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submissions to | Home > Reviews > The Multimedia I Ching |
The Multimedia I Ching |
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By Wilhelm/Baynes, digitized by the Princeton University Press Platforms: Both Macintosh Quick Time and Windows Reviewed by Al Stone With the advent of CD-ROM technology, hundreds of companies rushed into the market hoping to capitalize on the computer revolution. Of course, we all know now that half the time, its much easier just to use a book. Books travel better than computers, you can lay down with them, etc... What's the gain, then of putting a book into CD-ROM format? Well, for one, its fun. I can't say that the CD-ROM version Princeton University Press' Multimedia CD-ROM version of the Wilhelm and Baynes translation of the I Ching is anything more than the benchmark publication is that, to this day, leads the pack of wannabee I Ching translations. But it does excel in that it makes creative and innovative use of CD-ROM technology. On this CD-ROM the user is welcomed into a vintage Chinese library. In each room, there is another chapter of the Welhelm-Baynes translation to explore. Outside of the library is an open air pavilion where the oracle awaits you by either the tossing of coins, or the more traditional yarrow stalks.  The reading reads exactly as you'll find in the Wilhelm-Baynes. By clicking the mouse on the different lines, you can read the specific changes that have shown up in the reading. You can also pivot from the first chapter to the third chapter. In short, this is an artistically exciting and truly interactive application of a standard book into the CD-ROM format. If you enjoy your computer and a good I Ching reading, you're going to get a lot out of the Princeton University Press' Wilhelm-Baynes translation of the I Ching CD-ROM. I especially like the fact that all the icons make sense. There are few words on the screen, except when you're into the text of the I Ching, and the icons are very clear in their function. After using this CD ROM for a few weeks, I find that when I've grown bored with the bells and whistles, however, there is the rich depth of the text to spend the rest of my life exploring with increasing depth and understanding. Add to this, the fact that the CD-ROM writes onto your hard disc a document in which you can store journal entries. This way, your experiences with life and the I Ching can be recorded and reviewed for trends and patterns. I found two technical problems with the Multimedia I Ching. This program was tested on a Macintosh Performa with a 68LCO40 coprocessor. When I'm simply performing duties on the computer, its performance is slowed because part of the RAM is being used to access information on the CD even though the program is not opened at the time. The performance of my Mac slows down and I can hear the CD spinning even though the program isn't even open. This doesn't occur with other CD-ROMS that I own. I've found that, even with my Macintosh PowerPC notebook with a 603e coprocessor running at 133MHz that the performance of the CD-ROM is slow. In the owners manual, the reader is told to expect that in some cases. Oddly enough, there are times when I've been using my computer, and I close all the applications and windows, and then the CD-ROM moves swiftly. But if I just start up my computer and use the CD-ROM then, I still find that the performance is slower than I'd like.
I took this CD-ROM with me to China, and hence it is always loaded in my notebook ready to use. And I've used it frequently. It's a great companion to have on one's travels, especially when you're dedicated to understanding the subtle changes of Yin and Yang in your life. Traveling with heavy books can be quite costly if you exceed the weight limit of your baggage at the airlines, and for that reason, I find that traveling with this light CD-ROM is a really good idea.
The back cover of the box that this CD-ROM is packaged does a good job of explaining the product. This was obviously written by commercial copywriters, but I can't find anything that I disagree with. So here it is, for further clarification:
The I Ching, or Book of Changes, has been consulted as an oracle and explored as a book of wisdom and philosophy for 3000 years. Now Princeton University Press offers an interactive CD-ROM edition of this great classic, built on the entire text of the original Wilhelm/Baynes translation that has inspired over a million readers since its publication in the early 1950s. Through its familiar symbol system of 64 sex-line "hexagrams," the I Ching attempts to render all phenomena in the universe in terms of the interplay of the primal forces of Heaven and Earth. In this CD edition, China's ageless work is harmonized with the natural beauty of landscape, meticulously rendered architecture, and a background of gentle narration and music. In the open-air Pavilion, users can consult the Oracle through the traditional method of yarrow stalk divination, through the simpler coin divination, or by entering a hexagram for instant access to the appropriate readings of the Image, the Judgment, and the Lines; the text reader incorporates all levels of the text and all the Wilhelm commentary. The Library's rooms serve as a guide to the rich text of the Book of Changes, allowing effortless exploration of the deeper levels of the work, including the Ten Wings and other writings on the I Ching representing over 2500 years of study by Taoists, Confucians, and scholars of this great work. And throughout the I Ching, tours await to guide users to both the deep resources of the disc and the many tools for using them. From its early days, when sages cut the work apart to shuffle its pages, the I Ching has waited three thousand years for a medium deep enough to hold it -- and responsive enough to adapt the Changes to each user. Whether you seek wisdom, advice, translation of each original Chinese text, or an experience deep within another culture's thought, the multimedia I Ching is a perfect environment. Finally, the world's oldest hypertext finds its home. Partial Feature List: You can get more information about The Multimedia I Ching at their web site at: www.ptas.com. |
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