Comments on: Taipei 101 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:18:33 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Shopping, Sightseeing, Science | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11357 Shopping, Sightseeing, Science | Cosmic Variance Tue, 23 May 2006 01:20:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11357 [...] And you know what? Sometimes it is true. Sometimes I am on the lookout for something for one or more of the above choices. Either way, it can make for a fun few hours of distraction. I’d like to say that I invented or discovered this aspect of “shopping” myself, but you know what? I learned it by, in the past, going shopping with various subsets of girlfriend/lover/wife/mum/sister/secretary/boss/colleague and now realise that I’m probably enjoying exactly the same rituals that they do. Yeah, I think I sort of understand shopping for hours without actually getting or needing anything….It can be fun, if the shopping environment is pleasant enough, as it often is in such stores. Although I can only manage the time and, more importantly, stamina to do it a few times a year (last time was in Taipei 101 in Taiwan). Not every Saturday. That would drive me nuts….. Don’t say it. [...] [...] And you know what? Sometimes it is true. Sometimes I am on the lookout for something for one or more of the above choices. Either way, it can make for a fun few hours of distraction. I’d like to say that I invented or discovered this aspect of “shopping” myself, but you know what? I learned it by, in the past, going shopping with various subsets of girlfriend/lover/wife/mum/sister/secretary/boss/colleague and now realise that I’m probably enjoying exactly the same rituals that they do. Yeah, I think I sort of understand shopping for hours without actually getting or needing anything….It can be fun, if the shopping environment is pleasant enough, as it often is in such stores. Although I can only manage the time and, more importantly, stamina to do it a few times a year (last time was in Taipei 101 in Taiwan). Not every Saturday. That would drive me nuts….. Don’t say it. [...]

]]> By: Black Scientists | Cosmic Variance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11338 Black Scientists | Cosmic Variance Sun, 19 Feb 2006 04:49:45 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11338 [...] I’ll end with an amusing story. Amusing to me, anyway. So the afternoon of the last day of 2005 I came down from the top of the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101 , which I told you about here, and decided to walk through central Taipei for a couple of hours and see the city on foot, as I love to do. This meant that I would see a lot of different areas and lots of people. It also meant I would get to think, which is something I love doing on long walks, especially when there’s lots of new stuff to see. [...] [...] I’ll end with an amusing story. Amusing to me, anyway. So the afternoon of the last day of 2005 I came down from the top of the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101 , which I told you about here, and decided to walk through central Taipei for a couple of hours and see the city on foot, as I love to do. This meant that I would see a lot of different areas and lots of people. It also meant I would get to think, which is something I love doing on long walks, especially when there’s lots of new stuff to see. [...]

]]> By: Bobalina http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11341 Bobalina Mon, 13 Feb 2006 19:27:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11341 This civilized arguing and forgiving and such makes me feel like an idiot. All of you should be proud of your considerable knowledge and sentence construction finesse! (Ha! I like I know what any of those words mean... innocuous? I understood that at some point in my life!) This civilized arguing and forgiving and such makes me feel like an idiot. All of you should be proud of your considerable knowledge and sentence construction finesse! (Ha! I like I know what any of those words mean… innocuous? I understood that at some point in my life!)

]]> By: David http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11356 David Mon, 06 Feb 2006 09:43:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11356 There's an interesting/amusing story on how Taipei 101 came about (according to what I read in an inflight magasine). Apparently the project didn't start out as an attempt to build the world's tallest building. It was begun by two local business tycoons (bank owners or the like) who decided to jointly develop the site as new headquarters for their businesses. The original plan was for one large building and a smaller one next to it. But both of them insisted that their business should be located in the big building! They couldn't reach agreement about this, and in the end decided to just build one huge building for both to share... Personally I think Taipei 101 is seriously cool, and don't know how anyone who has seen it (or Clifford's picture at the top of the page) could fail to be impressed...but each to their own of course. (Btw Clifford, did you check out the view of it from the top floor of the NTU physics building? It's especially good at night when it is all lit up.) .......... "...or are not "true locals" as I got from one commenter." No you didn't. That's definitely not what I said or meant. Sorry if the stuff i wrote in that thread was annoying though. There’s an interesting/amusing story on how Taipei 101 came about (according to what I read in an inflight magasine). Apparently the project didn’t start out as an attempt to build the world’s tallest building. It was begun by two local business tycoons (bank owners or the like) who decided to jointly develop the site as new headquarters for their businesses. The original plan was for one large building and a smaller one next to it. But both of them insisted that their business should be located in the big building! They couldn’t reach agreement about this, and in the end decided to just build one huge building for both to share…

Personally I think Taipei 101 is seriously cool, and don’t know how anyone who has seen it (or Clifford’s picture at the top of the page) could fail to be impressed…but each to their own of course.
(Btw Clifford, did you check out the view of it from the top floor of the NTU physics building? It’s especially good at night when it is all lit up.)
……….

“…or are not “true locals” as I got from one commenter.”

No you didn’t. That’s definitely not what I said or meant. Sorry if the stuff i wrote in that thread was annoying though.

]]> By: Clifford http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11355 Clifford Sun, 05 Feb 2006 07:40:37 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11355 Amanda: - Thanks. No hard feelings, ok? Next time I'm in Taipei -later this year I hope- the first drink's on me, ok? (If that's where you are.) There's some excellent bars in Taipei I'll post about later....perhaps. Everyone: thanks! -cvj Amanda: – Thanks. No hard feelings, ok? Next time I’m in Taipei -later this year I hope- the first drink’s on me, ok? (If that’s where you are.) There’s some excellent bars in Taipei I’ll post about later….perhaps.

Everyone: thanks!

-cvj

]]> By: Maynard Handley http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11354 Maynard Handley Sat, 04 Feb 2006 23:11:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11354 " Anyway, in Asia ***[at least among students and people like that]*** these huge buildings are regarded in much the same way that an American student would regard that pseudo-Venice hotel in Las Vegas. " Ie among the hipper than thou crowd. Y'all really should read John Le Carre's latest book, _Absolute Friends_, which apart from being a cracking good spy novel with a disturbingly accurate take on the current world political situation, in his standard low-key understated way skewers this sort of student thinking and how it's usually driven more by some sort of immature psychodynamics of rebelling against daddy than by any sort of informed consideration of the situation. For what it's worth I'm with Clifford on this one. ”
Anyway, in Asia ***[at least among students and people like that]*** these huge buildings are regarded in much the same way that an American student would regard that pseudo-Venice hotel in Las Vegas.
”

Ie among the hipper than thou crowd. Y’all really should read John Le Carre’s latest book, _Absolute Friends_, which apart from being a cracking good spy novel with a disturbingly accurate take on the current world political situation, in his standard low-key understated way skewers this sort of student thinking and how it’s usually driven more by some sort of immature psychodynamics of rebelling against daddy than by any sort of informed consideration of the situation.

For what it’s worth I’m with Clifford on this one.

]]> By: sisyphus http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11336 sisyphus Sat, 04 Feb 2006 20:47:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11336 Las Vegas and Disney World are Baudrillard's favorite examples of hyperreality. They're fun places because visitors experience a feeling of shared separation from the real world. Las Vegas casino owners hire designers who specialize in creating hyperreal environments so that visitors will be less conscious of the meaning of the money they're losing. Nice. Las Vegas and Disney World are Baudrillard’s favorite examples of hyperreality. They’re fun places because visitors experience a feeling of shared separation from the real world. Las Vegas casino owners hire designers who specialize in creating hyperreal environments so that visitors will be less conscious of the meaning of the money they’re losing. Nice.

]]> By: Samantha http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11337 Samantha Sat, 04 Feb 2006 20:11:01 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11337 Hi Amanda, Yes, it is so much harder to convey dissent in writing but - to reassure you - your comment in the infamous scooter poster was much appreciated. Anyway. I was thinking about national pride. I side with Clifford here, I often find the lack of national pride in Britain (compared to the US) very disheartening. Especially since national pride has been subjugated by revolting organizations like the BNP, hence why liberals (like myself) would never ever wear anything with a Union Jack on it. But this *tends* to result in the British being very negative about any British achievement. And it isn't the same in the US. Let consider Vegas. As it happens, I run a lab here in wonderful Southern California and my students *love* Vegas. I wouldn't even know how to tell them that some people consider they should be ashamed of it. I don't think they mistake it for high culture, they love it because it is a great place (albeit the most artificial place on earth that requires questionable water reallocation) to go for a really fun weekend (I can second this). Now this isn't to say that all American students love Vegas, just my students (and perhaps Sean too) aren't embarrassed by this direction their culture went in. And I like that. Hi Amanda,

Yes, it is so much harder to convey dissent in writing but – to reassure you – your comment in the infamous scooter poster was much appreciated.

Anyway. I was thinking about national pride. I side with Clifford here, I often find the lack of national pride in Britain (compared to the US) very disheartening. Especially since national pride has been subjugated by revolting organizations like the BNP, hence why liberals (like myself) would never ever wear anything with a Union Jack on it. But this *tends* to result in the British being very negative about any British achievement.

And it isn’t the same in the US. Let consider Vegas. As it happens, I run a lab here in wonderful Southern California and my students *love* Vegas. I wouldn’t even know how to tell them that some people consider they should be ashamed of it. I don’t think they mistake it for high culture, they love it because it is a great place (albeit the most artificial place on earth that requires questionable water reallocation) to go for a really fun weekend (I can second this). Now this isn’t to say that all American students love Vegas, just my students (and perhaps Sean too) aren’t embarrassed by this direction their culture went in. And I like that.

]]> By: sisyphus http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11353 sisyphus Sat, 04 Feb 2006 18:04:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11353 #10 Clifford: Don't be discouraged. Most of us, including Amanda, I'm sure, think that you're the cat's pajamas. Judging by your posting style, not only are you a brilliant scientist, you're also a trusting and authentic human being and an all-round great guy. Some of us though, like me, think that having fun is having an argument (bad genes? hard time in the formative years?). Because, as you've indicated in another thread, you like to 'let it all hang out', some us may feel that we have permission to be a little more aggressive on your threads than on others'. I have to say it, though, Taipei 101 may be a technological wonder, but aesthetically it's... interesting. #10 Clifford: Don’t be discouraged. Most of us, including Amanda, I’m sure, think that you’re the cat’s pajamas. Judging by your posting style, not only are you a brilliant scientist, you’re also a trusting and authentic human being and an all-round great guy.

Some of us though, like me, think that having fun is having an argument (bad genes? hard time in the formative years?).

Because, as you’ve indicated in another thread, you like to ‘let it all hang out’, some us may feel that we have permission to be a little more aggressive on your threads than on others’.

I have to say it, though, Taipei 101 may be a technological wonder, but aesthetically it’s… interesting.

]]> By: Samantha http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/comment-page-1/#comment-11352 Samantha Sat, 04 Feb 2006 15:42:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2006/02/02/taipei-101/#comment-11352 The all you can eat breakfast at the Wynn is the stuff of legend. The all you can eat breakfast at the Wynn is the stuff of legend.

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