I am impressed. Gosh I am impressed where you can play chess on AJAX.
http://ajaxchess.pragmaticlogic.com/
This is not an outrageous strong opponent, still fun. Watch out! No take backs.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Earthquake!
Earthquake hit the heart of China. As far as Beijing and HongKong felt the 7.8 earthquake at Sichuan. At least hundreds if not thousands may be dead. Another horrible natural disaster strike. This is the same 7.8 scale as the disasterous 1976 Tang Shen big earthquake!
Hurricane! Earthquake! Volcano! When mother nature roars on Mother's Day, it turns a Happy Mother's Day into Horrifying Day.
I can't help but recall this interesting game that I played on the Tandy 1000: Archon, where you can summon elementals. Some war strategy games also have random events such as fire and earthquake to test your rebuilding strategy while watching your enemies. Sorry, I know, this is no game.
The weatherman more or less can predict when storms are coming, but it is so hard to detect earthquake. Ancient Chinese made a cool device where they carve balls in dragon mouths. When the balls drop the ground is shaking! Run! How come we don't see much progress in earthquake detection since the Han dynasty? All the research institutes do is to show a EKG like diagram and attach a logarithmic Ritcher scale number afterwards.
We can't prevent the wrath and schedule of mother nature. It probably took many many earthquakes over millions of years to crash India from Antarctica to the Chinese border to create the Himalayas, and to separte Africa from South America. The earth has its schedule.
Our entire civilization of a few thousand years is a small segment in earth's time line.
Although we are quite limited beings, but we should put out the best efforts to help those in need... You can help too! Donate to your favorite help-the-world charity organizations.
Hurricane! Earthquake! Volcano! When mother nature roars on Mother's Day, it turns a Happy Mother's Day into Horrifying Day.
I can't help but recall this interesting game that I played on the Tandy 1000: Archon, where you can summon elementals. Some war strategy games also have random events such as fire and earthquake to test your rebuilding strategy while watching your enemies. Sorry, I know, this is no game.
The weatherman more or less can predict when storms are coming, but it is so hard to detect earthquake. Ancient Chinese made a cool device where they carve balls in dragon mouths. When the balls drop the ground is shaking! Run! How come we don't see much progress in earthquake detection since the Han dynasty? All the research institutes do is to show a EKG like diagram and attach a logarithmic Ritcher scale number afterwards.
We can't prevent the wrath and schedule of mother nature. It probably took many many earthquakes over millions of years to crash India from Antarctica to the Chinese border to create the Himalayas, and to separte Africa from South America. The earth has its schedule.
Our entire civilization of a few thousand years is a small segment in earth's time line.
Although we are quite limited beings, but we should put out the best efforts to help those in need... You can help too! Donate to your favorite help-the-world charity organizations.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Military might show off
Russia showed off its military might at a parade in Red Square.
See here for news coverage that you probably won't see in detail on American news.
Russia has a new president: Dimitry Medvedev, whose name looks so much like Dmitri Mendeleev, who you may have remembered in your high school chemistry text as the father of the periodic table.
The new president wants to show the world that they are still a military power: don't mess with them.
I don't remember ever seeing military parade from the United States. Perhaps there is no space in Washington DC? I am sure we have even bigger bombs than those used in Hiroshima.
China is also building its military. When interviewed by news reporters, they always say "we're not even close to YOUR military spending."
Military buildup is building up unstatbility in world peace: almost like building more pieces of Jenga tower.
Myanmar is refusing UN's humilitarian help effort, and the United States is merely providing pocket change of a few millions in this effort.
Is UN going to be able to help resolve world conflicts or will be as hapless as the League of Nations?
Please remember the twisted gun at the UN headquarters. The world needs progress, not another world conflict.
It is more than a mere ornanment.
See here for news coverage that you probably won't see in detail on American news.
Russia has a new president: Dimitry Medvedev, whose name looks so much like Dmitri Mendeleev, who you may have remembered in your high school chemistry text as the father of the periodic table.
The new president wants to show the world that they are still a military power: don't mess with them.
I don't remember ever seeing military parade from the United States. Perhaps there is no space in Washington DC? I am sure we have even bigger bombs than those used in Hiroshima.
China is also building its military. When interviewed by news reporters, they always say "we're not even close to YOUR military spending."
Military buildup is building up unstatbility in world peace: almost like building more pieces of Jenga tower.
Myanmar is refusing UN's humilitarian help effort, and the United States is merely providing pocket change of a few millions in this effort.
Is UN going to be able to help resolve world conflicts or will be as hapless as the League of Nations?
Please remember the twisted gun at the UN headquarters. The world needs progress, not another world conflict.
It is more than a mere ornanment.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Let's play Ping Pong
Ping Pong is a fun sport. You only need some relatively inexpensive equipments and find a table. It doesn't require a lot of space like baseball or basketball. It is easier to find just 1 other player to play than find a full team to play. You don't need to run a lot to chase the ball throughout the game either. However, it is deceptively difficult to master all that spins and slams to play well.
It is also a powerful diplomatic tool. See here for details. It opened pathway for China to start talking to other countries and building relationships. Perhaps you saw the scene in Forest Gump playing ping pong with a big picture of Mao in the background.
China is using this to talk to Japan now, http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/06/japan-china.html. Besides ping pong, China also sends pandas to whoever to lighten up relationships.
I saw president Hu play ping pong on TV! He is GOOD! He slammed the ball hard! Even against some top Japanese players!
Waita minute, his opponents seem to hit the ball high so he can slam. His opponents didn't use all that spin tricks. They LET him win. Of course, you want the president to look good on TV.
Ping Pong diplomacy is a simple yet powerful diplomacy tool because it is a sport that everyone can play. The goal of diplomacy is to set a common ground isn't it? If diplomacy only involves top government officials and their translators on both sides of a LONG table it is hard to have a common ground. Establish some common ground, then start talking the real issues.
This is what the olympics SHOULD be about. What do people all over the world have common? Physical ability. All countries get together and participate peacefully. Yes it is big show off of resources you invested in the atheletes and the hosting country's architecture ability too. I hope no one will mess up the olympics with protests and other violence.
Application: perhaps you can resolve co-worker differences with common ground, perhaps over a cup of coffee.
It is also a powerful diplomatic tool. See here for details. It opened pathway for China to start talking to other countries and building relationships. Perhaps you saw the scene in Forest Gump playing ping pong with a big picture of Mao in the background.
China is using this to talk to Japan now, http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/06/japan-china.html. Besides ping pong, China also sends pandas to whoever to lighten up relationships.
I saw president Hu play ping pong on TV! He is GOOD! He slammed the ball hard! Even against some top Japanese players!
Waita minute, his opponents seem to hit the ball high so he can slam. His opponents didn't use all that spin tricks. They LET him win. Of course, you want the president to look good on TV.
Ping Pong diplomacy is a simple yet powerful diplomacy tool because it is a sport that everyone can play. The goal of diplomacy is to set a common ground isn't it? If diplomacy only involves top government officials and their translators on both sides of a LONG table it is hard to have a common ground. Establish some common ground, then start talking the real issues.
This is what the olympics SHOULD be about. What do people all over the world have common? Physical ability. All countries get together and participate peacefully. Yes it is big show off of resources you invested in the atheletes and the hosting country's architecture ability too. I hope no one will mess up the olympics with protests and other violence.
Application: perhaps you can resolve co-worker differences with common ground, perhaps over a cup of coffee.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Myanmar or is it Burma?
Devastating storm killed thousands: according to US diplomat, as many as 100,000! Hmm, why is this almost 5 times as high as the previous number 22000?
Why such big storms? Some theories say deforestration is causing mother nature to strike back. Whatever the cause, it is a huge loss. The impact of the storm will last long after its gone as the victims struggle to rebuild their community.
If this storm didn't strike, I didn't even know Burma was renamed as Myanmar by the military government. I know little, gosh very little about this country except I remember coloring it in a high school geography class. I know there are monks there like western part of China. I hope there were no bloodshed to rename the country. Being ruled by military government is scary isn't it? But wait a minute, what country isn't?
High gas price, food price, devastating weather conditions and more uncertainties continue to haunt the world.
Why such big storms? Some theories say deforestration is causing mother nature to strike back. Whatever the cause, it is a huge loss. The impact of the storm will last long after its gone as the victims struggle to rebuild their community.
If this storm didn't strike, I didn't even know Burma was renamed as Myanmar by the military government. I know little, gosh very little about this country except I remember coloring it in a high school geography class. I know there are monks there like western part of China. I hope there were no bloodshed to rename the country. Being ruled by military government is scary isn't it? But wait a minute, what country isn't?
High gas price, food price, devastating weather conditions and more uncertainties continue to haunt the world.
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