The World According to Hong

Getting Dressed

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:42:56 -0800

[2008-01-04]

Getting Dressed from Hong Cho on Vimeo.

Yerim in the Morning

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:46:25 -0800

[2008-01-03]

Yerim in the Morning from Hong Cho on Vimeo.

CD Review, July 2007

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:26:07 -0800

[Well, I guess I am not going to work on this for a while... So, I am just going to post my unfinished draft. - Hong.]
o. "Go Your Own Way" by Cool Age [쿨에이지] First album. They are An JeongHun [안정훈] (guitar, vocal), Jeon HongJun [전홍준] (bass, vocal) and Shin NanDa [신난다] (drums, vocal). Punk rock. Not bad.
o. "Radio Dayz" by E Z Hyoung / Lee Ji Hyung [이지형] First solo album. I think he used to be with an indie band Weeper [위퍼]. Unlike some of the recent solo projects, he did not play everything (although he wrote all the songs). Unless you are doing all electronica work, I think it really helps to have creative collaboration to broaden and enrich the music. Pop/rock. Not bad.
o. "Starbow" by Starbow [스타보우] First album. They are Jeong JongHyeok [정종혁] (vocal, keyboards), Kim DaeU [김대우] (guitar), Kim YeongSeok [김영석] (bass) and Yun YeongJu [윤영주] (drums). Rock (Brit-ish, retro-ish). Actually a bit difficult to define the genre. Not bad.
o. "HaengBok [행복]" by Hachi & TJ [하찌와 TJ] First album together. Hachi [하찌] (a.k.a. HIROHUMI Kasuga [春日博文]) is a Japanese musician/producer (he is kind of old, in his late 50s) who got interested in Korea in the 80s. TJ [티제이] (a.k.a. Cho TaeJun [조태준]) is a Korean in his 20s. Hachi wrote most of the music and played a lot of the instruments. The singing is done by TJ. He also played some instruments and wrote a couple of the songs. An interesting combination. Acoustic/folk. Somewhat reminded me of the 80s J-POP... Or it could have been my imagination because of Hachi, but still TJ's style also seems to fit that style.
o. "Little Fanfare" by Cabinet Singalongs [캐비넷 싱얼롱스] First album. They are Cha JiEun [차지은] (a.k.a. PiMang [피망] (accordion, vocal), Kim MokIn [김목인] (a.k.a. Wood [우드]) (acoustic guitar, vocal, piano) and Lee DongRyeol [이동렬] (a.k.a. HaengRyeol [행렬]) (trumpet, ukulele, vocal). Folk. Okay.
o. "Fight Against the World" by Schizo [스키조] Second album. They are Hur Jae Hun [허재훈] (vocal), Ju Sung Min [주성민] (guitar, programming), Lee Hae Lim [이해림] (bass), Bok Nam Kyu [복남규] (drums) and Hayashi Hidehiro (sampling). Industrial. Okay.
o. "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Cloud Cuckoo Land [클라우드쿠쿠랜드] First album. They are Choi JongHun [최종훈] (vocal, guitar), Shim HyeonSeok [심현석] (guitar), Kim JiHun [김지훈] (bass) and Kim ChangHyeon [김창현] (drums). Modern rock. Okay
o. "GgumEui IlBu [꿈의 일부]" by JaeJuSoNyeon [재주소년] Third album. They are Park GyeongHwan [박경환] (a.k.a. afternoon) (vocal, guitar) and Yu SangBong [유상봉] (a.k.a. sabo) (guitar, vocal). Folk/pop/rock. Okay.
o. "Seba" by Seba [세바] First album. They are Kim Moo Gwon [김무권] (violin), Kim Yeong Hyun [김영헌] (bass), Han Jeung Hee [한정희] (piano), Choi Jung Wook [최정욱] (cello), Heo Hyeon Ju [허현주] (flute), Hahn Woong Won [한웅원] (drums, percussions) and Ma DoWon [마도원] (composition, arrangement, directing). Jazz, I think. Okay.
o. "Say Hello to Every Summer" by Elena [엘레나] First album. Her name seems to be Jeong WuMin [정우민] (a bit boy-ish name :p). The album was had a great participation by Espionne (a.k.a. DJ Soulscape, Park MinJun [박민준]). It seems she used to play keyboards for many indie bands (Cosmos, Julia Hart, etc.). Pop. Okay.

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:31:18 -0800

An interesting read on globalization although I don't quite agree with the choice of the word "flat" with "the world" (what he wants to say, probably, is "The hierarchies in the world is getting flatter"). I did agree with most of what Mr. Friedman said. Indeed, the recent developments and changes in the technologies and international political atmosphere have been improving the efficiencies in the economical and social structures of the world, affecting almost everyone in the world. Of course, as the author admits, these changes are not all positive (although he is trying to stress that aspects). Some use these developments for positive changes (e.g., bringing some third world countries living standards up) where as others use them for destructive purposes (e.g., efficient global recruiting and organization for terrorists). Maybe it was a subject outside this book, but he did not go further into how to possibly solve these issues after he identified them and what might be the difference (e.g., having a hope for a better future or not). So, although the book was indeed an interesting history lesson in the recent decades, I don't think it would be enough to give a guidance to the future leaders for how to bring everyone into the constructive benefits of the recent changes. But still, I thought it was a very good read.

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next by Lee Smolin

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:38:48 -0800

This was a very interesting book. I have just a passing interest in the modern physics and its attempts to unify the forces and the particles. My last physics book was The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, so I assumed that the String Theory (or various String Theories as it turns out) was it and it had been "proven" to be the only (?) viable theory in the contemporary physics scene. Well, this book by Lee Smolin definitely put a huge doubt in that assumption. Although I don't have the facility to independently verify all his claims, but he makes very convincing arguments against the String Theories as the unifying theory and its many unresolved issues (one of which is it has not been able to predict any new and unique experimental results). What came clear to me from Mr. Smolin (who was at one time a String Theory proponent) is that the String Theories have so many adjustable variables that they can be adjusted to fit any experimental results without uniquely predicting a new phenomenon (they haven't been able to for the past 25 years or so). The book is not only about the science. It is also about the sociological issues in the physics community. Mr. Smolin describes it as a society who is very susceptible to fashion, exclusive, hierarchical, and authoritative (mostly due to how the funding works). My first thought after reading his description was it really sounds like a religious organization. Mr. Smolin argues that the sociological atmosphere in the physics community (for the past 25 years or so) has made most of the brightest minds in physics to follow fads in the String Theories and has made exploration of other options very slow. Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone who has interests in modern physics.

Goodbye Kimchi-don and Tokushima Ramen

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:24:21 -0800

Well, it was completely a surprise! There once was this ramen-ya in San Jose called Do-Henkotsu. What made this place unique among a dozen or so ramen-ya in the area was its regional color and the owner's (whose name I never got to know) pride in it. The ramen itself was pretty good, maybe not the best, but different from most of the Kanto-style ones. The shop also displayed quite a few posters and offered magazines about Tokushima, a town in Shikoku where the owner is from (it's where I learned about "Awa Odori", a local festival whose dance I recognized immediately while watching "Kaze no Haruka"). But the best part about the restaurant was the "itame", stir-fry rice dishes. I still remember first trying the "nira itame" (stir-fry with leek, vegetables and pork over rice), then "kimchi buta itame" (stir-fry with kimchi, vegetables and pork over rice), and then finding out that "kimchi don" was the same as "kimchi buta itame", but cheaper! :p Man, I really really loved "kimchi don". Then it closed, in early 2007 and is replaced by another (more generic) ramen-ya, Kahoo in March 2007. This place serves pretty standard ramen with their own "spicy" versions. I've seen the chef of the new restaurant before. He used to help out the Do-Henkotsu's owner. I think I first saw him late last fall. I was thinking he must be helping out and was secretly hoping that this new guy might be a new "franchiser"... But alas, he was just learning the ropes, and the transition plan must have been going on for quite some time. I am just sad that I didn't have a chance to say thank you and goodbye. So, thanks for all the kimchi-don and other itame I enjoyed. If you ever plan to get out of a retirement, again, let me know. :)

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:59:06 -0800

The contents of the book did not surprised me that much since I've been reading books on the history of the Bible. It also summarizes what I have wondered before in not-too-academic ways and backs it up with supporting evidences and theories although mostly by examples. I've heard that Mr. Ehrman is closer to a gnostic (that a knowledge will bring enlightenments). So, I thought there were some parts where his theological/political views were stressed. If you can get past that, the basic fact that the Bible that most of the Christians are reading is not exactly the same as the original books from the first century (hand-copying errors, translations). Before the invention of the printing press, if you want a copy of a book, it had to be done by hand. Copying by hand is an arduous work and the probability of errors are relatively high (especially when the literacy rate was low and the definition of literacy was very loose). This can be seen in the many versions of the surviving manuscripts. Also the fact that the earliest surviving copies of the manuscripts only go back to the 4th century means that there is at least a 200 year gap between the original writings. Another big question for me is that most of us are reading the translation. Since English has become a dominant world language, we may falsely assume that the English version is the original, but the fact is that the most of the New Testaments were originally written in Greek (not even Latin or Hebrew or Aramaic). If you ever attempted translating a relatively long and complicated piece of writings, you know that literal translation often does not work. The book mentioned that the current "Only on the Bible" theology/doctrine you see that most of the Protestant Christian Churches originated from the arguments that the Protestant Fathers used to separate from the Catholic Church. They were trying to lessen/ignore the huge (and often corrupt) power that the Church had. Interestingly the argument that the Catholic Church used against the emerging Protestant movement was the very fact that the surviving manuscripts have variations and thus we may never know the "original" words and that some texts contain what seems to be inconsistencies. The Catholic Church was arguing that because of these "problems" in the Bible, people need a consistent guidance from the Church which existed even before these scriptures were ever written. I am beginning to agree with the Catholic Church's argument. I've always wondered (and have been worried) that what I thought I understood from reading the Bible myself would be "correct". With my limited knowledge of God and the Christian theologies, how can I be sure that what I understand is what God intended by these inspired writings? What if I am totally getting it wrong? Come to think of it, without any guidance, the individual "interpretations" would be as many as there are individuals! We all might be reading the same (well, an English translation), but we might as well be reading different ones... Not only that, but if one relaxes and say that some textual translation differences are okay as long as the overall meanings are the same, how much differences are okay? I think the "Only on the Bible" arguments just cannot hold. I think the Church is important: the pastors and the members that make it up. They are the ones who glue the whole group based on the Bible because most may not know the "truth" even if they see it.

Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:07:01 -0800

Despite thinking that the book had too much of political/activist sidetracks that dragged out a bit, I thought it was quite informative overall. Michael Pollan follows three different paths that link the source of our food to our dining tables: industrial, organic (both industrial organic and "beyond organic"), and hunting/gathering. It was quite informative, especially on what the current food industry calls as "organic". I just wish that the writing be slimmed down, but it was meant also to be a recording of his personal journey...

CD Reviews, October 2006

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:15:45 -0800

[Yeah, yeah, it's about half a year late...]
o. "Frankly" by Voy [보이] This is their first album. Voy are Lee ByeongHun [이병훈], a.k.a., Vanilla Voy (vocal, piano, acoustic guitar), Lee CheolHui [이철희] (drums) and Lee DongJun [이동준] (bass). Almost all the songs were written by Lee ByeongHun. Pretty plain old-style acoustic (?) pop. The CD case design is very well-done, though.
o. "Phantom Pain" by Sugardonut [슈가도넛] This is their first. Sugardonut are Changs [창스] (vocal, guitar), CheolU [철우] (guitar), Kim Tak [김탁] (bass) and DiAl [디알] (DR?) (drums). I don't know what they did with the recording or the mixing (using recording devices that record in MP3, maybe?), but all the tracks contain plenty of MP3 aliasing artifacts. It is an CD album, but it's like listening to very low-bitrate MP3s. This is NOT the noise they sometimes put in artificially for an "artistic" purpose. This IS "MP3" aliasing noise when the quantizer does not have enough bits (I've developed audio codecs before, believe me). Very very V-E-R-Y annoying. It's very regrettable because their music itself isn't too bad (although they do remind me of many other musicians, later Seotaiji for one).
o. "Purple Drop" by Humming Urban Stereo [허밍 어반 스테레오] This is their second album. Humming Urban Stereo is a one-man project work by Lee Jeereen [이지린], a.k.a. Brown Bunny with many other guest musicians. Jeereen is definitely talented, but I am not sure if this kind of music is to my taste. I liked "Scully Doesn't Know" from the previous album but I don't know about "Mulder Does Know".
o. "JuSaekManChan [주색만찬]" by GoGuRyeo Band [고구려밴드] This is their first album. JuSaekManChan are Lee GilYeong [이길영] (vocal), Yang AnBok [양안복] (guitar), Seo MinSeok [서민석] (bass) and Jeon SeongJin [전성진] (drums). Lee GilYeong wrote all the music and the words. Although the basic musical style is rock, for sure, but as the name of the band suggests, they are somewhat influenced by Korean tradition music/singing. Especially noticeable is the singer's vocalization along with the lyrics. Yeah, this has been attempted before, and I don't think this band will sudden change the past trend as time soon. But they are interesting still. They tend to sound a bit "old", though. Maybe some day, it will become "new" again.
o. "Pinch Your Soul" by Clazziquai Project [클래지콰이 프로젝트] This is their remix album (damn, I did not read the description carefully). Clazziquai Project is a one-man band by Kim Sunghoon [김성훈], a.k.a. Clazziquai. Damn, I should be more careful when picking up a CD. I really didn't know it was a remix album. Most of the new orchestration seems to be trying to move away away from R&B to pop.
o. "I Worry, Too" by Yoonkee [윤키] This is his first album, I guess. I understand the effort, but I am kind of curious how one "releases" demo-tape-quality album this widely with such an effort for album designs and stuff.
o. "triangle" by Rollercoaster [롤러코스터] This is their fifth album. They are Cho WonSeon [조원선] (vocal, keyboards), Jinu [지누] (bass, programming) and Lee SangSun [이상순] (guitars). They seem to have mellowed down a bit. I still like CHO WonSeon's voice or music writings in general, but their work is not that upbeat anymore. Both lyrically and musically, they (she?) sound "tired", not having the usual "carefree" feel. Too bad.
o. "Moida Band" by Moida Band [모이다밴드] First album. They are Lee In Kwan [이인관] (sax), Choi Hoon [최훈] (bass), Park Kyung Ho [박경호] (guitars), Kim Jong Ik [김종익] (keyboards) and An Byung Bum [안병범] (drums). I can't really define their style since I don't think they are playing just one style. But I thought they have a potentially interesting mix of instruments. I have to say that their music is based on "smooth jazz" with a lot of other influence (pop, rap, etc.), basically whatever fits their musical composition, instrument-wise. I think their live performance would sound much better.
o. "The Vane" by Mellowyear [멜로이어] This is the first solo project album by Shin SeCheol [신세철] of Sweater [스웨터]. In some way, this is a similar effort by Lucid Fall [루시드폴], but I think Mr. Shin's solo project has a much "brighter" atmosphere. I like it.
o. "bombom" by Deli Spice [델리스파이스] Their 6th album. They are Sweetpea [스위트피] a.k.a. Kim MinGyu [김민규] (guitars, piano, vocal), Yun Junho [윤준호] (bass, keyboards, vocal) and Choi Jaehyuk [최재혁] (drums, percussions, chorus). Nothing special, I felt.
o. "Colorful Express" by Peppertones [페퍼톤즈] Their first album. I think the main conspirators are Noshel [노쉘] (bass, sound effects) and Sayo [사요] (guitar, sequencing). They have a guest vocal, Deb [뎁] / Kim MinGyeong [김민경] and several other guest musicians. Their music can be characterized as Japanese anime-pop, very upbeat, dancy pop. Frankly, I thought in some parts, the vocal wasn't really that strong. But overall, not bad.
o. "Merry Maker" by Earls [얼스] Their first album. They are Al jamix / Shin SeungHun [신승훈] (vocal), Xavier / Im SeungBeom [임승범] (keyboards), JjabJabz / Wu GyeongJe [우경제] (guitar), Hyungbass / Kim HyeongBae [김형배] (bass) and Y.P.Groove / Choi GyeongMin [최경민] (drums). I was kind of expecting a punk band from the cover design, but they are actually playing funk/groove. They have a pretty good guest brass part (Im GwangTaek [임광택] (trumpet), Lee HanJin [이한진] (trombone) and Cho JaeJin [조재진] (saxophone)). Very well executed overall albeit sounding too 70s...
o. "Boys, Be Ambitious" by No Brain [노브레인] Their 4th album. They are Lee SeongWu [이성우] / BulDaeGal [불대갈] (vocal), Jeong MinJun [정민준] / VOVO (guitar), Jeong JaeHwan [정재환] / Jany (bass) and Hwang HyeonSeong [황현성] / HyungGa [흉가] (drums). Although they've been around for a while, I really think there are no other punk rock band in Korea that can come close (yet?). The very fact that they play very straight forward, upbeat, fast rock is what's attractive about them (at least to me). No gimmick, no pretense of sophistication. Just plain, simple, fast rock. They know how to carry their energy over to my ears.
o. "Calligram" by Calligram [캘리그램] Their first album. They are Lee Geun Jik [이근직] (guitar), Yoon Gae Hwan [윤계환] (bass), Kang Mi Young [강미영] (piano), Lim Eun Kyung [임은경] (accordion) and Shin Dong Jin [신동진] (drums). Five piece Jazz ensemble. Because of the addition of the accordion, I guess, the overall sounds has that old (or classical if you will) "French"/"European" color. Pretty standard Jazz stuff, otherwise.

The Canon of Scripture by Frederick Fyvie Bruce

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:16:47 -0800

Very, very long and detailed. Too scholastic for me. I think the book is very comprehensive in its scope and details on how the canon of the Bible came to be. I managed to get through till the end (well, the last few chapters I gleaned over), but I felt like I haven't even absorbed 5% of the contents. I think that the book was out of my league and that I was unprepared although I did get an overview of the history of the Bible.

Yelp or Not to Yelp?

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 16:24:05 -0800

Well, I've been Yelping. So, instead of duplicating entries, for restaurant/food reviews, just go to my Yelp page. If you are interested, that is.

International Discussion using Machine Translation

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:39:27 -0800

Maybe it was just me that didn't realize this, but I came across a site with a pretty good application of machine translation. Naver.com, probably the most popular portal site in Korea, has a section called "enjoyjapan" where things related to Japan are discussed. That site also provide machine translation service between Korean and Japanese. I've used them before a few times and found it pretty good and is better than other machine translation tools such as BabelFish or Google Language Tool. Anyway, from the Naver.com main site, I clicked on a item, which brought me to a discussion thread on a Korean drama by a Japanese person. If you don't know either Korean or Japanese, then you won't be able to read what they are talking about. But what they talk about is not the interesting thing. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. But the original poster posted her message in Japanese, on a counterpart Japanese site, "enjoykorea". The Japanese version of the same thread can be seen here. So, one can post in Korean on the "enjoyjapan" site and another can post in Japanese on the "enjoykorea" site on the same thread! People can participate in the discussion in their preferred language! I just find it pretty interesting. I guess the machine translation for certain segments are pretty good these days (Japanese and Korean belong to the same language family and share the syntactic structures).

CD Reviews, May 2006

Wed, 31 May 2006 17:20:51 -0800

[Yes, yes, I am lazy... This thing was initially marked "January 2006", then "March 2006", then "April 2006", and then this. It will still be marked "May" even if this one goes into the next month. :p Maybe there is a better way.]
o. "RomanTopia" by Lee Sang Eun [이상은] This is her twelfth album. I got the impression that the music has lighten up a bit. She's still marching to her own beat, but following the current trend a bit (electronica) in orchestration. Still collaborating with Hajimu Takeda. I thought it was okay.
o. "Color Your Soul" by Clazziquai Project This is their second album. Clazziquai Project is a one-man project work by Kim Sunghoon [김성훈] with many guest (some recurring) musicians. Not sure why their full names aren't listed. Anyway, he is continuing his electronica-based R&B (+ some Latin beats). I think I am getting a bit more comfortable with his approach.
o. "CheongChunYeChan" [청춘예찬] by Jaurim [자우림] This is a cover/tribute album (I really should be more careful about researching these things). Jaurim are Kim YunA [김윤아] (vocals, keyboard, piano), Lee SeonGyu [이선규] (guitars, programming, vocals), Kim JinMan [김진만] (bass, programming, vocals) and Gu TaeHun [구태훈] (drums, percussions, vocals). Not recommended.
o. "Nah Youn Sun with Refractory" by Refractory with Nah Youn Sun [나윤선] To me, this is actually an album by Refractory featuring Nah Youn Sun. Refractory are Jean François Blanco (programming, keyboards, guitar, base) and Louis Beaudoin (sax, arrangements). Interesting, but I am still unsure whether this type of acid jazz (?) / electronica isn't really my thing.
o. "Ma Non Tanto" by Lee Eun Mee [이은미] This is her sixth album and the title translates to "but not so much", usually a tempo notation in a musical score. The album is a collection of mostly sentimental numbers. Too sentimental for me, actually. A change of pace for her, I am sure, but I don't think I am into it much.
o. "Love Record" by Windy City [윈디시티] This is their first album. Windy City are Kim BanJang [김반장] (drums, lead vocal, timbale), Yun GabYeol [윤갑열] (guitar, vocal), Kim TaeGuk [김태국] (bass, vocal), Cho MyeongJin [조명진] (keyboards, vocal) and Jeong SangGwon [정상권] (gonga, bongo, vocal, percussions). Kim BanJang used to lead Asoto Union, but it seems this now became his main interests. The band plays, I guess, reggae / groovy / funk (or "world music"). An interesting try. Maybe, I am getting old and I've been away from Korea too long, but to me, it sounds too alienated from Korea, temporarily and spatially. As much as I like having diversity in the Korean music scene, I don't know how much his effort will connect with the Korean crowd compared to Asoto Union.
o. "ginagram" by Gina [지나] This is her first album. Gina is also known as Seo HyeonA [서현아]. I think this could have been a collection of her graduation works at Berklee, mostly funk / light jazz, I think. Pretty solid, I thought.
o. "Old Fashioned" by Common Ground [커먼 그라운드] This is their second album. Common Ground are G-Jey (vocal), Cho DaeYeon [조대연] (vocal), RBS (rap), Choi HuiCheol [최희철] (bass), JANE (guitar), Park SeungMin [박승민] (guitar), Hwang JeongGwan [황정관] (drums), Park MinU [박민우] (keyboards), Cho JaeBeom [조재범] (percussions), Eo YongSu [어용수] (trombone), Kim SeongMin [김성민] (trumpet), Kim JongU [김종우] (sax) and Seo DaeGwang [서대광] (trumpet). I always found them interesting because this type of big funk band is quite unusual. The only thing is I really hate their faker English rappers. Overall, not a bad concept, but their albums are just okay. I am sure their live performance is much more enjoyable.
o. "everyday trouble" by HaePaRiSoNyeon [해파리소년] This is his first album. Just a one-man electronica pop/rock "band". A bit rough sounding (noise, I guess), but I kind of like most of his non-vocal numbers. I am not sure about his vocal, though. Even his female guest vocal doesn't seem to be that appealing.
o. "Noomas" by Yoonchan Kwak [곽윤찬] with John Patitucci and Nasheet Waits This is his third album. Pretty standard Jazz trio album. Solid, but nothing exceptional, I thought.

"... We Call It Life"?

Fri, 19 May 2006 13:17:41 -0800

I came across this Reuters article. It was about a TV ad titled "Carbon dioxide... we call it life" by a conservative group, Competitive Enterprise Institute. At first I thought it was a joke, but apparently it is not. The ad contained this claim: "The fuels that produce CO2 (carbon dioxide) have freed us from a world of back-breaking labor, lighting up our lives, allowing us to create and move the things we need, the people we love." This got me thinking about some other possible "We Call It Life" adds... - "Iraq War, we call it life": The ad would say "The fuels we secure cheaply from this and other wars in Middle East have freed us from a world of back-breaking labor, lighting up our lives, allowing us to create and move the things we need, the people we love." - "Sweat shops, we call it life": The ad would say "These facilities have freed us from a world of back-breaking labor, allowing us to enjoy these cheap clothing and shoes that the advertisers make us believe we need." - "Genocide, we call it life": an ad by Sudanese government. And so on...

Is There Really Such a Thing as "Artificial"?

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:52:29 -0800

As I think more about our (i.e., the mankind's) "role" in this universe, I am beginning to think that the term (or the concept), "artificial" is arbitrary when it comes to a bigger scale of things. I am not saying that, in the "micro"-level of our ordinary lives, it seems quite obvious to us how we act and what we do "against nature". But is it really? Just for fun, let's say there was an alien being who's been observing our small planet. Would what we do really be considered so differently from what other animals and plants are doing? Are we just a part of the environment that plays its role however much it seems to us that we are not a part of it? I think that's where the concept of "artificiality" comes from. That is, we think we are not a part of (or separate from) our environments. Sure, the mankind has a pretty unique gift (or a curse? :p) of self-reflection and detachment, but we are still a part of the whole equation. Yes, we have a greater (relatively speaking) ability to change our surroundings, but still we are not separated from it because we do get affected by things we do. Sure, one can then argue that the global warming and other harms we are doing as a whole is "natural" and that we don't have to do anything about it. But one of our "natural" attributes is to recognize a problem and to try to solve it. I believe we can affect the direction of changes in us and our environments (well, I should not even put them separately), and I think that is "natural" as well. If we did not do well and wiped ourselves off the world, it would have been unfortunate, but it still would have been a natural part of the history of the universe. And if we were to do well and learned to exist along, it would also have been a natural part of the history.