Yamamoto Tsunemoto - Hagakure
The link
Hagakure on Goodreads
What it is
“Hagakure”, which loosely translates to either “Hidden leaves” or “Hidden by Leaves”, is a treatise on bushido, the Japanese samurai code of honor. ‘Bushido’ literally translates as the way (‘do’) of the swordsman (‘bushi’). Incidentally, ‘do’ is the Japanese form of the Chinese word ‘tao’ for ‘the way’.
Yamamoto Tsunemoto was a samurai to a local lord at the end of the 17th century. Japan was modernizing: when Yamamoto’s lord died he forbade his retainers from committing the (previously common) ritual suicide. Yamamoto retired to be a monk instead. ‘Hagakure’ is the transcription of conversations with him later in life. It reads as a reflection on samurai ethos at the time when this ethos was losing relevance.
The most common English version is the translation by William Scott Wilson, which is still in print in various editions.
What it means to me
In one word, Sun Tzu is ‘tactical’. Miyamoto Mushashi is ‘focused’. Yamamoto Tsunemoto, to a Westerner, is ‘bleak’.
Hagakure is a thorough treatise on what it means to be a samurai. To be a samurai is not to be a bad-ass swordsman; it is a life of servitude to one’s master followed by inevitable death. To properly serve one’s master, Yamamoto argues, one should consider oneself ‘already dead’.
The book discussed the practices of and meditations on this ethos. To me, it is fascinating because it works logically from such an extreme standpoint. It comes to interesting conclusions. The actions of the 47 ronin, samurai who avenged their master after planning for a year, are described as (of all things) irresponsible. What if their target had died of natural causes in the meantime? The ronin's actions would have been meaningless! Better to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) immediately, in devotion to their lord.
With such a stark, black and white outlook, it’s interesting how poetic and serene Hagakure can be. Entire sections are treat on meditation, or on appreciation of poetry. Yamamoto Tsunemoto's dedication of his life is intertwined with mental purity, focus, and self-discipline.
At the time he wrote Hagakure, bushido was becoming old fashioned. Japan was at (relative) peace, and modernizing; the practice of ritual suicide had been outlawed. Hagakure is a look back at the ‘olden days’ of bushido, and what it had meant to Yamamoto. It is one man’s love letter to an ethos he wasn’t able to fulfill to his own satisfaction.
Perhaps ‘dutiful’ would be a better word than ‘bleak’.
My favorite anecdote from the book is a most surprising consequence of this devotion. A samurai had, by mistake, caused a financial loss to his lord while managing one of his holdings. He wrote: “It is wasteful to commit seppuku over a matter of money. Please send more funds.” Being the best possible servant of one’s your lord does allow for placing some value on one’s servitude, at least.
Leonard
(This is the third entry in a series of three reviews of famous works of Eastern Martial Philosophy. The first one is Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”; the second one is Miyamoto Mushashi's “The Book of Five Rings”.)
Dropbox
The link
Dropbox Main Website
I have a Dropbox referral link. If you sign up via this link, I receive a bit of extra storage at no cost to you.
What it is
Dropbox is a cloud storage company. You can upload your files and access them anywhere you have an internet connection. Free accounts get 2 GB of space, with the possibility to unlock extra (such as by referrals). Paid users get up to a terabyte, and there’s a company plan as well. I know at least one consulting company that manages everything over Dropbox.
Dropbox provides a web interface, synchronization programs for all major PC platforms, and apps for mobile devices. I was even able to install a package for it on my Network Attached Storage!
As an aside, we now live in an age where even a NAS box has an app store.
What it means to me
Why would anyone bother to recommend a cloud storage company in 2015, let alone one that offers only 2GB of space? Because Dropbox is the only cloud service so far that I trust to actually sync properly. I put files on dropbox; I access them from anywhere. It works absolutely flawlessly, without me noticing.
My main use of Dropbox is file
management for my phone. With a file manager, I can quickly move files
to or from my phone, and ‘favorite’ them so they’re available offline.
It’s a great way to move your photos to your main PC in one go. Note
taking in .txt files in a Dropbox folder has lead me to abandon Evernote
(which I dislikedfor the inability to get at the underlying files).
The standard disclaimer applies: putting your files on a cloud service means that the service provider (and probably their government) can access them. I personaly don't put any financial or confidential information on cloud storage.
I’ve tried a bunch of cloud solutions, and found all the others lacking. I received massive amounts of Google storage from activating my Android phone, and was all set to make the switch – until the google drive executable grabbed all my computer resources and immediately crashed. Multiple times. My best guess is that it tried to DoS itself.
At the time I tried them, Amazon and Microsoft weren’t available on all platforms. They also had rudimentary web interfaces. This made file management from Linux a pain.
Finally, my NAS supports remote access, but it contains all my private data. Thus, I've put strict access requirements in place.
For pure convenience, there’s little that beats Dropbox. And honestly, convenience is 80% of the reason for these types of services anyway.
Leonard
Made to Measure
The link
Pakkend Website
What it is
Pakkend is a tailoring company in Amsterdam, which makes made to measure suits. They also have a ready to wear collection.
‘Made to measure’ means a suit made from a pattern that has been fitted to the buyer. It’s a step up from ‘ready to wear’, which is buying an existing suit in a store. The final step up in quality (and price) is ‘bespoke’. A bespoke suit is created from a pattern drawn for the buyer from scratch.
Ordering a suit made to measure ensures a great fit, and you can customize it to your hearts content.
What it means to me
I am a consultant in financial services, which means I wear a lot of suits. I made the switch to 'suit and tie only' early in my career, after seeing the difference in image between people who did, and didn’t. It helps that I don’t mind looking a bit formal.
A man’s suit is about one thing, and one thing only: the silhouette. A well-fitting suit accentuates your shoulders and narrows you waist a bit. You don’t close the bottom jacket button to create a slimming shape.
Tailoring for this silhouette is especially important if you don’t have a standard size! Imagine you have broad shoulders and short arms. You can either feel cramped in your ready to wear jacket, or have sleeves that fall over your hands. Or you can just have the perfect jacket made for you, and look a million times better.
The fun in buying made to measure is deciding all the little details. Do you want a flashy lining? Colored buttons? Flap pockets or slit pockets? There are lots of subtle (or unsubtle) places where you can let your taste show. Although the people at Pakkend refused my green on grey stitching idea. On second thought, that was probably for the better.
Costs
for ‘made to measure’ compare quite favorably to name brand suits, and
you get good fabric as well. If, like me, you are hard on your suits you
can also order additional pants with one jacket. Do this immediately,
as you don’t want the fabric to run out!
The final advantage of made to measure: you’ll notice immediately when you put on weight. And you’ll have excellent motivation to start dieting.
I am firmly of the opinion that every man should have at least one good suit for formal occasions. If you’re going to spend the money, why not have it made for you?
Leonard
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!
The link
"Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!" on Goodreads
What it is
Richard Feynman was a theoretical physicist and winner of the 1965 Nobel prize for physics. His legacy lives on in ‘Feynman diagrams’ used to describe particle behavior. Feynman also holds the patent for the nuclear power plant, among others.
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman” is a collection of Feynman stories, transcribed from tape interviews. It’s all anecdotes and no physics, on topics as diverse as flirting, safe cracking, art, and life at the Manhattan project. And yes, the story on the nuclear power plant patent is in there, too.
What it means to me
“Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman” is a great, light read. It’s also a unique look into the mind of a man who was very smart, but most of all very curious. It’s no accident that Feynman ‘best of’ book is titled “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out”.
From the book, you get an impression of Feynman as a man who just wants to know and do more. A central theme in the book is the joy of finding out how and why things work. You see Feynman apply this to his main field, quantum mechanics, but also to art, and to samba drumming. This is a sentiment that really resonates with me.
Feynman had a low bullshit tolerance, and a reputation as a straight talker. After the failure of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 Feynman served on the Rogers Commission which investigated the incident. He then performed a live demonstration of the component that failed in a commission hearing, by submergng a rubber ring in ice water and shattering it, proving that it wasn’t resistant to cold.
True to his curious self to the end, his last words are recorded as "I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."
Leonard
