belt made by Maxpedition.  It is literally the king of all belts.  It is the strongest belt you can ever found.  The belt can take over 2000 lbs of tensile strength and 300 lbs of hole pull strength.  The belt is made of composite fiber material that looks like leather.  The bucket belt including the hook is cast in one piece using aircraft aluminum.  The belt is so strong that it will never get out of shape and yet it is still flexible enough to wear comfortably.  Cleaning the belt is very easy since the material is abrasion resistant, you can just rinse it in soap and water and let it dry.  It is a perfect match for my 511 tactical pants.  The belt is so low profile that I think it may even goes well with a suit.

If I change my belt every 13 years, the next time I will buy a new belt will be in 2021.  I have confidence in my Liger belt can last until then or even longer.  The belt is pretty much indestructible.  Maybe it is the last belt I ever have to buy.

以前小時候看漫畫﹐大人總是愛說看漫畫浪費時間﹐有時間不如溫習功課。「東大特訓班 」這套漫畫﹐終於可以為漫畫大平反﹐現在可以理直氣壯地說﹐看漫畫也可以很有教育意義﹐甚至對讀書考試也有幫助﹗這部漫畫的題材很獨特﹐一個很另類的校園故事。主人翁的目標很簡單﹐沒有愛情沒有甲子園﹐就是考進日本最高學府東京大學。這部漫畫講述兩個籮底橙學生﹐在一個面臨破產危機的學校﹐遇上一個高級流岷教師﹐用一年時間備戰日本公開試﹐挑戰東京大學拯救學校的勵志故事。不要以為講讀書就很悶﹐其實劇情架構很像冒險故事﹐吸引讀者不停追看下去。只不過不是打倒地下迷宮的怪獸﹐而是要克服一個接一個的測驗考試。神兵利器就變成讀書心法﹐武林前輩世外高人則是特訓老師。 過程中一樣有練功升級﹐逐級而上排除萬難面對最終挑戰﹐創造通過東京大學入學試的奇蹟。

這部漫畫的畫功很爛﹐人物時不時嚴重走樣﹐不過這也沒有影響可觀性﹐因為漫畫的精萃在於讀書心法。要教小朋友這些考取好成績的基本道理﹐正經八百地對他們訓話大慨不會入耳﹐改為在漫畫故事中帶出來﹐小朋友就不知不覺間吸收了。漫畫中的讀書心法笵圍廣而博﹐由生活規律到記憶術﹐到中英數文理科讀書竅門﹐到考試答題目的技巧﹐到父母如何教育子女﹐甚至做人的道理也應有盡有。若果能做到漫畫全部的讀書心法﹐考取不失禮人的成績﹐順利入大學絕對不是問題。我在閱讀漫畫時﹐不禁邊看邊檢討以前讀書時的習慣﹐看看與漫畫中教的有多少吻合。大部份讀書心法我也有用﹐不過若果中學時代看到這本漫畫﹐考試就能更加如虎添翼了。有幾個心法我特別喜歡﹐不妨在此和大家分享﹕

• 讀古文先用白話文來記內容與涵義﹐讀起古文就容易理解多了。
• 計數學時﹐寫方程式要有美感﹐一來可以幫助思考﹐二來可以增加運數速度。
• 練習做舊試題的重點﹐是在於瞬間判斷題目的難易種類﹐可以不用思考去感學解題的方向。
• 不能用螢光筆劃課本﹐劃了也不等於讀識﹐要筆記就應該自己寫﹐最好用記憶樹的方法寫筆記。
• 考試目標就是取分數﹐不要給困難的題目迷惑﹐先答容易的題目取分﹐答題的時間分配很重要。
• 考試當天早上不要讀書﹐應該冷靜下來準備輕鬆心情。
• 發問為什麼這個問題是求取知識的根源﹐會問為什麼讀起書來就自自然然會覺得很有趣味。
• 讀英文領聽試的秘訣﹐是先要練習講英文﹐而不是本末倒置去練習聽英文。
• 考試寫錯時﹐不要用像皮擦﹐而是劃線刪掉繼續寫。
• 不准熬夜﹐考試前一定要有充足睡眠。

漫畫除了讀書心法好看外﹐主角櫻木老師反主流的教育精神﹐更讓我邊看邊激節不已深表讚同。主角的教育理念其實很傳統很王道﹐用現代五花八門教育理念的眼光來看似很落伍。可是最原始最基礎的方法﹐才是最有效的教育方法。漫畫藉著主角與他屬下教師的對話﹐無情地顛覆批判時下潮行的教育理念﹐什麼學生為本﹐快樂校園﹐培養心理素質﹐講通識講夢想﹐教師無私為學生﹐考試無用論﹐發展多元創意﹐注重人文素養等等﹐統統都是假大空的癈話。

考試成績最公平最客觀﹐是最好評核學生的學習指標﹐其他主觀的評核標準純屬多餘。成績好自然其他方面也會好﹐身心平發展是考取高分的先決條件。高分低能一般而言並不存在﹐反而低分低能則腑拾皆是。填鴨式教育最能夠打好學問的基礎﹐要講創意也先要從模妨一步步慢慢開始。不要以為考試制度沒有用﹐考試不要學生記著吸收過知識﹐而是練訓學生自發去追求知識。考試的內容並不是最重要﹐最重要的是準備考試的過程﹐和客觀評分對學生的推動力。

讀書必須講講現實功利主義﹐空談教育理想不切實際。學生不要以為老師會無私奉獻﹐老師與學生應該要互惠互利﹐各取所需才是正確的師生關係。老師不用追求春風化雨感動學生﹐只要專業操守做好本份就已經很好了。學生有心理問題應該他們自己學懂解決﹐決定末來志願入大學選科不是老師的責任。老師的首要責任就是要把學生送上大學﹐讓他們人生賽跑在起步點有優勢。教育不是追求五育四德的虛無幻影﹐而是學習在社會中生存之道﹐把學生的知識與性格好好武裝起﹐讓他們在現實世界中﹐擁有能勝過別人的競爭力﹗

這本漫畫中描述的教育理念﹐很值得讀者細心咀嚼當中意義﹐不要盲目相信社會上所謂的主流教育方法。香港教育改革搞得一鑊泡﹐正是因為與這些傳統教育價值背道而馳。若果負責教育事務的官員有機看這漫畫﹐將會是對他們教育主義一聲當頭棒喝。希望他們重新把焦點放回考試上﹐不要誤墮現代教育理論的陷阱。

Our wedding is on 08-08-16, so Pat wants us to have 8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen, including the maid of honor and the best men.  In our wedding website, we created a page to introduce every one in our wedding party [link].  I am responsible of writing a small paragraph for my groomsmen.  It took me a while to finish writing the short introduction.  I know my groomsmen for many many years, all of them are my old friends.  I am know them so well that I am used to their characters, like wearing comfortable old shoes.  It is seems so nature for us to be good friends.  Ain’t we friends since the beginning of time?  I actually have to think hard to recall how I know them and become good friends in the first place.  Writing the short introduction brings back lots of good memories.

Pat bought this very cute panda bun to a pot luck party a few weeks ago.  I just got the photo from my friends and I think it worth postingthe picture.  The panda bun is ordinary milk-yellow bun with panda eye and ears on top.  It taste like ordinary milk-yellow bun, nothing special, but sure it’s cute.

This is a funny cartoon by KAL on the cover of Economist in 1989.  This cartoon describe how the stock market really works on day to day basis.  In short term, neither technical analysis nor fundamental analysis can predict the movement of a certain stock.  Within a single day, whether a stock goes up or does down depends on a group of irrational brokers.  That’s why small investors can never profit in day trading.  Timing the market is just like gambling in a casino, except the casino may have better odds.

Tonight I have a very good game of Chinese checker and of course I won the game.  I used to play this game a lot when I was a little kid and I am pretty good at it.  There are many different versions of Chinese checker out there.  However for those who grown up in Hong Kong, the real Chinese checker must use colored marble pieces and paper board with a Temple of Heaven picture on the box.

I always thought Chinese checker is invented by Chinese, actually the game was invented in German.  The rules we use to play is actually not the official rule, it called the fast hopping variation.  In the official rule, the pieces can only hop over adjacent pieces.  Hhopping long distance symmetrically as long as no other piece is block the way is a Hong Kong only variation.

My winning strategy of Chinese checker is don’t use the greedy algorithm.  Many people always look for the longest hop for the next move.  I like to setup paths for myself and other players to speed up the game.  It is OK for other players to get their pieces into place fast, as long as you are faster then them.  I will leave escape route for the player on opposite side, so that he can clear his area for my pieces to move in.  I don’t like blocking other players’ path, slowing down the game is not fun.  However when it is close to the end of the game, taking down the path is really fun.  That would really hinder the progress of other players.  In tonight’s game, I place my piece right in the middle of the board, so everyone use it as spring board.  When I take move it away after most of my pieces are in place, I really jeopardized other players’ plan.  That’s the fun of the game.