Unicode URL Shortening

I have just discovered a URL shortening Service that has IDNs. When creating a custom URL the text you provide can be Unicode and so can be any language. Here are some shortened URLs I have created:

• http://✩.ws/国际化域名
• http://❥.ws/拉夫堡市场
• http://⌘.ws/ユニコード
• http://✿.ws/小山
• http://➽.ws/オンドレ
• http://➹.ws/트위터
• http://➔.ws/国际化

Another Unicode Savvy URL shortening service is http://doiop.com/

• doiop.com/Ноттингем
• doiop.com/ноттингем

JustPacifism

I just launched a new blog devoted entirely to pacifism, defined as a commitment to peace and opposition to violence and war. It's called JustPacifism.com and it's meant to be a place to discuss pacifism from the broadest standpoint, without focusing on any single tradition or framework. Here's part of my introductory post:

I see pacifism as a direction of thought and action rather than a fixed point, as I have illustrated below:

At the far right-hand side is what some have termed "absolute pacifism". In its strongest form such a commitment would prohibit violence even in self defense, and perhaps violence against non-human living things. At the other extreme is a total lack of concern about violence. Someone holding this view might oppose a given war, but not because it involves violence. For example such a person might object that this particular war is not cost effective.

I suspect that not many people hold to one of the views at either end of my diagram. Instead, most of us fall somewhere in between. If it were possible to formulate a "pacifism index", then someone with no concern at all about the use of violence would score a 0%, and an absolute pacifist would score a 100%. I would be interested in where readers would place themselves (or perhaps historical figures) on such a scale. Of course it's just a thought experiment, but it demonstrates how pacifism is not a fixed point, but a tendency. To the extent that you believe that your society is too ready to use violence, I would say that you have pacifist leanings.

What I find particularly striking however, is that discussions of pacifism so often gravitate towards debating the absolute pacifist position. Although I recognize the philosophical value in considering the boundaries of an issue, I think that one must not ignore the domain where most choices are actually faced. One shouldn't spend too much time worrying about scaling Mount Everest if one has trouble climbing a couple of flights of stairs. And yet pacifism is routinely dismissed based on this sort of reasoning!

I'd like to invite folks to visit JustPacifism.com, and join the discussion!

Japanese Input Method

For many years I have used mechanisms like Character Palette for special pictorial symbols. Over time one acquires a set of frequently used symbols. There are also some symbols available by pressing key combinations. I do not find either of these methods satisfactory.
Recently I discovered an alternative method for typing pictorial symbols when using the Kotoeri Japanese Input Method on my Mac and iPod Touch. When writing Japanese one can invoke the Candidate Window by pressing the space bar after typing some Japanese. The Candidate Window lists all the possibilities for the word one has typed. Some Japanese words have associated symbol(s) which are selectable in the Candidate Window.
Below, I list those word/symbol associations I have, so far, found.

• でんわ=telephone: type でんわ to get ☎
• あめ=rain: type あめ to get ☂
• ゆき=snow: type ゆき to get ☃
• くも=cloud: type くも to get ☁
• ほし=star: type ほし to get ★ or ☆
• まる=circle: type まる to get ○ or ● or ◎ or ◉
• おんせん=hot spring: type おんせん to get ♨
• おんぷ=musical note: type おんぷ to get ♪ or ♩ or ♫ or ♬
• かっこ=brackets: type かっこ to get 『』or（）or〈〉or《》or【】or「」or〔〕
• とらんぷ=playing cards: type とらんぷ to get ♢ or ♤ or ♡ or ♧ or ♦ or ♠ or ♥ or ♣
• きごう=symbol: type きごう to get a profusion of symbols

For a more extensive list see Wolfgang Hadamitzky's Page

Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama

The links between Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama are hard to miss. Obama's historic election as the first African American President of the United States seemed to echo the stirring words of King's 1963 speech at the Lincoln Memorial:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Obama's inauguration took place on Tuesday, January 20th 2009, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This Monday—one year later—Martin Luther King Jr. Day will again be celebrated, and with the one-year mark of Obama's presidency imminent, connections between the two men will again be drawn—including the fact that both were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But an examination of Obama's December-10th acceptance speech suggests some striking differences.

The Nobel committee's selection of Obama so early in his presidency was controversial. Fuel was added to the fire when, just nine days before accepting the prize, he announced that he was sending 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. His acceptance speech was unapologetic:

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

Yet he went on to say:

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King Jr. said in this same ceremony years ago: "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there's nothing weak -- nothing passive -- nothing naïve -- in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

Can you feel a "but" coming?

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people.

So there it is. King and Gandhi had great "moral force", but, apparently unlike them, Obama faces "the world as it is". This strikes me as a shocking distortion: King and Gandhi were deeply involved in practical action, and indeed were instrumental in bringing about change.

The rhetorical pattern we see here is repeated throughout Obama's speech. Moral principles are praised (as long as they remain principles), but "hard truth" is emphasized. Carefully crafted oratory is used to sell the Orwellian idea that "War is Peace". But the awkward fact remains that Martin Luther King Jr. was a proponent of non-violence. What does Obama make of that?

The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached -- their fundamental faith in human progress -- that must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

It would appear that non-violence can be dispensed with when required. What is apparently fundamental is something rather vague and comforting: "love" and "faith in human progress". Of course Martin Luther King Jr. did talk above love, but as a basis for moral decisions rather than a distraction from them.

King's 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech is strikingly different from Obama's, as this excerpt suggests:

After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of [the civil rights movement] is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time - the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s words apply to the world as it is in 2010, just as they did in 1964.

Update (18-Jan-2010): Jeff Nall has written an excellent piece on "How Obama Betrays Reverend King’s Philosophy of Nonviolence".

Hong Kong IDNs

• Aji Ichiban 優之良品.hk
• Aji Ichiban 优之良品.hk
• Café de Coral 大家樂.hk
• Café de Coral 大家乐.hk
• Chinachem Group 華懋集團.hk
• Evergreen Hotel 萬年青酒店.hk
• Evergreen Hotel 万年青酒店.hk
• HKR International 香港興業國際集團.hk
• HKR International 香港兴业国际集团.cn
• Hong Kong Electric 香港電燈集團.hk
• Hongkong Post 香港郵政.hk
• Hongkong Post 香港邮政.hk
• Hongkong Post 香港郵政.cn
• Lung Wah Hotel 龍華酒店.hk
• Lung Wah Hotel 龍華酒店.cn
• Lung Wah Hotel 龙华酒店.cn
• Lung Wah Hotel 龍華乳鴿.hk
• Lung Wah Hotel 龍華乳鴿.cn
• Lung Wah Hotel 龙华乳鸽.cn

Taiwanese Universities

Below are some Taiwanese University/College IDNs.

1. Air Force Institute of Technology 空軍航空技術學院.tw
2. Aletheia University 真理大學.tw
3. Asia University 亞洲大學.台灣
4. Central Police University 中央警察大學.tw
5. Chang Gung University 長庚大學.tw
6. Chang Jung Christian University 長榮大學.tw
7. Cheng Shiu University 正修科技大學.tw
8. Chia Nan University of Pharmacy & Science 嘉南藥理科技大學.tw
9. Chinese Culture University 中國文化大學.tw
10. Chung Hua University 中華大學.tw
11. Chung Yuan Christian University 中原大學.tw
12. Chungyu Institute of Technology 崇右技術學院.tw
13. Dahan Institute of Technology 大漢技術學院.tw
14. Diwan University 致遠管理學院.tw
15. Far East University 遠東科技大學.tw
16. Fortune Institute of Technology 和春技術學院.tw
17. Fu Jen Catholic University 輔仁大學.tw
18. Hsing Kuo University of Management 興國管理學院.tw
19. Huafan University 華梵大學.tw
20. Hungkuang University 弘光科技大學.tw
21. I-Shou University 義守大學.tw
22. Jinwen University of Science & Technology 景文科技大學.tw
23. Kainan University 開南大學.tw
24. Kun Shan University 崑山科技大學.tw
25. Lan Yang Institute of Technology 蘭陽技術學院.tw
26. Ling Tung University 嶺東科技大學.tw
27. Lunghwa University of Science & Technology 龍華科技大學.tw
28. Mingdao University 明道大學.tw
29. Minghsin University of Science & Technology 明新科技大學.tw
30. Nan Jeon Institute of Technology 南榮技術學院.tw
31. National Central University 國立中央大學.tw & 中大.台灣 & 中大.台湾
32. National Chengchi University 國立政治大學.tw
33. National Chi Nan University 国立暨南国际大学.tw
34. National Chi Nan University 國立暨南國際大學.tw
35. National Chiao Tung University 國立交通大學.tw
36. National Chung Cheng University 國立中正大學.tw
37. National Chung Hsing University 國立中興大學.tw
38. National Formosa University 國立虎尾科技大學.tw
39. National Hsinchu University of Education 國立新竹教育大學.tw
40. National Ilan University 國立宜蘭大學.tw
41. National Kaohsiung Marine University 國立高雄海洋科技大學.tw
42. National Open University 國立空中大學.tw
43. National Penghu University 國立澎湖科技大學.tw
44. National Pingtung University of Science & Technology 國立屏東科技大學.tw
45. National Taichung Institute of Technology 國立臺中技術學院.tw
46. National Taiwan Normal University 國立臺灣師範大學.tw
47. National Taiwan Ocean University 國立臺灣海洋大學.tw
48. National Taiwan University of Arts 國立臺灣藝術大學.tw
49. National United University 國立聯合大學.tw
50. National University of Kaohsiung 國立高雄大學 高雄大學.台灣
51. National University of Tainan 國立台南大學.tw
52. National Yunlin University of Science & Technology 國立雲林科技大學.tw
53. Oriental Institute of Technology 亞東技術學院.tw
54. Overseas Chinese University 僑光科技大學.tw
55. Providence University 靜宜大學.tw
56. St. John's University 聖約翰科技大學.tw
57. Taiwan Hospitality & Tourism College 臺灣觀光學院.tw
58. Tajen University 大仁科技大學.tw
59. Takming University of Science & Technology 德明財經科技大學.tw
60. Tatung Institute of Technology 大同技術學院.tw
61. Tatung University 大同大學.tw
62. Technology & Science Institute of Northern Taiwan 北台灣科學技術學院.tw
63. Transworld Institute of Technology 環球技術學院.tw
64. Tunghai University 東海大學.tw
65. Vanung University 萬能科技大學.tw
66. Yuan Ze University 元智大學.tw
67. Yung Ta Institute of Technology & Commerce 永達技術學院.tw

International Computing

  One of the modules I teach at Loughborough University ラフバラ大学 is International Computing. This was a new module in the 2008-2009 academic year. It is an optional final year module. The uptake this year (2009-2010 academic year) has increased from last year's 14 students to 24 students. The topics I cover in my module include:

• Characteristics of Languages/Scripts
• Software Internationalization & Localization
• Character Sets
• Unicode
• Unicode Transformation Formats
• Fonts
• Keyboard Mappings
• Input Methods
• Internationalizing Websites
• Country Codes
• Language Tags
• IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names)
• Internationalizing LaTeX

This year I am including an additional topic which is the Language Features of the iPod Touch/iPhone.

IDNs - The Future

  There has recently been much publicity and controversy concerning IDNs. Here I are my thoughts on the future of IDNs or maybe my thoughts on what I consider should be the future for IDNs.
  English is currently the accepted International language and so most Domain Names are ASCII. So what should an organisation do about their Domain Names? Should they just stick with their ASCII names or also use IDNs?
  I consider that an Organisation's Domain Name strategy should be determined by their customer base or desired customer base. A Local/Regional Organisation should have Domain Names in both their local language and ASCII. An International Organisation, on the other hand, should have many Domain Names in many languages.
  My observation of many International Organisations' Websites is that, mostly, the content is predominantly/solely English. So why bother with multiple IDNs in multiple languages when they just resolve to a Website written in English?
  My answer to that question is: IDNs are just one small part of the Internationalisation of IT. AI (Adaptive Internationalised) Websites are one of the other parts of the Internationalisation of IT.
  An AI Website can adapt content according to:

• Language/Script of the IDN used for access
• The preferred display language setting of the visiting browser
• The Region (GeoLocation) of the visiting browser

  More on AI Websites another time ☺

Korean Universities

Below are some Korean University/College IDNs. I have not listed any that redirect to an ASCII address.

1. Ansan University 안산대.한국
2. Cheju Halla University 제주한라대학교.한국
3. Daewon University College 대원대학.한국
4. Hanseo University 한서대학교.한국
5. Jeju National University 제주대학교.한국
6. Joongbu University 중부대.한국
7. Korea National Sport University 한국체육대학교.한국
8. Korea National University of Arts 한국예술종합학교.한국
9. Korea University 고려대.한국
10. Pukyong National University 부경대학교.한국
11. Sungkyunkwan University 성균관대학교.한국

Japanese Universities

I am not sure how many Japanese Universities have IDNs and of those I have found, most redirect to an ASCII address. Below, I list only those I have found that do not redirect to an ASCII address.

1. Fukuoka Institute of Technology 福岡工業大学.jp
2. Hiroshima Institute of Technology 広島工業大学.jp
3. Kanazawa Gakuin University 金沢学院大学.jp
4. Kurume University くるめだいがく.jp
5. Kurume University 久留米大学.jp
6. Meiji University 明治大学.jp
7. Okayama University 岡山大学.jp
8. Okayama University 岡大.jp
9. Shiga University 滋賀大学.jp
10. SUN Techno College サンテクノカレッジ.jp
11. SUN Techno College 学校法人サンテクノカレッジ.jp
12. Tokyo University of Science 東京理科大学.jp
13. Tokyo University of Science, Suwa 諏訪東京理科大学.jp
14. Tokyo University of Science, Yamaguchi 山口東京理科大学.jp
15. University of Marketing & Distribution Sciences 流通科学大学.jp