For Sean - I owe you a beer. July 2, 2008
Posted by Alex in : Personal , add a commentBecause you so brilliantly answered the question when I doubted you, and managed to reference the Boer War in the process:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream-and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And-which is more-you’ll be a Man, my son!
- Rudyard Kipling
One of my favorite stories. April 11, 2008
Posted by Alex in : Philosophy , add a commentSun Tzu was a native of the Ch’i state. His Art of War brought him to the notice of Ho Lu King of Wu. Ho Lu said to him. “I have carefully perused your thirteen chapters. May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a slight test?”
Sun Tzu replied “You may”
The King asked “May the test be applied to women?”
The answer was again in the affirmative so arrangements were made to bring 180 ladies out of the palace. Sun Tzu divided them into two companies and placed one of the King’s favourite concubines at the head of each. He made them all take spears in their hands and addressed them thus. “I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?”
The girls replied “Yes.”
Sun Tzu went on “When I say “Eyes front”, you must look straight ahead. When I say “Left turn”, you must face towards your left hand. When I say “Right Turn” you must face towards your right hand. When I say “About Turn” you must face right around towards the back.”
Again the girls assented. The words of command having been thus explained, he set up the halberds and battle axes in order to start the drill. Then to the sound of drums he gave the order “Right Turn”, but the girls only burst out laughing.
Sun Tzu said patiently “If the words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood , then the general is to blame.”
He started to drill them again and this time gave the order “Left Turn” whereupon the girls once more burst into fits of laughter.
Then he said “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are clear and the soldiers nevertheless disobey then it is the fault of their officers.”
So saying he ordered the leaders of the two companies to be beheaded.
Now the King of Wu was watching from the top of a raised pavilion and when he saw that his favourite concubines were about to be executed, he was greatly alarmed and hurriedly sent down the following message: “We are now quite satisfied as to the general’s ability to handle troops. If we are bereft of these two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savour. It is our wish that they shall not be beheaded.”
Sun Tzu replied even more patiently “Having once received His Majesty’s commission to be general of his forces, there are certain commands of His Majesty which acting in that capacity, I am unable to accept.”
Accordingly and immediately he had the two leaders beheaded and straight away installed the pair next in order as leaders in their place. When this had been done the drum was sounded for the drill once more. The girls went through all the evolutions, turning to the right or to the left, marching ahead or wheeling about, kneeling or standing, with perfect accuracy and precision not uttering a sound.
Then Sun Tzu sent a messenger to the King saying “Your soldiers Sire are now properly drilled and disciplined and ready for Your Majesty’s inspection. They can be put to any use that their sovereign may desire. Bid them go through fire and water and they will not now disobey.”
But the King replied “Let our general cease drilling and return to camp. As for us we have no wish to come down and inspect the troops.”
Thereupon Sun Tzu said calmly: “The King is only fond of words and cannot translate them into deeds.”
After that the King of Wu saw that Sun Tzu was one who knew how to handle an army and appointed him general. In the West Sun Tzu defeated the Ch’u state and forced his way into Ying, the capital; to the North he put fear into the states of Ch’i and Chin, and spread his fame abroad among the feudal princes. And Sun Tzu shared in the might of the Kingdom.
- The James Clavell translation of The Art of War.
This Puzzle Will Send You To The Funny Farm – Literally. December 30, 2007
Posted by Alex in : Puzzles , 2commentsDo you excel at adding two and two together and obtaining a correct answer of five? This puzzle has no math and may just be your cup of tea:
It is a word game comprised of clever links and analogies. A possible hitch that may not be an issue for the laid back, non-ego focused, ultra organic garden variety of yeller vegetable:
The author encourages you to collaborate with others to solve the puzzle as “No single mortal will be able to solve this puzzle alone.” Are you just another pesky mortal? Are ya yeller? Let me know how far you get before giving up or giving in to collaborative methods.
Good luck!
Search Engine Optimization December 30, 2007
Posted by Alex in : SEO , add a commentDuring cycles of moderate to severe economic volatility, and hints of a recession periodically looming on the horizon, it is fairly easy to anxiously concoct mental images of ultra-thrifty and unfulfilling retirement years. For many people, worrying tends to add about 31 flavors of futility to the equation. *g* In an attempt to refocus this nervous energy toward more constructive tasks, I’ve recently hopped aboard the SEO bandwagon.
What is SEO?
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization is a means of optimizing a website with the sole intent of improving traffic to the site from the search engines. This is often achieved by employing various methods such as keyword targeting, link building, and content management.
Search Engine Optimization is a fairly open-ended process. The majority of websites are optimized for Google, with Yahoo and MSN claiming the second and third positions. As search engine algorithms are constantly in a state of flux, there are no static proven methods of complex optimization. A method that happens to bring you traffic one day can just as easily fail following the deployment or “update” of the latest algorithm. This means that in order to maintain a decent position in the search engine results pages (SERPs), an optimized website will require constant care and monitoring.
As there are potentially billions of websites actively and inactively competing for your traffic, this project may be quite daunting. I’ll keep you posted.
Wish me luck!
Narcissism 101 December 30, 2007
Posted by Alex in : Personal , add a commentGreetings! My name is Alexandra Spencer. To many people I am simply known as Alex. This is my experimental blog site. If I succeed in motivating myself to actually write anything of specific interest to me, it will be posted here. *g* On the off chance you find any items of interest to you, feel free to post a comment or drop me a line! Cheers.
Test December 25, 2007
Posted by Alex in : Personal , add a commentMeep. Meep. 
