Yesterday I read about a little program called Freedom that forces you to disconnect from the Internet. You set a timer to the desired amount of “offline time” and then you’re unable to connect until the timer runs out or you reboot your computer. (This is supposed to make cheating more difficult) A question that…
Lifestyle
Leadership, Business, and Animal Spirits
The Spiritual Core As readers of this blog may be aware, I am a person who has thoroughly read and studied Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. I even wrote a book explaining the terse passages at some length, with less arcane language, though I’d be kidding if I said it was successful; I just…
Lifestyle
The Internet is not a Mass Medium. Or is it?
The term “mass medium” was coined in the early 20th century and referred to magazines, newspapers, radio & television broadcasts. I remember the times when watching an MTV music video on color television fried every teenager’s excitement-circuits, slouched in front of the silverscreen, sucking up the newest trends and fashions through the straw that was…
Lifestyle
Eat when Tired, Sleep when Hungry
Do you sometimes do things which aren’t on point? Do you sometimes do the opposite of what you feel you should? Do you sometimes wonder why it seems you want to do one thing and yet you do another? Don’t worry, we all do. There is a famous saying in Zen that goes “Eat when…
Other Languages
Introducing The Japanese Culture Blog
Japanese is a means to an end. No one sane studies Japanese for over a dozen years, becomes a professional translator, and learns all the complexity and nuance of this language because the language is fun. Yes, it is a great challenge, and it is very interesting, but that wasn’t the point. The language is…
Lifestyle
Minimalism: Spiritual Materialism in Disguise or: The New Religion of “Living with 100 things”
When I first heard the word Minimalist it was in context of Techno music. Also I’ve seen it as pertaining to interior design. But did you know that Minimalism is also a full-fledged lifestyle movement? So what do Minimalists do? They get rid of unnecessary stuff (clutter) in their life try to live their lives…
Discover Dino lernt Deutsch: the German story series for beginners that will help you learn German in no time.
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Instruction is a River Into the Mind
In Japanese, the kanji (Chinese character, the hieroglyph-ish stuff) for “instruction” combines two components. The first component is “words”: that which pours out of a mouth. This is the component, or “radical,” on the left. The second component is the radical for “river.” In itself, this kanji, on its own, represents a channel carved into…
Other Languages
Facts and Futenma
Futenma (kanji: 普天間) is the name of the big American air base on Okinawa that has been the subject of much political controversy in recent years. The current Prime Minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, has decided, under heavy, even overwhelming American pressure, including a personal visit by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to allow American…
Other Languages
Japanese Keigo (Respectful Speech)
The Japanese language has the interesting and curious trait of actually varying the forms of verbs used in otherwise normal, standard sentences to convey greater politeness and respect. This is often done in business, particularly in hospitality; however, “polite” speech is also the standard form in classrooms, on news broadcasts, and so forth. Japanese Keigo…
News
Looking for Justice – A Parable
They speak about someone who lost his way. And as the evening approaches he reaches a great cave. He enters the cave and the cave is filled with candles. He turns around, squints his eyes and aks, surprised by the way his voice sounds in the hollow of the cave: “Hello! Is there anybody here?”…
Other Languages
How To Learn Japanese
There are many schools of thought for how to learn Japanese. Allow me to briefly present mine. #1: Settle On A Goal If your goal is to know a few cool words to impress your friends, you do not need to learn very much. If your goal is to hold a brief oral conversation with…
