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2021-07-31#
Winston in "1984" is in the first stage of denial, while O'Brien has reached the level of the denial of denial. The former is still resisting the status quo, unaware of the essence of things, while the latter has passed this stage and has negated it again.
2021-07-30#
Let go of grand narratives and feel the warmth of individuals.
2021-07-29#
Recommended by a colleague, I watched a lecture on the sociology research about prostitutes, which was very good. Generally, people find it hard to see prostitutes in daily life, but they do exist. For this group living in red-light districts, yet irreplaceable, we should seek to understand and pay attention to them. It’s not just about the dirty and lowly sex trade, but also diverse lifestyle choices and unknown difficulties. — 【Yixi】 Huang Yingying: Twenty Years of Research on Prostitutes - YouTube
Sex should not be thought of as merely physiological; it is based on physiology, but physiology only provides the possibility. The reality needed for human behavior is provided by society and culture. #quote
— Pan Suiming
2021-07-28#
Those netizens who shout about national righteousness resemble the "righteous sects" in martial arts novels that promote justice.
Many things can often be seen more clearly when you take a step back.
Some companies explicitly require invoices and receipts, and even state that without a receipt, reimbursement is impossible. This behavior is truly puzzling; if they cannot even trust their employees with this, how can employees trust that the company will trust them? Or rather, it can almost be confirmed that the company cannot trust its employees, so why should employees waste their time and energy in such an untrustworthy environment?
2021-07-27#
Reading “Please Don't Disturb Mr. Feynman”. Feynman is truly a straightforward and interesting person; he enjoys being quirky in life, is rigorous in science, and has his own theories on education. The most interesting part is when he visited Brazil and witnessed the rigid education system there, which only emphasizes rote memorization without understanding, much like the current exam-oriented education. When invited to give a speech, he directly pointed out the problems in Brazilian education, and this action not only was not opposed but sparked discussion. However, after returning to the U.S., the State Department no longer dared to use him for "diplomacy."
Today I saw a Twitter friend mention that now one can invest in some Xiaomi stocks because Lei Jun posted about buying shoes from Hongxing Erke on Weibo. He had previously revealed his investment strategy: buy into those who are patriotic, like Bilibili. Six months later, he indeed made a lot of money. An interesting perspective. How to say, the sudden popularity of Hongxing Erke makes me worry about a backlash.
2021-07-26#
I find that my seven orifices are somewhat blocked: my mouth and nose are covered by a mask, my eyes are obscured by glasses, and my ears are plugged with headphones. The organs that perceive this world have been largely sealed off.
2021-07-25#
People who grow up in a quality environment are generally kind and sincere, which is somewhat different from those who have been battered by society.
When the granaries are full, one knows etiquette; when clothing and food are sufficient, one knows honor and disgrace.
Reading “Please Don't Disturb Mr. Feynman”. It feels very fitting to that saying — this world is designed by others; if you feel it is wrong, you can redesign it. Feynman’s various improvements and quirks in his childhood embody this spirit.
2021-07-24#
An article discussing the recent collapse of online education summarizes several points very well.
High housing prices are detrimental to young people's sense of happiness and possibilities.
Behind healthcare is the cost of life.
The end of education is industry; if the industry pie does not grow, no matter how much education is rolled out, the pie remains the same.
Having children relates to long-term population balance and aging pressure.
Now I understand: whoever raises friction costs, increases resource consumption in social units, and guides wrong values will face the socialist iron fist. #quote
2021-07-23#
Luhmann's Zettelkasten method is a compound interest thought.
I once saw a psychological experiment that said infants prefer complex images over simple ones, such as polygons and circles, or human figures and polygons; the former, being more complex, is prioritized by infants. Can the human figure example serve as an illustration of the mere exposure effect?
Using cloud services in the data age is like renting a house in reality; you never know when it might be cleared. So, it's still more practical to keep important things locally or on your own hard drive; storing them in the cloud, you never know when they might disappear (of course, multi-end backups in the cloud are also safe).
Moderate resource scarcity can actually enhance creativity and enjoyment of life. #quote
— "Frugality"
Major disasters that occur are rarely purely natural or purely man-made; they are generally a combination of both.
The "Show Your Study" service announced its cessation on Weibo. The last Weibo post was made seven days ago, reminding everyone not to upload prohibited content.
As we part, I have only two words: 1) Thank you all for your companionship over the past nine years; your recognition and support are the best rewards for developers. 2) Reading is a personal spiritual practice; may you all embrace and think independently, with a kind heart and curious eyes, read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles.
2021-07-22#
Judging a person's actions by results is immoral and absurd. #quote
When doing something, one may foresee the outcome, but the course of events does not always align with expectations, sometimes leading to divergent or even multiplied results.
If you cannot articulate or write it down, it indicates that you have not yet fully understood it.
2021-07-21#
Three don't laugh: don't laugh at natural disasters, don't laugh at man-made disasters, don't laugh at diseases;
Three don't criticize: the teacher who nurtures, the doctor who saves, the military that protects the nation; #quote
2021-07-20#
The term "fan" indeed feels off-putting. I follow you because you speak interestingly; how did it turn into being your fan? "Reader" or "follower" feels friendlier.
Reflections on the Wu Yifan incident. If he committed rape, it’s a legal issue; accuse him. If he is unfaithful, it’s a moral issue; criticize him. But mocking others for their physiological issues with labels like "toothpick" is no different from ridiculing a woman as a "bus."
Today, I felt something about the heavy rain in Zhengzhou. "Hold on" should not stop at slogans; the responsible parties should present concrete measures. If the responsible parties are keen on promoting slogans and observers are keen on being moved by slogans, then this issue will never be resolved.
2021-07-19#
Introduction to the Zettelkasten Method is a great introductory article.
- Briefly jot down atomic notes
- Describe in your own words rather than copying
- Establish connections with existing notes or knowledge
2021-07-18#
When our goals are clear, certainty brings us security; when we are aimless, randomness brings us surprises.
Offline randomness has almost been eradicated by various platforms, making it hard to experience that kind of random joy again.
2021-07-17#
People always interpret happiness as "having" — having a house, a car, money, power — but happiness is actually "not having" — no worries, no troubles, no illness, no disasters. "Having" is mostly for others to see, while "not having" is truly yours. — @worinibaba #quote
Do not deliberately care about others' opinions; live for yourself.
Reading George Orwell's “1984”. The Party keeps the entire nation living in hatred and fear to better manage the people. It reminds me of “Attack on Titan”, where both the ruling government inside the walls and the Marley nation outside behave similarly. The two works share many similarities.
Adam Smith powerfully explained how we live in a world where values are generated through interactions between people: vertically, there is admiration for the rich and powerful, and a potential suppression of sympathy, especially for the poor, in commercial society; horizontally, there is a tendency to compare with others and a desire to be not only loved but also to appear lovable. Smith diagnosed well the greedy desire for social comparison today and the status anxiety caused by this greed. This is the core content of social media, which generates increasing psychopathy among young people, and the exploitation of this greed is the core principle of its product logic and business model. From Smith's perspective, the key issue is not only the legitimacy of public responsibility and the exercise of power but also our imagination of self. These issues involve the process of forming our values, whether they are formed through decentralized social interactions or democratic systems (electing leaders), or manipulated in the dark by a very small number of people who are not held accountable — is there anyone truly supervising them? — "The Life of Adam Smith" #quote
This is a world where values are generated through interactions between people; vertically, there is upward admiration; horizontally, there is comparison with others.
To put it succinctly: when evil disappears, goodness will also vanish; when the differences in value disappear, value will cease to exist. Goodness is revealed only in contrast and competition with evil; when we lose our standards of value, we have already lost value. Thus, I often doubt that when people seek utopia, they are actually seeking hell. #quote
Good and evil, right and wrong need to be compared; when comparison disappears, discussing either side becomes meaningless.
2021-07-16#
Rare things, as long as they have a good side, have the potential to be flaunted.
Reading Fei Xiaotong's “Village Economy”. Farmers prefer to use inefficient waterwheels rather than efficient power pumps because the farmers' idle time has nowhere to be used. This phenomenon reflects the social reality at that time: farmers mainly spent their time on survival, leaving no time for other pursuits, resulting in a general lack of alternative means of livelihood; it also reflects that the social division of labor at that time was not yet detailed and clear, and farmers had nothing to do besides working.
The consequence of this is inefficiency and limited development. Those few who can fully utilize specialized tools tend to develop relatively well. The so-called clear division of labor, each performing their own duties, leads to the highest efficiency. #book / 社会学
2021-07-15#
When we choose horror games, it is partly to seek thrills, partly to showcase our bravery, and partly to seek a sense of belonging within the group.
2021-07-14#
We should cultivate the ability to appreciate beauty and discover beauty. To appreciate beauty, I recommend Sun Naishu's Western Art Appreciation (60 Lectures); to discover the beauty of life, I recommend the "Montage of Life" album.
2021-07-13#
Reading Fei Xiaotong's “Village Economy”. In a patriarchal society, women have no inheritance rights, so their hopes for future life must rely on their future husbands. #book / 社会学
Fei Xiaotong once abandoned medicine for literature.
In 1928, he entered the medical preparatory program at Soochow University. After a year, he deeply felt that people's greatest suffering was not from diseases but from poverty caused by society. To heal the sick, one must first heal society. He transferred to Yenching University and studied under Wu Wenzao.
Douyin has developed the influencer economy of Instagram and combined it well with the advertising model. However, for users, it has become increasingly boring, with more and more scripted performances rather than real life.
2021-07-12#
“1984” is a good book; it left me feeling dazed, as if the author had foresight. I feel like I am reading the past, yet it seems like I am reading the future. #book / 小说
Only by liberating sexuality can sexual crimes be effectively reduced. This is something I heard while watching “Naked Supervision” today, and it is very similar to a passage I read in Wang Xiaobo's “A Unique Pig”.
2021-07-11#
Baldness has become a metaphor for anxiety.
2021-07-10#
People inside the ivory tower want to come out, while those outside want to get in; this is the so-called besieged city.
The function of ancient architecture is to provide a sense of dialogue with history when standing inside; this is what a sense of history is.
2021-07-09#
First-rate readers are cultivated, while third-rate readers are habituated.
Some people, getting to know them will enrich your life.
2021-07-08#
When something easily becomes a topic, it indicates that it is too rare, such as sex.
Wang Xiaobo said that what truly teaches us to write is writing itself.
I have always wanted to find such a bookmark: it is a bookmark but supports hanging a pencil. It can serve as a bookmark to record where I last read and also facilitate underlining and annotations. After searching, I found nothing suitable; it seems my unique need is not a demand of the masses.
2021-07-07#
Reliable causal models are very difficult to derive.
2021-07-06#
Unless they are aware, they will not resist; unless they resist, they will not be aware.
The paradox of resistance and awareness.
2021-07-05#
Have your own principles and do not abandon them because of others' differing attitudes.
Compared to your company, your annual salary, and your education, I care more about how you experience, how you love, and how you maintain a passionate heart.
2021-07-04#
An interesting past event. Back when I was on Zhihu, I took a walk with my leader after dinner, discussing where I planned to go next. I said I wanted to enter the tourism industry, specifically the homestay sector.
My viewpoint was that this industry is rapidly developing, people's willingness to travel is also rising, and the combination of online and offline models does not pose too high a risk, with good potential for future development. (A major reason for my decision to leave Zhihu was the purely online model, which had too many uncertainties; perhaps a single policy could make it difficult for you.)
The leader's viewpoint was why not try online education, which was booming at that time. Moreover, education is fundamental; this demand is always present and enormous.
Education and tourism are similar in some aspects, both representing a higher-level spiritual pursuit for individuals. Education covers a broader range, including children, youth, and middle-aged people; compulsory education and universities require resource investment; while preschool and further education, though not mandatory, also have significant demand. A family is willing to invest resources in their children to strive for good education, and when adolescents or young adults are seeking upward mobility or facing unemployment, they are likely to choose further studies. On the other hand, tourism is actually a non-essential demand during economic downturns. Would you choose to travel if you went bankrupt? But you might choose to learn and improve yourself.
We both had our viewpoints, but I largely agreed with his. The interesting part is the outcome: the tourism industry was severely battered by the pandemic the following year, while online education recently faced massive layoffs due to regulatory reasons.
If the freedom of life is deprived by the environment, the freedom of death cannot be denied by anyone.
2021-07-03#
Pointing fingers at individual morality while turning a blind eye to collective brutality.
2021-07-02#
Strengthen strengths and reflect on weaknesses.
2021-07-01#
If a movie is not worth watching once it is spoiled, then it was never worth watching in the first place.