For the Beauty of the Earth

[121 Words]

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:

[Refrain]
Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our joyful hymn of praise!

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild:

For Thyself, best gift devine,
To our race so freely given;
For that great, great love of Thine,
Peace on earth and joy in heaven:

[words by Folliot S. Pierpoint, rev.; Setting by John Rutter]

Nikon lens codes

[121 know]

A -- The original bayonet lens type (1959). Manual focus lens. Considered Pre-AI
ADR -- Aperture Direct Readout. A fancy way of saying that aperture scale can be seen directly by the cameras that have overhanding prisms (ala F4, F5). Started with AI lenses in 1977.
AF-I -- An autofocus lens with an Integrated, coreless focus motor (1992). All AF-I lenses are D-type, but some older bodies can't autofocus with them (N60, N8008).
AF-S -- An autofocus lens with a Silent wave, integrated, coreless focus motor (1996). Basically an update to AF-I. Some older bodies can't autofocus with them (N60, N8008).
AI -- Aperture Indexing (1977). Manual focus lens.
AI-P -- An AI lens variant (1988) that was "chipped" to send data to the camera.
AI-S -- A variant of AI designed to be used with Program and Shutter-priority exposure modes (1982). Manual focus lens. Distinguished by smallest aperture being printed in orange and a small scoop on the bayonet flange, which transmits aperture info. Otherwise same as AI.
ASP -- Lens has aspherical elements in its optic design.
C -- A lens coating type (Nikon Integrated Coating) for Pre-AI lenses. Distinguished by a C after the lens designation and a black filter ring.
CRC -- Close Range Correction, means that the lens was designs to provide superior focusing at close distances and with flat fields.
D -- (1992) Adds distance information to the data transmitted to the camera via chip. Distinguished by the D or G after the lens designation.
DC -- Defocus Control lens, allows the photographer to change the degree of spherical aberration in the out-of-focus areas to provide for better bokeh.
DX -- Indicates a lens designed to cover the smaller image circle of the digital camera bodies. May still work on 35mm bodies at some focal lengths. {Once again we have to talk about what DX means. All of the current (as I write this) Nikon DSLRs (plus the Fujifilm DSLRs) have a sensor that's smaller than a 35mm frame. It's often referred to as APS size, as it's very close to the frame size of that now mostly forgotten film type. To wit, the 35mm frame is about 36mm across the long axis, while the Nikon DSLRs have sensors that are all about 24mm across the long axis. That means that any traditional 35mm Nikkor lens has an image circle that is far bigger than is necessary on the DSLRs. The DX series lenses are designed with an image circle more appropriate to the smaller sensor size of the digital lineup. Essentially, these lenses are designed solely for use on Nikon DSLRs (and the Fujifilm DSLRs). The advantage of a DX lens is that it can be smaller and lighter than a lens of similar specifications that needs to cover the full 35mm frame. }
E -- A special type of AI lens (1977) introduced with the consumer-oriented EM body. Says Nikon Series E on the lens. Light in weight, plastic in construction, but optically good.
ED -- Extra-low Dispersion element(s) used in the lens.
G -- Removes the aperture ring from a D-type lens. Thus needs to be used on camera with Command dial control of apertures. With some older cameras (N90s, for example), can be used in Program or Shutter-priority exposure mode, though.
IF -- Lens uses internal focusing rather than moving or turning outer elements.
IX -- Lenses for the Pronea system (Advanced Photo System). Can't be used on the 35mm or digital bodies.
K -- Another Pre-AI lens type, this time with rubber focus rings.
N -- Originally, the actual designation used for the first AI lenses; beginning in 2005 it now stands for Nano Crystal Coat, a special type of flare reduction coating applied to newer lenses.
NIC -- Nikon Integrated Coating. A fancy way of referring to Nikon's glass coating system, which is used to help reduce flare and ghosting.
PC -- Perspective Control lens, allows the front of the lens to be shifted relative to the rest of the lens to correct for perspective. All PC lenses are either AI or AI-P in type.
RF -- Rear Focusing, means that lens achieves focusing by moving the rear elements; similar to IF.
SIC -- Super Integrated Coating, a multi-layer flare reduction coating, usually applied to the more complex zoom lenses.
VR -- Vibration Reduction lens, corrects for camera movement during exposure. VR function only works on cameras with 5 or more autofocus sensors (e.g., not F4, N90s, N60, N70, N8008). Lately, Nikon has been using a VRII designation to indicate some advances to the vibration reduction system.

[http://www.bythom.com/lensacronyms.htm]

The One Thing

[121 Thoughts]

IF, there's only one thing I can ask of God, I would ask for insightfulness. It's wisdom, a deep understanding beyond the surface. It's seeing through the appearance to reach the core of the matter. It's knowing the reasons that give rise the event, and can predict how it will unfold itself. It helps one to act more rationally and less emotionally. It quietly observes, and interpretes without being conspicious. It draws the attention to the matter itself, and less to observer. It can calm a raging storm in one's heart, yet it can also spark a lightening that penetrates the darkness of the night.

What's FMLA, FTDI, SDI and when they can be important?

[121 Know]

FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993): up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave of absense in a 12-month period; basically it garantees you still have a job with the same company (might not be the same position); it doesn't garantee that you will get paid during this peroid of time (for pay you'll need SDI or FTDI from the state); restrictions apply; this is a federal law;

PDL (California Pregnancy Discrimination Law): job-protected leave for women having a baby; runs concurrently with and very similar to FMLA; this is a state law; not sure if it also garantees full salary from the employer??

CFRA (California Family Rights Act): up to 12 additional weeks of leave after PDL; this is a state law; think of it as an extention of PDL; not sure if it garantees that you will get paid during this period?? (or you'll get paid only from SDI or FTDI??);

SDI (California State Disability Insurance): up to 6 weeks of payment (55% of salary or $840, whichever is less); this is funded by the state and comes from mandatory employee contribution; more info: http://www.edd.ca.gov or call 1-877-BE-THERE;

FTDI (Family Temporary Disability Insurance): basically a special case of SDI with similar rules; this one is specialized for caring new baby or sick family member (spouse, parent, children); one can use FTDI in addition to an SDI benefit at the same time;

HDTV

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5108580-3.html

Last two games in World Cup 2006

[121 Events]

It strikes me as amazing how the last two games of the world's most popular soccer tournament could pivot on just two individuals--one for each game. In the 3:1 match between Germany and Portugal, all 3 goals of Germany were scored by the same player--Number 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger (means "pig climber"?) of Bayern Munich club. (Ok, the second goal was a mistake by the Portugal defender, but it was his free-kick.)

For the championship match between Italy and Frence, which was 1:1 in standard time and ended with 5:3 (Italy) after penalty kick, all the watershed moments evolved around one men--Number 23 Marco Materazzi--in a even more dramatic fashion:

Materazzi fouled Florent Malouda for France’s early penalty, headed Italy’s equaliser, said or did something to cause Zinedine Zidane’s mind to blow and then stroked home a penalty in the shoot-out. (BBC)

After having such a luster and controversial show in front of the whole world (surely what he acutally said or did to the French Captain during the 110 minute of the match will be a topic for sports gossip long after the game), it might be time for the 1.93-meter-tall 33-year-old defender to take a long rest, or even retire, from his dramatic career. Enough is enough.

(Question: If Paparazzi means a 'buzzing insect' in dialectal Italian, what would Materazzi mean?)

I know

I know you're not perfect
but neither am I

I like it just teh way you are
Would you be my valintine
tonight

No Title

The fear of loosing you
and the willingness and
desire to suffer
often look at each other
eye to eye

How precious it is
for you to give your tenderness
to me

I've never fell in
so completely, strongly

I have my silliness and stupidity
yet you're so forgiving

When I have difficulty explaining
myself
your understanding helps me
to untangle myself

When I see you welcoming me
you seem to be everything
that is important
in the world
to me

If

If God can let it happen,
I can let it happen

If God can forgive,
I can forgive

If God can love,
I can love

If God can make, and love it,
I can accept it and love it as well

The Science of Second-Guessing

[121 Quotes]

QUESTIONS FOR STEPHEN HAWKING
Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON (NY Times 12/12/2004)

What do you think was the most important physics idea to emerge this year?

We won't know for a few years.

What about the recent discovery that teleportation of very small particles is actually possible? Will we one day be able to whisk ourselves through space the way they did on ''Star Trek''?

The ''Star Trek'' version is bogus, but there's a sense in which Hawking radiation -- the light and particles that come out of black holes -- escapes by teleportation.

Speaking of black holes, you recently confessed that you had made an error in your famous theory about them.

My discovery that black holes emit radiation raised serious problems of consistency with the rest of physics. I have now resolved these problems, but the answer turned out to be not what I expected.

Do you feel that scientists correct themselves as often as they should?

More often than politicians, but not as often as they should.

What is your I.Q.?

I have no idea. People who boast about their I.Q. are losers.

How can we know if you qualify as a genius physicist, as you are invariably described?

The media need superheroes in science just as in every sphere of life, but there is really a continuous range of abilities with no clear dividing line.

Are you saying you are not a genius?

I hope I'm near the upper end of the range.

With all your intense erudition, why do you bother writing pop-science books about the universe, the latest of which is the illustrated version of ''On the Shoulders of Giants''?

I want my books sold on airport bookstalls.

Are you always this cheerful?

Life would be tragic if it weren't funny.

Seriously, how do you keep your spirits up?

My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.

Indeed, incurable motor-neuron disease has confined you to a wheelchair and caused you to lose the ability even to speak. Is a computer your only means of communication?

I use an on-screen software keyboard, called E Z KEYS. I access this keyboard via a single button switch that I hold in my hand.

You have long been associated with Cambridge University, in England, and I'm wondering whether you find Americans to be equally knowledegable about science.

I have found far greater enthusiasm for science in America than here in Britain. There is more enthusiasm for everything in America.

How can you say that? Just last month a Gallup poll found that only 35 percent of Americans accept Darwin's theory of evolution, while 45 percent prefer the creationist view.

Maybe it is because people in America have less sense of belonging to a tradition and culture than in Europe, so they turn to fundamental religion.

Do you believe in God?

I don't believe in a personal God.

What do you think of President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years?

Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you don't have to bring them back.

Do you think people will ever live on a planet besides Earth?

Yes, if we don't self-destruct first.

What do you and your academic friends make of the debate over embryonic-stem-cell research in this country?

In Britain, like most of the developed world, stem-cell research is regarded as a great opportunity. America will be left behind if it doesn't change policy.

Could stem-cell research help you at all?

Like Christopher Reeve, I'm very much in favor, but unlike he did, I don't expect to benefit personally.

[See more Stephen Hawking quotes here: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking]

Maud Powell

[121 People]

The 19th centry American violinist is not a well-known figure nowadays, but she was in her time. Born in Peru, Illinois on August 22, 1867, she became the first great master of violin in America, premering works of Tchaikovsky and Dvojak to the U.S. audience. She began her music education in Aurora, Ill (a town 40 miles west of Chicago) and later went to Chicago, Leipzig, Berlin, Paris, and London for further study. She played with almost all the top orchestra in Europe and the U.S. She was married to her manager and died at the age of 52 of heart attack.

Her first name pronounced 'MAWD', and is a short form of 'Matilda' (has german origin for 'strength in battle.'

From Knowledge to Actions

[ 121 Thoughts]

1. Do I know what's the right thing to do? [knowledge]
2. Do I want to do the right thing? [will]
3. Do I feel-like doing what I want to do? (*) [action]

(* Take the example of free will. Judaism says that free will is the decision between what you "want" to do, and what you "feel like" doing. For example, if you harmed someone, you know that you "want" to apologize. Sure, it's the right thing to do and will make peace. But you don't "feel like" doing it because it may be embarrassing and unpleasant. -- zz)

From mediocrity to greatness

[121 Thoughts]

How do you get someone to be great?

Many people are so used to inner conflict that they've accepted it as status quo. They accept mediocrity as a way of life, as if greatness is only for "great people." People often don't know what they really want from life. And if they don't know what's worth pursuing, they lose the motivation to try.

Teach people to have goals, and teach them to figure out what goals are worthwhile. Keep asking: "What do you want?" Focus them: "Can you be truly happy if you're striving to be mediocre? Can you be at peace if you're not feeling fulfilled?"

Body and Soul

[121 Thoughts]

When you're locked in a moral battle, and both choices seem equally tempting, how do you know which "voice" is talking?

If the result of a decision will be comfort and ease, then it's probably your body talking. Whereas if the result will be more kindness and patience, then that's your soul.

[source]

Of late / For the latter

[121 Words]

Recently.

黃錦波

[121 People]

祖籍廣東省臺山市水步鎮華寧村，1943年出生於香港，畢業於香港皇仁書院中學。

1961年赴美定居，後獲醫學博士學位；

1972年到美國加州開設診所。

1978年當選為美國加州喜瑞都市副市長；

1984年當選為美國加州喜瑞都市市長。

“在喜瑞都市任市長期間﹐我發展了一個城市的經濟﹐把一個畜牧業的鄉村變成一個非常富有的都市﹐這些都是我對美國發展城市經濟方面的貢獻。”他說﹐城 市也是一個企業﹐需要管理,一個城市的發展﹐市長就是企業的最高領導﹐是決策者。當然﹐這是全體議員﹑副市長和執行城市經理人的貢獻﹐不是我一個人做的。 在發展喜瑞都市經濟時﹐我們投資6000萬美元在喜瑞都市建起了美國一流的大劇院﹐還建起了全美最大的世界名牌汽車銷售一條街﹐共有25家汽車公司的幾十 個牌子的車在此銷售。 (chinesenewsnet.com)

　　“在我的城市﹐我很驕傲的就是沃爾馬。”黃錦波說﹕“我當市長﹐招商引資﹐沃爾馬來了﹐但是我的同事(其他副市長﹑議員)反對﹐不要他們來﹐我是唯一 支持他們來的人。同事們說他們賣的東西很便宜﹐會引進很多外來的居民﹐影響到我們的交通﹑治安﹐影響到我們的氣派﹐因為沃爾馬的外形好像一個工廠﹐很簡 陋。我與沃爾馬商談我的同事為什麼反對﹐他們願不願意改進﹐把我們擔心的東西去掉﹐我要他們蓋商店時﹐要配合我們的五星級酒店﹐合同中也寫明要優先安排我 們城市的居民就業﹐這就使我們城市的居民有工作做了﹐還增加了稅收﹐同時﹐沃爾馬的外形在美國的城市裡也變成一流的﹐非常漂亮。他們的營業額很高﹐員工薪 水﹑稅收收入也不少﹐90年代我們城市居民的平均收入是全美國排第二位的城市。” (chinesenewsnet.com)

１９６３年，黃錦波考入了猶他州鹽湖城的藥劑學院，並做了５年的藥劑師。在此期間，他開始為猶他州醫科大學的入學考試做準備。競爭是激烈的，報考的 １２００人中，學校只錄取８０人。黃錦波最終被錄取並且只用了３年半的時間學完了醫科大學的全部專業課程，成為這所學校自１９４８年以來第一個在如此短的 時間內修完學分的學生。１９７１年，黃錦波取得了醫學博士學位，完成了他人生奮鬥最重要的知識儲備。
１９７２年，黃錦波正式開辦診所行醫，以後又先後涉足房地產和股票生意，還創辦了中美電視臺。

13939 San Antonio Drive
Norwalk, CA 90650-4036

Golf lesson 1

Golf is a game of the 'opposite': if you're right-handed, you use your left to guide the swing; if you want the ball go up, then hit down on it; if you want the ball to go left, then hit towards the right;

* Grip:

• the pad of your palm should be on top of the handle;
  
• the V should point to the right shoulder;
  
• should see only two knuckles of your left hand when you look down (that's a neutral grip and ball will go straight; a weak grip is seeing 1 knuckle and tends to slice the ball; a strong grip is seeing 3 and tends to hook);
  
• your right hand's fingers should touch the grip between first and second lines;
  
• your right index finger should point straight down when extended;
  
• grip force should be about 4 on a scale of 1-10 (swing the club with a relatively loose grip will max the natural momentum from the weight of the club, e.g. try holding the club with only two fingers and swing it)

* Stance:

• your left heel should be about 2 inches (the length of the foot of the club) from the line of the ball;
  
• the distance between the head of the club and your lap should be the 'rule of ten' (i.e. for a 7 iron, 3 fingers away, 9 iron, 1 finger away, and so on);
  
• chin up so at least the arm can fit under it;
• put the club perpendiculat to the line of target (that's a square position)
  

* Swing:

• remember your body is in a tube;
  
• turn your shoulders, but don't drop your shoulder, which will over tilt the hip;
  
• swing from inside to outside (crossing the target line), don't 'chicken-wing' it (many golfers have this problem);
  
• to illustrate the turn, hold the club with your arms horizontally behind your back, then try the swing action and see the turn;
• when the club hits the ball, it flattens the area of the ball at the contact point; and the ball travels on the club surface for a brief moment; the more you flatten the ball the further your shot will be
  

* Follow-through:

• feel the right toe going into the shot;

* Tips: when someone yells "fore" it's a warning of the ball flying in--duck and don't look.

MACARTHUR'S PRAYER FOR HIS SON

While fighting in the Pacific during WWII, General Douglas MacArthur, whose father was Civil War hero Lieutenant-General Arthur MacArthur, wrote this letter to his son, Arthur IV:

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak; and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee -- and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men, one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these thing are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain!"

剧雪

[121 People]

第一次在《上一当》中看到剧雪，很喜欢她的角色和演出。她是空政话剧团国家一级演员，长得美丽大方。为人朴实低调，又有内涵。在这年头，这样的人都少有，更何况演员？先生是何群，中国第五代导演。据说是高材生。