雲裳集 ── 飛舞的蒲公英

The Poverty of Utilitarianism

A series of lectures delivered by Michael Sandel, a Professor of Government at Harvard University, is available on-line at:
http://www.justiceharvard.org/

If you have recently visited bookstores, you might have noticed a book entitled "Justice: What's the right thing to do?" showcased at the very eye-catching corner. That book, also authored by Michael Sandel, covers the same topics in his lectures.

I would recommend disciples of utilitarianism and those who claim themselves "logical" to spend ten minutes or so watching the beginning of Episode 02. Certainly, there are more intuitive concepts and knowledges to explore. It is really thought-provoking!

If you believe in universal human rights, you are probably not a utilitarian.

The above words were excepted from "Justice: What's the right thing to do?" by Michael Sandel.

I just think that people in this world have been overly doctrinated by naive ideas of economics and scientific management. The system sucks as people who are most deeply poisoned are honored as "well educated" and "smart", and are allowed to climb to the uppermost class of societies, awarded with wealth and authority. Injustice and inequality are results of their dogmatic narrow-mindedness and greed.

Listed below are a few meaningful excepts from "Justice" which introduce the principles of morality of Immanuel Kant:

The utilitarian's happiness principle contributes nothing whatever toward establishing morality... Basing morality on interests and preferences destroys its dignity... When we act autonomously, according to a law we give ourselves, we do something for its own sake, as an end in itself. We cease to be instruments of purposes given outside us. This capacity to act autonomously is what gives human life its special dignity. It marks out the difference between persons and things... [R]especting human dignity means treating persons as ends in themselves. This is why it is wrong to use people for the sake of the general welfare, as utilitarianism does.

We, human beings, have dignity and are worthy of respect! To some people, this merely sounds like a political slogan; to some other people, it echoes as savior's voice.

廿一世紀文字獄

三號姐禁止我用這個字：「cum」，她稱她上司謂這個字是粗口。

世上一小撮人滿腦子壞思想，簡簡單單的一個字，規規矩矩的一個解釋，偏偏要想歪。

什麼心態？要防小人就先要抱小心之心？還是要借題發揮，讓下屬知道自己博學多才兼心思細密？

沒有錯， 「cum」的確可以作為粗口用，一本 Forbidden American English Dictionary 在手，查出 「cum」字可作以下解：

cum See come
come [kəm] 1. to experience an orgasm. (Widely known and used. There is no other single word for this meaning.) 2. semen. (This sense is less well known. Typical of male-to-male talk.)

但財務或會計學常提及「cum-dividend」，這個「cum」正是「cumulative」的略語。「cum」是粗口不能用？難道世上的會計師不是無知就是粗疏？

若「cum」不能用，難道「come」就可以用？

毛主席說：「沒有調查研究就沒有發言權。」

根據 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 網上版：

cum preposition
used between two nouns to show that something has two purposes:
a kitchen-cum-dining room
a lunch-cum-business meeting

第二個例子正合我當時的用法，中文正是「暨」的意思。

三號姐怕上司怕得要死，我亦無謂與她拗，免得她難做，就依她的意思將「lunch-cum-business meeting」 改成「combined lunch and business meeting」算了。

我實在戥香港市民高興，慶幸三號姐的上司並未任職於電檢處或藝發局。

每次跑步經過見到這個「招牌」，我都會想起這件事：



三號姐是我上司。

雲裳集 ── 馬蹄雲

假如不曾在網上見過，我斷不可能在茫茫雲海中認得這片馬蹄雲﹝horseshoe vortex cloud﹞：



我不知它的成因，只知它是一個浮在高空的渦旋，有說是積雲形成時上升氣流在周遭空氣攪出來的，標誌著強烈的垂直風切變。為何網上找到的照片顯示的馬蹄雲兩端總是向下的呢？

據稱馬蹄雲非常罕見。到目前為止我只見過這一次。

喪攪三日 ── KB2393802

辦公室的電腦壞了硬盤，要重新安裝 Windows XP 及軟件，裝好後以為一了百了，豈料開機後每當進入 Windows 就閃出藍幕，來不及看內容部機就自動 reboot ……，有如卡在旋轉門內，快要入到去又轉了出來；只能進入「安全模式」。

出動相機連拍才捉得住這個駭人的藍幕：


試過重新安裝了所有驅動程式及防毒軟件，裝來裝去，沒有起色。想是硬件出了毛病，但又疑惑為何「安全模式」沒有問題。難道是 Windows 的「更新」作怪？嘗試回復到「自動更新」前的狀況，問題迎刃而解。

我將「自動更新」功能關掉，再上 Windows Update 網站，按下"Custom"人為地檢出所有適用的「更新」。High Priority 的有九十幾個，究竟哪個才是罪魁禍首？分批十來二十個地安裝，然後重新啟動，一批接一批，直至出問題。進入「安全模式」回復到安裝這批「更新」前的狀況，再將那批次內的逐一安裝、重新啟動，一個接一個……，藍幕出現了 ── 原來是一個代號 KB2393802 的「安全性更新」作怪。再一次進入「安全模式」回復到安裝 KB2393802 前的狀況，盡裝了其他「更新」，重新啟動，結果安然無恙。

上網查看後發現這個「更新」惡名昭彰，受罪的不獨我一人。

喪攪了三日，我感覺自己老了三年。

假如你在重新安裝 Windows XP 及「更新」後遇上類此情形，先試試略過 KB2393802 ，無謂浪費青春。