山寨，建筑

世博会开幕了。

记得第一次看见中国馆的图片，我就有似曾相识的感觉。想了一下，原来，我对波士顿市政府的建筑太熟悉了。和朋友们一说，大家都有同样的看法呢。可是，我们都很痛恨那怪模怪样的冷冰冰的毫不可亲的钢筋水泥的残酷建筑。那么，涂上了中国红，造型又更加夸张的头重脚轻，就会让我喜欢它了吗？

巧克力慕斯

继提拉米苏之后，我又一次成功地涉足甜点制作。星期四晚上我第一次做了巧克力慕斯，成品大受欢迎，令我信心倍增。多谢Troubadour的方子，图文并茂，非常的好，很适合我这个初学者。同时我也总结出来，要成功，还是得靠苦练。像星期四晚上，我就做了两份巧克力慕斯，有了第一份的经验教训，第二份就做的更加细腻。当然，青菜萝卜各有所爱，也有人告诉我说比较喜欢稍微粗燥的第一份呢。呵呵，成份都一样，只是质地外观口感不太一样罢了。

我真的是要向《掌握法式烹调》进军了！

Perhaps Love -- Placido Domingo & John Denver

我以为读中学时喜欢的江苏台的海蓉是我一个人的所爱呢（具体事例之一见此），没想到老友也很喜欢。好吧，今天就再说说海蓉的影响。那时候很喜欢海蓉的声音，和其他播音员都不同，温柔可亲，像大姐姐一样，而且她很有知识，总是有无穷无尽的音乐可以介绍给我们。除了西洋古典，还有外国，港台流行乐。我记得就是在她的节目里第一次听到好多的歌，比如《答案在风中飘》，《五百英里》，《昨日重现》，《乡村小路带我回家》，还有这一首多明戈和约翰丹佛的《也许爱》。那时我的英文不好，基本听不懂唱的啥。但这一首歌，非常不同，因为是美声的多明戈和通俗的丹佛合做演绎丹佛的作品，两种唱法互相映衬，有特别的感觉。



Perhaps Love
Artists : Placido Domingo , John Denver

Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
and don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

O love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
Some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict full of pain
Like a fire when it's cold outside
A thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
Some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict full of pain
Like a fire when it's cold outside
A thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

约翰丹佛真是个浪漫的人，“如果我能永生，所有的梦想都成真，我的爱的记忆将会是你”，真的感人呢。后来得以完整地欣赏多明戈的这一张跨界的专辑，也是很喜欢。其中还有一首丹佛的作品，为他的妻子写的深情款款的《安妮的歌》，也是多少人的所爱呢（包括本人啦），最近齐豫也用她的天籁般的声音演绎了这首歌，有兴趣的可以去搜来听听。

现在回想起来，海蓉真的是对当年那个懵懵懂懂的我的音乐爱好起了至关重要的作用，又或者我的品味和她很像我才喜欢她的节目的。昨天老友提起她曾见过海蓉。我问，她啥样？她可是我当年的偶像啊！时间久远，老友亦记不起，却搜出了海蓉的博客，害得我花时间去读，然后有些失望，发现我的偶像也和我们一样，都是平常人，也要亲自吃饭，亲自上厕所（这些博客可没写啊，是我自己想象的），也有迷惑，也要追求寄托。之后我就想，我们也长大了，我们不需要偶像了，因为我们自己就是自己的偶像。

在这里，我还是要怀念她带给我的影响。这两篇是她的博客里登载的对她的访问，算是回忆录吧，是我最喜欢的篇章。

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4b10f3fd010008o2.html

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4b10f3fd010008om.html

吃在台湾（4）

九份真是吃的天堂！当我们进入这个超级商业化的九份老街的时候，一点也没有感觉到悲情城市的气氛，反而，络绎不绝的游客和炎热的天气让我兴奋地像提前过年。老街当然也买纪念品，但我对吃的感兴趣，尤其是时值中午，我已经饥肠辘辘了。几乎所有的摊位都允许客人品尝，像这一家卖梅子的，我和SW几乎尝遍了所有的品种，都挑花了眼。

这个没有尝，但是用刨刀刨花生糖很有意思：

坐下来吃了一碗各色粉圆：

还吃了一个红糟肉丸：

一碗各色鱼丸：这家店的座位有意思，好像都是木桩。店里的装饰是老板娘在世界各地旅游的数不尽的靓照。

又买了一份臭豆腐：

看了一眼烤鱿鱼，烤海螺：

品尝了各种辣味的小鱼干，樱花虾，买了狠辣的。

傍晚，在荒凉的淡水渔人码头，吃了一个阿给（就是大鱼丸）：

晚上泡完温泉后，在新北投捷运站外，兴奋地发现了鸭血汤，够辣够美味，让我想起多年前在家乡路边摊吃的。可惜忘了拍照。

就这样经过几百公里从花莲沿着海岸线转了差不多四分之一圈，我们筋疲力尽地回到台北，结束了我们在台湾的最后一个整天。

最后一个半天我们在宾馆吃了丰富的中式早餐，有稀饭，炒饭，豆浆，各式小菜，炒菜，小馒头，包子，等等。西式早餐也有很多选择。总之，比我平时的早餐好多了。这就是我在台湾的吃的记录。没有吃到棺材板，因为没有去台南，留待下次吧。那天中午，我们就拖着变重变鼓了的行李箱，离开了台北。

野鸭之战

傍晚的时候我在住地附近慢跑。经过乡村俱乐部的高尔夫球场的时候，被一阵大的动静吓到了。有三只野鸭呱噪地从树上方飞速而下，落在周末的雨水积成的浅浅的小水潭里。是一只母鸭，两只公鸭。我不禁起了好奇心，想看看事态会怎样发展。果然不出我所料，这是一个三角恋，两只公鸭竭尽全力地争取获得那只母鸭，不惜使用暴力攻击对方的身体，同时还要顾及和母鸭XX，顿时水花伴着泥花飞溅。这种求爱方式真的一点也不浪漫，没想到野鸭是这样暴躁的动物。就在这时，悠悠地从树下游过来另外一只鸭，是一只母鸭，它就是那样悠闲的，事不关己的，边靠近，边旁观。我都为这些野鸭操心了，还打什么啊，二对二，不就解决了。可是，两只公鸭好像根本没看见这只新来的母鸭，继续为他们的爱奋战，持续了至少五分钟，连我这个生物学家都不知道是该为它们对爱的执着而感动，还是为它们的盲视而错失的机会而惋惜。

很突然的，战争停止了。三只野鸭散开来，各自甩开羽毛上的水。其中一只公鸭好像突然发现了另一只母鸭的存在，追着它，两只鸭子飞向天空，盘旋一周后，消失在远方。剩下的两只，各自清理着羽毛，好像什么也没发生一样，从水中登陆，各行其是了。看来经过这场战争，两只母鸭的归属都应该有定论了。

My First Star Trails

Apr. 10, 2010, 9:50pm, total of ~36 min exposure, Av 6.3, ISO 800, 18 mm.

Did I catch a meteor in this one? (detail of above image)


The Big Dipper: 10:37pm, ~7 min exposure.

Thanks to D for telling me how to merge multiple images :)

校园创意恶作剧

在这个世界著名的工科学校，每年都会有让人耳目一新的恶作剧出现。我不知道应该用什么词来称呼这种行为好，英文就叫做 hacking，其实这些“恶作剧”并不给大家带来麻烦（可能除了学校里负责拆除这些东西的工人），反而让大家欣赏，开心，继而琢磨他们是怎样做的。以前有名的恶作剧有:出现在大圆顶上的警车（里面还有警察，喝着咖啡，吃着甜甜圈），怀特兄弟的飞机，地铁车厢，雪人，奶牛，整个大圆顶变成大南瓜，星球大战里的机器人R2D2，乐谱，等等。还有恶作剧发展成了一年一度的传统，比如每年的扔钢琴，那是非常壮观，一架旧钢琴被从宿舍楼房顶扔下，照相机咔嚓个不停，无数人旁观见证钢琴瞬间变成一堆垃圾，是非常激动人心的时刻。只可惜我到现在还没有亲眼目睹。我猜这个活动是为了向学生们证明熵增加原理。

这个礼拜是新生访问校园的时间，所以不出意外的，在星期四的早晨，人们惊喜地发现了一个新的恶作剧：倒挂的客厅

挂在这么高的门拱上！是怎么弄上去的？以前我一直不知道这个门拱是干什么用的，原来是为了恶作剧做准备啊！

看看这客厅，有一幅画，一张台球桌，一棵树，一盏灯（还是亮的），两个沙发椅，一张咖啡桌，上面还有一瓶酒和两只杯子。我的相机可真厉害，照清楚了圆顶设计图和上面的涂鸦，还有沙发上蜷缩的一只猫，以及固定这只猫的细线。

门拱下面，有人不失时宜地卖 hacking T-shirts，我禁不住诱惑，花了十块钱买了一件。我问，是你们干的吗？答，不是。我们也不知道谁干的。又问，这个IHTFP是啥意思？答，它可以有很多意思，学生们可以有很多不同的解释，比如说"Institute Has The Finest Professors"。就在这时候，托马斯告诉我说，“I hate this f___kin’ place.” 这个解释立刻得到了卖T-shirt同学的肯定。想知道更多的IHTFP的意思吗？看这里。我是很文明的，我认为还可以解释为“I heart this fantastic place”。T-shirt的背后是黑客伦理，我会附在最后。

晚上的时候，东西还在。看来学校还没有得到怎样拆除这个恶作剧的方案。夜色里，我吃惊地发现，那幅画不见了！不会是掉下来了吧！好在其它东西，连同那只睡觉的猫，都还在。

Hacking Ethics

The safety of yourself, of others, and of property should have the highest priority. Safety is more important than pulling a hack or getting through a door.

Be SUBTLE; leave no evidence that you were ever there.

Brute force is the last resort of the incompetent.

Leave things as you found them (or better). Cause no permanent damage during hacks and while hacking. If you find something broken call F-IXIT.

Do not steal anything; if you must borrow something, leave a note saying when it will be returned and remember to return it.

Do not drop things without a ground crew to make sure no one is underneath.

Sign-ins are not graffiti and should not be seen by the general public. Sign-ins exhibit one's pride in having found an interesting location and should be seen only by other hackers.

Real hackers are not proud of discovering Lobby 7, random basements, or restrooms. Keep sign-ins small and respect other hackers' sign-ins.

Never drink and hack.

Never hack alone. Have someone who can get help in an emergency.

Know your limitations and do not exceed them. If you do not know how to open a door, climb a shaft, etc., then learn from someone who knows before trying.

Learn how not to get caught, but if you do get caught, accept gracefully and cooperate fully.

Share your knowledge and experience with other hackers.

Above all, exercise COMMON SENSE.

Becoming a Birdie

I was surprised that I didn't become interested in bird identification earlier, considering that the last Chinese character in my name actually is some kind of a bird. Until this morning, while driving around a curved road I noticed a small black-and-white bird with a patch of red on its head. It landed on the side of a tree, and started pecking. Instinct told me that it might be a woodpecker, but what woodpecker? And so small?

Then I think about my friends, A, V, and D, who are all enthusiastic bird lovers. Their ability in identifying birds are just beyond me. True, they must have books and manuals and iPhone apps to help them, but they are really devoted. V, on our trip to Peru, took 234 pictures of birds, and identified a large majority of them; I, on the contrary, probably got pictures of 5 birds, and identified none. D had rented a 400mm super telephoto lens and used two laptops to trigger his camera, which was aimed at his bird feeder, for picture-taking every 2 minutes for the length of 4 hours or so to catch as many birds as he could. That sounded very geeky to me, yet A had an additional suggestion for D, that he should install a motion sensor rather than wasting his camera battery. Well, what can I say? These are my scientist friends!

I knew I could always go to A for bird identification help. But the thing is, usually I don't see those birds clearly, so I can't describe them accurately. That is because my eye sight is bad (though A and D wear glasses, too). I think that is why I am not aware of the presence of birds around me. They simply fly away so fast that I can't even have a good look at them. But today, I saw that bird quite up close and clearly.

Before I went to A for help, I saw that National Geographic had a new Backyard Bird Identifier. It is just for people like me! I successfully identified my birdie as a Downy Woodpecker. It is interesting to know that it is quite widespread, though I had not noticed it before.

I think today is the turning point from which I will become more interested in birds.

Melodramma – Andrea Bocelli

贴歌要比写《吃在台湾》容易得多，我就在这里偷懒了。感觉这一个礼拜我的意大利语水平见长啊，呵呵。这一首歌，是我第一次听到就非常喜欢的，音乐真的如名字一样 melodramatic。有时候我也会想，我内心是否也是渴望 melodramatic 的生活呢？可是，艺术 melodramatic 一些比较有感染力，生活，还是平平淡淡是最真吧。

Paolo Luciani; Pierpaolo Guerrini

Melodramma Questa mia canzone Inno dell’amore Te la canto adesso Con il mio dolor Così forte, così grande che mi trafigge il cuor. Ma limpido è il mattino tra i campi odor di vino Io ti sognavo e adesso Ti vedo ancora lì Ah, quanta nostalgia Affresco di collina Io pìango che pazzia Fu andarsene poi via. Questa melodia Inno dell’amore Te la canto e sento Tutto il mio dolor Così forte, così grande che mi trafigge il cuor. Ma limpido è il mattino tra i campi un gran mulino lì è nato il mio destino amaro senza te… amaro senza te. E questo core canta Un dolce melodramma È l’inno dell’amor Che canterò per te È un melodramma che Che canto senza te.

Melodrama This song of mine Hymn of love I sing to you now With my pain So strong, so great it stabs my heart. But the morning is clear between the fields the scent of wine I dreamed of you and now I see you still there Ah, what memories Fresco of hills I cry what madness Was to leave and go. This melody Hymn of love I sing to you and feel All my pain So strong, so great it stabs my heart. But the morning is clear between the fields a windmill there was born my fate Bitter without you ... Bitter without you. And this heart sings A sweet melodrama It is the hymn of love I'll sing for you It is a melodrama I sing without you.