When I was small, I remember I used to buy those made-in-china black cover with red corner notebooks. The paper quality of those notebooks are not great, but I have wrote countless lectures notes on them and they accompany me through my high school years. Actually life is quite decent being able to afford those notebooks, some schoolmates only take notes on the back of a pack of staple d recycle paper. On the other end of the spectrum of notebooks, there is the the legendary Moleskine notebook used by Van Goh, Picasso, Hemingway, and Tom Hanks in Da Vinci’s Code. The report notebook bound on the top is a standard equipment for journalists portrait in classic Hollywood movies. Moleskine is made of very high quality paper. The elastic band holding the notebook when it is close gives a distinct look of a Moleskine. Moleskine is very popular among artists, writers and intellectuals. In the digital age, many people think PDA and laptops are going to make old fashion notebook obsolete. A Moleskine notebooks have a special aura that makes it a irreplaceable cultural icon. I just got my first Moleskine notebook today. Now the problem is whether the contents in my notebook worth the paper I write them on.
Yearly Archives: 2007
反重置皇后碼頭疑點重重
看罷香港獨立媒體的保留皇后碼頭FAQ﹐我發現有關反對重置皇后的理據疑點重重。反對重置者若不能清楚回應以下的疑點﹐不免令人質疑保留皇后頭碼的合理性。
若將皇后碼頭重置於別處,香港的下一代將無法透過原來的空間布局理解殖民者當年的規劃意念
先要問殖民者當年的規劃意念是什麼﹖ 那個年代政府起樓實用行先﹐很可能根本沒有考慮什麼勞什子的殖民規劃意念﹐不過中環新填海地剛考有空位﹐就把需要覓地重建的大會堂與皇后碼頭搬去那兒﹐中 間剩下來的空地就僻作廣場。若不澄清這個規劃意念的內容﹐則這與共產黨常說的”有中國特色社會主義的規劃意念“一樣﹐只是一堆空癈詞語﹐堆切出來扮高深混 淆視聽。
其次算澄清了殖民規劃意念的內容﹐反重置者還要舉證了解這個殖民規劃意念對現代香港人的必要性﹐不可以單說句認識香港歷史就虛應故事。若做民意調查 ﹐相信大部份香港人也不知道這個殖民規劃意念是什麼東西﹐亦不會對之感興趣。就算大部份人忘記了﹐或要去博物館才可以看到﹐也不是一件值得可惜的事。
香港政府過往亦不是沒有試過以拆散重置方式「保育」歷史建築,但效果強差人意,就算政府官員自己亦表示不理想。
上次重置保育的效果不理想﹐不等於今次的保育效果也一定不理想。政府可以給取上次的失敗經驗﹐制定出一個成功重置方案。反對重置者根本從來沒有認真 考慮過重置方案﹐只是想當然爾地不理性地為反對而反對。皇后碼頭保育的支持者﹐大可以與政府坐下來慢慢協商﹐共議出一個理想的重置方案。或至少反對重置者 有責任證明所有可能性的重置方案也必定不會成功﹐只舉出單一重置失敗例子沒有足夠的說服力。再說也不是沒有重置的成功例子﹐山西元朝永樂官就是成功的例子﹐重置後仍然可以入選世界文化遺產預備名錄﹐重置無損其歷史價值。
反對填海,原址保留皇后碼頭的建築物及功能,並非蠻不講理。
也許很多人會反對在第三期計劃後再去填更多的海﹐但相信沒有人會反對填埋現在皇后碼頭對開那個四四方方的水”乙水”。這個水“乙水”一來醜樣﹐二來這潭死水會帶來環境問題﹐反對填皇后碼頭對出的水“乙水”﹐正正就是蠻不講理的表現。
在權衡輕重後,我們認為將碼頭遷到新海濱以維持其功能,並不是保育皇后碼頭的最佳方法。
請詳細例出如何權衡輕重的各樣考慮﹐請不要像政府的跨大工程估價那樣誤導市民。把皇后碼頭移去新海旁﹐絕對可以保留其功用和美觀﹐而皇后碼頭的歷史意義真接聯繫著碼頭的建築本身﹐移去新海旁亦不會失去﹐一舉三得﹐何樂而不為﹖
原址保留的「皇后涼亭」除了讓下一代了解殖民者管治的歷史外,也可以讓他們親眼見到,回歸後的特區政府如何繼續漠視「保護城市環境」的責任,將市民共同擁有的維多利亞港私有化為「摩地大商場」。
這點不成原地保留的理由﹐把皇后碼頭重置去愛丁堡廣場也有同樣功用﹐甚至可能有更好效果。
香港的古物保育部門研究並評估碼頭的歷史地位,再由規劃部門制定最適當的保留方案
年頭古物古蹟辦事處已發表香港歷史建築的物評級報告﹐皇后碼頭榜上無名。
暫且撇開天星皇后對香港的歷史和文化價值,涉及天星和皇后碼頭的第三期填海工程的「合約」,究竟包括甚麼,各項工程合約簽署的情況為何等,有關當局一直含糊其辭,令市民認為「皇后碼頭必須拆」是一個既定事實。
暫且撇開皇后的合問問題﹐涉及天星和皇后碼頭的歷史文化價值﹐究竟包括甚麼﹐重置又有何損失﹐反清拆者一直含糊其辭﹐令市民認為「重置皇后碼頭歷史價值蕩然無存」是一個既定事實。至少以資料的數量去計算﹐政府公報的合約數字的計算就多過反清拆者公報的歷史價值計算。
若不興建這條有可能浪費數億元的四百六十米隧道,原址保留皇后碼頭﹝甚至天星碼頭﹞就再無問題。
興不興建機鐵掉頭隊道要考慮機鐵的客運量﹐與原不原地保留皇后沒有關係。是不是過十年若有需要起隊道時﹐就可以重置皇后碼頭﹖
兩項工程都包括在中環第三期填海工程的合約內,但兩項工程都是可以透過更改設計避開皇后碼頭。
若政府可以跨大工程造價﹐支持保留者也可以小報工程造價﹐市民也有權要求反重置者提出更詳細的工程評估報告。不可以有雙重標準﹐政府說的數字就話不可信﹐反重置者提出的數字想也不想就照單全收。
總括來說﹐反對重置皇碼的理據大都是後設理論(post-hoc reasoning)﹐他們先原教旨地預設既定立場﹐再堆切理由藉口去合理化他們非理性的保育行動。細心推搞下﹐他們所持的保育理由根本不成理由﹐只不過是後殖民政治意識型態的無意義口號罷了。
An Inconvenient Truth 絕望真相
過氣政治人物通常在落選後消聲匿跡﹐前美國副總統戈爾(Al Gore)是少數的例外。他在二千年大選因幾百張有問題的選票落敗給小布殊後﹐到處演講致力環保工作﹐希望喚醒世人明白地球暖化的危機。說起來他在這幾年間的貢獻﹐比他行行企企當副總統的日子還多。去年他拍攝了「絕望真相」這齣記錄片﹐希望讓更多人知道這個問題的迫切性。這齣電影更榮獲奧斯卡最佳記錄片的獎項﹐喚起了大眾對地球暖化問題的關注。
這電影是齣十分平實的記錄片﹐主要是記錄戈爾的一場演講﹐加插回憶片段去交代戈爾熱心這個議題的原因。戈爾是一個十分有說服力的講者﹐他的論點也很有科學根據。雖然這幾年間媒體早已把這些論點翻抄很多次﹐一般對科普時事有認識的觀眾也不會陌生。但前因後果從戈爾口中娓娓道來﹐讓觀眾有更深一層的體會。科學數據指出大氣層中二氧化碳含量對地球氣溫有直接影響。近百年間因為環境污染二氧化碳含量不正常地上升﹐將會導致地球氣溫嚴重變暖﹐最壞的情況會可能在五十年內上升十度。戈爾很懂得運用舞台視覺效果﹐在展視二氧化碳與氣溫關係那張圖表時﹐他動用升降機去指出二氧化碳含量上升的嚴重性﹐在觀眾的腦海留下深刻印象。當然開場那段由The Simpsons作者繪畫的短篇動畫﹐和從太空船拍攝回來的地球照片也功不可沒。他說服了觀眾接受氣候變暖的事實後﹐他進一步解釋氣溫上升對地球環境的影響。南北二極冰塊溶化令海面上升﹐會淹沒鄰近海岸的陸地固然是一個問題。更大的問題是大量淡水湧入會影響海洋水流流向﹐令南北半球冷熱交流的循環停止運作﹐導致地球天氣兜亂大反常。地球上一部地方小則出現暴雨成災﹐重則可能冰河時期再臨﹐而在另一些地方則可能出現旱災﹐這是影響數以億計人口的生態大災難。
戈爾在影片最後解答三個對氣候變化的常見誤解。有人說氣候變暖並不是事實﹐只是環保份子虛構出來的危言聳聽。可是細心追查那些質疑的來源﹐會發現那是來自石油企業的宣傳策略﹐藉此保衛他們千絲萬縷的利益關係。有人說環保會影響經濟發展﹐我們要在發展與環保取得平衡﹐不能全面推行環保政策。環保除了減少能源消耗外﹐更重是新科技的研究和應用﹐讓我們可以更有效使用能源。推行環保政策對現在製造大量污染的工業一定有影響﹐但新科技行業方面會創造更多的發展機會﹐在整體上對經濟發展反而有利無害。最後有人說氣候變暖這個問題太嚴重﹐我們朿手無策只好坐以待斃。其實現有科技足以有效控制二氧化碳排放﹐只欠推行環保政策的決心。全球推行環保政策雖然艱難﹐但也不是不可能成事﹐各國合作修補臭氧層就是一個成功的例子。
無疑這齣電影是一套十分精彩的記錄片﹐給觀眾上了一堂環保知識的科學課。氣候變暖會影響人類的生存空間﹐就算我們反對環保份子口中虛無的大自然價值﹐只是從人類利益角度出發﹐氣候變暖也是不容忽視的問題。至少在科技發達至人類可以移民外太空前﹐我們應該要好好珍惜這個地球﹐畢竟人類目前還得依靠地球生存。不過這齣戲的中文譯名「絕望真相」譯得不好﹐若果從今天起我們積極對抗氣溫上升﹐真相其實並不是那樣悲觀絕望﹐環境還未差到無可救藥的地步。
Western philosophy vs eastern philosophy
I have a good chat with an old friend tonight. I told him I was taking philosophy. He said he is quite interest in eastern, especially Chinese, philosophy too. We talked about the difference between western and eastern philosophy. Both philosophy originated around the same period, 2500 years ago. The two most famous scholars are Plato in Greek and Confucius in China. Both of their teaching comes lots of things and enlightened later generation. However the development of the two philosophy is very difference since then. Eastern philosophy seems got frozen in time without getting much further development, we are still reading the same ancient books people read thousand years ago. On the other than western philosophy has fully developed into a system covers almost everything knowledge man had ever known. I think one the of key difference is that in western philosophy, philosophers are like scientist, their work is to discover the ultimate truth. People respect the great philosophers, they learn from their works but they don’t take the works for granted. In eastern philosophy, people regards the philosophers as the absolute standard. Instead of trying to make improvement and discover more truth, they focus on figuring out what did Confucius really said in his books. No one even bother to challenge whether the content of Confucians teaching is applicable. It is important to understand the teaching of the great philosopher, not only that we want to learn from them, it is more important that we want to surpass them. A forward looking culture brings progression and strive for greatness. A backward looking culture always points to a golden standard in the past can only be deteriorated and slowly rotted away.
Cooking Mama
I played Cooking Mama for Wii last night at my friend’s place. Although the graphic is quite primitive, I found this game is really fun. As you can see from the title, it is a cooking game. You may wonder what’s fun about cooking through the TV screen, there is no food to eat. This game is basically lots of mini games sharing a common cooking theme. It has over 100 recipes for dishes from all over the world. In each recipe, the procedure to make the dish is breaking down into small steps focusing on a few basic motions. Some complicate dishes has over 20 steps, from cutting the ingredient, mixing the sauces to timing how long the strove should be on. The presentation of the game is quite girly, cute cartoon character giving you the cooking instruction, most of the graphics are in pink, yet I think this game is suitable for both boys and girls. The cooking in the game is far from real cooking, but you can still apply the recipe to make some real dish. Moreover, it is always a good thing to raise the interest of cooking among players. There are still some concern for feminine image for the male who play this game, maybe Nintendo should make a Iron Chef version for male game players.
