Everything needs a sequel.

Or is it?
Web 2.0 covers snappy interface, social network, grassroot content generation (blogging and video sharing). But how many of those are actually new?
In Thomas Freidman's "The world is flat", I kept hearing terms like "Globalization 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0". OK, that sounds cool, but the people behind them, the truly "invisible hands" are still the same old money.

HCI goes mainstream through gaming console

 Tiny springs keep Wii, PS3 under control

POSTED: 10:24 a.m. EST, November 20, 2006

 

NEW YORK































































(AP) -- With a tilt of your wrists, the dragon you're riding dives































































toward the water below. With another movement of your hands, as if































































pulling back on imaginary reins, the scaly beast pulls out of the dive































































into level flight, flapping its wings.

That's how the unreleased































































game "Lair" will work on the Sony PlayStation 3, which launched in the































































U.S. on Friday. Like Nintendo Co.'s Wii console, which went on sale two































































days later, it uses a motion-sensitive controller in an effort to make































































games more intuitive to play.

The controllers make a higher level































































of realism possible, too: in the sports game bundled with the Wii in































































the U.S., the stick-shaped controller doubles as the handle of a































































virtual tennis racket or golf club.

The technology behind































































motion-sensing has been around for a while, but recent technical































































advances have radically brought down the price -- and the size. The new































































game controllers are the first gadgets that promise to bring the































































technology into the hands of millions of people, and manufacturers are































































now using motion sensors in other consumer products, including cell































































phones.

The technology is a wonder of miniaturization and































































precision. Here's how Benedetto Vigna, head of the unit at































































Switzerland-based STMicroelectronics NV, which makes a motion-sensing































































chip for Nintendo, explains how it works:

When you wave around































































the new Nintendo controller, two tiny, flat pieces of silicon inside































































it, each weighing about a millionth of a gram, flex against silicon































































springs that hold them in place.

The movements are minute, or to put it another way, they're on the scale of 10 to 100 hydrogen atoms stacked side by side.

But































































these tiny movements can be measured with incredible accuracy. A charge































































is applied between the moving pieces of silicon and two nearby sensors.































































Faint fluctuations in that charge, as small as that of 10 electrons,































































are picked up by a chip that translates it into an understanding of how































































the controller is moving.

The two moving weights, which fit































































together on an area less than a millimeter square, have different































































roles. One has two sets of springs, which allow it to move from side to































































side and back and forth. The other weight is a flat piece anchored































































almost like trampoline. It senses vertical movement. This way, the chip































































can distinguish motion in all three dimensions of space.

Analog































































Devices Inc. of Norwood, Massachusetts makes a similar chip, which goes































































into the main Wii controller, the stick-like Wii Remote. According to































































Analog Devices, ST's chip is used in the auxiliary Freestyle controller































































(popularly known as the "Nunchuck") that connects to the larger































































controller for some games. ST said it was not allowed to say where































































exactly its chip is used.

Sony Corp.'s "Sixaxis" controller for































































the PS3 also has an accelerometer. The six axises the name refers to































































are the three dimensions of space, plus three axises of spin. The































































company hasn't revealed who makes the chip.

The Nintendo Wii































































Remote one-ups the Sony controller by including an infrared camera. It































































picks up signals from a sensor bar the owner attaches to the television































































set. This enables the remote to "know" where it is in relation to the































































screen, so the player can use the controller to point to things on the































































screen -- a useful feature in shooting games (and a lot of games are































































shooting games).

So where has this technology been until now?

Accelerometers































































have been used to guide missiles and aircraft, said Richard Marks, who































































worked on an underwater robot before his job as head of special































































projects at Sony Computer Entertainment America.

"We had a































































$25,000 inertial system that was probably comparable," to the one in































































the Sony controller, he said. "These things have become so much less































































expensive."

In the past, accelerometers were large mechanical































































devices, with springs or liquids that sensed orientation and movement.































































The reason they can go into game devices now is that they're made not































































by assembling mechanical components, but with the same techniques used































































to make computer chips.

Vigna described a method of successively































































adding and etching away layers of silicon on large platters with































































hundreds of individual chips to build up the mechanical part of the































































accelerometer. The platters are then broken up into individual chips.































































That means the chips can be made consistently and cheaply with































































precision down to the micron -- one millionth of a meter, or about one































































hundredth of the width of a human hair.

Other so-called































































microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, that are made in similar ways































































include chips in video projectors (where they flip thousands of tiny































































mirrors to build up the image) and in inkjet heads. MEMS technology is































































seen as a fertile field and is related to another hyped area,































































nanotechnology (which deals with even smaller scales).

The auto































































industry started using silicon accelerometers in the late 1980s for the































































sensors that activate air bags, Vigna said, and each successive































































generation since then has become smaller and cheaper.

"What ST is doing now is bringing this from the automotive industry to the consumer," Vigna said.

ST says their chip now costs "less than $1 per axis," but wouldn't say exactly what Nintendo is paying.

Accelerometers































































have made their appearance in game equipment before. In the late 1990s,































































Microsoft Corp. put out a game controller with a limited "tilt"































































function, but it never did well. In 2001, Nintendo released a Game Boy































































Color cartridge that sensed motion, but it worked only for the included































































game.

But with the Sony and Nintendo controller, accelerometers look set for a breakout in consumer devices.

Laptop































































makers, including Sony, Lenovo Group Ltd. and Apple Computer Inc., are































































using them to detect when a computer is in free fall. This signals the































































read/write heads of the hard drive to park, preventing damage when the































































laptop lands.

ST has big hopes for the cell-phone market, and is in talks with three phone manufacturers, according to Vigna.

Nokia































































this year launched a "sports" cell phone, the 5500, with an































































accelerometer that not only controls a game, but works as a pedometer































































as well. Other potential uses for such a chip in a phone include































































managing the user interface: pat the phone or flip it over to send a































































call to voicemail, Vigna suggested.

失而复得

上周去Charleston出差，出师不利，把手机落在了出租车上，在外地没有手机实在是太不方便了。回到Seattle, 给出租车公司打电话，竟然找到了。还是driver好心，专程给我送到了公司。
在O'Hare 转机的时候，把相机和包一起落在了一个liqueur bar。今天以打电话，竟然也被找到了。Doug说的没错，美国的好心人还是很多的。
昨天还自我安慰,说是upgrade的好机会，今天就开心的发现失而复得，才更懂得珍惜。

神奇的剪纸

A4 papercut

18,2 cm Tall Tower of Babel, 2005 Acid free A4 80 paper and glue,

Down the River, 2005 Acid free A4 80 paper and glue,

Down the River, (detail) 2005 Acid free A4 80 paper and glue,

Wedding Dress Without Bride, 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue,

All in All, 2006 Acid free A4 115 gms paper and glue,

All in All, (detail)2006 Acid free A4 115 gms paper and glue,

Angel, 2006 Acid free A4 115 gms paper and glue,

Angel, (detail) 2006 Acid free A4 115 gms paper and glue,

Closet, 2006 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue,

Closet, (detail) 2006 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue,

Dead Bird , 2006 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue,

Big wave moving towards a small castle made of sand, 2005 Acid free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Distant Wish, 2006 Acid-free A4 115 gms paper and glue

Distant Wish, (detail) 2006 Acid-free A4 115 gms paper and glue

Eismeer, 2006 Acid free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Hunting, 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Hunting (detail), 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

In the Beginning (Snake inside an egg), 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

In the Shadow of an Orchid (detail), 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

In the Shadow of an Orchid , 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

Impenetrable Castle, 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

Impenetrable Castle, (detail) 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

Looking back, 2006 Acid free A4 115 gms paper and glue

Man Made of Woman, 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Pandora's Box, 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

Snowballs, 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

Snowballs, (detail) 2005 Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue

Traces in Snow, 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Traces in Snow (detail), 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Single Double Bed , 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Fall , 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Fall, (detail) 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

The Impossible Meeting, 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

The Impossible Meeting (detail), 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Bridge Over Troubled Water, 2005 Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Butterflies Trying to Escape Their Shadow, 2005

Acid-free A4 80 gsm paper and glue

Difference between a Pro and an amatuer

Is consistency.

This holds for tennis, golf, basketball. An amatuer can get a miracle shot out of luck, but a Pro do is consistantly.

Every chance game has winners and losers. The real winner is one who can make the chance game deterministic.

This can be extended to trading stock, even writing code. By chance, any one can right a correct working code, but a pro can produce such quality all the time.

How to get there and be a pro? As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Of course, proper guidance are always necessary to make sure we are practicing the correct way.

Mortgage Fraud

第一个是骗房主的,后面两个是骗买主/银行的. http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/fraud/index.html

1) Rent-to-steal Say you're advertising to rent your home or investment property. A renter shows up who seems to have all the right documentation to qualify. It's a deal! The monthly rental checks start coming in on time. But behind your back, the renter (using an alias with fake or stolen identification) goes to the local court and files a false "satisfaction of loan" document complete with your forged signature, forged bank officers' signatures, and bank seals . This shows that the property is now "free and clear"- that is, there are no outstanding mortgages on it.

Now the renter/ con artist is able to go to lenders and take out new loans on the property-often taking out several, practically simultaneously, in your name. Suddenly your renter vanishes and three or four banks are claiming title to your home.

2) Straw-man swindle Con artists use a "straw man" or "straw buyer" to purchase a property. A straw buyer is usually someone fairly unsophisticated who has passable credit. Often straw buyers are told by the huckster-a mastermind who uses a false identity and typically poses as a sophisticated investor-that they'll get a nice chunk of money if they go in on a plain-vanilla business transaction with him.

The straw buyer gets a mortgage on the property. Then the straw buyer signs the property over to the huckster in a quitclaim deed, relinquishing all rights to the property as well as the underlying mortgage. The straw buyer gives the huckster the mortgage proceeds, taking a small cut-usually 10 percent-for himself. The huckster doesn't make any mortgage payments and often even pockets rent from unsuspecting tenants until the property falls into foreclosure. Usually the straw man, not the mastermind, is arrested for fraud.

3) The million-dollar dump A con artist looks for a low-end, rundown house for sale. He approaches the seller and says he's willing to pay the full asking price-but only if the seller will do him a small favor. See, the buyer needs a bigger mortgage than the house is worth. So if the owner agrees to relist the house at, say, triple the price, then the buyer can apply for a bigger mortgage.

The swindler often tells the homeowner not to worry-he wants to use the extra mortgage proceeds to fix up the house. The seller usually heartily agrees: He's getting the full price … and besides, wouldn't it be nice to have the place fixed up? The swindler, using a false identity, takes out the supersized mortgage, pays the seller, and pockets the remainder. The house usually ends up in foreclosure.

True or False

 

1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
2. Alfred Hitchcock did not have a bellybutton.
3. A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 yrs.
4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more.
5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart!
6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties.
7. 40 people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.
8. Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old.
9. The average person over fifty will have spent 5 years waiting in lines.
10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498.
11. The average housefly lives for one month.
12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year.
13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened.
14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute.
15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than the rest of the day.
16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep.
17. The REAL reason an ostrich sticks its head in the sand is to search for water.
18. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the Rabbit and the Parrot.
19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Tootsie".
20. Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State anthem.
21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used instead of real milk.
22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane, just in case there is a crash.
23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor.
24. Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are reused in vein transplant surgery.
25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins.
26. If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be Green.
Answers: All of the above are true. Don't you just love number sixteen?

A paragraph that has been removed from wikipedia

Princess Diana's Lineage

 

Diana is a thirteenth cousin once removed from George W. Bush. John Dryden of Canons Ashby is the 14th grandfather of George W. Bush through his daughter Bridget Dryden. John Dryden of Canons Ashby is the 13th great-grandfather of Diana by his son Erasmus Dryden. [1]

Prior to her marriage, much research into her ancestry was conducted by both British and American Genealogist. Including the late David Geoffrey Williamson of Debrett's Peerage. And Gary Boyd Roberts and William Addams Reitweisner, the last two author's of 'American Ancestors and Cousins of The Princess of Wales' 1984. A further study of her entire known ancestry has been compiled by Richard Evans; volume one covering thirteen generations, will be published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society probably in 2007. Mssrs. Roberts and Reitwiesner identified 300 major figures in American history distantly related to the Princess through her roughly 25 Great Migration New England forebears (and various ancestors in the mid-Atlantic, especially N.J.). Mr. Roberts added over fifty more in the first two chapters of his Notable Kin, Volume One (1998). It was much publicized that these distant kinsmen included Hollywood screen legend Humphrey Bogart (who was her 7th cousin), and the two presidents Adams, Fillmore, Hayes, Cleveland, Taft, Harding, Coolidge, F.D. Roosevelt, Nixon, and the two Bushes (plus first ladies Lucy Ware Webb Hayes, Frances Folsom Cleveland, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, Ellen Louise Axson Wilson, Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace Truman, and Anne Francis Robbins "Nancy Davis" Reagan. Actor Oliver Platt is more closely related; both he and Diana, Princess of Wales are descendants of Frances Work, a late 19th-century American heiress who was briefly the wife of the Hon. James Burke Roche, later 3rd Baron Fermoy.

Living and Dying expenses

I was reading a book
review in Philippine News. One comment suddenly jumped into my eyes:"the two sharpest
verbs ... are living and dying", while recommending chapter "Living and Dying Expenses".

Another recommended chapter is "Time is Gold/Money is Paper". 
The book is named "Surreality", which the author Carissa Villacorta, is selling on Amazon.

On another note, the death of somebody you knew , will bring  you face-to-face with the Death. I asked myself, how will the world judge me if I die today.
Most likely I am ignorable. Unless I died miserably, then it becomes an excellent sad story to put in the news. In any case, no one will care how I lived.

This is ironic and makes a lot of sense, because living is the normal state of everyone around (those who died are not around any more). Why making a fuss over the normal state? Unless it's a scandal, of course.
What lowly being I am one of.