梅党

http://www.merylstreep.com.cn/

Censorship

Behind each attempt to remove a book or video, or block an internet connection is the magic wand belief: if the item is eliminated, the thought is gone.

--"How the Mind of a Censor Works", Social Library Journal, Jan. 1996, p. 24.

同名同姓

http://name.renren.com/xingming/zhangzhan97818.html

Professor Germaine Greer (National Portrait Gallery, Canberra)

http://www.portrait.gov.au/site/exhibition_subsite_borland4.php

Germaine Greer (born 29 January 1939) is an Australian-born writer, academic, journalist and scholar of early modern English literature, widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the later 20th century.

山东新泰称网传"23岁女副局长生活照"非本人

http://news.163.com/10/0224/17/60AALBO8000120GU.html

One of the girls toward the middle of the video (not the person mentioned in the title) looks REALLY like my classmate.

NOVA @ PBS

iridium
exquisite
velvet ice

The Bank of New York Mellon

BNY Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK) is a global financial services company formed on 1 July 2007 as result of the merger of The Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation.[5] The company employs about 42,900 staff worldwide and has over US$928 billion in assets under management and $20.2 trillion in assets under custody and administration.[4] It operates in six primary financial services sectors including asset management, asset servicing, wealth management, broker-dealer and advisory services, issuance services, and treasury services.[6] It is the oldest banking corporation in the United States, tracing its origins to the establishment of the Bank of New York in 1784, by American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR)

The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act established the federal premerger notification program, which provides the FTC and the Department of Justice with information about large mergers and acquisitions before they occur. The parties to certain proposed transactions must submit premerger notification to the FTC and DOJ. Premerger notification involves completing an HSR Form, also called a “Notification and Report Form for Certain Mergers and Acquisitions,” with information about each company’s business. The parties may not close their deal until the waiting period outlined in the HSR Act has passed, or the government has granted early termination of the waiting period. For more information about the program, read our Introductory Guides. The FTC administers the premerger notification program, and the staff of the Premerger Notification Office is available to answer questions about how and when to file.

Ash Wednesday (2010.2.17)

Ash Wednesday, in the Western Christian calendar, is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are typically gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the Catechumens[1] (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptized), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the minister who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his own forehead and then on those of congregants.

Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year fall on same day this year, a rare occurrence

Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year fall on same day this year, a rare occurrence

By Kelly Roncace

February 14, 2010, 4:17AM

This year, when two sweethearts romantically refer to each other as “tiger” on St. Valentine’s Day, it will have an entirely different meaning.

St. Valentine’s Day 2010 (today) falls on the same day as the Chinese New Year, which just happens to be the Year of the Tiger.

According to Dr. Elizabeth VanderVen, assistant professor of history at Rutgers University-Camden, the tiger represents courage and bravery. The Chinese believe the tiger protects their homes from three dangers: ghosts, fires and theft.

A rare happening, St. Valentine’s Day and the Chinese New Year have only coincided three times since 1900.

According to writer Carol Patton, the holidays won’t fall on the same day again until after 2030.

Patton said this could give couples, even those who are not of Chinese descent, some new traditions to explore on St. Valentine’s Day.

“Even if people aren’t Chinese, they can still use its traditions to attract new people, express their love to family and friends or even deepen their love with spouses or partners,” she said.

According to Patton, Chinese tradition says the color red helps to set the mood, so consider sprinkling red rose petals on pillows, or place the Chinese double happiness symbol under pillows for a romantic evening.

Or someone searching for a new love should make a list of all the physical and personality traits they want in a partner, and then burn the list in a fireplace or ceremonial bowl on the Chinese New Year so heaven will hear the wishes and respond, according to Chinese culture.

Ray Ally of www.rayally.com and X Ray: China said much of China’s Generation X/Y population are catching on to Western cultures and holidays such as Valentine’s Day.

Ally writes, the popularity of western holidays in China is driven by Internet savy 18- to 29-year-olds who want to experience the Western culture.

VanderVen said in China, Valentine’s Day is considered a “young person’s” holiday.

“Young people may be slightly pulled between whether to focus on family or their girlfriend or boyfriend or friends,” she said. “But my guess is that the Chinese New Year will trump Valentine’s Day.”

VanderVen said Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the culture’s calendar.

“The Chinese calendar is one of the oldest calendar’s in history,” she said. “It’s one of the longest unbroken time sequences in history.”

She said, dating back to around 2953 B.C., the calendar is based on the lunar cycle.

“In simple terms, when the moon is full it’s considered a new month,” she said. “The New Year always falls between the end of January and Feb. 15.”

Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day have some things in common, though, such as colors and gifts.

“Red is the color of the new year,” VanderVen said.

People celebrating the new year tend to wear red, as well as those celebrating Valentine’s Day.

For the western holiday, red symbolizes love, but for the Chinese holiday red is lucky.

VanderVen said in China and Chinese communities here in the United States, people will try to harmonize the two holidays and celebrate them together.

“But to the Chinese, the New Year is the most important one,” she said. “The Chinese are very good at establishing compatibility and harmony.”

一曲奇情没红尘

【分享】一曲奇情没红尘------罗大佑《海上花》

《海上花》有书、有电影、也有歌曲，海上花，就算是将这三字赤裸，不让它沾染上那本书、那部侯孝贤的电影、那首罗大佑的歌，也丝毫不损三字排列的别致。其实，海上有花，无非是浪，但，海-上-花三字一路看下来、念下来，心中却总是充塞着不可言说的感觉，说这是神秘像是偏颇又不够彻底，所谓奇情！

【歌曲】

海上花

歌手:罗大佑 专辑:青春舞曲

是这般柔情的你 给我一个梦想
徜徉在起伏的波浪中 隐隐地荡漾
在你的臂弯
是这般深情的你 摇晃我的梦想
缠绵像海里 每一个无垠的浪花
在你的身上

睡梦成真 转身浪影汹涌没红尘
残留水纹 空留遗恨 愿只愿他生
昨日的身影能相随 永生永世不离分

是这般奇情的你 粉碎我的梦想
仿佛像水面泡沫的短暂光亮
是我的一生

睡梦成真 转身浪影汹涌没红尘
残留水纹 空留遗恨 愿只愿他生
昨日的身影能相随 永生永世不离分

是这般奇情的你粉碎我的梦想
仿佛像水面泡沫的短暂光亮
是我的一生

【音乐背景】

关于罗大佑已不用多做介绍，有人将他的音乐历程分为“青色”、“黑色”、“黄色”、“彩色”四个时期，我却只认明一点，就是罗大佑的匠气绝对始于《海上花》。写于1986年的《海上花》，应该处在“黑”、“黄”二时期的过渡期吧。如果回忆一下“历史”的话，就不难理解为何这首歌会认为是具有政治意味。 1985年，罗大佑推出《青春舞曲》（演唱会精华）专辑后，远走美利坚，从医。

其实当年的罗大佑成为台湾两党相争的牺牲品，所以才会出现“《明天会更好》事件”，受到一定迫害的罗大佑的确意冷心灰，在《青春舞曲》的文案中写下：“也到了我告别一段时间的时候了厖多久？请别问我。”这也为后来罗氏移师香江继续其音乐事业埋下了伏笔。如此推算起来，《海上花》应该写于美国，身处异域的罗大佑，心境自有了不同，回看世事，自有一番了然，于是，《海上花》就算剔除了它耀眼的美丽，当中的自醒与寄望仍是可以体会。

这不是一首单纯的情歌，大佑本身的用意也不止于此。但这确实也是一首美丽的情歌，只是，当中的情变得宏大、内敛，可以将之细腻，也可将之宏阔。后来的罗大佑，也意图在《恋曲2000》中重塑这种情，可惜却有词藻徒然堆积之嫌。罗大佑的音乐野心，私以为倒不是从《皇后大道东》、《原乡》、《首都》三部曲才开始，而是在《海上花》里已颇显端倪了。初初的匠气，格外有震撼力，《海上花》得以隽永。

“是这般柔情的你，给我一个梦想，徜徉在起伏的波浪中隐隐的荡漾，在你的臂弯厖”男和声起。最喜欢和唱的这个版本，虽然，此曲的首唱是甄妮，后来郑怡也唱过，我却总觉得只有男女声和唱方能真正体现歌之含义，而独唱往往只能囊括其局部。收于罗大佑1989年《告别的年代》大碟里的《海上花》，耀眼异常，罗大佑终于选择以和唱形式来演绎它，使得它跳然而出，让世人终得以识到它的好处。

【音乐欣赏】

始终只得一架钢琴伴奏，罗大佑自幼修习琴键，功底深厚。《海上花》中的琴声，更是时而婉转，时而凝重，行云流水般，一泻千里，叠上和声的饱满充实，无懈可击。难得男女声部那一般的淡然，隐隐中的大气，真是无谓男的刚、女的柔，一样的呤唱，一样的情调，交融难分彼此声音，反倒涤人心肺：“是这般深情的你，摇晃我的梦想，缠绵像海里每一个无名的浪花厖”歌曲来到这一处：“在你的身上，睡梦成真，转身浪已汹涌没红尘，残留水温，空留遗恨，愿只愿他生，昨日的身影能相随，永生永世不离分”女声引领出男声，一齐进入高潮。总是想：睡梦成真，过后没红尘，会是怎样终极的遗恨？

【乐后音】

是在《海上花》里，我第一次见到罗大佑如斯的残酷。林夕曾说，悲到荼蘼，而在《海上花》里，如果也有悲，怕是已经在荼蘼以后，如果也有哀，那么丝丝哀已如同烟，飞起、飘逝、遁去，不要留下可寻踪迹。既谓之奇情，便只可眼睁睁的见那一次性铸下的回忆，虽然永远不再有提示，却依然在时间冲刷的背后盘踞下去。

“是这般奇情的你，粉碎我的梦想，仿佛像水面泡沫的短暂光亮，是我的一生！”最末的这一句，揭示真谛。见过一些经典的悲情表述：最有同感的是亦舒说“在那一刻，身体的一部分永远死亡”；换成林夕的话就是“以后的欢娱都得小心翼翼，正是再没有投入的资格”；罗大佑更是不留余地“泡沫的短暂光亮，是我的一生！”这样的泰然，已不再是“小心翼翼”，不再是“资格”的问题，而是轻柔却斩钉截铁的拒绝了投入。

悲情，可以开到荼蘼，却原来荼蘼之后还有另一片广阔地带，叫做“奇情”，它盖过了一生。全心蹲坐于记忆中永不会粉碎的泡沫中，今生已在短暂的光亮中寻到满足，无谓等待、无谓期待，如此的一生，难说不是幸福的！而满足中的寄望又是格外的偏执：“愿只愿他生，昨日的身影能相随，永生永世不离分”。正是短暂的光亮，已预支了生生世世的轮回，再无需选择，亦不必重新思考。于是，何谓之奇情？不是执著，而是绝对；又何谓之《海上花》？是短暂的光亮，有荼蘼背后的一生去支撑的奇情...

模仿领导人讲话

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTUxMTgxNTIw.html

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/XeZ7WxxTjzM/

Status updates - 2010 - First Half

5.14

Better is for one who bets.

5.9

Provoke. Ignite. Galvanize.

5.5

捨不得璀璨俗世

5.4

想做个热气球 慢慢飘走

5.2

New York is substantially better looking now with temperature up.

4.29

香蕉中的战斗蕉

4.28

snosnosnooze

is writing PE in China, aka What Happened After He Left.

4.27

Is the bazaar always better than the cathedral?

4.21

累了一天回到家喝上热腾腾的鸡汤，世界真美好：）

4.15

beijing and shanghai are soon to be occupied by sea turtles of all shapes and shades.

4.13

three papers two exams well capitalized well caffeinated.

4.4

道がつづら折りになって、いよいよ天城峠に近づいたと思うころ、雨足が杉の密林を白く染めながら、すさまじい早さで麓から私を追って来た。

3.31

wanna trade all my vp titles to an associate title.

3.12

"你妈怀你的时候，也恶心呕吐的，你还不是生下来了。多吐吐就习惯了。要像你妈妈包容你一样包容不同文化。" very strong argument. recommend using before the supreme court.

Divergent thinking

3.10

TAB=Talented But Broke.

美国很多事情让我想叹气。中国很多事情让我想吐。

2.19

Spicy...in a nice way.

2.18

NY Times sent out 5 "News Alerts" today. They ought to be more prudent in bombing my inbox.

John Major --> Al Gore --> John Mara...?

2.17

Costa Serena, Aurora, Carnival Glory, Queen Mary 2...why does every ship belong to Carnival??

recognized 5 out of the 12 supposed-to-be celebrity faces in the subway car: Stephen Colbert, Malcolm Gladwell, Eva Longoria, Yo-yo Ma, and Meryl Streep. A good proxy measure for one's degree of Americanization.

2.14

recognized 5 out of the 12 supposed-to-be celebrity faces in the subway car: Stephen Colbert, Malcolm Gladwell, Eva Longoria, Yo-yo Ma, and Meryl Streep. A good proxy measure for one's degree of Americanization.

台北知识分子们把钱花在哪

陈永杰 2010-02-04 17:23:10

和很多我的同龄人一样，我小时候也爱听邓丽君的歌，读大学时也迷过《流星花园》，但这些年来学习和工作太忙，中国台湾对于我而言似乎已经没有那么色彩斑斓，在黑色和金色被涤荡完后，就只剩下蓝色和绿色在争妍斗法。我常觉得，这些争斗其实掩盖了太多寻常日子里的真实一面，从平常老百姓到知识分子，莫不如是。我更有兴趣于他们那些琐碎的生活片段。不久前我获邀到台湾大学参加一个会议，在没有时间做任何文献回顾的情况下，我尝试从台湾同行的身上寻找这些片段。

不久前，看过一个大陆记者的台北游记，他认为台湾物价是大陆的两倍，幸好是收入在四五倍左右，所以算下来还好。但我的感觉倒是跟这位记者的观察有点出入。做学问的人喜欢讲究研究方法，大陆不同地方的物价差异这么大，恐怕找到国家统计局也拿不出一个“大陆物价水平”的计算方法出来，所以还不如纯粹拿城市比较，甚至就以消费的感觉来比较。

我感觉台北的物价仅仅比大陆的一线城市（例如广州和深圳）高一点，甚至有些地方还要低一些。人民币兑台币大约是1:4.5，台湾大学外面的几个面店，一碗份量很足的牛肉面最便宜的也就120元台币，相当于25元人民币。7-Eleven里的台湾版《壹周刊》也就80元台币，不到20 元人民币，跟香港看齐。如果比较公共交通，台北其实更加便宜：我在台北坐过一次巴士，10元台币，相当于2、3块钱人民币；比起同一价格的广州公交要舒适得多。

我问了几位台湾高教同行，他们说台湾的助理教授（相当于讲师）的月薪大概7～8万台币。这是指专心教学和研究、不用花时间搞各种项目、傍晚可以下班休息、周末可以陪老婆孩子的固定月薪。如果把上述的物价水平结合这个收入水平看来，台湾学者的压力倒真的是比大陆大多数的高校同行要小得多，也难怪他们的生活可以潇洒一些。据说从一开始，台湾当局在物质上从来没有亏待过知识分子，就衣食行这三方面而言，在台北也的确不会比广州和深圳贵太多。

那么住又如何呢？台湾高教界的年轻同行们，似乎也面对着在台北市区买不起房子的“蜗居”问题。我和几位在台湾大学工作的朋友吃饭聊天，他们都是典型的“70后洋博士”，其中两个来自台湾其他县市的朋友，都选择了在台北市郊买房子，因为市区的楼房实在是贵得离谱。由于计算方式有很大差异，我尝试把“坪”和“台币”换成“平方米”跟“人民币”来理解这种差异：在台湾市区每平方米都要三万人民币以上，但是车程一小时左右的市郊，一平方就只需要 4000～6000人民币左右。同行的大陆朋友就说，那起码你们两个月买一平米还可以呀，我们是完全没辙呀。看到大伙好像要挤兑台北人时，一位本身是台北人的朋友就说了，自己不过是幸运，住父母的房子。然后他又调侃到，幸亏没有人会拆掉他在市区的老房子建豪宅和酒店，然后逼着一家人搬去市郊。听罢，来自大陆的朋友们都哭笑不得了。

房价是世界性的话题，无论如何，生活还是要过下去的。我关心的是，台北的知识分子们都把钱花到了什么地方？如果朋友的描述可信的话，台北人，尤其是台北的知识分子的生活绝对不算豪奢，但却小资得可以：花钱最多的两件事分别是买书和喝咖啡。台北市内到处是书店和咖啡厅是一个很好的佐证。到台北，笔者心里一直觉得必须要走一次的，不是台北故宫，也不是中正纪念堂，而是诚品书店。诚品书店在台北有好几家，其中一家还是24 小时营业。有书店就会有读书人，就会有想静心阅读，或者和朋友交流心得体会的地方，于是也就养活了一众的咖啡厅。有时候想到这里，就会感受到台北的一种魅力。曾记否，在某个岁月里，你也有过那种想执卷诵读，彻夜到天明的意气？这种氛围，虽然加盖了现代化的外壳，但其实，正是千百年来的中国读书人最为向往的那种意境。难得的是它出现在喧嚣的大都市里，然后又有这么庞大的群体来珍爱着。

台北大学附近的咖啡厅，当然还有不少的茶馆，都是不少学者们闲来聚会的地方。朋友们跟我说，其中有好几家还都有不少掌故。这些掌故大多属于“戒严时期”。我就去过一家叫做紫藤庐的茶馆，这里还有着日治时代的一些遗风，低矮的桌子和铺了榻榻米的小隔间，馆里还摆设着一些圈里名人甚至国际友人的“墨宝”。在这些地方坐下来，静静地听着学界的朋友们回忆他们的青年时代，是一件很惬意的事。要来一壶乌龙茶，沏出的是几代文人的忧怀激愤；几杯黑咖啡，倒影出的是那些年月里走上街头的身影。据讲2009年大陆赴台游客超过60万，只是不知当中有多少会懂得在购物之余，也驻足聆听一番。

虽然台北现在的大学生同样恋着这些咖啡厅和茶馆，但那个岁月里的那份情怀现在似乎已经不复存在。“戒严时期”的台湾大学生，属于一个精英教育的时代。现在的台湾，高等教育早已普及化：高等学院全台超过150家，录取率超过九成。也就是说，只要愿意去考，几乎肯定有大学上。所以虽然台湾人口不过2300万，但在校大学生人数却超过100万。傍晚的台大校门，就像大部分的大陆高校一样，看到的是学生们如贯的自行车龙。随着经济结构的去工业化，这一代台湾大学生面对着严重的就业问题。要是现在他们聚首在咖啡厅或茶馆里，聊得更多的恐怕是怎样找到一份体面工作，否则便不得不像《海角七号》的男主角一般，狠狠地摔碎吉他，去当邮差了。上一代人的那份浪漫激情只能留给这一代去无限感慨，这倒跟大陆的同龄人很相似。

那晚，我在午夜的台北，也试着尝一口咖啡，轻翻书页，在繁星闪烁的夜空下进入思想王国里肆意游走。在我眼前重叠着的，是一幅幅不同时空里台湾知识分子的生活画卷。这种感觉相当奇妙，也可能正是我想去寻找的片段。其实，台湾，一直都那么色彩斑斓。

80后来了，80后在这里

80后来了，80后在这里

作者: 南方周末评论员 戴志勇

2010-02-03 21:15:10

他们或以新生代农民工之名，首次出现在刚刚发布的今年中共中央“一号文件”里；或以五百万魔兽玩家之名，出现在一部名为《网瘾战争》的大片里。这部堪比《阿凡达》和《孔子》的现实版零成本动画，就是他们主创。他们就是80后。2010年，他们正好三十而立。

相信你已看出其中的区别：“新生代农民工”是被命名，“魔兽玩家”则是他们自我命名。从被动到主动，这是一场真正的成人礼。“我们是魔兽玩家”—— 片中的那声呐喊，将这代人寻找存在感的努力，演绎得淋漓尽致。他们不是通过乞求，而是通过对滥权者的嘲讽与抗争，来争取自己诉求的实现，并向所谓主流社会表达了自由游戏、平等竞争的价值观。

三十年休养生息，三十年野蛮生长。终于，他们来了。他们用惊人的才华和犀利的批判精神，跃上了当代中国的大舞台。这是数以亿计的庞大群体，韩寒并不孤独。他们活跃在互联网或任何热点事件的现场，力图还原真相，追求公义。他们开始对现实大声发言，这发言理性、负责、有锐气。这样的一代人，势必为老大之中国注入新精血。

自然，他们并非一个整体。“富二代”、“贫二代”，以及托庇父荫、顺风顺水走上从政之路的“官二代”，是他们中的另类群落。还有大学毕业生，在产业结构与教育结构不匹配的社会中找到一份朝九晚五的工作。他们被称为中产阶级或蜗居蚁族。

他们就是我们自己，就是我们的弟弟妹妹，邻居，同事，实习生。尽管这代人已经“认领”不同职业，挤进不同阶层，但他们共同成长于告别乌托邦的改革年代，秉有相似的风骨与价值观念。那些嘲讽权势者不良作为，力图活得真实、自在而有尊严的努力，往往在他们那里激起潮水般的共鸣。

刺痛这代人的，不再是“反右”、三年大饥荒、“文革”与“上山下乡”，不再是夫妻相疑、父子决裂的人伦惨剧。对“伤痕”文学，他们中的很多人已经陌生，而对改革开放却如鱼在水。正因是在已然改变的中国，他们的人性才得以很少扭曲，理想也很少凌空蹈虚。也正因是在已然改变的中国，相对于历经磨难的父辈们对现实的宽容，他们对改革过程中的不公不义，有低得多的容忍阈值。他们几乎完全没有逆来顺受的暮气。

短短两周已有几百万点击量的《网瘾战争》所讽刺的，是跨省追捕、钓鱼执法；是正龙拍虎、秋雨捐书；是“70码”；他们所要反抗的，是伪装成主流的一些不当利益与不当权力对其精神世界乃至身体的不当规训。

一句话，他们要活出一个大写的自己，要画出一个大写的“人”字。对人性的尊重，对自由的热爱，对真相与存在感的渴望，驱使他们从迷茫走向清晰，针对此起彼伏的热点事件，自由思考，热烈辩论，慢慢读懂纷繁现象背后的政经与社会现实。因为年轻，他们对一个更美好的明天，抱有莫大希望，从而努力向前。这代人的幸运在于：国门已开，各种围墙正逐渐被推倒，在势不可挡的互联网时代，一切梦想皆有可能。

这代独生子女，远非娇生惯养的所谓“垮掉的一代”。其实，即便美国上世纪中叶颠覆主流价值观的年轻人，也不过是以怀疑的方式与确定共处，以率性的方式与规矩共存。他们的到来非但不是美国的一场灾难，相反，以自己的方式，他们成就着美国。

没有包袱，开动机器。成就新中国的，也必将是改革开放后成长起来的这代人。在网上彼此辩论乃至对骂并不可怕，观点的不同必将刺激其寻求共识，求同存异；即使每天花两三个小时玩游戏也非洪水猛兽，只要规则公平合理，为其创造一种自由和平等的游戏环境，他们在其中体验期待，怀疑，痛苦和狂喜，通过个人努力与团队合作，实现自己每一个微小的愿望，这何尝不是淬炼其精神，独立其品格，拓宽其眼界，增进其智识的过程，有什么不好？

少年智则国智，少年独立则国独立，少年自由则国自由。追求自由生活，渴望现代文明的九千万新生代农民工仿佛是这个时代雄浑的底色，而一部《网瘾战争》，则仿佛一则伟大的宣言。这些生于改革开放的年轻人，正在学会从沉默中走出来，孤立的声音正自动汇合成朝气蓬勃的洪流：我们来了，我们在这里。

WSJ: U.S. Keeps Foreign Ph.D.s (1/27/2010)

JANUARY 27, 2010

U.S. Keeps Foreign Ph.D.s

Despite Fears of a Post-9/11 Drop, Most Science, Engineering Post-Grads Have Stayed

By DAVID WESSEL

Most foreigners who came to the U.S. to earn doctorate degrees in science and engineering stayed on after graduation—at least until the recession began—refuting predictions that post-9/11 restrictions on immigrants or expanding opportunities in China and India would send more of them home.

Newly released data revealed that 62% of foreigners holding temporary visas who earned Ph.D.s in science and engineering at U.S. universities in 2002 were still in the U.S. in 2007, the latest year for which figures are available. Of those who graduated in 1997, 60% were still in the U.S. in 2007, according to the data compiled by the U.S. Energy Department's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the National Science Foundation.

Foreigners account for about 40% of all science and engineering Ph.D. holders working in the U.S., and a larger fraction in engineering, math and computer fields. "Our ability to continue to attract and keep foreign scientists and engineers is critical to…increase investment in science and technology," Oak Ridge analyst Michael Finn said.

"Data for all available cohorts indicate that 'stay rates' of foreign science and engineering doctorate recipients in 2007 are slightly higher than they have been in recent years," Mr. Finn said. His findings, which use tax data to track graduates, cover the years before the U.S. plunged into a recession that damped job prospects in many U.S. industries and universities.

Other analysts see signs that recent foreign grads are increasingly likely to return home, particularly in today's weak job market. "I have no doubt that the 2009 data will show a dramatic shift," said Vivek Wadwha, executive in residence at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering, who has been warning loudly about the threat that trend would pose to innovation in the U.S. In October 2008, Mr. Wadwha and others used Facebook to question 1,224 foreigners studying at U.S. institutions at all levels. More than half the Indians and 40% of the Chinese said they hoped to return home within five years.

Separate NSF surveys show the fraction of foreign Ph.D.s planning to stay in the U.S. dipped in the years following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack and then rebounded. Nearly 80% of those with temporary visas surveyed in 2007 said they planned to stay; more than half had definite plans to do so.

Joy Ying Zhang, the son of a primary-school teacher and a college professor, left China in 1999 for Detroit's Wayne State University, where he arrived with two suitcases and $2,000 in cash. He later transferred to Carnegie Mellon University, which awarded him a Ph.D. in computer science in 2008.

Four or five of his friends have returned to China, he said, and he has discussed doing so. But Mr. Zhang, now a research assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon's Silicon Valley campus, has decided stay. "I have spent 10 years here already," he said. "It took me some time to get used to American life. Now, it'd be hard to get used to China. It's called 'reverse culture shock.' "

In recruiting for Carnegie Mellon, he finds young Chinese less eager to come to the U.S. than those of his generation. "Life in China is getting better. There are research alternatives in China—like Microsoft China," he said. "They can get good mentoring and advice there, instead of coming to the U.S."

In 2007, foreign citizens accounted for 16,022 of the Ph.D.s awarded in science and engineering in the U.S., or 46% of the total, according to the Oak Ridge data. In contrast, the class of 1997 had 12,966 foreigners, or 30% of the total.

Graduates of Ph.D. programs in the physical sciences and computer science are more likely to remain in the U.S. than those in other fields, Mr. Finn said. Those programs are popular with Chinese and Indian students, who are more likely to remain in the U.S. than those from Taiwan, South Korea and Western Europe. Among 2002 graduates, 92% of the Chinese and 81% of the Indians were in the U.S. after five years; in contrast, 41% of South Koreans and 52% of Germans were.

Aranyak Mehta, 31, came from India nearly a decade ago to study algorithms at Georgia Institute of Technology and earned a Ph.D. in 2005. Today, he is a research scientist at Google—and planning, for now, to remain in the U.S. "There's always a trade-off—family, culture, and all that," he said. "One of the most important things with an academic background is the work that you do, and is it exciting?"

Using the LinkedIn online network, Mr. Wadhwa identified 1,203 skilled Indians and Chinese who had returned home. Three-quarters said visa issues weren't a factor. Rather, career opportunities, quality-of-life concerns and family ties were major factors. Some 70% of the Chinese and 61% of the Indians said opportunities for professional advancement were better at home.

The NSF recently said the number of foreign science and engineering students enrolled in graduate programs of all types hit 158,430 in April 2009, up 8% from the year before.

王光亚大使在安理会表决苏丹制裁问题决议草案后的解释性发言

　　当地时间2005年3月29日下午，联合国安理会以12票赞成、3票弃权表决（包括中国）通过了关于苏丹制裁问题的第1591号决议。中国常驻联合国代表王光亚大使在表决后做了解释性发言，发言全文如下：

主席先生：

　　中国代表团刚才投了弃权票，是因为对决议有严重保留。

　　数日前，安理会通过第1590号决议，授权在苏丹南部部署维和行动。这是一个正确的决定，有利于监督落实南北和平协议的全面实施，也有利于帮助苏丹人民早日实现和平与稳定。

　　作为苏丹全国和平进程不可或缺的组成部分，妥善缓和、化解达尔富尔地区当前危机是国际社会的共同愿望，也是苏丹政府的庄严承诺。达尔富尔地区的局势牵动着各方的心弦。我们认为，在一致通过第1590号决议后，安理会应借助这股积极势头，敦促当事各方尽快无条件恢复政治谈判，在非盟的主持下尽早达成政治框架协议。为实现这一目标，对当事各方保持适当压力是需要的。然而，不考虑问题的复杂性，不考虑达尔富尔危机的具体情况，一味施压，其结果恐怕只会使局势更加复杂与困难，无助于推动达尔富尔问题的政治解决。非盟对此曾表达了明确意见，安理会应给予充分考虑。

　　中方历来对搞制裁持极其谨慎的态度，对1556 和1564号决议均予弃权。我们始终认为，安理会在处理达尔富尔问题时，一要有紧迫感，二要起建设性作用，三要支持并配合非盟。在国际社会努力下，达区的人道危机渐获缓解，而解决根源问题则有赖于各方进行政治谈判的诚意和决心。阿布贾政治谈判迄难恢复有多种复杂因素，但其中与安理会所发出的信号不无关系。中方反复强调，对任何可能增加谈判难度、影响和平进程的所谓“措施”，安理会应慎之又慎。基于这一考虑，我们曾建议对案文做重大修改，以便各方能达成共识，发出一致声音。然而，我们的主张未能得到积极的回应。因此，中国代表团只得对决议投弃权票。

　　谢谢主席先生。

田方萌：我看八零后

此文已刊于《文化纵横》，标题改为《“我们”的政治意识》。其实我并不代表八零后。


内容提要：此文应《文化纵横》稿约而作，并非对八零后政治表现的评判，而是与余世存先生的一场对话。我认为余先生误读了八零后，新生代的政治倾向的确比六七十年代人更具民族主义色彩，可他们也更珍视个人主义和平等主义。几项重要的社会变迁，而不是余先生强调的教育传承，在很大程度上决定了八零后的政治意识。

八零后是中国第一代独生子女，生长在中国经济迅速起飞的时代，接受了高等教育，也享受了网络生活。与此同时，八零后也经受了国际化和城市化带来了种种巨变。在这一发展进程中，我猜测八零后的三个群体将在政治上特别活跃：海归派，城市愤青和新民工。

象余先生一样，我对八零后的认识仅凭借零散的观察，而非出于系统的证据。诚请师友们对我的判断作出修正或批驳。

余世存的失望

七八年前，经当时在新闻系读研的小宋介绍，我在人大附近一家餐厅认识了余世存先生。席间，他对我们两个年轻人讲，一代人应该有一代人的“集体记忆”，否则就会成为——小宋插嘴到——“思想史上的失踪者”。

塑造“集体记忆”的“历史性事件”是余世存念念不忘地关键词之一。2006年，他曾在媒体上公开表达了对八零后的政治期望——那就是终结“总体性社会”，完成中国的“现代转型”。余世存强调指出：“任何一代人，在社会进化的历史里，如果不能主动地创造或幸运地遭遇历史性事件，那么，他们的代际意识、代际效用、代际使命很难现身。”两年后，当 “四月青年”们“主动地创造”了历史性事件，余世存却大失所望。一向儒雅的他撰文指责他们“诉诸人的本能反应，去对抗他们认为一切不怀好意的西方事物”，甚至使用了“诡异”和“无脑”这般刻薄的形容词。

并非所有八零后都让余世存失望。就像以往几代人，八零后也会分化出左翼和右翼，激进派和保守派，他们中间既有韩寒那样的自由主义小将，也有《纽约客》报道的大学生愤青[source?]。余世存在校园和网络上可以找到不少八零后粉丝，而《中国不高兴》不见得就受八零后追捧。若要讨论八零后的政治意识，我首先不会去关注他们具体的政治倾向，因为任何有关的全称判断都是不适宜的。

其次，我认为现在对八零后下断语还为时太早。人口学研究群体特征，主要关注三种效应——年龄、时期和代际。最年长的八零后今天还不到三十岁，他们在政治上尚未走向成熟，一时迷茫或冲动都可以理解。八零后近年的许多表现，与其说是一代人的走向，不如说是青年人的特征。余世存讽刺八零后是“享乐主义者的天然传人”，“笑贫不笑娼的实用者”。考虑到国人正在整体迈入消费主义时代，当八零后的父辈和兄长抛却理想主义，忙于唱歌按摩出国旅游的时候，我们有什么理由单单指责八零后？

抛开年龄和时期效应，所谓八零后的政治意识，我以为只能是指这一代人区别于上几代人，尤其是六七十年代人的政治价值观。李泽厚在《现代中国思想史论》的后记中引用了西班牙学者马瑞斯（Jilian Marias）对“代”的定义：“‘代’的研究注意于这些‘在成年时（大约17岁至25岁）具有共同社会经验的人’在行为习惯、思维模式、情感态度、人生观念、价值尺度、道德标准……等各方面具有的历史性格。”正是不同于以往的社会环境，塑造了八零后新生代的社会经验，进而形成了他们独特的政治意识。

独生子女的一代

整整一代人以独生子女为主，这是中国历史上破天荒的大事。作为独子的个人并不必然具有强烈的个体意识。我记得自己上大学时是宿舍里唯一的独子，尽管起初我行我素，最终仍与其他舍友发展出兄弟般的情谊。可当大多数年轻人成为独生子女，一种全新的人际交往规范就产生了。传统中国讲究长幼秩序，长者须对幼者加以爱护，幼者则须对长者表示恭敬。这一长幼契约被八零后打破了，在他们看来，所有人都是平等的个体，年长并不构成尊敬的前提条件。对于比他们年纪大的人，这帮孩子既不会施以敬意，也不指望从他们那里得到什么。

八零后被一位西方记者称为中国的“自我一代”（Me Generation），他们的人际交往建立在基于自我利益的理性考量之上，而非熟人社会的礼节习俗。在独子时代，家族不再承担保护个体的功能，个体也从家族的笼罩下解脱出来。每年春节，在母亲的坚持下，我仍打电话向老家的亲戚致以礼节性的问候，可这种象征性的仪式已经没有多少实质意义。与此相关，八零后是历来乡土观念最淡薄的一代中国人。回看一个世纪前，留日学生的刊物，如《浙江潮》和《江苏》，常常带有浓重的乡土气息；今天的留学生可能对南北方的分界也很模糊。

八零后强烈的个体意识常常被父兄们视为娇生惯养，唯我独尊；可他们也打破费孝通所谓的“差序格局”，不屈从于家长权威。独子一代告别了血缘关系，必然向非血缘关系寻求交往的秩序。他们的身份认同脱离了家族和乡土，就会转向学校、公司、俱乐部和民族国家。他们从学校获得知识，从公司获得薪酬，从俱乐部获得交往，从国家那里获得社会保障。八零后以独立身份与这些组织订立契约，因而具有清醒的权责意识。

像任贤齐唱到的那样，八零后“把所有问题都自己扛”，他们是天生个人主义者。余世存指出，八零后生于红卫兵一代的家庭里，“自然难有什么家教”，他们受到只是学校的党化教育。这里余世存忽视了家庭和学校之外，社会一维对八零后成长的重要影响，因而得出“父子两代人心智简单同构”的草率结论。在资讯多元化的今天，很难想像八零后还会像他们的父辈那样狂热地追随某一人物或是运动。他们的政治意识不能用国家教育来解释，也不能用家庭教育来解释。这两种势力在过去一些年并没有实质性的变化，在韩寒笔下受到十足的嘲讽，获得了八零后叛逆一代的共鸣。与父辈年轻时为某种集体运动献身的情怀全然相反，八零后的偶象是靠个人奋斗起家的比尔-盖茨和李彦宏，很多人连大公司都不愿意进，更别提做国家机器的一颗螺丝钉了。

由于成长环境相对孤独，表现欲望又很强烈，八零后比前几代有着更大的动力进入公共空间。如果说他们的父兄们懂得集体表达，八零后则学会了个体表达。他们构成了中国网民的主体，有着足够的时间和空间参与网络讨论。城市愤青将他们在生活中的不满发泄到网络上，同时在其他匿名者的发泄中得到共鸣。这种虚拟社区带来的快感使他们越发关注公共事件，将自己想象成庞大的社会共同体中的一员。

流动性与平等性

最近，我听说一位年龄相仿的朋友离婚了，而我还没有成家。尽管婚姻道路不同，我们的人生轨迹都受到了高度流动性的影响。这种流动性包括社会流动和地理流动两个方面，尽管六七十年代人对此已有强烈感受，他们仍怀着罗大佑式的浓浓乡愁——“台北不是我的家”。八零后将彻底摆脱那种安土重迁的传统观念，对他们来说，流动是一种人生常态。

盖纳尔在他的名著《民族与民族主义》中提到了流动性之于平等主义的因果关系：“现代社会不是因为平均主义而流动的，而是因为流动性才成为平均的。” [source?] 改革开放时代的中国亲历了两股人类历史上罕有其匹的流动大潮，一是城市化推动的民工潮，二是国际化带动的留学潮。八十年代出生的农村青年像父兄一样继续涌入城市，相比于老一代民工，他们受到较高的教育，也获得了较高的收入。一些调查显示，他们不再安于徘徊城乡的两栖生活，而渴望在城市定居。他们的身份意识已经在维权时代觉醒，不愿再抗拒城市生活的诱惑。我怀疑新民工将在不久的将来发起一场争取城市身份的民权运动，他们中间将产生马丁路德金式的政治领袖。事实上，近年来城市户口制度已有若干松动迹象，以满足新民工日益增长的权利要求。

就外部流动而言，八零后青年出国数量之众，所到国家之多，也是中国留学史上前所未有的。外流规模达到一定程度，势必产生一种群体意识。与进城民工要求与城里人享受平等权利类似，留学生也希望东道国对中国人和其他国家人民一视同仁。中国的国际地位影响到东道国如何对待海外侨民，因此留学生特别在意中国是否能平等姿态和正面形象进行国际交往。当外国媒体对华报道有所偏差，甚至有意歪曲时，他们自然群起而攻之。我有一次在华府参加某智库举办的讨论会，会上一位老者对八零后留学生的示威游行困惑不解。如果我们回看历史就不难明白，那些来自某种文化背景又与外人频繁接触的“双语精英”，恰恰是民族平等意识最为敏感的群体。

市场经济所要求的高度流动性是以普及教育为前提的，中国近年高等教育的普及化进一步促成了八零后的平等主义倾向。八十年代的大学生还被人们视为“天之娇子”，他们自然具有某种“舍我其谁”的精英意识；今天八零后的在校大学生就接近两千万人，他们大多不认为自己肩负着什么特殊的社会责任或历史使命。六零后的知识精英对此或许不满，余世存言辞激烈地指责道：“八零后一代在这些虚无、罪错的生存环境里成长，他们多有自我中心意识，而少有人类意识；他们多有合群思想，而少有个性思想；他们多有势利心理，而少有同情心理；他们多有丛林意识，而少有社会意识。”抛开这段评论偏激的成份不谈，余世存对八零后的伦理要求实在勉为其难。

这种平民意识并不必然导致政治冷漠，相反，我发现八零后的政治活动已经从精英走向草根，“山寨”一词的流行可能就与此有关。一方面，八零后不光会喊口号，也在掌握政治运作技巧。去年四月，美国华盛顿地区的中国留学生在国会山前举行抗议集会，我曾看到组织者的一份计划文件，上面详细说明了每一项预备事宜的细则和要点，可见八零后很会发动群众，玩民主政治。另一方面，他们的政治目标也显得更切合实际。几年前，我去走访在某市政府就职的一位同学，他自谓此生若能造福一方水土就不错了。此公的政治抱负称不上远大，可于国家民族未尝不是好事。

八零后的文化自信

在上世纪八九十年代，对于相当数量的中国知识精英，他们的人生境遇无非两种：已经坐稳了美籍华人，或是想做美籍华人而不得。我曾在美国遇到一位八十年代出国的留学生，他不无自嘲地谈到：“我们当时除了美国就没有选择。”九十年代中期，电视剧《北京人在纽约》一度热播，片头的主题曲这样唱道：“千万里我追寻着你，可是你却总不在意”。对当年有机会出国的中国人，纽约曾是他们“朝圣之旅”的终点；甚至那些“说不”的反美人士，可能也是由于出不成国才作“酸葡萄”之语。

在贫弱的民国年间，鲁迅不禁发问：“中国人失掉自信力了吗？”不管传统文化是不是民族落后的罪魁祸首，只要中国尚未富强起来，国人对自己的文化就不可能产生充分的自信。毛时代的领导人曾经试图引入一种全新的意识形态来结束这种文化自卑感，结果却造成了八十年代进一步清算祖宗的“逆向种族主义”（王小东语）。然而，经过三十年的经济高速增长，八零后看到的世界已经大大不同于他们的父兄了。东亚世界正在迅速崛起，西方的成就神话被接二连三打破。如果说八零后恢复了中国人丧失已久的文化自信，不是因为他们对传统文化的了解有多么深刻，而是因为他们在北京上海的生活和在纽约伦敦的体验并没有多大差异。

今年杰克逊的暴亡勾起了许多六零后和七零后的回记，舶来的摇滚乐曾为八十年代的中国青年提供了绝佳的精神刺激品。而晚生的八零后则对西方音乐摆出一副不屑的姿态：“克莱美大奖和我有什么关系？”他们不再担心因为不懂得西方流行文化就被人说成老土，因为东方已经有了自己的奥斯卡和格莱美。一位西方专栏作家敏锐地觉察到：“东方不再需要我们，他们开始自个儿跟自个儿玩了”。对欧风美雨顶礼膜拜的年代正在逝去，甚至西方的新潮玩艺儿在八零后眼中也不再显“酷”。

最明显的例子就是八零后的文化代言人，来自台湾的音乐人周杰伦。他和他的制作团队通过结合明快有力的Rap曲风和传统文化元素，取悦了那些既要反叛父母，又要显得独立于西方的年轻一代。周杰伦的成名作《双截棍》还只是“想要去河南嵩山，学少林跟武当”，为了“ 东亚病夫的招牌，已被我一脚踢开”；到了《霍元甲》，中国功夫已经获得霸主地位——“我们精武出手无人能躲”；而在登上春晚的《本草纲目》里，国学已经开始出口文化了：“外邦来学汉字，激发我民族意识”。不到十年功夫，八零后就已经从摆脱文化自卑感走向了树立文化优越感。

尽管周杰伦声称“如果华佗再世，崇洋都被医治”，八零后的文化自信却不可以被简单地视为文化复古。他们中间恐怕很少有人会支持朱大可提出的恢复繁体字方案，也没有人真会“翻开本草纲目，多看一些善本书”。八零后的国学平均水平，不会超出金庸小说提供给他们的文化元素，而这已足以让他们在西方人面前建立中国认同。八零后并不见欣赏原有的爱国主义叙事，“我用我的方式，改写一部历史”，周杰伦对传统文化符号作了属于这一代人自己的象征性的利用。这就像许多八零后身着印有切格瓦拉头像的T恤，内心并不认可左派价值观一样。

我愿乐观的预测，恢复了文化自信的八零后将是极富创造力的一代。六七十年代人并不欣赏周杰伦的歌曲，不过他们仍可以从中看出八零后的独立意识和打拼精神。去年我特别留心了一些八零后代表人物在接受媒体采访时的表现，无论被捧为英雄的金晶，独持己见的王千源，还是在巴黎街头慷慨陈辞的李洹，他们的话语方式都显示出强烈的个体意识。你可以不赞成他们的观点，但是你得承认这是他们自己的心声，而不是从某个中国或西方老师那里学来的。

结语

美国学者李普塞特 [Seymour Martin Lipset, 1922-2006] 曾提出过著名的“美国例外论”，他指出相比于欧洲国家，美国先天奉行个人主义和平等主义的价值观念。类似地，我们也可以提出“八零后例外论”，即相比于前几代，八十年代出生的中国人先天地具有个人主义和平等主义的倾向。与此同时，由于八零后成长在中国与世界的发展差距日益缩小，中国人与世界接触日益频繁的年代，他们的政治意识将不可避免地带有民族主义色彩。

像周杰伦唱道的那样：“自己的音乐自己的药份量刚刚好”。八零后一面承继各种政治价值，一面会用这代人独有的方式进行诠释。他们热爱个体自由，又具有平等观念；他们对传统的政治说教感到厌倦，又渴望在民族共同体中获得认同感；他们恢复了文化自信，运用传统的方式却让老辈人物看了皱眉。

在我看来，余世存的担心是不必要的，八零后将是完全融入现代世界的第一代“新新中国人”。八零后会继续制造一系列让父兄辈吃惊的“历史事件”，他们将以独立自主的姿态与外部世界交往，也将造就一个自由平等的中国。一个世纪前，梁启超对国人抱以这样的愿景：“即不能左右世界，岂不能左右一国？苟能左右我国者，是所以使我国左右世界也。”八零后比以往任何一代更接近这一愿景。

注：本文所引余世存文字均摘自《他们的世界和世界的期待》。

维也纳公约 尾注4

http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?&src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXIII~1&chapter=23&Temp=mtdsg3&lang=en

4.Signed on behalf of the Republic of China on 27 April 1970. See note concerning signatures, ratifications, accessions, etc., on behalf of China (note 1 under "China" in the "Historical Information" secton in the front matter of this volume).

In a communication addressed to the Secretary-General with reference to the above-mentioned signature, the Permanent Mission of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics stated that the said signature was irregular since the so-called "Government of China" represented no one and had no right to speak on behalf of China, there being only one Chinese State in the world-the People's Republic of China.

The Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the United Nations later addressed to the Secretary-General a similar communication.

In two letters addressed to the Secretary-General in regard to the above-mentioned communications, the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations stated that the Republic of China, a sovereign State and Member of the United Nations, had attended the United Nations Conference on the Law of Treaties in 1968 and 1969, contributed to the formulation of the Convention concerned and signed it, and that "any statements or reservations to the said Convention that are incompatible with or derogatory to the legitimate position of the Government of the Republic of China shall in no way affect the rights and obligations of the Republic of China as a signatory of the said Convention".

33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity

May 1st, 2007 by Steve Pavlina

Heuristics are rules intended to help you solve problems. When a problem is large or complex, and the optimal solution is unclear, applying a heuristic allows you to begin making progress towards a solution even though you can’t visualize the entire path from your starting point.

Suppose your goal is to climb to the peak of a mountain, but there’s no trail to follow. An example of a heuristic would be: Head directly towards the peak until you reach an obstacle you can’t cross. Whenever you reach such an obstacle, follow it around to the right until you’re able to head towards the peak once again. This isn’t the most intelligent or comprehensive heuristic, but in many cases it will work just fine, and you’ll eventually reach the peak.

Heuristics don’t guarantee you’ll find the optimal solution, nor do they generally guarantee a solution at all. But they do a good enough job of solving certain types of problems to be useful. Their strength is that they break the deadlock of indecision and get you into action. As you take action you begin to explore the solution space, which deepens your understanding of the problem. As you gain knowledge about the problem, you can make course corrections along the way, gradually improving your chances of finding a solution. If you try to solve a problem you don’t initially know how to solve, you’ll often figure out a solution as you go, one you never could have imagined until you started moving. This is especially true with creative work such as software development. Often you don’t even know exactly what you’re trying to build until you start building it.

Heuristics have many practical applications, and one of my favorite areas of application is personal productivity. Productivity heuristics are behavioral rules (some general, some situation-specific) that can help us get things done more efficiently. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Nuke it! The most efficient way to get through a task is to delete it. If it doesn’t need to be done, get it off your to do list.
2. Daily goals. Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions. Set targets for each day in advance. Decide what you’ll do; then do it.
3. Worst first. To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day. This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day.
4. Peak times. Identify your peak cycles of productivity, and schedule your most important tasks for those times. Work on minor tasks during your non-peak times.
5. No-comm zones. Allocate uninterruptible blocks of time for solo work where you must concentrate. Schedule light, interruptible tasks for your open-comm periods and more challenging projects for your no-comm periods.
6. Mini-milestones. When you begin a task, identify the target you must reach before you can stop working. For example, when working on a book, you could decide not to get up until you’ve written at least 1000 words. Hit your target no matter what.
7. Timeboxing. Give yourself a fixed time period, like 30 minutes, to make a dent in a task. Don’t worry about how far you get. Just put in the time. See Timeboxing for more.
8. Batching. Batch similar tasks like phone calls or errands into a single chunk, and knock them off in a single session.
9. Early bird. Get up early in the morning, like at 5am, and go straight to work on your most important task. You can often get more done before 8am than most people do in a day.
10. Cone of silence. Take a laptop with no network or WiFi access, and go to a place where you can work flat out without distractions, such as a library, park, coffee house, or your own backyard. Leave your comm gadgets behind.
11. Tempo. Deliberately pick up the pace, and try to move a little faster than usual. Speak faster. Walk faster. Type faster. Read faster. Go home sooner.
12. Relaxify. Reduce stress by cultivating a relaxing, clutter-free workspace. See 10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace.
13. Agendas. Provide clear written agendas to meeting participants in advance. This greatly improves meeting focus and efficiency. You can use it for phone calls too.
14. Pareto. The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% of the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort. Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don’t overengineer the non-critical 80%.
15. Ready-fire-aim. Bust procrastination by taking action immediately after setting a goal, even if the action isn’t perfectly planned. You can always adjust course along the way.
16. Minuteman. Once you have the information you need to make a decision, start a timer and give yourself just 60 seconds to make the actual decision. Take a whole minute to vacillate and second-guess yourself all you want, but come out the other end with a clear choice. Once your decision is made, take some kind of action to set it in motion.
17. Deadline. Set a deadline for task completion, and use it as a focal point to stay on track.
18. Promise. Tell others of your commitments, since they’ll help hold you accountable.
19. Punctuality. Whatever it takes, show up on time. Arrive early.
20. Gap reading. Use reading to fill in those odd periods like waiting for an appointment, standing in line, or while the coffee is brewing. If you’re a male, you can even read an article while shaving (preferably with an electric razor). That’s 365 articles a year.
21. Resonance. Visualize your goal as already accomplished. Put yourself into a state of actually being there. Make it real in your mind, and you’ll soon see it in your reality.
22. Glittering prizes. Give yourself frequent rewards for achievement. See a movie, book a professional massage, or spend a day at an amusement park.
23. Quad 2. Separate the truly important tasks from the merely urgent. Allocate blocks of time to work on the critical Quadrant 2 tasks, those which are important but rarely urgent, such as physical exercise, writing a book, and finding a relationship partner.
24. Continuum. At the end of your workday, identify the first task you’ll work on the next day, and set out the materials in advance. The next day begin working on that task immediately.
25. Slice and dice. Break complex projects into smaller, well-defined tasks. Focus on completing just one of those tasks.
26. Single-handling. Once you begin a task, stick with it until it’s 100% complete. Don’t switch tasks in the middle. When distractions come up, jot them down to be dealt with later.
27. Randomize. Pick a totally random piece of a larger project, and complete it. Pay one random bill. Make one phone call. Write page 42 of your book.
28. Insanely bad. Defeat perfectionism by completing your task in an intentionally terrible fashion, knowing you need never share the results with anyone. Write a blog post about the taste of salt, design a hideously dysfunctional web site, or create a business plan that guarantees a first-year bankruptcy. With a truly horrendous first draft, there’s nowhere to go but up.
29. 30 days. Identify a new habit you’d like to form, and commit to sticking with it for just 30 days. A temporary commitment is much easier to keep than a permanent one. See 30 Days to Success for details.
30. Delegate. Convince someone else to do it for you.
31. Cross-pollination. Sign up for martial arts, start a blog, or join an improv group. You’ll often encounter ideas in one field that can boost your performance in another.
32. Intuition. Go with your gut instinct. It’s probably right.
33. Optimization. Identify the processes you use most often, and write them down step-by-step. Refactor them on paper for greater efficiency. Then implement and test your improved processes. Sometimes we just can’t see what’s right in front of us until we examine it under a microscope.

Reducing Email Volume

Reducing Email Volume
by Sarah Milstein | comments: 13

O'Reilly Radar
Sun, Aug 26, 2007

It's unfashionable to admit these days, but 14 years after getting my first account, I still like email. Of course, the volume is crushing, and so lately, I've been experimenting with email reduction. I'm getting good results with two key concepts that hardly anyone talks about and that focus on your sending habits rather than your inbox management.

First, send less email. These days, everyone knows not to pass along jokes and chain letters (in fact, I don't remember the last time I received either). But we're still struggling to figure out the form overall, and in the absence of social norms that work with the medium, it's endlessly tempting to treat email like a conversation. Which turns out to be its death knell.

Email just generates more email. So although sending less is surprisingly awkward at first, it not only cuts down on your volume, but it has positive network effects, to boot.

Second, worry less about what the people on the other end will think if you reply slowly or not at all. This is a biggie. If you're still treating email like in-person communication, then you're probably assuming that most people are waiting for swift responses to their messages. But since they're getting notes from dozens, if not hundreds, of other people, they're often aware of your particular thread only when it's popping up in front of them.

I don't mean to suggest you should blow off communication because you can, but rather that you probably have more time to respond than you feel you do. A productive way to use this extra time? By not sending email that says, "I'll look into that and get back to you." Just get back to them after you've done the looking. Even better, genuinely consider whether email is the most efficient way to get the issue resolved. If it's not, make the conscious choice to communicate in person, by IM or phone instead. This takes discipline, but it's effective.

Of course, the inbox is still ground zero and requires management. Read on for tips that work well for me.

* Unsubscribe from everything, really (if you're on the fence about something, unsign up from it; see if you miss it). The time it takes to process unwanted email, not to mention the inbox clutter it generates, is soul-sucking. Take it seriously.

* Mailing lists must go directly into folders. Otherwise, they're your whole life.

* Turn off the notifications that you've got new mail. Those pop ups are like cyanide for concentration.

* Keep folders to a minimum. Sorting takes forever, and search works most of the time.

* If a long message has been sitting in your inbox for a few days because you want to read it but haven't made the time, either do so or file it in a To Read folder.

* Archive everything--even thousands of messages--to get to a clean-slate inbox right now. See the rule above about worrying less.

* If you get down to zero (or close) every day, it's OK to use your inbox for to dos. As long as you love deleting email, deep-sixing a message can be just as satisfying as crossing an item off a list. (This idea goes against the counsel of many productivity enthusiasts, including the smart and useful zero-inbox expert Merlin Mann. But it works for me.)

Finally, I'll throw in one trend I'm trying to start: send and receive long, chatty, personal catchup notes with no expectation of response at all. Just write or read them for the one-way pleasure, and if a response appears, consider it a wonderful bonus.