The house/courtyard in the Hutong (lit.: alley) area near Tiananmen Square was originally the residence of a princess /concubine during the Qing dynasty. Later, after it was transformed into a restaurant, it became the favorite hangout of Mei Lanfang, a famous Chinese Opera singer and artist who played exclusively women’s roles. The restaurant is … Continue reading
. Out there on the coast near Bilbao, the Merman watches your car approaching, slowing down and coming to a halt, and passengers getting out with cameras in front of their faces. The Merman is permanently alone. He has no knowledge of Mermaids, only a faint glimpse that they could exist, that they even should … Continue reading
. This is what I found out as I recently visited the University of Freiburg in Germany, my Alma Mater: Herr Waldseemueller was a cartograph in Freiburg who in 1507 published an updated map of the world, which included the New World, a mere sliver on the left. It was made from several large woodcuts … Continue reading
. If after the demise of the Trump administration – we all hope sooner than later — a semblance of rational discourse can be restored, then the most important issue to discuss is governance of this country. The massive concentration of power in a single person – the President – makes possible an abuse of … Continue reading
. The vastness of what once was steppe, and now asphalt and concrete! What has become of this world? Nature has not been quick enough to equip us with bodies and hooves of steel, or with wings, with armor, with fire-breath, with conquering wit to reclaim what once was our home. . .
. Today I found Little Asphalt Dog, sniffing on a black amorphous protuberance. Little Asphalt Dog is content with this kind of existence. He doesn’t move on his own; he is lifted by the sticky soles of the shoes of unobservant passengers, and dropped off in random territory, even in the passenger’s home. Little Asphalt … Continue reading
. With language of almost touching naivite, which at once shows his ineptness as a diplomat, Rex (meaning “king”) Tillerson said in his recent commencement speech that a crisis of ethics infects the US. In his words, “When we go wobbly on truth, we go wobbly on America.” Ah, wobbly wobbly, that sounds like bigly, … Continue reading
I have in various places talked about the space under the verandah of my parents’ house, site of many childhood memories, a place of intuitive tinkering of an 8-year old boy trying to make sense of the world. As I was recently in Siegen, my home town, to receive an honorary degree from Siegen’s … Continue reading
On April 11, 2018, the University of Siegen, my hometown, awarded the Ehrendoktor degree to me. It spurred a week of events in Siegen, including the signing of the Golden Book in Siegen’s Rathaus, and the Fuerst-Johann-Moritz Gymnasium, my former highschool. We just came back, exhausted, after a wonderful week meeting many nice people. Below … Continue reading
. This is the layout of the Palace in the Forbidden City, Beijing. You can see the layout on a big sign as you enter the Forbidden City. I noticed that the layout can be interpreted as the schematic diagram of a modern electron microscope, with field emission gun, two condensor lenses, objective lens, two … Continue reading
. Ribosomal subunit on the beach! The fact it is so low in resolution is not surprising, given the wear and tear over millennia. What is surprising is the … Continue reading
Some buddy called Ribo is featured here eating his cake and having it. How it came to this wordplay is too complicated to explain. Ask Elizabeth. At any rate, here we are in Granlibakken (a word that might also go back to a confusion of terms, a total miscommunication between a Finnish sailor and a … Continue reading
Long time ago I used to make little boxes and panorariums, like works by Joseph Cornell. Some have survived the many moves, but barely. Everything has become shaky and unreliable. It is astounding that the head is still in place. I’m sure the circuit board no longer works. It’s a curiosity, really, but I haven’t … Continue reading
. Colleagues of mine whom I invited to come to Stockholm presented me with this exquisite gift. It represnts a different direction of viewing the world from the one I was familiar with. I appreciate the empathy expressed in this deed: they all recognize what they would do if in my skin — do things … Continue reading
. A few days ago my brother in law, husband of my sister who succumbed to cancer almost 20 years ago, sent me a drawing I must have given her once. He placed it in a large rustic wooden frame. It’s less than 2 x 2 inches, and depicts one of the creatures of netherworld … Continue reading
Nobel Media/The Nobel Foundation Signing the book in the office of the Nobel Foundation. With me is my wife Carol. The book has been kept since 1952. Every page represents a year. Even if nothing had impressed me before, this book certainly sends shivers down my spine. Obama’s signature right next to Venki Ramakrishnan, … Continue reading
SPORKNIK . . . is a truly new dining experience. It has now been officially featured in THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE following an interview Heather Bellow, the Eagle’s investigative reporter, had with me in a tiny yet quite popular cafe in Great Barrington, Massachussets. Few people know the real story behind this invention. It would take … Continue reading
Star misalignment is a serious condition. We all want to be whole, after all. Is it not tempting to sit down and relax and enjoy the afternoon in Bangalore’s Botanical Garden?
In going on the record saying I would not put my foot in the White House as long as Trump, Pence, Ryan will occupy it I exercised my right of free speech. I’m somewhat troubled by the comments I received, which called me a hero for saying this. What this seems to indicate is that … Continue reading
At Coogan’s, the famous Irish bar just around the corner. We go there sometimes to celebrate a paper in Nature. Ming came all the way from California to celebrate. That’s dedication! Thanks to everybody! — Joachim
