Friday, March 31, 2006

No summer labs...

I SCREWED UP ONCE AGAIN!!!

S**T, WTF......

I missed the last paragraph of a email reply in January, and just found out minutes ago.
Sent my appologies out to the professor just now.

OK, I can't find a single Lab that well accept me, get the only professor kind enough to help was ignored by yours truly for nearly 3 months. He must be really pissed off.

I really want to hit a wall now. I wish I were dead.

F*****************************************k

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

男三現在沒熱水...

Shit, it's freezing
難道要我們先灌一灌啤酒然後進去用冰水修行?
Corporal mortification?

Monday, March 27, 2006

"Why does women like dumb men?"

I saw someone ask this funny question in Popular Science's FYI (for your information) section. Intreuging indeed, however is the question it self true? Yes we frequently see women on TV saying how "cute" stupid guys are, but I doubt it's the norm.

Pop Sci answered this from a zoologist's perspective, explaining that in animals, males with big testis have smaller brain, and then goes on to say that it's not necessarily that way with humans. But that's equivocating. Of course woman don't choose mates by the size of their balls(gross...)! Let me elucidate from the view point of evolution.

Let's just hypothesize that women do have more affinity with stupid men. That means that there's a selection towards stupidity, the dolts have better fitness, have more offspring, and in no time, the Human species would be one of the dumbest living beings on the planet! Neat, isn't it? Immagine a world of fools.

The Human race is not fit in many environments without the wit to manipulate it into a preferable one. Homo sepians bereft of intelligence would surely go extinct. This is absolutely un-eugenic. So, if women do gravitate towareds retarded mates, chances are that we would all be long extinct.

(Buy the way, good guys should also be de-selected long ago, why are we still here?)

10 years of Palm goodness

Ten Years. Once Vision. Palm celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Pilot.
(image from Palm's website)

It was this month, 10 years ago when the first Palm device was launched. Through the years we have enjoyed this little innovative and easy to use gadget to enhance our lives.

Here are some of the sites celebrating the aniversary:
(Remember to listen to the audio interview on Palm's site, or get it here [download mp3])

Saturday, March 25, 2006

The Prius(with photos)


After a busy week, here's the post I said I would do. (See my first take on the Prius last week)

Although it's already a relatively old model, it is still fascinating, since it's still light years ahead of it's competitors.

It's an expensive hybrid, you wouldn't expect it to sell as good as Camry's; instead it's more of a proof of concept that sets the Toyota brand apart from the competitors. So, only select dealers do show the Prius, where they add a mark to show it does. They say it's a glimpse of the future, but we all know clearly, that we would ultimately need cars that doesn't been gasoline.


Here's the electric motor, taking up half the space of the engine chamber. And this is where it needs specially trained technicions for maintainence. So you're stuck to Toyota dealers that do Prius repairs.

The Hybrid mark on the side and the back, a show off badge that shouts out "I love the environment" (And of course, "I'm rich").

The driver's seat, you can see a "Power button"that starts the engine, the dashboard, and the shift, which is more like a joy stick: every thing's drive-by-wire. The dashboard might seem weird with all the meters and numbers in the middle, up on top on the dashboard. But I tried sitting in the driver's seat, and was amazed by the genious of the design. You can keep your head to the road, and read the numbers without moving your head. I like it.

The "Power button", up close. They use it with the newer "key-less" systems, and it's very cool.

午騎喵空細雨飄

GRE念煩了,這學期修的課也都用很無聊的課本,在連續這麼多下雨天後,總算給我抓到一天可以騎車了^^

本來想報今天的貓空offroad活動的,不過昨天的天氣看起來就一副一定會流掉的樣子,於是就不想報了(團長我對不起你XD)。結果,昨晚看小說看到3點,今早睡到10點(被室友吵醒,他從床的樓梯摔下去,好在沒事)。往外一看,天氣真好XD 於是,午餐吃完就往好久沒去的「喵空」跑。

嗯,還是那個,過度開發的閃光彈觀賞聖地;不過白天閃光彈不多,不需要墨鏡:D 因為是以觀光茶園為主的,某些路段還有淡淡的茶香。陡下坡+窄彎+短程,不但刺激,而且省時間。只是,一個月多沒運動了,體力真差,上坡慢慢龜,就算下坡有下到最高52km/hr,全程平均還是只有16.8km/hr,啊,我的體力啊......

回程忽然開始飄雨,所謂午後陣雨,分明就是想讓我淋雨,到台大時還下超大的,嘖嘖嘖。現在回來了,雨就停了。

雨騎回來,鏈條還是亮亮的,不虧是車展買的美國進口Prolink神奇鏈條潤滑劑(不是油喔)。不過新鏈條原廠上的保護油還在,超黏的,不但很難擦,還會黏一些大顆粒(至少不像米奇林的爛潤滑油市集污能力那麼強啦)。鏈條原廠保護油要怎麼清啊@@

Friday, March 24, 2006

New service from the Weather Bureau coming next month

氣象局 logo
根據氣象局網站公告

自2006年4月上旬起,中央氣象局將正式推出全新的「氣象資訊服務網站」, 同時提供「行動、無線與RSS」的氣象資訊查詢服務,內容包括:天氣預報、 天氣觀測、天氣與地震警(特)報等;屆時民眾只要利用手機或PDA的上網功能, 便能隨時在任何可上網的地方查詢到即時、正確的氣象資訊。另外,電腦使用 者也可以利用RSS Reader的軟體,即時的收集、更新和顯示氣象資訊。

nice! 現在的網站做得過度花俏,一堆flash和java,害我用PDA看都亂七八糟,現在終於要弄比較適合行動裝置的版本了。還有RSS feed,以後看氣象更快了。期待啊...

Thursday, March 23, 2006

PDA usage

Here's an intresting article from PDA24/7 describing how a notebook couldn't replace a PDA.
Can a notebook really replace a PDA?

Makes me think of how much things I replaced with my own PDA. People usually give me curious looks or say how "affluent" I look.

Actually, it saves money, here's how:

What it replaces:
1. MP3 walkman, lets say a 1 gig color screen model, maybe 4000NT
2. Basic functions of notebook, with more portability. Let's count 1/4 the price of a typical notebook: 30000/4= 7500NT
3. Good Scientific Calculator: say 1000NT
4. Alarm clock, let's be stingy, let the cell phone cover that, 0NT
5. portable games and movie player, let's just count half the price of a PSP, 3500NT
6. e-book reader, well, most people don't use this, so doesn't count
7. Cheep camera, this usually adds about 1500NT to the price of cell phones, I guess.
8. Dayplaner, make that 500NT
9. Voice recorder, let's add 500NT to the price of a multi-purpose MP3 player
10. e-dictionary: make it a cheep model 3000NT

Total: 4000+7500+1000+0+3500+1500+500+500+3000= 21500NT
While my TH55 with the 1gig memory stick costs about 12800+3400=16200NT

I saved at least 5300NT, and much more convenience.

Farther more, without a notebook, I don't need to carry a heavy "brick" on my back, count in the medical bills for spinal cord injury... :D

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Treo700p rumored photo leak!


Here's the photo of the yet to come Treo700p, from 1src.
Yeah, I know it's yet another incremental update of the Treo, which isn't that exciting, but still, with the Palm area being so boring for a long time, it's still better then nothing.

I'm still waiting to be impressed by the rumored "ultra-thin" Treo. Hope that one would be groundbreaking.

Prius is now avaliable in Taiwan (officially)

It's just distributed to select Toyota dealers on Friday, and displayed since yesterday(Satturday). Just saw it Today, and although it an old model from Japanese standards(avaliable there for years), it's still really impressive. Should post my photos tomarrow when I get to school, and my thoughts if I happen to find the time to do it.

First thought:
1130000NT really isn't expensive for a hybrid.

Link:
Prius promo site for Taiwan
http://www.prius.com.tw/

Great article: 中時/自行單車的台灣奇蹟

2006.03.15  中國時報
獨立評論 自行單車的台灣奇蹟

剛剛在羅的鳥的個版上看到這個,真是好文啊,讓我百分之百認同。
臺灣的自行車業真得很了不起(尤其去看車展時有深深的體驗),身為一個單車迷,住在臺灣還滿幸福的。

Friday, March 17, 2006

Losing appetite

Some how, I've lost the desire to eat. Well yeah, I am hungry, but just don't have the motivation. Since yesterday, I've only got 1 meal, 2 snacks. Everything at school seems so disgusting. None of the resturants nor venders sell food, they tend to sell some kind of goo, or slime, dipped in thick oil, with a profusion of salt, suger and MSG. At lunch time, you first go: "I'm hungry, right, time for some grub." Then you remember the MSG-rich-oil-dripping-slime, and you're like "Never mind."

Something good about home is that it is one of the scarce places where you could get some real food.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Giant- 達文西單車生活館

今天到柚子剛開始打工的新車店去逛逛,去買鏈條,也順便看看大家口中神奇的車店長什麼樣子。本來在地圖上找時覺得有點遠,不過走羅斯福路左轉和平東路,約1 block後不知不覺中進入和平西路,就看到了,真快。外表看起來,就是一家堆滿單車的捷安特。櫥窗中有一張達文西畫的單車設計圖,不過已經被一堆實際的單車淹沒就是了。走進去才看到特別之處:一座玻璃櫥櫃bar台,裡面滿滿的變速、煞車、碳纖管材,而上面有一台咖啡機,天花板上一塊有如Starbucks的黑板寫著價目(都是一般咖啡店的價格),而bar後面柚子(一顆?)在洗咖啡杯...... 柚子快樂的跟老闆聊著天。老闆超親切的,不過問題是,他太親切了,somehow,你會覺得老闆比柚子更像車店小弟。木頭地板、亮著藍光的木製展示台、花瓶中的向日葵、加上依品牌擺得漂漂亮亮的單車用品,使整體感覺很棒。可惜我晚餐時間去,在播東森新聞;後來關電視,播爵士樂後,更棒!

捷安特該有的幾乎都有,如Yukon, Rinkon, Iguana, Flight M2, halfway, Trence, TCR...等。不過,其他品項也都很乾淨,只有捷安特代理的品牌,如Toppeak, Finishline, Cateye...等會出現,老實說,有點缺乏多樣性。不過同樣是捷安特代理的Bell安全帽為何缺席呢?

今天買了鏈條和打鍊器,價格滿平價的^^ 老闆看大家咳嗽聲此起彼落,還煮了很棒的花茶。嗯,以後,又多了個敗家之地。

Dreams

Dreams are so sweet, it's part of what makes your sleep feel good. It's too good to be true, in fact, surreal. Do not confuse it with reality. Reality is crual.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Keeping a little freshness in life

I read today in the book "Call of the Mall by Paco Underhill" an intresting passage on the differenece between urban adult pedestrians vis-a-vis Tourists. The previous put less trust in their peripheral vision, they just see where they are going, while visitors are described as: "In cities they do that little gee-whiz-ma-lookit-how tall-that-one-is dance when seeing a real skyscraper up close", and, "There's something so innocent, so childlike and trusting, about how tourrists walk in a city." Urban dwellers usually don't pay much attention to their surroundings, thinking that it's just the "same-old-town" that they know, and keeping their mind on "the important business, whatever that is; while tourists and kids pay attention and get excited to every detail that comes into sight. Why must the town that you know by heart seem so dull? Most people take life in the city as boring, and here you have located a provenance of apathy. Chears!

Do you remember the feel of being a tourist in a foreign town, where everything is new to you? Next time you walk down that same-old street, you could look for the details of your suroundings, notice if there's a new shop opening, if there's new decorations for the up comming event, if there's flowers blossoming, if there's anything conspicious. Or, zoom out, picture the whole vision beholding your pupils, take it all in, imagine yourself on a tour, with a camera in hand. Then you'll realize that the "same-old-town" is still alive with vigor and fun. It's also much more beautiful and spectacular then you thought, and took for granted.

And, that reminds me of a similar statement on people. The week before last week, at the "Forest school" of the Humanistic Education Foundation(人本森林小學), one of the faculty told us how they coped with pestering children: "The teachers usually clear up themselves inside each weekend, forget about the bad side of the kids, and the folowing week, they love the kids as if they first met." Maybe that applies to day-to-day relationships, too. We could see our friends and loved ones as new found friends from time to time, expecting nothing of them, and appretiate them as they are. Less expectections curtails unneeded arguments and missunderstandings. Makes life around us much more peaceful and pleasent.

Much of the bordom in life comes from the familiarness of things of everyday life that we accumulate from day to day. It's like some side-effect that comes with convenience of our memory. Dump it out, and add some spice to your life. Sometimes forgetting stuff is necessary.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Evolution and reproduction

昨天脊椎動物學上到魚類的生態與演化
忽然,老師大叫:

「你們還坐在那幹什麼?
還不快出去生小孩,提昇演化上的競爭力?」


(心裡暗想:「老師,我是好人啊~~」)

囧rz

Sunday, March 12, 2006

"鐵馬年"? Eat crap!

根據校方在杜鵑花節開幕典禮的宣傳
學務處想搞個"鐵馬年"
口號為:
安全, 管理, 紀律

這種口號, 還叫"鐵馬年", 實在是讓我很難接受
(單車運動應該是自由的)
不過, 細節還是要等看到了, 才知道

當然, 重點是要"管什麼"?
若是管停車, 那我偏向保持中立
雖然說一般來講, 守法是應該的
不過看校園裡合法的停車格逐年取消
如: 小福旁的停車格就被劃掉, 鹿鳴廣場附近皆禁停(那要停哪?)
校方似乎只在乎哪裡停車會"有礙觀瞻"(對破校園車的歧視)
Where do you park is your own business
對於這種做法, 我實在無法支持

若跟上次"鐵馬週"一樣, 要限制校園某些區域禁止騎車
那我覺得跟車社精神嚴重相牴觸
不但不能支持還要反對
在一個到處都是單車的校園裡, 單車已經成為我們校園文化的一部分
學校沒事要反單車幹麻?(還有臉稱之為鐵馬週)
在沒有任何替代道路規劃之下, 就叫人不準過
實在是很機車

若今年再這樣搞, 我想,
到禁騎區時, 我會想升檔, 帶頭衝線吧!

學務處在未經我們同意, 就擅自把單車社列入鐵馬年協辦單位
令人有背利用的感覺
若實際內容還是跟去年一樣帶著反單車色彩
我想說的是:
Eat Crap, you basterd!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

BBC NEWS | Technology | Google 'planning total storage'

BBC NEWS | Technology | Google 'planning total storage'

This looks so good. I'd really like to have a free hard drive backup on the web. However, Google should promiss that they them self don't have access to your files be for they launch this. No one would like the idea of a court subpoena Google and force them to revail your files for investigation. So you might want to think twice before uploading MP3s, Movies and cracked software, if you have any. But backing up your own documents might be a good idea.

Deore 煞變合一把^^


剛剛去做服務課,整理魚標本,赫然發現助教擺了一台跑車在那(Tiagra的變速喔),跟助教聊車聊得很愉快。最後,要走時,發現了這個Amoeba的握桿,上面還留著Ritchey的握把和Deore 煞變合一把。看它擺在房間的角落,就試探性的問問看,有點想買(我自己的Deore變把只剩半條命,煞把又是廉價煞把)。沒想到,我剛問完,還沒說想買,他的竟很直接的問:「要不要,送你!」好感動~~。雖然不好意思,不過最後......我當然是拿回來了^^

根據助教的說法,極東買的,本來想給跑車換平把的,不過一下子就不習慣換回彎把了。他只用過一個禮拜耶!

^Amoeba的握桿和Deore 煞變合一把

^Shimano ST-M510, 不知哪一年款的...

^Amoeba AL6061橫桿,陽極藍。不過我比較喜換自己原來的。助教:「看車社有沒有人要,沒有人要再還我」XD

^Ritchey握把,滿好握的,不過有一小道被刀割過的痕跡。還在考慮要不要。

Sunday, March 05, 2006

人本後森

>>photos here

真是開心的兩天,除跟朋友見面外,也去學一些待人處世的觀念。
心得先寫一點吧,其餘以後有空再寫。(兩天回來積了一些書還沒念)

>Hedonism
婷瑛帶隊很能體諒活動員的辛勞,這次終於知道為何了。
人本似乎有句話:「以人為目的,而非工具。」因此,在把活動帶好之外,也要盡量讓活動員也能愉快,也能學到東西。我想,這真是個新奇的觀念。之前生科新生宿營時,所有工作人員簡直就是如地獄般,大家拼死拼活的工作,大家一起來爆肝。也許,為人著想,也是一個能讓眾人跟隨的領導人所需要的特質吧!

>Praise
懂得讚美真的是種美德,能讓別人開心一整天,也讓人有自信,而盡力去把事情做的更好。不過,在討論過程中,發現這個社會並不懂得讚美。當有讚美出現時,不是一直否認,就是認為對方不誠肯;甚至懷疑對方對自己刻意討好。美國反而非常注重一個人的自信心,"Good job!"是個常聽到的詞。也許因此造就了某些自大者,不過卻讓大部分人更能去做一些有挑戰性的嘗試,因而增進的國家整體的競爭力。雖然有時覺得人本強調「讚美」到一種誇張的地步,不過也許要救一個病態的社會就需要誇張一點的手法吧!

Friday, March 03, 2006

Ignominiously defeated by anomalous lexis

My cerebrum is repleted with astronomica amounts of data, my congested hipppcampus slowly succumbed and arrested.
I am in vocabulary Hades. How can I assuage my self of this affliction?

(Using as much bizzare words as I can, to give a taste of the abominable, evil GRE. If you don't understand the words, it's okay, because without a reference book, I don't recognise them either...)