[카테고리:] thoughts

My Kindle got a crack on the screen and became very difficult to read. Now it is used mainly as an audiobook device. In order to salvage the investments in the e-book titles I have purchased for Kindle, I had to order another Kindle via Amazon.com. I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel. $70. (Notice how the ceiling serves as the filing space for the taxi driver.) Taking a taxi is a bit of challenge for me, even in Korea. Being in a tight space with a stranger with his face away from me gives me an odd feeling. It is my third time to Washington DC (2004, 2010, and 2011) and I have always stayed at Normandy Hotel, a small hotel which used to be called Jurys Normandy Inn. I love its uniqueness and the cozy feeling which is difficult to experience in larger hotels. It used to be one of the more affordable choices around the area in the past but not any more, it seems. The work setting at the hotel. I am so happy that the wireless Internet connection is provided at no additional cost. While not shown in the photo, they have Nespresso coffee machine both in the room and in the lobby area. They also offer wine and cheese during the evening (but I didn’t get the chance due to other appointments in the evening). I am very much satisfied with this hotel. In the evening, I attended a dinner hosted by a local entrepreneur Vince Sedmak at restaurant Top of the Town in Arlington, VA. (Taxi to the place $18.00.) Mingling with people at a large gathering is not what I am good at but I am grateful for this kind of exposure, which is priceless. Many interesting persons were there. The couple on the righthand side of the photo is Mr. and Mrs. Thompson from Thailand. Mrs. Thompson is involved in a mission providing a shelter house to the young victims from the local “adult entertainment” industry (I had to resort to euphemism here but the reality is devastatingly cruel, according to what I heard from Mrs. Thompson). Who sat next to me on the dinner table were Leland, a jazz musician (drum) and Joe from Samoa. I didn’t have much interesting story to share so I played the role of being a good listener. I walked down to Cosi near Dupont Circle for the breakfast the next morning. The store opens at 6:30 am. Too bad they serve soup only after 11 am. There also is a Cosi store in Dubai Airport and I enjoy getting something to eat from there too. Breakfast “Santa Fe” burrito and Grande Latte were nice, at $5.55. I learned from my father (or perhaps it was my uncle, I am not sure) that leaving a dollar bill on the pillow is what you were supposed to do when traveling. While it is difficult for me to find out how much it is appreciated (because of the indirectness of the interaction taking place here), I try to do it anyway. I am wondering if this amount is not affected by the consumer price index. (Tipping has always been a challenge for me. For one thing, the conventional rate seems to differ from place to place, ranging from 12.5% to 18%, as far as I was told by the locals. Also, trying to get the calculation right in my head was not easy at all. So I try to be on the more generous side if I were to tip.)]]>

The hotel I checked in at Washington DC this week provided a set of nice looking toiletries (photo above). It was all good until I had to use them. Now, without my glasses on, I couldn’t tell which one of these were shampoo. (Go back to the photo and check if you can read anything printed on the tubes.) And unless there was universal color code that dictates which color is associated with shampoo, the color did not convey meaningful information to me, at least as a first-time user of the set. Since I couldn’t tell which one was which just by glance (which is what I would like to do in the shower anyway), I had to hold up each one of these bright-colored tubes close to my face to read out whether it was a shampoo, a conditioner, or a body soap. So when you design something, try to put yourself in the context of its actual usage. Then you will probably come up with a better–attractive AND useful–design.]]>

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IMAX Space Station이란 다큐멘터리 영화에서 한 우주비행사가 자기 작업 공간 한 켠에 James Clavel의 Shogun이라는 소설을 끼워놓은 것이 눈에 띄었다. 우주 공간에 떠 있는 그 바쁜 와중에 과연 책을 읽을 시간이 있는 것일까 하는 의문이 들었지만 우주비행사도 휴식 시간을 있을 터, 그 시간에 틈틈히 책을 본다고 생각하니 나도 바쁘지만 책을 부지런히 읽어야겠다는 생각이 들었다. 2011년도 한 해 동안 읽을, 또는 읽은 책을 지속적으로 업데이트되는 블로그 엔트리로서 남겨놓기로 했다. 원칙적으로 추천강도는 완독한 책에 대해 부여하려고 한다. 어디까지나 책 자체에 대한 평가라기 보다는 내가 이 책을 남에게 얼마나 적극적으로 추천할 것인가에 대한 주관적이고 상대적인 수치에 불과하고 숫자 단위에 특별한 의미는 없다. 참고로 C. S. Lewis나 Edward Tufte같이 내가 특별히 좋아하는 저자의 추천강도가 95% 내외라고 보면 된다. 도대체 한 달에 몇 권이나 읽을 수 있을까? 바쁜 달에는 한 달에 1-2권이 고작일 듯 싶지만 약간이라도 여유가 생기면 5권 내외 정도 될 듯. 그런데 많이 읽는 게 중요한 게 아니고 꼭 읽어야 할 책을 선별해서 읽고, 읽고 난 책을 잘 정리해서 지적 자산으로 만드는 과정이 뒤따라야 하는데 2011년에는 그 작업을 해보려고 한다. January 2011

1. 신갈렙, 하늘기업가 비즈너리 (사실은 12월 마지막날 쯤 완독). 추천강도 80%
2. 히라노 아쓰시 칼·안드레이 학주, 플랫폼 전략 (1/7 완독). 추천강도 55%
3. 한고희, 파일럿의 특별한 비행일지 (1/12 완독) – 자신의 직업에 대해 소상하게 적어내려간 흥미로운 “저널(일지)”. 각 분야의 전문 직업인이 이런 방식으로 자신의 일을 분석한다면 한국의 소프트웨어의 저력이 더욱 강해질 것 같다는 생각. 야구치 시노부 감독의 영화 “해피플라이트“와 같이 보면 더욱 재미있을 듯. 추천강도 55%
4. 정진희, 스튜어디스 비밀노트 (1/15 완독) – 아시아나항공 승무원들의 글모음. 전문직업을 가진 사람들의 일상을 들여다볼 수 있는 자료로서 유용하다. 추천강도 45%.
5. Scott Berkun, Confessions of a Public Speaker (Kindle의 자동낭독 기능을 이용해서 운전 중 들음)
6. 박성후, 포커스리딩 (아내가 강력x3추천)
7. 조나단 봉크, 선교와 돈
8. C. S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy (audiobook) – 오래 전에 읽었는데 다시 들어보니 전혀 새롭다.
9. やましたひでこ, 断捨離 (아래 DIME잡지에서 정보 입수, 1/7 일본 아마존에 주문)
10. DIME (1/11호) – ビジネス断捨離＆クラウド整理術특집.

February 2011

1. Donald A. Norman, Living with Complexity
2. C. S. Lewis, Christian Reflections

March 2011

1. 로저 마틴, 책임감 중독
2. 마이클 샌델, 왜 도덕인가?
3. Tony Campolo, God’s Kingdom is a Party

April 2011

1. David Platt, Radical
2. 안수현, 그 청년 바보의사
3. Oren Klaff, Pitch Anything

waiting list

1. Michael Barber, Instruction to Deliver
2. 오마에 겐이치, The Next Global Stage (읽으려고 뽑아둠)
3. Edward Tufte, Beautiful Evidence
4. 장하준, 그들이 말하지 않는 23가지

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side notes:

1. Now, that might affect the way in which I would want to remember my ancestors. I have some pictures of my grandparents and great grandparents, but their writings are rarely preserved.
2. In a similar way, I kept trying to take pictures and videos so that my children would remember their parents but I should now try to keep written messages, notes, and ideas for them to read later on.

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