地獄解剖圖鑑

 

（點此前往博客來購書）

原本以為地獄這個概念大體上只限於佛教廣為流傳的東方文明，但隨即想到外國電影常看到詛咒別人「Go to hell」的情節，看來地獄是全世界文明共有的意象。《地獄解剖圖鑑》是瑞昇文化所出版的圖鑑書系中的一本。即便是講述地獄這麼令人膽寒的主題，這本翻譯自日本的圖文書，藉由精緻又略帶俏皮的插圖淡化了恐怖氛圍，讓人讀起來輕鬆不少。

從冥土十王開始，書中介紹了陰曹地府裡的居民。除了眾所皆知的冥府之主閻羅王以外，其餘九王分別是：秦廣王、初江王、宋帝王、五官王、變成王、泰山王、平等王、都市王以及五道轉輪王。他們聯手對亡者進行一步步的審判，結果將決定亡者是否投胎或落入地府。而數不清的獄卒和恐怖生物（如吐火的巨龍、牛頭羅剎），則在無止盡地折磨亡者。部分亡者則是變成餓鬼，住在餓鬼道中永遠無法填飽肚子。

本書介紹的是以日本佛教為基礎的地獄觀，最早可以追溯自日本平安時代名僧源信所撰寫的《往生要集》，該書詳細描述了地獄的世界。雖然佛教是由中國傳入日本，但在日本佛教淨土信仰的發展下，逐漸演化成和中國佛道文化相異的宗教文化。像是《地藏十王經》裡論及的賽之河原和地藏菩薩，就是日本獨有的典故。八大地獄則由等活地獄、黑繩地獄、眾合地獄、叫喚地獄、大叫喚地獄、焦熱地獄、大焦熱地獄和阿鼻地獄組成。生前犯下過錯的亡者，將會依據罪刑輕重被關到不同的地獄。然而以現代的眼光來檢視有關地獄的描述，那將是非常不政治正確的體驗。

首先，非素食者全部都得下地獄，因為殺生（不論任何生物）就是罪孽。傷害虐待孩童與小動物，確實值得深究亡者的過錯；但一心爭強鬥勝的好強者也是種罪，感覺就太超過了。殺生、偷盜和淫邪肯定是不符合佛教教理的行為，但像是飲酒、欺騙（接受布施後否認）的罪刑卻比前者更重，那只能解釋為時代的差異。種種罪行的定義，的確能看出當初立論者的刻意描繪與當時社會文化的反映。像是否認佛教、鼓吹邪說（宗教自由）、放棄進食、禁食自盡（安樂死）等，都是現代社會可以接受的行為。

我第一次看到六道輪迴這個詞彙，是來自日本漫畫《聖鬥士星矢》裡角色的招式名稱。確實，日本動漫作品中有數不清的設定都取材自日本佛教。六道包含天道、人道、修羅道、畜生道、餓鬼道和地獄道，尚未頓悟前往極樂世界的芸芸眾生，只能在這六道中不斷投胎轉世受苦受難。記載日本古代神話的《古事記》中也描述世界開創之初，男神伊邪那岐和女神伊邪那美生出日本列島和眾多神明，女神卻因為難產而去世、住進黃泉國裡，在漫畫《流浪神差》中也有採錄這些典故。日本的三大怨靈都源自平安時代，由於那時候疫病甚多、枉死者眾，加上朝廷內部動亂不安，迫害含冤而死的達官貴人不在少數，因此便有了長屋王、菅原道真、崇德上皇的相關傳說。

諷刺的是，當日本歷史步入戰國時代後，殺戮不斷、哀鴻遍野，人世間比地獄更淒慘時，佛教的勢力反而變得更為微弱。因為人們深刻地體認到善惡不一定有報，地獄的描述再恐怖，也比不上日常所見的千分之一。後續德川幕府統一日本，佛教信仰也就無法像平安時代那般強盛與受世人敬信了。《地獄解剖圖鑑》是一本適合粗淺了解日本佛教文化的輕鬆讀物，對於日本動漫發燒友來說，更能增添未來在欣賞作品時的趣味，有空時不妨翻閱看看。

I used to think that the concept of "hell" was mainly limited to Eastern cultures where Buddhism is popular. But then I remembered how often people say "Go to hell!" in Western movies. It seems that hell is a shared idea across civilizations worldwide. The Anatomy of Hell is a book from the "Illustrated Guide" series published by Rising Culture. Even though hell is a scary topic, this book—translated from Japanese—uses detailed and cheerful illustrations to make it feel less frightening and much easier to read.

Starting with the "Ten Kings of the Underworld," the book introduces the residents of hell. Besides King Yama, the famous ruler of hell, there are nine other kings who work together to judge the dead step by step. Their decisions determine whether a person is reborn or sent down to hell. Countless guards and scary monsters, like fire-breathing dragons and bull-headed demons, torture the sinners forever. Some of the dead become "hungry ghosts" and live in the Hungry Ghost Realm, where they can never feel full.

This book introduces the view of hell based on Japanese Buddhism. It goes back to Genshin, a famous monk in the Heian period, who wrote Ojo Yoshu and described the world of hell in detail. Although Buddhism came to Japan from China, Japanese Pure Land Buddhism developed its own unique religious culture. For example, "賽之河原" (Sainokawara) and the "Jizo Bodhisattva" mentioned in the Jizo Ten Kings Sutra are unique Japanese stories. The "Eight Great Hells" include the Revival Hell, Black Thread Hell, Crushing Hell, Screaming Hell, Great Screaming Hell, Burning Hell, Great Burning Hell, and Avici Hell. Sinners are sent to different hells based on how bad their actions were. However, looking at these descriptions today, many of them are not "politically correct."

First, non-vegetarians all go to hell because killing any living thing is considered a sin. Hurting children or small animals definitely deserves punishment, but treating overly competitive people as sinners feels a bit too much. Actions like killing, stealing, and bad sexual behavior clearly go against Buddhist teachings. However, sins like drinking alcohol or lying (such as denying a donation you received) carry even heavier punishments, which can only be explained by differences in time. These definitions show how people at that time viewed society. Things like "denying Buddhism" (freedom of religion) or "fasting to die" (euthanasia) are both acceptable in modern times.

The first time I saw the phrase "Six Realms of Reincarnation" was in the Japanese manga Saint Seiya, as a character's special attack. In fact, many settings in Japanese anime and manga come from Japanese Buddhism. The six realms are the Heavenly Realm, Human Realm, Asura Realm, Animal Realm, Hungry Ghost Realm, and Hell Realm. People who have not reached enlightenment must keep being reborn and suffering in these six realms. Japan's ancient book Kojiki also describes how the god Izanagi and goddess Izanami created the Japanese islands and many gods. Later, the goddess died during childbirth and went to the underworld ("Yomi"). The manga Noragami also uses this story. Japan's famous "Three Great Vengeful Spirits" all come from the Heian period. During that time, diseases were common, many innocent people died, and political trouble led to the wrongful deaths of high officials, creating legends about Nagaya, Sugawara no Michizane, and Emperor Sutoku.

Ironically, when Japan entered the Warring States period, non-stop wars made human life even worse than hell, and the power of Buddhism actually weakened. People realized that good deeds did not always bring good rewards. No matter how scary hell was described, it was nothing compared to daily life. Later, when the Tokugawa Shogunate unified Japan, Buddhist faith never returned to its strong status from the Heian period. The Anatomy of Hell is a light and easy book for getting a simple understanding of Japanese Buddhism. For anime fans, it can make watching anime even more fun in the future. You should check it out when you have time!

科技泡沫：熱潮背後是機會還是炒作？教你識破下一個投資陷阱

 

（點此前往博客來購書）

哲學家黑格爾曾說：「人類從歷史中學到的唯一教訓，就是人類沒有從歷史中吸取任何教訓。」在 AI 浪潮隨著股市行情一波波上漲之際，矽谷的科技巨頭們卻大舉裁員與凍結人事，讓美國資訊科系畢業生面臨前所未有的就業危機。對比 2021 年時，矽谷工程師擁有令人稱羨的年薪與大筆分紅，如今盛況已不可同日而語。產業趨勢發生如此大幅度的反轉，當然有數不清的成因，但這本《科技泡沫》裡面提到的問題，或許正是壓垮駱駝的最後一根稻草。

Google、亞馬遜、臉書和 Netflix，在網際網路產業中，有太多耀眼的科技公司由原本的默默無聞，蛻變成富可敵國的跨國企業，同時也讓許多早期投資人賺得盆滿鉢滿。因此，創業投資（簡稱創投）在美國投資產業中一直是撐起半邊天的熱門項目，而科技創業也成為許多青年才俊前赴後繼的職涯選項。然而，本書作者伊曼紐．馬喬里卻明確指出，現今創投產業與新創公司之間存在著日益嚴重的弊病，造就了無數的資源錯置與財務損失。

2000 年爆發網路泡沫時，那斯達克股市大跌 75%，矽谷裁員 20 萬人。此後 20 多年間，又陸續發生許多經濟危機，以美國為首的各國政府，像老狗玩不出新把戲般，只能靠大量印鈔救市。不論是量化寬鬆還是日本行之有年的零利率政策，都是助長泡沫的貨幣政策。1998 年亞洲金融風暴助長了網路泡沫，網路泡沫又助長了 2008 年金融海嘯；而 2019 年因新冠疫情產生的量化寬鬆，正是促成矽谷新創公司如雨後春筍般湧現的背後活水，但過多的資金也導致亂象叢生。

新創公司追求爆炸式成長，最後多半演變成一種吹牛比賽，在經營公司時忽視顯而易見的風險，更仰賴三種類型的奇蹟來促成自身的成功：

市場奇蹟：消費者行為突然改變（例如：突然願意為原本免費的服務付費）。

技術奇蹟：宣稱將推出目前做不到、未來也尚不知如何達成的技術或服務（例如《惡血》一書所描述的情節）。

人才奇蹟：深信只要聚集足夠的人才與頂尖人物，就能做出前所未有的商業成果（目前 AI 產業的投資氛圍恰好類似於此）。

原本創投資金會採分批投入的種子輪方式，從小額資金開始嘗試，當新創公司逐步證明自身價值後，才漸進式投入更多資金以降低風險。然而，在資金氾濫的大環境下，亂槍打鳥的投資卻變成了有心人士蓄意欺騙的溫床。

跑馬圈地是中國大陸網路產業最常採用的競爭手法，利用龐大的資金補貼搶占目標市場的高市占率，隨之而來的是連年巨額虧損。但創投公司非常吃這一套，畢竟資金來源源源不絕，只差一個能把故事講好的對象。其背後的投資邏輯是：只要有足夠的耐心與資本，等到新創公司達到足夠的規模，總有一天會帶來鉅額獲利來彌補先前的損失。

然而事實上，這些燒錢的新創公司根本沒有打造出超額補貼以外的護城河。一旦有其他資本雄厚的公司意圖投入同一市場，就會影響原本預估的獲利，爭相削價競爭便演變成深不見底的紅海市場。在網路產業中，真正算得上護城河的經營優勢，除了網絡效應（適用於社群網站、電商平台）之外，就是轉換成本（適用於手機與電子裝置）；至於規模經濟、商業模式與先行者優勢，都不是可以長久依賴的靠山。這種護城河的幻覺包含了「十倍」的迷思、「規模」的迷思與「品牌」的迷思。

其實作者著手撰寫本書，源於他在新創公司任職時發現的奇怪現象：科技業在資金過剩的情況下出現招募狂潮，以優渥的福利與薪水，搶占市場上能找到的所有資訊工程師。然而，許多新創公司甚至是矽谷科技巨頭，根本沒有足夠的任務分配給這些超額徵聘的人力。這導致許多人只好裝忙，或是把原本簡單的工作拆解細化，讓每個人手上都有事可做。而敏捷開發的風行也帶來了另一種浪費工時的反效果—墨守成規地要求每天開會，卻沒有將時間花在真正的開發工作上，反而讓許多想混水摸魚的工程師樂得輕鬆。

《科技泡沫》是一本難得一見的好書，鞭闢入裡地點出前幾年網路產業中的種種亂象。我認為最近矽谷幾次的大規模裁員，表面上是 AI 工具確實帶來了效率提升、降低了企業的人力成本；但實際上，可能是這些大公司借題發揮，想利用 AI 當作擋箭牌，在利率上升、零成本資金消逝之際，趕緊修正先前過於樂觀的擴張策略，回歸理性的營運步調。

The philosopher Hegel once said, "The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history." While AI trends keep pushing stock markets higher, tech giants in Silicon Valley are cutting jobs and freezing hiring. This has created an unprecedented job crisis for computer science graduates in the U.S. Compared to 2021, when Silicon Valley engineers enjoyed enviable salaries and big bonuses, today's situation is completely different. There are countless reasons for such a big shift in industry trends. However, the issues mentioned in the book The Tech Bubble might be the straw that broke the camel's back.

In the internet industry, bright tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix grew from unknown startups into super-rich multinational corporations. At the same time, early investors made huge profits. Because of this, "venture capital" (VC) has long been a major part of the U.S. investment industry, and starting a tech company became a popular career path for many talented young people. However, the book's author, Emmanuel Marot, clearly points out that growing problems between today's VC industry and startups have caused wasted resources and massive financial losses.

When the "dot-com bubble" burst in 2000, the Nasdaq dropped 75%, and Silicon Valley cut 20,000 jobs. Over the next 20 years, more economic crises followed. Governments led by the U.S. seemed to have no new tricks and could only print large amounts of money to save the market. Whether it was "quantitative easing" (QE) or Japan's long-standing "zero-interest-rate policy," these monetary policies all fueled economic bubbles. The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis helped create the dot-com bubble, which then contributed to the 2008 global financial crisis. Similarly, the QE policy during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic fueled the rapid growth of Silicon Valley startups—though too much money also led to widespread chaos.

Startups chasing explosive growth often end up in a bragging contest. They ignore obvious business risks and rely on three types of miracles to succeed:

Market Miracle: Consumer behavior changes suddenly (for example, people suddenly pay for services that used to be free).

Technology Miracle: Promising technology or services that cannot be built today and no one knows how to make in the future (like the story in the book Bad Blood).

Talent Miracle: Believing that gathering enough top talent will naturally lead to unprecedented business success (a mindset very similar to today's AI investment trend).

Normally, VC funds invest step-by-step through "seed rounds," starting small and adding more money as startups prove their value to lower risk. But in an environment flooded with cash, random investing became fertile ground for scammers.

"Land grabbing" is a favorite competitive strategy in China's internet industry. Companies use heavy money subsidies to grab market share, accepting years of huge losses. Yet, VC firms love this approach because money keeps flowing, and they just need someone who can tell a good story. The logic is simple: with enough patience and money, once a startup grows large enough, it will eventually make huge profits to cover past losses.

In reality, these cash-burning startups never built a real "moat" beyond cash subsidies. Once another rich company enters the market, expected profits drop, and price wars turn the market into a deep "red ocean." In the internet world, true moats are "network effects" (for social media and e-commerce platforms) and "switching costs" (for phones and electronics). Things like "economies of scale," "business models," and "first-mover advantage" are not reliable over time. These fake moats include the myths of "10x," "scale," and "brand."

The author wrote this book based on strange things he saw while working at a startup. Flush with excess cash, tech companies went on hiring sprees, offering high pay and great perks to snap up every engineer available. However, many startups—and even Silicon Valley giants—did not have enough work for all these hires. As a result, many employees pretended to be busy or broke simple tasks into tiny steps so everyone had something to do. The popular "Agile development" method also backfired by wasting work hours—forcing daily meetings instead of real coding work, allowing lazy engineers to slide by easily.

The Tech Bubble is a rare and great book that clearly explains the chaos in the internet industry over recent years. In my view, the recent wave of tech layoffs may seem like AI tools are boosting efficiency and cutting labor costs. In reality, large companies may just be using AI as an excuse. As interest rates rise and free money disappears, they are rushing to fix their over-optimistic expansion strategies and return to sensible business operations.

生活科學大哉問

 

（點此前往博客來購書）

大語言模型走入大眾的視野也不過短短二、三年，已經讓許多學生、上班族習以為常地每天和 AI 互動對談。仔細想想人類的適應力真的很強，不論是什麼尖端科技製造而成的產品或服務，在不瞭解背後原理的情況下，人們依舊能運用自如地享受便利性。《生活科學大哉問》一書，便是介紹了許多你我日常生活中已經視為文明社會必需品的科技產物，深入瞭解後會感受到，人們能十指不沾陽春水地過日子，都是受惠於一代代先人日積月累下發明的成果。

像是沖水馬桶利用虹吸原理，不靠電力而善用水位的落差和重力，便有效率地清除排泄物，是造福全人類的偉大發明。微波爐則是運用磁控管來操作電場方向，讓容易受影響的水分子產生震動，進而產生熱能用來加熱食物。在介紹咖啡的文章中，學到咖啡一旦磨成粉就會開始劣化，所以沖泡前再磨才是講究的做法；過細的咖啡粉反而會萃取出雜質，讓咖啡風味變差。雖然看過好幾次解說飛機飛行的原理，但還是不明白機翼形狀如何讓氣流產生足夠的升力讓飛機起飛，據說學術圈也常常講不清楚，只能說飛行器的發明是種實證科學吧。

而白領上班族常看到的文具用品，像是3M便利貼是改變膠水型態成圓球狀，產生好黏又好撕的效果。魔術擦擦筆則是以使用感溫變色墨水，來讓墨水遇熱變成透明；有趣的是，在極低溫下（零下 20 度），擦擦筆的墨水會恢復到有顏色的狀態，這點小知識很有用！全視線眼鏡就是光致變色鏡片，但是如果配戴了無抗紫外線（UV）功能的太陽眼鏡，人眼的瞳孔多了遮蔽、少了刺眼的陽光照射而放大，反而會傷害視網膜，買太陽眼鏡時記得多看一下標籤。摩天大樓的玻璃帷幕，製造方法和鏡子一樣，是在玻璃裡面加上一層金屬用來反射光線；當金屬層薄到恰到好處的厚度，就會隔熱又透出些許的光線。夜間因為室內光線強於室外，所以室內反射光會強於外面，造成我們只會看到自己的倒影，但從外面卻可以清楚地看到屋內。

車輛的前擋風玻璃都是夾層玻璃（膠合玻璃），中間夾著特殊膠膜，即使用擊破器也打不碎，所以也被當作防盜玻璃。而側面的車窗則是安裝強化玻璃，雖然強度比一般玻璃強上 3 到 4 倍，卻可以針對特定一點輕易地敲破。現代人在夏天幾乎離不開的冷氣機，是利用空氣壓縮會變熱、膨脹會變冷的熱泵原理，將冷媒當作導體不斷在室外機和室內循環，讓我們享受舒適的溫度，而電冰箱也是用一樣的技術做出來的。一般認為，水的溫度不會超過 100 度，因為會變成水蒸氣。然而水波爐就是利用過熱水蒸氣的高溫，來達成將食物加熱到 200 到 300 度的高溫，食物的水分會因此蒸發而變得酥脆。我們之所以會認為月亮會一直跟著我們的背後走，其實只是因為它體積相當大，同時又距離我們非常遠，所以不管我們怎麼移動，都能看到它以同樣的大小和方向在那裡，因而誤以為它有在移動尾隨我們。

《生活科學大哉問》是一本充滿著實用科學知識的小書，每個主題的內文都只有四頁，但內容從物理、化學到資訊技術無所不包，很多說明也不是能一看就懂，相當有深度。不過看這樣的讀物，也不用給自己太大的壓力，就挑選自己感興趣的主題翻閱，記得有趣的小知識，以後和朋友談天時當個小聰明，倒也就有所回報了～

Large language models came into the public eye only two or three years ago, but they have already become a daily habit for many students and office workers chatting with AI. When you think about it, human adaptability is truly amazing. No matter what kind of advanced technology creates a product or service, people can easily use it and enjoy its convenience without knowing how it works. The book Everyday Science Secrets introduces many tech inventions that we see as daily necessities in modern society. When you look deeper, you realize that living such a comfortable life is all thanks to the achievements of past generations over time.

For example, flush toilets use the "siphon principle." They don't need electricity and simply use water level differences and gravity to clean away waste efficiently, making it a great invention for humanity. Microwaves use magnetrons to control electric fields. This makes water molecules vibrate and generate heat to warm up food. In the part about coffee, I learned that coffee beans start to lose quality as soon as they are ground into powder. That is why grinding right before brewing is the best way. Coffee ground too fine will extract unwanted flavors and ruin the taste. Also, although I have seen explanations of how airplanes fly many times, I still don't understand how wing shapes create enough lift for a plane to take off. It is said that even experts struggle to explain it clearly, so maybe airplane invention is just a kind of "practical science."

Common stationery items for office workers also have cool science behind them. For instance, 3M Post-it notes use glue shaped into tiny spheres, making them easy to stick and peel off. Frixion erasable pens use heat-sensitive ink that turns clear when heated. Interestingly, at super cold temperatures (minus 20 degrees Celsius), the ink color comes back. This fun fact is very useful! Transitions lenses are photochromic lenses. However, if you wear sunglasses without UV protection, your pupils will dilate because of the darker view. This can actually damage your retina, so always check the label when buying sunglasses. The glass curtain walls of skyscrapers are made like mirrors by adding a thin metal layer inside the glass to reflect light. When the metal layer is just the right thickness, it blocks heat while letting a little light through. At night, indoor light is brighter than outdoor light, so the reflection inside is stronger. As a result, we can only see our own reflection, but people outside can see inside clearly.

Car windshields are made of laminated glass with a special plastic layer in the middle. They won't break easily even with a hammer, so they are also used as anti-theft glass. On the other hand, side windows use tempered glass. Although it is 3 to 4 times stronger than regular glass, it can easily shatter if you hit a specific corner. Air conditioners, which are essential in summer, use the "heat pump" principle—air gets hot when compressed and cold when expanded. They use refrigerant to move heat between indoor and outdoor units to keep us comfortable. Refrigerators are made using the same technology. People usually think water temperature cannot go over 100 degrees Celsius because it turns into steam. However, superheated steam ovens use high-temperature steam to heat food up to 200 to 300 degrees, evaporating moisture to make food crispy. Finally, we feel like the moon is following us simply because it is huge and extremely far away. No matter how we move, we see it at the same size and direction, so we mistakenly think it is following behind us.

Everyday Science Secrets is a small book full of practical science knowledge. Each topic is only four pages long, but it covers everything from physics and chemistry to IT. Many explanations take time to understand and have real depth. However, you don't need to feel stressed when reading it. Just pick topics you find interesting, remember a few fun facts, and share them with friends later to sound smart—that is already a great reward!

巴黎墓園的祕密生活──為逝者按讚！網路爆紅生命守門人，帶你體驗法國「拉雪茲神父公墓」多樣迷人的生態，在自然景致與逝者銘言間體悟生命美好

 

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我觀察到台灣有個都市規劃上的矛盾而深感困惑：無論是哪任市長就任，總是把土地開發當成執政成績而大力推動，將原本綠意盎然的農田、林地，換成一座座鋼筋水泥打造的商辦、運動場、活動中心。附近的居民也會因此歡欣鼓舞地大喊德政，期望居住地的房價能因此一飛衝天。然而真正昂貴的精華地段，總是離不開綠地公園和樹蔭環繞，捨近求遠，吾未見其明也。

離題了。《巴黎墓園的秘密生活》是一本相當複雜而特異的書，它是由任職於巴黎市公墓部門的班諾瓦．加洛所著。主題是介紹位於巴黎市中心的拉雪茲神父公墓的點點滴滴，卻不是行禮如儀的生硬作品。由於法國政府無意間的一項政策調整，決議不再於公墓中施作除草劑等人工農藥，促成園區內草木欣欣向榮，儼然成為另一座自然公園，優良的生態裡甚至孕育出狐狸家族。讓身為守墓人的作者，在疫情封城期間於園內偶遇，之後也轉化成書中數張珍貴的照片。

不論是什麼國家，死亡、喪禮和墓園總是帶來負面和不吉利的印象。然而出身在殯葬業家庭的作者，卻因為從小的耳濡目染而沒有這樣的包袱，因而能帶著單純、直覺的眼光，欣賞甚至享受在墓園工作、獨處的時光。帶著真切的心，站在喪家的角度來處理安葬事項，並管理廣大而複雜的公墓機關，是他的日常工作。讀者未必會有機會去遊訪法國，更別說特地跑去法國公墓參觀，但一個如此管理得當、有如都市中綠洲般的林地空間，真的讓人傾倒。對比台灣都市逐年消失的公園樹木和被高樓阻擋的天際線，只能發出一聲嘆息。

I observed a strange problem in Taiwan's city planning and felt very confused. No matter who becomes the mayor, they always push land development as a major achievement. They turn green farmland and woods into concrete office buildings, sports venues, and community centers. Nearby residents happily celebrate this as a great policy, hoping their property values will skyrocket. However, truly expensive prime areas are always surrounded by green parks and shade trees. Looking for something far away while ignoring what's right in front of us really makes no sense to me.

Anyway, back to the point. The Secret Life of Paris Cemetery is a very unique and interesting book. It was written by Benoît Gallot, who works for the Paris cemetery department. The book introduces Père Lachaise Cemetery in the center of Paris, but it is not a boring or formal work. Thanks to a simple policy change by the French government—deciding to stop using chemical weed killers in the cemetery—the plants grew wildly, turning it into a natural park. The great environment even brought a family of foxes. The author, as a gravedigger, met them during the pandemic lockdown and captured them in several precious photos in the book.

In almost every country, death, funerals, and cemeteries bring negative and unlucky feelings. However, coming from a funeral family, the author grew up around these things and did not carry such a burden. Because of this, he could enjoy working and spending time alone in the cemetery with a simple and clear mind. Caring for grieving families with a sincere heart and managing a large, complex cemetery is his daily life. Readers may not have the chance to visit France, let alone visit a French cemetery, but such a well-managed green oasis in the city is truly impressive. Comparing it with Taiwan's cities, where trees are disappearing and tall buildings block the skyline, I can only sigh.

加薩日記

 

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之前路過台北車站時，總會看到無國界醫生的志工們擺著攤位，不知道是要向路人募集個資還是有其它目的。當時對這個團體單純只覺得大概和綠色和平組織一樣，是某種宣揚理念的非政府組織（NGO, Non-Governmental Organization）。在讀過《加薩日記》後，藉由洪上凱醫師第一手的紀錄，讓我了解並欽佩這個跨國組織為人類福祉的盡心盡力。看來本書確實間接促成了無國界醫生的核心使命—「見證與發聲」。

作者於2023年7月啟程前往加薩走廊參與無國界醫生在當地的任務，沒料到10月便發生實際控制當地的武裝團體哈瑪斯攻擊以色列的阿克薩洪水行動，導致以色列全面封鎖並反擊加薩地區，使得作者於11月終止當地的任務，撤離至鄰近的埃及後返國。本書內容為這近五個月來，洪上凱醫師在歷程中的心情記事。讀者能從中對巴勒斯坦和以色列兩國的紛爭，以及對身處加薩地區的居民們帶來的苦難與無奈，有著近乎第一手的觀察與省思。

先前透過新聞媒體接觸到的第一印象，哈瑪斯是一個盤據加薩走廊的極端武裝團體，然而其源起卻是基於公益互助理念的地方兄弟會。只能說戰爭令人瘋狂，以色列對加薩居民長期進行經濟管制與軍事騷擾，試圖蠶食鯨吞地擴張國土，數十年來在國際社會的默許下日益劇烈。對抗只會帶來更多的仇恨與報復，以巴問題始終未能逐步改善與化解，光靠人道救助團體的無私義舉終究只是杯水車薪。《加薩日記》替讀者點出了目前主流媒體不曾傳播的敘事角度，從當地居民的生活中看待以色列對加薩施加的壓迫，讓人體會到國際正義一詞的空洞，以及戰爭所帶來的破壞是多麼無情與非人道。

When I walked past Taipei Main Station before, I often saw volunteers from "Doctors Without Borders" (MSF) setting up booths. I wasn't sure if they wanted to collect personal information from passersby or had other goals. At that time, I simply thought they were like "Greenpeace"—just another non-governmental organization (NGO) promoting their ideas. However, after reading Gaza Diary, Dr. Hung Shang-kai's first-hand accounts helped me understand and admire this international group's hard work for human well-being. It seems this book indirectly helped fulfill MSF's main mission: "to bear witness and speak out."

The author traveled to the Gaza Strip in July 2023 to join MSF's mission there. Unexpectedly, in October, Hamas, the armed group controlling the area, launched the "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" attack on Israel. Israel then completely blocked and fought back against Gaza. As a result, the author had to end his mission in November, evacuate to nearby Egypt, and return home. This book shares Dr. Hung's feelings and thoughts during those five months. Through his writing, readers can get a first-hand look at the conflict between Palestine and Israel, and think deeply about the suffering and helplessness of the people in Gaza.

My first impression from the news was that Hamas was just an extreme armed group in Gaza. However, it actually started as a local group based on community service and mutual help. War truly makes people crazy. For decades, Israel has controlled Gaza's economy and used military force to expand its territory bit by bit. With the international community staying quiet, these actions have gotten worse over time. Fighting only brings more hatred and revenge. The problem between Israel and Palestine has never improved. Relying only on the selfless work of humanitarian groups is simply not enough. Gaza Diary shows readers a fresh perspective that mainstream media often misses. Seeing the pressure from Israel through the daily lives of local people makes us feel how empty the words "international justice" can be, and how cruel and heartless war really is.

偽裝的改革者：破解鄧小平和蔣經國神話

 

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在台北市長選舉前哨站開始烽煙四起之際，時任北市市長的蔣萬安又因為他蔣家子弟的身分，興起一波網民之間的唇槍舌戰。說實在的，台灣走出蔣介石、蔣經國兩代強人統治數十年，在六年級以上的多數國民都是經過忠黨愛國的填鴨式洗腦教育長大，因此對於蔣家，特別是蔣經國的個人評價多半是正面，甚至能庇佑子孫，為選情加分。但是，如果有空翻閱這本《偽裝的改革者》，或許能替你摘下粉紅色的眼鏡，更客觀地思考蔣家、國民黨對於治理政府的能力與功過。

對於中國大國崛起、幾乎可以和美國比肩的當下，在共產中國喊出改革開放、打開市場經濟的鄧小平，無人敢否定他的歷史定位。然而，就如同退居台灣一方的蔣經國，這兩位是否真如普羅大眾認知般，是洞燭機先的改革者？本書是直接給了否定的大叉叉。就像日本漫畫《刃牙》曾經提出的共時性，觀察全球的政治局勢時，常常會在某個特定的時間點上，由具有相似人格特質的政治人物所主政。近的來說，英國前首相鮑里斯．強生和美國總統唐納．川普就非常雷同，書中提及的鄧小平和蔣經國又是一例。他們的前任都是擁有領袖魅力的政治強人毛澤東和蔣介石，而且都曾遠赴蘇聯學習共產主義思想，在史達林眼皮下過著共產黨員的日子。而蔣經國從蘇聯共產政體所學到的統治手法，例如以黨領政、特務機關等，之後也深遠地影響了台灣中華民國的政治制度。不論是軍隊的政戰體系以及法務部調查局，當初都是源自於國民黨主席的專制統治需要而成立。相較於中國走向馬克斯主義的極權政體，蔣家父子則是打造出牢不可破的威權政體，隔海相對。

在經濟政策上，他們本質上都是計劃經濟的信徒，認為私人企業的價值不能高於國營企業，自由市場經濟應該要受到國家監理、管制。王家衛電影《一代宗師》裡的台詞有一段：「人活一世，有的成了面子，有的成了裡子，都是時勢使然。」相當適合用來形容世事變化。其實不論是鄧小平還是蔣經國，他們所身處的，都是經歷千辛萬苦才能安穩活下去的亂世。一方面要伴君如伴虎地成為領袖最信賴的接班人，另一方面得面對各方派系、大老，將自身勢力深入黨政軍，以確保自己不被推翻。

有趣的是，這兩位領袖都是打從心裡反美，但又是從美國獲得最大的助益，最終成就了當下台灣的經濟成就以及中國的大國崛起。就結果論，在中國近代史上，兩位領導人是成功的。但誠如作者余杰所言，破除這些治國神話的迷思，其實更能讓讀者理解那些看似不合理的歷史片段究竟從何而來，還能察覺當初他們基於個人私心排除異己與改變體制，反而阻礙了國家朝向更正面的發展契機。

As the Taipei mayoral election begins to heat up, the current mayor of Taipei, Chiang Wan-an, has once again become the center of heated arguments among internet users because of his family background as a member of the Chiang family. To be honest, Taiwan spent several decades under the rule of two strongmen, Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo. Most people who are now in their 60s or older grew up with an education that strongly emphasized loyalty to the ruling party and love of the country. As a result, many people still have a positive view of the Chiang family, especially Chiang Ching-kuo. In fact, his reputation can even help his descendants gain support in elections. However, if you have time to read this book, *The Fake Reformer*, it may help you take off those rose-colored glasses and think more objectively about the Chiang family and the KMT, including what they did well and what they did wrong in governing Taiwan.

Today, as China has grown into a major world power that can almost stand alongside the United States, few people would deny Deng Xiaoping's place in history for launching "reform and opening up" and opening China's economy to the market. However, just like Chiang Ching-kuo, who moved to Taiwan, were these two really the great reformers that most people believe they were? This book gives that idea a big red X. As the Japanese manga *Baki* once introduced the idea of "synchronicity," when we look at political situations around the world, we often find similar types of political leaders coming to power at certain points in history. A recent example would be former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump, who are surprisingly similar in many ways. Deng Xiaoping and Chiang Ching-kuo, mentioned in this book, are another example. Their predecessors were both powerful leaders with strong personal charisma: Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. Both Deng Xiaoping and Chiang Ching-kuo also went to the Soviet Union to study communist ideas and spent time there as members of the Communist Party under Stalin's rule. Chiang Ching-kuo later brought some of the governing methods he learned from the Soviet communist system to Taiwan, such as the party's control over the government and the use of intelligence and secret police organizations. These methods had a deep influence on Taiwan's political system. Both the political warfare system in the military and the Investigation Bureau of Taiwan's Ministry of Justice were originally created to meet the needs of the KMT's authoritarian rule. While China developed into a Marxist totalitarian state, the Chiang family built a strong authoritarian state in Taiwan. The two sides were almost like two different versions of the same system across the Taiwan Strait.

In terms of economic policy, both leaders were essentially believers in a planned economy. They believed that private companies should not be more important than state-owned companies, and that the free market should be supervised and controlled by the government. There is a line from Wong Kar-wai's movie *The Grandmaster*: "In life, some people become the face, while others become the inside. It all depends on the times." I think this line is quite suitable for describing how history changes. In fact, both Deng Xiaoping and Chiang Ching-kuo lived through turbulent times when simply surviving safely was already extremely difficult. On one hand, they had to become the leaders' most trusted successors, while on the other hand, they had to deal with different political groups and powerful figures. They also had to build their own influence throughout the party, government, and military to make sure they would not be overthrown.

Interestingly, both leaders were strongly anti-American, yet they also received some of their greatest benefits from the United States. In the end, this helped create Taiwan's economic success and China's rise as a major world power. Judging by the results, both leaders were successful in modern Chinese history. But as the author, Yu Jie, points out, breaking down these political myths can actually help readers better understand where those seemingly unreasonable parts of history came from. It can also help us see that their personal interests, efforts to remove political opponents, and attempts to change the political system may have actually blocked opportunities for their countries to develop in a more positive direction.

Spring Boot：建置與執行

 

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在漫長的 Java 語言開發平台發展路途中，自從由官方主導的 Java EE 被開源社群擁護的 Spring 攻城掠地後，長期不動如山的 Servlet 網頁程式開發技術，也逐步被 Spring MVC 取代。然而，Spring 框架越來越龐大的類別庫相依性，卻成為 Java 工程師建置開發環境時的夢魘。Spring 開發團隊敏銳地發現，如此龐大的開發成本將會阻礙框架的普及，因此推出了 Spring Boot。其簡化的依賴性管理、簡化的部署以及自動組態三大特性，讓 Spring Boot 重新成為 Java 開發者喜愛的程式框架。

其實之前就已經看過兩本 Spring Boot 的專書，也已經將手上的專案全數改成 Spring Boot 框架。因此，閱讀這本《Spring Boot：建置與執行》的原意，只是單純想湊齊看完市面上這一主題的書。特別是由O'REILLY出版的電腦叢書，早期在 Java 領域裡幾乎等同於官方教材般的尊榮地位。雖然隨著網路興起，類似資訊隨手可得，讓系列叢書逐漸變得乏人問津，不過這兩年開始發現，碁峯和O'REILLY聯手出版的新書，有著充實的技術說明，輔以實用的程式範例，相當類似我最欣賞的Manning出版社In Action系列書籍。而在看完這本《Spring Boot：建置與執行》後，一方面吸收到之前兩本書中所沒有的內容，另一方面也重新溫習了已經學過的技術。

書中從最基礎的Spring Initializr專案建置工具講起，先用最單純的 Hello World 程度 REST API 程式，向讀者展示 Spring Boot 是如何簡化網頁程式開發的複雜度。接著再話說從頭，細數應用程式組態在 Spring Boot 框架下的規則，以及如何靈活運用。有如JMX 的致動器（Actuator）便是這本書獨有的章節；其他像是如何打包、部署成容器，也都是其他書裡沒提過的內容。和資料操作有關的 Spring Data 幾乎是必講的重頭戲，書中一次展示如何連接關聯式資料庫、MongoDB、Redis 三大儲存體，讓讀者不論挑選哪一種儲存技術，都可以找到參考範例。

全書我覺得最值回票價的部分，是學到了 Spring WebFlux 的反應式網頁程式（Reactive Programming）技術，以及之前一直沒有實作的 WebSocket 應用。也因此茅塞頓開地弄懂了 React、Reactive、WebSocket 三種常同時被提及，卻又截然不同、用來改善網路程式瓶頸的技術。甚至讓我破除了單一主機 TCP 連線只能到 65,535 條的迷思，可說是收穫滿滿，開卷有益莫過於此。

Throughout the long history of Java development platforms, Java EE was once the official choice for Java developers. However, after Spring, supported by the open-source community, gradually became more popular, the long-standing Servlet-based web development technology was also gradually replaced by Spring MVC. However, the growing number of library dependencies in the Spring Framework became a nightmare for Java engineers when setting up their development environments. The Spring development team quickly realized that such a high development cost could prevent the framework from becoming more popular. So, they introduced Spring Boot. With three major features — simplified dependency management, simplified deployment, and auto-configuration — Spring Boot once again became one of the most popular frameworks among Java developers.

Actually, I had already read two books about Spring Boot and had also migrated all of my current projects to the Spring Boot framework. Therefore, my original reason for reading *Spring Boot: Build and Run* was simply to complete my reading of the books available on this topic. In particular, computer books published by O'Reilly once had an almost official-textbook-like status in the Java field. However, as the Internet became more popular and similar information became easily available online, these book series gradually became less popular. Over the past two years, however, I have noticed that the new books jointly published by CITE Publishing and O'Reilly provide detailed technical explanations along with practical programming examples. They are quite similar to the *In Action* series published by Manning, which is one of my favorite book series. After finishing *Spring Boot: Build and Run*, I learned some new things that were not covered in the previous two books. At the same time, I also reviewed some technologies that I had already learned.

The book starts with the basic project creation tool, Spring Initializr. It first uses a very simple Hello World-level REST API example to show readers how Spring Boot can simplify the complexity of web application development. The book then goes back to the basics and explains the rules of application configuration in Spring Boot and how to use them flexibly. The Actuator likes JMX is one of the topics that I had not seen in the other books. Other topics, such as how to package an application and deploy it as a container, are also not covered in the other books I have read. Spring Data, which is related to data access, is naturally one of the major topics in the book. It demonstrates how to connect to three major types of data storage: relational databases, MongoDB, and Redis. No matter which storage technology readers choose, they can find useful examples in the book.

The part of the book that I found most valuable was learning about reactive web application development with Spring WebFlux and finally getting some hands-on experience with WebSocket, which I had never implemented before. Because of this, I finally understood the differences between React, Reactive, and WebSocket. These three terms are often mentioned together, but they are actually completely different technologies that can be used to address different kinds of problems in web applications. The book even helped me get rid of my old misunderstanding that a single host can only have 65,535 TCP connections. I learned a lot from this book. This is probably the best example of how reading a good technical book can be truly useful.