So I heard about this book at the end of last week, picked it up on Friday evening and about 36 hours later, it was finished. I had a hard time putting it down, you could say.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. There’s so much accusations flying towards this book already. There’s a lot of assumptions that this is a cry for attention, or an attempt at cashing in, or…. It becomes very hard to believe any of that nonsense after actually reading the book. It’s also not, well, boring. Or repetitious. Or a book full of empty accusations.

What it is, is honest, well reasoned, sharp… and courageous! Really, this woman is risking quite a lot by coming out with all of this. And I sincerely doubt she thinks she’s going to have any significant personal gain here. In fact it appears she’s got quite a history of absolutely not profiting from anything to do with that accursed family!

This is a book of answers and explanations.

Especially since his appointment in 2017, there has always been quite a lot of speculation around who Donald Trump really is. Is “this all” just an act? Is he secretly very intelligent? Is he really that incompetent? What the hell is he really about? Why is he so inconsistent? His very special brand of not making any sense or showing any consistency, together with his fountains of faux confidence and bad jokes, seem to have somehow created him an air of charismatic mystery. One that seems to appeal greatly to the poor souls buying his act, and keep everyone else guessing. Well, this is why this book had to happen.

Dr. Mary Trump, who as it happens is a clinical psychologist, is the niece of Donald Trump, and the daughter of the man who was considered the black sheep of the Trump family. She had not only spent time with this toxic family, but has also experienced first had the depths of their depravity. In his book, she clarifies who Donald Trump really is, what he really is, and precisely how he got to where he is today. The book demystifies the hell out of the living lie that is Donald Trump, dealing an awfully ruinous blow to someone whose only talent is to put up a show. A show so loud and so flashy that it manages to blind a ridiculously large number of people. This book is a magical pair of glasses.

Trump has already started Tweeting his disapproval. On one hand he’s calling it all lies, on the other hand he’s accusing the author of breaching NDAs. [I mean… if she has nothing on you, Mr. Trump, then what are the NDAs for and why are you in such a state of fluster?] Unseemly allegations are already going the way of the author, and it’s probably only going to get more complicated from here. She’s risked going up against Donald Trump in a fashion that can actually truly hurt him, despite having first hand experience what kind of hell could get unleashed on her.

So much of the criticism she’s already receiving, is coming from people who haven’t actually read the book and have no interest in evidence. And the attacks are so predictable, trying to assassinate her character rather than address the facts she’s putting on the table. But as Trump’s own actions manage to disintegrate his fictional image further, as more and more people, including his own followers, start questioning his claims, I hope more people will put swift and harsh judgement of this book and it’s author on hold until they’ve read it, and given it’s truth a chance.

Ah… I just wanted to say that I finished reading this, and you should too. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. I can’t say anything more because it’s a Liu Cixin book. Which means that it’s as twisty and shocking and unexpected as it can possibly get. And so if I say anything, I could be spoiling it for you.

What I can say, is just what I said when I was reading his Three-Body Problem. Liu Cixin has a truly unique writing style. His seemingly flat, spartan tone slowly moves you forward in what feels like a eventless, dull road for a while. And then suddenly a door opens and you fall head-first into a bottomless pit. You go back and read that passage a few times just to make sure that you did in fact read what you think you just read. And you say to yourself “what the…. what in the…. no that can’t be…..”.

While The Three-Body Problem is a long procession of many of such pits and you keep climbing out of one and falling into the next, The Wandering Earth is a miniature version of that. Just a couple of pits closer to the end of the road, so  you get a taste of what the author can do.

And yes, in case everything I’ve said is giving you the wrong idea: I am in fact saying that I enjoy reading Liu Cixin immensely. And I am saying that you should definitely read his books. And now I’m going to go decide which book of his I’m reading next.

From the Mutts Comics Instagram page.

Oh ♡!

This is an angry rant. You’ve been forewarned. 

My social circle, friends and acquaintances, tend to come from all walks of life. Different backgrounds, attitudes and belief systems. Probably due to my family circumstances and upbringing, I’ve always been used to having all sorts of opposing ideas around me. I feel that life would become terribly dull if I were to be surrounded only by people who agree with me. I learn quite a lot by having discussions, or just listening to, people whose philosophies are partially or entirely against mine. I need to be able to see things from the point of view of the Trump supporter and the anti-vaxxer, because I end up seeing valuable facts in their side of story that I wouldn’t see otherwise. Being used to this practise, means that it’s not easy to piss me off even if I’m listening to an opinion that I personally find outrageous.

But… this has limits. And now, I’m angry. Very, very angry.

One very clear boundary to my patience is when someone’s misguided actions are directly endangering the lives of other people. And it makes me so sad, so sorry and so bitter when I see people I like, people I care about and have respect for, people among my friends and acquaintances, do exactly that. It’s been painful watching some of your opinions and actions on social media. It’s hurtful on a personal level.

I’ve been watching you post pictures and videos of you dismissing the lockdown protocols in different parts of the world. Breaking quarantine. Not giving a f*ck about social distancing. Being proud of finding your way to some nice quiet corder of nature, conveniently failing to mention the public transportation you used to get there. You who are wearing a shirt saying that you’re young and healthy and not afraid of anything. You who are protesting in groups, expressing loudly that the government is taking away your human rights or freedom by telling you to stay at home. How out of touch with the reality are you? Do you realise that facts are still facts even if it’s the government voicing them?

Anti-establishment anarchism, political activism and all these misunderstood labels you’re proudly putting on yourself, have no connection to your selfish, childish, thoughtless actions. Lockdown, social distancing and all the related protocols are not about you or your political opinion. I’m sorry to have to inform you of this, but the Corona virus doesn’t give a sod about your bloody political opinion.

This is about whether your grandmother will have the freedom to visit her doctor without the possibility of dying of Covid 19 constantly looming above her head. This is about whether your colleague with asthma will survive this bloody situation. This is about families having the freedom to visit each other again, families that might currently be stuck, away from each-other, in different parts of the world. This is about establishing regulations that would allow people to go back to their jobs before their lives are completely ruined and the economy of their country is damaged beyond repair. This is about putting a leash on this disaster before it causes even more ruin that it already has. This is a matter of survival. Do you understand that your delusion of fighting for your freedom, is practically taking away everyone else’s? Who gives you the right to destroy the lives and freedom of everyone else? Or do you perhaps think that freedom is a word that only applies to you?

What irks me even more is that you, my dear “rebellious” friends, all happen to live in parts of the world with governments that generally aren’t known as oppressive regimes. You do not have a first clue what it is to live under an actual oppressive regime, take it from someone who has. And this is definitely no time for you to play out your fantasies of political justice heroism. Human rights are constantly shredded to bits around the world and you act like having to stay at home during a pandemic is the thing to go to war for? You’re clearly not interested in the well being of the society, only in your own personal interests. Oh, and the police wouldn’t have to force you to stay at home or respect social distancing if your own sense of logic and responsibility had taken over the task.

Of course if you happen to have any interest in facts, the web is full of legitimate scientific information showing you exactly why you’re expected to follow these pandemic protocols. And if that’s too much effort for you, there’s even a ton of initiatives by people who try to, among other things, explain things as simply as possible so you don’t have to work too hard. Like this page here for instance: staythefuckhome.com

And while you’ve been busy worrying about your “freedom” [to spread the virus?], the world’s been finding out more and more about the effects of this virus, and what it can actually do to the human body. Does any of that happen to interest you by any chance? Here’s just a couple of interesting examples:

COVID-19: also a systemic endotheliitis

SARS‐CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients is likely to infect the brain

Have a look around the web and I’m sure you’ll see a ton more informative articles on the bloody capabilities of this virus, as well as the global statistics of the damage it’s doing. And while you’re at it, please have a look at the charts on this page depicting the correlations between Covid deaths and age / preexisting conditions.

A mortality perspective on COVID-19: Time, location, and age

In China, more than 50 percent of COVID-19 deaths have been people who are over 70 years old even though most COVID-19 cases are being contracted by people below 70. Young people have interpreted this as an indication that they do not need to worry about the virus, while old people are being warned to take extreme caution. It is true that young people have a smaller chance than old people of dying from COVID-19, but they have a smaller chance of dying of almost any other health risk as well. In China, the age at which people died from COVID-19 was very similar to the age at which people died normally (Figure 4). And there are already signs that the age profile of deaths in China may not be the same as the age profile elsewhere, so it is useful for people of all ages to take extreme care.

Putting all of the above together, does it seem to you like your age and level of health is going to make you magically impervious to the effects of the virus? Does it seem like it would be possible to just isolate a “risk group” and let everyone else do as they wish? And even if that would have somehow made sense, do you really want to take away the freedom of every old or ill person permanently and just let the pandemic agony to continue?

So you want to talk about freedom? Here’s the freedom I want. I want the freedom to not be stuck in this miserable situation any longer than I have to. I want the freedom to go back to some semblance of a normal life. These are the freedoms you’re taking away from me, by helping the virus spread. Shame on you.

During my early teens, I was told by a few people whose opinions I respected, that I should read “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!“, and that I would find a “kindred spirit” in the legendary physicist! So I started reading the book, and then “life” happened and I never got to the last couple of chapters.

Given how much I enjoyed reading as much of it as I did, I don’t quite understand how it is that it took me this long to go back and finish the book. But now I have, I have re-read the whole thing and finally finished it. And what a treat it’s been. =)

I really am grateful to the people who originally suggested the book to me. I must say I did indeed find a kindred spirit in there. The book taught me a few things when I first read it, and now after all these years, once again, even more.

The early chapters to do with Feynman’s childhood and youth shenanigans gave me a feeling of acceptance [I don’t know how else to describe this] as a kid. Now, at the spot where I stand in my life, given what I have experienced for myself, I can relate to the experiences and views of the adult Feynman much better. His experiences within academia, and the human society as a whole, make a lot of sense.

So thanks for getting me to read the book. Took me a while to finish it but hey, I think it may have been for the best.

I took this picture a few days ago, when I was trying out / practicing with some new bamboo pens for Persian calligraphy. And then I got a lot of questions about the 3 pens that look like they have separate nibs. So here’s a quick explanation.

These 3 pens are still bamboo pens, both body and nib. And the nibs aren’t detachable, but they were made separately and attached to the holder. They are seemingly somewhat sturdier than the classical bamboo pens, but more importantly they can be used ambidextrously which for me is a pretty big deal. This is possible because both sides of these pens are exactly the same! Another interesting consequence is that you can easily switch styles / scripts / languages, as again you can switch which side of the pen you use.

The 3 sizes that I’ve got, as you can see, are fairly wide in comparison to classical bamboo pens. But as far as I’ve seen these “separate nib” pens also come with much wider nibs, which is great since this is basically not something you can have with classical pens. I intend to try the wider ones once I’m comfortable enough with these.

This is not to say that I’m replacing the classical bamboo pens, that’s not possible. There’s nothing else with the same feel and level of control as the original bamboo pens. But these new pens are also quite nice for trying a few things that are not really doable with classical pens.

I recently finished reading this and well…. hmmm…. it didn’t offer as much as I expected. It’s mostly life style suggestions for looking after your telomeres. But for what it is, it’s worth a read.

The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Elizabeth Blackburn | Goodreads

When Vaclav first told me about what it is that the good people of Laupen [village close to Bern] traditionally do on the new year’s eve, I certainly thought he was pulling my leg. Or, at the very least, exaggerating a tiny bit. Well this NYE we went there and I saw the whole thing for myself. Turns out it’s all true. =D

First, there’s the parade. Starting from the castle, people in some interesting costumes come down the alleys of Laupen. Some in white cone hats and witchy outfits, some in these furry black costumes with some amazingly freaky wooden witch masks and well, the best bit was the “balloon skirt”s. Or at least it looked like they were wearing balloons around their waists at the first glance. But of course these are no ordinary balloons… they’re made out of cow bladder of all things. xD And they carry these long impressive broomsticks.

The procession stops in a couple of squares, and the leader of the group says some new year’s prayers, hoping for good fortune and for evil spirits to leave the village alone. And then of course the witches push into the crowd with their brooms causing a bit of excitement, as the bells ring. This procedure repeats for a few rounds, and then after the last round suddenly the balloon people start chasing after women/girls in the crowd. And well…. what comes next is the really good bit. The targeted poor soul receives a good beating with the cow bladder balloons! Of course these balloons make quite the popping sound when landing on one’s body, so what you hear is truly scary. Girls running around screaming their guts out and then you hear BAM BAM BAM BOOOOOM…. 5 of these balloon people hitting one poor girl with these balloons… and they mean business. And why? Well of course to drive the evil spirits away! All of this is naturally for the girl’s benefit! xD

So it looks and sounds, well, scary. But of course once you do get hit by one of these balloons [yup, did happen], you realize while they could probably leave a red spot [I mean… cow bladder… the things are like leather], they sound a lot scarier than they feel. Honestly they don’t really hurt… but they do make a loud popping sound that make you feel like… well… no evil spirits would even look at you for the whole of the next year.

Unfortunately my pictures of the event are really bad [purely documentary] since I took only my smaller camera with me [trying to be safe], no tripod, no real possibility of standing still for a moment and well, it was fairly dark. But at least you can see the balloons! Here’s the album.

Recently I’ve been seeing more and more commentary around the web calling Greta Thunberg “misguided”. Seeing how ridiculously busy my past year has been, I knew far less about Greta Thunberg and her message than I would have liked. When I read people saying she was misguided, my first thought [probably the bias of my background] was that perhaps she’s making claims that are not scientifically sound. However after spending a bit of time listening to what she has to say, so far I’ve not heard anything that doesn’t match the science and the facts. So then I wondered, why all the harsh judgement?

That’s when I realised people have a problem with her approach. She’s loud, bold, and panic inducing. She says what no one wants to hear, and she doesn’t sugarcoat the situation. She is slapping our collective faces real hard, and for a lot of people, especially the politician type, this is just not something they enjoy. And since her facts can’t be questioned, her approach and persona receive all the assault.

And then more recently I’ve been seeing increasing attempts at character assassination in the form of absurd nonsense like this.

When I saw this thing yesterday, I finally lost my cool….. why? Really? Must you? Why are we so quick to turn off our bloody brains? This comparison is like trying to make a case against water because oxygen is more important.  These two young people are each doing something very important, very necessary, and very different from each other. But on the other hand there’s an almost symbiotic relationship between what they’re doing, that whoever came up with this shortsighted  infographic isn’t taking into account at all.

Boyan Slat has come up with a solution for an incredibly large problem. He’s doing something amazing to save our oceans. And yes, it’s definitely a problem how little attention he’s receiving, it’s bloody embarrassing. In fact he’s one of the several scientists / technologists who are doing a lot for the environment, without receiving proper recognition for their work. And is that a surprise? There’s a growing list of environmental concerns and quite a few of these are by now getting completely out of hand, and our human society still acts like these are imaginary issues that are never going to touch our lives. We are acting like the problems don’t exist, is it any wonder we’re ignoring the people trying to solve them?

And this, my dear people who are calling Greta “misguided”, is why we bloody well need people like her! We are slumbering, and she is the WAKE UP CALL!! Boyan Slat is changing a world that is in deep deep trouble, and we are not paying attention to any side of that equation. Then when Greta calls us out for it, we call her misguided? What the hell people? If this was still some 200 years ago and we had time for niceties and refinements of speech, then maybe there would be a little bit of point in saying panic wouldn’t help. But holy hell, our sodding house is ON FIRE!! It’s time for panic like it’s never been before! Issues like climate change, deforestation, soil pollution etc, are no longer future concerns! Our very generation is already grappling, and soon will grapple much worse, with the consequences of all of these! And then you fault Greta Thunberg for panicking? My god, at this point if you’re not panicking you’re simply out of touch.

Boyan Slat is creating solutions, but that’s not enough. We need a lot more Boyan Slats. We need a lot more of a spotlight on the environmental issues, which requires a lot more awareness in our human society. We need to be woken up and educated. That’s what Greta Thunberg and people like her are trying to do, so don’t you dare question the importance of their work. If you think Greta Thunberg is “misguided” for trying to get us to panic, maybe you need to wake up and smell the bloody coffee.