一如云门诗曰：
春有百花秋有月，
夏有凉风冬有雪。
若无闲事挂心头，
便是人间好时节。
夏有凉风冬有雪。
若无闲事挂心头，
便是人间好时节。
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Thursday, July 10, 2008
人怎样诗意地栖居在大地上？
每天晨曦初露，便有千廻百转的鸟鸣将我唤醒。“鸟儿也不种，也不收，也不积储在仓里”（耶酥语），仅是自由地栖居在大地上，就足以令它每天快乐地歌唱了 ——这大概就是鸟鸣常常能令我心醉神往的原因——生活中的审美往往属于“此中有真意，欲辩已忘言”之类，但人类对天上飞鸟的仰慕几乎就是对自由的仰慕。澄澈天空中的云朵变幻也是引人遐想的审美对象：画云与画水，因难以表达而并列为考验画家的对象——它们需要印象派那种能抓住瞬间即逝的光影的功夫。我仰慕英国画家康斯太勃尔的《干草车》的画云对“东边日出西边雨”的潮湿空气感的表达，认为那是神来之笔，学都学不了——我只敢临摹《松树林》《橡树》里的云彩，而且总也不满意自己的表现。最近常听英国作曲家比尔。道格拉斯那些像清晨投进林间的斑斓光影般的音乐，其中就有《云》。那些乐曲有着空灵的梦境和穿透心底的宗教情怀。我小时候每凝望天边白云，就拼命想象遥远白云下那个不一样的世界，就渴望前往一探究竟：那里的人们是怎样生活的？
手边道格拉斯的《静谧天堂》和〈天地之音〉两专辑，真的能引领你重游苏格兰英格兰的森林湖泊和山峦原野。那首〈吹笛走下野花山谷〉能伴我重温自己拍下的百看不厌的风景照，就像听克莱德曼的〈秋的喻语〉那连串的下行音阶，眼前就有黄叶簌簌飘落的画面。常回味到过的那些个西半球国度，那真的是些和中国大不一样的世界，不由得我不琢磨：那里的人到底是怎样栖居在大地上的？
有剑桥经济学家说，像印度，中国这样人口爆炸的国度，借助工业化与都市化也能养活巨量人口，但生态环境会退化得像个“人口饲养场”，使人丧失了生活在自然中的许多乐趣。这话我不爱听，但又不能不听：因为每个旅行英伦的中国人谈起最多的，肯定不是英国的楼高车快，也不是它的日新月异，而是它的鲜花古屋，森林原野，湖泊河流和随处可见的野鸭松鼠狐狸——这些我们童年憧憬的人间乐园的景致，这些中国今天最稀缺的财富！当然了，这些也是令人能够诗意地栖居在大地上的起码条件——与大自然友好相处。我坚持认为两地间最直观的差异是：一个是老人般宁静的国度，一个是孩子般喧闹的国度；我也坚持认为中国人要学英国人那样与大自然友好相处，除了应该改改食谱太广阔（广东人自嘲：天上飞的除了飞机不吃，水里游的除了轮船不吃，四条腿的除了桌子不吃，其他通通吃）和笼中养鸟的习惯外，最简便的是先降低自己在生活中的分贝，像大自然那样安静下来——让喊叫声，摔门声，颠勺声，刹车声衰减下去，衰减到我们能听到鸟鸣声，风声，流水声——这应该不难做到。
环境差异其实还是人的生活信仰与价值追求的差异——他营造怎样的生活环境在于他怎样信仰！海德格尔说“人诗意地栖居在大地上”，就是“劳作地栖居在大地上”，“技巧（技术）地栖居在大地上”，“自由地栖居在大地上”和“以审美的人生态度栖居在大地上”，说的就是人作为万物之主，完全可以率由本性选择和营造自己的生活方式，哪能一味屈从既定的生活环境？
人都会劳作地栖居在大地上，中国人显得更辛苦一些。除了手段工具的创造发明差异外，劳作态度也会有差异。英国人“即使老了，也没有苟活在世上”（王小波语），老夫妻把旧房子旧家具收拾得纤尘不染，浴室里还铺着雪白的长绒地毯——多难打理呀！我看到每家的花园刻意营造不同，连排的房子也决不设计成雷同。我看到有人开着劳斯莱斯在跳蚤市场买廉价厕纸，我看到喝工间茶是他们的雷打不动，我看到货车司机在中途服务站洗澡，剪草工在休息时踢球，上班路上有人喂野鸭，工作车上带着爱犬，``````。我看见他们的各自价值观很有定力，从不和别人攀比着怎样生活。
我们好象不行。高度雷同的生活方式是由于除了模仿别人自己就不大会生活——不止是千家万户的电视前3个沙发都摆成了槽型，也不止是伙着晨练，伙着吃饭，伙着出游，伙着购物，伙着炒股，而且极能“积储在仓里”——不止是买房要大，买车要大，买个仿古瓷碗憧憬它价值连城，也不止是“面子”消费发达而“里子”消费不怎么样（如在外吃得浪费，在家吃就凑合，而你吃过了英式早餐，才知道他们决不糊弄自己的肠胃。我还记得刘少奇曾教导亲戚别穿在身上，吃进肚里别人看不见，实惠），而且是要为儿女甚至是孙子辈省吃俭用或伸手敛财！两相对照，我看那些快乐的英格兰穷人真的像是听进了耶酥的话：“不要为生命忧虑，吃什么，喝什么，为身体忧虑，穿什么”。除了因社会保障度比我们高外，也因为他们更具个人主义，没有我们这种“村社生活传统”；还因为工作比我们认真，因而从中获得的快乐比我们多。一般人收入并不高但能轻松幽默地活着，真的有点像不积仓储，随机觅食的鸟儿。
以我自己凡事都想亲历亲为的感受，特能理解伊莉莎白女王自己开车和丘吉尔自己砌砖墙的乐趣，特不能理解慈禧走路双手要搭在太监手上和领导人要警卫给提鞋。在我看来饭来张口衣来伸手不是享受，而是病入膏肓者的无奈。英国人不要说年轻人不用保姆，老年人只要能动也决不要人帮忙。不信你去搀扶一下颤颤巍巍的老人试试，弄不好会遭一顿抢白。我觉得动辄用保姆需要反思，至少需要把享受人伺候的惬意与失去劳作的乐趣一起拿上天平称一称看哪个划算。英国人好象称过，觉得还是自己修房子，洗车，侍弄花园划算；省钱还在其次，从劳作中享受生活才重要。
同样是靠劳作生存，功利地应付它还是真诚地做好它，的确有着态度的不同——谁都知道，你对装修工人真心尊重并给足工钱，他给你干的活与你拉着马脸又克扣工钱时干的活差远了。功利地干活或创造地干活，两者之间差得远了：我年轻时下乡插队，也学过义务挖大渠和侍弄自留地的不同出力法，也有被瞎指挥着去干类似“挖坑再填坑”的无用工程的偷懒，知道不同劳动态度下出来的活儿有多么不同。我常说我们做什么事都像“近似值”，看惯了似是而非或腰来腿不来的不到位，再看英国剪草工们午休时踢球的卖力劲我就纳闷：踢着玩呗，那么认真干啥？
我们谋生的难度和生存忧虑让家长大伤脑筋，从幼儿园开始就训练孩子未来的职业技能，而孩子大学毕业了可能还搞不懂一个人为什么要工作：就是为了挣钱？他看到父母有了钱以后好象还不如没钱时快乐—— 慢慢琢磨吧，生活的目的决定生活的手段；先把目的想想清楚了再学手段也不会晚。
人都会技巧地栖居在大地上，中国人显得稍逊一筹。我们很少能超脱地反省自己今天的生活方式，有哪一样是自己的原创？从抽水马桶到微波炉，从席梦思床垫到飞机汽车，从超市到公司制度，从法律诉讼到选举，无一不是“ 全盘西化”的；也不会有人这样提问：如果没有西方人发明并传播给我们这些生存技巧，中国人的生活会不会“万古长如夜”（孔子语）？当我这样想问题时，自己就先警觉了：这种提问有民族自卑感之嫌！假如再有人敢说我们应当感谢西方人，那就有触犯众怒，遭到痛打的可能了——可见，“洋装虽然穿在身，我心仍然是中国心”——民族优越感文化自大感和自国中心主义是显见的。
日本人当年面对西方文明抱着“始惊，次醉，终狂”的学习态度，从谦卑做起，成为东方民族中未经殖民化而成功现代化的国家。而晚清以来“愚蠢的自大”害我们一误再误。我在1989年出版的《看日本也看中国》中称日本：“值得东方各民族共同为其骄傲”，应当远学西方近学日本。谁承想我们放不下身段，非但没好好学，邻居间反而弄得比与欧美还疏远。话说回来，当某种“爱国主义”滑向“义和团情结”，成了关闭我们见贤思齐的开放心态的枷锁时，真该好好揭露一下那种打着“爱国”旗号的误国主义！
再说回来，论及生存技巧，我们颇具学习能力，欠缺的大约是创造冲动和开阖自由的想象力。毛泽东曾说中国人对世界的三大贡献是“红楼梦，中医药和麻将牌”，听着叫人气短。平心而论，与其说我们缺乏的是能力，不如说我们缺乏的是动机。西方生活方式的核心是人为万物之主，以人驭物：为使人能够体面地有尊严地舒适地栖居在大地上，他们挖空心思，无所不用其极，首先就有创造冲动；而我们讲的是“存天理，灭人欲” ，心气不足只好因陋就简地凑合。就拿筷子说吧。凑合吃饱，筷子可能也够了——工具太过简单就要求人手练技巧，要教会小孩下边那根是被动筷，上边那根才是主动筷——我不说你也不懂。而要带着享受美食即享受人生的理念吃饭，筷子就不够用，起码没法喝汤！因为端起碗喝汤是你在国外常被提醒的不体面之举。厨具多而复杂，做饭与吃饭都有乐趣。我近年用上搅拌器，压蒜器，破壳器等，往大了说，我们今天用上了满屋的家电，难道仅仅就是方便了生活吗？难道就没觉得它带给人万物皆备于我的尊严感么？我下乡时刷牙漱口被老乡打趣为“掏厕所”——他们不刷牙，用土坷拉或玉米秸揩屁股；相信今天也用上了剃须刀和卫生巾，当时知青也没有。老外到故宫会纳闷：皇上冬天怎么取暖？我愿告诉他，不复杂：两手两个手炉，两脚两个脚炉，怀里还有个怀炉！我还想告诉他，皇太后也就是个传统坐便器 ——一只木盆而已，只是自己不倒，靠别人倒。每当看到许多人还像我年轻时那样捧一只大碗蹲在地上吃饭，就不由我不想刀叉齐备杯盘叠加的英式早餐；每当进到那种恨不得眼睛暂时失明鼻子暂时失效的公共厕所，就不由我不想英国老两口卫生间里雪白的长穗地垫。可能你会说不可比呀，但我对中国人颇有信心，认为有尊严地吃和拉我们也能做得到，我们不缺能力，我们缺的是不要敷衍自己的心劲！
人需要自由地栖居在大地上，这方面我们差距不小。“人生而自由，又无往不在枷锁中”（卢梭语），人类每取得一点进步，就是挣脱了一点枷锁。你有了私家车就极大地拓展了自己的旅行半径，挣脱了原先踩单车的空间局限；然而，围着汽车的乱收费乱罚款又跟上了你。你上了网就极大地突破了原先只能看报听广播的视野限制，然而，你发现本应自由交流的很多信息会被删除或屏蔽：国内的互联网上还有锁头。当你只能靠单位那点薪水和公房维生时，你觉得倍受束缚；而当你下了海挣得有房有车后，又觉得很难摆脱中国这种“半市场”的不公和盘剥。多年前你认识到贫穷会使人身处困顿：终日劳作也不得温饱，没钱也没闲实现自己幼年的梦想。你富裕后如愿以偿地买了钢琴，迁入新居，出国旅行，这当然是财富带来的自由。然而你发现财富这东西抓起容易放下难，也会羁绊你的自由，等等。可见人的自由永在争取中，只能两相比较才能权衡利害得失。
英国移民孵化出美加奥新4国和印度南非香港等一批英联邦，总让人误以为它曾遇到过人口对国土的严重过剩，其实没有，移民是优势生存方式的自由扩散。弱势国家往往夸大殖民过程的暴力强制，其实也没有，其海外扩张基本是随着通商开发而展开的和平进步过程。说到底，不是暴力而是自由使英国崛起。中国今天的进步恰恰是放松管制争得自由才取得的，它仅是开始，还不能望英国其项背——我们还是世界上极少的收费多过收税的国家，而英国1688年“光荣革命”已解决了未经民意代表法案表决，政府不能向公民收一分钱税的民主程序；我们是世界上极少的限制户籍的国家，而移民英国的各色人种在各个城市都有了各自的社区；我们是世界上很少的由官营企业掌控主要资源能源交通金融通讯媒体的国家，而英国的民营化早已主导了整个市场；我们是世界上极少的土地永远属于政府（相当于普天之下，莫非王土）但又把山河湖海景观圈起卖门票的国家，而英国虽土地高度私有化但山河湖海景区属于全民，免费开放；全世界约12万公里的收费公路有3/4在中国，从中国打电话到英国的话费是从那边打过来的10倍以上，没有商业电视台的中国的电视商业广告是有大量商业台的英国的几倍，中国9年制义务教育的家长为孩子上学花的钱比12年义务教育的英国家长还多，``````。社会发育就像孩子发育，自主能力越强获得的自由空间就越大。中国的发育还不成熟，民众自主能力的不足与“父母官”管制的太过互为因果。80年代学生游行要自由，老干部纳闷地问：你们有什么不自由，说出来听听，还真把学生给问住了。我当时刚从日本回来，想替学生回答也没敢说：不自由的地方多了——晚上10点前关大门，男生不能进女生楼，在校不能恋爱结婚，对老师辅导员和领导只能拥护不能反对，学生到哪办点事都胆怯的“口将言而嗫嚅”。读书没读驼背，倒是谦恭把青年人的身姿弄得像个大虾！
小布什在清华讲演时说：人类几千年进步的成果不光是科技的，而是懂得把统治者关进笼子，不让他为所欲为。面向对美国文明嫉羡交织的中国人讲话，他总是强调：精神自由才是美国式创造力的源泉，然而此说似乎揭了我们的短，我们并未点头称是。如果联想到我们半个世纪都在批判自由主义和自由化，你就能理解为什么一时转不过弯来。心灵自由当然是行动自由的原动力——中国有老话：奴在身者属无奈，奴在心者才可悲。几十年“政府是唯一雇主”的管制下，“不劳动者不得食”变成了“不服从者不得食”（托洛斯基语），掌权者不受制约，授权者倒被关进笼内失去自由，实在是一段被颠倒的历史。
英国的栓狗绳有可伸缩的机关，狗有行走余地，人牵着也方便。说了你别不信，我家旁边院里有给小狗带木枷以防外出的（真的是林冲带的那种，亏他能想的出来！）——那木枷刚好宽过他家院墙的铁栏。限制自由的办法很多，带枷就不如栓绳，现在他已改为在铁栏上加铁网了，比带枷人道多了。
30年的经济进步给身体松绑较快，心灵的松绑则有待时日。前边说到认真而非功利的劳作态度，高明而非敷衍的生存技巧，都是人在大地上栖居的必需条件，而鸟儿般自由的精神状态，非但是人能够栖居的条件，简直就是人在大地上生存的意义本身 ——与其说自由是为了更好地生存，不如说更好地生存是为了更自由！我想你对此说能点头称是。
可以回到我们的正题上来了：所谓诗意地生活就是自由地生活，因为只有自由的心灵才能在生活中审美。而所谓自由的心灵当然是指保持人的精神自由，是指“人是最高价值，人在万物之上；人作为自己行为规则的立法者，他的精神存在就是其尊严的存在；人是目的即精神是目的，不是手段，人不能为了物质利益而不要人格尊严”（周国平语）。也就是说，人如果拿自己的精神人格当成实现自己世俗欲望的手段工具，即为了物质利益而牺牲精神自由，就滑入了实用主义和功利主义的生活态度。人一旦把更本质的精神存在拿来满足手段性的物质存在，人就不再是目的，而是把自己当成了工具。虽然被别人当成工具和乐于给人家当工具不是一回事，却都是我们常碰到的事。先哲斯多葛主义认为，一个人失去自尊，他便不再是一个真正的人；而我们中国人生气时骂的你不要脸（不要人格尊严），你不是人（不是一个真正的人），也接近先哲的意思。看来，注重精神尊严应该是人类的普世价值，而牺牲精神自由是谁都不喜欢的事。
像小狗不喜欢木枷和绳套一样，人注定不喜欢精神枷锁。但为什么“又无往而不在枷锁中呢”？就是因为人若做不到人本主义地以“心”驭“物”，就会“唯物主义”地被“物”驭“心”，即为谋取实利不择手段时，一不小心就会丢了人格，使自己“心”陷囹圄。人为万物之主，是说人是自己的主人。拿别人当自己的主人，那叫□□，应该是个很不光彩的称呼。可我就纳闷了，怎么每天电视剧里一声声“△△”“□□”地叫，制播的和观看的都津津有味，没露出嫌恶感。是不是黑格尔说的，“中国人主体未达到人格状态，最易于培植专制主义，只有主人和奴隶的关系，``````禁闭了人的意志与思维”的话，真的有点道理？
西方人以心驭物，心劲强盛，就能“让事物符合心灵”——心灵渴望变成小鸟，人就有了飞机；心灵渴望游遍天下，人就有了网络；进而，有了整个人性化的世界，人变为顶天立地的大写体。如前所述，中国人再不爱听，也得承认这是西方人的贡献。心态的自由使其劳作过程有乐趣，技巧手段也高超，生活的轻松使其有审美能力来品味生活。而以物驭心，“让心灵符合事物”（所谓格物致知），人就扭曲心灵（所谓正心诚意），萎缩人格（所谓克己复礼），以实用主义功利主义的态度对待生活。劳作态度不够认真会成效不彰，技巧手段不高明也会成效不彰，加上拆了建建了拆的草率，总是辛劳忙碌而无暇旁顾，哪里还有审美的生活态度？也如前述，这正是我们中国人面临的困境。
在功利者眼中，生活分为办成事和办不成事两类。办成一点事就小题大做地欢庆成功和胜利，更多的时候还会因办不成事而恼火骂娘——生活中哪有那么多成功和胜利呀！在敷衍者眼中，生活是想法挣钱和找理由花钱（卖水的看大河——这全是钱呀），没有认真的敬业态度和练就的专业技能，光想轻松伙着炒这炒那，用王朔挖苦股民赔钱的话说，就是活该，恼火骂娘是自找的。总之，急功近利的生活容易变成气急败坏地生活，这种场景我们见得多了。
我常喜欢借喻说：注重精神自由就是“我思故我在”（笛卡尔语），注重物质利益就是“我吃故我在”。每到餐馆里，遇到一些平时愁眉苦脸但一见酒菜就兴奋，就喊叫的同胞，我就自嘲地说：那是找到自己存在的感觉了——即停留在“口腔化”阶段（孙隆基语）。而英国餐馆的安静，我不说你也知道。我要是喝点酒开始忘我，老婆就会提醒我别“丢人”。看样子，贪图物质享受容易丢失人格，拿醉酒容易丢人就能作喻。同样是在窗台上种花，英国人窗口的花团主要为美化外墙，是给外人看的；而中国人在窗台摆几个花盆是只供自己欣赏的，从楼下看上去，那景观往往比没有花盆还难看。你光知道我们听音乐会时，许多人不懂等4个乐章全奏完再鼓掌，你不知道演唱会上随着歌手的节奏打后半拍，英国人很在行而我们不行。你光知道在街头扭大秧歌和在公园唱怀旧歌是中国老人的自娱自乐，你不知道李云迪弹肖邦李斯特时满场上千听众全是欧洲的白发老人。写回到审美和诗意时，我窗外的鸟鸣已换为蝉鸣，听着已没有那么动人了，我的文章也该打住了。
手边道格拉斯的《静谧天堂》和〈天地之音〉两专辑，真的能引领你重游苏格兰英格兰的森林湖泊和山峦原野。那首〈吹笛走下野花山谷〉能伴我重温自己拍下的百看不厌的风景照，就像听克莱德曼的〈秋的喻语〉那连串的下行音阶，眼前就有黄叶簌簌飘落的画面。常回味到过的那些个西半球国度，那真的是些和中国大不一样的世界，不由得我不琢磨：那里的人到底是怎样栖居在大地上的？
有剑桥经济学家说，像印度，中国这样人口爆炸的国度，借助工业化与都市化也能养活巨量人口，但生态环境会退化得像个“人口饲养场”，使人丧失了生活在自然中的许多乐趣。这话我不爱听，但又不能不听：因为每个旅行英伦的中国人谈起最多的，肯定不是英国的楼高车快，也不是它的日新月异，而是它的鲜花古屋，森林原野，湖泊河流和随处可见的野鸭松鼠狐狸——这些我们童年憧憬的人间乐园的景致，这些中国今天最稀缺的财富！当然了，这些也是令人能够诗意地栖居在大地上的起码条件——与大自然友好相处。我坚持认为两地间最直观的差异是：一个是老人般宁静的国度，一个是孩子般喧闹的国度；我也坚持认为中国人要学英国人那样与大自然友好相处，除了应该改改食谱太广阔（广东人自嘲：天上飞的除了飞机不吃，水里游的除了轮船不吃，四条腿的除了桌子不吃，其他通通吃）和笼中养鸟的习惯外，最简便的是先降低自己在生活中的分贝，像大自然那样安静下来——让喊叫声，摔门声，颠勺声，刹车声衰减下去，衰减到我们能听到鸟鸣声，风声，流水声——这应该不难做到。
环境差异其实还是人的生活信仰与价值追求的差异——他营造怎样的生活环境在于他怎样信仰！海德格尔说“人诗意地栖居在大地上”，就是“劳作地栖居在大地上”，“技巧（技术）地栖居在大地上”，“自由地栖居在大地上”和“以审美的人生态度栖居在大地上”，说的就是人作为万物之主，完全可以率由本性选择和营造自己的生活方式，哪能一味屈从既定的生活环境？
人都会劳作地栖居在大地上，中国人显得更辛苦一些。除了手段工具的创造发明差异外，劳作态度也会有差异。英国人“即使老了，也没有苟活在世上”（王小波语），老夫妻把旧房子旧家具收拾得纤尘不染，浴室里还铺着雪白的长绒地毯——多难打理呀！我看到每家的花园刻意营造不同，连排的房子也决不设计成雷同。我看到有人开着劳斯莱斯在跳蚤市场买廉价厕纸，我看到喝工间茶是他们的雷打不动，我看到货车司机在中途服务站洗澡，剪草工在休息时踢球，上班路上有人喂野鸭，工作车上带着爱犬，``````。我看见他们的各自价值观很有定力，从不和别人攀比着怎样生活。
我们好象不行。高度雷同的生活方式是由于除了模仿别人自己就不大会生活——不止是千家万户的电视前3个沙发都摆成了槽型，也不止是伙着晨练，伙着吃饭，伙着出游，伙着购物，伙着炒股，而且极能“积储在仓里”——不止是买房要大，买车要大，买个仿古瓷碗憧憬它价值连城，也不止是“面子”消费发达而“里子”消费不怎么样（如在外吃得浪费，在家吃就凑合，而你吃过了英式早餐，才知道他们决不糊弄自己的肠胃。我还记得刘少奇曾教导亲戚别穿在身上，吃进肚里别人看不见，实惠），而且是要为儿女甚至是孙子辈省吃俭用或伸手敛财！两相对照，我看那些快乐的英格兰穷人真的像是听进了耶酥的话：“不要为生命忧虑，吃什么，喝什么，为身体忧虑，穿什么”。除了因社会保障度比我们高外，也因为他们更具个人主义，没有我们这种“村社生活传统”；还因为工作比我们认真，因而从中获得的快乐比我们多。一般人收入并不高但能轻松幽默地活着，真的有点像不积仓储，随机觅食的鸟儿。
以我自己凡事都想亲历亲为的感受，特能理解伊莉莎白女王自己开车和丘吉尔自己砌砖墙的乐趣，特不能理解慈禧走路双手要搭在太监手上和领导人要警卫给提鞋。在我看来饭来张口衣来伸手不是享受，而是病入膏肓者的无奈。英国人不要说年轻人不用保姆，老年人只要能动也决不要人帮忙。不信你去搀扶一下颤颤巍巍的老人试试，弄不好会遭一顿抢白。我觉得动辄用保姆需要反思，至少需要把享受人伺候的惬意与失去劳作的乐趣一起拿上天平称一称看哪个划算。英国人好象称过，觉得还是自己修房子，洗车，侍弄花园划算；省钱还在其次，从劳作中享受生活才重要。
同样是靠劳作生存，功利地应付它还是真诚地做好它，的确有着态度的不同——谁都知道，你对装修工人真心尊重并给足工钱，他给你干的活与你拉着马脸又克扣工钱时干的活差远了。功利地干活或创造地干活，两者之间差得远了：我年轻时下乡插队，也学过义务挖大渠和侍弄自留地的不同出力法，也有被瞎指挥着去干类似“挖坑再填坑”的无用工程的偷懒，知道不同劳动态度下出来的活儿有多么不同。我常说我们做什么事都像“近似值”，看惯了似是而非或腰来腿不来的不到位，再看英国剪草工们午休时踢球的卖力劲我就纳闷：踢着玩呗，那么认真干啥？
我们谋生的难度和生存忧虑让家长大伤脑筋，从幼儿园开始就训练孩子未来的职业技能，而孩子大学毕业了可能还搞不懂一个人为什么要工作：就是为了挣钱？他看到父母有了钱以后好象还不如没钱时快乐—— 慢慢琢磨吧，生活的目的决定生活的手段；先把目的想想清楚了再学手段也不会晚。
人都会技巧地栖居在大地上，中国人显得稍逊一筹。我们很少能超脱地反省自己今天的生活方式，有哪一样是自己的原创？从抽水马桶到微波炉，从席梦思床垫到飞机汽车，从超市到公司制度，从法律诉讼到选举，无一不是“ 全盘西化”的；也不会有人这样提问：如果没有西方人发明并传播给我们这些生存技巧，中国人的生活会不会“万古长如夜”（孔子语）？当我这样想问题时，自己就先警觉了：这种提问有民族自卑感之嫌！假如再有人敢说我们应当感谢西方人，那就有触犯众怒，遭到痛打的可能了——可见，“洋装虽然穿在身，我心仍然是中国心”——民族优越感文化自大感和自国中心主义是显见的。
日本人当年面对西方文明抱着“始惊，次醉，终狂”的学习态度，从谦卑做起，成为东方民族中未经殖民化而成功现代化的国家。而晚清以来“愚蠢的自大”害我们一误再误。我在1989年出版的《看日本也看中国》中称日本：“值得东方各民族共同为其骄傲”，应当远学西方近学日本。谁承想我们放不下身段，非但没好好学，邻居间反而弄得比与欧美还疏远。话说回来，当某种“爱国主义”滑向“义和团情结”，成了关闭我们见贤思齐的开放心态的枷锁时，真该好好揭露一下那种打着“爱国”旗号的误国主义！
再说回来，论及生存技巧，我们颇具学习能力，欠缺的大约是创造冲动和开阖自由的想象力。毛泽东曾说中国人对世界的三大贡献是“红楼梦，中医药和麻将牌”，听着叫人气短。平心而论，与其说我们缺乏的是能力，不如说我们缺乏的是动机。西方生活方式的核心是人为万物之主，以人驭物：为使人能够体面地有尊严地舒适地栖居在大地上，他们挖空心思，无所不用其极，首先就有创造冲动；而我们讲的是“存天理，灭人欲” ，心气不足只好因陋就简地凑合。就拿筷子说吧。凑合吃饱，筷子可能也够了——工具太过简单就要求人手练技巧，要教会小孩下边那根是被动筷，上边那根才是主动筷——我不说你也不懂。而要带着享受美食即享受人生的理念吃饭，筷子就不够用，起码没法喝汤！因为端起碗喝汤是你在国外常被提醒的不体面之举。厨具多而复杂，做饭与吃饭都有乐趣。我近年用上搅拌器，压蒜器，破壳器等，往大了说，我们今天用上了满屋的家电，难道仅仅就是方便了生活吗？难道就没觉得它带给人万物皆备于我的尊严感么？我下乡时刷牙漱口被老乡打趣为“掏厕所”——他们不刷牙，用土坷拉或玉米秸揩屁股；相信今天也用上了剃须刀和卫生巾，当时知青也没有。老外到故宫会纳闷：皇上冬天怎么取暖？我愿告诉他，不复杂：两手两个手炉，两脚两个脚炉，怀里还有个怀炉！我还想告诉他，皇太后也就是个传统坐便器 ——一只木盆而已，只是自己不倒，靠别人倒。每当看到许多人还像我年轻时那样捧一只大碗蹲在地上吃饭，就不由我不想刀叉齐备杯盘叠加的英式早餐；每当进到那种恨不得眼睛暂时失明鼻子暂时失效的公共厕所，就不由我不想英国老两口卫生间里雪白的长穗地垫。可能你会说不可比呀，但我对中国人颇有信心，认为有尊严地吃和拉我们也能做得到，我们不缺能力，我们缺的是不要敷衍自己的心劲！
人需要自由地栖居在大地上，这方面我们差距不小。“人生而自由，又无往不在枷锁中”（卢梭语），人类每取得一点进步，就是挣脱了一点枷锁。你有了私家车就极大地拓展了自己的旅行半径，挣脱了原先踩单车的空间局限；然而，围着汽车的乱收费乱罚款又跟上了你。你上了网就极大地突破了原先只能看报听广播的视野限制，然而，你发现本应自由交流的很多信息会被删除或屏蔽：国内的互联网上还有锁头。当你只能靠单位那点薪水和公房维生时，你觉得倍受束缚；而当你下了海挣得有房有车后，又觉得很难摆脱中国这种“半市场”的不公和盘剥。多年前你认识到贫穷会使人身处困顿：终日劳作也不得温饱，没钱也没闲实现自己幼年的梦想。你富裕后如愿以偿地买了钢琴，迁入新居，出国旅行，这当然是财富带来的自由。然而你发现财富这东西抓起容易放下难，也会羁绊你的自由，等等。可见人的自由永在争取中，只能两相比较才能权衡利害得失。
英国移民孵化出美加奥新4国和印度南非香港等一批英联邦，总让人误以为它曾遇到过人口对国土的严重过剩，其实没有，移民是优势生存方式的自由扩散。弱势国家往往夸大殖民过程的暴力强制，其实也没有，其海外扩张基本是随着通商开发而展开的和平进步过程。说到底，不是暴力而是自由使英国崛起。中国今天的进步恰恰是放松管制争得自由才取得的，它仅是开始，还不能望英国其项背——我们还是世界上极少的收费多过收税的国家，而英国1688年“光荣革命”已解决了未经民意代表法案表决，政府不能向公民收一分钱税的民主程序；我们是世界上极少的限制户籍的国家，而移民英国的各色人种在各个城市都有了各自的社区；我们是世界上很少的由官营企业掌控主要资源能源交通金融通讯媒体的国家，而英国的民营化早已主导了整个市场；我们是世界上极少的土地永远属于政府（相当于普天之下，莫非王土）但又把山河湖海景观圈起卖门票的国家，而英国虽土地高度私有化但山河湖海景区属于全民，免费开放；全世界约12万公里的收费公路有3/4在中国，从中国打电话到英国的话费是从那边打过来的10倍以上，没有商业电视台的中国的电视商业广告是有大量商业台的英国的几倍，中国9年制义务教育的家长为孩子上学花的钱比12年义务教育的英国家长还多，``````。社会发育就像孩子发育，自主能力越强获得的自由空间就越大。中国的发育还不成熟，民众自主能力的不足与“父母官”管制的太过互为因果。80年代学生游行要自由，老干部纳闷地问：你们有什么不自由，说出来听听，还真把学生给问住了。我当时刚从日本回来，想替学生回答也没敢说：不自由的地方多了——晚上10点前关大门，男生不能进女生楼，在校不能恋爱结婚，对老师辅导员和领导只能拥护不能反对，学生到哪办点事都胆怯的“口将言而嗫嚅”。读书没读驼背，倒是谦恭把青年人的身姿弄得像个大虾！
小布什在清华讲演时说：人类几千年进步的成果不光是科技的，而是懂得把统治者关进笼子，不让他为所欲为。面向对美国文明嫉羡交织的中国人讲话，他总是强调：精神自由才是美国式创造力的源泉，然而此说似乎揭了我们的短，我们并未点头称是。如果联想到我们半个世纪都在批判自由主义和自由化，你就能理解为什么一时转不过弯来。心灵自由当然是行动自由的原动力——中国有老话：奴在身者属无奈，奴在心者才可悲。几十年“政府是唯一雇主”的管制下，“不劳动者不得食”变成了“不服从者不得食”（托洛斯基语），掌权者不受制约，授权者倒被关进笼内失去自由，实在是一段被颠倒的历史。
英国的栓狗绳有可伸缩的机关，狗有行走余地，人牵着也方便。说了你别不信，我家旁边院里有给小狗带木枷以防外出的（真的是林冲带的那种，亏他能想的出来！）——那木枷刚好宽过他家院墙的铁栏。限制自由的办法很多，带枷就不如栓绳，现在他已改为在铁栏上加铁网了，比带枷人道多了。
30年的经济进步给身体松绑较快，心灵的松绑则有待时日。前边说到认真而非功利的劳作态度，高明而非敷衍的生存技巧，都是人在大地上栖居的必需条件，而鸟儿般自由的精神状态，非但是人能够栖居的条件，简直就是人在大地上生存的意义本身 ——与其说自由是为了更好地生存，不如说更好地生存是为了更自由！我想你对此说能点头称是。
可以回到我们的正题上来了：所谓诗意地生活就是自由地生活，因为只有自由的心灵才能在生活中审美。而所谓自由的心灵当然是指保持人的精神自由，是指“人是最高价值，人在万物之上；人作为自己行为规则的立法者，他的精神存在就是其尊严的存在；人是目的即精神是目的，不是手段，人不能为了物质利益而不要人格尊严”（周国平语）。也就是说，人如果拿自己的精神人格当成实现自己世俗欲望的手段工具，即为了物质利益而牺牲精神自由，就滑入了实用主义和功利主义的生活态度。人一旦把更本质的精神存在拿来满足手段性的物质存在，人就不再是目的，而是把自己当成了工具。虽然被别人当成工具和乐于给人家当工具不是一回事，却都是我们常碰到的事。先哲斯多葛主义认为，一个人失去自尊，他便不再是一个真正的人；而我们中国人生气时骂的你不要脸（不要人格尊严），你不是人（不是一个真正的人），也接近先哲的意思。看来，注重精神尊严应该是人类的普世价值，而牺牲精神自由是谁都不喜欢的事。
像小狗不喜欢木枷和绳套一样，人注定不喜欢精神枷锁。但为什么“又无往而不在枷锁中呢”？就是因为人若做不到人本主义地以“心”驭“物”，就会“唯物主义”地被“物”驭“心”，即为谋取实利不择手段时，一不小心就会丢了人格，使自己“心”陷囹圄。人为万物之主，是说人是自己的主人。拿别人当自己的主人，那叫□□，应该是个很不光彩的称呼。可我就纳闷了，怎么每天电视剧里一声声“△△”“□□”地叫，制播的和观看的都津津有味，没露出嫌恶感。是不是黑格尔说的，“中国人主体未达到人格状态，最易于培植专制主义，只有主人和奴隶的关系，``````禁闭了人的意志与思维”的话，真的有点道理？
西方人以心驭物，心劲强盛，就能“让事物符合心灵”——心灵渴望变成小鸟，人就有了飞机；心灵渴望游遍天下，人就有了网络；进而，有了整个人性化的世界，人变为顶天立地的大写体。如前所述，中国人再不爱听，也得承认这是西方人的贡献。心态的自由使其劳作过程有乐趣，技巧手段也高超，生活的轻松使其有审美能力来品味生活。而以物驭心，“让心灵符合事物”（所谓格物致知），人就扭曲心灵（所谓正心诚意），萎缩人格（所谓克己复礼），以实用主义功利主义的态度对待生活。劳作态度不够认真会成效不彰，技巧手段不高明也会成效不彰，加上拆了建建了拆的草率，总是辛劳忙碌而无暇旁顾，哪里还有审美的生活态度？也如前述，这正是我们中国人面临的困境。
在功利者眼中，生活分为办成事和办不成事两类。办成一点事就小题大做地欢庆成功和胜利，更多的时候还会因办不成事而恼火骂娘——生活中哪有那么多成功和胜利呀！在敷衍者眼中，生活是想法挣钱和找理由花钱（卖水的看大河——这全是钱呀），没有认真的敬业态度和练就的专业技能，光想轻松伙着炒这炒那，用王朔挖苦股民赔钱的话说，就是活该，恼火骂娘是自找的。总之，急功近利的生活容易变成气急败坏地生活，这种场景我们见得多了。
我常喜欢借喻说：注重精神自由就是“我思故我在”（笛卡尔语），注重物质利益就是“我吃故我在”。每到餐馆里，遇到一些平时愁眉苦脸但一见酒菜就兴奋，就喊叫的同胞，我就自嘲地说：那是找到自己存在的感觉了——即停留在“口腔化”阶段（孙隆基语）。而英国餐馆的安静，我不说你也知道。我要是喝点酒开始忘我，老婆就会提醒我别“丢人”。看样子，贪图物质享受容易丢失人格，拿醉酒容易丢人就能作喻。同样是在窗台上种花，英国人窗口的花团主要为美化外墙，是给外人看的；而中国人在窗台摆几个花盆是只供自己欣赏的，从楼下看上去，那景观往往比没有花盆还难看。你光知道我们听音乐会时，许多人不懂等4个乐章全奏完再鼓掌，你不知道演唱会上随着歌手的节奏打后半拍，英国人很在行而我们不行。你光知道在街头扭大秧歌和在公园唱怀旧歌是中国老人的自娱自乐，你不知道李云迪弹肖邦李斯特时满场上千听众全是欧洲的白发老人。写回到审美和诗意时，我窗外的鸟鸣已换为蝉鸣，听着已没有那么动人了，我的文章也该打住了。
Sunday, June 29, 2008
关于文的一些想法-III
这个星期更了好几章, 其实以我原本的设想应该是没这么快的, 看着别的大大一天好几万字地写下来, 自己怎么就觉得没灵感呢?
为了寻找原因, 特意去搜了一些关于长篇写作的技巧来看, 特别是关于网路小说之类的, 算是文化快餐吧, 又要吸引人, 又要写出自己的风格. 结果看了半天, 出了一身冷汗, 我自己除了一个故事框架和大体上的时间线外什么都没准备好.
技巧中提到的小高潮, 分段式架构之类的内容完全没有仔细考虑过, 甚至每一章都是写的时候突然想到件什么事就临时加进去, 有些资料甚至也是临时找的. 我非常不擅长于细节描写, 那些华丽丽的形容词堆叠, 或者一读之下就令人爆笑的语言, 统统不行, 汗...似乎完全没长处的样子.
那我要不要重新考虑一下具体怎么改我的文呢? 要不要先分好段? 罢了罢了, 我决定先把小学里的框架搭一下好了, 好像盖房子, 定下规矩后里面怎么装修都不会太出格就是了.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Sudoku Variations
Sudoku Variations
Ed Pegg Jr., September 6, 2005 (updated Sep 15)
In the May 1979 issue of Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games (issue #16), page 6, something amazing appeared: Number Place. Here are the original instructions: "In this puzzle, your job is to place a number into every empty box so that each row across, each column down, and each small 9-box square within the large square (there are 9 of these) will contain each number from 1 through 9. Remember that no number may appear more than once in any row across, any column down, or within any small 9-box square; this will help you solve the puzzle. The numbers in circles below the diagram will give you a head start--each of these four numbers goes into one of the circle boxes in the diagram (not necessarily in the order given)."
Figure 1. The first Number Place puzzles. (Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games #16, page 6, 1979-05)
Who made this puzzle? In addition to being the crossword editor of the New York Times, Will Shortz is a puzzle historian, so he did detective work to find the answer. He knew that "Number Place" puzzles had appeared in Dell Magazines, and went through his collection to find the first. Dell listed no author, but the name Howard Garns always appeared in the contributor's list of any issue containing a "Number Place" puzzle. Also, Garns' name did not appear in any issue lacking a Number Place, which clinched the identification. Further research revealed that Howard Garns to be a retired architect who created the puzzle at age 74. Howard Garns died in Indianapolis in 1989, and never got a chance to see his creation as a worldwide phenomenon. (Shortz, pers. comm. 2005)
Howard Garns made many Number Place puzzles for Dell, quickly simplifying the rules to those used today -- Fill in the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. In April 1984, Japan's puzzle group Nikoli discovered Dell’s Number Place presented it for a Japanese audience in the pages of puzzle paper Monthly Nikolist. Originally named Suuji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru, ("the numbers must be single") the puzzle became very popular. Kaji Maki, the president of Nikoli, abbreviated it to Sudoku - (Su = number, Doku = single), and trademarked the name. As the popular grew, competing companies stayed with the non-trademarked name Number Place, or "nanpure". Even today, many Japanese puzzle magazines spell out "Number Place" in English. In the United States and elsewhere, it's called Sudoku ("single number" in Japanese). Thus, japanese-speakers use the English, and english-speakers use the Japanese. Here are two particularly nice Sudoku puzzles under the normal rules.
Figure 2. Two normal Sudoku/Number Place/Nanpure puzzles. (Reader submissions to Nanpure Fan, 2004-10)
The first puzzle above is worth noting for being a symmetrical number place with only 18 given cells. The minimum known number of givens leading to a unique solution is 17. Graph theorist Gordon Royle has collected over ten thousand (danger! huge page!) non-equivalent Sudoku puzzles with 17 givens. The second puzzle above has a pleasing arrangement of given numbers in the center.
Within the many Sudoku sites, the classic rules predominate. Sudoku X, Samaria Sudoku, and other sizes are the only other variants I could find outside of World Puzzle Championship competitions. I decided to look for more variants, and tried my hand at creating a few myself. First, Sudoku X.
Figure 3. Diagonal Number Place. Ranking Puzzler #2 2002-08-20, Nanpure Fan #52 2004-10.
In Diagonal Sudoku, fill in the grid so that every row, column, 3x3 box, and main diagonal contains the digits 1 through 9. This variant is also called taikakusen nanpure, Diagonal Line Number Place, Sudoku X, Kokonotsu, or Dell's Number Place Challenger. I'm not sure what the minimal number of givens is for Diagonal Sudoku. The first "Number Place" puzzles with diagonal constraints was invented by Walter Mackey, appearing in Dell Champion in the early 1990s.
Figure 4. Even-Odd Number Place (Guusuu Kisuu Nanpure). Nanbaapureesu (Number Place) 2004-09. Gray cells are even, white cells are odd.
Even-Odd Sudoku: Fill in the grid so that every row, column, 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through 9, with gray cells even, white cells odd. I haven't seen Even-Odd Sudoku on any site. Again, the minimum number of givens would be an interesting problem.
Figure 5. Big-small-even-odd Number Place (Daishou Guusuu Kisuu Nanpure). Nanpure Fan #51 2004-08.
Various colored Sudoku have appeared. In the above, coloring restricts what can be placed in a cell. Other variants use color to delineate extra regions. I call it "Extra Regions Sudoku" in the finale puzzle. Nanbaapureesu calls it Two-Tone Color Number Place (Tsuuton Karaa Nanpure). In these, extra regions are shaded in with a color. These regions each contain all the digits 1-9.
Figure 6. 1-away Disallowed Number Place (Hitotsu Chigai Nanpure). Nanpure Fan #52 2004-10.
In Consecutive Sudoku (or 1-away Disallowed Number Place), all the places where orthogonally adjacent cells are consecutive numbers have been specially marked. Note that the second puzzle is completely unmarked -- this is deliberate! Puzzles with a single given are possible.
Figure 7. Greater Than Sudoku (Puzzler 1999-11) and Sums Sudoku by Ed Pegg Jr.
Greater Than Sudoku, or simply ">", doesn't have any given numbers at all. I've been struggling with it for a good 4 hours now, and still haven't solved it, but I've had to use all sorts of novel logic to make progress, so it's a good one. The second was inspired by Alastair Cuthbertson, who mentioned hiding pandigital sums in a Sudoku, like 357 + 624 = 981. I wrote a Mathematica program to find the maximum number of pandigital sums in a Sudoku (5). Incidentally, I found the three Mathematica Sudoku solvers mentioned in the MathWorld entry quite useful in checking some of these puzzles, and for checking a few hundred thousand generated puzzles.
Figure 8. Geometry Number Place (kikagaku nanpure). WPC 9 (Stamford) and 2005 USPC, both by Michael Rios.
In Geometry Sudoku, irregular regions replace the boxes. In the second puzzle above, the grid is toroidal, and wraps around on both edges. The only trick here is that the regions are of odd shapes. These have also been called Latin Squares Puzzles.
Ed Pegg Jr., September 6, 2005 (updated Sep 15)
In the May 1979 issue of Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games (issue #16), page 6, something amazing appeared: Number Place. Here are the original instructions: "In this puzzle, your job is to place a number into every empty box so that each row across, each column down, and each small 9-box square within the large square (there are 9 of these) will contain each number from 1 through 9. Remember that no number may appear more than once in any row across, any column down, or within any small 9-box square; this will help you solve the puzzle. The numbers in circles below the diagram will give you a head start--each of these four numbers goes into one of the circle boxes in the diagram (not necessarily in the order given)."
Figure 1. The first Number Place puzzles. (Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games #16, page 6, 1979-05)
Who made this puzzle? In addition to being the crossword editor of the New York Times, Will Shortz is a puzzle historian, so he did detective work to find the answer. He knew that "Number Place" puzzles had appeared in Dell Magazines, and went through his collection to find the first. Dell listed no author, but the name Howard Garns always appeared in the contributor's list of any issue containing a "Number Place" puzzle. Also, Garns' name did not appear in any issue lacking a Number Place, which clinched the identification. Further research revealed that Howard Garns to be a retired architect who created the puzzle at age 74. Howard Garns died in Indianapolis in 1989, and never got a chance to see his creation as a worldwide phenomenon. (Shortz, pers. comm. 2005)
Howard Garns made many Number Place puzzles for Dell, quickly simplifying the rules to those used today -- Fill in the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. In April 1984, Japan's puzzle group Nikoli discovered Dell’s Number Place presented it for a Japanese audience in the pages of puzzle paper Monthly Nikolist. Originally named Suuji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru, ("the numbers must be single") the puzzle became very popular. Kaji Maki, the president of Nikoli, abbreviated it to Sudoku - (Su = number, Doku = single), and trademarked the name. As the popular grew, competing companies stayed with the non-trademarked name Number Place, or "nanpure". Even today, many Japanese puzzle magazines spell out "Number Place" in English. In the United States and elsewhere, it's called Sudoku ("single number" in Japanese). Thus, japanese-speakers use the English, and english-speakers use the Japanese. Here are two particularly nice Sudoku puzzles under the normal rules.
Figure 2. Two normal Sudoku/Number Place/Nanpure puzzles. (Reader submissions to Nanpure Fan, 2004-10)
The first puzzle above is worth noting for being a symmetrical number place with only 18 given cells. The minimum known number of givens leading to a unique solution is 17. Graph theorist Gordon Royle has collected over ten thousand (danger! huge page!) non-equivalent Sudoku puzzles with 17 givens. The second puzzle above has a pleasing arrangement of given numbers in the center.
Within the many Sudoku sites, the classic rules predominate. Sudoku X, Samaria Sudoku, and other sizes are the only other variants I could find outside of World Puzzle Championship competitions. I decided to look for more variants, and tried my hand at creating a few myself. First, Sudoku X.
Figure 9. 0 to 9 Number Place (Zero Tuu Nain Nanpure). Nanpure Fan #52 2004-10.
In 0 to 9 Number Place, each row, column, and region has all 10 digits. Some cells contain two digits, and those are marked. The same puzzle where the two-digit cells didn't get marked would probably be much more difficult than a regular Sudoku puzzle.
Figure 10. (a) Magic Sudoku, by Alexandre Owen Muniz (b) Domino Sudoku by Ed Pegg Jr. Use all the dominoes to make Sudoku.
Magic Sudoku inspired this column. Note that the 9 givens make a magic square, that the blue regions are all connected, and that there are five blue cells on each line. Despite satisfying extraordinary constraints, it's a very nice puzzle. After solving it, I started wondering if a set of dominoes+monominoes could be used to make a Sudoku. I constructed the puzzle above entirely by hand, because my program was getting nowhere. I'm hoping to make a 16x16 Domino Sudoku out of a double-15 set sans doubles and a 4x4 magic square.
Figure 11. Sums Number Place (samu nanpure) (Puzzler 2002-02), Killer Sudoku by Tetsuya Nishio (London Times 2005-08).
In Sums Sudoku, sub-regions have specified sums, and no number can be repeated within a region. Tetsuya Nishio now makes these for the Times. With Nishio's efforts in the mid-1980's, and his later creation of Paint by Numbers puzzles, grid-style logic puzzles became very popular in Japan.
Figure 12. Sums Number Place. Nanpure Fan #51 2004-08. Factor Rooms (inshi no heya) by Yano Ryuou, Nikoli #92, 2000-09.
The first puzzle here is a Nanpure Fan reader submission. There are sub-regions given, and mathematical signs describe the relationships between the *sums* of the numbers in those regions. This is likely the most difficult puzzle within this column.
Issue 92 of Nikoli (2000-09) introduced a puzzle called Factor Rooms invented by Yano Ryuou. The goal is to create a 9x9 Latin square by filling each cell with digits from 1 through 9. Regions are given, and the *product* of the numbers in the regions are given. "Factor Rooms" puzzles have appeared sporadically in Nikoli since issue 95.
Figure 13. Digit Place by Cihan Altay, 2005 USPC. Pips Number Place (Puzzler 1999-04)
Not all puzzles use 1 to 9. Using just 1 to 6 is also possible. In the first puzzle above, the finished puzzle has numbers like those on a digital clock. In the second puzzle, the numbers are given by pips, like those seen in dice or dominoes.
Figure 14. Meta Sudoku by Wei-Hwa Huang. Cubic Sudoku (Puzzler 1999-04)
The first puzzle is a "Meta" puzzle -- you must fill in the other borders (two are given) so that the resulting Sudoku puzzle has a unique solution. In Cubic Sudoku, the constraints on the cubic portion is that each region has digits from 1 through 8, each "layer" of the three dimensions on the cube also have distinct digits.
The London Times popularized Samurai Sudoku, which has 5 Sudoku joined in a quincunx arrangement. For the last puzzle of the column, here is five variants in one puzzle.
Figure 15. Combined Number Place (gattai nanpure). Nanbaapureesu (Number Place) 2004-09.
This puzzle is a 5-way hybrid! (Diagonal, Extra Regions, Geometric, Combined, and Even-Odd).
Some other variants that have been published are:
* 1-5, each three times, in each row, column, and region (12345 nanpure).
* one 1, two 2s, three 3s, and four 4s in each region, row, and column (1234 nanpure). Identical digits are never orthogonally adjacent.
* 1-9 and three black cells in each row, column, and region (Kuro-masu Tsuki Nanpure = Black-cell Handling). The black cells have to obey Japanese crossword rules: no two are
orthogonally adjacent, and they can't divide the grid up into two regions.
* "Sweating Relay", or Progressive Sudoku: Three progressively larger Combined Number Places. Each time you solve a puzzle, you have to propagate certain digits to seed the next puzzle (this is the "relay" component). Here's a sample.
* Word Sudoku. Letters replace numbers.
There are two variants I'd particularly like to see made.
* Chess Sudoku. The digits 1-8 and a chess piece in each row, column, and region. Each piece should attack the numbers 1-8 exactly once.
* 16x16 Domino Sudoku. A set of Double-15 dominoes and a 4x4 magic square to make a Sudoku.
I'm sure Howard Garns would be pleased to see what his creation has wrought. If you'd like a nice printout of all these puzzles, here's a handy 8-page PDF file. In case you need help, here are the answers, by Alan O'Donnell. If you need more, here are my source files.
I'd like to thank Will Shortz, Nick Baxter, and Wei-Hwa Huang for their tremendous help in researching this column.
References:
Conceptis Puzzles, "History of Sudoku," http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/articles/sudoku/.
Leo Lewis, "Try Killer Sudoku," http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-1757275,00.html.
Nikoli Puzzles, "Sudoku Outline," http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/1/index_text-e.htm.
Gordon Royle, "Sudoku Patterns," http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~gordon/sudokupat.php.
Sudoku Forum, http://sudoku.jouwpagina.nl/. (A listing of many Sudoku links)
Sudoku Forum, "A Variety of Sudoku Variants," http://www.sudoku.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=995
"Sudoku", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku.html
Eric W. Weisstein et al. "Sudoku." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Sudoku.html
Ed Pegg Jr., September 6, 2005 (updated Sep 15)
In the May 1979 issue of Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games (issue #16), page 6, something amazing appeared: Number Place. Here are the original instructions: "In this puzzle, your job is to place a number into every empty box so that each row across, each column down, and each small 9-box square within the large square (there are 9 of these) will contain each number from 1 through 9. Remember that no number may appear more than once in any row across, any column down, or within any small 9-box square; this will help you solve the puzzle. The numbers in circles below the diagram will give you a head start--each of these four numbers goes into one of the circle boxes in the diagram (not necessarily in the order given)."
Figure 1. The first Number Place puzzles. (Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games #16, page 6, 1979-05)Who made this puzzle? In addition to being the crossword editor of the New York Times, Will Shortz is a puzzle historian, so he did detective work to find the answer. He knew that "Number Place" puzzles had appeared in Dell Magazines, and went through his collection to find the first. Dell listed no author, but the name Howard Garns always appeared in the contributor's list of any issue containing a "Number Place" puzzle. Also, Garns' name did not appear in any issue lacking a Number Place, which clinched the identification. Further research revealed that Howard Garns to be a retired architect who created the puzzle at age 74. Howard Garns died in Indianapolis in 1989, and never got a chance to see his creation as a worldwide phenomenon. (Shortz, pers. comm. 2005)
Howard Garns made many Number Place puzzles for Dell, quickly simplifying the rules to those used today -- Fill in the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. In April 1984, Japan's puzzle group Nikoli discovered Dell’s Number Place presented it for a Japanese audience in the pages of puzzle paper Monthly Nikolist. Originally named Suuji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru, ("the numbers must be single") the puzzle became very popular. Kaji Maki, the president of Nikoli, abbreviated it to Sudoku - (Su = number, Doku = single), and trademarked the name. As the popular grew, competing companies stayed with the non-trademarked name Number Place, or "nanpure". Even today, many Japanese puzzle magazines spell out "Number Place" in English. In the United States and elsewhere, it's called Sudoku ("single number" in Japanese). Thus, japanese-speakers use the English, and english-speakers use the Japanese. Here are two particularly nice Sudoku puzzles under the normal rules.
Figure 2. Two normal Sudoku/Number Place/Nanpure puzzles. (Reader submissions to Nanpure Fan, 2004-10)The first puzzle above is worth noting for being a symmetrical number place with only 18 given cells. The minimum known number of givens leading to a unique solution is 17. Graph theorist Gordon Royle has collected over ten thousand (danger! huge page!) non-equivalent Sudoku puzzles with 17 givens. The second puzzle above has a pleasing arrangement of given numbers in the center.
Within the many Sudoku sites, the classic rules predominate. Sudoku X, Samaria Sudoku, and other sizes are the only other variants I could find outside of World Puzzle Championship competitions. I decided to look for more variants, and tried my hand at creating a few myself. First, Sudoku X.
Figure 3. Diagonal Number Place. Ranking Puzzler #2 2002-08-20, Nanpure Fan #52 2004-10.In Diagonal Sudoku, fill in the grid so that every row, column, 3x3 box, and main diagonal contains the digits 1 through 9. This variant is also called taikakusen nanpure, Diagonal Line Number Place, Sudoku X, Kokonotsu, or Dell's Number Place Challenger. I'm not sure what the minimal number of givens is for Diagonal Sudoku. The first "Number Place" puzzles with diagonal constraints was invented by Walter Mackey, appearing in Dell Champion in the early 1990s.
Figure 4. Even-Odd Number Place (Guusuu Kisuu Nanpure). Nanbaapureesu (Number Place) 2004-09. Gray cells are even, white cells are odd.Even-Odd Sudoku: Fill in the grid so that every row, column, 3x3 box, contains the digits 1 through 9, with gray cells even, white cells odd. I haven't seen Even-Odd Sudoku on any site. Again, the minimum number of givens would be an interesting problem.
Figure 5. Big-small-even-odd Number Place (Daishou Guusuu Kisuu Nanpure). Nanpure Fan #51 2004-08.Various colored Sudoku have appeared. In the above, coloring restricts what can be placed in a cell. Other variants use color to delineate extra regions. I call it "Extra Regions Sudoku" in the finale puzzle. Nanbaapureesu calls it Two-Tone Color Number Place (Tsuuton Karaa Nanpure). In these, extra regions are shaded in with a color. These regions each contain all the digits 1-9.
Figure 6. 1-away Disallowed Number Place (Hitotsu Chigai Nanpure). Nanpure Fan #52 2004-10.In Consecutive Sudoku (or 1-away Disallowed Number Place), all the places where orthogonally adjacent cells are consecutive numbers have been specially marked. Note that the second puzzle is completely unmarked -- this is deliberate! Puzzles with a single given are possible.
Figure 7. Greater Than Sudoku (Puzzler 1999-11) and Sums Sudoku by Ed Pegg Jr.Greater Than Sudoku, or simply ">", doesn't have any given numbers at all. I've been struggling with it for a good 4 hours now, and still haven't solved it, but I've had to use all sorts of novel logic to make progress, so it's a good one. The second was inspired by Alastair Cuthbertson, who mentioned hiding pandigital sums in a Sudoku, like 357 + 624 = 981. I wrote a Mathematica program to find the maximum number of pandigital sums in a Sudoku (5). Incidentally, I found the three Mathematica Sudoku solvers mentioned in the MathWorld entry quite useful in checking some of these puzzles, and for checking a few hundred thousand generated puzzles.
Figure 8. Geometry Number Place (kikagaku nanpure). WPC 9 (Stamford) and 2005 USPC, both by Michael Rios.In Geometry Sudoku, irregular regions replace the boxes. In the second puzzle above, the grid is toroidal, and wraps around on both edges. The only trick here is that the regions are of odd shapes. These have also been called Latin Squares Puzzles.
Ed Pegg Jr., September 6, 2005 (updated Sep 15)
In the May 1979 issue of Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games (issue #16), page 6, something amazing appeared: Number Place. Here are the original instructions: "In this puzzle, your job is to place a number into every empty box so that each row across, each column down, and each small 9-box square within the large square (there are 9 of these) will contain each number from 1 through 9. Remember that no number may appear more than once in any row across, any column down, or within any small 9-box square; this will help you solve the puzzle. The numbers in circles below the diagram will give you a head start--each of these four numbers goes into one of the circle boxes in the diagram (not necessarily in the order given)."
Figure 1. The first Number Place puzzles. (Dell Pencil Puzzles & Word Games #16, page 6, 1979-05)Who made this puzzle? In addition to being the crossword editor of the New York Times, Will Shortz is a puzzle historian, so he did detective work to find the answer. He knew that "Number Place" puzzles had appeared in Dell Magazines, and went through his collection to find the first. Dell listed no author, but the name Howard Garns always appeared in the contributor's list of any issue containing a "Number Place" puzzle. Also, Garns' name did not appear in any issue lacking a Number Place, which clinched the identification. Further research revealed that Howard Garns to be a retired architect who created the puzzle at age 74. Howard Garns died in Indianapolis in 1989, and never got a chance to see his creation as a worldwide phenomenon. (Shortz, pers. comm. 2005)
Howard Garns made many Number Place puzzles for Dell, quickly simplifying the rules to those used today -- Fill in the grid so that every row, column, and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. In April 1984, Japan's puzzle group Nikoli discovered Dell’s Number Place presented it for a Japanese audience in the pages of puzzle paper Monthly Nikolist. Originally named Suuji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru, ("the numbers must be single") the puzzle became very popular. Kaji Maki, the president of Nikoli, abbreviated it to Sudoku - (Su = number, Doku = single), and trademarked the name. As the popular grew, competing companies stayed with the non-trademarked name Number Place, or "nanpure". Even today, many Japanese puzzle magazines spell out "Number Place" in English. In the United States and elsewhere, it's called Sudoku ("single number" in Japanese). Thus, japanese-speakers use the English, and english-speakers use the Japanese. Here are two particularly nice Sudoku puzzles under the normal rules.
Figure 2. Two normal Sudoku/Number Place/Nanpure puzzles. (Reader submissions to Nanpure Fan, 2004-10)The first puzzle above is worth noting for being a symmetrical number place with only 18 given cells. The minimum known number of givens leading to a unique solution is 17. Graph theorist Gordon Royle has collected over ten thousand (danger! huge page!) non-equivalent Sudoku puzzles with 17 givens. The second puzzle above has a pleasing arrangement of given numbers in the center.
Within the many Sudoku sites, the classic rules predominate. Sudoku X, Samaria Sudoku, and other sizes are the only other variants I could find outside of World Puzzle Championship competitions. I decided to look for more variants, and tried my hand at creating a few myself. First, Sudoku X.
Figure 9. 0 to 9 Number Place (Zero Tuu Nain Nanpure). Nanpure Fan #52 2004-10.In 0 to 9 Number Place, each row, column, and region has all 10 digits. Some cells contain two digits, and those are marked. The same puzzle where the two-digit cells didn't get marked would probably be much more difficult than a regular Sudoku puzzle.
Figure 10. (a) Magic Sudoku, by Alexandre Owen Muniz (b) Domino Sudoku by Ed Pegg Jr. Use all the dominoes to make Sudoku.Magic Sudoku inspired this column. Note that the 9 givens make a magic square, that the blue regions are all connected, and that there are five blue cells on each line. Despite satisfying extraordinary constraints, it's a very nice puzzle. After solving it, I started wondering if a set of dominoes+monominoes could be used to make a Sudoku. I constructed the puzzle above entirely by hand, because my program was getting nowhere. I'm hoping to make a 16x16 Domino Sudoku out of a double-15 set sans doubles and a 4x4 magic square.
Figure 11. Sums Number Place (samu nanpure) (Puzzler 2002-02), Killer Sudoku by Tetsuya Nishio (London Times 2005-08).In Sums Sudoku, sub-regions have specified sums, and no number can be repeated within a region. Tetsuya Nishio now makes these for the Times. With Nishio's efforts in the mid-1980's, and his later creation of Paint by Numbers puzzles, grid-style logic puzzles became very popular in Japan.
Figure 12. Sums Number Place. Nanpure Fan #51 2004-08. Factor Rooms (inshi no heya) by Yano Ryuou, Nikoli #92, 2000-09.The first puzzle here is a Nanpure Fan reader submission. There are sub-regions given, and mathematical signs describe the relationships between the *sums* of the numbers in those regions. This is likely the most difficult puzzle within this column.
Issue 92 of Nikoli (2000-09) introduced a puzzle called Factor Rooms invented by Yano Ryuou. The goal is to create a 9x9 Latin square by filling each cell with digits from 1 through 9. Regions are given, and the *product* of the numbers in the regions are given. "Factor Rooms" puzzles have appeared sporadically in Nikoli since issue 95.
Figure 13. Digit Place by Cihan Altay, 2005 USPC. Pips Number Place (Puzzler 1999-04)Not all puzzles use 1 to 9. Using just 1 to 6 is also possible. In the first puzzle above, the finished puzzle has numbers like those on a digital clock. In the second puzzle, the numbers are given by pips, like those seen in dice or dominoes.
Figure 14. Meta Sudoku by Wei-Hwa Huang. Cubic Sudoku (Puzzler 1999-04)The first puzzle is a "Meta" puzzle -- you must fill in the other borders (two are given) so that the resulting Sudoku puzzle has a unique solution. In Cubic Sudoku, the constraints on the cubic portion is that each region has digits from 1 through 8, each "layer" of the three dimensions on the cube also have distinct digits.
The London Times popularized Samurai Sudoku, which has 5 Sudoku joined in a quincunx arrangement. For the last puzzle of the column, here is five variants in one puzzle.
Figure 15. Combined Number Place (gattai nanpure). Nanbaapureesu (Number Place) 2004-09.This puzzle is a 5-way hybrid! (Diagonal, Extra Regions, Geometric, Combined, and Even-Odd).
Some other variants that have been published are:
* 1-5, each three times, in each row, column, and region (12345 nanpure).
* one 1, two 2s, three 3s, and four 4s in each region, row, and column (1234 nanpure). Identical digits are never orthogonally adjacent.
* 1-9 and three black cells in each row, column, and region (Kuro-masu Tsuki Nanpure = Black-cell Handling). The black cells have to obey Japanese crossword rules: no two are
orthogonally adjacent, and they can't divide the grid up into two regions.
* "Sweating Relay", or Progressive Sudoku: Three progressively larger Combined Number Places. Each time you solve a puzzle, you have to propagate certain digits to seed the next puzzle (this is the "relay" component). Here's a sample.
* Word Sudoku. Letters replace numbers.
There are two variants I'd particularly like to see made.
* Chess Sudoku. The digits 1-8 and a chess piece in each row, column, and region. Each piece should attack the numbers 1-8 exactly once.
* 16x16 Domino Sudoku. A set of Double-15 dominoes and a 4x4 magic square to make a Sudoku.
I'm sure Howard Garns would be pleased to see what his creation has wrought. If you'd like a nice printout of all these puzzles, here's a handy 8-page PDF file. In case you need help, here are the answers, by Alan O'Donnell. If you need more, here are my source files.
I'd like to thank Will Shortz, Nick Baxter, and Wei-Hwa Huang for their tremendous help in researching this column.
References:
Conceptis Puzzles, "History of Sudoku," http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/articles/sudoku/.
Leo Lewis, "Try Killer Sudoku," http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-1757275,00.html.
Nikoli Puzzles, "Sudoku Outline," http://www.nikoli.co.jp/puzzles/1/index_text-e.htm.
Gordon Royle, "Sudoku Patterns," http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~gordon/sudokupat.php.
Sudoku Forum, http://sudoku.jouwpagina.nl/. (A listing of many Sudoku links)
Sudoku Forum, "A Variety of Sudoku Variants," http://www.sudoku.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=995
"Sudoku", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku.html
Eric W. Weisstein et al. "Sudoku." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Sudoku.html
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
关于文的一些想法-II
男猪终于定了, 其实我的审美就那样, 最后找了半天, 除了吴彦祖，就是Dennis Wu和Daniel Henny， 这两个都是韩美混血，也都为化妆品做过广告。。。其实是从一位MM的BLOG上找的， 发现我和她对男生的追求真是无比相似，个人觉得金城武也能上榜，但是因为看太多，而且。。。其实我是觉得眼睛不是我喜欢的型，虽然放电一级棒。我喜欢木村的眼睛，可是他有点娘耶，也不够高大健硕。
废话不多说， 先上两张照片，左边是Dennis, 右边是Daniel, 猛一看有点像同一个人来的。
Sunday, June 8, 2008
关于文的一些想法-I
这个月在JJ开始发自己写的文, 很YY, 应该说是我理想中的幸福生活. 在几天后卡壳了, 发现了不少问题. 其实最初只是大致想了一下情节, 列出了故事主线, 并没有认真推敲细节问题. 不知道别的作者在写文的时候会不会出现这种无字可写的情况. 因为所以能想到的都是些片断, 而把片断联系起来, 又引人入胜实在不是一件简单的工作.
不管怎么说, 先把最近想到的一些问题写下来, 以后有了新的问题再总结吧...
1. 上帝视角...在写到第七章结束的时候卡住了, 突然觉得好上帝的感觉... 然后就是为了追求不那么上帝的描写硬是加入了不少对话, 可过一会儿又转回上帝视角. 其实原本写的木瑜就是为了在平淡温馨中追寻那些她娘我无力完成的梦想, 记忆的故事与YY穿插而过, 想来想去, 不上帝不足以说明某些问题. 可上帝多了又觉得像是一篇说明文. 纠结~
2. 关于混血. 姥姥家的血统问题明显是硬造出来的, 美少女美少女, 当然要用最便利方法造一个出来. 不过背景确有其事, 当时上海法租界里有白俄几千人, 不少是贵族, 罗宋汤也是那个时候俄罗斯红菜汤的沪版改良. 我在查资料的时候突然发现去年还是前年一位导演拍的<上海1976>讲述的就是这些建国后留在上海的混血儿的故事, 刚好也与姥姥一家的故事有所重合, 当然我写得很理想化, 因为本来就定位在轻松文, 不想写那些沉重的历史. 美女在那几十年的历史中可以说没几个命好的. 其实本文的家庭情况是这样, 完全是某盒写作时使木瑜在年纪不算大时走遍祖国大好河山的合理化过程. 读万卷书行万里路, 智慧的人都是这么来的.
3. 关于人物形象, 某天凌晨4点, 某盒子爬起来上网...生物钟紊乱...没办法. 想在现实生活中找几个混血儿安在木瑜姥姥这边的家人身上. 找啊找, 找啊找, 于是, 大美女杨恭如的妈妈进入视线, 中美混血, 也属于那段历史. 姥姥的形象有了. 再找再找, 妈妈的原型中意名模Lucy Leston, 有点年轻, 再老点可以参考李晓璐的妈妈...据说是混血, 可是我觉得不太像耶, 不管, 是漂亮妈妈就好. BTW, Lucy Leston这张照片五官有点像苏菲玛索对不对?
重点来了, 关于木瑜的形象, 很难找, 其实外国的混血儿一般都是三四岁时漂亮, 再就是青春期结束五官长开后漂亮, 像丑小鸭变天鹅, 因为青春期都是手长腿长, 整个人比例很不协调..... 而且一讲混血儿, 就是美艳, 我是我想找个清纯的啊! 找来找去, 锁定在香港的名模身上, 还有就是玉兰油, 力士等的广告美女(不搜不知道, 一搜吓一跳, 宝洁和联合利华真的都很爱用东西混血儿喔...尤其是宝洁, 大部分在亚洲上市的产品都用的是亚欧混血.)
依次是: 梁洛施, Amanda Strang, Mandy Lieu, Leah Dizon.
梁洛施很清纯, 年龄也合, 但是五官有些粗大, 尤其是带妆很显老.
Leah Dizon是新人, 像猫一样, 我喜欢她的气质, 但是过于性感了, 而且眼睛太欧化, 比较偏西方人.
相比较而言, Amanda和Mandy条件差不多, 只不过前者出道已经很多年了, 二人都以清纯形象出场. 而且不管五官还是气质是偏东方比较多一些.
Conclusion: 我中意Amanda Strang.
男主们的形象我还没想好, 最近中意那位叫Daniel Henny的韩美混血, 身材一级棒. 噢耶! 我不喜欢小白脸...所以...本文的女性大部分都会很"性福"的说....鉴于国内早年间白斩鸡太多, 我把许多出现的男生都发配从军了. 或者干脆就是部队大院出来的, 嗯, 还有BH的北方男生.
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