Testing

Thanks to Wei Chen, T.Y. Tsai, and S.F. Lin, I'm able to try my first post.  Wish everyone good health and safe at this chaotic time.  I may delete this test post later after I get familiar with this.

Farewell

I have been writing short essay on our blog each month since 2008. From the very beginning, we had some very interesting communication among our classmates. However, after the pass away of Mark Yang (楊照崑), the blog gradually lost its glamour and luster. Eventually I am the only one who continue to write something interesting each month. It has been more than ten years and I seldom got a single feedback or comment from our classmates. Actually this is not really that important to me as I just try to share my idea while I carry on my daily life. I know some day my thinking and writing ability will reach some state that I no longer be able to do it any more. So I do think it is worthwhile for me to gather my thought, share my own experiences, observations and opinions with our classmates in time and it also serves as one of my personal record in my life. 

As always, life keeps going on and good thing will come to an end naturally. From now on I will shift my focus to some other task that will enrich my life even further.  So I will stop writing the essay each month from now on. Instead I may revisit our blog when something is really significant and meaningful that I feel a need to write and share.  Here I bid the farewell to our classmates and wish every one a very healthy retirement and a very peaceful life.

Do It Yourself

Since I retired from the industry, I gradually bought several pieces of bench tools to help me working in the garage and also for my hobby of fixing things. After a few years, I found that I sort of run out of my space in the garage. A long bench table accommodates Ryobi Band Saw, Table Saw, Miter Saw and other tools like Ryobi Bench Grinder, Circular Saw, ... etc. Most of them are very useful. However, I found that most of the time I use Miter Saw for handy job and Table Saw for heavy duty project. Every once in a while, I used Band Saw. Band Saw is handy and light, but it is hard to keep the cut line straight. Lately I just found some work ideally for Band Saw.

Vacuum Cleaner is found in almost every household, especially if you have some carpet or rug to clean. Some Vacuum Cleaner is a heavy-duty type and heavy to handle for women. Since several years ago, I started using ORECK, and Chris likes it. It is light and easy. However, every once in a while we need to change or replace the dust bag. The first ORECK I used has a different design than the one I use now even though the bags are almost the same. What is the difference? It is the extra two holes on the bag for the new one. Now the new ORECK can't hole the old bag as the bag can't be snapped on the back of the cleaner. I think it is a stupid design Oreck did in the modification. I still have several old bags that I need to work on to fit it on the new cleaner. As a matter of fact, I did also order some new bags (white color) several years ago and forgot about it. I did take a quick look but not in detail to sense it will work on the new cleaner. So I went on to use the current bag and dumped out all the dust, a very tedious and filthy procedure. Anyway, Chris can't wait and used another cleaner to do the job. Meanwhile I spent half hour to punch holes and measured them in details. I finished two bags and they work and I figure at least it is going to do the job for a few months at least. Later on that day, I reviewed the whole thing while I lay on my bed. Usually this is the best time in retrospect and almost the best time to come up with some new or creative idea. I decided to use my Bend Saw I bought long time ago and now sits on the bench in my garage. One day later, after I finishing up my tennis exercise, I came back to water the lawn and put my thought on the work. It took me only 15 minutes to mark and cut the shape I like on the bags. Now there are about eight bags, finished and look clean and nice, ready for the work. I am very happy that I accomplished something very meaningful and useful in daily life. 

This was a Saturday morning, I sat on my cozy beach chair in the backyard, looked at the sky and meditated and suddenly found a spot on the yard which was wet. I immediately noticed that it was the spot of the sprinkler head which I capped long time ago. I was very sure that the same spot got some problem. I dug it out and saw the little leak with water that I could feel with my fingers. This should not be a big task, I use plier to open the cap and use Teflon tape to fix it. I tried twice and turned on the faucet. Alas, it still leaked as that before. I changed the part and used a new adapter and still got the same without success. Suddenly I remember the good old Tite-Seal, Gasket & Joint Sealing Compound. It is a good old tin-can I used sometime for the backup.  I fetched it and tried it as usual. Viola, it was perfect when I turned on the faucet and timer. It is so nice to see it work without the leak. The Tite-Seal works perfectly without any extra tightening process. I am amazed and would like to use it from now on as the first choice, not a backup agent. As to the Teflon tapes, I forget them from now on.

Sometime ago, I found some of my speakers lost their crisp and clean performance. I opened the lid, took a look and found the speaker cone simply detached from the box and hang freely on the air without good support. I went to Amazon website to find new idea. I did get some --- Speaker 8, 10, 12 and 15 inch cone repair kit for the new mount support. It is a foam edge repair replacement kit I found in Amazon. If you are a hi-fi audiophile, you tend to buy some 10 to 15 inch speaker to stress on the bass effect. However, when time goes by, you have played Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and turned on big volume on the speaker. To your surprise, you find that the cone got off the frame and your hi-fi is gone. I got rid of two sets of 15" speakers this way more than 10 years ago. However, after I found this foam repair kit, I bought and tried them a few time and I restored my speakers to their top form within no time. I am so happy that not only I save money, but also feel a lot of accomplishment in the process of doing it.

I used to visit hardware store very often while I worked in the industry. Since about five years ago, I seldom visit Home Depot and Orchard Supply as I get most of the tools and parts I need already in my garage. I have to mention Amazon here as sometime I just locate the exact part and order them directly.  The part is delivered directly to my front door.

A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, ....

This is the beginning of the novel and influences a lot of people. The cities are London & Paris and the historical background is the French Revolution. Here I limit the scope to something different but the meaning is just as significant as Dickens' novel.

Rochester is a city on the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York. It is the third most populous city in New York state, after NY city and Buffalo with a population in the metropolitan area of over 1 million people. Rochester is the site of many important inventions and innovations in consumer products. It has been the birthplace to Kodak, Western Union, Bausch/Lomb and Xerox, which conduct extensive research and manufacture of industrial and consumer products. Until 2010, this metropolitan area was the second-largest regional economy in NY State. 

Kodak was founded by George Eastman and Henry Strong in 1888. During most of the 20th century, Kodak held a dominant position in photographic film. The company creates its famous "Kodak Moment" tagline which entered the common lexicon to describe a personal event that was demanded to be recorded for posterity. The company Kodak and its film business such as Kodachrome and slide photo display were so popular in the 20th century that almost controls the photo market 100%. Kodak began to struggle in the decade of 1990, as the result of the decline in sales of photographic film and its slowness in transitioning to digital photography. As a part of a turnaround strategy, Kodak began to focus on digital photography and digital printing, and attempted to generate revenues through aggressive patent litigation. However, it was apparently too late to recover or reverse the declining trend. In January 2012, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US District Court. After that, Kodak announced that it would stop making digital cameras and digital picture frames and focus on the corporate digital imaging market. In 2013, the company emerged from bankruptcy having shed its large legacy liabilities and exited several businesses. Eventually Kodak sold most of its patents and stopped its photographic products, a sad historical event. 

Now there is another city, Rochester in Minnesota. Rochester is a city in southern Minnesota.  It is located almost on the same latitude of Rochester in New York. It's the birthplace of a renowned healthcare organization, the Mayo Clinic. 

On August 21, 1883, a great tornado demolished much of Rochester, leaving 37 dead and approximately 200 injured. As there was no medical facility in the immediate area at the time, Dr. Mayo and his two sons worked together to care for the wounded. Donations of US$60,000 were collected and the Sisters of St. Francis, assisted by Mayo, opened a new facility named St. Marys Hospital in 1889, just one year after Kodak founded. 

The Mayo practice grew and is today among the largest and most well-respected medical facilities in the world. Many notable people from around the world, including many former US presidents, have visited Rochester as patients of the Mayo Clinic. 

It is interesting to compare the two cities with their enterprising business and the impact to the welfare of the cities. First, both Kodak and Mayo are the key and major industry and employer of the cities. Second, they started about the same time in the late last century, 1888 and 1889. Third, both companies flourish for almost about 100 years and achieving a great success in their own industry, photography and health/medicine. Fourth, after 1990, dramatic change happens to Kodak and continues its struggle to survive. Meanwhile, Mayo Clinic fares completely different. It continues its success in the health and medicine area. Mayo Clinic becomes the top and #1 hospital in the country and it has held that position for more than at least five decades.

What seems to be the reason of this dramatic difference between Kodak & Mayo Clinic. Kodak can not be excused from the mistake it did not try to take digital photography seriously and converts its business toward the future technology. But the main point or reason we should consider or not oversee one factor that is the different industry they reside in---one in photography and the other in medicine.

Silicon Valley is the hotbed of the high tech industry. Since 1965, many new electronic companies set up their companies in the valley and developed transistors, integrated circuits, microprocessors, calculators, personal computers, local area networks, ... etc. The new products included instruments used in the medical industry and digital camera and display devices used in photographic industry. Kodak took notes and understood the impact. But it chose to shelf the digital photo camera even it got it first. Until decade of 1990, Kodak finally realized the timing and impact, but it is too late for the conversion. Now we take a look of the case of Mayo Clinic. It is in the medicine field and the structure of the human body never changes. Even the instruments like microscope, MRI scanning machine, ultrasound tracing, photo-acoustic imaging, computer assisted surgical devices and electronic tracing instruments are useful and valuable, Mayo Clinic only needs to purchase them and since it doesn't develop them and so doesn't risk the development on the wrong instruments. This minor difference actually makes the whole difference between the future of Kodak and Mayo Clinic.

貝多芬的浪漫曲

貝多芬的音樂对大部分人的印象是声勢浩大,氣勢磅礡,不可一世,或是狀似吵架,乱成一团,如薩孟武说的一文不值. 其實這都是刻板印象. 如果你專心聽他的音樂,從交响曲,協奏曲,奏鳴曲,再到一些小品或小曲子,你會發現貝多芬不但氣勢豪放,不可一世,但也浪漫温馨,对人內心的描繪和感受,細膩非常,不但讓人感動萬分,而且餘音繞樑,久久不绝. 音樂的影响和感染力量 真是驚人.

在西方音樂界有好多'父级'或'王级'人士,如音樂之父巴哈,交响樂之父海頓,歌謠曲之王修伯尔特等等. 貝多芬卻獨樹一幟,在中國被尊稱'樂聖',就像孔子一樣,被尊稱'至聖先師'. 乃樂譠顶级大師,無遠弗界,高高在上. 貝多芬雖不是交响樂之父,可是大家对具多芬的交响曲都不陌生,豪放不拘,氣壯山河. 這主要是交响曲的第一和第四樂章的曲式讓人有這種感受. 其實注意聽,第二樂章皆是如歌的慢板,非常浪漫,有時温柔纏綿,有时如泣如訴,讓人肝腸寸断,久久不能自己. 

貝多芬有兩首浪漫曲 (Romance), 是精緻的小提琴曲,其曲式和長短幾乎可以適用在小提琴協奏曲的第二樂章. 貝多芬一生僅出版一首 D 大調小提琴協奏曲,傳說他也著手創作另外一首,祇是没有完成,並未發表. 這兩首浪漫曲很可能是要用在這另外一首的協奏曲. 這兩個曲子皆在 1802年左右完成,而且是第二首先完成,可是在1805年才發表. 第一首是 G大調,作品四十,長约七分鐘. 第二首是 F大調,作品五十,長约九分鐘. 在音樂會上,以第二首比較常被演奏. 在台湾高中時就常聽到第二首. 在我的記憶裏,要等到上大學後才偶而聽到這G大調浪漫曲. 可是一聽,久久不能釋懷,太浪漫衷情了. 有愛樂人士猜測為什麼貝多芬要作両首浪漫曲? 有人說大概是第一曲子一定是求愛失敗或表現不夠亮麗,祇好再來一曲. 這樣說有理由,可是理由不夠充分,因為第二首是成於第一首之前,祇是發表較遲而已. 其實更好的理由是樂聖在情場上挫折屢屢累累. 他早有预知,幾乎同時就創作兩首,以備不時之需. 記得以前有部电影 'Immortal Beloved',就描述貝多芬和一位女士 Antonie Brentano 或 Therese Brunswick 的恋情. 也許他先献出第一首 G Major. 幾個星期後,反應也許不太理想,再際出第二首 F Major. 這當然是爱樂者茶餘飯後的趣譚.

G大調音階譜上有一個升記號,和 F大調音階譜上有一個降記號,照理聽來不會差太多,可是奇怪的是第一首浪漫曲聽起來像是一位绅士的深情款款,陌陌求愛的表達. 第二首聽起来卻像是一位淑女的含情陌陌,如泣如訴,絲絲入扣的表達深情衷訴,令人感動萬分. 

在 YouTube,我特別找到一位男士,演奏第一浪漫曲,而第二浪漫曲则由一位著名的女提琴手担任演出. 我觉得最好的欣赏方式是先聆聽和观看提琴手和管弦樂团的合作演奏. 管弦樂规模不大,主要是弦樂和木管樂器---包括一支長笛,两支双簧管和两具低音管. 另外兩管法國號僅短暫出現幾秒鐘. 聽完後再把灯関到極小,不看影幕,光欣赏音符的脈動和傳情的藝術. 這是夜深人靜,最能感受到音符的脈動在你的心靈深處---如泣如訴; 音樂的節奏在你的耳边---迴旋久轉. 然後慢慢地翳去了天聽.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-YnagvCK5g

(Renaud Capucon)

Renaud Capuçon (born 27 January 1976) is a French classical violinist. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnzHWeGgwCU

(Anne Sophie Mutter)

Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. 

Linus Pauling & Common Cold

I read the book 'Vitamin C and Common Cold', a little booklet (about 99 pages) in 1970. I was impressed at that time. However, I always think balance diet is a reasonable habit to follow that includes the food supplement like vitamin C and fish oil. In fact, I tried taking 500 mg of vitamin C per day for about a few months and found that it seemed help a little bit but I am not convinced it is all due to vitamin C. Since then, I only take vitamin C when I get cold or just feel that I might get cold. Christine never believes the myth of vitamin C and she doesn't take vitamin C even when she gets cold. My experience is that she and I get flu shot every year and we get the cold almost every year and pattern is about the same, no matter how often and how much vitamin C I take. It is also not true to say that there is no side effect like going to restroom more often for relief. In general, it is not good to kidney if you take too many pills everyday. This is just common sense.

提到 Pauling, 就想起了一些往事,在這 NTUEE64 的 Blog 上面,寫有関他的一些事是很恰當的. CC and AhMo 談了半天,卻沒提到在大一時我們用的'普通化学'課本正是鲍先生的大作. 那時大家沒錢買原版書,居然有中文譯本,倒是一大福音. 我覺得這本書寫得很好,可是葉炳遠教授教得太差,他每堂課一個人在教室內從左走到右,又從右走到左,一边走一边把粉筆剝下来,碎碎片片,一堂課下來,像下了一場雪一樣. 這使我想起以前在動物園看到一隻北極熊在它的圈內,從左到右來回走了半小時,也不累也不管有多少人在看它,人生真有趣. 葉教授最差的是居然有時要來一個小 quiz without notice. 這和教大一國文的黄得時教授一樣,會在班上點名. 那個教授在上課前點名或時而來個小 quiz,一定是自己心虧,怕没人捧他場. 我一直以為葉炳遠是日本學院出身的,可是後來發現在畢業纪念冊上,他寫的是Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology.

當初考联考我把化學系填在电机系之後. 換句話說,如果三民主義考得更差,我現在是 retired chemist. 這也是我常說的'混沌效應',再度發揮作用. 說來可笑,原来还是化学把我'推出來',我不敢說把我'救出來'. 因為我在联考六個科目中,以化学考得最好 (物理考得很差),完全把三民主義的不及格分数補回來. 很多人常說 '人生有緣',這怎应說都不能 apply 到我這個例子. 我有緣在化學上有這麼大兴趣,居然就這樣的無緣上化学系,我是靠'化学'上了'电机系',也因此 miss 了'化学系', 然乎,不然乎? 當然這是比較狹義的解說,光是'電解'這科目,就把电机和化學合為一体,法拉弟就靠這题目出了一陣名而他的 boss Humphrey Davy 更是利用电解 (electrolysis) 發現了一些新元素,包括鈉,鉀, calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium, boron...等等. 你也許會問你既然那麼喜欢化學,為什应不把化學系填在电机系之前, logic? 是有 logic,每個人都不一樣. 我是因為興趣不少,高一念生物就想進生物系,高二念化學就想上化学系,高三念物理就想考物理系,可是要命的是高三最後一學期,物理念到电磁學,當然就想上电机系了. 這些完全不在我的計劃當中,祇能用'水到渠成'來解釋. 當年 1960 联考, 土木系最低分 428, 物理系 427, 电机系 417, 化学系 405, 所以十來分就決定你的未來和一生. 好多人对不能解釋或不能预测的事皆歸上帝,我是以理學出發,以理性看事,大自然的混沌效應是我的歸宿.

話說回来,鲍先生的化學書我很欣賞,來美後,我修了一些材料課程 Metal and Semiconductor, 化學滿管用的,花了不少錢買一本'College Chemistry' by Linus Pauling, 花了一些時日研讀一番,稍表对 Pauling 的一些 respect. 這時念鲍先生的化学和高中的吳冶民或顧均正的教科書不一樣,已经没有小時想的那麼 romantic, 完全是 Scientific and Technical 优先. 時隔多年,既然 CC and AhMo 提起鲍先生,我很恭敬的把這本書從書架上抽出來,再翻一下,果然也查到 Vitamin 一欄,這次發現他在五零年代时祇說 vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 祇要 60 mg/per day 就夠了,和他後來七零年代的 1000-10,000 mg 简直是有天壤之別. 我個人觉得 鲍林和罗素先生皆是一世英才,值得敬佩和學習. 可是在他們年纪上八十後,所作所為開始有點偏差,忘掉他們的本行和最有能力的學區, 而想在別的方面一發長才,殊不知就像 Peter Principle 說的, "You are promoted to the position which you are not competent". 在職場裏大家都知道這 mishap, 可是一些名人,老了腦力開始退化,而他們也許不知,还老當益壯,實在可惜. 不过人生人生,我們應該对他們多多包容,不能对他們要求过高. 人皆如此, Grow Old gracefully and then Fade Away nicely.

Some quotes from Pauling:

(1) Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.

(2) You can't have good ideas unless you have lots of ideas. 

(3) Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly.

I bought the book and engraved my name on it. 

Physical Chemistry/Chemical Physics

Vitamin C required: 60 mg / day

PS: After reading the quotes from Pauling and observing the myth of his vitamin C, we start to realize that the life is indeed a many-splendored thing.

World Cup Soccers

每四年一次的 World Cup Soccers 是足球界的 Olympic 大赛. 世界各國皆组隊參加這盛典,光是电視和大眾傳播,就吸引了成千上萬的观眾,共享這四年一度的国际大賽. 还記得上次 2014 年的大赛,我就在家裏电视机前,恭逢其盛,看了一個多月,大过其瘾. 這次更精彩,在六十五英时的大影幕前,又是 HD, 很多细節看得清清楚楚,實在是人生一大享受.

首先我們看到有32隊進場,這是決赛圈的基本隊伍. 這些隊是已经花了兩三年時間在會外賽中取得资格進決赛圈. 外圍賽 or 會外赛 (qualification) 決定這 32 隊. 這些進赛規矩很複雜,而且每四年都不太一樣. 足球大赛也隨着時代在翻新和汰舊.

這32隊分成8組,每组四隊,每隊和其他三隊各戰一場. 這是分组赛,由積分最高的兩隊晉級'淘汰赛',總共16隊. 淘汰賽從16強賽展開，由小組首名對戰另一小組次名。淘汰赛完畢後祇剩下八隊,也就是八強. 再下去就是半準決賽 (Quarterfinal). 比赛四場下來,衹剩下四隊. 這四隊先作準決賽 (Semifinal),兩個敗隊比赛決定第三名季軍. 最後冠軍戰（決賽, Final) 在最後一天,通常是星期日.

在分组赛中,没有加時或踢十二碼球決定勝负,平手就是平手,每隊各拿一分,赢拿三分. 以積分來決定晉級十六強淘汰赛. 從此以後,没有平手,要加時三十分鐘決定勝负,再不然就踢十二码球,五次決定. 如果再平手,下去就是 sudden death,先贏兩球則晉级.

世足主要球隊以欧洲最多,然後南美洲,非洲和亞洲. 要组織一個像樣的隊伍,能和各洲相抗衡的確不简單,遠東祇有日本和韓國,至於南亞和大洋洲完全空白. 亞洲大国如中國和印度,人口最多,资源最富,也是空白一片. 至於美国則是美式足球太普遍以至於大部分人对 足球 soccer 與趣缺缺,故雖有球隊卻常常進不了三十二強,上不了正式的足球大赛.

這次世足大赛從 6/14 到 6/28 是分组賽,決定了十六強. 從 6/30 到 7/3 擧行首輪淘汰赛,決定了八强. 從 7/6 到 7/7 四場比赛決定四強. 從7/10 到7/15 是決赛,前三名有金銀和銅牌獎. 第四名賦歸,雖無獎牌,但確是第四名,也很光榮.

看完一個月的大赛,有些感想,記下数椿如下:

著名球星没有外圍 的支持, 不太有作用. All stars: Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, Suarez are not effective and their teams are knocked out of quarterfinal. Most superstars are not effective if they don't get enough support. For example, Suarez without Cavani looks so-so in performance.

低進球率, 尤其是 score (0:0) looks boring. 尤其是双方都採防守戰. 球赛之刺激驚險在於攻擊,速度,傳球,默契,顶球,長射,短射 ...等等. 如果防守太厲害,則攻擊力顯現不出來,整場赛就像很多人在場內遊走西東,不知所云. 不过好隊伍能夠利用長傳和高速配合,把球顶到球门边,這樣製造渾沌 (chaos) 情况,增加進球机會,尤其是精準的'快速頭顶球'實在很難防禦. 好的球隊是很難令人失望的. 

Two different kinds of playing. One like Spain, Japan and Brazil control and process the ball most of the time and then attack. The other is long and quick pass, then attack without a lot of passing around. France, Belgium and Sweden are this kind of teams.

球员犯規太平常,甚至以犯規為決定勝負的利器. 大部分球員都濫用犯规如拉,扯,推,压,擋或整個人壓上別人身上等等惡劣犯规. 這種犯规在 HD 大影幕下很難遁形. 就是在死角地方, 現在有 VAR (Video Assisted Referee) Room,裏面有四位裁判加上幾位硬体工作人员,整個房间就有十來個影幕,至少有十來個 camera 在場上拍攝,隨時可以 replay, 讓場地的裁判 review. 這次世足,幾乎所有 12 碼犯规球皆经过 VAR 的影像來決定. 我觉得這是世足的一大進步,不但犯規減少,而且在判決中減少不必要的纠紛. 还有很多手球是不是真正犯規? 我的经驗是大部分都不是. 没有球員那应笨故意要用手擋球. 但很多时候对方故意把球往你身上踢,你一点也沒辦法,這時裁判都很仔细,不乱判手球,尤其是在肚子以下的手球. 不过當球在门边很近時,幾乎所有手球都該避免. 這次世足就有很多手球決定勝负. 所以在看球赛時,後衛人员常把手往後藏,尤其是當对方往你身上踢時. 

墨西哥和德国之戰很精彩. 墨西哥隊是一匹黑馬,氣勢雄渾,一開場居然就把上屆冠軍的德国隊打得東倒西歪,嘆為观止. 仔细分析,這次德國隊已经不是上次那应平均优秀,祇靠一,二好手还是不夠,而且他们士氣不太振作. 倒是墨西哥幾乎全国總動员,氣勢高昂,真是黑馬一匹,值得嘉獎. 他們這次在十六強中碰到巴西隊, 名將 Neymar 把他們刷下來,真替他們可惜.

十二碼射門決定勝负,是在兩隊平手,加時再赛也平手时,才開始進行. 本來足球赛是 team work, 到最後 team work 没法決定,祇好以刺激的踢十二碼球決定勝負. Is this the best way to decide? No, but this may be the most exciting way to end the match. 也不知何因,大部分人就是喜愛看踢十二碼球,這是 goal keeper 和 kicker 的較勁, mentally and physically. 一般來說,守門员比較虧,因為踢者主發,守门员是 react, 绝对是會慢半拍. 不过好的守门员會先往一边倾然後適時再往另一边撲,也會讓踢者不知所從. 我的经验是凡是踢者踢出強勁球,上下左右皆没関係,祇要精準加上快速勁球,十之八九,進球不疑. 最令人失望和扼腕的是踢者自己把球踢到门外去. 我常想在一次很重要的比赛中,如果一位球员在這重要関頭時把球踢出门外,一定會後悔一輩子. 至於守门员則是另外一種 境域和感受,他被進球是 expected, 稀鬆平常, 但如果他成功擋掉球,則是英雄人物,受大家欢呼和愛戴.

Palo Alto 軼事

定居 Palo Alto 三十多年,這是一生居住最久的小城. 中文譯名除了大城市以外幾乎沒有公定的名稱,Palo Alto,有時叫'帕罗奥圖',有時叫'潑辣丫頭',有時叫'大樹城',隨華人喜怒心態,可以幾十種譯名出現,完全即興隨想,各憑天才. 原来 Palo Alto 是個西班牙名字, Spain 被譯成西班牙,已经是怪事之一,那有'西班生牙'的典故,大概第一個翻譯 西班牙的人是上海人而且是專攻牙科医学,否则那有這種洋涇幫的譯名. Palo 西語是'大'或'高'的意思, Alto 是 Stick,就是樹, 所以意譯該是 'Tall Tree' 或 'Big Stick' in English, 再譯成中文應該是'大樹城'. 不过意譯有時也要小心,尤其英文有些字是有不同的意義,你如擧一而不反三,可能會發生笑話. 举一個例子,多年前宋美齡遷居 纽约州 Locust Valley, 華人報纸皆登 '蔣夫人遷居蝗虫谷'. 大家以為報纸在開玩笑,堂堂蒋夫人居然台湾美麗寶島不住,而寧可與蝗虫為友,相交甚欢乎? 原來 Locust 是一種槐樹,它也是蝗虫. 可是這個区域有很多槐木而鲜有蝗虫問津. 所以正確譯名應該是 '槐木谷',而不是'蝗蟲谷'. 奇怪的是宋美龄居然也没出來表示意見,至少她的秘書也該出來纠正. 總之,人一出政壇,權力架空,很難维持最少的尊嚴. 話說回來, Palo Alto 也没有出名到那種程度可以在華人社會中有固定的嚮噹噹名字,在此姑且以 '帕城' 或 '大樹城' 稱之. 這小城有可愛的地方,那颗以它命名的大樹現在还在,雖然長得並不光鲜,但还是筆直的一颗大红木 (Redwood),是在城市 Alma Expressway 的北边顶点,是在一大堆 紅木叢林的後面,我已经好幾年沒去观看他的本尊,想来大概無恙如一,不捨晝夜吧. 据說它有一千多年的歲数---1,015 年. 所以它出生的時候正是在宋遼澶州戰爭時訂了'澶淵之盟'的時候. 說到寿命,動物實遠遜植物. 在加州 Sequoia 國家公園內有一颗紅杉就有 2600 年的高寿. 可想像當初釋迦牟尼和孔子在講道的时候,這颗红杉已经在那兒津津樂聽,享受春風化雨的高尚經驗.

上個月 Palo Alto ( 帕城 ) 發生一件事,搞得全城沸沸揚揚,火氣不小. 原來在一年前, Jordan 中學有学生和家長發現學校的名字是纪念一位學者 Jordan 而命名. 那是第一次世界大战前, David Starr Jordan,有名的 Eugenics 教授,他大力提倡优生學理論,很有名氣. 連带的另外一中学 Terman 也是取名從另一优生學教授 Lewis Terman. 後來在 1980 年代,因為学生少,這兩間中学停止招生,到 1990 年代重新開校,学校名稱照舊,祇是Terman 重新定義是纪念 Lewis Terman 和他的兒子 Frederick Terman. 原因是這位後進 Frederick 是大家熟悉的人物,他是 Stanford 电机系的名教授,也是矽谷的創始人之一. 他們父子皆是 Stanford 教授. 我們在大学時都知曉這位名人和他寫的一本書 'Electronic and Radio Engineering', 厚厚一本,一千多頁,蔚為奇观. 在 1940 年代,William Hewlett and David Packard 是他的学生,经过他幫助, Hewlett and Packard 開了一家电子公司 Hewlett Packard, 以後响誉世界数十年,迄今不衰. 我剛搬到帕城,見到 Terman 這学校,我一直以為就是纪念這位矽谷之父的人物. 

本來小城世界和和平平,可是忽然間一位非裔學生和家長查出他們學校居然是纪念 Jordan, 是对黑人有種族歧視的人物. 於是向市政當局提議改学校名字. 市政當局居然也認真起來,連 Terman 中學也被拖下水. 可是就在上個月,當帕城沸沸揚揚之时,才發覺情况不简單. 本來不太有声音的東方人居然顷巢而出,一看有中國人,日本人,菲律賓人,新加坡人皆上陣開砲. 事出有因,原來改名字的 committee 提出来的幾位人物, 除了一位 William Hewlett 以外 皆是 local 小人物. 麻烦的是這六位人物中有一位叫 Fred Yamamoto,是日裔美国人,他被選為 top pick, 很有可能當選. 但很多東方人,尤其是中國人和菲律賓人,皆大力反对,他們有一些人的上輩,在二次大戰中曾被日本人追趕和殺害,而'山本五十六'是他們痛恨而不能忘的人物. 這位 Fred Yamamoto 卻不是山本五十六的親戚,祇是姓 (last name) 一樣. 這事閙大了,大家上市政廳辯論去. 我看到四面八方的辯詞,感慨万千,終生難忘.

中國人也真難堪和可憐,在二战中受了那应多日本人的氣而日本人也不道歉,這種恨事对他們來說,不但不可原諒,也不能忘. 現在移民到美國來,雖不能忘,但至少也忘得差不多了. 拔涉幾千里,横渡大平洋,到了帕城總算開始了新的人生. 但人算不如天算,到了這兒,孩子要上學,居然有'山本中學'出現,是可忍,熟不可忍. 這有点像猶太人碰到'希特勒中學'一樣,不爆炸才怪. 可是話說回來,這位 Fred Yamamoto 也真是無辜, 他在二战中替美国打战,成绩优等,現在蒙帕市當局垂顧,但结局是一場空.在大家反对声中,教育當局決定選一位黑人和一位猶太人的名字重新命名這兩間中学,以平輔不同國族人士的感受. 雖然事件落幕,但仔细想想,東方人的机會就這樣被非裔和猶太裔取代,是不是很可惜的一件事. The world is not perfect, 有些事真是無解,祇能讓時間沖淡一切, 別無他法.

春晨綺想曲

On one Sunday morning, I finished playing tennis and had a light shower bath. After that, I ventured out to the backyard, watched a beautiful blue sky with some tall redwood trees lining around the background and some patchy clouds hanging up near zenith. What a nice sunny morning, I listened to the calls of some mockingbirds flying and hopping around the redwoods. It is time for relaxation and meditation. With the smart phone at hand, I found that it was 67 degree, 10% humidity and time 10:45 am. 

I first went to prepare a cup of nice and hot coffee with hazelnut creamer, then pulled a chair and sat comfortably. With smart phone, I quickly got to the music library and fetched some music to celebrate this beautiful spring morning.  These songs form a set of spring music which I call 春晨綺想曲.

Longing for Spring - Mozart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9CJqi6bqbU

Spring (Four Seasons) - Vivaldi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9lbZZlpv_4

Voices of Spring - Johann Strauss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB_Ug5_nyJg

Faith of Spring - Schubert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WMgEu63FA

Spring Song - Mendelssohn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAvbaSzX5_0

Blue Bells - Dora Jordan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K95LtJnZ-uo

On Wings of Song - Mendelssohn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9o5WYCgGuY

After that, 我進入了甜蜜的夢鄉:

Beautiful Nature Spring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhHCcH7hyqo

李敖一生 (4)

李敖和批判

李敖評瓊瑤

李敖對瓊瑤的作品很不以為然,他將瓊瑤的《窗外》無情地打入「新閨秀派」,並對瓊瑤在作品中宣揚的扭曲愛情,胡思亂想的家庭倫理,亂編的情節提出了極為辛辣的批評。李敖認為,瓊瑤應該對那個時代很多師生不倫戀，母女的不健康衝突等負一定責任，她的作品起到了極為不好的引導作用。李敖出言很重地說：「瓊瑤應該走出她的小世界，洗面革心，重新努力去做一個小世界外的寫作者。」. 對瓊瑤的寫作題材，李敖更是提出了不要為了市場而寫作，不要為了所謂的讀者需求而寫作，一位成熟的作家：「應該知道，這個世界，除了花草月亮和膽怯的愛情之外，還有煤礦中的苦工，冤獄中的死囚，有整年沒有床睡的三輪車夫，和整年睡在床上的要動手術才能接客的小雛妓。……她該知道，這些大眾的生活與題材，是今日從事文學寫作者所應發展的新方向。從事這種題材的寫作，它的意義，比一部個人的愛情小故事要大得多。」. 李敖對瓊瑤的期望不是讓她做一位單純的商業寫作者，而是要做一位作家，一位稱得上作家的人。在李敖眼中，瓊瑤的東西就是為市場做的活兒，根本談不上文學。瓊瑤有成為文學家的潛質，可惜他更多是做了商業撰稿人的低下工作。李敖認為，作家與作者是不同的。一位真正的作家是要為他的時代承擔責任的，而不是活在自己的小世界裡。瓊瑤活到了這把年紀，她並沒有活明白，她依然深陷自己編織的小世界裡，在小世界裡哭鼻子，掉眼淚，親親我我，無視周圍的一切。最讓人難過的是，她的作品錯誤引導了兩三代年輕女孩。不僅在台灣，更嚴重的是在大陸，她的新閨秀派真的害人不淺。

李敖对瓊瑤期望實在太大,责之太深太过. 把她拿來和易卜生,迪更斯,大仲馬,福樓拜或左拉相比,未免強人所難. 瓊瑤有点類似 Jane Austen, 專寫自己熟悉的身边事,其他下層社會的底细不熟,故不寫,這是瓊女士的聰明選擇. 至於她小說的格局和对人性的寫照是不是夠宽夠廣和絲絲入扣或恰到好處,實在是見仁見智. 總之李敖批評太过激烈. 如果李敖以比較正面的期許和規勸, 也許更為適當. 瓊瑤知己知彼,不和李敖辯論,可稱恰到好處. 

李敖評三毛

三毛曾經拜訪过李敖,李敖卻对她印象欠佳。三毛说她：“不是个喜欢把自己落在框子里去说话的人”， 李敖却看她整天在兜她的框框，这个框框就是她那个一再重复的爱情故事，其中有白虎星式的克夫、白云乡式的逃世、白血病式的国际路线，和白开水式的泛滥感情。如果三毛是个美人,也许她可以以不断的风浪韵事传世,因为这算是美人的特权，但三毛显然不是，所以，她的“美丽的”爱情故事，是她真人不胜负荷的。李敖認為造型和幹那一行还是很重要的。比起瓊 瑶来，三毛其实是 瓊瑶的一个变种。琼瑶的主题是花草月亮淡淡的哀愁，三毛则是花草月亮淡淡的哀愁之外，又加上一大把黄沙。而三毛的毛病，就出在这大把黄沙上。三毛的黄沙里有所谓“燃烧是我不灭的爱”. 她去非洲沙漠，是要帮助那些黄沙中的黑人，他们要她的帮助。她是基督徒，她佩服去非洲的史怀哲，所以，她也去非洲了。 李敖说：“你说你帮助黄沙中的黑人，你为什么不帮助黑暗中的黄人？你自己的同胞，理需要你的帮助啊！舍近而求远，去親而就疏，这可有点不对劲吧？并且，史怀哲不会又帮助黑人，又在 Canary 群岛留下别墅和‘外汇存底’吧？你怎么解释你的财产呢？” 三毛所谓帮助黄沙中的黑人，其实是中一种“秀”，其性质与影歌星等慈善演唱并无不同，他们做“秀”的成分大于一切，你绝不能认真。比如说，你真的信三毛是基督徒吗？她在关庙下跪求签，这是那一门子的基督徒呢？她迷信星相命运之学，这又是那一门子的基督徒呢……所以，三毛的言行，无非白虎星式的克夫，白云乡式的逃世、白血病式的国际路线，和白开水式的泛滥感情。她是伪善的，这种伪善，自成一家，可叫做“三毛式伪善”。

李敖是看到三毛的負面形象. 三毛也不是聖人,她是 school dropout,在家裏呆不住,想四處旅行,尋求外遇和新發現. 在三毛傳裏,我們看到的她是不受傳統拘束的女人,有幾分寫作的才氣,但其对社會和人生的体認是否到足夠的程度來影响人,見仁見智. 李敖对三毛也許责之太过. 尤其批評她没有漂亮女人的形象,實在不該,這是大男人主義心理的作崇. 不过說實在的,在三毛的自傳裏,很多地方的確讓人有不太自然和不知所從的感受. 三毛似乎有暢銷女作家的弱点,一直以自己的恋愛故事來滿足讀者的白日夢.

李敖評金庸

李敖稱“三毛式伪善”，比起'金庸式伪善'来，还算是小焉者也。金庸有一次訪台湾，有一天晚上去拜訪李敖，一谈八小时。李敖责備他不该参加什么“国建会”，自失他过去的立场。金鏞说他参加，也说了不少批评的话。總之李敖極不贊同他参加这种会。谈到他写的武侠，李敖稱胡適说武侠小说“下流”，李敖以他所受的理智训练、认知训练、文学训练、中学训练，是無法接受这种荒谬的内容。金庸对李敖的话，不以为忤。他很谦虚的解释他的观点。他特别提到他兒子死後，他精研佛学，他已是很虔诚的佛教徒了。李敖反問金庸:"你是虔诚的佛教徒，你怎么解释你的财产呢？” 金庸聽了有点窘，他答復不出来。为什么？因为金庸所谓信佛，其实是一种“选择法”，凡是对他有利的，他就信；对他不利的，他就佯装不见，其性质，与善男信女並無不同，自私的成分大于一切，绝不能認真。他是伪善的，这种伪善，自成一家，可叫做“金庸式伪善”。

金庸在武侠小說界中是佼佼者,他有廣大的讀者群,從上焉學者到下層胡同皆有粉絲,其影响力就像麻將一樣,算是國粹精品. 李敖是從純文學观点和社會责任的眼光來評金庸,是太嚴肅了些. 至於在佛學方面的批評純属金庸私人的品格. 但只要他的錢是合法賺到的，我們可以不喜歡他，卻不能拿著道德高線去指責他。李敖不能接受的是這樣的一種富人：既要談論”慈悲”和”仁愛”這些詞語、佔據道德制高點，卻又對貧弱者視而不見，這不是偽善又是什麼呢？ 想来金庸也不是经得起顯微鏡的剖视,在私生活上,他和常人差不多,是经不起李敖邏輯的考驗.

李敖評龍應台 

李敖以一生歷史知識40天完成《大江大海騙了你》，駁斥龍應台400天撰寫的《大江大海》. 龍應台書寫《大江大海》文筆令人動容，書中的錯誤，大概學中國近代史的人，都可挑出毛病。不過那一段空白的歷史，在既有兩岸政治環境下，已經沒有人願意書寫。《大江大海》雖然不能真如書商所標誌，「一本書代表一個時代」，但至少替代一大群人，表達了苦難歲月中他們的顛沛流離，沒有徹底被遺忘。但李敖可不是玩小孩堆沙，衝擊龍應台的文字既狠且辣，一點餘地也沒有留下。他批評龍應台沒有足夠的寫歷史能力，不懂分析和處理材料。李敖也認定龍應台只是那類替國民黨辦文宣的寫手，試圖在民間以文字替國民黨說話。毫無疑問，李敖單刀直入把政治的牌子，掛在龍應台的身上，認定《大江大海,一九四九》是一部軟性政治推銷作品，是「蔣介石超渡派」。李敖最簡單直接的評語，是蔣介石在一九四九年，剩下的，是殘山剩水，不是大江大海，龍應台是在欺騙所有讀者。

從讀者的角度來比較兩書，李敖論據的扎實程度，的確比龍應台超出很多。以前做過一些近代史研究時，也掀過李敖二十多年前所著的《蔣介石研究》，全書材料豐富，見解精警，是有水平的歷史書。龍應台的寫作方法，像章貽和及張戎，把書當成故事書一樣去寫，而且有些歷史事件，的確是有意迴避。看畢李敖這書，會讓你對文章和書本的批判力有所提高。這不是完全肯定李敖在書內的每一個論點，而是李敖的文字，的確是尖銳而又帶啟發性，有學習價值。而在史料補充方面，像宋希濂、杜聿明、彭克立、龔德柏、喬家才等人的事跡，的確讓龍應台，有被全面修理的感覺。看了李敖的'大江大海騙了你',確是有很多啟發性的地方.不过在看完'大江大海'的那一年,大家曾受到很大的影响. 没有一本書把 1949 年代的真相,真正呈現出來,有 '李龍' 兩本可稱互補,相得益彰. 李敖說 龍應台是在欺騙所有讀者,未免太苛薄和不留情面. 龍女士也很文雅,她好像也没和李敖抬上槓子.

李敖評夏君璐

李敖在白色恐佈時期常不定時捐款给黨外人士,並幫助殷海光遗孀夏君璐. 可是在殷海光去世後,夏女士因信神很深,把殷先生所有遗著交给教會保管,這讓李敖大為不滿. 他說：“殷太太是个贤慧的女人，但她是个不懂殷海光思想的人，殷海光死的时候，她坚持在怀恩堂以宗教仪式办理后事，在通告稿中说殷海光‘安息在主的怀里’，我坚持反对，我知道殷海光不喜欢这一套，殷太太对我说 李敖，你是战士，可是殷海光不是了，殷海光已属于上帝了。" 李敖後來說他相信王晓波说的，思想家是不宜有‘对丈夫的思想一点都不懂’的太太的，思想家讨错了老婆，在他死後，对他的思想的流传必是一种妨碍，从托尔斯泰到胡适，无一例外。李敖又說: 殷太太是我尊敬的女性，但是教棍生涯使她把最後一年的殷海光‘夏君璐化’了。她上次来台湾，为什么不来见我这位真正的义人，她整天在教会里找义人，其实真正的义人是不会进教会的。 

可見李敖在信仰方面的種種堅持,信念和偏見. 說殷海光信神,没有人會相信,不过有信神的夫人亦無不可. 信仰究竟是個人私事,李敖也未免太挑剔了. 夏女士在殷先生去世後,搬來美國,好像先住 Sunnyvale, 後再搬住 San Jose. 在 2013 年去逝. 她是非常信主,與女兒殷文麗在湾区傳教多年,在湾区有很多人認識她們. 李敖自己的忘年妻子,也和殷海光夫人差不多. 在思想上,做人上,學術上皆毫無助力,除了胡茵夢以外. 可是胡女士的背景和兴趣或信仰其实和夏君露有異曲同功之處. 可見李敖在這方面連自己也批評進去,而他自己卻事先不闻,或視若無睹.

李敖評國粹

中华民族是一个喜欢“国”字当头的伟大民族，别人有内外神经，我们有"黄帝內外经",“国医”；别人有拳击角力，我们有“国术”；别人有声光化电，我们有“国学”；别人有交响重奏，我们有“国乐”。总之，凡是别人有两下子过来的，我们都有两下子回敬。但回敬尽管回敬，有时候，我们未免觉得实在不如人。例如我们的“国医”还在寸关尺阶段，我们的国术还在打花拳阶段，我们的国学还在理气一元阶段，我们的国乐还在丝竹入耳阶段。

李敖的批評是对一些守舊派人士到现在还在排斥西方文明. 事实上中華文明已经包容和接受西方的科学和文藝. 那些是主流那些是非主流才是需要釐清和整合. 比如中医和中藥,現在雖然还普遍存在,但其侧重点已经偏向養生之道而不是治療胰臟癌或肺炎等複雜病症. 互補的医藥無可厚非,需要的是有病時做什应決定,看西医或中医.

李敖評麻將 

李敖对麻將的看法和其師胡適一模一樣. 他說吾友胡适之先生在三十年前，就写文章谈到麻将，据他估计：“麻将平均每四圈费时约两点钟。少说一点，全国每日只有一百万桌麻将，每桌只打八圈，就得费四百万点钟，就是损失十六万七千日的光阴，金钱的输赢，精力的消磨，都还在外。我们走遍世界，可曾看见那一个长进的民族，文明的国家，肯这样荒时废业吗？一个留学日本朋友对我说：‘日本人的勤苦真不可及！到了晚上，登高一望，家家板屋里都是灯光；灯光之下，不是少年人蹲着读书，便是老年人跪着翻书，或是老妇人跪着做活计。到了天明，满街上，满电车上都是上学去的儿童。单只这一点勤苦就可以征服我们了。’“其实何止日本？凡是长进的民族都是这样的。只有咱们这种不长进的民族以‘闲’为幸福，以‘消闲’为急务，男人以打麻将为消闲，女人以打麻将为家常，老太婆以打麻将为下半生的大事业。”

李敖說得对,但這大部分是胡適說过的. 不过他說不打麻將大家幹什麽? 我認為他缺乏想像力,麻將禁了,中国人一定會找另外類似麻將的自摸東西, lotto, las vegas, 澳门豪賭,互联網自模牌局或追红包和 Pokeman 等等. 要賭錢和自摸合起来,至少樂透是其中之一.

李敖批評的東西太多了,以上僅是一些代表,可以幫助我們了解李敖的思路,人品和格調. 寫到這兒,不知不覺地我們也有一種 urge, 想对李敖先生做一些 批評,忠告和勸言. 李敖花太多時間去批評人以致没时間為自己立言,這是很可惜的事. 以他的才華和逻輯思考,可以寫一本類似湯恩比的 'A Study of History' ('厂史研究'). 如功力没那应雄渾, 至少也可以和柏楊一樣,寫一本嶄新的'中華人史綱',傳諸後世. 記得李敖也批評过柏楊先生不配翻譯司馬光的'资治通鑑'. 他何不利用閒暇時間,自己翻之譯之,以利華人並普及中華文明. 總之,如果李敖先生以他批評瓊瑤的方式加在自己身上,然後奮力行之,將更是華人之福.

李敖一生 (3)

李敖一生喜好批評別人,故很多人與他爭論,吵到後來,臉拉不下來,就有人告上法庭. 李敖本身也不是省油的灯,他又不怕麻煩,故他的訟事不断,長達幾十年. 在這些訟事中,比較重要而引人注目的是和蕭孟能長達十幾年的訴訟. 照常理想,他和蕭孟能合作十幾年,打出文星雜誌和書店的招牌,影响社會很大,再怎麼說,也猜不到最後朋友的友誼會断送,並且創造了人生的悲剧. 這訟案除了友情,还夾雜著愛情和倫理的標準和錯綜関係,有些灰色雷区,見仁見智. 加上政治因素的操作,社會大眾一時不明,以致判決再三,反覆無常. 加上经年累月,以李敖的精力,終於讓蕭孟能撑不下去,到底他比李敖年紀大多了,精力不足讓他在法庭上,無法發揮他的毅力. 以上衹是 introduction, 以下詳细描述一下,希望能讓大家更能瞭解真相.

李敖和訴訟

話說1965年12月25日，文星雜誌99期在印刷厂中被查封。5年後的1971年3月19日，李敖被国民党当局正式拘捕。 1976年11月19日，李敖刑满释放，他赖以生存的全部财產，就是萧孟能在他入狱之前一送一卖的两所房屋。 原来萧氏除了文星以外,在房地產方面也做了一些私人投资. 在台北建成水晶大厦，當時与人有些债务问题，他又将有遠行，深恐债权人乘他外走，将他的资產冻结，乃与李敖商讨並接受李敖的建议，将自己保存的一批财物,包括文物和珍藏，和一幢物业的契约等存放在李敖处. 1977年4月，“不按牌理出牌”的萧孟能为了逃避债务，与李敖签订君子協定：“查李敖先生住所所有关于本人之字画、书籍、古董、家具等（文件与信函不包含在内，系本人存寄，托李先生代为保管，未得本人书面之同意，任何人不得领取。）均系本人移转给李敖先生以抵偿对其所欠债务者，应该属李敖先生所有。特此证明。” 

1979年10月19日，准备前往智利的萧孟能，又与李敖签订一份委托对方代管“在台个别或共同之全部与金钱财产有关事项”的“协议书”。1980年2月16日，萧孟能与女友王剑芬由智利返回台北， 发现自己托管给李敖的“花园新城房子已经被退租，家具和古董全被搬空，天母‘静庐’也换到胡因梦的名下，委托李敖处理的水晶大厦，更被法院拍卖了”。 自己家的房门被李敖换锁，家中财物好似被洗劫一空，连王剑芬名下的另一所房子，也被转移到李敖的新婚妻子、著名演员胡茵梦的名下。 经多方交涉未果 ,“不按牌理出牌”的萧孟能终于拿起了必须“按牌理出牌”的法律武器。 萧孟能于8月26日以“背信与侵占”为由将李敖告上法庭。而李敖则以“诬告”反訟萧。 

訟案開始对李敖有利,可是後來有政治因素加入. 有件事需要一提,胡因夢與李敖結婚後，壓力始終不斷，國民黨逐步封殺她在演藝事業上的發展，使她非常沮喪。於是她打定了與李敖分手的主意，並在国民黨的操縱下捲入了幫助蕭孟能索回財產的官司. 胡茵夢認為李敖趁蕭孟能出國期間，侵吞了蕭的古董和傢俱，拍賣了蕭在水晶大廈的房子，退租了花園新城的房子，並且把與蕭共有的天母“靜廬”的房產換到了胡因夢的名下. 胡茵夢想，“我‘幻想’中的李敖，是個具有真知灼見而又超越名利的俠士，而不是一個多欲多謀，濟一己之私的‘俠盜’。”如今她感到，這個幻想徹底破滅了。据報導,政府不滿李敖反政府行為,想籍此訟案把李敖打下去,大概胡因夢受到政府很大的在压力,所以出来做一些偽証,或以夫人的姿态挺身而出，揭露李敖侵占萧孟能家產的不良行径，极力帮助维护萧先生。胡女士更指李敖並非“具有真知灼见又超越名利的侠士”，而只是“一个多欲多谋、济一己之私者”. 這些証詞对李敖極具殺傷力, 連李敖也没法解釋清楚. 所以後來二審, 李敖因胡女士的一些証詞和扯上一些私事使得李敖被告有罪要坐牢六月. 

李敖後來說出一些真相,他說當時蕭孟能和其妻朱婉堅有情感纠纷,蕭在外另有新女友王剑芬. 李敖大為不滿,他認為當初在文星創辦过程,朱婉堅曾大力幫忙,功勞不小,現被踢出,乃蕭孟能之為人不正. 於是李敖想籍這事把蕭之財產大部轉给朱女士. 這本是蕭氏夫妻兩人之私事,李敖是否應該介入,實在有些倫理問题. 從此可見李敖雖很有義氣,但也太多管閒事,对別人夫妻之事都要評理和插一手. 

等他以後出獄,他很不服氣,遂花大部分時間找蕭孟能的渣子. Nobody is perfect, 在探照灯之 focus 和顯微鏡的剖視,他对蕭孟能提告幾十项訟案,使得蕭也被判坐監,到後來 蕭衹好離開台湾,後来病逝上海. 想起他們兩人在文星創辦时期,合作無間,成就不凡,到後來因债務和女人関係而拆伙,变成敵人,过程很戲据化,聽來令人扼腕並惋惜不已. 到後來在台湾很多人皆認為李敖乃玩劣之士,好打官司,不但傷人,而且还以告官司致富,据歛家財. 總之他名声實在不佳,好在尚有一隻利嘴,以後成了台湾名嘴,在电视上和陳文茜一搭一檔,也有不少观眾和粉絲. 台湾到底已经發展到一種比較多元化的社會,对李敖這種人士尚可包容. 總之,蕭孟能除了一幢物業,其馀一切托李敖保管的财物 (約值美金七十萬元)皆未能回歸. 想他在上海一定傷心,愤慨,抑鬱而去逝. 他曾說过李敖是'有才而無德'的人物. 而他一生憾事即是“与李敖交往19年最後被侵占财產古董,與李敖反目成仇”。 

李敖這方的辯詞是他痛恨萧孟能为了女人，引王升的政治势力介入整他。萧孟能诬告他的案子使他丢了老脸，丢了老友，丢了老婆，但最後他反败为勝，不但恢复了名誉，并且打败了他们，还找国民党算了老账. 出狱后，有仇必报的李敖在女友刘会云的帮助下，搜集了不少萧孟能的違法证据，先後以弟弟李放、女友刘会云、以及萧孟能前妻朱婉坚等人的名义控告萧民事、刑事案件达35起之多，两次将萧孟能告进了监狱。萧和女友谈李色变，1985年5月23日，李敖再次以非法转让外汇控告萧，在面临第三次入狱前夕，此时的萧孟能已经 68岁。在疲惫与恐惧之中，携女友王剑芬逃往美国，成了台湾警方的通缉犯。时至今日，李敖和萧孟能的恩怨是非，依然难以说清楚。李敖是否趁火打劫？萧孟能有無落井下石？赢了官司为什么没有追回财產？既然李敖声称自己是冤狱但是後来为什么没有平反？是个人恩怨，还是国民党趁机封杀？無人知曉。李敖一辈子得理不饒人，自诩为了真理，六親不认。君子报仇，十年不晚。出狱后千方百计，不依不饒，决不妥協，断不原谅！李敖把萧孟能告成通缉犯，流亡海外，病逝上海。善恶一念之间，原本親如兄弟的两人,如此结局,讓人感慨萬千,失望不已。這使人想起小型的'基督山恩仇記',大仲馬地下有知當不知做何感想.

李敖一生 (2)

李敖是台大歷史系畢業,專精 '世界史,中国近代史和政治'. 可是畢生並未在中外歷史学上有重要的貢献. 他大部分出版的論著皆不是嚴肅的史學,或是益智的通史. 他的著作大部分是剖析時事和批判別人的引證厂史,断章而無連貫. 以他的才華至少也可像柏楊寫一本'中国人史綱',專心著作一本比較 unique 的作品. 很可惜,他年过八十尚無学術上的成就. 這和他的人格氣質有関,他自視甚高,把所有厂史大師皆 trash 不堪,祇是批評,而沒靜下心来,寫一本真正的有價值的著作,這才是真正為自己立言,這比光是天天批評別人的不是,更有價值. 中西文化大論戰就是一個例子. 李敖如果在中西文化大論戰以後,收旗偃鼓,改弦易輙,靜下心來,也許可以寫一本'中西文化之比較,分析和未來的预測',說不定更有意義. 如果野心大些,何不以究天人之際的心境寫 '中華文明---新史記' 或以通古今之变的格理寫 '中華文明之研究' (A Study of Chinese Civilization),將更有驚人的结果和影响力. 但歷史就是歷史,1965年後的李敖不但继續批判別人,而且花很多時間在女人身上. 光是這兩種事,加上法庭訴訟就可以把任何年青有為之士,浩盡寶贵時光,更何况要寫有影响力的史書. 浩嘆之餘,我們祇好寫他真正的一生,其中就是李敖和女人,李教和訴訟,李敖和批判.

李敖和女人

李敖很早就喜欢看成人雜誌如 Playboy,喜張貼女人暴露身体的 centerfold. 他在自己的文章中也常常提到有関類似 porno 的描寫. 在男女関係上,李敖算是很前衛的,前衛到不堪回首的地步. 据報導和他有染的女人至少超过十人,這是保守的估計,以李敖的性格,大略猜想應該在二十以上. 光是李敖自己承認的有下面幾位女士: 罗女士,王尚勤,小Y,李女士,小蕾,刘會云,胡茵夢,張敏英,君若,吳海蒂,Martha,黄女士. 這些女人當中以王尚勤,胡茵夢和王小屯(小蕾)比較重要,其餘大多是魚水细欢,过眼煙雲. 中國的傳統習慣,在結婚以前的性经驗是不被允許的,可是在李敖這種反傳統的學士,傳統是不值一文钱,故他交的或別人來找他的,皆是同類人物. 首先由王尚義而認識其妹尚勤,她一見鍾情,和李敖一拍即和. 尚義本是李敖好友,可是他卻反对妹妹和李敖在一起. 可是反对没用,尚勤和李敖已经同居,尚義根本是局外人. 尚勤畢業後去花蓮教學,後回台北想和李敖成婚,可是李敖心中已有另類的憂慮,是新女友或政局变化使他不想和尚勤成婚. 尚勤說如不结婚她想赴美求学. 李敖赞成,想不到尚勤赴美後,發現自己懷孕. 以後的事就像一般人生琐事,没好好計劃,就會浪費很多時間. 這個女兒生下來就是李文,尚勤带她回来讓李敖家養,自己返美,数年後已是成婚他人,不歸李敖了. 李文多年前在北京居住,常與人纠纷,成了一大新聞人物,大多是负面的,和她爸爸有同樣的 DNA. 這次李敖病逝,李文以號外人物要看李敖的遗産文書,擺明是要爭李敖的遗產,雖然她不是家族的主要成员. 李敖當然不是王永慶,也没有好幾房,其遗產當然不比王永慶,可是人生就是這樣,以李敖當初的疏忽,後來的精算終究不太有用,还是一大堆纠纷將呈現在當事人前,好好為之乃是他們最大的希望.

1980年,在蕭孟能的介绍下,李敖结識了红星胡因夢. 兩人星星相許,李敖好色,猛追起來,因夢擋不住,先同居然後想结婚.可是她家人,尤其是媽媽大加反对,認為李敖用情不專,对因夢未來是個負数. 可是胡女士說如不和李敖结婚,将一生不婚,這才得到母親的同意. 這婚事祇维持一百多天,好像是沙灘上的推演,令人失望又浩嘆. 閃電離婚時，李敖宣稱是因與胡茵夢「因理解而結合，因誤解而分手」. 這祇是說辞的 excuse. 事实上他们倆根本沒認識多久,祇花大部分时间在肉体上的经驗,对心靈上的認識少之又少. 胡因夢喜好身心靈的宗教,也信占星卜,对林雲的密宗黑教也認同,又对一些西方奇里古怪的 channeling 很信服,有一陣子对 Shirley Maclaine 的 Out on a Limb 更迷. 胡女士对科学的知識接觸太淺,对很多 pseudo science 卻热衷異常. 李敖的宗師是罗素和胡適,再怎麼說也和林雲合不來. 但李敖对美色極度崇尚,以胡女士之綺姿至少也可支持幾年. 可是人算不如天算,因李敖和蕭孟能的訟事,和政治因素使得他和胡女士的婚事急轉直下,終於玉碎而不能瓦全. 至於在兩性互動上,胡女士似乎比李敖高尚多多. 胡因夢在她一本書上記錄如下:

在感性的層面，李敖抱持的是傳統未解放男性的價值觀，似乎只有“性”這一件事，是優於其他各種感受的。然而他的“性”，也帶有自囚的成分，即使在最親密的時刻，他仍然無法充分融入你的內心。多年的牢獄生活，他已經太習慣於意淫，但意念是物化的，因此在最基本的人之大欲上，他是物化的，精神層面的展現幾乎完全被壓抑了。換言之，你感覺不到他內心深處的愛；似乎展現忘我的愛，對他而言是一件羞恥的事。如同許多在情感上未開發的男性一樣，性帶給他的快感僅限於征服。那是一種單向的需求，他需要女人完全臣服於他，只要他的掌控欲和征服欲能得到滿足，他對於那個關係的評價就很高，這一點你可以從他的回憶錄中一覽無遺。每當我期望和李敖達到合一的境地時，卻總是發現他仰望天花板上的那一片象徵“花花公子”的鏡子，很認真地欣賞着自己的“騎術”，當時我心中的失落，是可想而知的。

寫到這裏,胡女士的坦言值得我們敬佩,我們也不得不替胡女士叫屈和抱怨.

李敖一生 (1)

李敖先生病逝,一代辯士,终於入土為安,吾輩可蓋其棺而論定其生也. 李敖影响我們最多的時期是在 1960 年代的中西文化大論戰. 當時他和胡秋原及徐復观,任卓宣,郑学稼,徐高阮 的筆戰对我们這些大学生是最具吸引力的题材,主要原因是题目格局 (scope) 夠大,而且很多细節,是学校教科書避而不提的東西. 當時台湾女学生大多好看瓊瑤的愛情小說,男生則熱衷於五花八門的武俠小說. 自從文星出世和李敖出場,文化論譠風靡八方,吾輩男子精力旺盛, 正尋找刺激的場地, 乃專注於中西文化之論戰. 在 1960 年代,如果你是男生,不打麻將也不看武俠怪力乱神,而不被李敖吸引,你在台湾可能没什麽事可幹,除了看柏楊的雜文以外. 說到柏楊,他的雜文側重社會廣大的眾生相,雖不太學術化,但其观察面積事實上也很宽廣. 所以興趣廣泛之士,更有可能的是李柏兼收,滙於一堂. 如果也不討厭瓊瑤的愛情故事,於是庭院深深,加上窗外煙兩濛濛,偶遇夕陽一片红,乃人生一大享受.

綜观五十年來,在台湾最具影响力的有四位文化人士: 李敖,瓊瑤,柏楊,龍應台. 两男兩女,陰陽各異,雖不相得益彰,卻大放異彩,各顯颜色,為台湾社壇贡献非常. 瓊瑤的格局專注於男女之間的情事和愛恨感情. 描寫细腻,行文流暢,曾经影响很多女人們的生活. 其好坏難以論定,公說公有理,但其影响力是不可否論的. 李敖卻大力批評'窗外'一書,說其濫情而無格調. 可是瓊女士卻一言不發,好女不跟男鬥,倒也数年相安無事. 柏楊其人,專挑特權和社會上一些不公平的怪现象,大加批罰. 結局當然也像李敖,鋃鐺入獄. 因而愤世嫉俗,乃愤發大寫雜文,使其成為中華文化的另一奇葩,大放異彩,從'高山滚谷集'到'神魂顛倒集',從'聖人集'到'凰凰集',集集精彩,引人入勝. 最後因大力水手之案入獄,乃愤而寫'中国人史綱"大作傳世. 最後龍應台女士以'野火集'燃燒寶島,掀起半天边,改变一代学生的思考方式,影响深遠. 說來奇怪,李敖不但批評瓊瑤,連柏楊和龍應台也照罵不誤. 大概 Nobody is perfect, 要找人生的一些黑暗面不難,李敖正是找渣子的能手. 雖說如此,倒很少聽到這三位文士对李敖有什麼特別的正面答覆或負面批評. 人各有志,品味亦不同.

年青力壯時的李敖,其 Role Model 是胡適,罗素和殷海光. 從這裏可以了解其思想上的根基和素質,從此延伸,更能明白他為什应以後辯才無礙,能夠從他ㄏ史的小田地發展到大世界观的逻輯分析,综合批判,辯才大發,横掃国学界一些大師的尊嚴地位. 首先胡適以達尔文演化論的'適者生存'而取其名,加上其中学根柢的深厚,中西文化乃胡先生之擅長也. 其次罗素先生以逻輯和無宗教信仰的思想深深影响二十世纪人們的思考方式和对宗教的看法. 最後加上殷海光的'逻輯學'和'如何辨別是非'等各種辯論方法,大大影响李敖的世界观和辯論術. 

1961年12月20日，徐復觀在《民主評論》十二卷二十四期發表《中國人的恥辱，東方人的恥辱》一文中猛烈抨擊胡適. 接著，1962年1月1日，胡秋原又在《文星》第五十一期上發表《超越傳統派、西化派、俄化派而前進 》 . 李敖卻在《文星》第五十二期 (1962 年二月)《給談中西文化的人看看病》一文,掀起中西文化大論戰. 此文列擧十一種病名,林林總總,琳灠滿目,光是批評錢穆先生之處就有十六次之多,激起一些国学人士的反彈. 這些人士包括徐復观,鄭学稼,徐高阮,胡秋原,刘述先等人. 另一方是李敖,居浩然,許登源,洪成完,何秀煌,陳鼓應等人.這個話題後來分成兩個部份，一派討論胡適究竟有多大的學問，由任卓宣、鄭學稼與李敖對打，另一派討論"全盤西化"的問題，由胡秋原、劉述先與李敖對陣。 1962年10月1日《文星》第六十期刊出李敖的長文《胡秋原的真面目》，寫胡秋原在"閩变"時的行為，胡秋原惱羞成怒，一狀告上法院。1963年7月1日李敖在第六十九期發表《為「一言喪邦」舉證》，文章中繼續挖苦胡秋原，勸告胡秋原「趁早投筆毀容，披髮入山」。中西文化論戰至此告一段落。當時李敖以一個初出茅廬的青年的形象力抗多位學者，從此成為文化界的風雲人物.

同学大都在 1965 年後陸續出國,為前程打拚,一時無暇顧及李敖行迹. 等到 1975 年後,回頭再看,台湾己是另外一片天也. 從此李敖在政壇,社壇有很多糾紛和官司,加上一些男女之間的悱聞,已经不是中西文化之事,而是台湾內政之延伸以及李敖人格的披露,李敖格局以指数曲線,直往下滑,令人嘆為观止. 李敖好批評時政,对老蔣和小蔣更是侮辱有加,這在戒嚴時期,是很危險的事. 果然他和柏楊一樣,皆坐过牢,受到不小的政治迫害. 出獄和解嚴後乃東山再起,參選市長及立法委員等等. 總之,從政之途不太顺利,最终改弦易輙,專寫書和與人辯論,成為台灣'名嘴'之一,風靡一陣. 李敖多年來以會理財和好打官司,使大部分人敏感地迴避他,不和他找麻煩. 他的名嘴生涯有一搭檔是陳文茜女士,在电视上面曾经風行一時.

天堂

In the United States, Hawaii is called a Paradise State and Las Vegas is called a Sin City. The interesting thing is that most people in Hawaii pick Las Vegas for vacation. People in the paradise travel to the sin city for vacation? And a lot of Hawaiians move to Las Vegas for job, living and completely abandon the life style of the paradise . So what is wrong with the Paradise?  Isn't Paradise also called Heaven, 天堂? 

天堂是每個人嚮往的地方,可是為什麽有那多的天堂人要去罪惡之城? 這是一個值得深思的話题. 祇要有人描繪出一個'極樂世界'的模型---像夏威夷,四季如春,鳥語花香,到處水果香豆,隨處取用,人們不用维生,天天享樂. So far so good. 可是再努力往下描述,慢慢毛病就會叢生,不是虫類太多就是火山灰太密. 加上物资不全,離大陸太遠,物價昂貴, ....不多時天堂的人就纷纷想去 Sin City Las Vegas 了. 

人們不瞭解天堂底细,主要原因大概是天堂從來就沒有好好的被發現过,更不要說天堂是怎樣被建造的. 天堂一般來說是宗教假想出來的,它和地獄是兩極化相反的地方,是宗教為了勸人為善而創造出來的兩個虛擬世界,完全没有証實而要求信徒信之不疑. 為了勸人不作惡,把地獄描繪得光怪陸離,非常陰慘的地方. 至於天堂,既然是好地方,就不用多加描述,讓人自己想像,有多好就有多好. 只要能被選上天堂,一切安心無慮,永生永遠. 如果再加描述,慢慢的, '夏威夷效應' 就會顯现出來,不可避免的,就是 Sin City Las Vegas 了.

每個人都想上天堂,可是又不想死,没死就一定上不了天堂. 既然人生不如意事,十之八九,為什应大部分人还要留恋多災多難的塵世呢? 這真是宗教最大的矛盾之處. 宗教有幾百種,对天堂的這種心理矛盾都是一模一樣,没有例外. 天堂被描繪成一個極樂世界,盡善盡美. 可是一個人如果真上了天堂,他又如何生活,如何享受'天'生? 世上沒有一本名著專門敍述或採討天堂的生活和社會組織以及人與人和人與神的関係. 如果有的話,也是各說各話,每一宗派各有一套門路,可說是 各憑天才,百家爭鳴.

嚴格来說,天堂没法描述，你一下筆,一定寫到一些與你時代有関的生活方式和科技,像班揚的天堂或但丁的天堂比起 Bill Gate 和 Steve Jobs 的天堂,一定有天大的差別. 既然古代的天堂和近世的天堂不一樣,那天堂还有什麽意義? 天堂隨時代而進步? 那天堂算是什麼極樂世界? 我們這種想法是一種倒果為因的邏輯: 是先有天堂还是先有人類? A good old 'Chicken and Egg' problem or dilemma. 以上不能解答的原因是'先有天堂'的假設. 如果換成'先有人類',則不同天堂的理由非常明顯,一點也不難解釋. 這可說是天堂地獄之謎,豁然開朗.

另外一點和天堂有関的是 Soul and Body. 人死了就物化,失去了躯体,如果还有靈存在,那应靈是没佔空間,没有質量. 既然靈不佔空間,為什麼还需要一個天堂,有空間的實体来装這些靈? 如果靈下了地獄,既没有肉身,故亦無痛楚,那地獄的處罚还有何意義? 是不是天堂和地獄都是不佔空間的虛幻迷物或虛擬世界? 如果天堂和地獄不存在,也不能証實它的確存在,那萬物之靈的人類有何理由要相信天堂和地獄?

有衛道人士說,大千世界,如果没有天堂和地獄的观念,社會一定會大乱,因為人類將一無顧忌,要幹坏事一点也沒摭欄. 這也不無道理. 不过總之讓人想起孔老夫子說的話:"民可使由之，不可使知之", 很有點给人愚民政策的观感. 想來人類ㄏ史也不过幾千年,也許在文明進程中,不可避免的一定要经过這些宗教和天堂地獄的陣痛, 似乎沒有一條康莊的捷徑,通往 美好的未來. 那美好的未來究竟是什麼呢? 要有一個美好的未來社會和世界,應該是從教育著手,培植深耕. 像文藝復興和開明時代,对人文和科學的追求, 用理性 (Reason) 的思考去理解大自然的神秘和化解一切神绩和迷信. 把所有道德,倫理和真善美好好地用理性來分析化解和综合,理出一個理想的烏托邦.

Tesla

Nicola Tesla

There is a section of land in Palo Alto which is encircled by Foothill Expressway, Arastradero, Deer Creek and Page Mill Road. In the past 40 years, there are many prominent companies reside here with their headquarters. The most prestigious one is PARC, or Palo Alto Research Center of Xerox. When time goes by, most people almost forget Xerox, but PARC, its name is still around. Perhaps it is because in mid-1970, Steve Jobs toured the center and put the PARC's graphic display and mouse into practice. It is the Macintosh personal computer. After a while, Microsoft lost little time to create Windows Operating System and it becomes the standard of the PC industry. Lately, a company called Tesla quietly moved into the Deer Creek area and set up its headquarter here.

Tesla has become a hot company these days and its name with CEO Elon Musk listed in parallel with Amazon, Google and Apple. The emergence of the industry is not just a battery car, but also a lot of communicating devices, wire or wireless which include some vehicles destine to Mars. Now the first thing we ask is why it is called Tesla. We are electrical engineers and know who Tesla is. He worked on induction motors and the alternating current (AC) transmission system. Is there any relation between Tesla & Elon Musk? It turns out very little here. The company was set up in the east coast with two founders, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who chose between Tesla & Faraday and finally picked Tesla. Elon Musk joined in the company later and said he preferred Edison. But Tesla was picked already, he is not going to change it easily. It is still not obvious why Tesla is chosen by the first two founders. The only thing we know is that is is just very cool to name it Tesla. Is Tesla cool? I am not sure. Tesla was a weird inventor most people knew at the time he lived. However, he was forgotten after he died. Edison seems a much more popular name to the public in the US and the world.

It is interesting to point out here that in 1891 Thomas Edison set up his lab at Menlo Park in New Jersey and now Elon Musk set up his company in Palo Alto, near Menlo Park in California. However, the name of the company is Tesla, the main rival of Edison. Here Chaos plays a big role. If Elon Musk is the first founder of the company, he would have picked up Edison as the name of the new company. The result will be great to Edison as his historical Menlo Park Laboratory in New Jersey is going to move to Menlo Park of California.

Tesla was a Serbian engineer who used to work for Edison in New York. At the time of 1890 to 1910, the need of electricity surged. The key decision at that time was to use DC or AC for long distance transmission and distribution. Edison was familiar with the DC method and thought it is much safer. Tesla thought it differently. He preferred AC technology to utilize high voltage with low current to reduce the power loss of transmission. The transformer is useful only when AC is used. Tesla left Edison to find other support and finance his endeavor. He found the Westinghouse. Eventually his AC technology was used to power the 1893 Exhibition in Chicago and proved to be successful. 

If we look at the electric car Tesla is producing now, it uses batteries, a complete DC device. However, it is inevitable, the voltage used in the car can not be a single voltage. In order to convert to other DC voltage, the AC technique must be used and rectified again to DC. No matter how we look at it, it is just not practical not to use AC technology in a DC electric car. Meanwhile it is much better to call it Electric Car instead of DC Electric Car. With this logic, we think Tesla may be cooler even Edison is a more popular name.

When we were in junior years of NTU, we studied the subject of Alternating Current. The professor was 楊進顺. He was a nice person but the way he lectured on the subject was poor at best. I am not sure he mentioned anything about Tesla at all in the class. Some of us mentioned that they don't know who Tesla is. I am not sure that is true, perhaps they just forgot what they learned before or just forgot it due to the memory loss. However, if you have chance to visit Niagara Fall in New York, you will not miss Tesla. The electric generators and the transmission system of the Niagara Fall Station uses the design of Tesla and Westinghouse. If we review the courses and subjects we studied in the first four years of EE, we will realize more than 85% of our time and effort are spent on the AC related phenomena. If everything is DC, there will be no Hertz, Induction, Laplace, Fourier, Maxwell, EM Wave, etc etc etc.

If you studied AC Circuitry and don't know Nicola Tesla, how about Steinmetz? In AC Circuitry, another prominent engineer must be mentioned along with Tesla. He is Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923), a German mathematician and electrical engineer. He came to America to avoid the prosecution at home. He went to work for a little company later purchased by GE. He showed his brilliance in the labs of GE and generated many papers on the AC circuitry. He actually worked out most of the mathematics related to AC with vector concept called Phasor. Using complex variable with rotational concept, he was able to put AC circuit on a much more rigorous basis on paper. Most of the equations and calculations in calculus becomes algebraic, a much easier to handle in the field and industry. He also made some discoveries in magnetic hysteresis that enabled engineers to design some motors for use in industry. I can't remember either 馬雲龍 or 楊進顺 have ever mentioned Steinmetz at all.

Since AC is so important in electrical engineering, we should spend some time looking into what Tesla was doing at that time. Nicola Tesla (1856-1943) was a Serbian inventor, migrated to America, served as electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist and futurist. His most contribution is the design of the modern alternation current electricity supply system. He worked for a short time at Edison Machine Works in NY before moving on his own. His AC induction motor and poly-phase AC patents, licensed by Westinghouse Electric earned him some money. However, he never tried to setup his own company earnestly to make profit from what he had invented. Instead he tried to develop a series of inventions with varying degrees of success. Having spent most of his money, he lived in a series of New York hotels, leaving behind unpaid bills. The nature of his earlier work and some comments he made to the press later in life earned him the reputation of 'Mad Scientist' in American public society. Tesla died in New York City in January 1943. His work fell into relative obscurity following his death. However in 1960, the scientific circle named the SI unit of magnetic flux density the 'Tesla' in his honor. Since then, there has been a resurgence in popular interest in Tesla since early 1990.

PS: The Phasor concept is also used in the HP-35 scientific calculator in the functions of trigonometry---Sequential Table Lookup and Rotational Vector.

The Old Age & The New Age of Life

In the course of my playing tennis in the last fifty years, I found that I got hurt in some way here and there. Of course I needed some time for my body to heal or I went to see chiropractor. In the former case, it is simple, I just take it easy with rest.  Usually, it improves little the first week, then heal better and eventually recover completely.  In the latter case, a chiropractor would perform some muscle manipulation and circulate my blood circulation nicely.  Usually I feel better the first week, however, the second week, it sort of return to the original pain.  So I just kept visiting him some more times.  After 4 or 5 more times of visiting, eventually, I got the pain healed too.  However, the tricky thing to ask is whether the healing is due to the chiropractor or just by natural healing as the case without visiting chiropractor.  Since the time of healing between the two cases of healing is about the same, why should I go to see chiropractor?  After all, the end result is about the same to my body.  I always think life should be simpler the better.  So eventually, I stick to the natural healing at home with some good rest.

However, in the last ten years, the time of healing was getting longer and longer. As we all know that when we are getting older, it takes longer to recover our pain or to heal.  I lose the patience for this kind of wait for healing. I gradually develop a new way and procedure to handle the problem. Nothing is really a miracle, it is simply a way to work around to avoid the same kind of pain. 

Several years ago, with my age getting over 65, I found that my backhand under-spin shot caused pain in my elbow. I waited for a few weeks and saw little improvement. I decided to change the stroke using both hands. With my tennis tutor machine, I practiced the new stroke for a few weeks and got a good handle of the trick. When time went by, I regained my record to match the old stroke. So I kept playing like this for sometime and satisfied my standing and performance on the court. One early morning, while I was chasing some fast pacing ball on my backhand, I just have to use one-hand under-spin stroke. Surprisingly, I could hit it nicely without feeling pain at all. After all, it might be that it just took such a long time to recover my previous pain. I suspect it may take shorter time to do it, but I didn't test or verify it, so I don't have valid data to prove my point. Anyway, nowadays I can perform my backhand with single or double-hand without problems. It is even better that I can choose whichever way I like at the moment to execute the stroke. I also found that with 50% time of single-hand and 50% time of double-hand, I can evenly distribute my muscle load to the body.

Good thing usually doesn't last long. Until one day, I found that my powerful forehand drive became weaker and eventually also caused muscle pain. It is really a frustrate thing that see your killer stroke going away. I know when we get older, our muscle shrinks further and so becomes weaker. But the pain in the elbow can not be the excuse. I did the same as before and in vain. So I did the good old trick, change the stroke or the method how I hit the ball. I started to learn the stroke of two-hand forehand. With the ball machine on the court for a few weeks, I got to the point that I can perform this stroke with some confidence. I just need to run a little bit faster to compensate the limitation of the stretch of arm. When I was ready to play the game on both-hand forehand and backhand, I become a new man, a new old man on the court. It is a new experience in my life. Not only I hit the ball easier, but also I distribute my load of hitting ball more evenly among my arm and muscle. I feel more eased and feel better with more evenly distributed load to my body. I used to have bigger right hand, but now my left hand gets a shot and exercise that it grows larger.

So far my tutor machine is doing nicely to me for the adaptation. I am not sure what else I need in the future. The machine is simple and costs not much for me to handle. The only drawback I get is that it somehow sometime got the ball stuck in the hole that holds up the whole thing. I have to stop the routine to manually clear up the problem and restart the machine. There are many different types of ball machines on the field. The 'Tennis Tutor Lite' is the one I use. It is light and easy to carry around with a price tag of about $800.

舊日情懷

有人說少年時代最大的快樂就是讀書. 這句話有部分真確,但說'最大'的快樂,未免太牽強. 運動和娛樂其實也是同等讓少年快樂的活動. 大部分論述和比較最好避免用'最'這個字,因為例外的情况是很容易被人找出来的. 就我所知,讀書的確是少年時代一件赏心愉快的活動,尤其是在小學畢業後,我們的閲讀能力已经有能力在学校課程外,吸收一些課外讀物. 加上初中以後,個人的机動性 (mobility) 大大提高,可以探訪書店和逛舊書攤,涉獵各種書本和購買或借一些有趣的書本和雜誌. 在假日或週末,可在圖書館或家庭後院,赏心地看一些有趣的書,如厂史,地理,人文和自然,可說是少年人生的享受之一. 記得小學時代有開明書店和中華書局,學友和東方出版社. 那兒有很多適合中小学生的書籍如数学列車,生物奇观,人類厂史,星空巡礼,愛的教育,談美,文藝心理學,詩論,談文學,欧遊雜記,馬先生談算學,法布尔的昆虫記和化學学校,加上林肯,愛迪生,達尔文,哥倫布 ... 的傳記,實在是琳覽滿目,看不完的奇書和趣闻. 我想大家都有這些類似的阅讀和经验. 到現在回想也都是一種美好的回憶. 現時大家年过七十,已经進入人生另外的階段,不但常旅行,对讀書和看 YouTube 也是快樂的選项之一,尤其當体力已不如青年時代,讀書和观看 video/audio multimedia 更是有趣和慢慢取代了遠程的旅遊. 現在 YouTube 的 platform, 節目豊富,目不接暇,可說應有盡有,对退休生活來說真是功不可沒,可說是退休人士的福音書. 晚年的閲讀更有一强项,那就是不但能吸收新知識,对以前看过的書,尤其是世界名著,再讀一次常有更深一層的感受和体驗,有一種說不出來的味道和感受,尤其是对社會的加深瞭解和对名著的詮釋,這真是心靈和益智的享受. 把少年時代無法品赏到的人生原味找回来,细细回味欣赏,充分享受人生之精華.

在高中課外閱讀時,認識了一位叫'沉櫻'的女作家,她也翻譯一些外国小說,我对她的譯作印象很深,覺得她不但譯得好,又感情豊富,令人印象深刻,久久不能忘怀. 沉女士說'翻譯是半創作'. 因為內容结構是人家的,譯者只在遣詞造句的筆調上,以及字行間裏的意味上,用心就行了. 這是沉櫻在顧到譯文的流暢优美的同時,是如何重视对原作的忠實. 有没有譯作比原作更精彩和感人? 答案是否定的,因為理論上也許說不过去. 但仔细想想,大部分中国人的外文程度是和外国人有一定的差距. 不管多麼用心力,阅讀原文後,不一定會比好的中文翻譯感受更深. 在這五十年間,最令我感受到類似的经验是一本 Rachael Carson 的 'The Sea Around Us'. 夏道平先生在翻譯這本書時用書名'海的故事'. 利用他的英文和中文底子,他真的是在'半創作'. 讓我深深觉得讀其譯作更令人感動. 這當然不是 Carson 女士的原作差,而是我的英文底子不夠好到能感受到一些微妙的語言訣竅。現在想想,時隔五十多年,还能記得一些以前的閲讀经验. 最近整理一些記憶,把我印象最深的沉樱女士譯作的幾篇故事,重新找出,再重讀一次,發觉还是那麼清新,那麼令人感動,久久不能忘懷. 尤其在国外多年,对西方文化和生活背景的認識加深不少,再讀這些名作,認識作者和体會社會環境,也因而加深欣赏的程度. 我想選其中一篇,來探討其中的感受和韻味. 

一位陌生女子的來信

這是 Stefan Zweig 在 1922 年出版的小說. Zweig 是奥围近代文豪之一. 他的小說特点,非常重視结構和和諧,每一篇都像精细的藝術,計算好而寫出来。有人說美好的小說可以做到在文字方面如詩,在佈局方面如画,進行的節奏如音樂,而其內在的意義如信仰之虔誠. Zweig 的小說可說'雖不中亦不遠矣'. 在 1920到 1930年間, Zweig 是世界小說界內很有名氣的一位作家. 在他逝世後,有很多小說作品被搬上影幕,一直到今日. 他的一些名著如下: 一位陌生女子的來信, 馬來亞狂人 (蠱, Amok), 怕 (Fear, Angst), 奇遇, 情網, 抉擇, 家庭教師, Beware of Pity, 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman, A Promise ...

幾乎五十年前,我第一次接觸到這本小說 '一位陌生女子的來信',當時並没有什麼特別印像,倒是对作者 Zweig 有初步的認識和喜好. 幾年後,查到有一舊电影,是 'A Letter From An Unknown Woman',是 Joan Fontaine 和 Louis Jourdan 主演的黑白老影片,看了以後,才感受良深,对一位癡情的女人能对一位青年鋼琴手有這樣的爱情,實在超乎我的想像之外. 這和我第一次阅讀的感受完全不同. 在我們正常的愛情和婚姻関係,很難理解有這樣的爱情存在,尤其是這位癡情的女士. 她甚至可以為了他而完全犧牲自己的幸福和未來. 而這位男士的未婚生涯卻是蜻蜓點水,來去無蹤,是一種享受人生但不负太大责任的人生. 這種人在社會上很多,他們的行為和生活方式是可以理解的.小說的突出特點是在這位女人,她的單恋和癡情是難以想像和解釋,可也是人性中的正常狀態或病態. 

故事發生在维也納的一個公寓內,有一新近搬來的 concert pianist, Stefan Brand. 他在维也纳颇有一些名氣. Lisa 住在对面的 unit, 開始对他非常注意,常常聽他彈琴至夜深,後來卻癡情到有点变態. 可是她祇是在一段距離外看著他,卻也没明顯的表示心意. 這種情况维持一段時日,祇到有一天,她的媽媽想搬去 Linz 和一位男士结婚. Lisa 不能忍受離開這位 pianist, 毅然返回公寓去見這位 pianist. 他的佣人讓他進去,可是 Stefan 卻遲遲才回來,还带一位女人回家度夜. Lisa 失望到極点,祇好迴避他,並回 Linz 她妈妈那兒. Lisa 在 Linz 生活中慢慢步入軌道,有一位軍人想和她談婚事,可是她卻拒绝並告訴他,她已经有一位恋人. 婚事告吹,她媽媽和继父非常不高兴,Lisa 祇好回 Vienna 找工作. 她在那兒也不交新朋友,卻天天在 Stefan 公寓外面等他注意. 終於有一次,他注意到她,可是不知她就是以前住在他对面的那位女孩子. 他們就這樣萍水相逢,出外喝咖啡和晚餐, having a good time 和有了一夜情. 隔天 Stefan 說有事要去 Milan, 回來後再見. 可是時日过了,Stefan 卻從未出現來找她. 光陰如流水,她已经怀孕,不久以後就孩子出生,一個没有父親的孩子. 多年过後,Lisa 已经和一位男士 Johann 结婚,他也知道她的孩子是別人的. 因緣差錯,就在一次音樂會中,Lisa 忽瞥見 Stefan 而渾身不適,和丈夫說想先回去. 結果 Stefan 也正離開戲院而碰到她. 奇怪的是 Stefan 很奇怪地迷上她,卻不知她是誰,更不記得以前和他有一夜情的女人. 幾年下來 Stefan 已经走下坡路,鋼琴手生涯也慢慢结束. 這時 Lisa 和丈夫因這些有関 Stefan 的事,不能和諧相處. 於是她去找 Stefan. 他很高兴見她,可是他还是不清楚她到底是誰,对來龍去脈更是一無所知,這是蜻蜓點水式男士生涯的充分寫照. Lisa 失望透顶,黯然離開他. 幾天後她孩子患斑疹傷寒而病逝. 她也病重而傷心不已,知道時日不多,就在病床上寫了一封信給 Stefan. 這封信就是這小說的名字,可說是她的自剖,闡釋她的生涯和她对他真誠和純情的愛.

從正常的社會观點來看,這是畸型而富罗曼蒂克的病態恋爱故事. 看了以後令人唏噓而替這位女士婉惜. 自然界怎麼會產生這樣的愛情和悲剧. 總之,我第一次看這小說完全没有這種感受. 時日推演,現在閲之,再想之,這種悲剧是可能發生,因為一些男人的生活方式和对人生的態度完全忽視長遠的爱情,而是著重短暫的愛和肉体的欢樂. 她一次次的接近他,有驚喜有欢欣,但每次他都認不出她是同一個女人,也就没有個人的爱存在,這是悲剧的主因,全程是在男人完全不知情的狀况下發生. 為什放女人不顺時推舟,點出以前的秘密和纯情? 爱情的真諦和真正價值在那裏? 也許這是作者抛给讀者們,要大家探討的問题. 

Stefan Zweig (1881-1942) 和 Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) 是很好的朋友,他們对二十世紀初的 '心理分析' 有一些研究和探討. Zweig 曾经对 Freud 說: "Psychology is the great business of my life". 怪不得現在看他的小說,幾乎每篇都带著'心理分析'的架構,慢慢堆砌起整個故事. 除了'一位陌生女子的來信'外, Stefan Zweig 的另外两部小說也是非常精彩和戲劇化, 是刻畫上層社會女人的一些心理反應和行為的结局,很值得大家欣赏: Amok (馬來亞狂人, 蠱), Angst (怕, Fear). 括弧內的名字是小說的不同譯名. '馬來亞狂人' 在 1960 年代初曾在 讀者文摘雜誌刊載過,故事曲折離奇,引人入勝.

音樂與我

現在回想小時候的音樂教育,祇是唱遊,对樂理並不注重,能看五線譜和幾種豆芽菜就可以交差了. 來美國以後,看到孩子們在学校的課程,也没高明到那兒. 真正要學音樂还是要自己掏腰包,找鋼琴老師,按步就班,勤学幾年. 不过据我所知,要看簡單的譜和参加普通合唱團並不難. 欣賞音樂到底分好幾個層次,從最簡單的唱遊到 Bernstein 可以在台上指揮並彈鋼琴,講解如何欣赏之道,其間有非常大的差別. 对大部分没有正式接受音樂教育的人們,他們也喜欢音樂,也有時上音樂會. 雖不會任何樂器,但也照樣會唱和欣赏某種程度的音樂. 正因為人們有不同的與趣,也就出现不同的欣赏方式. 歸根結底,從音樂的接觸而得到深層的心靈感受,影响到生活並且变成生活的一部分,這就是音樂的功用和对人生的影响力.

我從小學開始,才真正接觸到音樂,但這是唱遊式的音樂和简單的看譜,至於大調小調,完全不通. 小學連英文字母都不教, 如何知道 G大調是啥? 所以小學看的譜大概都是 C 大調. 雖然那麽基本,但也學到不少音樂. 到现在我还記得的歌很多,大部分是反共歌曲,怀念大陸家鄉的歌及富民族主義的中華音樂. 另外一大部分是外国名曲,當时不知,到上中學以後,才在音樂雜誌和不同的資訊,慢慢摸清楚,讓這些名典纷纷歸隊. 這些外國曲子到现在还記得很清楚,如春神,甜蜜的家庭,小蜜蜂,念故鄉,怀鄉,驪歌,憶兒時,小學畢業纪念歌等等. 說來可笑,小學的音樂教育似乎比中学好. 至少在小學時看到很多風琴,音樂老師也常把風琴搬到教室,大家一起唱遊,在以後的日子給我們一些美好的回憶. 小學老師用的風琴,型体不大,也不太重,兩三個小朋友就可抬著走,声音不大,但悠遠有韻,常有繞樑之感. 以前台北在颱風時常會淹水,最讓人不捨的就是這些風琴. 在災後重建時,也不忘在風琴旁唱 '大家同在一起' 的快樂曲子. 在踩踏板時,一大堆颱風水就跟著風琴後面流出來,不知是悲傷的淚水还是喜極而泣的欢樂之水. 音樂實在是很富感性的藝術活動. 有件事需要一提,我大哥在我上小学时,在旁边市政府的印刷館找到一份差事. 他食宿無虞就花錢買了手搖唱机和後来的一台电唱机,加上一些 78 轉的老唱 片. 对我當時影响不大,倒是上了初中後,讓我開始注意並利用這些工具.

上初中以後,音樂課程和小学差不了多少,还是边唱边遊,可是風琴却不見了. 說來奇怪,在中学連小風琴也從来没出現过. 初中老師陳如雲和蔡國欽都是在台上自己教唱. 初中的音樂課对我来說是幾乎等於零. 唯一可提的是蔡老師住在学校宿舍,他有一台手提唱机和一些唱片. 我和幾位对音樂有興趣的同学常去拜訪他. 他给我們聽海顿的時鐘和軍隊交响曲. 這台唱机和我大哥的那台很像,是要随时手搖發條,不然轉盤就會慢下來. 对我們小孩子,這机器真有趣,在轉發條運動後,又可聆赏音樂,声音清淅,真是一大享受. 於是回家後,我到大哥房間探訪机器真相,發現那些 78 轉的唱片倒是琳欖滿目,有些單張,有些一大冊 (album,multiple records),其中有一冊是一個印地安人雄姿英發的在馬上. 另外一冊是一個女人在金黄色的陽光下,載歌載舞. 當時大喜,在以後的時日,我常到那兒欣赏一些異音美樂. 在初中念了英文,又有机會逛重慶南路的書店,從此音樂知識大開. 原來大哥房間的兩大冊音樂是 '新世界交响曲' 和 '阿萊城姑娘組曲'. 

中学的音樂教育照差不誤,老師們好像總有一大堆苦衷,抱怨有餘,教學不足. 我还記得陳暖玉這位女老師,她學厂很好,可是整天愁眉苦臉,牢骚滿腹,完全没盡教学之力. 上高中我第一件事就参加音樂欣赏課外活動,由陳暖玉主持. 結果祇上一堂,然後就無疾而終. 我認為這完全是陳暖玉怠職,不把学生興趣和熱忱當一回事. 現在想想,當时應該參加學校樂隊,選一樣樂器如小喇叭或双簧管. 人生之中,往往有些事,一去無回,或稍縱即逝,不可不慎. 上高中後,陈暖玉後来由张世傑接任. 這位先生很有精力,創做了一首'偉大的领袖',是反共的爱國歌曲,对音樂很热心,有时还介绍一些西方的作曲家. 有一次教唱一首名曲霍夫曼的'船歌',是 Offenbach 作品,但他把這位奥芬巴哈當成音樂之父的 巴哈 ( Johann Sebastian Bach), 倒是讓人驚訝. 當时班上有幾位同学也知 奥芬巴哈 和 JS Bach 是不同的人物. 可見就是音樂老師也有一些驚人的盲点. 有一次他在班上,忽然抱怨時下中学生熱中搖滾樂,对好音樂一点不感興趣,非常不爽. 接著就唱一小節音樂,問我們知不知道? 我一聽就知道是修伯尔特的未完成交响曲的開頭主题. 當時我小心翼翼,小声告訴前排的同學,才由他們轉達信息. 張世傑很驚訝,說'不錯,程度相當高'. 這時他開始微笑講些另外的音樂軼事. 這個小插曲我一直記得,到底我聽一些唱片,居然在教室也派上用場. 

関於音樂,有幾件事在初高中時影响我很多. 記得在初中時,一本音樂教科書的付錄有介绍一些古典名曲,其中有一頁介绍 Grieg 的培尔金特組曲 (Peer Gynt Suite),是朱永鎮介绍的. 他當時駐泰國,做有関大使馆的服務,是音樂文化交流的主任. 他的文筆和介绍很精彩,我非常喜欢. 從此以後,在高中時就往中華路逛唱片行,買唱片,回家好好欣赏. 还記得其中一张是 Peer Gynt 的第一和第二組曲. 第一组曲的'清晨'和第二組曲的'索尔维格之歌'就是朱永鎮介绍的曲子,當時印象深刻. 另外一件事是初中時,家住士林,那時是 1954-1957,士林到處是農田,每當秋天來臨,農人開始收割稻田. 那時家中剛買了一部收音机,我常聽警察廣播電台.就在這初秋時節,电台一直在播 Ravel 的 Bolero, 這是西班牙的一種舞曲,可是我觸景生情,一直就把這曲子和士林秋收稻田連在一起. 我當時也認為這曲調及氣氛和收割稻米非常適合. 至於 Bolero 是什麼,當時一点也不知,音樂之功用和影响實在超乎我想像之外. 再一件事,士林的夏天,每當日落時,西边一片彩霞,時而泛紅,時露金光,有時翠綠,有時金黃,真是美不勝收,不時更有一群小鳥列隊在遙遠的天边飛过天际,真有心曠神怡的感受. 這時偶而從收音机傳來修伯爾特的未完成交响曲第二樂章. 從開頭一直到结尾,我就看著西下的太陽,五色繽紛,冉冉下降,直到曲子最後的旋律由法国管奏出悲傷和感嘆的信息,真是印証了'夕陽無限好,祇是近黄昏'的心靈感受. 從那時以後,這一幕永遠印在我的心版上. 直到现在,我在 Palo Alto 观看日落時,這旋律不時出现,我又沈浸在士林的落霞當中.

上大學電机系以後,我開始玩 HiFi,這是音响的嗜好. 後來又有 Stereo 加入,當時因家教存了一些錢,於是中華路,西門汀,衡陽路变成我常去逛的地方. 自己裝裝收音机,買些好喇叭,加上大學的电机課程,居然有所学,有所用,生活过得很充實,也有一些成就感. 加上重慶南路的書店和牯嶺街的舊書攤,實在也沒多少時間做別的事了. 當時覺得台大有点讓人失望,如果不是這些課外活動和興趣,大學生涯可說是太單調了. 記得大二以後,台湾才開始有 TV 出現. 我找敏弘兄買了一台国际牌黑白电视机,從此以後,裝天線,調频和信号,有声有色,也有音樂. 當時'天韻歌声',節目很紅,唱得不錯. 大部分是中國歌曲和宗教音樂. 也有一些西方流行音樂在不同電視台播出,從此以後,貓王和 Paul Anka 以及 Beetle,這些音樂也開始進入生活當中. 另外一些美国电视節目也很流行,有 Lassie, Mighty Mouse, I Love Lucy, 六壯士,勇士們 等好節目,讓我度过不少有意義的時光. 唱片也買了不少,不过隨著時日進展,我發覺大部分錢皆花在古典音樂上,尤其是貝多芬,莫差特,修伯尔特,海顿,孟得尔遜,比才 ... 這些都是了33 轉的軟唱片,買回家放在架上,隨時可欣赏,用 HiFi Stereo 的音响加上15/8/3 吋喇叭,真是心曠神怡,一大享受. 出国後,當然一身轻,我買的書和唱片全部歸零. 來美国後,一切重來. Dallas WRR FM, 好的電台,好的古典音樂節目,讓人耳不接聞. 時代開始在变,唱片少買了,我買了 Tape Recorder & Player. 從大型的 reel tape 到 cassette tape,然後 CD, 幾乎每五年就有新的 media 出現. 以前的東西还可用,不过等十年後,連 hardware player 也不見了,那些 tapes 祇能進 博物館了. 我發覺每次搬家就會丢一大堆東西,像 tape, cassette, cd 等等. 唯一不变的喜好,祇有 software contents---音樂本身. 時至今日,這些音樂皆存雲端,再也沒必要像以前一樣,要買一大堆唱片. 說來你不會相信,我有一位同事,是猶太人,他看我喜欢音樂,請我到他家去. 我才發觉他有一小地方擺著海顿 104 首交响曲的唱片, 104 首,一首不差. 長長的一條架子,令人嘆為观止. 另外一位猶太同事也很精彩,他每次從 Oregon 南下湾区,碰到我,一定花半天時間哼些曲子,要我猜. 我也有一些曲子给他猜. 說来奇怪,常常兩三小時就這樣过去. 正经事祇好等晚上,在實驗室挑灯夜战了.

時光飛逝,自己從職場退休,正好互联網登場, YouTube 正好趕上用場. 现在五花八門,那種音樂,皆不缺乏,加上 High Definition (HD) video 和 Stereo, audio/video (multimedia),買個 65" HD TV, 在客廳,天天可欣赏好的音樂和 concert. 我發觉我以前買的 CD, DVD 開始用得少了. 現在每當想看什麼音樂會或聽什麽音樂,第一就是開 電視, 经过 Chromebook, 進入 YouTube, search 我要的東西,馬上以 HD/HDR 高密度的 video, 加上 Stereo 的音响, 以 65" 的大影幕, 就像坐在 concert hall 的中間好位置,而且隨時可有適時的 close up. 必要時还可以 pause, 仔细观察細微的小動作,都是以前没经驗过的感受, a truly instant real time enjoyment.

說來奇怪,在幾十年的音樂经驗中,我發覺真正欣赏古典音樂如貝多芬的交响曲和協奏曲,最好是関起門來,打開音响,把灯関掉,好好靜坐下來,從頭聽到尾. 不受指揮,不受交响樂团的影响,纯粹是音符音响的心靈共鳴. 在這種情景下,好的音樂真能觸動人類深層的靈性. 這種影响,隨時日而不同. 在我一生中,貝多芬的音樂在我的大學生涯中影响最大. 求学过程中有痛苦有快樂,在智力上有長進也有挫折,那時最能得到安慰的是從貝多芬交响樂中,汲取力量,奮發圖強. 貝多芬九大交响曲,曲曲動聽,風回路轉,繞樑三日. 在我最没落的時候也能從第二樂章如泣如訴的樂音中找到安慰. 當音樂轉至第四樂章時,一鼓澎湃的生命浪潮常一湧而上,在最後的结尾声中,貝多芬不但安慰失落的心靈,而且賦以人們堅強的毅力,準備下一場可歌可泣的人生凱歌.

Angel Investors

天使投资

"矽谷天使林富元的投资告白", 詳述他四十年的投資實战经驗,教你如何找趨勢賺大錢. 厚厚三百來頁,洋洋灑灑,妮妮道來,很是有趣. 不过很多细節略去不少,对有實戰經驗的人來說,也許有隔鞋搔癢之感. 对没有實戰經驗的人來說,卻是意猶未盡, something is missing.天使投资 (Angel Investment) 和正式的 Venture Capital (VC) Investment 尚有一大差距,但比 TV 的 Shark Tank 則又更進一步,不可等閒視之. 什么是天使投资? Angel Investors are individuals, often successful business people,who are investing their own personal funds into a potentially rewarding business opportunity. 從這定義,則 VC 和 Shark Tank 皆可通用,但通常 VC 是比較大的投资,大多以公司型態出現. Shark Tank 則以小投资在 TV 媒体出場,具有速成投资和廣告效果,也可說是天使投资的新变体 (mutation or new variation).

林先生的天使投资從七零年代的盲目投资到八零年代的屡战屢敗,再经九零年代的漸入佳境,至零零年代的黄金收割,就像一幅人生寫照,可說是他的半部人生歷史. 從藝術和大自然的的观点,也很像是 Vivaldi 或 Glazunov 的四季,從冬天的凜烈寒風,經春夏到秋天的豊收時期. 他提到的一些著名矽谷 Angel Investors 有下面幾位: Peter Thiel, PayPal Mafia, Jack Dorsey, Esther Dyson, Kevin Rose, Mitch Kapor, Marrisa Mayer, Ron Conway, Chris Dixon, Reid Hoffman, ... 這些是比較大的 Angel Investors, 像 Peter Thiel, Esther Dyson, Ron Conway, Reid Hoffman 皆赫赫有名. 普通小規模的 Angel Investors, 在矽谷不少. 据我所知,大凡高科技公司的 CEO 和 Senior VP,在公司賺錢後,皆因 stock options 的 exercise 或 bonus 而加入天使投资的行業. 大部分工程師雖有 stock options,但数目不大,大部分没到 critical mass 的標竿,祇能在房地產方面做小额投资. 至於 TV 的 Shark Tank 是一種新型的天使投资,但大部分限於 consumer product ideas, 经过幾分鐘的 presentation, 和幾個問答就决定投资的最後決定. 這種 business deal 看起来實在草率而不合乎健全的投资準則.

這本書在 Part 3 提到 '誠信'是創業家最重要的核心價值. 誠信乃 'Integrity' : adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. 林先生提到一些偽创業家,奪權的 CEO, 中飽私囊的中間人等等,這些都是比較是非明顯的例子. 有些比较模擬兩可,在中間遊走的例子,在矽谷很多. 如 Apple 的 Steve Jobs, Oracle 的 Larry Ellison, Borland 的 Philippe Kahn, Avanti 的 Gerald Hsu (徐建國), ... 太多例子,讓人不敢相信 Integrity 的用處. 尤其 Integrity 和 Honesty 有多少直接関係讓人思索萬分而不得解答. 像 Steve 和 Larry 成功了以後,他們以前的坏点子或 bad behavior 都给人淡忘了. 至於 Gerald 失敗後則给人一個很差的的印像. 話雖如此, Avanti 公司雖然失敗,但 Gerald 还是賺了不少錢,在以後的日子,也一樣在 industry 和 VC investment 遊走無礙. 林富元說 Avanti 是九零年代,他的第一响炮,意外地開啟了後續一連串的成功. Ironically, Avanti 就是在抄襲 Cadence Design Systems 的 CAD 軟体不慎,連 error message,也錯得一模一樣,在法庭上實在很難辯護,敗訴乃不可避免. 雖然如此,林富元最终还是從 Avanti 回收二十倍的回報率. 由此可知 '誠信' 和 Angel Investment 並没有什麽蛛絲馬跡的関係.

由'誠信'的討論,林富元提到一件讓人震驚的事,那是'華人的龐氏騙局'. 這件事的來龍去脈和 2008 年 Bernie Madoff 的 scandel 有典曲同工之妙. 以前聽到 Madoff 詐騙猶太同胞的血汗錢,数目驚人,達五十多 billion 之多. 這個 '華人的龐氏騙局'雖没那麽大手筆,其他部分則是翻版,唯妙唯肖. 讓人跌破眼鏡的是居然有這麽多的華人 Angel Investors 落入塵網中而不知觉. When they found it out, it was too late. 照理天使投资工作十幾年,怎麽會对某些 hedge funds 或高回收率 (30%/per year) 的 investing scheme 有信心呢? 至少 proposal, paper, data, 投资方案需要詳查. 這位華人龐氏騙子 胡其正 就和 Madoff 一樣,有本事信服這些有錢人,說他有本事做高回報的投资,但细節不能公開. Madoff 曾做过 Nasdaq 的高階主管,也許可信服某些人,但胡其正則没有什麼 track records,居然也能把一大批 angel investors 蒙在鼓裡,耍来耍去,讓人啧啧稱奇. 林先生在此並没解釋為什麼在投资前没细查或经 angel investment 的 due process. 祇是說笨到丢了幾百萬,才去 FBI 告發. 經过八九年的訴訟才将胡其正判坐牢十二年. 所损失的投资則一文也拿不回來. 當然 Angel Investment 有賠有賺,勝负乃兵家常事,不过胡其正這椿騙局和 Madoff 的大騙局真是太像了,連時間都幾乎是同時,叫人驚嘆大骗子到處都有,中西不分. 更令人深思的是想 'Get Rich Quick' 的贪念也中外皆然. 林先生又說真正的天使投资人有時候說難聽一点就是有一點 '賭性堅强'. 這種信念並不是不好,不过水能载舟,亦能覆舟,还是要小心為妙.

嚴格說来,Madoff 和胡其正的騙案是一種 Ponzi Scheme,早在 1920 年代由一位 Charles Ponzi 首先發難,他是利用新投资人士的钱來付已经投资者的高回收率,並没有把錢真正投资在正常金融的系统. 所以一定要一直有新的投资者参加陣容,這就有点像金字塔,要有很多下面的人去支持上層的投资者. 麻烦的是有那应一天,居然没有足夠的人新来加入,那時金字塔就會塌下來,其结果就是最高階属的人携款捲逃,消失無踪. Madoff 的 scheme 能持久主要是侧重 charity foundation organization, 祇要這些大号顧客 reinvest the profit, 就是没有新的投资人也可應付. 不过人算不如天算, 碰到 2008 年的 market crash, 一些慈善投资机構也要提款救他們的急,反正家家有一本難念的經. 等到要提錢的人超过 critical point, 金字塔非倒不可. Madoff 撑不住,胡其正也一樣. 最终结果也都一樣,大家興訟,一個判 120年,一個判 12 年,大概和騙錢的数目成正比. 最吃虧的是這些投资人,很多是天使投资專家. 他們如果不是 greedy 就是大意失荆州. 他們的投资一向要求 20-30% 的回報率, 這都是要幾年的工夫心血. 现有现成的高回報率,每年投资就可達到目的,怎不令人吃驚. 說不定还會保守秘密,不告訴別人,自己找錢或借錢再投资---too greedy, 太贪心了.

看了幾年 ABC 的 Shark Tank,好像這些投资 guru 很少賠本,也許 TV 總是 show the successful stories, 說不定 bad new 就不報或 ignore. 很少投资是100%稳賺的,除了很低收報率的銀行存款帳戶或 CD account. 雖說如此,Shark Tank 的這些 guru 真是幸運的一夥人物,有這麼多人有新点子,自動找上門來,你就說 yes or no, 然後開始賺錢. 以前一陣子我就觉得怎麽没有别的 internet program 来和他们競爭. 果然最近已经有一些很像 Shark Tank 在互联網出現,只是缺乏 TV 節目的的廣告效果. 可以预测的是未来的 VC 和天使投资皆會受到不少的衝擊. 就像 Amazon 一樣,互联網在投資市场上,將有很大的影响力.

Scotland

The population of Scotland is about 5 million, less than 0.07 % of the world population. However, in history, it creates many brilliant thinkers, scientists, inventors and other scholars and industrialists. Historically, they are under the influence and control of English people. The movie 'Braveheart' documents one tragic chapter of the Scottish history. It tells the story of the legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero named William Wallace who rallies the Scottish against the English monarch and Edward I after he suffers a personal tragedy by English soldiers. It seems they have not been very successful in gaining political independence. Lately, there was an opportunity in 2014 for them to become independent by referendum. They voted 'no' to the referendum, 55%-45% split. In other words, a little less than half of them are for the independence, a split society indeed. It seems the economic factor is more important to Scots than the independent political state. Ironically, in 2016, British voted to exit EU which seems to oppose the will of Scots. History is unpredictable and uncertain. We don't know whether Scots made a good decision but we know they will bear the consequence of the decision.

It is worthwhile to mention some of the most influential persons to our civilization from Scotland. Since we can't list them all here, I pick only six of them.

Adam Smith (June 16, 1723 - July 17, 1790)

Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.

He was the first to present a systematic theory of economics in his book 'The Wealth of Nations'. The full title is 'An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations'. The central idea is that the seemingly chaotic free market is actually a self-regulating mechanism that automatically tends to produce the type and quantity of goods that are most desired and needed by the community. Since then, Adam Smith has become the father of capitalism. It ruled and influenced the world economy for more than 200 years.  Adam Smith picked the right time to be born. The publication of his book was 1776, the time of American Revolution and almost the same time when James Watt invented the Steam Engine. British businessmen, as the Industrial Revolution progressed, recognized the validity of Smith's doctrines, discarded mercantilist restrictions and privileges, and in the 19th century developed Britain into the world's wealthiest nation.

With the challenge of socialism and communism, even today the capitalism continues to dominate the world economy and market.  The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990's and the recent economic transition in China prove that communism is simply no match to the system of capitalism. The impact of Smith's ideas and his book was so great that few would deny that Adam Smith richly deserves the title of "Father of Modern Economics."

James Watt (January 19, 1736 - August 25, 1819)

Born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Industrial Revolution is a monumental event in our civilization. It started around 1768 about the time James Watt invented a steam engine. After this, the limitation of the power source was removed, not limited to the river bank or windy seashore. Human being was able to move the steam engine anywhere he wants and increases the industrial productivity tremendously. Steam engine also made locomotive and train possible. Even today we sometime stand before a railway track to watch a locomotive hauls more than 100 cargo boxcars and streams along a railway track. It is mind boggling. The steam engine eventually moved on to power ships and created a new kind of navy. The sea power became a potent tool in the 19th century. This also made western world the upper hand in world politics. Within just a few decades, the steamboat and the railroad were to revolutionize both land and water transportation in the world.

Strictly speaking, Watt was not the first person to have the concept of steam engine or build a steam engine. However, his work and improvement on some existing model such as Newcomen's device were so important that it converts a not very useful device to an instrument of industrial workhorse. The world is never be the same when steam power replaces muscle power. He is honored in the world as his name is used as the unit of power, Watt. Even today the electric power is replacing mechanical power, people still use Watt as their usage of electricity. Power is the rate of energy or work, it doesn't matter what kind of energy it is. James Watt is truly a powerful and influential person in our civilization.

James Clerk Maxwell (June 13, 1831 - November 5, 1879)

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland

Maxwell was a genius in mathematics. While he worked on problems on physics with well known scientists such as Gauss, Faraday, Ampere et al, he was able to synthesize the known results and some new findings to come up with even newer mathematical equations. He is best known for his four Maxwell Equations which expresses the basic laws of electricity and magnetism. All the previously known laws of electricity and magnetism can be derived from his equations. From the equations, Maxwell was able to predict a new kind of electromagnetic wave (EM wave) and calculate its speed. He then boldly predicted the light is a kind of EM wave as the speed of light is the same as that of EM wave. The idea was so new at the time as the EM wave has not been discovered yet. Heinrich Hertz later confirmed and detected the invisible waves as Maxwell predicted. This led to the wireless communication started by Guglielmo Marconi. His equations basically unifies the field of electricity, magnetism and the optics. Maxwell is generally considered to be the greatest theoretical physicist in the whole interval between Newton and Einstein.

Maxwell also made significant contribution in the study of kinetic theory of gases.  He worked out a formula (at any fixed temperature) which specifies what fraction of the molecules of a given gas will be moving at any specified velocity.  This formula has important applications in many other branches of physics.  Ludwig Boltzmann was much influenced by him in the work on transport phenomena. The formula is called 'Maxwell Distribution'.  The significance of this theory is that even we don't know the behavior of each molecule of the gas, we were able to figure out and predict the behavior of the gas as a whole.  This intriguing concept is like the study of evolution.  Although species go through a lot of mutations and random events, the environment and living things as a whole can be studied and predicted with certain degree of accuracy without the interference of emotion and faith.

Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 - August 2, 1922)

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland

Bell worked and invented the telephone. The device is used so widely and have had a tremendous impact upon everyday life. The telephone becomes a major communication device in our society. Bell Telephone becomes a great success and enterprise in the world.  However, Bell's original interest was in the reproduction of vocal sounds to help the deaf.  His wife was a deaf girl whom he had formerly tutored. Bell's research and work on helping the deaf led him to the invention of a device which created a tremendous application and market in the industry.

Bell filed a patent application of the invented device in 1876. Interestingly, Elisha Gray also filed a similar patent claim on the same day but at slightly later time.  This created a lot of confusion later and several law suits followed.  When time went by, Bell Telephone faced more than 500 law suits concerning to the validity of the patent claims. Bell himself decided to leave the company in order to focus his time on other work instead of attending the law suits.

Even today with so many new development and inventions, most of them revolved around the concept of telephone. Mobile devices used widely today are basically a personal telephone with all bunches of applications built around it. It is interesting to see the incorporation of audio (phonograph), video (movie), computer and other business or personal applications onto a mobile phone which essentially the same as the one invented by Alexander Graham Bell.

James Hutton (June 3, 1726 - March 26, 1797)

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland

Hutton is truly a naturalist. The earth becomes to him transparent. Everywhere he sees significance, harmonies, laws, chains of cause and effect endlessly interlinked. He originated the theory of uniformitarianism, a doctrine of uniformity, a fundamental principle of geology. He also advocated uniformitarianis for living creatures, an evolution in effect.  He even suggested natural selection as a possible mechanism for living things. Darwin used to spend some time in Edinburgh and might pick up the idea from Hutton.

Hutton is the father of Modern Geology. With his 'Theory of the Earth' he challenged existing ideas about the age of the earth. He places strong emphasis upon the time factor, the vastness of the geological eons necessary to accomplish the 'system of decay and renovation'. As Newton had widened man's conception of space, so Hutton enlarged his conception of time.

Hutton was more than a geologist. He was a philosopher who believed that all activities that make humanity what it is and suggest, with blended hope and despair, what it might become, are inexorably geared to the earth. As Copernicus opened the new heavens, so James Hutton revealed the new earth.

Alexander Fleming (August 6, 1881 - March 11, 1955)

Born in Lochfield, Scotland

Fleming is the discoverer of penicillin. He made the great discovery in his laboratory, a cultures of staphylococcus bacteria was exposed to the air and became contaminated by a mold. He found that the mold killed bacteria. He showed the similar substance inhibited the growth of many other types of harmful bacteria. He called the substance penicillin.

Fleming published his finding in 1929 but drew little attention at the time.  He continued working on the project with progress but not good enough to qualify as an effective drug for human use.  It was until the Pearl Harbor Attack during WWII, some other researchers used the research funds supported from the US and British government to purify and mass produce penicillin and use it effectively on the field as an antibiotic medicine. By the end of 1945, the uses of penicillin spread all over the world and save many many lives. The discovery of penicillin has indeed changed the world of modern medicine by introducing the age of useful antibiotics.

It is interesting to note that Fleming's incidental discovery of Penicillin is similar to Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery of X-Ray and its use in the field of medicine. They are not the intended research project. However, the unintended consequence of the finding creates a new application that extends far beyond the expectation.