https://notes.volumen.ca/ Updates and notes from Volūmen Sun, 26 Apr 2026 19:07:30 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#nagori nagori Nagori means the feeling that stays after something ends. The word comes from a term ( naminokori ) about the marks waves leave on the beach after they recede. Now, people use it to describe that soft, slightly sad feeling when something is over, but you still remember it and want to hold on to... Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#zazen-posture zazen-posture Sit upright with your spine long, head floating up, chin tucked, ears over shoulders. Relax the shoulders, breathe low into the belly. Don’t lean any direction, find the still centre. Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#new-policies new-policies New policies create more opportunities for noise, so we need restraint to maintain what made current policies effective. Most sensible people understand this, as they’ve also realized that bureaucratic exercises often overshadow the actual work we need to accomplish. However, when we focus on... Sat, 25 Apr 2026 12:00:01 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#hidden-by-design hidden-by-design Taking it for granted is something we try not to do; however, there is a hidden quality in it that we can pursue. When that hidden-by-design quality is possessed by the products we make, they disappear into use. Let us consider friction as an example. Where it is not desired, the object should... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#neither-raw-nor-refined neither-raw-nor-refined Comparing a rough draft to a polished final text, we often miss the raw voice and thought process. This raw voice can help readers connect with the meaning on a deeper level. On the other hand, a refined final text distils thoughts into essential elements, which might make it harder for readers... Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#pareto-principle pareto-principle The Pareto Principle, also known as the “80:20 rule,” asserts that 80% of outcomes stem from 20% of causes. Named after the Italian polymath Vilfredo Pareto, the principle is supported by empirical observation showing that this 80:20 distribution applies to a wide variety of situations,... Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#problems-vs-situations problems-vs-situations Every problem has a solution. If there’s no solution, then it’s not a problem, it’s a situation. It’s quite likely that the situation exists in your mind, that is, a thought forms the situation. Change it. Don’t trust your thoughts; they’re often manipulated by people through external events,... Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:00:01 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#on-true-practice on-true-practice To the beginner: practice without effort is not true practice; the practice needs great effort. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#iatrogenics iatrogenics Cause no harm. Iatrogenic: I first came across the term in Nassim Taleb’s Antifragile (Taleb, 2012). Iatrogenics has become a significant decision-making criterion for me. Even when the benefits of intervention may seem to outweigh the potential risks, always keep the harm you might cause in mind. Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:01 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#mediocrity mediocrity I’ve become overly cautious of mediocrity, paralyzed by its potential consequences. Having to explain simple ideas with concrete examples, while simultaneously being told that I’m too academic or perfectionistic, makes mediocrity seem almost impenetrable. It feels like there’s no hope of... Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#beautiful-strangers beautiful-strangers I’ve been obsessed with Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers.” It’s been on repeat, and I can’t get it out of my head. Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:00:01 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#diacritics diacritics Diacritics are small marks added to letters that modify pronunciation, stress, or even the function of a word. For example, the acute accent (é) alters the pronunciation of “café.” Similarly, the cedilla (ç) softens the “c” sound in “façade.” In some languages, diacritics can completely change... Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#certainty-as-conceit certainty-as-conceit Intellectual honesty about uncertainty is a virtue, not a flaw. A sure and certain tone and posture in discourse is a conceit. Authoritative speech might be hiding the truth, or at the very least, insecurity. Conviction is the mask. Beneath it, cowardice. Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#23-ratio 23-ratio The ratio of food preparation time to consumption time is often overlooked in table etiquette. Ideally, if it takes 30 minutes to prepare dinner, one should spend at least 45 minutes enjoying it, reflecting a 2:3 ratio where eating time should be about 150% of preparation time. Embracing mindful... Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#black-keys black-keys The duo, with the other three musicians, released four live recordings on YouTube six days ago. The pieces are raw and recorded loud. I quite like them, in particular You Got To Lose and She Does It Right. Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#50s-mix 50s-mix Though I wasn’t born in the 1950s, I grew up listening to music from the 1970s or earlier. Recently, Spotify recommended a 1950s mix with artists like Bob Dylan, Jimmy Dean, Marty Robbins, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Kitty Wells, Jim Hall, Sandy Denny, and Sister Rosetta... Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:01 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#operator-or-engineer operator-or-engineer Mathematics is one of the subjects that people do not sufficiently understand, not in the sense of grasping it to solve problems, but rather they do not understand the latent benefits of mathematics. That is, mathematics is the foundation of science and technology that enables us to fly... Sat, 28 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#assholes-a-theory assholes-a-theory This book (James, 2014) offers a philosophical typology of the asshole — not to insult, but to classify in the tradition of Aristotle and the biological sciences. A genuine asshole has three defining traits: it’s a stable character trait, the costs imposed on others are moderate (unlike a... Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#john-coltrane john-coltrane Today I came to know that the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth is being celebrated in 2026 with “Coltrane 100,” a year-long global event. Impulse Records, hosted by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Sonos radio, plays a collection of pieces unknown to me along with all-time favourites to... Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://notes.volumen.ca/index.html#clarity clarity Clarity is a virtue; doubt, a hindrance. Clarity compounds on itself — a virtuous cycle. Doubt does the same — a vicious one. Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000