Joseph's Cellar

古藉

2006-07-25T18:47:00.000+10:00

周未在圖書館借來數書,雖為線裝蝴蠂版,但肯定是民國後的版本,單看其書也不問內容也甚耐人尋味.
其一
至治新刊全相三國志
可算是最早的三國演義小說.是書在民國初年在日本內閣文庫發現,為三國濱義的前身和籃本.原書行上,中,下卷. 每頁上欄三分一為繪圖.圓每負頁一幅.下欄每半頁廾行,每行廾字,每卷三十二頁.
其二
地理辨正直解
無錫章仲山增補闡義.是書除了蔣註章解還不知經何許人朱批.讀至奧語首章坤壬乙句想前人不載圖例則百思不得其解. 稍看見頁背滿是紅字,翻過來看又不見.以為兩頁相夾.翻來數遍,才知頁內玄機,有數圖藏於頁中.

感人的一刻

2006-07-02T19:08:00.000+10:00

10 June 2006 Ultimo Wine Centre
計有L'Angelus, L'Arrosee, Pavie, Peby Faugeres ... 六種同等級數的Bordeaux酒,一小口就令人想哭出來. 世人竟有如此的酒!

28 May 2006 Manze Library (ANU)
從二樓中文部走進地牢, 一個少有人蹤的部門. 將等三行的書架絞開,終於看見上海印書局重刊的"人子須知". 再往等廾八行的書架走,將電燈打亮,轉動書架的手柄,絞開了書架,看見的是十六吋乘五吋的用紅繩縛著的紅字紙簡.我完全不知簡上寫什麼! 真的又想哭出來. 在這荒無的小鎮,竟有如此的藏書!

28 June 2006 鯤鵬居
忽見道兄重現江湖,甚德而度.令人想再哭出來,世上竟有此等人物.

答案是42

2006-03-28T23:21:00.000+11:00

"What is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything?"[1] 生命,宇宙,萬物的終極問題的答案是什麼?小說裏的人為了尋找這道問題的答案,用盡精力製造出一個超級電腦,然後希望電腦計算出這道問題的答案.超級電腦答應為他們計算這個問題的答案,但了需要幾千年的畤間.山中方七日,世上幾千年,人們興奮的心情反回超級電腦,期待一個完美的答案.結果花上超級電腦千年的時間計算出的答案........就是42.42?是!為何?超級電腦肯定地確定答案就是42. 知道答案後才發覺所欠缺的就是那一條終極問題---"What is the ultimate question?", 結果如何?這裏就不便說破.一條好的問題其答案則顯然易見.就像irobot[2]中的 "you need to ask the right question."

最近有數學家也認為是42.事源數學家們猜想第三個黎曼函數是42 - "The third moment of Riemann Zeta funtion is 42"[3]. 黎曼函數涉及整個整數域中的素數,其結果與量子物理息息相關.世事往往存在於穿鑿與考合之間.黎曼函數是當代十大難題之一.看著這條迷題不禁想起費曼的最後定浬Fermat's Last Theorem[4]. 這個定理經歷三百多年.終於得已驗證.話說在高思(Guass, Karl Friedrich)名滿天下時,有人曾邀請他去解決這個問題.高思一口便拒絕.並說他本人就能隨手寫出十數百條這類看來容易卻極難驗證的數題,無需在這定理浪費時間.高思對自己著作要求甚高,要是他的論證不夠簡潔美觀,往往都不會刊登而埋沒在他的筆記裏.黎曼也有這種大師級的風範.

[1]

[2]

[3]
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/27/1315212,
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/03/prime_numbers_get_hitched.php?utm_source=seedmag-main=rss&page=2

[4] http://www.gap-system.org/~history/HistTopics/Fermat's_last_theorem.html

漫畫(comic)

2006-03-13T22:14:00.000+11:00

當朋友極力推介經典,心理學作品時,我才發覺自己仍停留在看漫畫的階段.從自虐的花生漫畫小樂比(Snoopy), 加啡貓(Garfield), Wizard of Id, 衰仔樂園(South Park)到現在卻沉迷地看Dilbert.每段時期總以為可戒掉這漫畫癮,但最終都被漫畫裡簡約而幽默的情節深深打動.
Dilbert就像我這種白領上班一族,因應辦公室"新"管理文化而發展出一套上班的哲學.回顧港產片中描述的辦工室,從半斤八兩老闆話事到最佳損友的員工才是老闆,到今天"員工的不快樂令於公司股價上升"[1] 結果現在72行,無人幸免.人人苦中作樂,實情是否如此,則要請教唸MBA的老友.
在20世哲學中說有錢是快樂[2],就正正因為日常人工低,所以打工仔應該盡量利用工作時間去尋開心,如看看漫畫,不停地Reload/Refresh倉海君[3]心靈糕餅[4],自自然然有種我的薪水比狂人[5]高出數倍的飄飄然感覺.
當然小曲的工作並非如普通朝9晚5的白領一樣,我都想寫寫小曲的工作,不過還是等兩個月後試用期滿再說.

[1] "Anything makes employees unhappy makes the stock price go up"
e.g
Things that make employee unhappy Result
downsizing --------------------> Stock goes up
reduce benefit ----------------->Stock goes up
unpaid Overtime--------------->Stock goes up
double workload --------------->Stock goes up

Dilbert: The joy of work by Scott Adams

[2] "Money equals happiness" / "Money can buy happiness"

[3] http://magliabecchi.blogspot.com/

[4] http://magliabecchi.blogspot.com/2006/03/blog-post_13.html

[5] http://paulsin.blogspot.com/

Barossa 紅酒 (一)

2006-01-30T21:04:00.000+11:00

大節當前,一眾朋友飯局少不免嗒番兩杯,澳洲每省都有佳釀.論名氣則首推南澳. 而論南澳各地則首推Barossa. Barossa傲視同儕原因之中.Penfolds 酒廠的Grange實在功不可沒. Penfolds Grange 原名是Grange Hermitage. Hermitage 原是法國酒產地之一, 七八十年代世貿條約有規定萄葡酒的名及標櫼要與產地有關.故此除了Hermitage以外其他區的酒都不可叫Hermitage,這是防止假冒的避諱.因出Grange Hermitage 就變為 Grange, Grange出身的故事就是酒中的醜小鴨. 最初Penfolds的釀酒師Max Schubert 從法國 Bordeaux 取經回澳,因為Bordeaux酒經得年月而逾佳,所而便仿校Bordeaux的釀酒模式,造出第一年的Grange. 這是1952的事了. 最初幾年Grange只有劣評,而且一文不值.賤到連送都無人耍! Penfolds 當然取消這條生產線,Max Schubert 要暪著酒廠,隱敝地繼續自己的信念. 大約在1962年左右Grange 在各個比賽中橫掃多個大獎.才一洗當年的劣評,燮身為白天鵝.
http://penfolds.com/Grange/Grange.html

從PUG看三國演義中的諸葛亮

2006-01-11T18:32:00.000+11:00

三國演義中的諸葛亮,可謂將媾女技倆發揮得淋灕盡致.

其一. 先有司馬徵點破劉備自身之不足,卻一直不提諸葛亮.明明是引薦, 卻反過來要劉備求賢. 再用徐庶做樣版,便劉備定下決心獻身.崔州平,石廣元,孟公威裝模作樣以特出諸葛亮能幹. 往後三顧草蘆就成千古佳話.

其二, 孔明使吳求援見周瑜, 周瑜本已計決欲戰,卻想使孔明開口求救,孔明則使計激周瑜, 使他反過來求援.

其三,張松獻西川一回,子龍雲長之禮,玄德之對答,明知張松是賣西川,孔明劉備深欲取西川,卻教眾人詐做不知,使張松自吐衷曲.

明明是買蛋,卻反來做賣蛋, 看今朝羅飯焦分的白痴對答,怎不為之忿怒而失望

The Game

2006-01-05T11:39:00.000+11:00

I picked up the book more or less not because I really interest in picking up girl but just in the curiosity of current subculture happening around. Then I kept on reading until I finished the whole story. As the book suggested, it was like a game, not that much different to the Sim[1] , the Playboy[2] - the Mansion where you run routes after routines to sarge people.

It is a story about Neil Strauss, aka Style round trip to turn himself from a AFC (average frustrated chump) who had great job but found it difficult to get a girl friend. After enlighted by some friends he got into the PUAs (Pick up Artist) community in order to eliminate his weaknesses as we do. He started learning techniques of pciking girls and became very successful in doing that. He transformed to the star of the parties - girls loved him, guys admired him. He and his mentor Mystery collaborated with other PUAs to start the Project Hollywood, so they had not only girls but a life style with a group of people revolving them, inspiring them and irritating them. The book deserves a guide on seduction, third-rated novel and documentary of pick up subculture.

Making girls like you is difficult. Revealed in the story, PUAs paid to get on seminars, followed gurus to parties, spent numerious time on appearance, studies lots of self-help books about self improvement, hypnosis, NLP, body-language, handwriting, New Aages on rune reading, tarot, performing, voice control, magic and art ... etc. They had put all these efforts and left no stone unturn to please and entertain women. And once they got the key, they could easily break down the walls between people.

Aren't we all under the spell of seduction everyday? By people around us - sales, advertisements, politics, religious group, poeple influence other people more or less with seduction tactics. Sometime we fell into that because we were blind but more of the the because we had an internal desire. So how it reminded me of the Star War - there is a good side and dark side of the force. "Water can support a boat and also can turn over a boat".

Here is a local comment on this book, or about h0w to get a lover in a local newspaper: http://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/frankenstein/003159.html

[1] http://thesims.ea.com/index_flash.php
[2] http://au.playstation.com/ps2/games/p/playboy.jhtml
[3] Fast Seduction 101
[4] Mystery Method
[5] Seduction Lair
[6] Real Social Dynamics
[7] Speed Seduction
[8] Pickup Guide

A 100 years project

2005-12-06T15:54:00.000+11:00

How many projects nowadays have a live span of 100 years? I can see hardly any. However, around 1878, Seppelt winemaker Benno Seppelt started a 100 years project of making a wine he will never taste – the Seppelt 100 Year Old Para.

It happened in the trip to Barossa, a tasting tour in Seppelt winery in Seppeltfield. To Seppelt there is a drive of a tranquil road with pine trees on both sides of the road neatly planted during the depression by Seppelt’s workers who were facing retrenchment. Instead of getting rid of working, they were utilised their vine growing skill to grow trees. Those trees are more or less 50m tall.

The tasting tour started from walking around the old site of Seppelt. We gone thought Victoria dinning rooms, function rooms, factory, the lab used by Benno Seppelt with all the old bottles and test tubes, and then to the laying place of those 100 years barrel, a storage uncanny hiding just behind the cellar door.

The tasting section was started from the red sparkling, going through some other fortified wine, then the last is the Seppelt 100 Year Old Para 1904.

It is a fortified Tawny wine, a Port style like sweet thick liqueur. It got deep brown colour with a Christmas pudding nose, very thick and intense in taste. It’s layers of complexity exploded in the mouth like a old teacher trying to pass all the 100 years of history to a student. Very impressive wine. Very impressive experience.

When tasting this wine I could not help but wondering why in this instant world would someone dare enough to lay down a 100 years project. For the 100 years, that is a big risk. Looking back, we had the 2 world wars and lots of changes in social value. Even Seppelt has changed ownership a few times. A wine surviving over these 100 years is a gift. Every drop remind us of the hard work and foresight of the previous generations. Lucky Seppelt still keeps this tradition and continues to lay down barrels of Tawny throughout the years.

So should we think of our future and our future future, what would it be. Is there anything we have done will benefit 100 years later? May be we are just focus on this moment.