Tag: Thoughts

Faustian Dialogues in Modern Project Management | June 20 2025, 15:00

I think project managers can very well speak to developers in the words of Faust.

Well, here we go again, in the old manner

With you – all is uncertainty, all doubts,

In everything you create difficulties,

And for all, you wish for new rewards!

When will you, without any further talk, —

One, two: look, — and everything is ready soon!

(For context – this is Faust’s reaction to the refusal of the seemingly omnipotent Mephistopheles (Devil) to bring Helen of Troy and Paris from the realm of shadows to the stage for the Emperor’s amusement)

director

Don’t forget anything:

What can be done immediately,

Why put it off till tomorrow?

We must instantly grasp

All that is necessary and possible

(…)

“You have poorly executed it,

And left a gap in the corner”

And the designer might reply:

And you do not see, how vile and shameful

This craft?

Am I not an artist?

To the Manager:

“Fire! Help! Hell! We are all going to burn now!”

Cultural Codes: How T-Shirt Messages Connect Us Globally | June 19 2025, 16:13

I’ve long noticed that in the USA, people read the inscriptions on t-shirts and polos. When I lived in Russia, I remember, generally nobody pays attention to them. Or they do, and forget the next second. It’s normal for us to comment if we like something. I wonder what it’s like in Europe.

I have a t-shirt that says “2020 ★☆☆☆☆ Very bad. Would not recommend”. It’s already outdated, but I still regularly get comments on it.

In certain groups here, there’s a whole communication system based on what you wear. It seems among teenagers, it’s especially strict, and standing out isn’t welcomed, which is why many just dress like “carbon copies” — the same colors, the same brands 🙂 Well, obviously, students wear hoodies and t-shirts with their university’s symbols (I can hardly imagine putting my RGRTA on a t-shirt).

Exploring Faust and the Zoologist: The Dual Life of Translator Khodkovsky | June 18 2025, 04:06

I’m listening to the second part of Faust and simultaneously googling translator Holodkovsky. It turns out that translating Faust was something of a hobby for the scholar-zoologist Holodkovsky, spanning 60 years. Holodkovsky has hardly any original writings—only translations, and from the translations, everything else, as they say, is minor details.

That is, Goethe wrote Faust for 60 years, and the entomologist-translator translated it for 40 years and spent another 20 catching bugs, imagine? What a scale of projects.

In fact, apart from being the author of probably the best translation of Faust, Holodkovsky is almost absent in literature. But as a zoologist, he left much more of a mark. True, it’s hard for non-entomologists to read without a smile, but here are his main works: “Male Genitalia of Diptera,” “Atlas of Human Helminths,” “On the Oral Organs of Some Insects Parasitizing Humans,” “Coexistence and Societies of Animals,” and others.

Unraveling the Layers of Echidna: From Faust to Mythology | June 13 2025, 04:21

In the second part of Faust, he encountered an echidna and realized that he did not understand

“Oh wonder! The clew turned into an egg,

The egg swelled up — what is within?

Two dreadful twins emerged —

A vampire with an echidna — from the egg.

The echidna writhes here crawling,

The vampire hovers under the ceiling”

It turned out that in the lexicon of the 18th-19th centuries, an echidna was a venomous snake. I mean, sarcastic, spiteful, sharp, cunning, mocking me, of course, I know this word, but that it literally signified a snake, I learned for the first time. And in Greek mythology, the half-woman half-snake Echidna was apparently the mother of Hydra, Sphinx, Chimera, and Cerberus

Heightened Alert: Navigating Uncertainty and Vigilance | June 12 2025, 22:56

“Due to increased regional tensions.” The Consular Affairs office of the State Department in its notice advised U.S. citizens to “exercise increased caution.” Such news always reminds me of this picture.

Why Shiba Inu Training Fails: A Waiting Game for Lisa | June 09 2025, 17:11

This is why the Shiba Inu is difficult to train. He’s not in the mood today, waiting for Lisa. And the cat is waiting for Lisa too. Their daughter is finally moving back from campus, already loaded everything into the truck. Yuki is looking out the window. Trying to feed him boiled chicken fails — food is not much of a motivator for him. He last ate about 15 hours ago, so he should be a bit hungry in theory. No, he’s not sick — this behavior has been observed throughout his four years. Waiting.

Discovering Goethe’s Faust at 47 | June 08 2025, 01:57

At 47, I finally got around to Goethe’s “Faust.” Ordered the book on Ozon, but it will only reach me in a month. So, I decided to start with the audiobook. And what a fabulous production it is! I’ve listened to eight out of sixteen hours, covering all of the first part and a bit of the second. Probably will spend another week chewing through the second part. And when the book arrives – I’ll read it all over again after the audio, which should go really well.

Trukhan’s performance is a masterpiece! The cello, the choice of voice actors, the intonations. I could not imagine a better “Faust” than the one voiced by Chonishvili. Highly recommend. Only occasionally there’s a bit too much with the musical numbers, but I need to check the text, maybe you can’t remove words from a song. The end of the first part in the prison is just fire.

https://youtu.be/MrWl7sORtwc?si=BJH8se2p45iIze22

https://youtu.be/MrWl7sORtwc?si=BJH8se2p45iIze22