The Fountainhead (in Vietnamese)

An interesting footnote from Suối Nguồn--the recently translated version of The Fountainhead in Vietnamese--follows:

"...This needs to be distinguished from 'selfishness' as the term is usually used. The concept of acting in one's own interests is a prominent subject in the literature of Ayn Rand; because of that it is very difficult to explain fully here; we suggest you read this book in its entirety, and if possible read her other books, in order to understand clearly what Ayn Rand means in this sentence."

Just for full disclosure, I haven't completely mastered Vietnamese yet--but that is very close to an exact translation.

What I find interesting about it is that the footnote doesn't explain the sentence but simply refers readers to the rest of her works on the subject. While not that useful, the translators could easily have explained the concept wrongly--so I'm definitely not complaining!

Adsense Pennies Adding Up

Continuing the behind the scenes look at what a small-timer makes from blogging, here are the numbers from April (along with the months prior):

January...........4,291 page impressions...........$1.97 earned
February..........4,242 page impressions...........$3.62 earned
March.............4,411 page impressions..........$11.15 earned
April.............4,418 page impressions...........$7.89 earned

Page impressions stayed pretty much the same, though I posted on two blogs instead of three. Interestingly enough, due to a couple random clicks, almost five dollars worth of April's total came from Systemically Important (the blog on stand-by).

Is this sobering data for anyone who is thinking about blogging their way to riches? In a way, it should be--and in a way, not.

Based on how much time I've put into writing, the amounts above are a miniscule paycheck. I of course could spend more time promoting the blogs--writing guest posts, for instance--but these too take time. And there's no guarantee that others will want to publish them.

If you're writing for money, then, take note: be prepared to like what you write and not earn much for a while--or be prepared to work like crazy and hopefully earn a bit more.

On the other hand, the data above may be encouraging for some of you. For the amount of traffic I have, the pennies actually add up quite well. So, if money is not your main motivation in writing, and you have rational expectations, you'll see the dollars earned like I do: similar to a bonus check.

Many of the true money-makers (whose "bonus checks" can buy a lot more than a used paperback) say not to expect much (if anything) for the first six months. Even then, they say, most of one's money will be made, or not made, depending on whether one is selling anything (e.g., an e-book). We'll see how that works out in my experience.

In any case, there is a lot of material out there on how much top bloggers make. And a whole lot more on people promising to show you how to make a ton of money blogging. But (for obvious reasons perhaps) there is very little showing how much money a regular, small-time, beginning blogger makes.

That's what this series has done, and will continue to do. Will report again, in another month.

Women of the French Salons

Imagine a society composed of a leisure class with more or less intellectual tastes; men eminent in science and letters; men less eminent, whose success depended largely upon their social gifts, and clever women supremely versed in the art of pleasing, who were the intelligent complements of these men...

[A]dd a universal talent for conversation, a genius for the amenities of social life, habits of daily intercourse, and manners formed upon an ideal of generosity, amiability, loyalty, and urbanity...

[C]onsider, also, the fact that the journals and the magazines, which are so conspicuous a feature of modern life, were practically unknown; that the salons were centers in which the affairs of the world were discussed, its passing events noted--and the power of [the French] salons may be to some extent comprehended.

Women of the French Salons, by Amelia Gere Mason, presents a broad view of some of the major salons--showing who the dominant characters of each were; how their power increased, or not; and the ideas that animated both the characters and their salons.

I found a lot of the characters in the book fascinating. There is, for example, Julie d'Angennes, "the petted daughter of the house, the devoted companion and clever assistant of her mother."

Her gaiety of heart, amiable temper, ready wit, and gracious manners surrounded her with an atmosphere of perpetual sunshine. Fertile in resources, of fine intelligence, winning the love alike of men and women, she was the soul of the serious conversations, as well as of the amusements which relieved them...

And there is Anne Marie Louise d'Orleans, Duchesse de Montpensier--i.e., the Grande Mademoiselle--who says of herself:

"I am of a birth to do nothing that is not grand or elevated. One may call that what one likes. As for myself, I call it to follow my own inclination and to go my own way. I am not born to take that of others."

There is Fontenelle, the philosopher who preached that everything must be done in moderation--and who followed what he preached to the extent that he could. He smiled, but did not laugh; frowned, but did not cry. His last words were said to be, "I do not suffer, my friends, but I feel a certain difficulty in existing."

And there is a student of Fontenelle's, who measured her lover's passion mathematically. As the author explains:

"He was in the habit of accompanying her home from the house of a friend. When he began to cross the square, instead of going round it, she concluded that his love had diminished in the exact proportion of two sides of a square to the diagonal."

A lot of these characters are described via "pen portraits"--where a person was drawn not by the strokes of a painter's brush but by the strokes of a pen. For example, here is Mme. de La Fayette at work, describing a friend:

"Your mind so adorns and embellishes your person, that there is no one in the world so fascinating when you are animated by a conversation from which constraint is banished. All that you say has such a charm, and becomes you so well, that the words attract the Smiles and the Graces around you; the brilliancy of your intellect gives such luster to your complexion and your eyes, that although it seems that wit should touch only the ears, yours dazzles the sight.

"Your soul is great and elevated. You are sensitive to glory and to ambition, and not less so to pleasures; you were born for them and they seem to have been made for you ... In a word, joy is the true state of your soul, and grief is as contrary to it as possible. You are naturally tender and impassioned; there was never a heart so generous, so noble, so faithful ... You are the most courteous and amiable person that ever lived, and the sweet, frank air which is seen in all your actions makes the simplest compliments of politeness seem from your lips protestations of friendship."

This fascinating group of characters had particular thoughts on the value of friendship, on what should determine a person's rank in society, and on how to bring individuals together in such a way that the pleasures of both the body and the intellect could be maximized.
Mason presents these thoughts along with the results masterfully--going into just enough detail as to whet one's appetite for more, but not so much as to lose sight of the big picture (how these people came together and interacted over the history of the salons).
I'll share some excerpts making the above statement more objective in a second part to this review.

Taylor Mali on What Teachers Make

Nothing to add to this great video. But please watch, enjoy, and, if you want, comment.

Judge Others--And Prepare to be Judged

Despite being a crucial skill, very little has been written on the art of judging others--on how to become a good judge of character.

While art's main value is most definitely not bound up in providing explicit moral guidance or detailing specific information, I personally have learned a lot from different authors on this subject--and will be posting some quotes here along these lines.

Having just finished reading World Without End, here are three quotes from or about Edmund--one of the many great characters in the book:

1. "Any man who needs to surround himself with loyal acolytes doesn't really believe in himself, why should I?"

2. "I never trust anyone who proclaims his morality from the pulpit. That high-minded type can always find an excuse for breaking his own rules. I'd rather do business with an everyday sinner who thinks it's probably to his advantage, in the long run, to tell the truth and keep his promises. He's not likely to change his mind about that."

3. "Edmund had explained to Carris, many years ago, that although customers needed to believe they were buying from a successful business, they would resent contributing to the wealth of someone who appeared to be rolling in money."

I highly recommend this book by the way--not because you can learn a little bit about how to judge other people, but because it's a great story, one of the best ever written.

(I actually like it better than its much-acclaimed predecessor, The Pillars of the Earth, primarily because of how World Without End ends.)

Art Antidote for a Lack of Resolve, 2

Though the poem by Edgar Albert Guest might have had some effect in making you more determined to pursue your goals, I mentioned that the strength of the art antidote could be increased--when combined with another.

La Valse d'Amelie, by Yann Tiersen, is exactly what I had in mind. The theme of the movie from which it is taken is "the need to courageously face reality (or one's fears) in order to attain happiness" but one doesn't have to have seen the film to understand what the song expresses.

While you're free to disagree, what I hear--when listening to the song--is a slow, purposeful advancement towards a goal (that is finally reached). Do you hear that, too? If so, listen and read the two within a short time span for greater results.

(Note: if you speak the first stanza right away, start the second at 32 seconds, and the third at 1:16, well, it sounds pretty freakin' good. But don't take my word for it. Push play above, scroll down--or open this page in a different window--read the poem with the music, and see for yourself.)

Art Antidote for a Lack of Resolve

While art can sometimes bring you down, at other times it's like "red bull for your soul"--it lifts your spirit higher.

Where before you stared at your feet, after a great work of art you're likely to be looking up to someone else's achievement or, better yet, to the great things that you plan to (and will) do.

Suppose though that along the way you make a mistake or meet an unexpected obstacle.

The problem may be something outside yourself--for example, an economic or political system that makes your financial dreams more difficult. The problem could also be something internal--for example, you are paralyzed with fear at the seeming insurmountability of a struggle.

Art can not change the nature of external challenges, nor the steps that you need to take to conquer them. However, it can strengthen your will to keep going in spite of the odds, or to keep moving forward despite the distractions.

It can do so simply by showing what happens when a person pursues their values with determination and resolve. Or: it can do so by poetically stating the reasons why one should act in such a way.

"See it Through" by Edgar A. Guest is a fitting example of the above (and the first part of this week's art antidote):

When you're up against a trouble,
Meet it squarely, face to face;
Lift your chin and set your shoulders,
Plant your feet and take a brace.
When it's vain to try to dodge it,
Do the best that you can do;
You may fail, but you may conquer,
See it through!

Black may be the clouds about you
And your future may seem grim,
But don't let your nerve desert you;
Keep yourself in fighting trim.
If the worst is bound to happen,
Spite of all that you can do,
Running from it will not save you,
See it through!

Even hope may seem but futile,
When with troubles you're beset,
But remember you are facing
Just what other men have met.
You may fail, but fall still fighting;
Don't give up, whate'er you do;
Eyes front, head high to the finish.
See it through!

If you're ever feeling a lack of resolve when pursuing goals, certainly spend as much time as it takes to achieve clarity regarding your purpose and your plan, but also remember the lines above.

I think the above poem is beautiful; its message, priceless. And I hope, after reading it, you feel the same. On Thursday, I will pair up this Art Antidote with another, in order to help you further strengthen your resolve.