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	25 January 2005 PHOTO DIARY. On Sunday me and Andrew tried to adjust the DVD drive laser potentiometer in my XBox. It's been on the fritz. So we opened up the case... ...and decided to give up because it was too hard.   Back to main PHOTO DIARY. We went to dim sum downtown on Sunday, only to find that the whole mall was filled with an ear-splitting fire alarm. Then, we realized that the all the girls were wearing powder blue, and all the boys were wearing green.   Back to main PHOTO DIARY. Da Clozr? More like Da Lozr. (Cars are a very important medium of expression in Los Angeles.)   Back to main BOOK: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (2004). An young autistic boy living outside of London investigates the murder of a neighborhood dog. Author Mark Haddon, who writes children's books as well, has created the literary equivalent of a starkly inked graphic novel with his story of a boy who can't connect with society--indeed, he is simply unable to read basic emotions, decipher desires of the heart, or even endure being touched by his parents. The sudden appearance the a dog on a neighbor's frong lawn, dead with a fork stuck in its belly, at first seems like ironic bit of po-mo amusement. But fortunately for us, the dog turns out to be a harbinger of heartbreaking truths about the boy's parents and the ever-shifting world around him. Haddon's prose reads like a minimal study in diary-writing, punctuated with sad little illustrations, mathematical equations, and decision trees, all of which gain greater (and sometimes excruciating) emotional significance as the boy's investigation reveals more and more about the contradictions that form the structure of the outside world. I loved this book. Maybe it's because in my own work I also tend to write about children and the specific poignance their inability to understand adult concepts like deceit under the guise of love. As fascinating as it is to watch this autistic boy genius catalog humanity's little daily hypocrasies, even more enduring is his essential coldness. When he wishes to be the last person on the planet, free from other people, he is not indulging in a greedy child's fantasy; he geniuinely wants to be the last person on the planet. He is beyond hope, and beyond the affection we've built up for him throughout. The novel leaves us sweetly heartbroken. And that is why I like the Monty Hall Problem.   Back to main Archives. 17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —