17 January 2009
Purposefulness
My nephew, my sister's son, has decided to get rich. He is so determined that he promised not to leave the bathroom until he has become a millionaire.
15 January 2009
The decline of Europe
The current economic crisis may be a moment when the living standards in the "rich" countries fall drastically, and the emerging markets gain relative wealth.
For Europe there is one thing that always could have remained a source of income, however, and that is tourism. There is only one Toledo, one London, one Mont Saint-Michel and one Sacra di San Michele in the world.
Thousands of European towns and cities are potential tourist destinations for the rapidly increasing number of tourists from China, India and the rest of the world.
However, many towns have torn down reasonably old buildings and replaced them with new concrete structures. There are concrete structures all over the world - many of them nice. The ones built today in China and Malaysia are not in any way less impressive than the European ones.
The old cities however, the architecture of the early 20th century and older, that is something that is virtually unique to Europe. There are of course small pockets of old European style architecture elsewhere, but nowhere is there such an impressive accumulation, as there used to be in Europe.
Now, after two bloody unnecessary world wars and vast amounts of bad city planning, there is not much left in Europe either, limiting even tourism as a potential source of income.
For Europe there is one thing that always could have remained a source of income, however, and that is tourism. There is only one Toledo, one London, one Mont Saint-Michel and one Sacra di San Michele in the world.
Thousands of European towns and cities are potential tourist destinations for the rapidly increasing number of tourists from China, India and the rest of the world.
However, many towns have torn down reasonably old buildings and replaced them with new concrete structures. There are concrete structures all over the world - many of them nice. The ones built today in China and Malaysia are not in any way less impressive than the European ones.
The old cities however, the architecture of the early 20th century and older, that is something that is virtually unique to Europe. There are of course small pockets of old European style architecture elsewhere, but nowhere is there such an impressive accumulation, as there used to be in Europe.
Now, after two bloody unnecessary world wars and vast amounts of bad city planning, there is not much left in Europe either, limiting even tourism as a potential source of income.
Automated slander
In my sister's company, management has yet again problems with the productivity of the employees. They discovered that a lot of time is spent by the coffee machine, where the present slander the absent.
To satisfy this need they added a function to the electronic address book. From now on, you can click on any name, except your own one, and select an option called "comment". In this field, you can enter anything you think about the person, no matter how negative or positive. Everyone at the company can read all comments about everyone except themselves.
By automating this basic human need of saying bad things about others behind their backs, management hopes to limit the time people feel they have to spend at the coffee machines.
To satisfy this need they added a function to the electronic address book. From now on, you can click on any name, except your own one, and select an option called "comment". In this field, you can enter anything you think about the person, no matter how negative or positive. Everyone at the company can read all comments about everyone except themselves.
By automating this basic human need of saying bad things about others behind their backs, management hopes to limit the time people feel they have to spend at the coffee machines.
05 January 2009
Intolerance and Christianity
How come Christianity appeared out of nowhere in the fourth century with so little tolerance for non-believers, compared to older religions?
It is possible that they simply carried on, what was there before.
Step 1. The Romans think it is a great idea to have everyone make sacrifices to the emperor. It is not a controversial idea at the time. A lot of people of most religions made sacrifices to different entities, so why not to the emperor? It was simply a way of keeping the country together, like when British MPs have to swear allegiance to the queen, or when Americans salute their flag, or when Danish immigrants have to perform a test to prove their knowledge of the country, before they can become citizens.
Step 2. The Christians, when they appear, think step 1 was not that great an idea. Their religion stipulates that there is only one god, and that is not the emperor.
Step 3. Christians of all different kinds of beliefs are occasionally prosecuted by the Romans, because of step 2.
Step 4. Within a few decades during the 4th century, Christians discover that theirs has become a state religion. But in step 3, the idea of religious prosecution had appeared. The Christians, now in power, use this concept to hit back at non-Christians, tit for tat. They do not initiate it. They just do not break the habit.
Besides, not tolerating non-believers turned out to be a winning strategy, something other religions have learnt later on.
It is possible that they simply carried on, what was there before.
Step 1. The Romans think it is a great idea to have everyone make sacrifices to the emperor. It is not a controversial idea at the time. A lot of people of most religions made sacrifices to different entities, so why not to the emperor? It was simply a way of keeping the country together, like when British MPs have to swear allegiance to the queen, or when Americans salute their flag, or when Danish immigrants have to perform a test to prove their knowledge of the country, before they can become citizens.
Step 2. The Christians, when they appear, think step 1 was not that great an idea. Their religion stipulates that there is only one god, and that is not the emperor.
Step 3. Christians of all different kinds of beliefs are occasionally prosecuted by the Romans, because of step 2.
Step 4. Within a few decades during the 4th century, Christians discover that theirs has become a state religion. But in step 3, the idea of religious prosecution had appeared. The Christians, now in power, use this concept to hit back at non-Christians, tit for tat. They do not initiate it. They just do not break the habit.
Besides, not tolerating non-believers turned out to be a winning strategy, something other religions have learnt later on.
03 January 2009
Fun fact of Nicaea
One thing one may not think of is that the first Council of Nicaea (Νίκαια) was convened by a heathen, emperor Constantine the first. The council took place 325 AD. Constantine lived 272 - 337, and he only got baptised at his death bed.
The council of Nicaea was when the Nicene Creed was first formulated. In other words, the creed hundreds of millions of Christians use, was formulated under the charge of a non-Christian.
Not that it matters that much, of course. God was probably in charge of the emperor.
The council of Nicaea was when the Nicene Creed was first formulated. In other words, the creed hundreds of millions of Christians use, was formulated under the charge of a non-Christian.
Not that it matters that much, of course. God was probably in charge of the emperor.
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