Monthly Archives: October 2010

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

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In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitchhiker’s Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects.

First, it is slightly cheaper; and second, it has the words “DON’T PANIC” inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.

— Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

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2010.10.12 Tuesday ACHK

虛擬機器 5

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Copyleft 5

（安：不如延續上次有關電腦的一些話題。）

上次我們講到，「中國特色社會主義」其實是運用了「Virtual Machine」（虛擬機器）這個概念：在「共產主義」的「作業系統」上，運用「資本主義」的程式。

當然，電腦的「Virtual Machine」（虛擬機器）未必可以百分百替代「真實機器」。例如，有些 Virtual Machine 程式寫得不好，未能偵測和連接我的掌上電腦，導致不能和我的掌上電腦交換資料。

雖然 Virtual Machine 程式有時未臻完美，但是它本身已經為電腦民族帶來無數的方便。還有，「Virtual Machine」這個概念本身，已經變成了我一個主要的神奇思考工具。

（安：我都覺得這個概念很有趣。）

另外，「Copyleft」都是運用了「Virtual Machine」概念。還有，更「驚嚇」的是，「Copyleft」其實一個完美的「Virtual Machine」。

— Me@2010.10.11

2010.10.12 Tuesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Futurama 3

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Godfellas

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Bender: You know, I was God once.

God: Yes, I saw. You were doing good, until everyone died.

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God: Bender, being God isn’t easy. If you do too much, people get dependent on you, and if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch. Like a safecracker, or a pickpocket.

Bender: Or a guy who burns down a bar for the insurance money!

God: Yes, if you make it look like an electrical thing. When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.

— Futurama

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2010.10.11 Monday ACHK

年年齡 3.1

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這段改篇自 2010 年 4 月 1 日的對話。

不緊要。我原本都是「思考過量」的人。我都是在接近 30 歲時，才開始做到「不要在毋須思考時思考」。

（CN：我不想接近 30 歲。）

接近 30 歲時，會開心很多。還有，雖然你現在還年青，但是「很快」就會到 30 歲。

（CN：我知。我感受到。我 20 歲的生日還歷歷在目，21 歲的生日就迎面衝過來。）

年紀越大，（你會感覺到）時間過得越快。

（CN：是呀！我都有這個感覺。）

有兩個原因。一個是數學的原因；一個是生物學的原因。

（CN：為什麼呢？）

數學的原因是，舉例來說，由 10 歲到 11 歲，人生多了十分之一；但是由 80 歲到 81 歲，人生只多了八十分之一。多了十分之一，你一定會察覺；多了八十分之一，你通常也沒有什麼感受。

同樣是經過一年，對 10 歲的人和 80 歲的人來說，感覺相差很遠。10 歲的人會由小學四年級升至小學五年級。80 歲的人則不會太在意，因為生活還是那樣，沒有什麼大改變。

（CN：那很有趣。）

人生原本的歲數越來越多時，再加一年，感覺上，就好像越來越沒有什麼改變。同樣是客觀上的一年，年紀小的人覺得是長時間，年紀大的人卻覺得是短時間。所以，年紀越大，你會覺得時間過得越快。

20 歲到 40 歲那段時間，就會好像 10 歲到 20 歲的那一段，過得那麼快；40 歲到 80 歲那段時間，又會好像 20 歲到 40 歲的那一段，過得那麼快。

（CN：我明白。那真的是很有趣。）

而生物學的原因是，…

— Me@2010.10.10

* We’re in a freefall into future. We don’t know where we’re going. Things are changing so fast, and always when you’re going through a long tunnel, anxiety comes along. And all you have to do to transform your hell into a paradise is to turn your fall into a voluntary act. It’s a very interesting shift of perspective and that’s all it is … joyful participation in the sorrows and everything changes.

— Joseph Campbell

2010.10.11 Monday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

I don’t know.

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防止被騙系統 5

讀心術 9

When nerds are unbearable it’s usually because they’re trying too hard to seem smart. But the smarter they are, the less pressure they feel to act smart. So as a rule you can recognize genuinely smart people by their ability to say things like “I don’t know,” “Maybe you’re right,” and “I don’t understand x well enough.”

— Paul Graham

2010.10.10 Sunday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Any key

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Computer programmers historically used “Press any key to continue” (or a similar text) as a prompt to the user when it was necessary to pause processing. The system would resume after the user pressed any keyboard button.

Cultural significance

There are reports that some users have searched for such a key labelled “any”, and called technical support when they have been unable to find it. The computer company Compaq even edited their FAQ to explain that the “any” key does not exist, and at one point considered replacing the command “Press any key” with “Press return key”.

The concept of the “any key” has become a popular piece of computer-related humor, in part because of an episode of The Simpsons in which main character Homer Simpson asks “Where’s the any key?” when confronted with the “press any key” command.

— Wikipedia on Any key

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2010.10.10 Sunday ACHK

 

年年齡 2.2

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    * Maybe what I’m saying is the world might be evolving the way a person evolves. Right? Like, me for example. Am I getting worse? Am I improving? I don’t know. When I was younger, I was healthier, but I was whacked with insecurity. Now I’m older and my problems are deeper, but I’m more equipped to handle them.

— Jesse

— Before Sunset

2010.10.09 Saturday ACHK

網誌時代 8

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我把對話整理成文字，要花很長的時間。對話時所用的，並不是完整的句子。因為我們對話時有上文下理，所以能夠明白對方的意思。但是，我網誌的讀者並沒有那些上文下理，所以，我不把那些句子意思完整化的話，他們不會明白我們在說什麼。

— Me@2010.10.08

2010.10.08 Saturday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

愚善 2

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絕聖棄智，民利百倍；絕仁棄義，民復孝慈；絕巧棄利，盜賊無有。

— 老子

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聖人不死　大盜不止

— 莊子

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如果你是因為「想別人好」而做好事的話，你是一個「好人」。

如果你是因為「要做好人」而做好事的話，你根本不是一個「好人」。

— Me@2010.10.03

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2010.10.08 Friday copyright ACHK

不思考之道 1.1

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年年齡 2

這段改篇自 2010 年 4 月 1 日的對話。

記住，千萬不要在不應該思考時思考。

完全是傻的人就會完全不思考；開始有智力的人就會開始思考。但是，去到另一個極端，思考過量的話，反而對自己有害。

（CN：那我一定是「思考過量」的那類人。）

不緊要。我原本都是「思考過量」的人。我都是在接近 30 歲時，才開始做到「不要在毋須思考時思考」。

（CN：我不想接近 30 歲。）

接近 30 歲時，會開心很多。

— Me@2010.10.07

2010.10.07 Thursday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

Jamie Hyneman

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Early life, education, and early career

Hyneman was born in Marshall, Michigan and raised in Columbus, Indiana. Describing his early life, Hyneman said “I was a problematic kid, to be sure. I left home when I was 14 and hitchhiked all over the country.”

He earned a degree in Russian linguistics from Indiana University. A variety of careers fill his resume, including scuba diver, wilderness survival expert, boat captain, linguist, pet shop owner, animal wrangler, machinist, concrete inspector, and chef. He apparently has a mild case of acrophobia (fear of heights), as mentioned in the “Hammer Drop” episode segment of Mythbusters (This is also shown in “Duct Tape Special 2”).

— Wikipedia on Jamie Hyneman

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2010.10.07 Thursday ACHK

大甲等人 3

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當一個應徵者的才華比你自己出眾時，你就會聘請他。那樣，你在未來自然有很多機會，了解他的真正實力，從而決定委派什麼任務給他。很多時，由於他的才智高過你，反而他會主動給你意見。當一個應徵者的才華不比你自己出眾時，你就不會聘請他。那樣，你自然沒有機會亦沒有必要，了解他的真正實力。

（安：還有，我不覺得一定要是「『上司』優勝過『下屬』」。這是一般人一個不當的預設。例如，有些人會講：「足球隊領隊的薪金，不及那些明星足球員高。所以，領隊很難可以駕御到那些明星足球員。」我覺得這個想法完全不相干。

本質上，一個「管理者」的薪金，不一定要高於「被管理者」的薪金。有時，情況甚至可以倒轉，例如：有一大班球員，每一個都球技超卓。但是，加在一起作為一隊時，協調不好，導致不能致勝。所以，他們合資聘請一位教練。

重點是，不一定是要「『管理者』聘請『被管理者』」。有時，可以是「『下屬』聘請『上司』」。）

— Me@2010.06.21

— Me@2010.10.06

2010.10.06 Wednesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK

直角方向跑

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Remember if the car gets out of control, don’t try to outrun it, go at right angles. Nature knows that’s the best way of getting out of the way of something that’s faster than you are. 

— Jamie Hyneman

如果這輛車失控而衝向你的話，千萬不要嘗試透過「跑得快過它」來逃走。

你應該做的，是立刻透過「沿著直角方向跑」來避開它。

— Me@2010.09.24

2010.10.06 Wednesday (c) All rights reserved by ACHK