Adaptive Versus Creative Powers

Below I will end the year and leave you dear reader with one important question.  While you and I are surely on the train of the digital re-cognizing of life and the world - to use the word 'revolution' to describe what is happening is to not clearly see the possibility cresting over the horizon - many, many others are most definately not.  But, unlike the past two major ages (i.e. the colonial and industrial ages) those most at risk to be "left behind" reside in the "advanced nations" and not those parts of the world that are fiscally disadvantaged (imho).  So, is this really a problem? Or, simply Karma?  Anyways, happy new years everybody!

The problem of valuing adaptive qualities/powers of an individual higher than creative powers.

The increase in the degree of information threatens the loss of identity of people today (contrary to the belief that it is strengthening social reason).  Those who feel independent and helpless in the face of technically mediated forms are more likely to become incapable of establishing an identity.

Adaptive power refers to the ability to become a specialist or expert and thus at the same time a functionary.  Functionaries by their very nature must be completely concentrated upon the administration of their function (e.g. scientific, technical, economic, monetary processes, administration and politics).  Smooth funtioning of the apparatus is the ultimate aim of inserting an expert.

The problem: As ever fewer persons are making the important decisions and ever more are manning the apparatus, modern society is thus oppressed by imminent structural pressures.  This in turn leads to the degeneration of practice into technique and - through no fault of the experts themselves - to a decline into social irrationality.
It would be propitious at this juncture to emphasize the gravity of this last sentence - and to ultimately show that every word was thoughtfully chosen - by providing the meaning of 'practice' as defined by Heraclitus and re-cognized in the modern word by Gadamer: Practice is carrying and conducting oneself in solidarity; solidarity of course being the basis and foundation of social reason.

시원섭섭하다

That empty feeling you get after finishing a huge task before another task arises, hoping something else is in store in the fore.

Iran

First of all, f*** Twitter.

Now, on to Iran, the beautifully mysterious country that (American) millenials found out about thanks to that Parts Unknown episode Anthony Bourdaine put together.  While that episode did indeed plant a seed of interest in myself to visit Tehran, a Bloomberg article I read a fortnight ago had me booking a flight to Tehran and setting my itinerary.  An itinerary, you should know, consisting of just one activity: get a seat at an Iranian negotiating table - any table with a negotiation going on around it - and hold on for re-lax-muthatrucking-ation.  You see, for any of you who end your news search at sites written by ESL-ers for ESL-ers like the HuffPost, Bloomberg tends not to simply write articles as much as they use lusciously descriptive and evocative visual imagery to paint the news for their readership.  Case in point (and the reason why I'm now waiting to board Ayatollah Aire): "What's happening around the Iranian negotiating table?  Tea, coffee, cake, fruit, maybe some kebab before another coffee."  Could I have a side of bureaucratic inefficiency with that?  Boom.

Check out the Bloomberg article for yourself, or don't, whatever: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-05/investing-in-iran-you-d-better-like-tea-cake-and-bureaucracy

Žižek

The other day I stumbled upon an interview Der Spiegel had conducted with Slavoj Žižek a few months back that has provided me food for thought over the last few days.  Below are some choice excerpts from the article that will hopefully provide a couple others with mental sustenance as well.

Žižek: The European leading culture is the universality of Enlightenment within which individuals view themselves through this universality. That means you have to be capable of dispensing with your characteristics and to ignore your particular social, religious or ethnic positions. It's not sufficient to tolerate each other. We need to have the ability to experience our own cultural identity as something contingent, something coincidental, something that can be changed.

Žižek: The universal individual is very much a reality in our life. Apart from apples, pears and grapes, there should be a place for fruits as such. I love the beauty of this platonic idea. People belong to a specific group, but at the same time they are part of a universal dimension. I don't remain the same throughout the course of my life, but I do remain me. A community is not closed either. A person can leave one and join another. Our identity is made up of several identities that can exist successively and in parallel.

SPIEGEL: Is unbridled individual hedonism the only thing we have with which to oppose this fundamentalism?

Žižek: No, for two reasons. The first is that our opponent isn't really religion. Zivko Kusti, a Croatian Catholic nationalist priest, declared Catholicism to be a symbol of the fact that people aren't prepared to renounce their national and cultural legacy -- "the whole Croatianness." This statement makes clear that it is no longer an issue of faith and its truth, but rather a political-cultural project. Religion here is just an instrument, an indicator of our collective identity. It's about how much public one's own side controls, the amount of hegemony "our" side exerts. That's why Kusti approvingly quotes an Italian communist who claims, "I am an atheist Catholic." That's also why Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, who himself is not very religious, referenced the Christian legacy as a foundation of European identity. The second reason, which is even more decisive, is that the unbridled personal freedom of choice fits in excellently with today's capitalism in the sense that the global social and economic process is becoming more and more impenetrable. Individual hedonism and fundamentalism are mutually driving each other. You can only effectively combat fundamentalism with a new collective project of radical change. And there is nothing trivially hedonistic about that.

SPIEGEL: Who determines what is contingent and what is substantial? For an orthodox Muslim, the headscarf is not contingent, it is substantial.

Žižek: Therein lays the explosive problem. The girl, the woman must decide on that in a self-determined manner. In order for her to be able to do that, she must be freed of the pressure of the family and community. And this is where the emancipatory violence applies: The only possibility for autonomy is uprooting, tearing one's self out of the community's pressure to conform. That's why one of my heroes is Malcolm X. The "X" stands for uprooting. It didn't drive him to search for his African roots. On the contrary, he saw it as a chance to attain a new universal freedom.

SPIEGEL: You welcome this violence?

Žižek: I accept this violence because it's the price for true contingency and the liberation of the self. It's like a sadomasochistic sex game. Those involved can participate in all the perversions. At any time, though, everyone has the right to say, "Stop, that's it, I'm stopping and leaving." Progress in Western democracy consists of constantly expanding the scope of universality and, by doing so, also diversifying the freedom of choice between contingent decisions. But contingency does not mean triviality. Our most valuable collective achievements are contingent -- they come out of nowhere and break with our substantial identities.

 Link: <http://m.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/a-1023506.html#spRedirectedFrom=www&referrrer= > 

Egyptian Women, and the World Really

"As long as they lack a basic desire to escape the familiar, it's unlikely they will change anything fundamental about their lives."

This fucking statement.

In a long, long article written by the New Yorker's always engaging Peter Hassler, this statement is just one of a grip of concise and candid observations quoted from one Chinese expat concerning the fundamental challenge of making a living in Northern Egypt, selling lingerie.

This statement was directed towards Eqyptian women - specifically regarding the lack of a multi-shift female workforce due to local (religous) customs - but the reason why it was uttered in the first place is a universally relatable one.  Anyone who has envisioned a better way of doing things or has thought that they could solve a really big problem IF only one seemingly simple thing were different, but lack the means to readily rectify that one thing should absolutely be able to relate to the speaker of the above statement.

What's really thought provoking about the above statement for me though is this: as frequently as we confront limits to progress or barriers to implementing better ways of living, the probability that the 'they' in the above statement could refer to oneself or one's specific in-group must be equally as likely.  The riddle of progress is a constantly shape shifting gate keeper that keeps the future seperate from the status quo.  Before trying to solve the riddle, we need to ask ourselves which problems we too are complicit with and/or a part of.

If you have a few minutes and appreciate good fucking writing about interesting fucking topics check out Hassler's New Yorker piece here : http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/08/10/learning-to-speak-lingerie.

Hoverboards and stuff

Arrived at work here in muggy downtown Seoul abnormally early (even for me) this morning so I booted up my pc and opened up Bloomberg, AVC.com, TheStartupBible.com, longform.org and a couple other go-to sites to catch any new updates as per-usual.

Luckily I had time to get used to the new changes made to the layout and fucking font on Bloomberg (they made it super small and fine; younger demo?) so could spot this impossibly alluring piece of copy: Here's How the Lexus Hoverboard Actually Works, Buckle up: History is gonna change.  Journalistic boner right?

Anyways, what struck me - and I think this point nails very concisely both the opportunity and the challenge that anyone who is alive today faces when trying to go solo in search of fame and/or fortune - was the answer the piece provided to the question of 'Why would Lexus spend all that time and money to create something so one-off (at least for now) in the first place?'

Answer: It's never been as challenging as it is today to rise above the rest and turn heads.


Read the full article on Bloomberg.com here :  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-04/here-s-how-the-lexus-hoverboard-actually-works

Leading Vs. Managing

Read a brilliantly concise comparison that explains the nuanced differences between leading and managing on Fred Wilson's blog a few weeks back that has stuck with me.  Hope it is sticky enough for those of you who cast thoughts in to the big pond of business theory from time to time.

Leading is charisma, strength, communication, vision, listening, calm, connecting, trust, faith and belief.

Management is recruiting, retaining, delegating, deciding, communicating and above all executing.

(Read the full post here: http://avc.com/2015/07/leaders-and-executives/)

Peaches & Roses

Tread lightly all ye whose lives claim be nothing but peaches and roses.

Remember that you can die choking on a pit and get cut to hell by any of those thorns.

Seoul City

The city I reside in has 10 million inhabitants and thus has earned the designation of 'Mega City'.  Every city is unique, but broadly speaking there seems to be two seperate species: Inclusive Cities like those found in many Western countries (i.e. melting pots) and Exclusive Cities like those found in North East & South Eastern Asia where the dominant-historic inhabitants or the 'Locals' generally do not readily absorb 'Others'.  My city represents the latter.   As I myself am an 'Other', it is interesting to note that there are a quarter of a million other Others of which 77% or a little over 200,000 are Chinese or ethnic Korean-Chinese; 11,000 are from the USA with another 4,000 hailing from Canada, Australian or Western European countries.  There is a sizable Eastern Bloc/Central Asian/Russian contingent in addition to significant numbers of Others from India and South East Asia.

As an Exclusive City, there are a few noteworthy phenomena worth pointing out.  Firstly, there are the multiple diasporic groupings of each Other group that pocket the city.  There are unofficial (i.e. real) China Towns situated adjacent to the Konkuk University and Sinlim Metros; ethnic  Korean-Chinese and Joseon (i.e. North Koreans) occupy a significant area around Sinlim Metro Station; long-term American expats - mainly Korean-Americans, other US citizens and Military but also not a small contingent of Canadians not to mention the ever increasing diverse group of Muslims and Africans - reside within the Yongsan District of Central Seoul south of Namsan especially concentrated within the neighborhoods of Itaewon and Noksapyeong; Russians and Russian speaking Central Asians can be found in large numbers around the West End of Dongdaemun Market; more ethnic Korean-Chinese Joseon as well as SE Asians in particular also gather en masse on the weekends up around Hyehwa Metro Station.  What these clusters of diasporic groupings result in are restaurants, bakeries, lodging, miscelaneous services and a myriad of shops catering specifically towards each specific Other group.  As a last note, a massive influx of Chinese tourists has resulted in sections of Seoul - specifically nearby the metros of Hongik University and Chungmuro (Seoul's Old Hollywood) - becomming short-term Chinese diasporas of sorts.

The other point that I can't stress enough is the dynamic amalgamation inherent within Exclusive cities exhibited by the fact that these Other clusters are largely ignored by Koreans - until they aren't.  They are self-contained and largely - if unconsciously - self-supporting groupings containing elements of key specialized and unique marketplaces; yet they lack any formal unity and are essentially composed of individuals whose only commonality resides in the fact that they share the same Otherness.  In the case of Itaewon and Noksapyeong, the unique food scene and culture on offer have ignited an explosion of interest from Koreans.  This example highlights the under-recognized potential of all the diasporic groupings within the city.  At the same time it must be stressed again - and despite being a common human phenomenon it seems to be overlooked more often than not - that the tastes, wants and needs of Koreans very rarely all line-up with Others, and vice versa.  This aspect in particular musn't be viewed as a short-comming, but instead should be thought of as a key piece of strategic intelligence that any group - Korean or Other - must always be cognizant of.  For example, a foreign dish or food item like the churro is traditionally enjoyed in certain countries in very specific contexts - contexts that may not be easily translated within Seoul or Korea  - but by creating a familiar context for the Korean consumer, as the recent explosive success garnished by the Street Churro brand has with it's up-scale-lite cafe concept, the curiosity that a foreign idea or concept naturally arouses can be augmented by an order of magnitude.

If I may however, I would like to delve back down to those groups of Others residing within this City of Ours, focusing particularly on the neighborhoods of Itaewon and Noksapyeong.  It is supremely interesting to note that when it comes to the success of Street Churro in Korea - the most conspicuous evidence of which can be gleamed at the beginning of of an alleyway within Noksapyeong on any given day, night or weekend - is the antipathy it arouses from the Other residents.  Why this is noteworthy is simple: This very traditional ex-pat and US military personnel haunt had been for years neglected by typical Koreans for the most part - owing to various reasons - and most importantly within the last 10 years as a result of comparatively low rent and a large population of Others it has been a place where overseas Koreans and long-term expats have been able to safely and openly experiment with various entrepreneurial ventures centering mainly around eateries and brew-pub-style bars.  Very simply, a conspicuous community of Others seemed to be taking root and with that a pride began to form - a pride not unlike that which citizens have when it comes to their home towns and countries.  The success of places similar to Street Churro - lightning rods of Local attention and new traffic - while of course presenting new oppurtunities in the form of ever larger swarms of consumers, also brings with it the con-joined threats of sky-high rent and thus the inescapable demand to bring in higher and higher sales; this last point of course implying the need to cater to the Local consumer more which inevitably leads to the alienation of the original group of Others and (re?)amalgamation into the Local reality.

This is the current state of affairs as it concerns the continued development of both Noksapyeong and Itaewon neighborhoods.  Of course, differences and similarities there are many even between these two halves of the same whole.  For instance, the back alleys of Itaewon behind Yongsan District Office, well off of the main thoroughfares, are experiencing a renaissance of sorts as a large number of small shops are setting up business bringing with them totally new foods and attitudes to what was before just a desolate path leading to the Hill of Homo and Hooker.  That said, the bearing of both neighborhoods is identical and is inclining towards a shared conclusion.  The best example of what that inclined bearing portends can be readily seen through the neighborhood of Sinsa and specifically Garusu Street; put simply a culturally hollow yet still - owing to the images and perceptions still held by many stemming from the long-forgotten original neighborhood that first earned it notoriety and attention in the first place - self-sustaining commercial wasteland with rents that only the largest companies or wealthiest patrons can afford.  This phenomenon, that is, Korean-style gentrification if you will, appears to be an unassailable fact of life for those residing within Seoul.   While to many this fact will present itself as an impending doomsday when they too will be forced out of their life-long residences or small shops to make way for a new Angel-in-us coffee shop, to me at least this is yet another key piece of strategic urban intelligence that one must always have in the back of their mind.

Across this verbose - if not convoluted - overview laid out above, a very important distinction should have been noted by any reader who has made it to this point; in contra-distinction to a typically unified diasporic community of Others, the Itaewon and Noksapyeong neighborhoods - specifically the diasporic community residing therein - experienced the beginnings of a unification underpinned by the formation of a mutually shared pride based in large part on the contrastingly different - dare I say rebellious flouting of Local tastes and norms associated with the Local - food scene and attitude toward living and working.  To make it clear and re-emphasize the point, a tangible thread has been strung through this hitherto simple collection of individual actors thus earning it the graduated character of a community!

CEO의 말씀

중동에서 배운 것은 fair하게 해 주겠다 했을 때 우리는 아주 낙관적으로 받아들였음.  참고로 우리는 별로 똑똑하지 않음.

C.R.E.A.M.

매출은 모든 지표를 대체한다.  숫자가 모든걸 말해주기 때문이다.

We Are Astro Travellers

It's a joyous day!
Let us find the sprit in man, and travel; to the unknown.
To think because we are here in the present, it hasn't just started; this is comming - reality - out of the unknown, out of the nothingness. And we are going to go on into the infamous; into the celestial.
We are what you call Astro Travellers.  So we are travelling from dimension to dimension.
If one man die, all men dead; and one man live, all men live.
Tell the ranks!
One dog, one cat, one goat, one fowl, one moon, one sun; it had to be multi purpose in order to sustain energy and life.  So you have black, blue, green, pink, yellow, river, sea, mountain, birds, dogs - Man.
Everything is travelling on such.  Everything is relative.
The car, the money.
Everything is connected to the universe.
So whether you are one person that does not realize how vulnerable we are within the changes of time, the earth will not disappear my brethren.
Because I and I!

~ Parts Unknown, Jamaica

Re-do

Walking across once well worn floors,
now brittle and frail, their creaks shriek for
time to leave them be,
and so I leave.

In dark basement, beer in hand, words on tap,
I channel my 李白, illuminating the shared gap
between τέχνη and ροίησις,
whilst violence rages beyond the borders that keep us.

Pittering late afternoon rain patters the city,
blanketed in mist amidst the howl of all things windy
from whence
time has slipped past since.

The last gasps of breath escape persed lips, vision fading before
brothers of other shores
destroy and claim amore;
waves crashing, stealing fore.

Swirling silent it spins, blackness blanketing its evermore,
nothing to be heard for nothing is forevermore;
time sleeps, no stir, no beat,
and so I leave.


李白       : Li Bai
τέχνη    : Techne
ροίησις : Poïesis

Standing Out

Logos is common to all; but most live as if they each have a private reason.  Does this have to remain so?

Perceiving and re-cognizing both what is, along with where the 'what is' has come from and everything that the 'what is' has left behind in time is standing out of Logic.

Living and acting as if being alive as woman or man in time - the 'what is' - is the result of a series of random events is standing in Logic.

Most fritter away their time floating within the all pervasive current of Logos.  It is only the few who stand out of it that can make the attempt to divert the flow hither or thither by reflecting their hearts.  Do things still have to remain this way?

ex hupothesoeos anankaion

"All power exists only in its expression."

Ontologically, power is "inwardness."  Freedom is combined with power.  For power that is more than its expression is always freedom.

"Beside freedom stands necessity."

Necessity is the resistance that free power encounters.  The resistance that free power encounters is itself freedom.  The necessity is the power of what has been transmitted and of those who are acting against one.  By excluding many things as impossible, it limits action to the possible.

BRA1NY Question

Are buses with the same number identical?

Innovative Incubation

But how?
Most queer
Things here
Never clear
Bloom late
Fate fates
Until Now