瘋人瘋語

「我離港前到過一間精神科醫院。當時有位病人禮貌地問,一個以作為世上最悠久民主政體而自傲的國家,如何能夠將此地交給一個政治制度非常不同的國家,且既沒諮詢當地公民,又沒給予他們民主的前景,好讓他們捍衞自己的將來。一個隨行同事說,奇怪,香港提出最理智問題的人,竟在精神科醫院。」彭定康 金融時報

“During a visit to a mental hospital before I left Hong Kong, a patient politely asked me how a country that prided itself on being the oldest democracy in the world had come to be handing over his city to another country with a very different system of government, without either consulting the citizens or giving them the prospect of democracy to safeguard their future. Strange, said one of my aides, that the man with the sanest question in Hong Kong is in a mental hospital.”Chris Patten Financial Times

Non Chinese literate friends, please simply switch to English Version provided by LOUSY Google Translation

Please participate in the unregistered demography survey of visitors at the right hand side bar. You are: ?

敬請參與在右下方的不記名訪客分佈調查問卷,你是: ?

Saturday, August 31, 2013

書的重量

書的重量



宋朝學者黃庭堅曾說:「士大夫三日不讀書,則義理不交於胸中,對鏡覺面目可憎,向人亦言語無味」,現代人則簡化為:「一日不讀書言語乏味,三日不讀書則面目可憎」。


又前些時解讀我選擇本網誌的英文牌匾 “Mind Nnecessity”,寫過:我們的心靈(Mind)餓了,空虛了,就要餵飽心靈,使心靈充實,心靈空虛,大腦餓了,就要填補、補充、餵飽,經過消化吸收,來滋潤滋養大腦心靈!啃書是其中一個方法。


逛書局打書釘是工餘的必然消閒活動,每次逛書局必然留意有沒有新的 李怡的書《註一》,某年某月購進了三本 李怡 的文章結集。(不是書評)


畸變●中港和合的軌跡《李怡》
這本結集記錄了近年李怡寫過的政論文章,文字有著濃厚李怡以前用《齊辛》做筆名,在九十年代雜誌發表文章的味道,同樣的有齊所有的辛辣餘韻還在。《畸變》是李怡同系政論集的:《放逐》和《邊緣》後的第三冊。雖然《邊緣》還只讀得一半,有幾篇文章的標題,吸引了我的注意,例如:《換一個特首 仍是怪胎》和《走出無法實現真普選的怪圈》。


說回《畸變》,內有一篇《為李巧珍喊話 維護香港價值觀》,另一篇《向惡客賠錢是香港整體之恥》,還有一篇《內地惡質化社會對香港文明的踐踏》,仲有一篇《真理縱不敵強權 強權卻無法代替真理》,全書皆講述回歸後香港發生的畸變,變得愈來愈內地化,題材是頗為沉重。


遐想●徜徉世事閒情間《李怡》
有別於上面提及李怡的政論文章,這本是李怡寫的雜文散文結集,話題也沒有《畸變》般敏感,有一篇題目更是:『沒有醜女人只有懶女人!』



閱讀人生 100 篇 《李怡》
和上面的《畸變》比較,這本是李怡題材輕鬆文章,較容易讀,是繼同系的《細味人生 100篇》的延續篇。

李怡在自序中寫: 『 一輩子讀不完的大書』


(Space 加註:《細味人生 100篇》已經是超過第七版了,還已經出版了系列的第三冊《感悟人生 100篇》!)


令我寫下這篇文是一拿書本上手,還沒有翻開翻開三本書閱讀,卻感到三本書的重量各異。題材極為沉重的《畸變》,但這一本書身重量反而最輕,其次的是《遐想》,《閱讀人生 100 篇》內容輕鬆但書本最重身,用來印冊的紙張不同。


頭兩本書都是由『次文化堂』出版,用的紙張較為粗糙,書的本身重量卻是頗為輕身,我擁有『次文化堂』出版的書頗多,題材盡多是有關政經的論述,每次閱讀都覺得沉重,但卻愛多讀不可釋手,亦因為書身不重可以單手拿著閱讀很久,都不會覺得手累!


反而,題材最是輕鬆的《閱讀人生 100篇》,是由『天地』出版,想是因為用了粉紙印刷,每行間隔又最寬闊,每頁下端還有很多空位,因為書身重拿起來讀不幾篇,就要放下來讓手部休息,所以久久還未讀完全書。


可見 次文化堂 和 天地 兩間出版社的取態不同也!讓讀者快些讀完又去買新書是好策略,還是精裝書本重殿殿的,令讀者每讀不久就要放下休息,書總是還未讀完,就不會想去買新書呢?


重量可以是指書身的重量 weight,也可以指書本內容的重量 substance/ significance (嗜悲英文不佳尚未找到合意字),今次讀的幾本書內容沉重卻書身較輕,內容輕鬆的卻書身頗重,是意想不到的對比!



《註一》:

讀李怡的文字始於六四之前,六四後,成為李怡的《七十年代》當然讀者,但人是始終會長大的,是會改變的,雖然對六四之慘劇沒有半點忘記,但對李怡化名齊辛在之後改名《九十年代》雜誌上寫的文章,卻開始存著不同見解。因此對李怡(alias 齊辛),便由偶像改變為祇是一位尊敬的長者。而對李怡齊辛的論點,祇是提供論點多元化中,之其中一元罷了。還有,我個人是頗為執著,甚至可算是頑固,對於生菓報的編採方針一向不能苟同,一直絕不購買生菓報及其同系雜誌。於結束《九十年代》雜誌後,李怡得到董橋邀請在生菓報,寫專欄文章寫社論,都沒有因而購買成為生菓報讀者,要讀李怡的文字便需要購買李怡的文章結集書籍了。



後記:
師兄讀到本文,電郵來指出書有:重量、份量、還有 質量,但所謂重質不重量,予覺得這變成討論哲學 concept,這不是我等凡夫俗子的可以通達,嗜悲 認為到此還是收筆收聲,無謂獻醜矣!



後後記:
十一國慶日行書局打書釘,慶幸書局都有開門做生意,見到 李怡 有兩本新書:心靈絮語 90題 and 思想之鑰 60題,都是由 天地圖書 發行。

















拿上手不算重,但都比上面提過的幾本書還厚,再看看內頁文字內容,其中一本的排版還算緊密,另外一本卻是印得離行離簕,是平時的七行位印三行字,比起 蔡瀾 的書留白處更多,是賣白紙多個賣文字,執起兩書在手最後都是忍手決定不買,等到做八折九折才考慮吧!




我的舊文:
書 N 書
Believe it or NOT 信不信由你
讀書偶拾“李怡”
李怡談《一位女性總理》
李怡 ~~八篇懷念亡妻的文章
又談買書
心靈的需要





Thursday, August 29, 2013

身痕 止癢?

身痕 止癢?



嗜悲 曾寫過一篇文字但尚有機會登出:返璞歸真!


大意是 嗜悲 平日上班或宴會穿的衣服和皮鞋,穿舊了也不再添新 brand name/ tailor hand made 的。非上班日的 smart causal and shoes,去做 Gym 去運動服裝連鞋的配搭,幾年下來還未穿舊穿完(以前買的太多),只是款式已經過時也懶去理他!


音影器材:相機長鏡頭 HiFi 錄影機 投影機 投射機 整套喇叭低音喇叭 和 peripheral add ons,買返來收藏比用的時間多,猶其是家居用電器的小工具,買了不少擺滿廳房,廚房的各種機器,更擺滿了廚房 。。。。。。唉!


曾經在這裡寫過的 電子瓦罉,還有:真空煲,蒸餾咖啡壺,蔬果攪拌機製果汁用,製作麵包可夾餡的三文治機,小焗爐可製厚多士 燒雞中翼(串燒)翻焗 Pizza,and 無數的廚房小工具,還有一套 george foreman grill 哈哈哈哈哈哈!



因為有傾斜度牛排的肥油 都會流落到承接盆上 看起來吃得健康些



家中還有經已很久未有再練,沒再去打球的全套 Head Yonex 和 Wilson 壁球網球羽毛球 rackets 全套,連服裝毛巾 head band wrist band 球鞋。PING 高爾夫球 set 共 14支棒(桿),PING 由上至下帽子到襪子,PING 高爾夫球袋,傘子連 rain cover,套着 Wood 3-5-7桿子的套子,當然還有可換鞋釘的球鞋,和訂製印有自己 designed logo 的專用高球,揮桿時左右手套 。。。。。觀星用 Bushnell 天文望遠鏡全套連 tripod 。。。。。non exhaustive!


這幾年來除了上班經過,不會去裁縫鋪看衣料,沒去商場 window shopping 手錶領帶衣服鞋襪,減少 shopping 購物狂熱慾念,閒來專心寫博,摒棄一切雜念,連 挨瘋 挨劈 挨咩乜 都唔買唔用唔收,做過古老村人。


今個月突然身痕 。。。。。。好想買個 Tablet 平板電腦,現在積極選擇中,想來要破戒了!





後記:
師兄來電郵取笑,雖然唔買小白象,但 “書” 還是照買,哈哈哈哈哈哈!這句真, 嗜悲 買書仍然未有手軟,書局阿姐們見到 嗜悲,還是常說留了幾本書給您,要不要?答曰:要!買書 。。。。。絕不皺眉頭!跟着又要添個書櫃了。



伸延閱覽:
Tablet 平板電腦 google search







我的舊文:
返璞歸真








Tuesday, August 27, 2013






Forest Gump Feather (main theme music)



《衝上雲霄II》在熱播中,又剛剛看完 the lone ranger 《獨行俠》,見到北美洲遼闊的平原,令 嗜悲 想飛和自駕遊。(剛剛 Check 完 CX Fanfares 三千幾可以到三藩市 maximum 14天,連稅都是 五千八不用六千元,但假期唔批可惜可惜,無緣去看看 Monument Valley!)



Monument Valley Sunrise to Moonrise (More ... )



各位飛長途遠程飛機可有留意得到,從香港由西至東到美加紐約多倫多,或從香港由東至西去歐洲倫敦法蘭克福,去程飛機航線經過那處,至於回程方向是否剛剛相反。若多留意,還會發覺來回程所需時間很大分別,那就要知道下面的一些航空資料。


Jet streams on earth (維基百科)



因為地球上有 Jet Stream 這個天文現象。


【ehow.com】The atmosphere is filled with constantly moving air streams, determined by the temperature differences in various areas of the earth. One of these is the jet stream, which runs east to west around the world.


The jet stream is a very fast current of air. It always moves faster than 57 miles per hour, and can reach speeds of around 200 miles per hour. It is located 6 to 9 miles above the surface of the Earth and moves quickest during the winter, where there is a greater temperature difference at the Earth's surface.

Flight Time
The jet stream is both used and avoided by aircraft. Because it so fast moving, flights that are heading east to west navigate around the jet stream in order to avoid it as a headwind, which can greatly reduce the speed of an aircraft and the flight time. However, flights heading east can use the jet stream to cut down their total flight time.

Fuel
By flying with the jet stream, aircraft can also use less fuel by allowing the fast-moving air to push them along. This also allows them to carry less fuel than usual, making them lighter. This will also help the aircraft move faster, reducing flight time even more.



Jetstream and Great Circle airplane routes (維基百科)


由東至西由西至東,便有了選擇途程需要,利用 Jet Stream Route 和 Great Circle Route 了。


【維基百科】The location of the jet stream is extremely important for aviation. Commercial use of the jet stream began on 18 November 1952, when Pan Am flew from Tokyo to Honolulu at an altitude of 7,600 metres (24,900 ft). It cut the trip time by over one-third, from 18 to 11.5 hours.

Not only does it cut time off the flight, it also nets fuel savings for the airline industry. Within North America, the time needed to fly east across the continent can be decreased by about 30 minutes if an airplane can fly with the jet stream, or increased by more than that amount if it must fly west against it.

Associated with jet streams is a phenomenon known as clear-air turbulence (CAT), caused by vertical and horizontal wind shear connected to the jet streams. The CAT is strongest on the cold air side of the jet, next to and just underneath the axis of the jet.

Clear-air turbulence can cause aircraft to plunge and so present a passenger safety hazard that has caused fatal accidents, such as the death of one passenger on United Airlines Flight 826.



根據 Great Circle 理論,如今蘇聯已經解體,俄國開放了領空給商業航機。


Great Circle and Polar airplane routes (維基百科)



【維基百科】The American Federal Aviation Administration defines the North Polar area of operations as the area lying north of 78 deg north latitude, which is entirely north of Alaska and most of Siberia.

The term "polar route" was originally more general, being applied to great circle routes between Europe and the west coast of North America in the 1950s. During much of the Cold War the Arctic region was a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and North America; civilian flights from Europe to the Asian Far East were unable to cross the Soviet Union or China and had to use a Middle East route or connect through Alaska across the Arctic region.

These Cold War tracks extended from the northern Alaskan coast across Greenland to Europe. Korean Air Lines Flight 902 was shot down in the USSR in 1978 after the crew made gross navigational errors attempting to fly the assigned polar route.

In September 1945, three American generals flew three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses from Northern Japan to Chicago in a record-breaking flight, using a great circle route which came very near the Arctic Circle.

The flight encountered dangerously icy conditions, but the possibility of future routine flights was announced, as was the possibility of hostile attacks through the Arctic Circle. Routine flights deep into the Arctic became possible only after the end of the Cold War, when the United States and Russia became less concerned about the possibility of a trans-polar attack.

Aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400 and the Airbus A340, with ranges of around 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km), were also required to handle the distances between suitable airports. Before this era, all flights from North America to Asia were routed around the Communist bloc using a series of tracks between Alaska and Japan.

The main obstacle to flights across Russia was the inadequate Russian air traffic control system and a lack of English communication. To solve these issues RACGAT (Russian-American Coordinating Group for Air Traffic) was formed in 1993. By summer 1998 the Russian government gave permission to open four cross-polar routes, named Polar 1, 2, 3 and 4. Cathay Pacific flew the first polar flight into Siberia in July 1998.

Polar routes are now in common use by airlines connecting Asian cities such as Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo to North American destinations such as New York, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC.



想飛?談何容易,但 嗜悲 身不由己,除了要申請大假外,去美加自駕游,要事先 pre-planning 不是一時三刻,就可以完成,不過發發夢還是可以的!






伸延閱覽:
Jet Stream Affect Flights ehow.com
Jet Stream/ Great circle Aviation 維基百科
Polar route 維基百科