This TED talk recorded in July 2011, by Richard Wilkinson, provides compelling research data (from UN and World Bank) on how income inequality within rich and developed countries (particularly USA) damage societies along many dimensions. According to his data, Singapore, USA and Portugal are the top three countries with biggest gap between rich and the poor (richest 20% than compared to the poorest 20%).
Apr 21
Economic inequality harms societies especially USA in many ways
Mar 01
Woody Allen on Life, Happiness & Love
I came across excerpts of an interview with Woody Allen (and Owen Wilson) about Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s wonderful 2011 romantic comedy, for which he won an Oscar for the best original screenplay. Midnight in Paris is the story of a Hollywood writer, Gil (played by Owen Wilson, essentially playing a younger Woody Allen) on vacation in Paris with his fiance. Gil who’s having trouble writing his book, is in search of that elusive happiness. He falls in love with Paris and as he drifts away from his fiance, he starts fantasizing about Paris in 1920s. Somehow every night after midnight, he ends up hanging out and partying with the literary and artistic greats of the early 20th century such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, among others, in the Parisian cafes and lounges of 1920s.
Oct 07
Walking in the rain
It was raining hard when I left the bar late night. After a fairly long and warm summer, the Fall had finally arrived with the first rain of the season. I paused and contemplated for a moment by the door…it’s uncomfortable to get wet. I had intentionally parked my car fairly far earlier that eve to make myself walk. I started walking — down Montgomery, passed the pyramid and onto Washington. I could feel the big drops on my head. But after the initial discomfort and chill, it actually felt good.
May 08
On the killing of bin Laden
What happened
So US finally got Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the dreaded Al Qaeda, a militant Islamic organization potentially responsible for a number of deadly terror attacks on US and Western interests over the past 15 years including 9/11, that caused the death of over 3,000 Americans and destroyed the Twin Towers in NY.
Apr 20
Secret to longevity: Adaptive Competence
So do you want to live to be a centenarian? What does it take to live a long, healthy life and potentially reach 100? No smoking? Healthy diet? Lots of hard work at the gym? Or perhaps being from one of the “Blue Zones” (longevity hot spots around the world) such as Okinawa Island in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, or Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, is the secret, whatever happens to be the reasons for people’s longevity in those regions.
Feb 22
A strange encounter with a hawk
It was late afternoon on Sunday Feb. 13, 2011. I was driving to Palo Alto to meet a friend to go to a concert in Stanford University. I was on the beautiful hilly segment of Highway 84 off of 680 heading west. Suddenly I heard a very loud BANG on my side window right near my head. Something sizable slammed into the window and it was so fast that I didn’t see anything. It caught off me guard. For a moment I thought the window broke but it was fine. I slowed down and looked in the rear view mirror and noticed something on the road so I turned around.
Nov 27
Chilean miners — leadership, inspiration
On August 5th 2010 a “cave-in” accident in the San Jose copper-gold mine near Copiapo, Chile trapped and buried 33 Chilean miners 700 meters or 2,300 ft (almost half a mile) underground below the Atacama desert. On October 13, after 69 days, all 33 miners were safely rescued and brought to surface while reportedly almost a billion people around the globe watched the rescue operation live on TV. It was an inspirational story of survival that deservedly got a worldwide coverage and attention. Boston.com published a series of photos from the rescue operation from various sources that captures some of the sensitive and emotional moments.
Aug 04
Lighten your life’s baggage
I moved from Orange County (OC) back to the San Francisco Bay Area last month. It was a painful experience with all the back and forth, packing, dealing with the movers and their hidden and unexpected costs, and the unpacking that in my case may never be complete. For a single guy, I just have way too much stuff:
- Several hundred books, of all genres, many of which I have only partially read or not read at all; text books going all the way back to my undergrad courses. I checked one online and mine is seven editions behind the latest!
- Hundreds of original CDs with their cases but many mismatched and some damaged.
- Postcards and letters from friends and ex’s from ions ago. You can tell how old they are as I don’t think people nowadays write love letters any more, let alone hand-written ones.
Jun 23
US strikes gold in Afghanistan — literally!
It is June 2010. The gigantic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been pouring over 60,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for over two months — a colossal environmental disaster that will impact the ecosystem and the wildlife in the region for many years to come. It is noteworthy that this disaster is brought to you by none other than BP (British Petroleum), a multinational oil corporation that has its hands bloodied (and oily!) with exploitations around the world including Iran, for well over half a century. Please see my article on the 1953 coup in Iran.
The other big global event that has got world’s attention over the last few weeks is of course World Cup 2010 in South Africa, which has plenty of excitement, upsets and drama of its own.
May 05
Unmind, a way to consciousness
MC Escher, 1955
I finally got a good name for this blog — Unmind, and a good domain name to go along with it, unmind.net. In the About page I talk about the history of this blog and its name briefly.
I can think of a few good interpretations for unmind such as unconventional, critical and outside of the box thinking. Or it can be being irrational, illogical and dealing with matters of the heart. But there is another that I want to explore here.
Eckhart Tolle in his famous book “The Power of Now — A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” talks about mind and thinking as the biggest obstacle to consciousness and enlightenment, the voice, the tormentor, “the worst enemy that continuously attacks and punishes [us] and drains us of vital energy.” The false and unconscious identification with mind gives rise to the “phantom self”, “the ego”.
About Me
My primary field is technology but I like to write. I write several blogs on software, social media, art and culture. This is my personal blog that covers various interests.
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