Ramble on the Internet
Tissue box
Leave a Comment
I am a big consumer of tissue paper, cause my nose always complains about the change of weather. So I like stylish tissue boxes everywhere in my room. Very eye candy and useful.
This one looks pretty cool. It dispenses a piece of tissue whenever you shake its hand. Quite expensive though.
A website as a living organism
Leave a Comment
“the impact of computing will go deeper into the sciences and spread more into the social sciences, and policy issues will loom large, as the technology becomes more powerful and more pervasive.”
With the background of computer science, I am fond of knowing the impact of technolgy on social sciences, especially on educational issues. Sometimes, I really know what I am going to do, while sometimes I really don’t know what I am doing. This probably is the learning maze. The enjoyable thing in a maze is not the moment you are walking along the alley, but the the moment when you are facing the junctions. I think I am there now.
“This is the introduction of computing and algorithmic processes into the social sciences in a big way,” Dr. Kleinberg said, “and we’re just at the beginning.”
I am just at the start as well. What are the patterns or characteristics of existed social networking? What things is social networking expecting for? Are they alive or dead? Are they real or virtual? Can they be explained by mathmatic formula? So many questions are in my mind, which gives me a big headache.
“We’ll have the capability, and it will be up to society to determine how we use it,” Dr. Rashid said. “Society will determine that, not scientists.”
USB seat warmer
4 Comments
Computers usually need to be kept in a relative low temperature condition for its proper work. Traditionally, we built computer labs with air conditioning.
I sometimes use my laptop to warm my hand in the cold winter, but I have never thought that I could transfer computer’s heating energer to another commercial product. Check this out: Thanko seat warmer. The heater starts to work when it is connected to the computer by USB. Pretty cool.
Educational Philosophy
2 Comments
I chose to study educational research, saying goodbye to natural science, almost one year ago. At that moment, I knew I gave up my dream of inventing some gadget like Edison(^laugh^), but I attempted to share my love with a new generation of people in the following years. That was a tough choice, but I was so determined to leave my research lab that year, in retrospect.
This year, I was attracted by this investment banking thing. To be honest, I have no knowledge about economics or finance. It seemed like that I still wanted to give it a go. Is that because I am tired of this kind of research life – calm and progressive? Is that because I finally realised that it is time for me to challenge another social life? I don’t know.
I was invited for a UBS dinner reception in a luxurious restaurant, which was located in my favourate place of London. I was amazed by the setting, the food, and the talking. I got a strong different feeling of the outside world, but I think they are quite interested in the world I am living as well. It was a wonderful three course dinner, but you need to keep talking to people in a good manner for three hours. I think food helped me a lot. I always appreciated life when I had tasty food. I think they like my bright and positive opinions when I was eating. No wonder I put eating and sleeping on the top of my to-do list. This was a nice experience.
However, I am back to the library now. I still love this peaceful small town, and I still want to get drunk in those books. A lovely sunny afternoon, several young people sit around a table loosely, and discuss the meaning of life with a amiable and respectable professor. The mind went back to 800 years ago. All these informed educationists came to us and share their stories with those young students, who just started their journey in their lives.
These are definitely something there, but you cannot possess. You only can feel and tast it by heart with others. It is peaceful and lovely. What is it? I think this is love.
Invisible Revolution – Douglas Englebart
Leave a Comment
He is best known for inventing the computer mouse, which is considered as an invisible revolution on the net. He is such a pioneer of human computer interaction as well as a precursor to GUIs. He has always been ahead of his time, having ideas that seemed far-reached at the time but were taken for granted later. It has been a long while since the computer mouse was invented, however, no other single device can claim itself better than a small mouse today. If “a plague of rats” on the net comes, what should we do?
