Cipher Log

Chronicles in Language, Technology, and Law

A quote from Richard Feynman

January 19, 2007

And the next Monday, when they were all back at work, all the kids were playing in the field and one kid said to me, 'See that bird? What kind of a bird is that?' And I said that I didn't have the slightest idea what kind of a bird that is. He said it's a brown-throated thrush or something. He says, your father doesn't tell you anything. But it was the opposite. My father had taught me, looking at a bird he says, do you know what that bird is? It's a brown-throated thrush. But in Portuguese it's a Bom da Peida, in Italian a Chutto Lapittida. He says in Chinese it's a Chung-Iong-tah, in Japanese a Katano Takeda, et cetera. He says, you know in all the languages that you wanna know what the name of that bird is, and when you're finished with that, he says, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. You'll only know about humans in different places and what they call the bird. Now, he says, let's look at the bird, and what it's doing.

Loved ones in Iraq

January 14, 2007

I love reading the PostSecret website.

PostSecret is a website that displays anonymous, homemade postcards revealing secrets. The idea might seem kind of weird, and I'll admit it can be voyeuristic. But the redeeming quality is that it reminds us that we are all human. It reminds us that everyone we meet and everyone we interact with is far deeper than we imagine, that most people have experiences and fears and hopes hidden in their hearts that make them worthwhile people. And sometimes those secrets can resonate with you personally.

Hope You're Still Alive

President Bush has decided we need a troop surge in Iraq to help stabilize it. I'm not sure if that's right. I don't know if it will work. But I support him on this, because I believe we owe it to the Iraqi people and because I believe we owe it to the ideals of peace we try to work toward. But one of the implications is that someone very close to me will be in Iraq for three months longer, just as he was about to come home.

First post

January 14, 2007

Hooray for my new blog!