So What?

Sedih dan bosan juga rasanya ngedenger keadaan negeri tempat gue tinggal sekarang ini. Di bulan Kebangkitan Nasional, berbagai ekspresi ketidakpuasan malah semakin muncul. Bentuk-bentuk ketidakpuasan terhadap berbagai salah urus yang dilakukan pemerintah semakin banyak muncul.

Terus?

Lebih baik tutup kuping. Kerjain aja apa yang bisa gue kerjain. Capek demo. Demo sering-sering pemerintah toh juga tutup kuping. Menteri-menteri tutup kuping. Kesejahteraan Rakyat nggak pernah muncul.

Daripada capek hati, kerjain aja apa yagn bisa gue kerjain.

Fair Fight Guidelines

Taken from:

http://dating.personals.yahoo.com/singles/relationships/21238/fair-fight-guidelines

Thirty years of marriage counseling and twenty-five years of a second
marriage have convinced me that fights are not necessary in a
marriage. Married couples need to have discussions, they need to solve
problems, and sometimes they need to disagree, but they don't need to
squabble, argue, bicker, or fight. Fights are dramatic, which is not
helpful to a discussion. If you have enough energy to create drama,
you have more than enough to tone it down into a discussion. However,
because social expectations and mythology are so strong, many of my
clients want guidelines for "fighting fair." I've developed a set of
Fair Fight Guidelines you may find helpful.

Fair Fight Guidelines

• Remember the point of the fight is to reach a solution, not to win, be
  right, or make your partner wrong.
• Remember the point of the fight is to reach a solution, not to win, be
  right, or make your partner wrong.
• Don't try to mind read. Ask instead what he or she is thinking.
• Don't bring up all the prior problems that relate to this one. Leave
  the past in the past; keep this about one recent problem. Solve one
  thing at a time.
• Keep the process simple. State the problem, suggest some alternatives,
  and choose a solution together.
• Don't talk too much at once. Keep your statements to two or three
  sentences. Your partner will not be able to grasp more than that.
• Give your partner a chance to respond and to suggest options.
• Practice equality. If something is important enough to one of you, it
  will inevitably be important to both of you, so honor your partner's
  need to solve a problem.
• Ask and Answer questions directly. Again, keep it as simple as
  possible. Let your partner know you hear him or her.
• State your problem as a request, not a demand. To make it a positive
  request, use "I messages" and "please".
• Don't use power struggle tactics: guilt and obligation, threats and
  emotional blackmail, courtroom logic: peacekeeping, sacrificing, or
  hammering away are off limits.
• Know your facts: If you're going to fight for something, know the
  facts about the problem: Do research, find out what options are
  available, and know how you feel and what would solve the problem for
  you.
• Ask for changes in behavior, don't criticize character, ethics or
  morals.
• Don't fight over who's right or wrong. Opinions are opinions, and that
  won't solve the problem. Instead, focus on what will work.
• Ask your partner if he or she has anything to add to the discussion.
  "Is there anything else we need to discuss now?"
• Don't guess what your partner is thinking or feeling. Instead, ask.
  "What do you think?" Or "How do you feel about it?"
• Don't guess what your partner is thinking or feeling. Instead, ask.
  "What do you think?" Or "How do you feel about it?"
• Hold hands, look at each other, and remember you're partners.
• If you're angry, express it calmly. "I'm angry about ..." There's no
  need for drama, and it won't get you what you want. Anger is satisfied
  by being acknowledged, and by creating change. Anger is a normal
  emotion -- rage is phony, it's drama created by not taking care of
  yourself.
• Acknowledged and honor your partner's feelings -- don't deflect them,
  laugh at them or freak out. They're only feelings, and they subside
  when respected, heard and honored.
• Listen with your whole self. Paraphrase what your partner says; check
  to see if you understand by repeating what is said. "So you are angry
  because you think I ignored you. Is that right?"
• No personal attacks or criticism. Focus on solving the problem.
• If you want to let off steam (vent), ask permission or take a time
  out. Handle your excess emotion or energy by being active (run, walk,
  hit a pillow,) writing, or talking to someone who is not part of the
  problem. Don't direct it personally at anyone. You can't vent and
  solve problems at the same time.
• Don't try to solve a problem if you're impaired: tired, hungry, drunk
  or unstable.
• Surrender to your responsibility. When you become aware that you have
  made a mistake, admit it, and apologize. Use it as an opportunity to
  learn and grow.

Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D., is a licensed psychotherapist in private
practice in Long Beach, California, since 1978 and author of 11 books
in 14 languages, including "It Ends With You: Grow Up and Out of
Dysfunction," "How to Be a Couple and Still Be Free" and "The
Unofficial Guide to Dating Again." She publishes the "Happiness Tips
from Tina" e-letter, and hosts "The Psyche Deli: delectable tidbits
for the subconscious" on WPMD.org and leisuretalk.net. Her web site is
tinatessina.com.

Blog Dosen

Jaman sekarang, blog bisa dibuat oleh siapa pun. Asal ada akses internet, 'melek' teknologi, siapapun bisa membuat blog dan mulai menulis. Siapa pun.. termasuk dosen.

Siapa pun juga tahu kondisi pendidikan tinggi di Indonesia. Dosen-dosen di Universitas-universitas Indonesia sangat kurang produktivitasnya dalam menulis. Banyak alasan klise di balik kurangnya produk tulisan dosen. Waktu yang sempit, pekerjaan administratif yang menumpuk, pekerjaan mahasiswa yang menumpuk dan menunggu untuk dikoreksi, dan sebagainya.

Dengan adanya blog, sesungguhnya tembok penghalang ini bisa didobrak. Siapa pun bisa menulis. Termasuk dosen. Asal ada akses internet, dan 'melek' teknologi.

Siapa pun tahu kondisi dosen di Indonesia, mereka sebagian besar sudah 'melek' teknologi, khususnya teknologi IT. Minimal mereka jaman sekarang sudah sering menggunakan perangkat lunak pengolah kata seperti Microsoft Word untuk membuat soal ujian, dan perangkat lunak presentasi seperti Microsoft PowerPoint untuk menampikan slide kuliah. Terlepas dari masalah apakah bahan kuliahnya dibuat oleh si dosen sendiri atau mengunduh dari bahan kuliah profesor lain di luar negeri, itu tidak jadi soal. Yang penting di sini adalah apakah si dosen bisa menggunakan komputer atau tidak.

Asal sudah bisa menggunakan komputer, tahap berikutnya adalah akses internet.

Siapa pun tahu kondisi perguruan tinggi di Indonesia, sebagian besar, terutama yang berlokasi di kota-kota besar, sudah bisa terkoneksi ke internet. Buktinya gampang, coba tanya dosen mana di jaman sekarang yang nggak punya alamat e-mail? Minimal alamat e-mail bisa dijadikan alasan buat si dosen ketika mengumumkan supaya para mahasiswanya mengumpulkan tugas melalui e-mail beliau.

Jadi, 'melek' teknologi sudah, akses internet sudah. Apa lagi? Tak ada alasan lagi untuk menolak dari tugas menulis buat para dosen di Indonesia. Sebagai dosen, ketika mengajar di hadapan para mahasiswanya, tidak cukup hanya berbekal bacaan dari buku teks. Buku teks betulan, atau buku teks bajakan, atau buku teks dari internet. Terserah. Yang penting dosen harus rajin baca.

Tapi rajin membaca saja masih belum cukup ternyata. Apa yang dibaca harus disarikan lagi dalam bentuk tulisan. Katakanlah seorang dosen mengajar mata kuliah "Antropologi Budaya". Tentu sumber bacaannya bermacam-macam, bukan hanya dari satu buku teks saja. Kalau ada dosen yang masih 'keukeuh' dengan satu sumber buku teks, mahasiswanya wajib komplain. Jaman sekarang gitu lhoh.. ketinggalan update ilmu terkini ya ke laut aje.. Dijamin kalah bersaing sama lulusan perguruan tinggi dari luar Indonesia.

Nah.. sarana menulis jaman sekarang nggak harus lewat kertas. Pikiran boleh lokal, tapi hasil pikiran harus mengglobal. Act locally, Think globally. Ngajar di Indonesia, tapi tulisan harus dibaca sebanyak mungkin orang. Justru dengan menulis pikiran jadi semakin terbuka. Malah makin banyak pertanyaan yang semakin mendorong untuk menggali ilmu lebih luas. Kalau perlu, berguru kepada orang yang lebih pandai. Tak perlu harus bertemu muka, lewat komunikasi e-mail pun tak apa.

Jadi, menulislah. Buat para dosen, mana alamat blog-mu? Jaman gini gitu lhoh..

GAO: Millions wasted on gov't cards - Yahoo! News

Ini kah salah satu penyebab resesi ekonomi dunia yang mulai menyapa?


Out of a sample of purchases totaling $2.7 million, the government could not account for hundreds of laptop computers, iPods and digital cameras worth more than $1.8 million. In one case, the U.S. Army could not say what happened to computer items making up 16 server configurations, each of which cost nearly $100,000.


See this link for details.

David MacKay: Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms: Dedication

David MacKay: Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms: Dedication

David MacKay, an author of "Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms" (ITILA for short) dedicated his book to a Mass Destruction Weapon Disarmament Campaign. As a scientist, he shows himself as an independent person. He also provided his 600-more-pages ITILA book online. People can download it for free to learn about what is Information Theory, Inference, and Machine Learning.

Happy New Year!

Lhoh??! It is already a month late! Why did I greet you all with a Happy New Year?

Year counting is matter of how you define the beginning of year. In the case of Julian Calendar, the first month of the year is January, so we usually celebrate New Year in January. What if the first month in a year is February?

Or.. to make it more confusing, what if the first number in our decimal system is not 1, but 4? Or may be 6? Or 7? It is only a matter of counting.

Whatever counting system you use, it is important to remember that every new day is a new year. That is why we say 'current time' in English as Present time. Because every day, every tick of a second, every breath you take, every pulse of your heart, is a gift, a present.

So, Happy New Year all! Don't waste your time, because if you do waste it, you simply throw away the most precious gift God gives you.

New Year of Superstition?

Early in this new year, still in January, I got an e-mail with superstition stuffs. It can be true, it can be false either. Why the hell people so concerned not forwarding such e-mails because they are afraid of the impacts?

Come on folks, how can an e-mail curse you? How can a spell written in an e-mail make your fate bad or good? Where is GOD? He makes you breathe, He makes you living in this beautiful earth. He makes you woke up this morning, and He gives you His permission so you can go to your work, safely, without any scathe, and read that superstitious e-mail. How can you forget Him so easily?

If you want to see what kind of e-mail that makes me quite upset, look here. Honestly I changed it a bit. I rewrote some sentence so it reads, "If you don't tell other people about this blog blah blah blah.. you will suffer"