Wisdom I Pondered This Week
- “Learn what is to be taken seriously and laugh at the rest.” — Hermann Hesse
- “Everything is a lagging indicator. Of whether or not you did the work.” — Ryan Holiday
- “You are precisely as big as what you love and precisely as small as what you allow to annoy you.” — Robert Anton Wilson
- “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” — Nelson Mandela
- “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Things I Learned This Week
- The “Gordian knot 棘手的問題，難辦的事” refers to a legendary, intricately tied knot that, according to prophecy, whoever untied it would rule all of Asia. Alexander the Great, faced with this seemingly unsolvable problem, didn’t try to untangle it, but instead cut it with his sword. This bold action, and the phrase “cutting the Gordian knot (快刀斬亂麻),” has become a metaphor for solving complex problems with decisive, unconventional action.
- EDA (Electronic Design Automation) refers to specialized software tools used to design and verify complex electronic systems like integrated circuits (ICs) and printed circuit boards (PCBs). These tools automate tasks such as circuit design, simulation, logic synthesis, layout (placement and routing), and final verification before manufacturing. EDA is essential for creating modern chips with billions of transistors, making it a cornerstone of the semiconductor industry. Major EDA companies include Synopsis (新思科技), Cadence, and Siemens EDA.
- Yosemite National Park 優勝美地國家公園, located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, is a vast and iconic natural reserve known for its dramatic granite cliffs like El Capitan and Half Dome, towering waterfalls such as Yosemite Falls, and ancient giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove. Established in 1890 and spanning over 750,000 acres (around 3,000 km²), it offers diverse ecosystems ranging from lush meadows to alpine forests. Visitors can enjoy activities like hiking, rock climbing, camping, and wildlife spotting, with highlights including Glacier Point’s panoramic views and the park’s rich biodiversity featuring black bears, deer, and countless bird species. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a haven for nature lovers and adventurers alike.
- Yellowstone National Park 黃石國家公園, established in 1872, is the world’s first national park, located mostly in Wyoming with parts in Montana and Idaho. Covering over 2.2 million acres (around 8,900 km²), it’s famous for its geothermal features like geysers (especially Old Faithful), hot springs, and mud pots, all powered by an underlying supervolcano. The park is also a wildlife sanctuary, home to animals like bison, grizzly bears, wolves, and elk. Visitors can explore its dramatic landscapes, including Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, while enjoying activities like hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing.
- AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source framework by Google designed to make web pages load faster on mobile devices. It uses a simplified version of HTML (AMP HTML), a restrictive JavaScript library (AMP JS), and leverages Google’s AMP Cache to serve pages quickly. AMP limits certain tags and scripts to improve performance, resulting in lightweight, fast-loading pages. While it enhances mobile user experience and can boost SEO, it also reduces design flexibility and may require maintaining separate versions of pages. Though still used, its importance has declined with the rise of responsive design and core web vitals.
