So I was sitting in my car by the park the other day. A person was walking by with her dog. The animal, all of a sudden, gave a jerk and momentarily paused, its head raised and eyes fixed on some activity at the other corner of the lawn. I followed its gaze and sawContinueContinue reading “Doggies and Toddlers: What Do They Have in Common?”
Category Archives: essays
The Day Literacy Disappeared in Japan
1. The Day Literacy Disappeared One fine morning, as the sun began to rise over Japan, an unprecedented horror struck the nation. The entire writing system, evolved meticulously over centuries since the 5th-6th CE, had vanished. All printed and handwritten books, all online texts, and every visual form of writing—from subtitles in anime to roadContinueContinue reading “The Day Literacy Disappeared in Japan”
“In the Beginning was the Code”
In the opening words of the Gospel According to Saint John, it is written: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In our age, the foundational principle of existence might well be restated as: “In the beginning was the Code.” The 21st century has usheredContinueContinue reading ““In the Beginning was the Code””
AI and the Paranoia of Power
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Lord Acton (John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton) Someone once voiced a concern to the renowned physicist Lawrence Krauss about the potential threat of artificial intelligence (AI) to human existence. What if AI becomes so powerful that it enslaves humanity, treatingContinueContinue reading “AI and the Paranoia of Power”
What Happens When You Get Sick in the US
this X post has 7 million impressions We all saw it in the news: the CEO of United Healthcare gunned down on the streets of New York City. Tragic, right? A man of his stature and influence, gone in a flash. But here’s the twist—head over to X (formerly Twitter) or any social media platform,ContinueContinue reading “What Happens When You Get Sick in the US”
Genesis, not Genesee!
Image credit – Bigstock It is a peculiar fact that many towns in New York State have a street named “Genesee.” These “Genesee Streets” are almost invariably the oldest and most central streets in these towns—main streets in the truest sense of the term, not the modern, cluttered kind of “commercial drive.” But why areContinueContinue reading “Genesis, not Genesee!”
夕暮れの上野
Ueno, Tokyo, 6:33 pm, May 9, 2014. photo de l’auteur 东京的上野，黄昏时分。没有看见鲁迅先生讲的上野的樱花。快五月中旬了吧，已经过了樱花的季节。夕阳西下。高架铁路在右手边，高架桥底下两边，商铺林立，熙熙攘攘。下班时间。每个人都在往回走。要走去哪里不知道。还有三天就是我的生日了。我也在上野的街头走。要走去哪里，我也不知道。 暮然回首，人群里，看见一个穿白衣服，着短裙的女子。我想起了 约翰·济慈 （John Keats） 的诗 《La Belle Dame sans Merci》： “I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful — a faery’s child,Her hair was long, her foot was light, And her eyes were wild.”在我听来，济慈的诗是这样： “I saw a lady in the street,Full beautiful –ContinueContinue reading “夕暮れの上野”
Confucius Saves the Day for Joe
Confucius said: “父为子隐，子为父隐，直在其中矣.” A story from Confucius’ Analects goes like this: A man tells Confucius about a curious case in his village. “A father stole a sheep from the commune,” the man says, “and his son exposed him. We all praised the son for his integrity.” Confucius listens, nodding thoughtfully, and then replies: “In myContinueContinue reading “Confucius Saves the Day for Joe”
The Ham and Eggs of Geopolitics
I was down at Piggy Pat’s the other day for dinner. On the wall, there was this placard that read: “In the ham n’ egg omelette, the chicken is involved, but the pig is committed.” It stuck with me—not just as a witty turn of phrase, but as a stark illustration of uneven stakes inContinueContinue reading “The Ham and Eggs of Geopolitics”
The Pay Structure at X and Its Implications for “Citizen Journalism”
screenshot Recently, some X users have taken to X (where else!) to complain about what they perceive as an unfair payment scheme, prompting Elon Musk to send one of his deputies to clarify the situation. Users like Globe Eye News and Leonarda Jonie have raised concerns about low payouts despite achieving significant metrics on theContinueContinue reading “The Pay Structure at X and Its Implications for “Citizen Journalism””
Yego’s Chronicles 