[Thought] pff le Figaro

On trouve de tout sur Google News, et entre autre des articles du Figaro. Et des fois on rigole bien en lisant le Fiagro, par exemple: La disparition de la ménagère de moins de 50 ans et du personnel de maison, phénomènes que l'on peut regretter par ailleurs (http://www.lefigaro.fr/magazine/20050902.MAG0002.html) Dans un article sur le renouveau du gout de cuisiner en France (dont je juge le titre un peu racolleur, vu la minceur du contenu), quelques regrets de l'auteur... S'il sait cuisiner et faire le menage, je veux bien l'engager, s'il regrette tant que ca la disparition du "personnel de maison"!

[Thought/quote]

While I was (finally) sorting out the paperwork (which had been accumulating for 2 to 3 monthes!), I found a postcard, unwritten, in an enveloppe branded "Chicken Soup for the Soul". I must have bought that (the brand seems familiar), even if I can'r remember when. It's like a message from my past, but look how appropriate! For all of life is like that race, With ups and down and all, And all you have to do to win Is rise each time you fall. "Quit! Give up, you're beaten!" They still shout in my face. But another voice within me says: "GET UP AND WIN THE RACE! D.H. Groberg

[Books] Manifold Trilogy, Stephen Baxter

I just finished to read "Manifold: Origin".

As the other books of the Manifold sequel, this book spans thoughts of a galactic dimension, tries to answer the fermi paradox (if we are not alone in the universe, where are the aliens?), and teaches through description as much as it entertains by its fictional story. The characters belongs to several species of hominids, which permits the author to describe their mutual relationships in biology as in history.

DON'T READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU'RE GOING TO READ THE BOOKS!!!
Each Manifold book tries to answer the Fermi's paradox in its own way.

• In "Manifold: Time", (from what I remember, I read it a long time ago), humanity is not alone but almost, because most species either suppres themselves or enter a "virtual" world (like the whole population starts playing EverQuest forever) and trigger super-novae so that no other species can evolve to come and disturb them. I liked the concept of a whole species entering a virtual world of their own, but the other theories are far fetched.
• In "Manifold: Space", the universe is full of life, but each species learned early to hide itself for fear to bring competition from other stars, or disapeared from this competition. I like this one particularily because the change of paradigm that it supposes (we don't see the alien because they don't exist vs because they hide themselves or disapeared through competition and evolution) seems to me similar to the change of paradigm undergone with the birth of paleontology and darwinism (we don't see other form of life because they don't exist vs because they disapeared).
• In "Manifold: Origin", an ancient species, similar to hominids, created the universe such that hominids are alone there, for fear that other species would anihilate the hominids, but created many parallel universes so that many hominid species could evolve separately and not be lonely. It seemed a bit too antropocentric for me, it sounds too close to the belief that the whole universe is centered on Earth and humankind.

I like those books, they leave me with thought about colonizing the solar system, the universe beyond, about the survival and spread (both closely linked, when you consider the risk of Earth being collided with another body) of the species or at least of our eco-system, about destiny. I wish politicals leaders could afford to have such a long term view, but I guess that it is reserved to prophets, not to politicians... And anyway it would be already great if they cared a bit for the survival of humanity whithin the next 500 years: ecology and social engineering shouldn't be minor features!

[Blues]

Bouh. Gros coup de blues Jeudi soir: suis rentre et me suis couche a 5h de l’après-midi. Réveillé a 8h, j'ai mange un peu de pain et me suis recouche avec un bouquin, pour m'endormir a 1h du matin... Du coups ce Vendredi je me suis levé a 8h, ait bosse une heure en déjeunant, puis me suis recouche avec mon livre. Trop de problèmes a réfléchir en même temps, je perd un peu la boule (et ma sante en passant).

Mes problèmes ne vont pas se résoudre tout seuls. Va falloir que je me police comme un garnement, que je m'interdise les bouquins en semaine, voire que je me restreigne la musique. Que je fasse une liste de taches les ordonne par priorité et m'y accroche. Que je me mette un peu en colère contre moi-même et le reste, ça me donnera un peu de pèche.

Va surtout falloir que je passe moins de temps a deblaterer sur ce @#%@#$ de blog!

[Thoughts] The thoughts on my window...

Two years ago, I bought for fun some special pens to draw on windows. It was a surprise for Mirela, when she came back from the university, to find Halloween drawings on all the windows :) When I moved to Waterloo, I found back those pens, and put them in my "toy chest" among the magnets, juggling stuff and various social games. I found it back a few monthes ago before leaving for Europe, and I used them to write various thoughts on the windows, for Mirela to think of me while I was away. Actually, it was so sunny that she always put the curtains on and didn't see them much :)) As I added another thought on the window, I thought that I could share them with you on the blog. Today's thought came after I read an article in the last issue of "National Geographic" about alternative source of energies. I guess that it came also from the science fiction book that I read late last night, "Manifold Origin": EARTH is like an EGG, HUMANITY like a CHICK. When the ressources of the egg are exhausted, the chick gets out or die... It is close in spirit (and in space: they are on adjacent windows!) from an older quote, that I copied from a book, I don't remember exactly which one: If CIVILIZATION is to SURVIVE, It must live on the INTEREST, not the CAPITAL, of NATURE. On the kitchen window, two other thoughts, the first one from a joyfull song from Jacques Higelin: La MORT est le berceau de la VIE!!! The second quote comes from my tortured mind: I am 1/2 as inteligent as I would like to be, and 2* as stupid as I think I am. I used to have an additional sentence to that thought, saying something as "But it doesn't make you more intelligent than me.", but my mother really hated this, saying that it was competition to stinking extreme. As I realized that she might be partially right, I removed it, it is much nicer without it. And anyway, only stupid people would understand this thought as an admission that I am stupid...