Renamed
larsholst.info/blog is now mono.
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Joel
Comment on February 9, 2004 at 4:27 pm
Hi Lars,
I'd be interested in hearing why you've changed the name to 'mono'.
This character appears in an interesting range of Chinese compounds, from 'atomic physics' to 'fetishism'.
Looking in Mathews' Chinese-English Dictionary I happened upon an interesting phrase using the character (as wu) in 7209-34: "(the tortoise, in divination,) is not sufficient for this". Which reminds me of the line in the Yijing: "Ten pairs of tortoises cannot oppose it. " Food for thought.
I wasn't aware of the Unihan database, amazing.
DarkWulf
Comment on February 9, 2004 at 11:22 pm
I always thought of mono as the Japanese pronounciation… Now, I stopped learning Chinese fairly early on, so maybe in Chinese it has other pronounciation other than wu, but if it doesn't… out of curiosity, why link to the Chinese dictionary when it appears you are using the Japanese pronounciation?
Lars Holst
Comment on February 10, 2004 at 1:38 am
Hello Joel,
Thanks for the input. You pretty much nailed down my reasons for choosing this particular character in your second paragraph.
When I first encountered it in my Japanese language studies a few years ago, I was fascinated by its wide array of compounds. Granted, there are characters with many more meanings and connotations, but this one has to have one of the most diverse ranges.
In a more general sense, I think it is this very characteristic of Chinese characters that draws me to them, especially when combined with the absurdly ambiguous way in which they are used in Japanese. All this aside from the significant aesthetical value they hold. But it is the increased understanding of their cultural context that really motivates me to study them further.
In this regard, Japanese haiku poets use a dictionary of characters commonly found in well-known poems. I have forgotten its name, but I keep thinking that perhaps in ten or so years, I'll actually be able to use it. I assume there must be similar dictionaries used by Chinese poets?
I didn't have mono in mind from the start though, nor any particular name or character for that matter. I just wanted change. The old name, although functional, was neither visually appealing nor interesting. It was also too long, craving more attention than I felt was justified.
The criteria I set up were that the new name should be:
The first came with the additional restriction that it had to look good in type while making use of commonly available web fonts (basically arial, verdana, georgia, and trebuchet ms - is there a Mac equivalent of the latter I wonder?). I'd have considered using a header graphic only if the additional code, page size, and work involved was justified by better looks. In this case it wasn't: I only recently installed Photoshop, and haven't had the time to figure out how/where to get hold of any good fonts.
I then came up with some rather long names that I liked, and got close to dropping the second criteria. I didn't, and in the end it helped me decide.
There is not much to say about the third and fourth criteria, except that, somehow, they seemed mutually exclusive.
The fifth criteria is what I spent the longest time on. Checking with Google and Feedster, I found that most of the names I came up with were already taken, either as names or as URIs.
As a result, the sixth criteria was found to be overly restrictive, and dropped. I'd probably never get to the point where I'd set up a new domain for my weblog anyway.
The last criteria was based on the fact that, to me, the letter "g", when set in certain serif fonts, is one of the most beautiful of the roman alphabet. On screen, I think it looks best typeset in Georgia at sizes above 20 or so pixels.
So with these criteria more or less checked, my first choice was Hong Kong 1962. It combines the name of one of my favorite places with what might have been one of my favorite years, had I had the chance to live it. As a unit, the name would also send a nod of approval to Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love, one of my all time favorite films (I was kind of pleased to see it missing from the IMDb Top 250). I dropped it because it would have been confusing, I think, and because it was a bit too long. But I fell in love with how the letters 9 and 6 looked together in Georgia, which led me into "1969", and its associations. Eventually it too proved a dead end.
After considering an additional twenty or thirty alternatives, I got seriously stuck on Wong, after the aforementioned director. It's short, easy to pronounce, but, again, slightly confusing.
I also wasn't sure I liked the look of the "w" set in serif.
Then, for different reasons, two Japanese words that had survived several iterations, iroiro (various, several), and ichinichi (one day, all day), were dropped. I still like the way they look: the simplicity of iroiro, and the almost code-like, symmetrical distribution of letters in ichinichi.
So I was left with mono, which at 3.30 am and given the previously mentioned meanings of the character it was based on, seemed liked an excellent choice.
I think this mostly boils down to pretty superficial reasons, after all.
However, the process (as excruciatingly boring as it sounds) was not without merit. I particularly like the way it got me thinking about the importance of typography, to the point where I plan to buy books on the subject.
Renaming is a nice complement to a redesign anyway.
Either way, the name I chose should serve as a reminder for me to study harder. Or, at the very least, study.
As for the Yijing, I find it one of the most fascinating, thought-provoking texts ever written. I "read" it several years ago, and at times have fooled myself into thinking I understood it. It's funny, but I've kept it beside my bed for over a year, mostly reaching for something else. Then, after I had first visited your site, one of the thoughts that stayed with me was "I'll have to give this more attention". I really have to.
So have you ever explained how you chose your name?
Lars Holst
Comment on February 10, 2004 at 1:48 am
Hello DarkWulf,
Good question, simple answer: Zhongwen, the Chinese dictionary, is more generic.
If you scroll down to the end of its top right frame, you'll find direct links to that character's entry in several different dictionaries, including JDIC (Jim Breen's online Japanese dictionary). Granted, JDIC also links to other resources, but to a lesser extent. Jim Breen's dictionary is excellent though.
Joel
Comment on February 10, 2004 at 3:01 am
Hi Lars,
I just knew there was a brilliant post straining at the leash to get out there. That's fascinating. And I'm glad to see someone as interested as I am in how individual letters look in words. It occurs to me that mono is ideally suited to be set in Futura, which is a typeface I normally avoid unless the letter 'j' is absent, since that is just silly in Futura. I just had a look in Photoshop, yes, I think it looks splendid in Futura, in several weights. Failing that, one of the fonts of Chalet springs to mind.
Of the sans-serifs, I have been using Eureka Sans a lot ('YIJING DAO' for instance is set in it). I don't think a better sans has been created lately. Although I certainly see what you mean about the letterforms of 'mono'. I use a great bit of software called Typograf, with that you could easily set the same word in numerous fonts and compare them (one of the best things you can do in Typograf is print off keyboard charts of symbol fonts, as well as lots of other handy things). As for obtaining fonts, no decent law-abiding citizen would ever go to alt.binaries.fonts
The best way to understand the Yijing really is to consult it. If you have an interest in characters all the better. There was a recent book on the Yijing in Tokugawa thought, which I've not yet read yet and must get around to reviewing. There's a lot of work been done of the Yi in Japan, but not a lot in English about it.
As for my name, I can't remember whether I have published on that yet, I have certainly written about it but I have a feeling I suppressed that. Suffice it to say I didn't choose it, it chose me, 20 years ago now.
seriocomic
Comment on February 10, 2004 at 11:09 am
Dear Lord, I have no comprehension whatsoever about what any of you are talking about. None. Not a bit.
A switch to decaf for you folks is in order.
Lars Holst
Comment on February 12, 2004 at 9:53 am
Joel, thanks very much. This was precisely the kind of information I was after. Incidentally, it might also be just the kind of information that once and for all ruins my chances of ever finishing my dissertation. I'll be sending you a few additional questions through the mail though.
Mike, you really should stop by Yijing Dao — Calling Crane in the Shade. If the wealth of information there doesn't sort out at least a few of your questions, you can always enjoy the beauty of the site.