Science

Like many working fathers, the most enjoyable hour for me every day is dinning with my princesses.

As you would expect, I have the most entertaining conversation with Euterpe and Alder at the dining table. To add to the flavor, my girls start playing a little mental game called “Is there any science” in the recent weeks to kick off the discussion every evening.

I must say I can’t recall how it all began. The rule is simple: When dinner is served, Euterpe and Adler each chooses a random subject (or object) and asks a question “Is there any science in…” and I shall have to give a two-minute talk on that topic.

For example, the questions I get today are “Is there any science in shrimps and crabs?” from Euterpe and “Is there any science in computer?” from Adler. Well, I do not need to be very sophisticated or informative. For the former, I talk about the edible life-forms between the two – lobster, crayfish, and squilla. For the latter, I touch on Windows and Apple, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, and how Pixar comes along.

As Confucius said, education starts by studying objects (格物而後致知).