Archive for Korea
persuasive privacy at ICML 2026
Posted in Books, Statistics, Travel, University life with tags #ERCSyG, Bayesian decision theory, differential privacy, game theory, ICML 2026, International Conference on Machine Learning, Korea, Ocean, persuasive privacy, poster, privacy, probabilistic differential privacy, Seoul, Stackelberg game, Université Paris Dauphine on July 7, 2026 by xi'an
a journal of the chaos (en cuisine) year
Posted in Books, Kids, Mountains, pictures, Travel, Wines with tags Black Plague, book reviews, COVID-19, cuisine, Daniel Defoe, Discworld, fantasy, gardening, gratuity, homegrown, Joseon dynasty, Journal of the Plague Year, K dramas, Korea, Le Monde, macarons, MIchelin starred restaurant, murderbot, Paris, Quartier Latin, rice, rice pudding, Russian invasion, Terry Pratchett, tipping, Ukraine, ze kitchen galerie on October 31, 2025 by xi'an 
Read Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy by Martha Wells, part of The Murderbot Diaries (#2.5) and fun as usual but so short (34p) that it does not even feel like a short story. And How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, by Django Wexler. Which illustrates afresh my blockage on humorous fantasy, as previously experimented with Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. There is humour and wit, but the universe and the scenario and the characters all are terribly thin. And of limited interest…
While taking advantage of the remaining vegetables and fruits at the local market, like having radish, coriander and lemon salad at every meal, and garden tomatoes as well, and making daily breakfast compote from rhubarb and figs, plus the customary skyr and buckwhe(y/at) pancakes, the culinary experience this round was outside, with a dinner at Oktobre, a restaurant we had visited a few times, in the heart of Quartier Latin, and recently mentioned in Le Monde M(agazine). (The K stands for the previous name of the restaurant, Ze Kitchen Gallery bis.) The surprise entrées were a fabulous mix of Asia-inspired dishes with miso and raw fish, while the tagliatelle were al dente and perfectly (if mildly) spiced. The lobster bits were however superfluous, as soaked in cooking water and hence almost indistinguishable from sashimi sticks. The rice pudding also failed to deliver, with undercooked grains, an heresy for rice pudding. But the most surprising feature of the meal came with the strong insistence of the server that we add a tip to the bill when the menu stated service was already included, as compulsory by French law. Which we pointed out only to more arguing. Definitely annoying if this signals an incoming trend in touristy places, as tipping is definitely one of the most puzzling aspects of US life! (Another appalling US food story is how Trump imposed his ghastly culinary tastes on his hosts during his Asian tour…)
In continuation with the culinary theme, I also speed watched a rather silly K drama called Bon Appétit, Your Majesty (The Tyrant’s Chef), which sends a modern Michelin starred chef to 14th Century Joseon to be a cook for the current and tyranesque king. The plot is paper-thin but the cooking bits are pleasant (if overly inspired by French dishes, like bœuf bourguignon and macarons!)
nuclear disarmament now!
Posted in Kids, pictures, Travel, University life with tags 06 August 1945, atomic bombing, CTBT, hibakusha, Hiroshima, IAEA, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Japan, Korea, Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Association, Nagasaki, NPT, nuclear disarmament, war crimes, WW II on August 6, 2025 by xi'an
a journal of the collapse, conquest, [1904] war, famine, and death [end of the] year
Posted in Books, Kids, Mountains, pictures, Travel with tags Ainu, androids, bagels, book review, book reviews, COVID-19, Daniel Defoe, Hokkaido, Japanese cinema, Japanese nationalism, Journal of the Plague Year, judo, Korea, Korean cinema, manga, martial arts, miso, murderbot, Russian invasion, Russo-Japanese War, rye bread, space travel, spoilers, taekwondo, Ukraine on December 21, 2024 by xi'anRead System Collapse (Murderbot diaries #7) by Martha Wells. A sequel to the previous Network Effect, which I only partly remembered. The originaly of this volume is the unreliability of the half-organic android (on which I cannot expand because of spoilers!), even though the limited scope of the story is rather disappointing.
Made bagels at home with half rye, half wheat. Definitely tolerable (esp. when compared with my earlier experiment) and dense enough but open to improvements (I plan to try with no egg finish!, cooler raising temperature, and a different type of yeast).
Watched Korean Officer Black Belt (무도실무관)), thinking it was a series. Single movie it was, and definitely more than long enough as it aligns stereotypes and predictable battle scenes, with no active female character (but plenty of female victims)… And Japanese Golden Kamuy (ゴールデンカムイ) thinking it was a movie. Which it was except it ends unfinished (and is continued as a live-action television series). Inspired from a popular manga and taking place after the Russo-Japanese war of 1904. The manga inspiration is very clear, but the window on Ainu culture is worth noting, if somewhat shallow. (With the miso joke overstaying its limited comic potential.)
Mappamondo di Fra Mauro [jatp]
Posted in Books, pictures, Travel, University life with tags Bayesian conference, Doges' Palace, exploration, Fra Mauro's map, ISBA 2024, Italy, Japan, jatp, Korea, Madagascar, maps, Marco Polo, Museo Correr, Republic of Venice, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Venezia on July 19, 2024 by xi'an
When (re)visiting the Doges’ Palace in Venice yesterday, and its window into the working of the Venetian Republic, we came upon a temporary exhibition on the journey of Marco Polo, which was great (and little attended). It included a reproduction of Fra Mauro’s map, made in 1452 in Venice, for the Government of the Republic and built on many sources including Marco Polo’s memoirs, Le Devisement du monde written in 1298 in franco-italian. (The original sits next door in Museo Correr.) The level of detail is mesmerizing and we spent quite a while seeking known places (with the Italian spelling at the time). It covers a lot of places from South-East Asia, including Japan, Korea, and Sri Lanka, as well as Madagascar. The exhibition as a whole is certainly worth the (few euros and the) trip from Ca’ Foscari if attending ISBA 2024.
