Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The Opposite of Dr. MacDaddy D’s Legacy

“Wow, your computer room is really clean! I guess it must have been Dave who made a mess in it.”

--Jackie
Oct. 30, 2006

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Fugue

noun

1 Music a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody or phrase (the subject) is introduced by one part and successively taken up by others and developed by interweaving the parts.
2 Psychiatry a state or period of loss of awareness of one's identity, often coupled with flight from one's usual environment, associated with certain forms of hysteria and epilepsy.

Learned the second meaning from today's NYT, as in "dissociative fugue". Still can't understand why it is a 'fugue.'

Maybe this helps:

ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French, or from Italian fuga, from Latin fuga ‘flight,’ related to fugere ‘flee.’

Monday, October 23, 2006

Dirty Job DIY

Tool:
  • 15-ft drain auger ("snake")
Cost:
  • $7.99 at Home Depot
Time spent:
  • 15 minutes consulting a friend about "snake"
  • 15 minutes shopping at Home Depot
  • 15 minutes learning how to use it + finishing the job (It takes some strength!)
Result:
  • Clear drain
Psychological effect:
  • invaluable
  • comforts my poor router-beaten mind
I, in fact, am very handy!

Sorry about this disgusting picture. But it was my biggest achievement on Sunday!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

How Much Does It Take To Set Up A Wireless Router

Well, apparently it takes a LOT. They claim that Easy Installation will only take three minutes, but today I have been struggling to re-install my two-year-old 54g wireless router since 3:30pm to no avail (that's 3.5 precious hours). I called the router maker three times, and every time a new service agent would make me do the same things again and again. They also suspected that my internet provider had some problem, too. So I called my internet provider. Of course they blame the router maker, saying that the router would make a lot changes to the modem.

Well, I think the first service agent with the router maker is correct: the router is broken. It is just very hard to convince the other two to believe it. I believe it because my old-fashioned wired router works perfectly fine (but where am I gonna find two 40-foot cables for it?).

Oh, it's so frustrating! I could have used my time better!

By the way, judging from the service agents' accent, I believe the router maker's service center is in India.



Added 12:13am Oct. 24:

Now I am online, wireless, and it has been working fine!

Of course, this was only after some 30 minutes with the guidance of a very knowledgeable friend of my new roomie: unplugging and plugging the power cord to the Comcast modem, and eventually resetting while powering on the modem worked.

The following is just a record of what I have done, what could be the reason etc. It serves as a reminder to myself, in case I face the same problems again.

1) I bought a new wireless router, and it failed installation. Yes. That told me that it definitely was not the router. It must be the connection between the modem and the router.
2) Comcast modems are one of a kind: they don't like routers. They think they should only connect to ONE computer. So when setting up a router, the router might have difficulty finding the internet (because the modem refuses it).
3) In order to make the modem forget its default settings, it has to be power-cycled, or reset, or reset-while-power-cycled.
4) Access the router via web configuration page. Make sure WAN connection type is DHCP client or fixed IP. Under Status, if WAN connection is disconnected, do DHCP release, and then DHCP renew. It should work.

It is easily said than done. I'm so very grateful to my roomie's friend. More knowledgeable than Belkin and Comcast technical support.

Hmm, I am not sure that my two-year-old Belkin is dead after all!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

坚强地面对现实

我检讨,我对科学不够关心。我的这个小领域最近出了学术丑闻我到今天才得知。其实,八月底就察觉到有什么不对劲:一篇文章EPub了两天就被作者撤回。当时我就有疑问,为什么要这样做呢?EPub之前干什么去了?

今天才知道,这件事(还涉及到其它的文章)的whistle-blower,这个日本实验室的助理教授,在告发了正教授作假之后,在需要到调查委员会前作证前两天,选择了自杀以结束自己的生命。多么的可悲及可惜!

想到前些日子J着迷的日剧《白色巨塔》,见习医院里副教授和正教授的明争暗斗,以及日本学术界的等级森严,都压抑地让我喘不过气来。没想到比这更戏剧性的情节却在现实里上演。是什么样的压力使得Kさん不得不选择那样的结局呢?

我们每个人都面临大大小小的压力。如果我是Kさん,我会选择坚强地面对现实,为真理而奋斗。生命是如此珍贵,不可以就这样结束。

题外话:今天才发现,J欣赏的柳田充弘教授是如此的精力充沛:他的每天更新的博客有日文版英文版,而且还有闲情逸致种菜养花!有兴趣的请看他对作假事件的看法。

Saturday, October 14, 2006

The World Out of the Window

It's fascinating...

Radar's got a thing for chairs these days. He is very good at climbing them. Today he learned to put his front paws on the back of the chair. He stayed up there for more than 5 minutes. Long enough for me to get my camera out for this shot.

Christmas Cactus in October


蘸满颜料的笔尖







很多蝶

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

《疯狂的石头》

好看!名不虚传!当然,除了前面一半我猜得出的情节,后面一波三折之后的四折五折就很让我称奇了。尤其是结局,每个人都各得其所,很让我满意。

要是国产电影都这么拍就有得救了。谁还要看什么大片,无非是把《哈姆雷特》《雷雨》之类搬到华丽绚烂的古代中国,除此之外,还有什么新意?哼,记得毛主席教导过我们,文艺是为人民服务的。这帮大导们,都是怎么学的?

Friday, October 06, 2006

中秋月


应个景,贴个今晚的月亮。
月升六点整,这是六点三十六吧。


天公不作美,一会儿成了这样。


祝大伙儿中秋快乐!


Bonus:

昨儿的景。

Monday, October 02, 2006

这谁谁

原来是有人给我做广告了。

我现在心情很复杂,一言难尽。特以此博记之。

另:知道大家都在等我的游记呢。近期较忙,各种杂事。腹中饥饿,垫了点小米同学送的刚做好的奶酪,感觉好多了。又有了力量。游记稍候付上。