Distractions, reflections

David Ing, at large … Sometimes, my mind wanders

2008/03/09 Renmin University dorms, neighbourhood market, Beijing

Catching a taxi from Wudaokou, we arrived at the front gate of Renmin (People’s) University.

DI_20080309_RenDa_gate.jpg

Eric pointed out the main cafeteria, which was quiet on the Sunday evening.

DI_20080309_RenDa_cafeteria.jpg

Eric’s room is in International Student Dormitory Building . There was uniformed security guards on the ground floor, and Eric introduced me to them. We took the elevator up. The rows of slippers at the door mark Chinese-style living.

DI_20080309_RenDa_hallway_doorway.jpg

Eric’s roommate Jimmy was expecting us. Eric said that his room was messier than usual.

DI_20080309_RenDa_dorm_EKI.jpg

The lights in the hallway were dim, presumably to save energy.

DI_20080309_RenDa_hallway.jpg

Down the hall, the shared bathroom has a long basin for washing up.

DI_20080309_RenDa_basin.jpg

The other way down the hall, there’s a kitchen for people tired of dining out. We had seen some students coming in with groceries.

DI_20080309_RenDa_kitchen.jpg

On this floor of the dormitory building, there’s a classroom. It’s a place where motivated students can escape their room for a change of scenery.

DI_20080309_RenDa_classroom.jpg

Going out for dinner, we crossed the major street outside the university on an overpass.

DI_20080309_RenDa_overpass.jpg

Across the street from the university is a series of small lanes. Even after dark, it’s easy to buy fruit.

DI_20080309_RenDa_market_fruit.jpg

Vendors lay out displays of merchandise for browsers.

DI_20080309_RenDa_market_layout.jpg

The retail shops were closed for the evening.

DI_20080309_RenDa_market_stores.jpg

We walked by this large restaurant with another destination in mind.

DI_20080309_RenDa_market_resto.jpg

For a snack, we could have bought grilled meat on a skewer.

DI_20080309 _RenDa_market_grille.jpg

Around a few corners was the restaurant that Eric and his friends had chosen.

DI_20080309_RenDa_market_dining.jpg

I was surprised by the size of the dining room. There were more than enough waitresses for the number of customers.

DI_20080309_RenDa_dining_interior.jpg

Klaus and Jimmy made some suggestions from the menu. The pictures gave me some idea of the selection.

DI_20080309_RenDa_dining_menu.jpg

The meal was good. It was regional cooking, and definitely not Cantonese. Eric commented again at how cheap food is in China, compared to North America.

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • RSS on Coevolving

  • RSS on Media Queue

    • What to Do When It’s Too Late | David L. Hawk | 2024
      David L. Hawk (American management theorist, architect, and systems scientist) has been hosting a weekly television show broadcast on Bold Brave Tv from the New York area on Wednesdays 6pm ET, remotely from his home in Iowa. Live, callers can join…Read more ›
    • 2021/06/17 Keekok Lee | Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 2
      Following the first day lecture on Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 1 for the Global University for Sustainability, Keekok Lee continued on a second day on some topics: * Anatomy as structure; physiology as function (and process); * Process ontology, and thing ontology; * Qi ju as qi-in-concentrating mode, and qi san as qi-in-dissipsating mode; and […]
    • 2021/06/16 Keekok Lee | Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 1
      The philosophy of science underlying Classical Chinese Medicine, in this lecture by Keekok Lee, provides insights into ways in which systems change may be approached, in a process ontology in contrast to the thing ontology underlying Western BioMedicine. Read more ›
    • 2021/02/02 To Understand This Era, You Need to Think in Systems | Zeynep Tufekci with Ezra Klein | New York Times
      In conversation, @zeynep with @ezraklein reveal authentic #SystemsThinking in (i) appreciating that “science” is constructed by human collectives, (ii) the west orients towards individual outcomes rather than population levels; and (iii) there’s an over-emphasis on problems of the moment, and…Read more ›
    • 2019/04/09 Art as a discipline of inquiry | Tim Ingold (web video)
      In the question-answer period after the lecture, #TimIngold proposes art as a discipline of inquiry, rather than ethnography. This refers to his thinking On Human Correspondence. — begin paste — [75m26s question] I am curious to know what art, or…Read more ›
    • 2019/10/16 | “Bubbles, Golden Ages, and Tech Revolutions” | Carlota Perez
      How might our society show value for the long term, over the short term? Could we think about taxation over time, asks @carlotaprzperez in an interview: 92% for 1 day; 80% within 1 month; 50%-60% tax for 1 year; zero tax for 10 years.Read more ›
  • RSS on Ing Brief

    • The Nature and Application of the Daodejing | Ames and Hall (2003)
      Ames and Hall (2003) provide some tips for those studyng the DaoDeJing.
    • Diachronic, diachrony
      Finding proper words to express system(s) change(s) can be a challenge. One alternative could be diachrony. The Oxford English dictionary provides two definitions for diachronic, the first one most generally related to time. (The second is linguistic method) diachronic ADJECTIVE Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “diachronic (adj.), sense 1,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3691792233. For completeness, prochronic relates “to […]
    • Introduction, “Systems Thinking: Selected Readings, volume 2”, edited by F. E. Emery (1981)
      The selection of readings in the “Introduction” to Systems Thinking: Selected Readings, volume 2, Penguin (1981), edited by Fred E. Emery, reflects a turn from 1969 when a general systems theory was more fully entertained, towards an urgency towards changes in the world that were present in 1981. Systems thinking was again emphasized in contrast […]
    • Introduction, “Systems Thinking: Selected Readings”, edited by F. E. Emery (1969)
      In reviewing the original introduction for Systems Thinking: Selected Readings in the 1969 Penguin paperback, there’s a few threads that I only recognize, many years later. The tables of contents (disambiguating various editions) were previously listed as 1969, 1981 Emery, System Thinking: Selected Readings. — begin paste — Introduction In the selection of papers for this […]
    • Concerns with the way systems thinking is used in evaluation | Michael C. Jackson, OBE | 2023-02-27
      In a recording of the debate between Michael Quinn Patton and Michael C. Jackson on “Systems Concepts in Evaluation”, Patton referenced four concepts published in the “Principles for effective use of systems thinking in evaluation” (2018) by the Systems in Evaluation Topical Interest Group (SETIG) of the American Evaluation Society. The four concepts are: (i) […]
    • Quality Criteria for Action Research | Herr, Anderson (2015)
      How might the quality of an action research initiative be evaluated? — begin paste — We have linked our five validity criteria (outcome, process, democratic, catalytic, and dialogic) to the goals of action research. Most traditions of action research agree on the following goals: (a) the generation of new knowledge, (b) the achievement of action-oriented […]
  • Meta

  • Translate

  • Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
    Theme modified from DevDmBootstrap4 by Danny Machal