Archive for November 2011
allergic to cigarette smokers
“If you love your family, celebrate it by contributing to your own early death.”
From the July 1962 Popular Science magazine.
I was impressed with how much Japan has changed in 20yrs. Smoking areas are very restricted. And everyone complies.
China — on the other hand — is much worse than 20yrs ago. More affluence means more chain smoking anywhere, anytime. It’s bloody awful. A good reason to avoid travel in China altogether.
Pete Townshend to Apple: be less ‘digital vampire,’ more music teacher
George sent me this link.
I’ve always admired Pete Townshend’s intellect. He’s right on here.
… Townshend proposed that Apple should become more hands-on with the musicians who use its online shop instead of just sitting back and collecting an “enormous” 30 percent commission. …
Townshend advised Apple to hire 20 A&R people from the “dying record business” who could essentially listen to and critique new artists, grooming them for future success. …
Apple should also provide 500 free computers with music software each year to artists who stand out in the crowd, said Townshend. “Follow the work of these 500 artists very carefully and help where you can, and keep out of the way if necessary,” he advised. …
Apple’s spent all their energy out-profiting every competitor in every market they enter. As they (eventually) stop growing, it’s time to reinvest in each of those markets.
Apple — Don’t be Evil.
the end of global warming?
Climate change continues.
The endless cycles of Earth’s warming and cooling.
Has man or cow accelerated the rate of warming? … I’m not sure.
But I am sure that man nor cow will be doing much to reverse that damage any time soon.
An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal explains why not much is going to be decided in Durban, South Africa next week:
The Great Global Warming Fizzle
… On Sunday, 2,232 days will have elapsed since a category 3 hurricane made landfall in the U.S., the longest period in more than a century that the U.S. has been spared a devastating storm. …
When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?
OK, lets say you’re like this guy:
… I’ve been a Republican all my adult life. I have worked on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, at Forbes magazine, at the Manhattan and American Enterprise Institutes, as a speechwriter in the George W. Bush administration. I believe in free markets, low taxes, reasonable regulation, and limited government. I voted for John McCain in 2008, and I have strongly criticized the major policy decisions of the Obama administration. …
I can respect that.
I’m a fiscal conservative myself. Unfortunately the USA has no Party that’s proven itself fiscally conservative.
But what the Republicans have done since the rise of the Tea Party movement is simply wrong. And terribly wrong for the USA.
Historians will look back on this era as one of the low points of American history, especially if Obama wins again and they get another 4 years.
When this lying, evil scumbag is the voice of moderation in the field of candidates, you haven’t got much to choose from.
It’s worth reading David Frum … before you go on FOX TV and call him a closet Liberal.
NY Magazine – When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?
Thanks Tom for the link.
Tian Hou Temple, Macao
I took the short, crowded ferry from Hong Kong to Macao to visit a friend. And see two circus shows. (Both excellent.)
My one morning free I squeezed in a day hike starting at Tian Hou Temple, a religious complex with a museum, retreat and medical centre.
The impressive white jade A-Ma statue was added in 1998, part of the celebration of Chinese takeover from Portugal.
More photos of the statue by Omar. Or check my own photos of the temple site.
Climbing Redwood Giants
Rocco and Maureen recommend …
The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring (2007) by Richard Preston.
Hidden away in foggy, uncharted rain forest valleys in Northern California are the largest and tallest organisms the world has ever sustained–the coast redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens.
Ninety-six percent of the ancient redwood forests have been destroyed by logging, but the untouched fragments that remain are among the great wonders of nature. The biggest redwoods have trunks up to thirty feet wide and can rise more than thirty-five stories above the ground, forming cathedral-like structures in the air.
Until recently, redwoods were thought to be virtually impossible to ascend, and the canopy at the tops of these majestic trees was undiscovered. In The Wild Trees, Richard Preston unfolds the spellbinding story of Steve Sillett, Marie Antoine, and the tiny group of daring botanists and amateur naturalists that found a lost world above California, a world that is dangerous, hauntingly beautiful, and unexplored. …
It’s a fantastic read. Or ‘listen’ as it’s available on Audio.
Click PLAY or watch it on TED – Richard Preston on the giant trees
related VIDEO – Clip of the Winner of the International Forest Film Festival – Climbing Redwood Giants
Life in Japan – the books
Shiro Tanaka gave me this book, insisting it’s the best available for the Gaijin tourist. Trying to get by in the Japanese language.
Dana lived in Japan. And recommends this hilarious primer for anyone going.
… Not since George Bush’s memorable dinner with the Japanese prime minister has the Land of the Rising Sun seen the likes of a goodwill ambassador like Dave Barry. Join him as he belts out oldies in a karaoke bar, marries a geriatric geisha girl, takes his first bath in public, bows to just about everyone, and explores culture shock in all its numerous humorous forms …
free the Salarymen
The plight of the Salaryman has come to my attention.
These are near indentured slaves who toil day-after-day at labours they would never do voluntarily.
The sad thing is … they believe they are free. For some reason they cannot see the chains of mortgage, dependents and pets non-Robotic. They kiss butt with a smile.
The only upside is that astonishing compliant beings can be taught amusing tricks.
Click PLAY or watch them on YouTube.
Apple sale this Friday
It’s a comfort to know that Apple products are only rarely discounted. You never need “shop”.
Friday is the BIGGEST sale of the year, however.
Apple famously keeps its Black Friday deals a closely guarded secret until the day of the event. But thanks to a leaked sales pamphlet from a “trusted tipster,” we already know where the Cupertino company will be slashing prices, with savings to be made on the iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, iPod nano and iPod touch, iPad, and plenty of accessories.
… Shoppers will save $101 on new Macs, including the iMac, the MacBook Air, and the MacBook Pro; $41-$61 on the iPad 2; $11 on both the 16GB and 32GB iPod nano, and $21-$41 on the iPod touch.
Apple has also thrown a ton of its own accessories into the sale, including $11 of the iPad 2”s Smart Cover; $11 off both the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad; $5 off a $50 App Store/iTunes/iBookstore gift card; and money off the Time Capsule and AirPort base stations.
A shed-load of third-party accessories are also reduced, including iPhone and iPod touch cases, iPad docks and mounts, the new Jawbone Up, headphones, and cases and sleeves.
If you’re buying Apple gadgets or accessories for loved ones this Christmas, there’s no better time to buy than this Friday!
An Idiot Abroad
Warren recommended this British reality TV comedy — An Idiot Abroad …
It’s another in the series where Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant make fun of their friend Karl Pilkington. In general, I don’t like their mean humour.
But in this program, Karl is the star. One of those genuinely hilarious characters that don’t even know they are funny.
…An Idiot Abroad charts Pilkington’s reactions when visiting the New Seven Wonders of the World, as well as the situations he’s placed in and cultural differences and idiosyncrasies in the countries he visits. …
Click PLAY or watch the series preview on YouTube.
First stop for Karl was chaotic China. His befuddlement was somewhat familiar to me, too, having come directly from polite, strict and orderly Japan.
Click PLAY or watch a China preview on YouTube.
A second year (the show renewed) has Karl doing his “Bucket List” (things to do before he dies).
