w-ord of the rings

listened recently to the fantasy trilogy. tried several times to read this but was unsuccessful. my ‘excuses’ varied from being in high school to John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a Professor of English Literature at Oxford.

the movies were ‘essentially faithful’ to the first two books: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. for ‘practical’ reasons, i was ‘surprised’ that the film adaption of The Return of the King only covered a ‘small part’ of the namesake title.

it was a ‘nice touch’ that the updated version was voiced ‘deftly’ by Andy Serkis…

Monty Python and Philosophy: Nudge Nudge, Think Think!

have listened to the audiobook version of this and more than the previous popular culture and philosophy books in the series i’ve encountered before, this requires ‘more concentration’ on my part (is it obvious i’m not a ‘professional’ philosopher?). time permitting, might need to listen to this again to ‘improve my takeaways’,,,

will the real Adam Smith please stand up

i’m listening to The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith in its entirety. my interest was piqued after hearing a three-part series of podcasts (see below). i never really knew he was a moral philosopher (and not what we consider in ‘modern terms’ as an economist) despite his first book; The Theory of Moral Sentiments was the one that made him initially ‘famous’, but most of us only associate him with his second work.

it’s curious to me why a Scottish philosopher who lived ‘a while back’ remains ‘popular’ in America. Strangely, both sides of the political aisle quote his book to make a point – this fact intrigued me even more.

As an aside, the book mentions the ‘the butcher, the baker, and the brewer’ – is this the ‘modern expression of the butcher, the baker, and the CANDLESTICK Maker’: if so WHEN and WHY did this change?

—

In Search of the Real Adam Smith

Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger?

Can Adam Smith Fix Our Economy?

me before you: on self-interest and psychology

it’s interesting to me how some people put their own self-interest ahead of other’s well being.

like several days ago when a truck just went straight through a roundabout (probably because they felt safe and were confident the other vehicles would stop), when our cab had been travelling around the “circle” for some time. or when cars suddenly “just” change lanes without looking back. forget right-of-way (and other sensible driving precautions), other drivers just need to avoid me (and “react” to my “whims”).

i still can’t reconcile when able-bodied patrons choose to park in disabled spots for convenience when there are clearly a number of bays free. or when the able-bodied use disabled stalls or lavatories (as it’s more “spacious” i would think) when there are other free “facilities”. fair enough when it’s “chockers” and there’s no other option- when you have to go you gotta go.

yesterday, my taxi driver obviously had a cold and didn’t even bother to have a single window cracked open. given we’re currently in a global pandemic, i don’t condone his behaviour but understand – when he doesn’t drive, he has no income for the day. but his actions does affect others – i’m careful as my wife’s immune system is compromised

lately, it’s been health, economic, and political justifications. surely, IMHO, it’s an opportunity for psychology and sociology to “shine” and offer “impactful” advice given the irrational action of some. like how people flock to the beach during “nice weather” or for certain occasions and flout physical distance (or wearing masks) due to several weeks of isolation – i find this strange since i’ve been mostly home-bound for over a decade.

i suggest again our “leaders” (and everyone for that matter) read Nudge: Improving Decision about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by the Nobel Laureate in Economics, Richard Thaler.

“arbitrary” dates: on why Australia celebrates Father’s Day during the first Sunday of September

because i was originally from the Philippines, having Father’s Day on the 3rd Sunday of June was ingrained in me. partly i think because the Aussies are not that fond of the Americans, it is on a different date. i think it is celebrated here on the 1st Sunday of September (i think that’s correct but i still get confused sometimes). as i’ve got family back home, i need to keep track of both dates – as my cousin in the States puts it, you need an international calendar to keep up.

some people hypothesise, it is nearer to Christmas so it can be “conveniently” regifted if they are not very chuffed about it. some people say because spring time is different in the Southern hemisphere (in case you want to do a picnic). some say because we are influenced by England’s calendar and we have another occasion in June – so it is spread out for pragmatic purpose.

the day after: on Easter Monday

in Australia it’s a public holiday – from my “research” it’s also a day off in the Netherlands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Monday). from what i know, it’s also a statutory federal holiday in Canada but most employers also “recognise” the day. Moreover in Great Britain, some parts “honour” it as a ban holiday.

it is also called Bright Monday or Renewal Monday (as Orthodox Christians also celebrate Bright, Renewal, or Pascha Week).

it’s supposedly a day of rest after Easter Sunday but i suspect partly due to the number of Greek immigrants – and partly due to have holidays spread-off “evenly” in Australia (that’s why the Queen’s Birthday is celebrated on different dates across states/territories not corresponding to the monarch’s actual birth).

i could be wrong as my Google search didn’t yield an “exact” answer. Does anybody know the actual origin?

think twice: on the expression “you’ve got another thing coming.”

apparently, i was wrong: both think and thing are acceptable. like so many others, i had been inadvertently “influenced” by the Judas Priest lyrics.

i discovered my mistake when i “played” commonly confused words : https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-games/more-confusing

this had caused me to do a bit of digging and i stumbled upon this article: https://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2014/nov/18/mind-your-language-another-think

if mondegreens are often misheard lyrics, what do call “misinterpreted” language from a song?

pound for pound: on why we use lbs. for pounds

although we use the metric system in Australia, i still mainly use the English (or Imperial, pick your poison) equivalents for height and weight. maybe IMHO it makes more “sense”, maybe it’s just a force of habit (as we use a “mixed” version in the Philippines. strangely, we’ve not committed to one nor the other), or maybe some kind of combination of these.

apparently, lb is short for the Latin libra which roughly translates to “pound weight” – this etymology is also the root of the currency.

i partly recall the jingle to fully “convert” the population to metric that’s why i remember these ratios: cm = in * 2.54; lbs = kg * 2.2…

shades of grey: on the difference between “grey” and “gray”

i’ve always wondered about this but not until i had to use it in my code did i bother to find out the difference. apparently, it’s just a spelling thing: “grey” is the preferred British way; while some Americans use “gray”.

i was originally from the Philippines and the educational system there is heavily influenced by the Americans, and have migrated to Australia awhile back – hence the “worsening” of my confusion.

it took me awhile to resolve the “s” and “z” (pronounced here as “zed”.

my speech therapist says it’s another “obstacle” for me in learning to speak again as my accent is somewhat “Americanised” and most words are produced differently in Australian-English.

ironic

it was “surreal” last night.  on ABC last night, it featured MoJo (an iconic advertising consultancy and, eventually, a “full-blown” agency)that influenced and shaped Australia.  For those that don’t know, ABC  is a national TV channel that’s mainly funded by the government and disallows all forms of commercialism (including ads) – you can’t even discuss (much less promote) any brands on their shows.

it was so meta.  Admittedly, they have a programme called Gruen that “humorously” critiques ads but this somehow felt different as it impacted Australian culture.  It can be argued that it was simply a mirror and a true insight into the Australian zeitgeist.

While prior to them “proper” American or British accents were used to voice over commercials, authentic Australian enunciation and expressions were instead  used (although they were considered “vulgar” by the “establishment”). i think this “honesty” was greatly appreciated by the Australian public. i now believe that you should never be ashamed of your actual heritage despite what you were “taught” and the constant stream of messages to put you down. i’ve got a feeling that’s why they dislike the old country so much – it is said that POME was originally an acronym for Prisoner Of Mother England.

Hogs (Paul Hogan better known by some Americans as Mick “Crocodile” Dundee) was the human face of a former tourism campaign – i challenge anyone to say it wasn’t effective as Australia moved from the 78th preferred holiday destination by Americans to the 7th.  Prior to him, it was all wildlife (like koalas and kangaroos) and he was even recognised, arguably, as Australian of the Year for its success.  The catchphrase was even adapted to the Yanks: “put another shrimp on the barbie” – as no one Down Under referred to them as “shrimp” but as “prawns”.  They say a real measure of a tourism campaign isn’t just about the foreign visits but also abut how good the locals feel about their country.