Sunday, May 27

Odds and Ends, Sun 27 May 2007

   1. Interview: Will Friedwald, Owner Of The World's Largest iTunes
      Collection
     <http://www.glennwolsey.com/2007/04/19/interview-will-friedwald-
        owner-of-the-worlds-largest-itunes-collection/>

   That's a very long url, so if your email program mangles it, try this
   tinied version:
     <http://tinyurl.com/2lsz43>

   The stats:
   849 GB ~ 172,150 songs ~ 809.2 days ~ 2,935 artists ~ 11,561 albums


   2. "Pensa" by Fabrizio Moro
     <http://www.italylogue.com/italian-news/pensa-by-fabrizio-moro-
        song-lyrics-translated-to-english.html>
     <http://tinyurl.com/2z89sy>

   This song won the Youth prizes (popular and critical) at the recent
   Sanremo Song Festival (think slightly more upmarket Eurovision for
   Italian songs only).  I don't normally like the songs at the festival
   - I watch for other reasons.  But this one struck me as a particularly
   good song with poignant lyrics.  Definitely a song I hope to add to
   my iTunes collection.


   3. DubyaSpeak.com: What's in a Name?
     <http://www.dubyaspeak.com/whatsinaname.phtml>

   "(An abundance of terms, abbreviations and names... all messed up)"

   Some quotes from the orator of the Free World, e.g.
   "Information is moving -- you know, nightly news is one way, of course,
    but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets"

   The site has lots of other funny stuff:
     <http://www.dubyaspeak.com/>


   4. Bill Gates and DONKEY.BAS
     <http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000862.html>

   Proof that Microsoft always wanted to be a Games company?


   5. "Email addicts get 12-step program"
     <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1852683.htm>

   "Developed for cases such as a golfer who checked his BlackBerry after
    every shot, and lost a potential client who wanted nothing to do with
    his obsession, Marsha Egan's plan taps into deepening concern that
    email misuse can cost businesses millions of dollars in lost."


   6. "Department of Justice report: FBI unable to properly track 51 lost
       laptops"
     <http://www.scmagazine.com/us/news/article/632384/doj-report-fbi-unable-
        properly-track-51-lost-laptops>
     <http://tinyurl.com/2xbehm>

   "Auditors from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported this week
    that during a 44-month period ending in September 2005, the FBI lost
    61 laptops containing either sensitive information or information the
    FBI was unable to confirm as sensitive."

Sunday, May 20

The Two Things

   "The Two Things"
     <http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/thetwothings.html>
   "You know, the Two Things. For every subject, there are really only two
   things you really need to know. Everything else is the application of
   those two things, or just not important."

   The page hopes to sum up various topics by identifying "the two things".
   I'm not sure I totally agree with the premise, but it's an interesting
   idea.

   Stretching the "two things" theme a bit, here are some related pairs ...

   1. Looking back at attempts to look forward to the year 2000

   * Postcards Show the Year 2000 (circa 1900)
     <http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/2007/04/postcards-showing-year-2000-
        circa-1900.html>
   The blog is dedicated to past looks at the future.

   * Predictions of the Year 2000 from The Ladies Home Journal of
     December 1900
     <http://www.yorktownhistory.org/homepages/1900_predictions.htm>

   2. Best and worst of technology

   * "The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time"
     <http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,130207-page,14-c,technology/article.html>
   "From breakthrough hardware to time-honored software, we salute those
    amazing products that changed technology--and our lives--forever."

   * "Don't Believe the Hype: The 21 Biggest Technology Flops"
     <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&
        articleId=9012345>
   "We fondly recall 21 overpromoted products and technologies that utterly
    failed to live up to their hype -- and we give you a chance to choose
    the biggest flop of all."
   Poll results:
     <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&
        articleId=9017160>

   3. A couple of recent new stories

   * "French workers biggest whingers: study"
     <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1922880.htm>
   "French workers are the world's biggest whingers, according to a study
    which also says the Irish complain least about their lot"

   * "Italian prefers prison over mother's arguing"
     <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1921542.htm>
   "A 24-year-old Italian man under house arrest called for police to
    take him to jail because he could no longer put up with arguments
    with his mother and stepfather"

   4. A pair of interesting clocks

   * Verbarius electronic clock
     <http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/verbarius/>
   "Verbarius spells out the time in a different way every minute. It's
    either forty-five minutes past four, or fifteen minutes to five, or
    four forty-five, or a quarter to five."

   * Clocky
     <http://www.nandahome.com/products.clocky.html>
   "The alarm clock that runs away and hides when you don't wake up.
    Clocky gives you one chance to get up. But if you snooze, Clocky
    will jump off of your nightstand and wheel around your room looking
    for a place to hide."

   5. Two Flash time-wasters

   * Mouse movement
     <http://www.1-click.jp/>
   What happens behind the screen when you move the mouse and click.
   Responds to clicks, changes in speed and stopping.

   * Attractors
     <http://www.thecleverest.com/content/attractors.html>

Sunday, May 13

Tingo + Metamorphosis + Sette Racconti

   Some more books reviews ...

   1. "The Meaning of Tingo (And Other Extraordinary Words from Around
       the World)" by Adam Jacot de Boinod
     <http://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Tingo/dp/1594200866>

   This is a fun book about interesting, amusing, and very specific words
   and phrases from various languages.  Last year I briefly mentioned an
   article about the book in a B-List post.  Many of the words are chosen
   because they have no direct equivalent in English.  That was my main
   interest.  Other phrases appear to provide stark contrasts between
   cultures.  It's interesting to see how circumstances affect language:
   for example, there's the well known Inuit fascination with different
   types of snow, as well as the lesser known precision with which
   Albanians use to identify eyebrows and moustaches.

   However, reading some of the reviews, the rigour of the author may be
   in question.  I did some googling and in some cases the only places
   the words appear are in pages about the book, so it seems the author
   is either making some of them up, or has been a little sloppy.   But
   I guess if you take the book with a pinch of salt, you're bound to
   find something that will appeal you.  It's divided into themes, e.g.
   work, food, weather etc.

   Here are some words I found interesting that I've been able to verify
   on the web:
   * ataoso = "one who sees problems with everything" (Central American
     Spanish)
   * mokita = "the truth that all know but no one talks about" (Kiriwani,
     Papua New Guinea)
   * nedovtipa = "one who finds it difficult to take a hint" (Czech)
   * Shadenfreude = "the feeling of malicious pleasure in someone else's
     misfortune" (German)
   * Weltschmerz = "a sense of sorrow at the evils of the world and a
     yearning for something better" (German)
   * jeito = "to find a way to get something done, no matter what the
     obstacles" (Brazilian Portuguese)
   * sprezzatura = "the effortless technique of a great artist" (Italian)

   The author has set up a blog to promote the book:
     <http://themeaningoftingo.blogspot.com/>
   It includes snippets from the book, plus new material.

   A couple of articles about the book:
   * "Tingo, nakkele and other wonders"
     <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4248494.stm>
   * "Tingo and other lingo"
     <http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/002500.html>


   2. "Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
     <http://www.amazon.com/Metamorphosis-Franz-Kafka/dp/0553213695>

   The book starts with the opening sentence:
   "When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found
   himself changed into a monstrous cockroach in his bed."

   Given that intriguing opening, and with the book being only 78 compact
   pages, I decided to look into the writings of Kafka.  I'm sure millions
   of words have been written about this story.  In fact, the edition
   described on the Amazon page above includes 9 essays about the story
   that dwarf the length of the work itself.

   Many reviewers see the story as a savage indictment of the bourgeois
   lifestyle, and Gregor's story as the battle against egocentric parents
   and cruel bosses.  I can accept these arguments.  Maybe I'm stating the
   obvious, but one of the things I found interesting about the story was
   how Gregor's metamorphosis into a hideous cockroach triggered trans-
   formations in those around him, in particular his younger sister (who
   briefly took on the role as carer and provider for Gregor), and to some
   extent the father (who found a job to support the family now that
   Gregor could no longer work).  So, by changing oneself (whether by
   intention or not), it is possible that those around you will also be
   changed to some extent.

   BTW, the edition that I read is depicted here:
     <http://www.amazon.com/Metamorphosis-Franz-Kafka/dp/0141023457>
   and includes another short story by Kafka.


   3. "Sette racconti" ("Seven Tales") by Alberto Moravia
     <http://www.amazon.com/Racconti-Romani-Moravia/dp/8845248976>

   This is a collection of seven short stories from the larger collection
   "Racconti Romani" (Roman Tales).  The stories are written about the
   post-war period in Rome.  They share a common theme of people living
   in hard times, sometimes day-to-day, trying to get by however they
   can.  But the stories are not all bleak, as there are little moments
   of humour and farce, as well as some glimmers of hope.

   I'll highlight a couple of my favourites.  "La ciociara" is about an
   archaeology professor who wants to hire a peasant girl to be his house-
   keeper, believing that she would have a cheerful disposition and be a
   good cook.  Unfortunately, it doesn't take her long to trade her country
   clothes and looks to take up the style of a city girl.  Her cooking
   skills, or lack thereof, disappoint her employer.  She starts going out
   with an unsavoury character, and they conspire to steal some books.  The
   theft is later uncovered by a friend of the professor, and she tries to
   make things right by replacing them.  Unfortunately, she can't read, so
   instead of books on archaeology she gets books about law instead.  The
   professor finds out, and when confronted the girl says the books are the
   same size and have the same weight as the ones she took - in fact, they
   even look better!  The professor initially laughs, but then complains
   that the girl is perhaps too rustic after all.

   "Quant'è caro" is about friendship, or rather the appearance of
   friendship.  Luigi has some luck and help to open up a successful
   butcher shop.  His friend Arturo is not so lucky, trying to raise his
   family in difficult times.  After his shop takes off, Luigi decides to
   buy a car, and takes Arturo along to the dealership.  Tensions appear,
   and Luigi's wife suggests that Arturo is jealous of his success.  Such
   fears are calmed, when Luigi announces his first child is due, and Arturo
   seems genuinely happy for him.  But later, when Luigi takes Arturo to see
   the flash new apartment he has bought in a well-to-do neighbourhood,
   Arturo utters "quant'è caro" - "how dear it/he is".  Luigi takes offence,
   accusing Arturo of being overcome with jealousy.  Arturo leaves in a
   huff, the friendship apparently in ruins.  Luigi's wife claims she was
   right all along, but Luigi realises he may have been at fault.  Perhaps
   he gloated too much about his success, subconsciously rubbing Arturo's
   nose in it every chance he could.  I think what Arturo meant by the
   comment "quant'è caro" is how costly his friendship to Luigi has been.
   Over many years he repeatedly forgave the behaviour of his inconsiderate,
   show-off friend, but in the end it went beyond the pale and he could no
   longer accept it.