30 MAY 2015 by ideonexus

 Information Fertilizes Moral Growth

...a flow of information can fertilize moral growth. Scholars who have puzzled over the trajectory of material progress in different parts of the world, such as the economist Thomas Sowell in his Culture trilogy and the physiologist Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs, and Steel, have concluded that the key to material success is being situated in a large catchment area of innovations.306 No one is smart enough to invent anything in isolation that anyone else would want to use. Successful innovators...
Folksonomies: information morality
Folksonomies: information morality
  1  notes
 
27 SEP 2013 by ideonexus

 加油 as a Term of Encouragement

The Chinese characters say 加油 (Jia1 you2).加 is composed of 力 (power) and 口 (mouth). It means 'to add'油 is made out of 水 (氵, water) and 由(from/ due). It means oil.加(to add) 油(oil)= add oil or make an extra effort 加油 is a terribly common phrase in day to day life. If you want to encourage someone to carry on great work, or in a sports competition, you say 加油! A bit like 'go on!' in English. Of course another literal meaning of 加油 is to refuel.
Folksonomies: mandarin chinese
Folksonomies: mandarin chinese
  1  notes

ShaoLan explains how the symbols break down.

12 JAN 2012 by ideonexus

 Hackers Loved Chinese Food

Chinese food was a system, too, and the hacker curiosity was applied to that system as assiduously as to a new LISP compiler. Samson had been an aficionado from his first experience on a TMRC outing to Joy Fong’s on Central Square, and by the early sixties he had actually learned enough Chinese characters to read menus and order obscure dishes. Gosper took to the cuisine with even greater vigor; he would prowl Chinatown looking for restaurants open after midnight, and one night he found a t...
Folksonomies: mandarin chinese food hackers
Folksonomies: mandarin chinese food hackers
  1  notes

Because they discovered, through Chinese dictionaries, that there was another menu for Chinese patrons with better food that had fantastic names.