Big numbers

We usually have problem comprehensing big numbers. Scientists estimate the universe is about 13 billion years old, recorded history of human is only a few thousand years. The Big Bang was long, long, gosh long ago.

The Economic Stimulus plan involves big numbers: $800 billions to $1 trillion. Now how much is that money?

Here is a very interesting analogy:

If you started the day Jesus Christ was born and spent $1 million every day since then, you still wouldn't have spent $1 trillion.

Now you have better idea how much that Stimulus Plan is. And let me remind you, the birth of Jesus Christ was 2000+ years ago, and the United States is only around for 200 some years. That's quite unthinkable isn't it.

Jin Yong is humble

Well-known martial art novel author Mr. Leung Yue Sang passed away. See this news item.

The great author Jin Yong humbly says, "I only followed him".

I have never read Mr. Leung's works, only watched some TV productions. Perhaps the TV series can't release the full power of the written works... I enjoy Mr. Jin Yong's stories much more.

"To be a great martial art author, you must know Chinese history". Indeed. The master writers should be able to provide history background so the reader can feel they are in that era. Go ahead, you can play with actual historical people too, but don't alter real history.

Martial art writing is not just about kung fu, which are mostly exaggeration anyway. Please also inject true heroism in characters like Kwok Jing!

Most modern martial-art TV productions are about tired theme of good clans with evil guys within vs evil clan with some good guys within, copied from Mr. Jin Yong's Smiling Wanderer. Be original!

Plane accidents

We used to hear very few airplane accidents. Maybe once in a few years. Usually no one survives an airplane accidents, except last time on the miracle water landing. But yikes, recently another plane collided onto a house, killing 50. Last time the heroic pilot landed on water and people were miraculously saved. Not this time. Ice (not birds) is the source of disaster...

So the plane was on auto-pilot. Please don't blame the pilot too hard. Perhaps we didn't have time to realize the ice build up was fatal. If you succeed, you become world hero, if you don't, you're gone. It is a thinline between hero and tragic disaster.

To restore trust in flying. Please be careful, pilots.
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My home insurance does cover the case of aircraft crash and other very unlikely situations. But they don't cover common threats such as flood in basement. This is how insurance work: they sell you papers and periodic bills, for most of their customers.

Google Sky

Everyone loves google map. You can instantly find your route or explore your next vacation area, anywhere on earth. Ok yahoo map was first and it is great too. Google pinoneered that AJAX mapping and just made mapping so convenient. You can even find a satellite image of your house when you zoom hard enough.

You may even program your own map (by putting markers, dialog boxes etc) with the Google Map API.

Wow, google has extend the map concept to the vast sky! Awesome pics from the world's most powerful telescopes are there. You can zoom in and out and drag around like google map on earth. Ok, you are not going to get streets of Mars, but it is still quite impressive. There are also infrared/microwave data, and they even wacky middle age drawings (historical).

I am sure Gallieo (who invented telescope to explore space) would be delighted to see this.

Stimulus Bill

The biggest news of the day is the stimulus bill passed in Senate: 61-37, with 3 GOP votes.

But there is a different version from the House with minor differences? Both involve billions and billions. Waita minute why is there two bills originated in the first place?

Oh it lacked details? Stocks fall. Waita minute people are gotta be smarter than that to realize stocks will fall if there isn't specifics. But will stocks rally if specifics are given?

Ok, this article says what that will mean to you. Think that will solve all economic crisis?

The government need to spend BILLIONS to give everyone a few hundred dollars. Other countries tried giving out purchasing vouchers to make people buy things... all rather short term solutions, I think.

It just seems no one has a sure-win idea of how to fundamentally solve the economic problems. Ok, I am a nobody. I don't have solutions. All those phD in Econ and Nobel Prize winners: do they have solutions? I am afraid they are just as clueless.

Chinese PM's visit to London

Chinese Prime Minister visited London and got shoes thrown at him! It is unbelievable that the kind Chinese PM Wen JiaBao also got shoes thrown at. For video and details go to here.

When shoes was thrown to President Bush, part of the world triumped. That shoe thrower was hailed as hero although he may be suffering quite a bit from police brutality as a result of this "brave" act. The War on Iraq has caused so much frustration and pain for so long.

Wen remained calm and paused and security acted quickly. He says "this sly act cannot stop Chinese British friendship, world harmony is the history trend that cannot be stopped by any power". 「這種卑鄙伎倆阻擋不了中英兩國人民的友誼。人類的進步、世界的和諧是歷史潮流，是任何力量都阻擋不了的。」

He earned a round applause. I clapped too as I watch the video. This shoethrower is no hero this time. I have no idea why the guy throw shoes at Wen. Is this news item broadcasted in China or hidden? Ok, freedom of press is a great thing to have.

In his speech, he also used a Tang poem: 潮平兩岸闊，風正一帆懸. Ah that's number 97 in the classic Tang 300!. This demonstrates classic education can be a way of communication (yikes, tough time for the translator). I think he means that the relationship between UK and China is good like the wind is blowing the right direcion for a sail to go across.

This poem seems not very well known, at least I haven't heard of it before. It is dry and boring to read classics and try to make sense out of old poems. It takes discussion and education is achieved through discussion: learn-and-ask 學問 . I wish I can find good discussion of each poem, and I wish to see such book nicely layout. Chinese education texts have much to improve.

More Transformers

The Transformers are coming back to the theaters in the summer! See this IMDB entry.

Starscream taking over Cybertron and Megatron hasn't completely die yet. Of course they are going to strike earth and the Autobots are here to defend it. Great storyline, and we have seen it before in the great 1986 movie, and that movie had Megatron upgraded as Galvatron, an unstoppable PLANET Unicorn (gosh are you scared that it devoured Moon Base 2?). The old movie even had a new prime as autobot leader, something unthinkably new. Who can stop mourning for the death of Optimus Prime like Daniel? That 1986 story movie is SO RICH that the new movies can't come even close. Is the new movie going to top that?

Starscream didn't have a big role in the last movie, and yikes is he unrecognizable ugly. Well Megatron is ugly too. In the cartoon, there is Shockwave protecting Cybertron too. The new movie should feature some resistance from Decepticons loyal to Megatron.

I'd like see the Dinobots. Grimlock dares to challenge Prime's leadership in old cartoons. How about combiners like Devastator or Defensor. Perhaps the new movies don't have them. They just keep introducing new unknown guys. I say no to Decepticon police cars! The only Decepticon cars should be the Stunticons.