A few years ago the eMusic online store felt like a very good alternative to the iTunes store mainly because of the low price of the music tracks. Back then I got some very good promotions that kept me subscribed and I made good use of the credits. Probably the best discovery that I made during my eMusic experience was the Kiera Lee 2005 album What Do I Believe. I remember back then comparing the samples with Taylor Swift's first album just as she, Taylor, was about to take off and deciding that I liked Kiera's album much better. In this time I have not changed my opinion: just my liking.
Kiera Lee hails from Canada. As I reviewed in the eMusic site, the music in this album lies somewhere between pop and country. The music and lyrics are uplifting and really change your mood for the better. The first two tracks are the best while the rest do hold up.
I liked the music so much that I went to eBay and overpaid for a caseless physical CD (just checked and there's one offered at this very moment). The tracks on the CD are not the same as in the MP3 album. Some are even different recordings from the same songs, that, if anything, are even more touching, so one can say that there is no duplication in owning both formats. Maybe I got a sampler or something.
With the spread of competing online music stores, the music of this album can be easily found, so if you think you might like it, check it out.
When I was in junior high two separate friends quite coincidentally bought Destiny of the Emperor for the NES with just a few months apart and both invited me over to play. Not much later, one of them, Gabriel, bought me Romance of the Three Kingdoms II for the SNES at an open air market just by chance. I'd like to give a word to the media I've been exposed to since then. In chronological order.
Destiny of an Emperor for NES
What got us into this one in the first place is that it shared many of the standard RPG elements we could relate to: an overhead map, encounters, towns, items you could equip, a party, 'magic' and HP in the form of your troops. The most innovative aspect, which I've not seen since, which is a shame, is the All-Out option during fights; toggling it, you let your troops to automatically slug it out with the enemies and may the best win. If things go begin to look sour, especially against strong tacticians, you can regain control. This saves lots of time and is at times more fun than selecting actions for every party member each round.
The game does a great job of introducing the characters at the intro with just a few lines and along the story. We never were at a loss about what we were expected to do, despite not knowing who these people were at first. The crucial part were the character portraits, which appear to be a mainstay for the media. With them we could distinguish between the generals despite the unfamiliar names. At a glance we could tell if the opponent was an important character or not, because either his portrait was a generic variation of a handful of templates or an extra effort was put into it. Also the stats. We could judge the different characters from them; Zhuge Liang the most clever, Lu Bu the strongest, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei close behind.
The most frustrating part was meeting Zhuge Liang in the first place and the getting him to wake up (If I remember rightly you have to keep the B button pressed or something). Unless you had him, you couldn't enter 'the peaceful land of Shu'. This one also turned up to be one of those games where you can hardly string more than half dozen steps without having someone attack you (Dragon Warrior II apparently is the worst in this area). Fortunately, the programmers thought of the 'smoke pot' item to avoid being always harassed.
The music fits the mood and some of the fight tunes are exciting.
The story follows the events of the novel broadly and it goes from the Yellow Turban rebellion to the final encounters with Sun Quan, Cao Pi and Sima Yi. You play as Liu Bei and his generals Curiously enough, Cao Cao is an ally on some part, and never an opponent.
On the whole a well-balanced game and pretty entertaining.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II for the SNES
This one is a strategy game. You have to develop your land, collect taxes, train your troops, carry on diplomacy, recruit more generals and deal with natural disasters. You can start in one of the many 'Acts' of the novel from Dong Zhuo's seizing of Luoyang to the consolidation of the three kingdoms, the map reflecting each one's territory at the moment. You can play as any of the principal leaders and pretty much as any of the obscurer ones or conjure up your own.
Encounters are tactical in nature and very solid. At the start you may challenge the other side or be challenged by a hero of them to a hand-to-hand combat, the result depending on the strength stats of the generals. Each province have different terrains and you move your troop units through them in order to capture your opponents castle and win the province. One of the best parts is that of joint attacks and cpu controlled reinforcements which can event switch sides if it suits them. Speaking of the AI in the game, the computer is no pushover, although you're destined to win in the end, the computer puts in a good fight.
The most difficult part always is vanquishing Liu Biao. He rarely expands and stacks up on generals making him densely packed for defense and always ready for your onslaught. Liu Bei has difficult starting points in the first stages.
As in Destiny each general has his own portrait and stats. The portraits are better than in Destiny, but Zhang Fei's and Zhao Yun's and perhaps Ma Chao's were better in the older game. With the aid of the portraits the instruction manual does a great job of explaining the situation in each time period, and of the story as a whole, in just a few pages. Aww… this were I first learned about the fate the three brothers.
The music is just acceptable but can get repetitive real quick. The ending consists of famous scenes from the novel graphically very good considering the medium. You can restart a play again and again as this one has a very high replay value. I still have my copy.
Of course, there is a whole series of games under this title. Since I've only played this one I cannot talk of all the rest. However, ROTKII is so good that, I can only guess at the improvements the publisher has made over this long while, The latest must be… superb.
Three Kingdoms: The Novel (translated by Moss Roberts)
The main course and holy grail of all three kingdoms media. I do not remember how I learned there was in fact such a book, but I think it was one of my first orders at amazon. It is a large book consisting of 120 chapters, which, like The Lord of The Rings, you drink it whole with gusto.
Everything is here: the characters, the action and battles, the different plots and counterploys, the inner stories of some characters all these enhanced with maps and loads of endnotes. This is all very exciting and so much so that every chapter ends with cliffhanger. I feel guilty at having liked it even better than The Iliad (going to reread that in the future though).
After having played the previous games I could dive right in. I now knew who everyone, more or less, was and could now contextualize their relationships. Some mysteries were now solved such as why some minor characters were highlighted in the games, such as Li Jue & Guo Si; the rival tigers and tiger-wolf strategies; Zhang Liao's route; and why some allies were prone to betray you, like Wei Yan.
There are many memorable scenes here. Not everything is just the Red Cliffs. To me the most striking, is the visit of Cheng Gong and Cao Cao to the latter's uncle; the sudden realization, and Cao Cao's final decision and rejoinder.
I'll have to check back on this one (or confirmation please!), but to me it appeared that Li Dian unintendedly played the role of the recurring enemy that comes back each week with different ploys only to be defeated again and again.
Jiang Wei ended up being my favorite character narrowly edging the more famous ones.
If the story or generals are already familiar to you and you're willing to read, the novel is a must; you will not get bored and simply put you won't regret it. Be sure to get the Moss Roberts translation which flows just right and gives the names in Pinyin, which is the system shared by most (it appears to me) of the current media. If you want to read it but still are unacquainted with the characters, not to worry. Check out kongming.net were you can find the portraits to many of the games out there and give a face to the name. If you live in Boston, the Boston Public Library at Copley Square has the four volume set.
Marionette theater
A troupe of marionetters from the East came to my town and offered two or three performances with scenes from the Three Kingdoms. I got a ticket for a Sunday morning show. The medium-sized theatre was full with mostly families with children. The introduction to the story was carried out by a local actress which gave the proper pronunciation, as far as I can tell, of the character names. I, for my part, invariably refer to CaoCao inside my head as "cow, cow". The marionettes were of the giant variety controlled by black clad puppeters on stage. The performance was solid, submerging the audience into the drama. One of the scenes included was the visit to ZhugeLiang's house.
(Video shows not exactly what I saw, but you get the idea).
Comic Books from China
The rest of the Three Kingdoms sites out there are more complete than mine, but I think I've got something they don't. A family member brought me a boxset of Chinese novels from a trip to China which includes the Three Kingdoms.
What one finds inside is a series of comic panels, over 600 of them in all, following the plot. Each panel is numbered and captioned. This one too goes from the brothers' pledge to what looks like the fall of Shu. Some of the scenes and characters are recognizable, but the majority remain opaque to me. Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Lu Bu and Zhang Fei are among the identifiable personages. The captions look too brief to explain much, so I guess one has to know the story to enjoy the medium.
The other novels are in the same style and format. One is clearly the adventures of the Monkey King; as if there was a chance of ever mistaken him. The other two are a mystery to me. Apparently these are the Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin. Dream has a Jewel of the Palace vibe, while Margin looks like a brother or at least first cousin to the Three Kingdoms with battles, generals and lords. There is also someone with a feather fan… Since I cannot read any of them I just regard these as a collector's item.
Koihime Musou (anime)
A surprise that refreshes the Three Kingdoms universe. Though mostly plotless, as it focuses more on character interaction, it is quite good and lighthearted in its presentation. The battle scenes, though brief, are not unsatisfying. The best, without doubt, is Gan Ning vs Lu Meng in the third season. Most of the production budget is used in the voice acting of some fifty characters and in their outfits which are very detailed and, yes, beautiful. These last also allow a sizable amount of tasteful fanservice.
It consists of three seasons that can be watched legally for free at Crunchyroll, and three (forgettable) OVAs.
Koihime Musou (Visual Novel)
Basically a dating game on which the anime is based. I downloaded the demo from Mangagamer and played up to the intro sequence and an hour or so after that. I have problems with this one. First though the good part: the more I browse around the Visual Novel Database the more convinced I am that visual novels are an art form in it of itself. Notable is the care taken on character design, settings, story, routes and even music. That said, they look like an enormous time sink. They are long and (based on just this one experience) long drawn. Boy, these people do talk: they are not kidding when they refer to the media as 'novels'. After all has been said and done, after all the girls conquered and all the endings achieved, what is one left with other than the good memory? Also, there's a huge risk of liking the characters too much. Do resist the siren call.
To top it off, the game is also adult oriented which may be a good or a bad thing.
Penned by Zhuge Liang himself this is the only nonfiction of the group. It is a set of recommendations and advice in much the same vein as The Art Of War. I saved it for years on my bookshelf waiting for the perfect moment to read it. When I finally did, it left no impression on me. I'll have to take a deep thoughtful look on this one sometime again.
Others I've not experienced:
The Three Kingdoms has spawned a veritable parade of adaptations, probably too much for anyone to find let alone consume. Here are just a few notable others that have come to my attention, but not watched, played or read.
Ikkitousen/ Battle Vixens
The Three Kingdoms reduced to a high school setting. A concept similar to Koihime Musou but more violent and racy.
The Ravages of Time (manhua)
Great artwork.
Three Kingdoms (2010 TV series)
A huge live production by the looks of it. Also feels like the best alternative to actually reading the novel.
Dynasty Warriors
Many people nowadays seem have had their introduction to The Three Kingdoms through this series of games. Never played any, but they must have something into them. I cannot explain how some bunch of unknowns (at first) slugging it out has been so successful here in the West. On a side note, though quite capable, somehow I don't feel that Cao Cao would deign himself to fight hand on hand.
Due to the well-known end of life for Win XP I decided to switch my virtual machine platform to Virtual Box from VirtualPC 2007. To anyone else who's looking to do likewise here go the pros and cons I've seen of the newer over the older.
Pros:
Easier virtual hardware configuration
Multiple cores
Video acceleration
Snapshots
Video capture
Client more frequently updated
Faster VM loading
USB support
Still free
Cons:
Heavy files
Backup a hassle:
Resource intensive & slow
Guest Windows activation somehow doesn't survive the export/import cycle
No file drag and drop between guest and host with Windows as a guest
I've not been able to easily set up a shared folder
This one is creepy: My Andrea sound pod wakes up and blinks signaling that the microphone is active. Haven't found the reason.
We Japanese: Being descriptions of many of the customs, manners, ceremonies, festivals, arts and crafts of the Japanese, besides numerous other subjects is probably one of the best treasuries of old Japan out there and affordable as well. Prepared by the Fujiya hotel at Hakone it consists of a whole collection of one or two pages descriptions of customs, folk tales and more. These vignettes were originally prepared and printed on the menu cards by the hotel for the sake of both the local and foreign visitor. These became so popular that were gathered in three volumes.
By the looks of it, the flagship 1950 edition combines all three previous volumes. Most of the entries are illustrated with drawings, but some b&w photos are also included. The info is current to 1950, but some of it dates back to at least 1934 which makes the book a time capsule of sorts. As an object it is traditionally bound and enclosed in an unfolding case which shuts with a bone (faux?, real?) pin. There appear to be at least three different designs for the cover which is texturized. Each page is folded double.
The descriptions and stories are concise, insightful, frequently delighting. Since these only are a page or two, they allow reading at odd times. An index is included, but does not cover absolutely all, so some digging is still needed to find all there is to know about some particular topic.
We Japanese came on my radar it after reading Ryokan by Fahr Becker (also recommended) which borrows from it on a dozen or so occasions.
Despite its relative rarity, it surprises me how low it can be bought for. I got mine for around $20, but I've seen it as low as $12. I say one should grab a copy even if for a gift. This kind of value offers are not easy to come by.
When I was about
five, I remember once seeing giant bee.
My dad was taking out the car from the driveway and there it was on the steps
going down. It was about 3 inches long, and although it had at least two bands,
yellow and black, I couldn't see any of its wings. Of course, I was startled by
such large animal and couldn't take a close look at it. My brother and I asked
our dad about it and he told us that that would be a queen bee. We climbed into
the car and probably one of the tires went over it.
Now, a bee cannot
get that big, queen or not, so I do not know what I saw then. I'm sure I saw
something nonetheless. It would have been a great prize for a natural history
museum and it wouldn't have been that difficult to capture it too: a large
bucket and on to the phones. I've asked both my father and brother about it
since then, but they don't seem to remember anything of the sort.
However some present
day analysis is warranted. According to http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_big_do_bumble_bees_get?#slide=2 not a bee, but a bumble bee can effectively
grow to be such large. I've never seen anything like that since on the field or
on the media, or heard talk of humongous bees, but I must label this childhood
mystery of mine as solved.
Nowadays we take information technology for granted. Computers and communication work, for the most part, as they should. But under all this, there is a fascinating story to be told. James Gleick, in his book The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood, describes all this and more with starry-eyed infectious wonder.
Actually, as the title implies, this is more like three books in one. Starts with the very notion of communication, language both spoken & written, and the meaning of meaning. One is magically transported from era to era as in a time machine to look at what happened and wander around each period . From the jungles of Africa, to Greece, to the lexicographer's desk, to Babbage's workshop, to Shannon's farmfield and more. Gleick conducts the guided tour explaining all and never losing the thread despite the must-see detours. It is very accessible and I believe it could inspire some children to follow in the steps of great men in the field.
With Shannon and Turing, Gleick passes from the history into the theory or more like the immediate history of the theory. This part cranks up the abstraction, but still to a manageable level for the most part. It warrants a careful read to not miss the details. At this point, of particular interest are the first cybernetics summits where the towering figures of the day try to make sense of it all for the first time. It feels like the Philadelphia Continental Congresses all over again.
Information within biology is not forgotten. Two chapters also are devoted to Richard Dawkins' ideas on the selfish gene and the meme and how these two work. Finally, complexity, information and randomness are tied together.
The final part, the deluge, is dealt in the final two chapters. These address the usual suspects, namely wikipedia, namespace and your email inbox. Being an overview, don't expect solutions to your possible information overload.
Colvin, in his book Talent is Overrated, says that an asset of great performers in any field is that they have an ever expanding mental model on which to hang new knowledge. The contents and structure of The Information can be your ready-made model for many wide areas: no need to start from scratch. From language, to logic, to math, to biology, to computers, to the information. If you ever wanted to have a systematic feel for these areas, this is your ticket.
Totally recommended for those who have a programming, mathematics or linguistics background but just as well for those who just like nonfiction for its own sake.
The only caveat with this book is the psychodelic cover design of the paperback edition.
Not so long ago I tried to get head first into Aristotle's Organon starting backwards with the Topics and, oh, it is so tough.
I blame his style for being so convoluted. It is still chock full of goodies, but much effort is needed to unearth the gems. I decided that what was needed to get the info was either : a) sterling willpower and pen & paper; b) a guided tour; or c) the indirect route. I chose the latter by retaking symbolic logic, the same I should have learned from high school. Looking around, I found some books that I wanted to mention.
(What follows refers mostly to college level intro logic)
Sherlock's Logic
This is divided into two parts. The first one is a detective story involving a murder and the Templars. The story itself is good and a quick read. The second part introduces concepts of symbolic logic, one at a time, matching each with a chapter from the preceding story. Explanations are very condensed, which requires the reader to really exert herself to grasp each concept. In general, it is a survey of logic all right, but leaves out great many unexplored areas, has too few exercises (and those without answers), is unsystematic, steep, and in the end, unsatisfying.
Introduction to Symbolic Logic by Karl J Smith
If you are on the run and need only a refresher, this is the book for you. Concepts are quickly explained and exercises for each chapter, with answers at the end of the book provided.
Schaum's Outlines: Logic 2nd by Nolt
Nolt's is just like Smith's but on steroids. You know the series. I came to this one for the solved exercises (which once you get to them are like meh), but stayed for the concise explanations which shine. This one covers the whole spectrum and a bit more. Inexpensive and readily available.
Logic: a Modular Approach by Facione & Scherer
Now we enter into those of textbook calibre. This one starts from naught and begins building from there, first with language and then with the usual logic programme. Each concept is clearly delineated and referenced to previous ones. As said the system is built upon itself through modules which correspond to subchapters in the usual sense. There are 46 modules in total. A fair amount of exercises are also to be found at the end of each module with answers to about half of the problems. Four cumulative tests are also included. This is an old book (the Disco font on the cover betrays its age), but still feels current and can still be purchased new. Compared to Copi's, this book is easier (yet not dumbed down) and its content more thoroughly explained. It unfortunately has also some long stretches of mind-numbing expositions. Its biggest faults however are that it only has a couple of modules on inductive reasoning and doesn't get into predicate calculus.
Introduction to Logic by Copi & Cohen
This appears to be the standard on logic textbooks. Notwithstanding, it is unnecessarily dense. Answers to just 1 out of 5 exercises. I would skip this one altogether since, despite its many editions, it still needs moderate to heavy streamlining. It is also expensive.
Symbolic Logic by Copi
Tough and stingy with explanations, yet it is well worth a look to affirm and expand the basics. Definitely not a first course. The hardest exercises are to be found here though this one too has too few solutions. Peter Suber and someone else on the net have solutions up to chapter 5.
Symbolic Logic: A First Course by Gary M. Hardegree
This one is the best on translation to symbolic (formalization) I've seen bar none. Goes up to polyadic predicate. It doesn't rush things and looks at every nook and cranny without losing the thread. Can take a while to make through the relevant chapters, but you end with the feeling of really knowing the stuff. Dozens of exercises are also provided with answers. Regrettably, identity is not covered.
Logic: Analysing and Appraising Arguments by Gensler
This one is an extensive attempt but is relatively light on explanations. Of all the books mentioned it is the only one which takes a look at modal logic in some length though. It has been superseded by a newer book by the same author.
A Concise Introduction to Logic by Hurley
As with the first Copi, this is an inexplicably expensive book. This one also carries about the same usual logic topics. Includes predicate logic calculus. Of all, this one felt best at expounding inductive logic and probably the best overall. Once more, answers to just a few exercises.
Logic by Paul Tomassi
In this one the author tries to make intro logic accessible to students who struggle with it once and for all. I'm not sure he succeeds in this, but the book might come in handy as a backup as it goes deeper than the rest on some philosophical aspects. As of late, the more I look at it, the more I like it.
Logic With Trees by Howson
A showcase of the Truth-Trees. The author takes a deep look into them which has the unfortunate effect of placing the book beyond the scope of first time delvers. Unless you really have to know about the inner-workings of Trees, you are better off with Tomassi's book or with Nolt's which look at their immediate, mechanical aspect in a more practical, concise manner. Howson's book could serve as a first course, but it wouldn't be my first choice, nor my second, nor my third, etc. Some solved exercises. Can be skipped safely.
First Course in Mathematical Logic by Suppes
This one too starts from the ground up, but shifts the focus from language to mathematical expressions. The author appears to be going somewhere with the focus on number expressions, but its the same logic from the other books with just different symbols. Worth a look if you're math oriented, have interest in logic in general or if it's the only one you can lay your hands on. If language or philosophy, however, is your interest, you might be better served by one of the others. While strong on propositional, for predicate it shrinks from Existential Instantiation/Elimination rules entirely. Note that set theory is also not covered. No answers to the exercises. Wah! Oh wait, Frederick Binford has those.
Lógica Clásica de Primer Orden by Falguera
The most dense of the ones here, idiosyncratic, out of print and in another language. All the same, it has great many substitution rules with proofs for predicate logic. Also has a couple hundreds of exercises with solutions on an accompanying booklet.
In closing, here's something completely different:
Logicomix by Doxiadis et al.
This is one is a graphic novel based on Bertrand Russell's search of Truth & certainty in logic. An easy read, places many of the concepts in their historical context and serves as a good appetizer for Gleick's The Information of which we'll talk next week.
Hi. I'm interested in books, tea & tech of course. Chess (I'm about 1900 elo on Fics) and music too. Some anime on the side; have a Crunchyroll account over there.
I swim daily on weekdays and have joined a gym (I want my own Frank and Andy). Never learned to ride a bike though.
Thanks for stopping by.
