Timothy - Dog Year

Blessed are the Geeks

Two general stereotypes of people who work in or breathe IT persist.  The first image is of the ultimate nerd, thick glasses, short-sleeve shirt buttoned up to the neck, and scrawny limbs from lack of any exercise (think Dilbert).  The second image is one of an obese, sarcastic, messy, Leftist geek who subsists on junk food and lives in a fantasy world of Star Trek and superheroes (think comic book store guy from the Simpsons).  In either case, the computer guy isn't known for good people skills or warmth, nor is he known to adhere to any orthodox beliefs.  If he's not an atheist or agnostic, he's probably the follower of some cult, if not of a religion he's synthesized himself.

While there are some truths to these stereotypes, below are some Christian pioneers in computing history, people who have contributed greatly to the field while openly sharing their faith:

• Frederick Brooks:  The founder and chair of the UNC-Chapel Hill computer science department, he has written some important works on software engineering and development, most notably The Mythical Man-Month, which contains his famous statement ("Brooks' Law") that "Adding people to a late software project makes it later."  He is very active in college ministries such as InterVarsity.

• Don Knuth (高德纳): This Stanford professor is sometimes called the "Father of Computer Science" for his groundbreaking book The Art of Computer Programming (1968).   He also wrote 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated (1991), an original approach to Bible study by examining in depth verse 16 in chapter 3 of each book in the Bible.

• Rand and Robin Miller: These two brothers co-founded Cyan Worlds, the maker of Myst, the bestselling computer game in the late 90s.  Their religious convictions permeated the design of the game series, especially in the lack of violence or sexually-provocative content.

• Philip Price: He was the creator of Alternate Reality, a revolutionary role-playing game that featured such innovations as full atmospherics (like distant waterfalls and changing outdoor light level) and raycasting for texture-mapping (something not seen on any other game until Wolfenstein 3D seven years later).

• Michael Toy: One of the original team members behind the first Netscape browser, and co-developer of the original Rogue computer game (see below).
  

• Larry Wall: He is the creator of the Perl programming language, the widely-used language used for multiple purposes but especially for Web development.  Even the name itself, Perl (Practical Report and Extraction Language), was inspired by the Bible reference "a pearl of great price" (Matthew 13:46).  He has openly expressed his Christian beliefs in numerous conferences.

• Glenn Wichman: One of the creators of Rogue, a computer game classic originally made popular on UNIX workstations.  What set this game apart was that, unlike any adventure games before, it generated a new dungeon or "adventure" with each play, so each time you play the game is a difference experience.  Numerous clones and adaptations of the general "Rogue" concept have been released on PCs and other home computers ever since.

Blessed indeed are the geeks, for they shall inherit the server rooms.

Trinity

April is drawing to a close, meaning 2006 is already one-third done.

One-third - an interesting fraction.  Divide that out on a calculator, you get .33333333.... ad infinitum.  What's even more interesting - this number is not an irrational number like pi, but a rational number, due to the repetition of the decimal numbers (in this case 3).

This fact got me thinking about the Trinity of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, often defined as "three equal and distinct Persons, one divine essence."  Not an easily understandable concept.  But like the one-third fraction, perhaps infinity and rationality are not things that we can easily grasp.  Our limitations of comprehension and description, though, do not nullify their reality.

LIke doubting Thomas, we often demand proof via our senses or logic.   Even scientists and mathematicians, though, recognize that some things can only be axiomatic.  The fear of the Lord is truly the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

Funny Book Titles

The following are actual published books written for adults.  They make excellent gifts for friends and family - sure to bring a laugh even if they never open the book.

• The Art of the Fart
  Steve Bryant, 2004

• Dating for Dummies
  Joy Browne, 1997
  Weddings for Dummies
  Marcy Blum, 1997

• Don't Bend Over in the Garden, Granny, You Know Them Taters Got Eyes
  Lewis Grizzard, 1997

• Don't Get Eaten: The Dangers of Animals That Charge or Attack
  Dave Smith, 2003

• Golden Fountain: The Complete Guide to Urine Therapy
  Coen Van Der Kroon, 1996
  

• How to Abandon Ship
  Phil Richards, John J. Banigan 1988

• How to Die in the Outdoors: 100 Interesting Ways
  Buck Tilton, 1997
  

• How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday
  Hiroyuki Nishigaki, 2000
  

• If I'm in Charge Here Why Is Everybody Laughing?
  David P. Campbell, 1980

• The Original Road Kill Cookbook
  Buck Peterson, 1987

Loner's Song

I've got a friend, he never grieves
I love this guy, he never leaves

la-la-la-la-la

I've got a girl, she looks so fine
She clings to me, like branch to vine

la-la-la-la-la

I've got a dog, cute as can be
It wags its tail, 'cause it likes me

la-la-la-la-la

I've got a car, it runs so fast
Built like a tank, it sure will last

la-la-la-la-la

I've got a job, it pays so well
It's always fun, the boss is swell

la-la-la-la-la

I've got a brain, it never fails
to keep me drunk, in fairy tales

la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la

Spires

Uninspired: a church without a steeple.

Insecurity

Calling someone passive-aggressive or insecure is the latest and trendiest way to shift one's own responsibilities to the personality flaw of another person.

Family Reunion

With my eldest sister's flight back to Portland this morning, the big family reunion that began a little over a week ago will be officially over.  It was the first time in 13 years that everyone - my parents, three sisters, older brother, and myself - were under the same roof.  A few photos, videos, meals, and hearty conversations later, it's now a thing of the past.  Who knows when the next reunion will be.

The five of us, the kids, we've always been so different, in our personalities, our interests, our beliefs.  About the only things we all share nowadays are our ethnicity, parents/relatives, and a degree from the Ohio State University (three of us graduated with a Computer Science degree).  Subjectively speaking, each of us has his or her set of quirks.  One sister seems almost always stressed out and ready to snap.  Another sister has unhealthy obsessions with excessive photography and shopping.  A third sister often seems a bit too far "out in left field."  My brother is rather too much into futurology.  As for me, well, any quick read of this blog will prove just how messed up I am.

Past sibling arguments aside, where would I be without all those years spent together with my sisters and brother?  I can and should thank them for my understanding algebra, my love of reading/writing, an (albeit limited) understanding of both men and women, and an appreciation for both nature and culture, to name only a few obvious examples.  There's much more, I'm sure.  Just last night, my eldest sister shared how, when I was only 2 or 3, the four of them used to take turn playing with and carrying me, and how I used to drool all over their hair and bite their shoulders.  She also told of an interesting incident when one day I (for whatever reason) started playing with pop-filled glass bottles, just dropping them one by one in front of me on the floor.  She still remembers how horrified she and my other siblings were to see a little toddler with so much blood on his legs and feet.  I've absolutely no recollection of this, and I see no scars from it, but I believe her.

Those days of us five living, sharing, bickering, and debating together are long gone.  Three of us are married, two with kids of their own.  We each are wearing new hats and have formulated our own, individual ways of confronting the harsh realities and challenges of life.  I pray, though, that regardless of how far apart we are geographically, we'll not cease reacting with horror and alarm whenever another among us bleeds.

Toronto Revisited

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Toronto, one of my favorite cities.  It's been a few years since my last visit.  The route there from central Ohio here hasn't, of course, changed much, still a comfortable, straight 5.5 hour drive to Niagara Falls (see my 2.5 meg video) on the Canadian border and another 1.5 hour to Toronto.

The city is still very much vibrant and growing, full of distinctions.  The world's tallest freestanding structure, the CN Tower, is still found here, near the first sports arena with a retractable roof, the Rogers Center (Skydome).  Part of the world's longest street, Yonge Street, also passes through this city.  Driving around Toronto, it's hard not to be awed by the great variety of architectural styles.   Glass is a unifying theme on most of the newer buildings - it's as if Toronto builders know that they're not located in an earthquake zone and want to flaunt that fact.  The Canadian equivalents of Wall Street, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley are all located in GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

No other city in the world is as ethnically diverse and multicultural as Toronto, not even NYC, LA, or Miami.  The largest minority group in GTA, the Chinese, number over 400,000, about 9 percent of the total population.   It's no wonder that the largest Chinese mall in North America, Pacific Mall, is located here in Markham, along with its adjacent Market Village mall.  One-third of the people who live in Toronto speaks a non-English language at home.  Overall, more than 100 languages are spoken in this city.

Beneath all its blessings, though, Toronto isn't exactly a utopia, though relatively speaking, if one likes living in a cosmopolitan environment, it's probably about as close as a city can get.  Urban sprawl and traffic jams on the freeways this time around seem much worse than before.  Supposedly gang violence and other crimes are also on the rise, though thank God I didn't experience any of those firsthand.

What will Toronto be like on my next visit?  I don't know, but perhaps William Kurelek, Canada's well-known artist, can help.  Decades ago, in his painting titled simply Toronto, Toronto, he spoke like a prophet, depicting Jesus, arms outstretched, standing on the steps of Toronto's old city hall, completely ignored by the throng of cars and crowds rushing left and right.  For Toronto to continue to prosper, it'll not only need to have Christ as a part of its cultural scenery, but also the people who will continue to point those lost in this city to Him Who makes life in any city worthwhile.

In the Wake

A pleasant Saturday afternoon.  I was about the turn the corner from Main Street to the narrow, curving road to my house, when I noticed that strange rider turning into the street from the opposite side.

He was dressed in all black, from helmet to sunglasses to his suit and shoes.  He wore a blank expression.  I turned onto the street behind him, then realized that he was bringing up the rear of a funeral procession.  His taillight was flashing, like the taillights of the column of cars before him.  I slowed down.  Even the big SUV tailing me up to that point realized what was happening and slowed down considerably.

I knew that, at the opposite end of this street, there were the memorial gardens toward where this procession was undoubtedly heading.  Still, I had never seen a procession pass through this residential street before.   What an eerie juxtaposition during those few minutes.  Amidst all the signs of spring - birds singing, the sun shining, flowers blooming - time tried to stand still for this group of mourners.  Among them only silence prevailed.  A loved one had been cut from them, and only by moving down this street could they bring this separated one to his or her final resting place.  Moving.  Resting.  Strange bedfellows on this day.  What was the greater offense, the birds' sacrilegious singing on such a solemn occasion, or the people's disruption to such a joyful day?  There is "a time to weep and a time to laugh" (Ecclesiastes 3:4).  For a brief moment, I learned that it's necessary to do both.

Tremors from a Lost World

San Francisco's Chinatown.  The modern version is not one of my top tourist spots, with its old, dirty, crowded streets and alleys.  I've no relatives or friends in the Bay area, and I've never lived there.  The old version of Chinatown, the one destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake a hundred years ago this very day, seems even more remote and unrelatable.  I've no desire to ever sport a queue behind my head as those folks did.  The personal difficulties I had back in school or work had little to do with American racism.  That I am still a bachelor has more to do with God-knows-what personal issues than any federally-mandated exclusion act on Chinese people.  Even if I were detained today as an immigrant hopeful in a prison-like environment, as those who were at Angel Island after the earthquake, the only poems I could write on the barrack walls would be in English.

Nonetheless, when I read about this past Chinatown, or look at its images through Arnold Genthe's historic black and white photos, I'm shaken by something much deeper and familiar than mere nostalgia.  In the faces and lives of those anonymous, shadowy men, wandering aimlessly through dimly-lit alleys, grasping for any sense of community and connection to their homeland, I seem to catch a glimpse of myself.  What is my cultural heritage?  How much should I care?  Should I just abandon all such "frivolous" thoughts and just live out my lfie in work, routines, and mind-numbing entertainment (in my case, surfing the web or watching TV, instead of their gambling halls)?  Should I go even further and just deny my ethnicity and race, abandoning any "chinatowns" in my life and just blend in any predominant color I find myself in?   

I've come to realize the bond between that old Chinatown and me is more than loneliiness - it's alienation.  I'm a Chinese living in the U.S.  I'm a Christian who's to pass though this life as a stranger, an alien.  In either case, I certainly get to enjoy the best of both worlds, whether culturally or spiritually.  At moments, though, the feelings of isolation return, whether I imagine what my future, eternal home will be like, or when I reflect back on a home that no longer is.