雜崩能閱讀報告
JBL Reading Report

日本記者長井健司至死還在拍攝，這個生命裏最後的動作，透過外電畫面傳至世界每個角落。

自然的動作，本能的拍攝反應，帶長井健司走完生命最後一刻。他的犠牲，把世界的目光聚焦在緬甸民主運動。

Link

Labels: News, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/28/2007 07:58:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

說真的，我也有點嚇到。
棒棒堂在香港沒有plug過歌，沒有電視劇上過，模范棒棒堂也只在一個極不起眼的收費頻道播出，何來這麼多fans？他們從那裡認識棒棒堂？
當然是網上的各種"盜錄"。
我不是想討論道德問題。但娛樂機構的賺錢模式實在已經改變。沒有這些"盜錄"，他們能賺到香港fans的錢嗎？
不要說網上"盜錄"損害利益。我倒認為，為何不大方的把節目或音樂放上網任人免費下載？賺到的收益可能更大。
世界經濟模式已經改變。歡迎光臨。

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/27/2007 08:15:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

她說到，她並不是天生的企業家，她只想做一點事，既能謀生養家，又可令世界更美好的事情；她認為，「改變世界，消滅貧窮」是最大的「市場」，企業最需要的力量。

企業家不一定無良；相反，企業家要將利益的目標放到世界的整體利益上，讓企業成為實踐世界公義的渠道。「Body Shop」不只是一個綠色的標誌，而是切實地減少使用化學物與石化燃料製品、不進行動物測試、以「社區貿易」（community trade）模式與原著民地區合作、鼓勵消費者將膠瓶循環再用等。

他們是超現實的狂熱份子嗎？不，我認為他們是不折不扣的現實主義者，積極而策略地將遙不可及的理想帶來現實世界。

Link
Who is Anita Roddick?

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/27/2007 01:06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

今天慶祝了兩人生日。
今早在Mati分享去看Smashing Pumpkin concert時跌爛眼鏡的故事時，Long竟收到電話有友人在看同一concert時暴斃。
晚上得悉有朋友因鄰居遭惡意縱火而被波及，只能暫時在酒店棲身。

有點不知該如何反應。

Labels: Personal

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/26/2007 12:06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Here’s a scenario for you. A consumer walks into a local retail outlet to buy a Christmas present for dad. The Apple iPod “section” of the store dwarfs the section where all the also-ran players are displayed. IPod is clearly the trusted standard. The consumer buys a shiny new “Fatty” iPod nano with video.

Dad opens the present and is excited. He follows the directions, installs iTunes and immediately splurges on a few dozen songs at the iTunes store. He loves it, and is an instant convert to portable digital music.

The only downside is that he works out every day at the gym, where cardio machines face TVs that broadcast sound over FM radio. Six months later, when his iPod is stolen, he goes to buy another player — this time, he hopes, with an FM radio in it. Several competitors offer this feature, but not iPods. He’s about to choose a new player with an FM radio when it hits him: None of his files — now totaling 300 songs and 50 movies — will play on the new player. He bought and paid for all this content, but it only works with iPods and iTunes.

Apple has an iPod customer for life. Microsoft never had this kind of monopoly power. Sorry, dad. I should have bought you a tie.

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/24/2007 02:46:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

When the iPhone first came out I read a review saying that it doesn't have a lot of features. That's exactly the point: we don't want features!

Yet in adding features to improve the user's experience, there is a danger —people want more of a good thing: more colorful transitions, more icons that flip back and forth, and more options that can fulfill every possible fantasy. If we follow this trajectory to its seemingly inevitable conclusion, we could find ourselves asking a simple question of our iPod: "So, how do I play a song on this thing?" Just think of today's mobile phones, which have "evolved" to the point that it's not obvious how to make a phone call.

Knowing when to stop is wisdom. Microsoft doesn't have much of that.

Link

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/23/2007 02:31:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

This is a pictue of an actual church door. What's missing?



I guess they didn't make a theological decision to alter the door this way. But this move says a lot about the embedded theology of this church. We figure out what we really believe from small things like these.

Answer to what's missing

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/22/2007 12:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

最近在看龍應台的成名作《野火集》。這本劃時代的作品果然有火。
在她為台灣的民生吶喊後，她收到許多信件。這些信有的義憤填胸，也有的消極絕望。以下一段文字，是她的回應：

少年人激動憤慨，老人家傷心落淚，絕對不是因為我的文章寫得好。 這一大疊情緒洶湧的信件對有心人應該透露出兩個問題：第一是事態本身的嚴重性；台灣生活環境的惡劣已經不是知識分子庸人自擾的嚷嚷，而是市井小民身受的痛苦。 第二是個人的無力感；如果這個社會制度中有暢通的管道讓小市民去表達他的意願、去實現他的要求，他就不會鬱積到近乎爆炸的程度，就不需要憑靠區區幾篇不起眼的文章來發洩他的痛苦。

第二個問題要比第一個還嚴重得多。 因為環境再惡劣，難題再複雜，個人如果有適當的途徑去解決問題，覺得享有可為，他總是肯定的、理性的、樂觀進取的。 反過來說，即使問題本身並不那麼惡劣，但是個人覺得他的一切努力都是一條死巷，他的憤懣鎖在堵塞的管道中時，人，是會爆炸的。

我是從一個領袖的角度去看這些。作為群眾領袖，能讓人看到盼望是重要的。沒有盼望，就沒有前行的力量。是不是死巷，不是一個客觀的事實，而是取決於觀點。所以，創造盼望和願景，是領袖的重要責任。

Labels: Management, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/21/2007 12:10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

If this is not obvious enough, THIS IS SATIRICAL. Do not take it seriously or take it as my point of view, ok? Be humorous.

2. Controversy is the key to publicity.
5. I blog, therefore I am.
8. Using big words is a really easy way to win theological arguments. E.g., "Au contraire, I believe using a deconstructive hermeneutic is far superior, in light of the postmodern tendency to reject the metanarrative."
9. If you have a problem, it's probably theological.
10. Don't judge a book by its cover; judge it by its endorsements.
12. It's not the size of the church that counts, it's how you use it.
13. Swearing and drinking are acceptable, even encouraged.
14. Worship music is shitty (See #13).
15. When in doubt, deconstruct.
16. Using Latin words and phrases in place of English ones not only sounds more authoritative, it totally ups your street cred.
17. If all else fails, hold a conference/convention.
20. Everything Must Change.
25. Wisdom is bestowed upon the ‘wearer’ of black-rimmed glasses.

The full list

PS. I found the above photo on a free stock photo site, and the pair of eyeglasses in the photo is actually identical to my last pair.

Labels: On the light side

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/20/2007 02:37:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

This is the comic video that we showed during AFC's Annual Dinner. If you missed it, here it is again:



If you cannot read the words quick enough, here is a still version:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52075&id=898260365

Ah Long said in her blog that she loves to go to work. I do too. I am grateful.

Labels: Recommend

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/19/2007 02:50:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Perhaps this is a bit late to talk about how Apple dealed with the rebounce from the early iPhone users to the sudden price drop. Still, I feel like missing something if I ignore the whole topic on MY blog. I think the whole deal would become an interesting case study material for management school. People have so different exegesis of the "tactics" that Apple used. Check out these 2 articles:

Leadership: Steve Jobs’s Non-Apology from FastCompany
I Really Wish I Knew Steve Jobs Better from Writers Block Live, whose author used to be a top level manager at Apple

I would say that to issue the $100 rebate/store credit is already quite exceptional in the industry. Would we expect anything from Microsoft? I think we just have too high an expectation for Apple.

Labels: Management, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/18/2007 12:27:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I guess you may have seen the following two video. I especially like the first one. Is that what we're really singing in church?





I once heard a song at IWS written by an alumni that praises the "alternative Trinity": I, Me, and Myself. Too bad I can't get a copy of it.
Are they really just jokes? I really hope that they are just jokes. But they are so tragically real.

Labels: On the light side, Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/16/2007 12:58:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

The solution to yesterday's question:

When sitting down at a restaurant in Minneapolis, I noticed the waiter replaced my white napkin with a black one. Apparently the tradition here is that if you are wearing black trousers or a dark skirt, the reasoning is that a white linen napkin might leave visible lint on your clothing so they immediately swap it for a black one. Such careful attention to detail surely develops trust.

When we plan for a worship service, how much details do we look into? The attention to details is definitely a statement. I'm not talking about luxury, but how considerate you are.

Link

Labels: Interesting, Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/15/2007 12:12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I was out of town for the last few days and was staying in a house without internet access. Find out that I can actually live without the internet, ha ha!

Back to the blogging routine. An interesting question for you: When you sit down at a high class French restaurant, they quickly swap your finely pressed white napkin with a black one. Why?



Give it some thought. Take a wild guess. Tell you the answer and the implication to ministry tomorrow.

Labels: Interesting, Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/14/2007 12:39:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Be thakful if you can still procrastinate, ha ha!

When managed effectively, the desire to avoid one job can be used to get other things done. This strategy is called structured procrastination. Rather than doing nothing at all, take care of business that normally gets forgotten. This is a great way to deal with mundane chores. Use your desire to avoid real work to force yourself to work harder at something else!

My favorite structured procrastination activities include:

• Organizing my work area
  
• Networking
  
• Scheduling
  
• Tying up loose ends
  
• Meetings
  
• Running errands
  
• Clearing out my inbox
  
• Helping others
  
• Getting up to date

Of course, structured procrastination doesn’t always work. There will be times when you can’t stand to do anything work related. Usually this is a sign that you need to take a break and recharge.

Rather than forcing yourself to work when you aren’t up for it, embrace procrastination completely. These activities cure procrastination by rejuvenating energy and creative mojo:

• Go to lunch
  
• Exercise
  
• Take a walk
  
• Cat nap
  
• Creative thinking
  
• Read a good book

Link

Labels: Management, On the light side

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/09/2007 01:53:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Another good prayer of confession.

Father, we have sinned. We confess that we do not listen to your Word. We read it and hear it, but we do not obey it. We say, “That was a great sermon!” but it doesn’t make a difference, because we are not willing to change.

We confess that we do not worship you the way you deserve to be worshiped. We are more concerned about what we get out of it than what we put it into it. We are often distracted. Our lips keep moving, but our hearts are cold and still.

We confess that we do not love one another very much. We do not want to be bothered with other people’s problems. We think the worst about others, rather than the best.

We confess that we do not always fulfill our responsibilities to one another. We are harsh when we should be gentle, and when we need to be firm, we lack the courage to say or do what is right.

We confess that we are not willing to pay the high cost of discipleship. We try to be as worldly as we think we can get away with. We prefer to squeeze our faith in around the edges of life, rather than to let you stand at the center to control everything we are and have.

We confess that we lack passion for evangelism. We think of missions as something someone else does, somewhere else, rather than something you have called us to do right here and now. We lack the courage to proclaim the gospel. We are afraid to talk about spiritual things, for fear of what others will think.

We confess that we lack compassion. We think it is important to help the poor, provided that someone else actually does the helping.

In the name of Jesus, we ask forgiveness for these and all our sins.

See also the prayer that Peter wrote as a comment in the Facebook Notes version of my last post.

Link

Labels: Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/08/2007 02:41:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

昨天發了點牢騷，今天要懺悔。

O Changeless God,
Under the conviction of the Spirit I learn that
The more I do, the worse I am,
The more I know, the less I know,
The more holiness I have, the mores sinful I am,
The more I love, the more there is to love.
O wretched man that I am!

O Lord,
I have a wild heart
And cannot stand before thee;
I am like a bird before a man.
How little I love thy truth and ways!
I neglect prayer,
By thinking I have prayed enough and earnestly,
By knowing thou hast saved my soul.
Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,
Who sins more safely because grace abounds,
Who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them,
Who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for his is saved,
Who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians, but lives
Unholily.
My mind is a bucket without a bottom,
With no spiritual understanding,
No desire for the Lord’s Day,
Ever learning but never reaching the truth,
Always at the gospel-well but never holding water.
My conscience is without conviction or contrition,
With nothing to repent of.
My will is without power of decision or resolution.
My heart is without affection, and full of leaks.
My memory has no retention,
So I forget so easily the lessons learned,
And thy truths seep away.
Give me a broken heart that yet carries home the water of grace.

Taken from The Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennett
Link

Labels: Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/06/2007 02:13:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Starbucks churches are really chic. [...] Waffle House churches [...] are naturally set in the country and often, it takes an hour to get there from any major freeway. Complete with a steeple (I almost forgot what those were!) and pews, you've always got your staple hymnal book to accompany the worship time. This worship time may consist of one piano player and a singer, or maybe just a singer and a tape deck.

I attended a Waffle House church today. You know what? It was humbling. Sometimes you just need the coffee and without all the foam.

I'm not stating that one church is better than the other. Personally, I like my Starbucks church. But, I think it's good to experience a different service every once and a while. I felt like I was in a different country. I was so blessed by the preacher's message. He was so on fire. I was blessed by the people who took turns getting on stage to sing their hearts out to God—and how communal it was; how simple and pure.

I know that God has no preference as long as we are concentrating on Him. We are all His children.

Recently I heard people say that they cannot worship because they do not like the style of the service.
This is like saying they can only eat chocolate on a plate but not in a bowl.
I think if you really like chocolate, you love it and enjoy it in whatever container that is holding it.
Sure, you may like the plate better than the bowl, but that doesn't affect the chocolate.
Do you like the chocolate or do you just like the plate?
Who are we worshiping? God, or the worship style?
When you worship, you become humble. And a humble worship doesn't really care about the container. A humble worshiper just worships.
Of course, the outreaching factor always comes in. But you advocate for a different style of worship not because YOU cannot worship in a certain style. If YOU cannot worship with this style, YOU cannot worship with that style either. Unless you redefine worship.
The church has no worship problem, only spirituality problem.

Link

Labels: Discontent, Reflection, Worship

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/05/2007 01:56:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

或曰：「以德報怨，何如？」
子曰：「何以報德？以直報怨，以德報德。」

《論語》憲問14:34

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/04/2007 01:36:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Recently as I am writing my theology paper on spiritual warfare, I pull out Eugene Peterson's Reverse Thunder from my bookshelf again. I first read this book in 2002 while taking Revelation with Darrell Johnson and then with Gordon Fee. That was really a memerable experience. As I flip through the book, I find that I underlined quite a large among of text in the book, which is quite unusual for me. The following is one of the many such paragraphs, which more than ever sounds so true to me:

The whole work of the world against the community of faith is to insinuate that the Christian life is nice in its way, but peripheral to the real world of human action. The conspiracy of the gang that runs Babylon is to eliminate contemplation from the life of the average person so that unless something is illuminated by klieg lights, on one will notice it, and unless someone speaks into a battery of microphones, no one will listen. The devil's plot is to banalize Jesus into a pale Galilean who certainly must be taken seriously and quoted reverently whenever we take time out, as we should from time to time, to discuss great ideas. The satanic strategy is to normalize Christians into a homogenized Roman pudding of good citizens who really should try to get along with each as best they can. When this work is successful, everyone becomes a Christian in such a way that it makes no difference.

Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder, 190.

Labels: Reflection

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/03/2007 01:16:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

請用普通話讀出。

《施氏食獅史》
石室詩士施氏，嗜獅，誓食十獅。施氏時時適市視獅。十時，適十獅適市。是時，適施氏適市。氏視是十獅，恃矢勢，使是十獅逝世。氏拾是十獅屍，適石室。石室濕，氏使侍拭石室。石室拭，氏始試食是十獅。食時，始識是十獅，實十石獅屍 。試釋是事。

讀音是：shi。對，全部都是。

Link

Labels: On the light side

Posted by Alan Yu at 9/02/2007 12:27:00 AM | Permalink | Comments