2008年3月26日 星期三
Live Comedy Club in MingChuan
I invited Social, the host of Live Comedy Club Taipei, to give a speech to the students in the architectural department of MingChuan University. The idea of having Social as a guest speaker was decided in the end of last semester when Miss Wang, the speech organizer of the student council, asked for my advices to suggest some suitable options. The reason for having Social is simplily based on his personal characteristics and his attitude towards life.
Besides the paradigms directly related to the architecture are inevitably inclusive in the speech program, I think it is also necessary for students to open an opportunity to those subjects which are directly related to the way of life. Learning how to deal with its own life means how to handle its own design projects. It is a crucial test to see if one is mature or not. Moreover, the artistic accomplishments are also the consequences of the way one entails.
Social's speech is on several levels. He talked about his creation turnings as a main line from his college days till now chronologically which also relates to the social shifts happened in the last 20 years in Taiwan. The story itself reveals how the creator deals with the macro environment by adjusting the way he creates his works. It is a practical wisdom rooted in the earth.
The other part he emphasized on is his newly opened, though nine months old now, comedy club near師大, and also introduced the top 5 characteristics of the shows on running so far and other interesting parts. He showed several live recording vedios and, trust me, it is really entertaining !! Students were laughing!!
It is fun!
Cheers! Social!
【轉貼】紫斑蝶成河 每分鐘千隻狂舞
(上圖)紫斑蝶 大遷徙 ▲氣溫回暖，躲入深山避冬的紫斑蝶，這幾天開始大遷徙，1分鐘上千隻蝴蝶掠過天空，相當壯觀。 （中央社）
(下圖)紫斑蝶停在防護網上的美姿。（生態工法發展基金會提供﹞
中國時報 2008.03.26
紫斑蝶成河 每分鐘千隻狂舞
許素惠／雲林報導
眾所期待的紫斑蝶河終於在廿五日近午時分出現，每分鐘多達一千隻紫色仙子勇闖中二高林內段，景象壯觀，不少蝶迷搶拍珍貴鏡頭。高公局上午十點緊急封路，保護紫斑蝶通行，林內鄉公所全都錄，把紫斑蝶北遷實況上傳專屬網站。
昨日上午九點半過後，林內清水溪觸口段陸續出現蝶蹤，開始每分鐘數十隻、百隻，三、四百隻……，愈來愈多，近十一點半達到顛峰，上千隻紫斑蝶快速飛過，形成壯觀的蝶河。紫色美景瞬間即逝，不少粉絲抓住美麗時刻，追著紫斑蝶跑，以相機、手機及攝影機等拍錄下珍貴畫面。
蝶迷欣喜追賞 搶拍珍貴鏡頭
同時，坪頂另處蝶道也有成百上千紫斑蝶越空，引起佔盡地利之便的成功國小師生瘋狂。紫斑蝶生態志工曾振楠老師帶領師生觀賞一年一度的生態大戲，孩子開心地又叫又跳，追逐蝴蝶。
曾振楠指出，氣象報告昨日是陰天，大家原本對蝶河的出現不寄希望。不料，十點過後，陽光普照，氣溫上升，蝴蝶現蹤且逐漸增多。他觀察，今年北遷蝶數比去年多，預料只要天氣晴朗，未來數量必定能破昨天紀錄。
林內鄉公所專程派員上山觀察，也拍攝下珍貴鏡頭，一下山立即上傳「林內幸福傳說」紫斑蝶專屬網站；即便只是點點飛影，也讓蝶迷網友看得相當興奮。
高公局緊急封路 籲搭車觀蝶
高公局接獲台灣紫斑蝶生態保育協會進駐現場監控人員徐志豪通報，上午十點緊急封路，保護紫斑蝶安全通過，直到下午兩點才恢復全線通車。
林內鄉長邱世文強調，只要是紫斑蝶遷移路線，都能追蝶賞蝶。為了不驚擾這場生態盛事，他建議蝶迷盡量搭縱貫鐵路火車抵林內車站，公所備有五輛賞蝶專車全天候往返賞蝶，方便遊客，也保護紫斑蝶。
昨日上午九點半過後，林內清水溪觸口段陸續出現蝶蹤，開始每分鐘數十隻、百隻，三、四百隻……，愈來愈多，近十一點半達到顛峰，上千隻紫斑蝶快速飛過，形成壯觀的蝶河。紫色美景瞬間即逝，不少粉絲抓住美麗時刻，追著紫斑蝶跑，以相機、手機及攝影機等拍錄下珍貴畫面。
蝶迷欣喜追賞 搶拍珍貴鏡頭
同時，坪頂另處蝶道也有成百上千紫斑蝶越空，引起佔盡地利之便的成功國小師生瘋狂。紫斑蝶生態志工曾振楠老師帶領師生觀賞一年一度的生態大戲，孩子開心地又叫又跳，追逐蝴蝶。
曾振楠指出，氣象報告昨日是陰天，大家原本對蝶河的出現不寄希望。不料，十點過後，陽光普照，氣溫上升，蝴蝶現蹤且逐漸增多。他觀察，今年北遷蝶數比去年多，預料只要天氣晴朗，未來數量必定能破昨天紀錄。
林內鄉公所專程派員上山觀察，也拍攝下珍貴鏡頭，一下山立即上傳「林內幸福傳說」紫斑蝶專屬網站；即便只是點點飛影，也讓蝶迷網友看得相當興奮。
高公局緊急封路 籲搭車觀蝶
高公局接獲台灣紫斑蝶生態保育協會進駐現場監控人員徐志豪通報，上午十點緊急封路，保護紫斑蝶安全通過，直到下午兩點才恢復全線通車。
林內鄉長邱世文強調，只要是紫斑蝶遷移路線，都能追蝶賞蝶。為了不驚擾這場生態盛事，他建議蝶迷盡量搭縱貫鐵路火車抵林內車站，公所備有五輛賞蝶專車全天候往返賞蝶，方便遊客，也保護紫斑蝶。
【轉貼中國時報 2008.03.26】
春分賞蝶佳 坪頂最佳觀賞點
許素惠／雲林報導
紫斑蝶每年冬季會群體在高雄茂林與台東大武山谷棲息過冬，春分前後沿中央山脈西部山區與平原接壤地帶飛行，是最佳賞蝶季，經嘉、雲在中北部落腳。九月到十二月為南返期，不走淺山、平地，改循中央山脈飛行。
紫斑蝶怕冷也怕熱，生命周期不一，根據生態學者研究，一年約有三世代，可是每世代不一定只有四個月生命，曾觀察到標記蝶隻活八個月。成功國小教師曾振楠是中二高林內段二五一到二五三公里間蝶道最早發現者。
曾振楠觀察紫斑蝶已四年，發現南返蝶兒聚集在氣候較溫暖的高雄茂林及台東大武山谷中避寒；三、四月春天時，再成群結隊飛往中北部，進行一生最重要的傳宗接代任務。
林務局紫斑蝶計畫主持人詹家龍，持續觀察台灣紫斑蝶長達八年，據他研究，每年九月到十二月，是紫斑蝶南返的季節，返南路線和北遷時不一樣，研判是在中央山脈，路線因尚未有人關注研究，所以確切路徑還不知道。
林內鄉觸口、坪頂正好位於紫斑蝶北返的蝶道上，雲林以南的紫斑蝶遷徙路徑分散，斗六丘陵北端的坪頂村，蝴蝶會在此聚集後再一起橫渡濁水溪，到了八卦山台地再四散開來，所以坪頂是一個不可多得的觀蝶點。
related websites:
2008年3月24日 星期一
【轉貼】城市英雄／對抗毒蟲遊民 酒吧老闆自製機器戰警機器人Bum-bot
【轉貼自自由時報】〔編譯俞智敏／綜合報導〕
好萊塢電影裡的機器戰警打擊罪犯不遺餘力，現在美國喬治亞州亞特蘭大市也出現了一具專門驅離遊民和毒販的機器人Bum-bot ，而且成效相當不錯。
製造這具機器人的是亞特蘭大市區一間酒吧的老闆泰瑞爾，因為酒吧不遠處就有一間遊民收容所，每到夜晚總會有不少遊民在附近幼稚園的停車場逗留不去，遊民又引來毒販與娼妓到此做生意，即使警察會固定到此巡邏，但可疑人士始終趕不完。幼稚園工作人員每天早上都得清理被丟進遊樂場裡的大批針筒及保險套，實在不堪其擾。工程師出身、又身為幼稚園董事的泰瑞爾因而決定採取行動，自己打造一具機器戰警。
這具被泰瑞爾稱為Bum Bot2000 的機器人（見圖，取自網路）其實只是把一台煙燻烤肉車安裝在二手的電動代步車上，裡面再裝上紅外線攝影機、兩百萬燭光的探照燈、擴音器，以及能夠噴出冰水、射程長達六公尺的強力噴水裝置。透過遙控裝置，泰瑞爾可坐在酒吧裡利用無線電喇叭，告訴停車場裡的不速之客，「這是私有土地，你們最好趕快離開」，否則就等著被淋成落湯雞，或被攝影機錄下尊容。
泰瑞爾表示，自機器人半年前開始執勤後，只要他打開探照燈，再透過喇叭向遊民們喊話，驅趕任務九十九％都會成功。酒吧常客也說，當地治安的確有明顯改善，可疑人士多半都會被機器人嚇跑。
泰瑞爾原本打算給機器人配備電擊槍或漆彈槍，但是警方表示可能涉及攻擊罪，因此泰瑞爾改用水槍，他強調只會把水柱對準不速之客，催促他們離開。
製造這具機器人的是亞特蘭大市區一間酒吧的老闆泰瑞爾，因為酒吧不遠處就有一間遊民收容所，每到夜晚總會有不少遊民在附近幼稚園的停車場逗留不去，遊民又引來毒販與娼妓到此做生意，即使警察會固定到此巡邏，但可疑人士始終趕不完。幼稚園工作人員每天早上都得清理被丟進遊樂場裡的大批針筒及保險套，實在不堪其擾。工程師出身、又身為幼稚園董事的泰瑞爾因而決定採取行動，自己打造一具機器戰警。
這具被泰瑞爾稱為Bum Bot2000 的機器人（見圖，取自網路）其實只是把一台煙燻烤肉車安裝在二手的電動代步車上，裡面再裝上紅外線攝影機、兩百萬燭光的探照燈、擴音器，以及能夠噴出冰水、射程長達六公尺的強力噴水裝置。透過遙控裝置，泰瑞爾可坐在酒吧裡利用無線電喇叭，告訴停車場裡的不速之客，「這是私有土地，你們最好趕快離開」，否則就等著被淋成落湯雞，或被攝影機錄下尊容。
泰瑞爾表示，自機器人半年前開始執勤後，只要他打開探照燈，再透過喇叭向遊民們喊話，驅趕任務九十九％都會成功。酒吧常客也說，當地治安的確有明顯改善，可疑人士多半都會被機器人嚇跑。
泰瑞爾原本打算給機器人配備電擊槍或漆彈槍，但是警方表示可能涉及攻擊罪，因此泰瑞爾改用水槍，他強調只會把水柱對準不速之客，催促他們離開。
related websites:
2008年3月23日 星期日
【轉貼】地球第一場性愛 5.7億年化石見證 When the earth first moved: Fossil was first animal to have sex 570million years ago
Funisia dorothea素描假想圖 (上圖) ; Sketch: How the rope-like creatures would look (top)
Funisia dorothea化石 (下圖) ; Fossil love: The funisia dorothea is thought to be the first creature to have sex 570m years ago (bottom)
【轉貼自自由時報】
〔編譯陳成良／綜合報導〕
科學家最近在澳洲發現曾存活在距今至少5.7億年前的新物種化石標本，見證地球第一場動物性愛。這種管狀生物稱為「弗尼瑟．多蘿西」（Funisia dorothea，見上圖，下圖為素描假想圖，取自每日郵報網站），會成群地將自己固定在砂質淺灘的海床上，當初的棲息地現在已成為澳洲內陸。
生物性愛史前推3000萬年
研究人員認為，Funisia dorothea應該是地球第一種進行有性繁殖的動物，將地球的生物性愛史往前推了約3000萬年。
英國每日郵報報導， 距今5.7億年前，這種細長管狀生物已經在海洋中生存，據信牠們是以和珊瑚及海綿類似的方法繁殖。科學家認為，Funisia dorothea具有性繁殖的能力，因為化石標本是以群體的形式被發現，而且這群生物年齡相仿，而群聚生長的方式，讓牠們浮在水中的卵子和精子可以安全結合。
精卵結合 近似珊瑚繁殖
Funisia dorothea是負責這次化石挖掘的古生物學者瑪麗．卓瑟根據她母親的姓名來命名。
任教於美國加州大學河濱分校的卓瑟及同僚在「科學」期刊（Science）的報告中指出，由於沒有以Funisia dorothea為食的天敵，牠們的生活平和，有時進行有性生殖，有時則以出芽生殖等方式進行無性生殖。
Funisia dorothea可以長到約30公分，彈性的軀體能隨著海洋潮浪彎曲。由於牠們在幼體或受精卵階段附著於海床上，就無法尋覓交配伴侶，可能因此演化出與現代的珊瑚、海綿類似的繁殖方式。
生物性愛史前推3000萬年
研究人員認為，Funisia dorothea應該是地球第一種進行有性繁殖的動物，將地球的生物性愛史往前推了約3000萬年。
英國每日郵報報導， 距今5.7億年前，這種細長管狀生物已經在海洋中生存，據信牠們是以和珊瑚及海綿類似的方法繁殖。科學家認為，Funisia dorothea具有性繁殖的能力，因為化石標本是以群體的形式被發現，而且這群生物年齡相仿，而群聚生長的方式，讓牠們浮在水中的卵子和精子可以安全結合。
精卵結合 近似珊瑚繁殖
Funisia dorothea是負責這次化石挖掘的古生物學者瑪麗．卓瑟根據她母親的姓名來命名。
任教於美國加州大學河濱分校的卓瑟及同僚在「科學」期刊（Science）的報告中指出，由於沒有以Funisia dorothea為食的天敵，牠們的生活平和，有時進行有性生殖，有時則以出芽生殖等方式進行無性生殖。
Funisia dorothea可以長到約30公分，彈性的軀體能隨著海洋潮浪彎曲。由於牠們在幼體或受精卵階段附著於海床上，就無法尋覓交配伴侶，可能因此演化出與現代的珊瑚、海綿類似的繁殖方式。
When the earth first moved: Fossil was first animal to have sex 570million years ago
(News from Daily Mail) By CAROLINE GRANT Last updated at 16:20pm on 21st March 2008
It may be more than 570million years old and look like a knobbly rope, but scientist believe they have discovered the first animal on earth ever to have sex.
The fossilised remains of this new species of organism was unearthed in Australia where the tube-like creatures lived in abundant flocks.
The discovery of the animal, called Funisia dorothea, has put the history of sex back by about 30million years and set the scientific world into a frenzy.
It is thought that the sex lives of the long thin creature would be similar to corals and sponges.
Researchers came to the conclusion that the mysterious animals were sexually active because the fossil specimens were found in groups that all seemed to be of the same age.
Nothing appears to have evolved to eat them, so they lived peaceful lives, reproducing sexually at times and by asexual methods such as budding at other times, Mary Droser of the University of California Riverside and colleagues reported in the journal Science.
The remains of organisms were found in the Australian outback that would have once been a shallow, sandy seabed.
Scientists believe that sex for the creatures would have been functional rather than social.
Professor Droser said: "I think they would have been way too basic to have enjoyed sex.
"I don't think they would wind around each other. But I could be wrong - I would like to think they enjoyed it."
Professor Droser added: "They were complicated enough to have different modes of reproduction and a fairly complex ecosystem in general."
They lived in dense groups of similar size and aged animals, like mussels and oysters do.
"It is common modern ecological strategy, and these guys were doing it in the earliest animal ecosystems on this planet," she said.
"We think of these strategies as having been in response to competition and in response to predation."
Dense clusters, such as the ones these animals lived in, allow eggs and sperm floated in the water to meet up safely.
"They would have been hitting you mid-calf as you walked in these very dense clusters," said Professor Droser.
"Almost always, organisms that do this do it as a result of sexual reproduction."
Multicellular animal life is believed to have arisen around 600 million years ago.
The Funisia dorothea would have thrived in the Neoproterozoic era, which ended about 540million years ago and lasted for about 100million years.
They would have grown to about 30cm long and been flexible enough to bend with the currents and tides of the sea.
Once they had rooted themselves to the seabed as larva or a fertilised egg they would have been stuck in one place and unable to search for mates.
Professor Droser added: "In Funisia, we are very likely seeing sexual reproduction in Earth's early ecosystem - possibly the very first instance of sexual reproduction in animals on our planet."
Funisia dorothea's name comes from the word for rope in Latin and dorothea after Dorothy, Droser's mother.
2008年3月15日 星期六
雙語 Bilingual
昨天轉登了一則變形金剛的文章，因為轉貼聯合報和其來源的英國的新聞，所以包含中英兩種語言。今天赫然發現一則來自陌生訪客的回應，而且是英文的。
他說「很高興這是雙語的部落格.....」。我並不確定這是否是來自外國人的聲音，但對於這個意外，讓我確實有了這個念頭，用雙語來記錄事情。
我始終覺得我在從事一件國際性的研究，雖然看起來非常在地，事實上也是在台中縣市交界處和龜山鄉授課，一個人在台北鑽研在國外是一整個團隊在從事的工作，週遭也很少有人可以交換心得(可惜學校的學生也常常沒眼光、不識貨...)。我想我的網路空間是可以擴展它可及的範圍，像某些一直對外太空播放地球訊息的工具一般，企盼某天外星人真的來訪；或者像lost影集那法國女人播放的求救信號，聯繫到不可知的接觸。
我想中英文混著記錄會是件有趣的事，therefore我想大聲說「中文外的世界，here I come!」
Speed Shifting Scale
I took a computer course the other day about the microcontroller. During the class we experimented how to control the led lights by writing some simple scripts. There are 8 led lights programmed together for various performances. In one test run, the lights are supposed to turn on one by one in order, but its outcome seems to be turning on in the same time. The reason for that error is the speed of the electric flow in that circuit is too fast which makes an illusion to our eyes. They were really turned on and off one by one in turn but in a very fast speed, 0.000001 second per cycle. That is the trick!!
Several months ago, I took the Taiwan High Speed Rail to Tainan CKU to give a speech about my new book, Responsive Volatility. When the train were about to departure in the Taipei Station, five women caught up with the train in the last moment. It is easy to tell that they are "different" among most of the passengers in the car by their appearences. They are all in fashion brand dresses, nice shoes, shining jewelries. They chatted noisily and I reluctantly overheard their conversation a little and found that they are wives of doctors in Taichung, a city in middle Taiwan, 2hr car drive southern from Taipei, and they were up to Taipei for shopping that morning and now on this train going back to school in Taichung to pick up their children on time. The high spped rail now saves more than a half travel time from Taipei to Taichung which makes me confronted this real incident. I realized that the speed really changes the way people live though in this case only for the rich.
Speed shifts the scale and the contents, configurations....
2008年3月14日 星期五
【轉貼】英研發變形金剛 真實版來了
早上看到這則新聞，感到很興奮。雖說類似的想法不是第一遭發佈，但這樣的企圖一直以來就是心中有關建築夢想的一部份。轉貼給大家瞧瞧！
【聯合報╱編譯田思怡／報導】2008.03.14 03:47 am
英國每日郵報報導，英國科學家將以460萬英鎊（台幣2.87億元），仿照電影「變形金剛」中可任意改變形狀的機器人，打造真實版的變形金剛來幫忙救人。
這項實驗將建造成群的小機器人，每個機器人如方糖般大，能自行移動，並連結成一個較大、具有人工智慧的機器人。
研究員說，第一批會自動行動、有智慧而且會變形的機器人，可望在5年內上陣。西英格蘭大學和約克大學研究小組的一名發言人說：「這些機器人可用於醫療、太空探測、研究和救難任務。」
這名發言人說：「你可以想像在一棟建築物倒塌後，把千百個小機器人扔進縫隙內，它們會自動找到彼此，也許連結成一個蛇形的機器人，在瓦礫中蠕動，也許再變形成一隻會爬牆的蜘蛛，或是可移開瓦礫的機器手臂，有無限可能。」
每個機器人都有輪子或觸手，可單獨行動，並內裝小型的電腦頭腦，和iPod或iPhone一樣聰明，利用紅外線找到彼此進行連結。
一旦連結在一起，這些方糖般的機器人可分享能源、運算能力，創造出和筆記型電腦一樣聰明的變形金剛。西英格蘭大學教授溫菲爾德說，變形金剛不會對人類構成威脅。
他說：「這些機器人集結在一起，會更多變，像是水母或海綿的細胞。不同的機器人可合作創造出更大的有機體。」
在電影「變形金剛」中，外星來的機器人入侵地球，偽裝成汽車、機車和貨車，互相發動戰爭。
這項稱為「Symbrion」的計畫由歐盟出資。
這項實驗將建造成群的小機器人，每個機器人如方糖般大，能自行移動，並連結成一個較大、具有人工智慧的機器人。
研究員說，第一批會自動行動、有智慧而且會變形的機器人，可望在5年內上陣。西英格蘭大學和約克大學研究小組的一名發言人說：「這些機器人可用於醫療、太空探測、研究和救難任務。」
這名發言人說：「你可以想像在一棟建築物倒塌後，把千百個小機器人扔進縫隙內，它們會自動找到彼此，也許連結成一個蛇形的機器人，在瓦礫中蠕動，也許再變形成一隻會爬牆的蜘蛛，或是可移開瓦礫的機器手臂，有無限可能。」
每個機器人都有輪子或觸手，可單獨行動，並內裝小型的電腦頭腦，和iPod或iPhone一樣聰明，利用紅外線找到彼此進行連結。
一旦連結在一起，這些方糖般的機器人可分享能源、運算能力，創造出和筆記型電腦一樣聰明的變形金剛。西英格蘭大學教授溫菲爾德說，變形金剛不會對人類構成威脅。
他說：「這些機器人集結在一起，會更多變，像是水母或海綿的細胞。不同的機器人可合作創造出更大的有機體。」
在電影「變形金剛」中，外星來的機器人入侵地球，偽裝成汽車、機車和貨車，互相發動戰爭。
這項稱為「Symbrion」的計畫由歐盟出資。
【News From Daily Mail】
Real-life Transformers: Shape-changing robots could help save livesBy DAVID DERBYSHIRE
It sounds like something straight from a children's comic.
But British scientists will today take the first steps in an astonishing project to create the first real-life Transformers - the science fiction robots which can change shape at will.
The £4.6million experiment will attempt to build swarms of tiny robots, each the size of a sugar cube, that move around on their own and connect together to form larger, intelligent machines.
Researchers say the first swarm of autonomous, intelligent, shape-changing robots could be in use within five years.
"They could be used in medicine, in space exploration and in search and rescue missions," said a spokesman for scientists at the University of the West of England in Bristol and the University of York.
"You can imagine dropping hundreds of these small robots into a crevice after a building has collapsed. They would find each other and maybe connect together to form a snake-shaped object that could wriggle through the wreckage.
"Then they could re-form into a spider to climb over a wall - or a robot with an arm that could lift rubble away. The possibilities are endless."
Each robot would have wheels or tentacles, allowing it to move around independently.
It would contain a small computer brain, making it as intelligent as an iPod or iPhone, and use infra-red to find other cubes.
Once connected, the cubes would be able to share energy and computing power, creating a machine with the intelligence of a computer laptop.
The scientists have yet to work out how the swarms would connect together. But their connections would need to double up as joints, so that the resulting larger machine could move around.
The Symbrion project, announced to mark National Science and Engineering Week, is funded by the EU.
The robots will also be able to manage their own hardware and software and will be "self-healing and selforganising", the researchers say.
Professor Alan Winfield, of the University of the West of England, denied that they could pose a threat to humans.
"The robots have functionality on their own, but they can also combine together or adapt and change as the situation requires," he said.
"The individual robots won't change physically, but they will adapt and evolve their functionality.
"Once the robots come together they will be more versatile - like a colony of cells such as those found in a jelly fish or a sponge.
"The different robots will co-operate to create the larger organism. In a sponge even if there is damage to some parts, the overall organism still survives.
"In this way the artificial robotic organisms might in theory become self-configuring, self-healing and self-optimising from both hardware and software perspectives."
The project has echoes of last year's Transformers film in which alien robots trapped on Earth disguise themselves as cars, motorbikes and lorries to wage war on each other.
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