Large Hadron Collider Pop-Up Book!!!

First and foremost, maybe I am a geek. Or nerd.

When I stumbled upon an article about this pop-up book, my eyes went wide and how my heart REALLY want somehow to be able to help my hands get a hold on a copy of this book!

Such a creative way to inform other people about the Large Hadron Collider and since it's scale are correct, (maybe) you could imagine seeing one.

Ooooh... I want one of this.

Day 340-1: A Lotta Books!

As for last week I got a bunch of opportunities for stage photography, this week I'm overwhelmed by books! A whole lotta books!

I just bought Nagabumi I (yes it is the first book of I do not know how many) by Seno Gumira Ajidarma. Being published by Gramedia, I hope that it won't be one of many series that the sequel never get to print because the first book's selling was not that many. I remember a lot of titles but I'm not sure those were Gramedia's published books.

And yes it cost me more than a hundred thousand rupiahs because it was a hardcover edition which remind me of Senopati Pamungkas and Musashi and Taiko from the same publishing company. I do have the intention to collect those titles yet somehow I never passed the initial barrier of holding the book on my hand in a bookstore.

Boy I just wish Mr. Ajidarma wrote this one really well and the publishing company do printed the sequel otherwise I would send them hatemails! Spams! I'd even willing to allocate time to make online threats!




Of course she has nothing to do with the book I mentioned above but a post without an accompanying picture is live a vegetable without salt. (Er, am I saying the right expression?)

Day 315+1: Some Notes About The Lost Symbol

Let me quote a part first:

Only through the death experience could man fully understand his life experience. Only through the realization that his days on earth were finite could he grasp the importance of living those days with honor, integrity, and service to his fellow man.

Now wouldn't that be a surprise? I always have this thought that by depriving or losing or taken away from you, you'd value what you got and already have and probably will still be having.

And by the last part (honor, integrity, and service), that'd be what I really want to see from a lot of people. Man, wouldn't that'd be nice?

Some Notes About The Lost Symbol, Part 1

WARNING, SPOILER ALERT!

Now let me put some quotes first (I read the Doubleday's hardcover edition):

Chapter 1 page 7
"    The fifty-eight-year-old philantropist, historian, and scientist had taken Langdon under his wing nearly thirty years ago, in many ways filling the void left by Langdon's father's death."

Chapter 3 page 13
"His physique was not quite what it had been in his college days as a water-polo all-American, but he was still lean and toned, respectable for a man in his forties."

Chapter 3 page 14
"    Peter Solomon had been a friend, mentor, and, although only twelve years Langdon's senior, a father figure to him ever since their firts meeting at Princeton University. As a sophomore, Langdon had been required to attend an evening guest lecture by the well-known young historian and philantropist."

= = = = = = = = =

Now you see, if Peter Solomon was twelve years older than Robert Langdon, that made Langdon forty-six-years-old.

They first met around thirty years ago, let's say for the sake of making it simpler, it was twenty-eight-years ago. That means that Solomon was thirty-years-old and Langdon a mere sixteen -- and Langdon was already in sophomore years!

Well, does Mr. Brown tried to make a point that Langdon is a genius (or at the very least, advanced academically?)

Isn't It Curious? Photography Books Queries...

Right now, sitting in a cafe, drinking black coffee, no sugar (one of my favorite drink) while using the available free wi-fi, my mind got on a journey -- as what a wayfarer should be. That's me, wayfarer, if you don't recognize it. Maybe it's just my nature or the caffeine in just one cup could get my mind soaring and wandering to places that might be unrelated to my everyday life.

Right now I remember my previous visit to a famous bookstore that boast to be the largest in Indonesia. You see, as a photography hobbyist, it's no wonder that I'd walk to Hobby/Photography section on my every visit to that bookstore -- or any similar but different brand bookstore.

But in any Indonesian bookstore, I see similarities. Coincidence? I don't know. Maybe that's because it just what we Indonesian do things.

You see, there's seemed to be a lot more books on photography's digital editing, more than about how to photograph or any real photography books that even tell you about basic rules in photography, or books on tips, or about certain places that are photographically beautiful. There's these line of photoshoping books on different version of PS, or different subject but using Photoshop, or using Photoshop to edit photos.

I mean, want to find a book about lighting tutorials or composition or how to use certain types of camera? Good luck on that.

Maybe because doing photography is still an expensive hobby or maybe there's not enough local photographers willing to write books about their experience or offer their insights but there's an army of photoshoppers willing to share. Which is, to me, is inadequate, at least for me.

I mean, are those pro photograpers, Indonesian photographers, unable to find time to write quality books on various subjects? How can it seemed that photographers are more content on showing-off their work -- thus a lot of coffee table photography books -- but not their how-to's? How come you can find image editing books easier than photography books?

I know there are a lot of photographers, Indonesian photographers, that have great works and cool photos. But what about their thoughts? Their taking on some photography subjects?

No wonder you can see a lot of average photos out there on any social networking sites that are photography-centric. Or average photos heavily edited with various techniques and tricks. I must admit that I am amazed at the photos, the amout of work (time, energy, thinking) that were put on that photograph.

But you just can't take any average photo and photoshopped it to be outstanding. That's just be really tedious. Or maybe it can but that'll take a lot of work than doing it right the first place...

Come on you guys! Where's your books?

Di Tepi Sungai Piedra Aku Duduk dan Menangis -- Paulo Coelho

Jika kepedihan harus datang, biarlah ia datang dengan cepat. Karena aku memiliki kehidupan, dan aku harus menjalaninya dengan sebaik-baiknya. Kalau ia harus membuat pilihan, biarlah ia melakukannya sekarang. Dengan begitu aku bisa menunggu atau melupakan dirinya.

Menunggu sangatlah menyakitkan. Melupakan amatlah menyakitkan. Namun tidak mengetahui apa yang harus dilakukan adalah penderitaan yang paling menyakitkan.

Di suatu sudut di hatiku, aku merasa Ia mendengarkan permohonanku.

Day 75: Integritas

Hari ini aku mulai membaca sebuah buku tentang integritas karya Dr. Henry Cloud.

Aku belum tahu bakal mendapat apa dari membaca buku ini tapi aku berharap ada semacam solusi untuk hal-hal yang kurasakan belum berhasil kucapai tapi ada disebutkan di dalam bagian awal buku tersebut -- yang menjadikan alasanku membelinya tadi malam di sebuah toko buku dekat kantor.

Tapi seperti banyak buku lainnya yang kubaca dan/atau kubeli, membaca karya terjemahan memang membingungkan. Entah kenapa, sepertinya sulit sekali menangkap makna dari tiap bab yang tersaji. Aku berharap bukan karena kecerdasanku menurun dan kemampuan analitisku memburuk -- seperti juga kemampuanku memelototi layar LCD komputer setiap hari.

Yah, pokoknya ada sedikit yang aku tangkap soal karakter dan integritas dan keterkaitannya. Mungkin aku bisa merumuskannya untukku sendiri nanti. Kita lihat saja nanti.

BTW, menuliskan sesuatu yang menarik sambil mendengarkan "The Slip"-nya NIN tidak gampang ya.

Sucker for Barbarianism

You see, some childhood readings could stick to you in ways that even stick to your adulthood.

That's what I felt right now as I waited for my turn to download Conan comics from some link in Rapidshare. Because I was not into paying the service, it asked me to wait (and wait again) each time I want to download the series that was originally published by Marvel Comics -- well, someone scanned all this pages and then uploaded them.

Actually, Conan the Barbarian is a character in books. And I know that this might be constituted as illegal. But then, educate me. Please!

I'm a sucker for all things Conan (the Barbarian). That's why I felt envious when the game Age of Conan released. I want to play it. Even if the game not quite live to the expectation.

And what about the next Conan movie? You just have to find another one to fill for Conan. The Governator Arnold S. is just not fit into the role anymore.

(continued...)

Let Me Quote You: Michael Crichton's "State of Fear"

The fact that so many people were executed for a fantasy -- and despite the reservations of prominent skeptics -- carries a lesson that we must always bear in mind. The consensus of the intellegentsia is not necessarily correct, no matter how many believe it, or for how many years the belief is held. It may still be wrong. In fact, it may be "very" wrong. And we must never forget it. Because it will happen again. And indeed it has.

"The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder"

Sungguh menyenangkan bila kantorku dekat dengan toko buku impor, misalnya Kinokuniya.

Kemaren ketika menunggu hujan reda, aku berteduh di Plaza Senayan dan untuk tidak membuang-buang waktu bengong memandangi hujan turun, aku masuh ke dalam Kinokuniya.

Dari pintu masuk, aku langsung tertarik pada sebuah buku yang dipajang dengan strategis dan "meneriakkan" judul The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder oleh Vincent Bugliosi.

Isinya?

Bila kalian menekuni ilmu hukum atau tertarik dengan bacaan non-fiksi dan peduli tentang masalah internasional, mungkin akan tertarik dengan penjabaran seorang mantan jaksa penuntut umum (padanan jabatannya di Indonesia) ini tentang bahwa sudah sepantasnya seorang presiden seperti George W. Bush dituntut di pengadilan Amerika dengan tuduhan membunuh 4.000 warga negara Amerika yang dijadikan tentara dan sekitar 100.000 warga negara Irak yang mati sejak masuknya tentara Amerika ke Irak.

Penjabarannya dilakukan secara sistematis dengan maksud membuat sebuah kasus dengan tuntutan yang tidak tergoyahkan dan target vonis: "Guilty as charge."

Seandainya saja ada toko buku di dekat kantorku yang gampang dicapai dan bisa baca gratis seperti di Kinokuniya. Tentunya kalian bisa mencariku after hours di toko buku itu sedang membaca! Berdiri sih tidak apa-apa.

Kenapa ya di Indonesia buku-buku non-fiksi yang menarik sangat sulit untuk ditemukan?

Sesuatu yang aku iri dari kultur demokrasi dan kebebasan Amerika.

Love is A Wave Trust is The Water

I read a VERY interesting book and in it is a chapter which titled: "Love is A Wave, Trust is The Water". Mainly, the book is about the author's relationship with various people and girlfriend(s) during a period of his life. But from many chapters I had already leafed through, this one struck me the most because he seemed to share a similar point of view with me.

LOVE IS A WAVE, TRUST IS THE WATER.

Trust is like the essence, the basic material, for love. You can't say you love someone if you always keeping an unhealthy feeling aboout the one you love.

The author even wrote a line that really -- and I mean REALLY -- is like my own thought (at least the last part):


"... She always tells me that she will love me forever, but how can love exist without trust?"