Friday, September 28, 2007

想当年

体育从来不是我的强项。

大一那年夏天,我们全班爬泰山。我很不争气,落在最后一位。一步一步象蜗牛一样地爬,简直生不如死。我当即开始怀疑人生,一如上周六的一个teenager boy,"Exactly, what's the point of this?"然而,在山路上,我就不停地发誓,我下山以后一定加紧锻炼,下一次登泰山一定要比这次轻松,不能再落后。

可是在逆境当中发的誓往往不能被我实现。而且,我现在总结出来,登山远比跑步耗体力(我有5公里27分25秒的纪录,比较慢,我知道,但我有耐力)。上一次略微让我自豪的是在优胜美地,我爬了一大半的Half Dome,高差800米,颇为炫耀了好多年。

这一次,三周后我就要去Inca Trail,三天半的徒步旅行,在第二天要攀登高差1200米的Dead Woman's Pass。最近工作繁忙,疏于锻炼,体能欠缺,所以我有些担心。为了重新体验一下登山的感觉,上周六我去爬一个高差500多米的山,又是气喘吁吁,汗流浃背,上山(2.5hr)下山(1.5hr)总共花了4个小时,可书上说,3小时就可完成。我哭啊!不过又想一想,那第二天的Inca Trail并不需要下很多山,所以8个小时我应该可以完成。

回来后超级红袜子迷听说了我的业绩。我表达了征服Dead Woman's Pass的信心,却被告诫说:“那可是海拔4200米的关口啊!想当年我在科罗拉多登山就感到空气稀薄,呼吸困难。那还没有4000米呢!”言下之意是:“我很担心你们变成dead women啊!”

我立刻意识到了局势的严重性,所以我已经开始了我的训练:爬楼梯和跑步交替进行。今天我要爬四次楼梯,一次36米。慢慢要逐渐增加负重,以适应我的摄影器材。

希望通过这次锻炼,可以将几磅肥肉换成肌肉,这样就一举两得了。

Friday, September 21, 2007

The Answer

to a crazy experiment:



It worked! The phone is back again, and it completed one call while we were watching.

Seeing is believing. I am convinced that miracles do happen.

(Sorry for the blurry pics. An Image Stabilizer would be so helpful here.)

First Shot

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

豆腐盒的妙用

Reading NY Times' Tech Innovation today I found this picture:



The familiar green/white round tofu container sits right in the middle of a somehow cluttered bench in a biotech lab here in 'home, sweet home' Cambridge.

What is going on?

I and EPA would both consider that a safety violation: No food wrap or food container should be allowed in a lab! :)

ps, I bet the biotech lab is right around the corner from the tofu factory :)

pps, it's bad PR to let such a tofu container appear in a story in New York Times.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

I Love My iMac

It's very beautiful!

Today is the first day I am using it. Migration from my old Mac was painless. All my files and applications got copied over within an hour. It can't be simpler. In addition, I have already discovered new functions on my brand new computer. I have video-chatted across the wall, and over the land. I feel achieved.

But I do have a suggestion for Apple: get a better lens for the camera. My face looks too fat in iChat!

Sunday, September 02, 2007

My Hollywood Connections

数一数,好像还有两三个。

当年李安拍《喜宴》的时候,S去做群众演员,出现在饭店的大场面。这个景并不好,根本没有可吃的东西,还要假装吃喝,还看不到S的面容。不过,在女主角机场迎接准公婆的场景里,S被安排站在女主角身后的显眼位置。为此,我把《喜宴》看了两次,每次都很兴奋地等待S出场,并且很精确的目测了女主角金素梅的身高。但是李安拍《喜宴》的时候,还不算好莱坞的导演吧,现在已经是大导了。

H为《面纱》做助理, 在片尾冠上了Cable Runner的美名,还根据经历,写了数篇博文。H也为《谍中谍III》做过双语翻译。我没看过片子,不知道他是不是也被鸣谢了。

现如今,M也要在好莱坞影片里扎一角了,已经定下本月底和Steve Martin一起拍戏。我好奇地问,他们能让人探班吗?(我也想尝尝探班的滋味。)M说,好像不行。

哎,我的好莱坞联系还是不够紧密。