a generic blog
Thursday, April 28, 2005
In this photo provided by LiftPort Group, shown is a space elevator as it is tested at the Mars Desert Research Station in Lawrenceville, Utah, March 31, 2005. LiftPort is gearing up to build the elevator to space, with a top-floor altitude of 62,000 miles for delivery of satellites and people. (AP Photo/LiftPort Group) ¶ 5:14 PM 0 comments
Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds
Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds: Empathy allows us to feel the emotions of others, to identify and understand their feelings and motives and see things from their perspective. How we generate empathy remains a subject of intense debate in cognitive science.
Some scientists now believe they may have finally discovered its root. We're all essentially mind readers, they say.
The idea has been slow to gain acceptance, but evidence is mounting.
Mirror neurons
In 1996, three neuroscientists were probing the brain of a macaque monkey when they stumbled across a curious cluster of cells in the premotor cortex, an area of the brain responsible for planning movements. The cluster of cells fired not only when the monkey performed an action, but likewise when the monkey saw the same action performed by someone else. The cells responded the same way whether the monkey reached out to grasp a peanut, or merely watched in envy as another monkey or a human did.
Because the cells reflected the actions that the monkey observed in others, the neuroscientists named them "mirror neurons."
Later experiments confirmed the existence of mirror neurons in humans and revealed another surprise. In addition to mirroring actions, the cells reflected sensations and emotions.
"Mirror neurons suggest that we pretend to be in another person's mental shoes," says Marco Iacoboni, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. "In fact, with mirror neurons we do not have to pretend, we practically are in another person's mind."
Since their discovery, mirror neurons have been implicated in a broad range of phenomena, including certain mental disorders. Mirror neurons may help cognitive scientists explain how children develop a theory of mind (ToM), which is a child's understanding that others have minds similar to their own. Doing so may help shed light on autism, in which this type of understanding is often missing.
Theory theory
Over the years, cognitive scientists have come up with a number of theories to explain how ToM develops. The "theory theory" and "simulation theory" are currently two of the most popular.
Theory theory describes children as budding social scientists. The idea is that children collect evidence -- in the form of gestures and expressions -- and use their everyday understanding of people to develop theories that explain and predict the mental state of people they come in contact with.
Vittorio Gallese, a neuroscientist at the University of Parma in Italy and one of original discovers of mirror neurons, has another name for this theory: he calls it the "Vulcan Approach," in honor of the Star Trek protagonist Spock, who belonged to an alien race called the Vulcans who suppressed their emotions in favor of logic. Spock was often unable to understand the emotions that underlie human behavior.
Gallese himself prefers simulation theory over this Vulcan approach.
Natural mind readers
Simulation theory states that we are natural mind readers. We place ourselves in another person’s "mental shoes," and use our own mind as a model for theirs.
Gallese contends that when we interact with someone, we do more than just observe the other person’s behavior. He believes we create internal representations of their actions, sensations and emotions within ourselves, as if we are the ones that are moving, sensing and feeling.
Many scientists believe that mirror neurons embody the predictions of simulation theory. "We share with others not only the way they normally act or subjectively experience emotions and sensations, but also the neural circuits enabling those same actions, emotions and sensations: the mirror neuron systems," Gallese told LiveScience.
Gallese points out, however, that the two theories are not mutually exclusive. If the mirror neuron system is defective or damaged, and our ability to empathize is lost, the observe-and-guess method of theory theory may be the only option left. Some scientists suspect this is what happens in autistic people, whose mental disorder prevents them from understanding the intentions and motives of others.
Tests underway
The idea is that the mirror neuron systems of autistic individuals are somehow impaired or deficient, and that the resulting "mind-blindness" prevents them from simulating the experiences of others. For autistic individuals, experience is more observed than lived, and the emotional undercurrents that govern so much of our human behavior are inaccessible. They guess the mental states of others through explicit theorizing, but the end result is a list -- mechanical and impersonal -- of actions, gestures and expressions void of motive, intent, or emotion.
Several labs are now testing the hypothesis that autistic individuals have a mirror neuron deficit and cannot simulate the mental states of others.
One recent experiment by Hugo Theoret and colleagues at the University of Montreal showed that mirror neurons normally active during the observation of hand movements in non-autistic individuals are silent in those who have autism.
"You either simulate with mirror neurons, or the mental states of others are completely precluded to you," said Iacoboni. ¶ 2:37 PM 0 comments
Some scientists now believe they may have finally discovered its root. We're all essentially mind readers, they say.
The idea has been slow to gain acceptance, but evidence is mounting.
Mirror neurons
In 1996, three neuroscientists were probing the brain of a macaque monkey when they stumbled across a curious cluster of cells in the premotor cortex, an area of the brain responsible for planning movements. The cluster of cells fired not only when the monkey performed an action, but likewise when the monkey saw the same action performed by someone else. The cells responded the same way whether the monkey reached out to grasp a peanut, or merely watched in envy as another monkey or a human did.
Because the cells reflected the actions that the monkey observed in others, the neuroscientists named them "mirror neurons."
Later experiments confirmed the existence of mirror neurons in humans and revealed another surprise. In addition to mirroring actions, the cells reflected sensations and emotions.
"Mirror neurons suggest that we pretend to be in another person's mental shoes," says Marco Iacoboni, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. "In fact, with mirror neurons we do not have to pretend, we practically are in another person's mind."
Since their discovery, mirror neurons have been implicated in a broad range of phenomena, including certain mental disorders. Mirror neurons may help cognitive scientists explain how children develop a theory of mind (ToM), which is a child's understanding that others have minds similar to their own. Doing so may help shed light on autism, in which this type of understanding is often missing.
Theory theory
Over the years, cognitive scientists have come up with a number of theories to explain how ToM develops. The "theory theory" and "simulation theory" are currently two of the most popular.
Theory theory describes children as budding social scientists. The idea is that children collect evidence -- in the form of gestures and expressions -- and use their everyday understanding of people to develop theories that explain and predict the mental state of people they come in contact with.
Vittorio Gallese, a neuroscientist at the University of Parma in Italy and one of original discovers of mirror neurons, has another name for this theory: he calls it the "Vulcan Approach," in honor of the Star Trek protagonist Spock, who belonged to an alien race called the Vulcans who suppressed their emotions in favor of logic. Spock was often unable to understand the emotions that underlie human behavior.
Gallese himself prefers simulation theory over this Vulcan approach.
Natural mind readers
Simulation theory states that we are natural mind readers. We place ourselves in another person’s "mental shoes," and use our own mind as a model for theirs.
Gallese contends that when we interact with someone, we do more than just observe the other person’s behavior. He believes we create internal representations of their actions, sensations and emotions within ourselves, as if we are the ones that are moving, sensing and feeling.
Many scientists believe that mirror neurons embody the predictions of simulation theory. "We share with others not only the way they normally act or subjectively experience emotions and sensations, but also the neural circuits enabling those same actions, emotions and sensations: the mirror neuron systems," Gallese told LiveScience.
Gallese points out, however, that the two theories are not mutually exclusive. If the mirror neuron system is defective or damaged, and our ability to empathize is lost, the observe-and-guess method of theory theory may be the only option left. Some scientists suspect this is what happens in autistic people, whose mental disorder prevents them from understanding the intentions and motives of others.
Tests underway
The idea is that the mirror neuron systems of autistic individuals are somehow impaired or deficient, and that the resulting "mind-blindness" prevents them from simulating the experiences of others. For autistic individuals, experience is more observed than lived, and the emotional undercurrents that govern so much of our human behavior are inaccessible. They guess the mental states of others through explicit theorizing, but the end result is a list -- mechanical and impersonal -- of actions, gestures and expressions void of motive, intent, or emotion.
Several labs are now testing the hypothesis that autistic individuals have a mirror neuron deficit and cannot simulate the mental states of others.
One recent experiment by Hugo Theoret and colleagues at the University of Montreal showed that mirror neurons normally active during the observation of hand movements in non-autistic individuals are silent in those who have autism.
"You either simulate with mirror neurons, or the mental states of others are completely precluded to you," said Iacoboni. ¶ 2:37 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Beggars May Need Licenses in Minneapolis
Beggars May Need Licenses in Minneapolis - Yahoo! News
By GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 33 minutes ago
MINNEAPOLIS - The police chief wants to license panhandlers, saying it would make it easier for officers to manage aggressive begging in Minnesota's largest city.
Under the plan, panhandlers would have to register each year at a government center and have their picture taken. Anyone failing to wear an ID badge would be jailed for 30 days, and possibly fined.
Minneapolis already bans panhandling in front of cash machines, bus stops and restrooms.
McManus said he's talked to the City Council about the idea. If a law passed, the city would join a handful of others that license beggars, such as Cincinnati, Dallas and Greensboro, N.C.
Cincinnati's licensing ordinance is being challenged by civil liberties groups that claim begging is protected speech. ¶ 8:00 PM 0 comments
By GREGG AAMOT, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 33 minutes ago
MINNEAPOLIS - The police chief wants to license panhandlers, saying it would make it easier for officers to manage aggressive begging in Minnesota's largest city.
Under the plan, panhandlers would have to register each year at a government center and have their picture taken. Anyone failing to wear an ID badge would be jailed for 30 days, and possibly fined.
Minneapolis already bans panhandling in front of cash machines, bus stops and restrooms.
McManus said he's talked to the City Council about the idea. If a law passed, the city would join a handful of others that license beggars, such as Cincinnati, Dallas and Greensboro, N.C.
Cincinnati's licensing ordinance is being challenged by civil liberties groups that claim begging is protected speech. ¶ 8:00 PM 0 comments
Picture released by the U.S. Army Wednesday, April 27, 2005 shows a dust storm across the western desert of Iraq on Tuesday April 26, 2005. The storm spawned near the border of Syria and Jordan, leaving a heavy sheet of dust in its wake. (AP Photo/US Army, Sgt Shannon Arledge) ¶ 2:03 PM 0 comments
More Young Americans Take Chinese Language Challenge
More Young Americans Take Chinese Language Challenge - Yahoo! News: POTOMAC, Maryland (Reuters) - Studying geometry can be taxing for a 10-year-old. But Dr. Zhang's class of young American students are not merely learning all the angles, they are doing it in Chinese.
Maryland's Potomac Elementary School, in a prosperous suburb north of Washington, D.C., is one of a growing number of U.S. schools that teach Chinese -- a hot language thanks to China's surging economy and growing world clout.
At Potomac Elementary, children as young as 6 are honing their Chinese, motivated by a mix of parental prodding and their own desire to do something different.
The United States has declared 2005 the "year of languages" although few Americans are aware of the designation. According to a 2002 Modern Language Association survey, more college students are studying foreign languages than ever before. Enrollment in Chinese rose 20 percent over 1998.
The 1.4 million students learning 15 leading languages represented a 17 percent increase over 1998. But only 9.3 percent of Americans are able to speak both their native language and a second tongue, compared to 52.7 percent of Europeans, according to the
Census Bureau.
At first glance, weighty national priorities take a back seat to the fun of cultural exchange at Potomac Elementary.
Hallways are festooned with Chinese art and learning aids, such as stuffed animals labeled with Chinese names. Children sing Chinese folk songs and U.S. nursery rhymes in Chinese.
CRITICAL LANGUAGE
But in Zhang Zhian's fifth-grade immersion class, songs and games come only after a rigorous vocabulary drill and lessons on triangles and trapezoids -- all taught in Chinese.
"My students are good at listening and do pretty well at reading, but writing is a weak point," said Zhang, who has a Ph.D. in education and was a teacher in his native Beijing.
Ian Alers said mastering Chinese characters was tough.
"Writing's pretty hard because you have to do the strokes in the right order," said the fifth-grader.
Chloe Hand, 10, says Chinese is "cool" and that she is starting to catch on to the complex writing system of characters that contain elements of meaning and sound.
"It's a totally different language. There's nothing to refer to," she said. "I can write Coca-Cola in Chinese and it has a lot of little boxes that refer to a mouth."
Dreams of selling Coca-Cola and other U.S. products to China have helped drive interest in Chinese studies. According to the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, 640 U.S. colleges offer Chinese programs, while 102 schools from kindergarten to 12th grade teach Chinese.
Teaching Chinese is also of keen interest to the U.S. government, which launched the National Security Education Program (NSEP) in 1994 to fund university studies of languages of key world regions, including East Asia and the Middle East.
The NSEP in 2002 inaugurated the National Flagship Language Initiative, a pilot program in Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Russian -- languages deemed critical to U.S. security. ¶ 12:32 PM 0 comments
Maryland's Potomac Elementary School, in a prosperous suburb north of Washington, D.C., is one of a growing number of U.S. schools that teach Chinese -- a hot language thanks to China's surging economy and growing world clout.
At Potomac Elementary, children as young as 6 are honing their Chinese, motivated by a mix of parental prodding and their own desire to do something different.
The United States has declared 2005 the "year of languages" although few Americans are aware of the designation. According to a 2002 Modern Language Association survey, more college students are studying foreign languages than ever before. Enrollment in Chinese rose 20 percent over 1998.
The 1.4 million students learning 15 leading languages represented a 17 percent increase over 1998. But only 9.3 percent of Americans are able to speak both their native language and a second tongue, compared to 52.7 percent of Europeans, according to the
Census Bureau.
At first glance, weighty national priorities take a back seat to the fun of cultural exchange at Potomac Elementary.
Hallways are festooned with Chinese art and learning aids, such as stuffed animals labeled with Chinese names. Children sing Chinese folk songs and U.S. nursery rhymes in Chinese.
CRITICAL LANGUAGE
But in Zhang Zhian's fifth-grade immersion class, songs and games come only after a rigorous vocabulary drill and lessons on triangles and trapezoids -- all taught in Chinese.
"My students are good at listening and do pretty well at reading, but writing is a weak point," said Zhang, who has a Ph.D. in education and was a teacher in his native Beijing.
Ian Alers said mastering Chinese characters was tough.
"Writing's pretty hard because you have to do the strokes in the right order," said the fifth-grader.
Chloe Hand, 10, says Chinese is "cool" and that she is starting to catch on to the complex writing system of characters that contain elements of meaning and sound.
"It's a totally different language. There's nothing to refer to," she said. "I can write Coca-Cola in Chinese and it has a lot of little boxes that refer to a mouth."
Dreams of selling Coca-Cola and other U.S. products to China have helped drive interest in Chinese studies. According to the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, 640 U.S. colleges offer Chinese programs, while 102 schools from kindergarten to 12th grade teach Chinese.
Teaching Chinese is also of keen interest to the U.S. government, which launched the National Security Education Program (NSEP) in 1994 to fund university studies of languages of key world regions, including East Asia and the Middle East.
The NSEP in 2002 inaugurated the National Flagship Language Initiative, a pilot program in Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Russian -- languages deemed critical to U.S. security. ¶ 12:32 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Attending the mass : Bishops are pictured during the inaugural mass of Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. (AFP/Andres Solaro) ¶ 12:40 PM 0 comments
Preparing the kite : Bulgarian youths prepare a giant kite before flying it at a parade celebrating the signing of the country's accession treaty to the European Union in central Sofia. (AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff) ¶ 12:39 PM 0 comments
Would-Be Car Burglar Locks Self in Trunk
Would-Be Car Burglar Locks Self in Trunk - Yahoo! News: FRESNO, Calif. - A man attempting to burglarize a car over the weekend locked himself in the trunk and was swiftly arrested, police said.
A security guard at an apartment complex in southeast Fresno followed a trail of blood to a banging noise coming from the trunk in the early morning hours Sunday.
Police said he cut himself on the door of another car he'd broken into, then trickled blood across the parking lot to the car he eventually locked himself inside.
'He popped the trunk from the inside and crawled back there, ransacking every inch,' Hernandez said. 'But then he grabs the trunk to heave himself out and closes it on top of him. He's got to be the dumbest criminal of the day.' ¶ 12:33 PM 0 comments
A security guard at an apartment complex in southeast Fresno followed a trail of blood to a banging noise coming from the trunk in the early morning hours Sunday.
Police said he cut himself on the door of another car he'd broken into, then trickled blood across the parking lot to the car he eventually locked himself inside.
'He popped the trunk from the inside and crawled back there, ransacking every inch,' Hernandez said. 'But then he grabs the trunk to heave himself out and closes it on top of him. He's got to be the dumbest criminal of the day.' ¶ 12:33 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 25, 2005
SEA ANEMONE CLOCK
aaron tang
The Anemone Clock is an alarm clock that was designed to awaken a person with a little more personality. Unlike other alarm clocks, the Anemone clock challenges a person when awakening. The twist to this clock is that when the alarm goes off the clock rumbles intensely, therefore making it a little harder to find the off switch. The clock also bounces away from the origin, due to the rumbling, thus creating another challenge of getting out of bed and chasing the clock around the room, kind of like a pet. After capturing the clock, one must hold on to the clock while the clock rumbles the person awake. This clock was designed because alarm clocks are just to easy to turn off, which generally leads back to sleeping again. The Anemone clock awakens a person by means of sound, light, movement, and interaction. ¶ 10:03 PM 0 comments
The Anemone Clock is an alarm clock that was designed to awaken a person with a little more personality. Unlike other alarm clocks, the Anemone clock challenges a person when awakening. The twist to this clock is that when the alarm goes off the clock rumbles intensely, therefore making it a little harder to find the off switch. The clock also bounces away from the origin, due to the rumbling, thus creating another challenge of getting out of bed and chasing the clock around the room, kind of like a pet. After capturing the clock, one must hold on to the clock while the clock rumbles the person awake. This clock was designed because alarm clocks are just to easy to turn off, which generally leads back to sleeping again. The Anemone clock awakens a person by means of sound, light, movement, and interaction. ¶ 10:03 PM 0 comments
Pope Is Forgetful, Elder Brother Says
Yahoo! News - Pope Is Forgetful, Elder Brother Says
BERLIN (Reuters) - The new Pope Benedict's elder brother, Georg Ratzinger, 81, told Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper Sunday that the pontiff's main weakness was his forgetfulness.
'He sometimes misplaces things, and all of a sudden doesn't know where his watch, his keys or a specific paper are anymore,' the paper quoted Ratzinger as saying.
What does Georg value most in his sibling, who is 78?
'His clarity of thought,' his patience and 'that we help each other out,' Bild am Sonntag quoted him as saying.
Georg Ratzinger, who is a priest, has previously been quoted as saying his brother might be too old for his new job.
He attended Sunday's inaugural papal Mass by the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger but said he had not brought a gift for a man who had everything.
He said he planned to ask his brother for just one thing - 'His direct telephone number.' ¶ 4:40 PM 0 comments
BERLIN (Reuters) - The new Pope Benedict's elder brother, Georg Ratzinger, 81, told Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper Sunday that the pontiff's main weakness was his forgetfulness.
'He sometimes misplaces things, and all of a sudden doesn't know where his watch, his keys or a specific paper are anymore,' the paper quoted Ratzinger as saying.
What does Georg value most in his sibling, who is 78?
'His clarity of thought,' his patience and 'that we help each other out,' Bild am Sonntag quoted him as saying.
Georg Ratzinger, who is a priest, has previously been quoted as saying his brother might be too old for his new job.
He attended Sunday's inaugural papal Mass by the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger but said he had not brought a gift for a man who had everything.
He said he planned to ask his brother for just one thing - 'His direct telephone number.' ¶ 4:40 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Ah San Wong
Ah San Wong
1) " Ah" -- in the term Ah San Wong
This article forms part of the series Islam Vocabulary ofIslam Five Pillars Profession of faith Prayer · Alms · Fasting Pilgrimage to Mecca Jihad (See Sixth pillar of Islam ) People Muhammad Prophets of Islam Caliph · ShiaImam Companions of Muhammad Holy Cities Mecca · Medina · Jerusalem Najaf · Karbala · Kufa Kazimain · Mashhad · Samarra Events Hijra · Islamic calendar · Eid ul-Fitr Eid ul-Adha · Aashura · Arba'in Buildings Mosque · Minaret · Mihrab · Kaaba Islamic architecture Functional Religious Roles Muezzin · Imam · Mullah Ayatollah · Mufti Interpretive Texts & Practices Qur'an · Hadith · Sunnah Fiqh · Fatwa · Sharia Sects Sunni : Hanafi · Hanbali · Maliki · Shafi'i Shi'a : Ithna Asharia · Ismailiyah · Zaiddiyah Others: Ibadi · Kharijite · Murjite · Mu'tazili Movements Sufism · Wahhabism · Salafism Non-Mainstream Sects / Movements A madiyyah · Nation of Islam Zikri · Druze Related Faiths Alawi · Babism · Bahá'í Faith · Yazidi
The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar is the calendar used todate events in predominately Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere todetermine the proper day on which to celebrate Muslim holy days. It is a purely lunar calendar having 12 lunar months in a year of about 354 days. Because this lunar year is about 11 daysshorter than the solar year, Muslim holy days, although celebrated on fixed dates in their own calendar, usually occur 11 daysearlier each successive solar year, such as a year of the Gregoriancalendar. Islamic years are also called Hijra years because the first year was the year during which the Hijra occurred— Muhammad 'semigration from Mecca to Medina. Thus eachnumbered year is ...
2) " San" -- in the term Ah San Wong
# San (or santo) is the Spanish word for saint, as in aSn Francisco ( Saint Francis ) and Son Diego. Ssn is used as a title only, whereas Son to is the regular usage (as in «él es unsanto» or "he is a saint" ) or a title (as in Sam toDomingo ).
# Sab is another name for the Bushmen, an ethnic group living in South Africa and Botswana.
# In computing, a SAN is a storage area network.
# San is the fictional girl raised by a wolf goddess in Miyazaki Hayao 's animated movie Princess Mononoke - the movie's title is a name by which she is also known.
# Saj is also a river inSouthern Poland.
# San has various meanings in Japanese, some ofwhich appear in English:
# Following a personal name, it is a title, akin to Mr., Ms, Miss, and Mrs. For example, Tanaka-san. The title is not gender specific and can follow just the surname, given name, or the entire full name.Other titles include -chan and -kun, which have different levels of formality.
# Following the name of a mountain, it means Mount. For example, Fuji-san.
...
3) " Wong" -- in the term Ah San Wong
Surname
Wong is the transliteration of 黃 ( Huang ) (literally meaning " yellow ") and 王,汪 ( Wang ) (literally," King ") in CantoneseChinese. It is amongst the top five most common Chinese surnames, and dates back to ancient times.
Common land
A wong is also a fairly rare term for a piece of common land in England. The term dates back to William the Conqueror and the Domesday Survey.There is an example of a wong in Horncastle in Lincolnshire.
This article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it ( http: en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wong&action=edit ). ... ¶ 3:35 AM 0 comments
1) " Ah" -- in the term Ah San Wong
This article forms part of the series Islam Vocabulary ofIslam Five Pillars Profession of faith Prayer · Alms · Fasting Pilgrimage to Mecca Jihad (See Sixth pillar of Islam ) People Muhammad Prophets of Islam Caliph · ShiaImam Companions of Muhammad Holy Cities Mecca · Medina · Jerusalem Najaf · Karbala · Kufa Kazimain · Mashhad · Samarra Events Hijra · Islamic calendar · Eid ul-Fitr Eid ul-Adha · Aashura · Arba'in Buildings Mosque · Minaret · Mihrab · Kaaba Islamic architecture Functional Religious Roles Muezzin · Imam · Mullah Ayatollah · Mufti Interpretive Texts & Practices Qur'an · Hadith · Sunnah Fiqh · Fatwa · Sharia Sects Sunni : Hanafi · Hanbali · Maliki · Shafi'i Shi'a : Ithna Asharia · Ismailiyah · Zaiddiyah Others: Ibadi · Kharijite · Murjite · Mu'tazili Movements Sufism · Wahhabism · Salafism Non-Mainstream Sects / Movements A madiyyah · Nation of Islam Zikri · Druze Related Faiths Alawi · Babism · Bahá'í Faith · Yazidi
The Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar is the calendar used todate events in predominately Muslim countries, and used by Muslims everywhere todetermine the proper day on which to celebrate Muslim holy days. It is a purely lunar calendar having 12 lunar months in a year of about 354 days. Because this lunar year is about 11 daysshorter than the solar year, Muslim holy days, although celebrated on fixed dates in their own calendar, usually occur 11 daysearlier each successive solar year, such as a year of the Gregoriancalendar. Islamic years are also called Hijra years because the first year was the year during which the Hijra occurred— Muhammad 'semigration from Mecca to Medina. Thus eachnumbered year is ...
2) " San" -- in the term Ah San Wong
# San (or santo) is the Spanish word for saint, as in aSn Francisco ( Saint Francis ) and Son Diego. Ssn is used as a title only, whereas Son to is the regular usage (as in «él es unsanto» or "he is a saint" ) or a title (as in Sam toDomingo ).
# Sab is another name for the Bushmen, an ethnic group living in South Africa and Botswana.
# In computing, a SAN is a storage area network.
# San is the fictional girl raised by a wolf goddess in Miyazaki Hayao 's animated movie Princess Mononoke - the movie's title is a name by which she is also known.
# Saj is also a river inSouthern Poland.
# San has various meanings in Japanese, some ofwhich appear in English:
# Following a personal name, it is a title, akin to Mr., Ms, Miss, and Mrs. For example, Tanaka-san. The title is not gender specific and can follow just the surname, given name, or the entire full name.Other titles include -chan and -kun, which have different levels of formality.
# Following the name of a mountain, it means Mount. For example, Fuji-san.
...
3) " Wong" -- in the term Ah San Wong
Surname
Wong is the transliteration of 黃 ( Huang ) (literally meaning " yellow ") and 王,汪 ( Wang ) (literally," King ") in CantoneseChinese. It is amongst the top five most common Chinese surnames, and dates back to ancient times.
Common land
A wong is also a fairly rare term for a piece of common land in England. The term dates back to William the Conqueror and the Domesday Survey.There is an example of a wong in Horncastle in Lincolnshire.
This article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it ( http: en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wong&action=edit ). ... ¶ 3:35 AM 0 comments
The Accu-Weather forecast for Sunday April 24, 2005 predicts a wintry cold will accompany snow and rain from Lower Michigan to parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia today. The Northeast will have a few showers. Gusty and unusually cool, the Southeast will be mostly sunny. Southern California will be mainly dry. Showers will dampen some of the Intermountain region, southern Rockies and southern Plains. (AP Photo/Accu Weather) ¶ 1:49 AM 0 comments
Through the fountain : Statues are seen through a water fountain on St. Peter's Square on the eve of Pope Benedict XVI's inauguration mass at the Vatican. (AFP/Thomas Coex) ¶ 1:45 AM 0 comments
Aurelia Aurita : Aurelia Aurita jellyfishes are on display at the aquarium of the northern Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian. (AFP/Rafa Rivas) ¶ 1:40 AM 0 comments
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Top 100 Languages by Population
Top 100 Languages by Population - First Language Speakers
Top 100 Languages by Population
These are the top 100 languages in order of number of first language speakers.
This is from the 13th Edition of the Ethnologue (1996).
More up-to-date information may well be avaliable
www.ethnologue.com is by far, the best language resource I've found on the web and much more detailed information about individual languages is avaliable there.
Rank Language Name Primary Country Population
1 CHINESE, MANDARIN China 885,000,000
2 SPANISH Spain 332,000,000
3 ENGLISH United Kingdom 322,000,000
4 BENGALI Bangladesh 189,000,000
5 HINDI India 182,000,000
6 PORTUGUESE Portugal 170,000,000
7 RUSSIAN Russia 170,000,000
8 JAPANESE Japan 125,000,000
9 GERMAN, STANDARD Germany 98,000,000
10 CHINESE, WU China 77,175,000
11 JAVANESE Indonesia, Java, Bali 75,500,800
12 KOREAN Korea, South 75,000,000
13 FRENCH France 72,000,000
14 VIETNAMESE Viet Nam 67,662,000
15 TELUGU India 66,350,000
16 CHINESE, YUE China 66,000,000
17 MARATHI India 64,783,000
18 TAMIL India 63,075,000
19 TURKISH Turkey 59,000,000
20 URDU Pakistan 58,000,000
21 CHINESE, MIN NAN China 49,000,000
22 CHINESE, JINYU China 45,000,000
23 GUJARATI India 44,000,000
24 POLISH Poland 44,000,000
25 ARABIC, EGYPTIAN SPOKEN Egypt 42,500,000
26 UKRAINIAN Ukraine 41,000,000
27 ITALIAN Italy ?x'37,000,000'
28 CHINESE, XIANG China 36,015,000
29 MALAYALAM India 34,022,000
30 CHINESE, HAKKA China 34,000,000
31 KANNADA India 33,663,000
32 ORIYA India 31,000,000
33 PANJABI, WESTERN Pakistan 30,000,000
34 SUNDA Indonesia 27,000,000
35 PANJABI, EASTERN India 26,013,000
36 ROMANIAN Romania 26,000,000
37 BHOJPURI India 25,000,000
38 AZERBAIJANI, SOUTH Iran 24,364,000
39 FARSI, WESTERN Iran 24,280,000
40 MAITHILI India 24,260,000
41 HAUSA Nigeria 24,200,000
42 ARABIC, ALGERIAN SPOKEN Algeria 22,400,000
43 BURMESE Myanmar 22,000,000
44 SERBO-CROATIAN Yugoslavia 21,000,000
45 CHINESE, GAN China 20,580,000
46 AWADHI India 20,540,000
47 THAI Thailand 20,047,000
48 DUTCH Netherlands 20,000,000
49 YORUBA Nigeria 20,000,000
50 SINDHI Pakistan 19,720,000
51 ARABIC, MOROCCAN SPOKEN Morocco 19,542,000
52 ARABIC, SAIDI SPOKEN Egypt 18,900,000
53 UZBEK, NORTHERN Uzbekistan 18,466,000
54 MALAY Malaysia, Peninsular 17,600,000
55 AMHARIC Ethiopia 17,413,000
56 INDONESIAN Indonesia 17,050,000
57 IGBO Nigeria 17,000,000
58 TAGALOG Philippines 17,000,000
59 NEPALI Nepal 16,056,000
60 ARABIC, SUDANESE SPOKEN Sudan 16,000,000
61 SARAIKI Pakistan 15,015,000
62 CEBUANO Philippines 15,000,000
63 ARABIC, NORTH LEVANTINE SPOKEN Syria 15,000,000
64 THAI, NORTHEASTERN Thailand 15,000,000
65 ASSAMESE India 14,634,000
66 HUNGARIAN Hungary 14,500,000
67 CHITTAGONIAN Bangladesh 14,000,000
68 ARABIC, MESOPOTAMIAN SPOKEN Iraq 13,900,000
69 MADURA Indonesia, Java, Bali 13,694,000
70 SINHALA Sri Lanka 13,220,000
71 HARYANVI India 13,000,000
72 MARWARI India 12,104,000
73 CZECH Czech Republic 12,000,000
74 GREEK Greece 12,000,000
75 MAGAHI India 12,000,000
76 CHHATTISGARHI India 10,985,000
77 DECCAN India 10,709,800
78 CHINESE, MIN BEI China 10,537,000
79 BELARUSAN Belarus 10,200,000
80 ZHUANG, NORTHERN China 10,000,000
81 ARABIC, NAJDI SPOKEN Saudi Arabia 9,800,000
82 PASHTO, NORTHERN Pakistan 9,685,000
83 SOMALI Somalia 9,472,000
84 MALAGASY Madagascar 9,398,700
85 ARABIC, TUNISIAN SPOKEN Tunisia 9,308,000
86 RWANDA Rwanda 9,306,800
87 ZULU South Africa 9,142,000
88 BULGARIAN Bulgaria 9,000,000
89 SWEDISH Sweden 9,000,000
90 LOMBARD Italy 8,974,000
91 OROMO, WEST-CENTRAL Ethiopia 8,920,000
92 PASHTO, SOUTHERN Afghanistan 8,206,000
93 KAZAKH Kazakhstan 8,000,000
94 ILOCANO Philippines 8,000,000
95 TATAR Russia 8,000,000
96 FULFULDE, NIGERIAN Nigeria 7,611,000
97 ARABIC, SANAANI SPOKEN Yemen 7,600,000
98 UYGHUR China 7,595,512
99 HAITIAN CREOLE FRENCH Haiti 7,372,000
100 AZERBAIJANI, NORTH Azerbaijan 7,059,000
101 NAPOLETANO-CALABRESE Italy 7,047,400
102 KHMER, CENTRAL Cambodia 7,039,200
103 FARSI, EASTERN Afghanistan 7,000,000
104 AKAN Ghana 7,000,000
105 HILIGAYNON Philippines 7,000,000
106 KURMANJI Turkey 7,000,000
107 SHONA Zimbabwe 7,000,000 ¶ 9:34 PM 0 comments
Top 100 Languages by Population
These are the top 100 languages in order of number of first language speakers.
This is from the 13th Edition of the Ethnologue (1996).
More up-to-date information may well be avaliable
www.ethnologue.com is by far, the best language resource I've found on the web and much more detailed information about individual languages is avaliable there.
Rank Language Name Primary Country Population
1 CHINESE, MANDARIN China 885,000,000
2 SPANISH Spain 332,000,000
3 ENGLISH United Kingdom 322,000,000
4 BENGALI Bangladesh 189,000,000
5 HINDI India 182,000,000
6 PORTUGUESE Portugal 170,000,000
7 RUSSIAN Russia 170,000,000
8 JAPANESE Japan 125,000,000
9 GERMAN, STANDARD Germany 98,000,000
10 CHINESE, WU China 77,175,000
11 JAVANESE Indonesia, Java, Bali 75,500,800
12 KOREAN Korea, South 75,000,000
13 FRENCH France 72,000,000
14 VIETNAMESE Viet Nam 67,662,000
15 TELUGU India 66,350,000
16 CHINESE, YUE China 66,000,000
17 MARATHI India 64,783,000
18 TAMIL India 63,075,000
19 TURKISH Turkey 59,000,000
20 URDU Pakistan 58,000,000
21 CHINESE, MIN NAN China 49,000,000
22 CHINESE, JINYU China 45,000,000
23 GUJARATI India 44,000,000
24 POLISH Poland 44,000,000
25 ARABIC, EGYPTIAN SPOKEN Egypt 42,500,000
26 UKRAINIAN Ukraine 41,000,000
27 ITALIAN Italy ?x'37,000,000'
28 CHINESE, XIANG China 36,015,000
29 MALAYALAM India 34,022,000
30 CHINESE, HAKKA China 34,000,000
31 KANNADA India 33,663,000
32 ORIYA India 31,000,000
33 PANJABI, WESTERN Pakistan 30,000,000
34 SUNDA Indonesia 27,000,000
35 PANJABI, EASTERN India 26,013,000
36 ROMANIAN Romania 26,000,000
37 BHOJPURI India 25,000,000
38 AZERBAIJANI, SOUTH Iran 24,364,000
39 FARSI, WESTERN Iran 24,280,000
40 MAITHILI India 24,260,000
41 HAUSA Nigeria 24,200,000
42 ARABIC, ALGERIAN SPOKEN Algeria 22,400,000
43 BURMESE Myanmar 22,000,000
44 SERBO-CROATIAN Yugoslavia 21,000,000
45 CHINESE, GAN China 20,580,000
46 AWADHI India 20,540,000
47 THAI Thailand 20,047,000
48 DUTCH Netherlands 20,000,000
49 YORUBA Nigeria 20,000,000
50 SINDHI Pakistan 19,720,000
51 ARABIC, MOROCCAN SPOKEN Morocco 19,542,000
52 ARABIC, SAIDI SPOKEN Egypt 18,900,000
53 UZBEK, NORTHERN Uzbekistan 18,466,000
54 MALAY Malaysia, Peninsular 17,600,000
55 AMHARIC Ethiopia 17,413,000
56 INDONESIAN Indonesia 17,050,000
57 IGBO Nigeria 17,000,000
58 TAGALOG Philippines 17,000,000
59 NEPALI Nepal 16,056,000
60 ARABIC, SUDANESE SPOKEN Sudan 16,000,000
61 SARAIKI Pakistan 15,015,000
62 CEBUANO Philippines 15,000,000
63 ARABIC, NORTH LEVANTINE SPOKEN Syria 15,000,000
64 THAI, NORTHEASTERN Thailand 15,000,000
65 ASSAMESE India 14,634,000
66 HUNGARIAN Hungary 14,500,000
67 CHITTAGONIAN Bangladesh 14,000,000
68 ARABIC, MESOPOTAMIAN SPOKEN Iraq 13,900,000
69 MADURA Indonesia, Java, Bali 13,694,000
70 SINHALA Sri Lanka 13,220,000
71 HARYANVI India 13,000,000
72 MARWARI India 12,104,000
73 CZECH Czech Republic 12,000,000
74 GREEK Greece 12,000,000
75 MAGAHI India 12,000,000
76 CHHATTISGARHI India 10,985,000
77 DECCAN India 10,709,800
78 CHINESE, MIN BEI China 10,537,000
79 BELARUSAN Belarus 10,200,000
80 ZHUANG, NORTHERN China 10,000,000
81 ARABIC, NAJDI SPOKEN Saudi Arabia 9,800,000
82 PASHTO, NORTHERN Pakistan 9,685,000
83 SOMALI Somalia 9,472,000
84 MALAGASY Madagascar 9,398,700
85 ARABIC, TUNISIAN SPOKEN Tunisia 9,308,000
86 RWANDA Rwanda 9,306,800
87 ZULU South Africa 9,142,000
88 BULGARIAN Bulgaria 9,000,000
89 SWEDISH Sweden 9,000,000
90 LOMBARD Italy 8,974,000
91 OROMO, WEST-CENTRAL Ethiopia 8,920,000
92 PASHTO, SOUTHERN Afghanistan 8,206,000
93 KAZAKH Kazakhstan 8,000,000
94 ILOCANO Philippines 8,000,000
95 TATAR Russia 8,000,000
96 FULFULDE, NIGERIAN Nigeria 7,611,000
97 ARABIC, SANAANI SPOKEN Yemen 7,600,000
98 UYGHUR China 7,595,512
99 HAITIAN CREOLE FRENCH Haiti 7,372,000
100 AZERBAIJANI, NORTH Azerbaijan 7,059,000
101 NAPOLETANO-CALABRESE Italy 7,047,400
102 KHMER, CENTRAL Cambodia 7,039,200
103 FARSI, EASTERN Afghanistan 7,000,000
104 AKAN Ghana 7,000,000
105 HILIGAYNON Philippines 7,000,000
106 KURMANJI Turkey 7,000,000
107 SHONA Zimbabwe 7,000,000 ¶ 9:34 PM 0 comments
我的泥潭生活
我的泥潭生 bbs.blog.wenxuecity.com
我的泥潭生活
文章来源: 泥潭女 于 2003-12-06 08:23:31 wenxuecity
那天在网上做了个心理测试，我的心理年龄已经有45岁了，比实际年龄大20岁。也不觉得太奇怪，只是向前望望还有那么多年真的不知该怎么走。该经过的事都做过了，该去过的地方也都去了。整个的世界都满足不了我的好奇心，再这样走下去，地球将对我太小。
回忆从17岁上大学开始到21岁之前一直都在挥霍，什么都喜欢，喜欢抽烟喝酒同性恋一夜情，读哲学艺术，听古典乐，为《查拉斯图拉如是说》中新的时代癫狂得神经衰弱，十几个小时乌烟瘴气地坐在桌前编梦想。莫名的流泪，在半夜里的校园里散步，会四仰八叉地躺在小路的中央看星星。谈恋爱要谈得对方举着菜刀在后边追，离开时就把朝夕相处的甜蜜内存全部清空，直到真正感到爱上一个人。收拾个包裹，偷偷在陌生的城市找个住处，找个工作，再打电话给他。想开始好好地过日子，拼命地攒钱，最大的梦想就是买一套自己的房子。那段日子真甜蜜，可是就是蜜泡久了都会腻，除了爱情人活着还需要别的，于是学德语，学日语，学法语，学电脑，白天上完了班再晚上到酒吧打工，把自己好好折磨一番。再到后来，每天早晨醒来的时候，一想到要上班，要开始新的一天，就觉得巨大的精神痛苦，换个工作也没用，因为我已经厌倦透顶了。于是办出国留学，来到了欧洲，临别前哭得昏天黑地，几乎要后悔，如果世界上还有什么精神寄托的话那就只有爱情。在德的三个月后，男友有了新宠，说些我们总有一天会被时间吞没的屁话。回国两次，自残，几乎死了一次之后，终于明白了爱情是什么东西。男人，所有的男人都不再有什么意义。再之后，就迷上了打工，可以做出租司机，工厂女工，清洁工，翻译，护士，酒吧招待，秘书，能做的全都做个遍，干腻了就炒掉老板。挣到的钱就独自去旅行，直到世界变得大同小异。读书是用超过别人三倍的速度读，选的是自己喜欢永远都找不到工作的专业，可以通宵达旦地喝着咖啡写论文，直到有一天早上醒来，悟出读的想的全都是些死去的东西，而自己孤独地站在悬崖边上无所适从。。。
也许人生就是这样吧，人们用各种方式想把自己填满，当填满的时候才会意识到自己有多么空虚。有时不如就留那么一块空白，像永远挂在驴子面前的胡萝卜，那么我的胡萝卜在哪，究竟在哪？ ¶ 9:28 PM 0 comments
我的泥潭生活
文章来源: 泥潭女 于 2003-12-06 08:23:31 wenxuecity
那天在网上做了个心理测试，我的心理年龄已经有45岁了，比实际年龄大20岁。也不觉得太奇怪，只是向前望望还有那么多年真的不知该怎么走。该经过的事都做过了，该去过的地方也都去了。整个的世界都满足不了我的好奇心，再这样走下去，地球将对我太小。
回忆从17岁上大学开始到21岁之前一直都在挥霍，什么都喜欢，喜欢抽烟喝酒同性恋一夜情，读哲学艺术，听古典乐，为《查拉斯图拉如是说》中新的时代癫狂得神经衰弱，十几个小时乌烟瘴气地坐在桌前编梦想。莫名的流泪，在半夜里的校园里散步，会四仰八叉地躺在小路的中央看星星。谈恋爱要谈得对方举着菜刀在后边追，离开时就把朝夕相处的甜蜜内存全部清空，直到真正感到爱上一个人。收拾个包裹，偷偷在陌生的城市找个住处，找个工作，再打电话给他。想开始好好地过日子，拼命地攒钱，最大的梦想就是买一套自己的房子。那段日子真甜蜜，可是就是蜜泡久了都会腻，除了爱情人活着还需要别的，于是学德语，学日语，学法语，学电脑，白天上完了班再晚上到酒吧打工，把自己好好折磨一番。再到后来，每天早晨醒来的时候，一想到要上班，要开始新的一天，就觉得巨大的精神痛苦，换个工作也没用，因为我已经厌倦透顶了。于是办出国留学，来到了欧洲，临别前哭得昏天黑地，几乎要后悔，如果世界上还有什么精神寄托的话那就只有爱情。在德的三个月后，男友有了新宠，说些我们总有一天会被时间吞没的屁话。回国两次，自残，几乎死了一次之后，终于明白了爱情是什么东西。男人，所有的男人都不再有什么意义。再之后，就迷上了打工，可以做出租司机，工厂女工，清洁工，翻译，护士，酒吧招待，秘书，能做的全都做个遍，干腻了就炒掉老板。挣到的钱就独自去旅行，直到世界变得大同小异。读书是用超过别人三倍的速度读，选的是自己喜欢永远都找不到工作的专业，可以通宵达旦地喝着咖啡写论文，直到有一天早上醒来，悟出读的想的全都是些死去的东西，而自己孤独地站在悬崖边上无所适从。。。
也许人生就是这样吧，人们用各种方式想把自己填满，当填满的时候才会意识到自己有多么空虚。有时不如就留那么一块空白，像永远挂在驴子面前的胡萝卜，那么我的胡萝卜在哪，究竟在哪？ ¶ 9:28 PM 0 comments
A lucky pint-size traveler gets to pet one of the penguins after they cleared security. Pat and Penny had visited an Anheuser Bush brewing plant in Colorado. The beer giant owns Seaworld. ¶ 7:20 PM 0 comments
This penguin needs a little coaxing to cross the line. "Gee, the things I do for a fish!" ¶ 7:19 PM 0 comments
The first penguin seems to be wondering why this is necessary. "It's not like I planned to hijack the plane to Antarctica." ¶ 7:19 PM 0 comments
A handler walks ahead of the two birds to show them the way. They look a little confused about why they have to do this. ¶ 7:19 PM 0 comments
A handler walks ahead of the two birds to show them the way. They look a little confused about why they have to do this. ¶ 7:19 PM 0 comments
Yes, you CAN make a fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar!
make a fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar
Yes, you CAN make a fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar!
This idea was originally proposed by Andre Bourbeau to Rob Bicevskis about 6 years ago. I don't know if he is the one that came up with it in the first place. Thanks to Rob for bringing this method to my attention.
To make fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar is actually quite easy, and you don't need any tools.
The can....
The key to this is the bottom of the coke can (by the way, any pop can will do), which is ideal for reflecting and concentrating the sun's light and energy.
Here is a photo of a coke can bottom. Note that it has a slightly dull finish. In its present condition it is not shiny enough to concentrate the sun's rays enough to ignite tinder.
That's where the chocolate bar comes in ....
The can bottom is not shiny enough to function as a good reflector and concentrator of sunlight. It needs polishing. The chocolate does an excellent job of this. So, simply break off a piece of chocolate and use it to polish up the can bottom!
P.S. Any type of chocolate will do. Probably the purer it is, the better. In that case, maybe a Toblerone bar isn't so great, as it has nuts and honey in it.
This is a close-up of the surface of an un-polished can's bottom. Note the fine straight lines in the aluminum. These scatter the sun's rays, and prevent them from being focused together into a single bright point.
This is why the can needs polishing.
Compare this to the picture below of a polished can bottom.
Here is a close-up of a polished can bottom.
Compare this to the picture above of an un-polished can bottom. There's a big difference.
Polishing the bottom of the can.
Note: For polishing the can, one needs to use the wrapper (or something else) in the process. Just rubbing chocolate on the bottom of the can won't do too much. The process is to smear some chocolate on the bottom, then use the wrapper (or whatever) as a "cloth" to do the polishing. Every now and then, one needs to add a bit more of the "abrasive." As a reference point, it will probably take ½-1 hour or more to finish the process.
Toothpaste also works as a good polish.
All polished and shiny.
How to actually make fire...
Hold a piece of suitable tinder, such as a fragment of tinder fungus, at the focal point of the can bottom -- about 1 - 1.25" away from the center of the "bowl".
One doesn't need to use tinder fungus. To keep to the core of the challenge, one can use pieces of the chocolate wrapper to get a coal. If the chocolate bar has a black paper insert, this is of course the best due to the dark colour. It takes a bit longer with the wrapper - but as with a magnifying glass many things can be used.
Holding the small piece of tinder fungus is easier with a long thin stick with a small split in the end, such as is shown in this photos.
After a very short time (only a few seconds in the bright sun), the tinder fungus will be smoldering. Then transfer it to a tinder bundle and blow it into flame (if you're using a large enough piece of tinder fungus). If you're using a very small piece, then transfer the ember to a larger piece by holding the two pieces together and blowing on them.
Alternatively, you could use a small bundle of very volatile tinder.
... And that's all there is to it! ¶ 1:32 PM 0 comments
make a fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar
Yes, you CAN make a fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar!
This idea was originally proposed by Andre Bourbeau to Rob Bicevskis about 6 years ago. I don't know if he is the one that came up with it in the first place. Thanks to Rob for bringing this method to my attention.
To make fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar is actually quite easy, and you don't need any tools.
The can....
The key to this is the bottom of the coke can (by the way, any pop can will do), which is ideal for reflecting and concentrating the sun's light and energy.
Here is a photo of a coke can bottom. Note that it has a slightly dull finish. In its present condition it is not shiny enough to concentrate the sun's rays enough to ignite tinder.
That's where the chocolate bar comes in ....
The can bottom is not shiny enough to function as a good reflector and concentrator of sunlight. It needs polishing. The chocolate does an excellent job of this. So, simply break off a piece of chocolate and use it to polish up the can bottom!
P.S. Any type of chocolate will do. Probably the purer it is, the better. In that case, maybe a Toblerone bar isn't so great, as it has nuts and honey in it.
This is a close-up of the surface of an un-polished can's bottom. Note the fine straight lines in the aluminum. These scatter the sun's rays, and prevent them from being focused together into a single bright point.
This is why the can needs polishing.
Compare this to the picture below of a polished can bottom.
Here is a close-up of a polished can bottom.
Compare this to the picture above of an un-polished can bottom. There's a big difference.
Polishing the bottom of the can.
Note: For polishing the can, one needs to use the wrapper (or something else) in the process. Just rubbing chocolate on the bottom of the can won't do too much. The process is to smear some chocolate on the bottom, then use the wrapper (or whatever) as a "cloth" to do the polishing. Every now and then, one needs to add a bit more of the "abrasive." As a reference point, it will probably take ½-1 hour or more to finish the process.
Toothpaste also works as a good polish.
All polished and shiny.
How to actually make fire...
Hold a piece of suitable tinder, such as a fragment of tinder fungus, at the focal point of the can bottom -- about 1 - 1.25" away from the center of the "bowl".
One doesn't need to use tinder fungus. To keep to the core of the challenge, one can use pieces of the chocolate wrapper to get a coal. If the chocolate bar has a black paper insert, this is of course the best due to the dark colour. It takes a bit longer with the wrapper - but as with a magnifying glass many things can be used.
Holding the small piece of tinder fungus is easier with a long thin stick with a small split in the end, such as is shown in this photos.
After a very short time (only a few seconds in the bright sun), the tinder fungus will be smoldering. Then transfer it to a tinder bundle and blow it into flame (if you're using a large enough piece of tinder fungus). If you're using a very small piece, then transfer the ember to a larger piece by holding the two pieces together and blowing on them.
Alternatively, you could use a small bundle of very volatile tinder.
... And that's all there is to it! ¶ 1:32 PM 0 comments
Most Condoms in India Used to Make Saris
Yahoo! News - Most Condoms in India Used to Make Saris
Sat Apr 23, 7:24 AM ET
NEW DELHI - Only a quarter of condoms made in India are used for sex, most of the others are used to make saris, toys and bathroom slippers, a newspaper reported Saturday.
The condoms are valuable to manufacturers because of the lubricant on them. Sari weavers place the condoms on their thread spools and the lubricant on the prophylactics is rubbed off on the thread, making it move faster through their sewing machines, The Economic Times newspaper quoted an Indian industry official as saying.
Sari makers also turn the condom's inside out, place them on their fingers and use the high-quality lubricant to polish gold and silver threads used in the traditional Indian women's outfits.
India manufactures more than 1 billion condoms annually to check population growth and curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. ¶ 1:12 PM 0 comments
Sat Apr 23, 7:24 AM ET
NEW DELHI - Only a quarter of condoms made in India are used for sex, most of the others are used to make saris, toys and bathroom slippers, a newspaper reported Saturday.
The condoms are valuable to manufacturers because of the lubricant on them. Sari weavers place the condoms on their thread spools and the lubricant on the prophylactics is rubbed off on the thread, making it move faster through their sewing machines, The Economic Times newspaper quoted an Indian industry official as saying.
Sari makers also turn the condom's inside out, place them on their fingers and use the high-quality lubricant to polish gold and silver threads used in the traditional Indian women's outfits.
India manufactures more than 1 billion condoms annually to check population growth and curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. ¶ 1:12 PM 0 comments
Honey, let's dine in tonight. Lock your beloved/condemned in this two-part "pillory table" and feed him/her (or deprive them) while they're confined. You could also shake pepper at them, and make them sneeze. Hey, wait -- I bet there's a website for that. ¶ 3:52 AM 0 comments
Emails 'pose threat to IQ'
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Emails 'pose threat to IQ': Emails 'pose threat to IQ'
Martin Wainwright
Friday April 22, 2005
The Guardian
The distractions of constant emails, text and phone messages are a greater threat to IQ and concentration than taking cannabis, according to a survey of befuddled volunteers.
Doziness, lethargy and an increasing inability to focus reached "startling" levels in the trials by 1,100 people, who also demonstrated that emails in particular have an addictive, drug-like grip.
Respondents' minds were all over the place as they faced new questions and challenges every time an email dropped into their inbox. Productivity at work was damaged and the effect on staff who could not resist trying to juggle new messages with existing work was the equivalent, over a day, to the loss of a night's sleep.
"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," said Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist from King's College, London University, who carried out 80 clinical trials for TNS research, commissioned by the IT firm Hewlett Packard. The average IQ loss was measured at 10 points, more than double the four point mean fall found in studies of cannabis users.
The most damage was done, according to the survey, by the almost complete lack of discipline in handling emails. Dr Wilson and his colleagues found a compulsion to reply to each new message, leading to constant changes of direction which inevitably tired and slowed down the brain.
Manners are also going by the board, with one in five of the respondents breaking off from meals or social engagements to receive and deal with messages. Although nine out of 10 agreed that answering messages during face-to-face meetings or office conferences was rude, a third nonetheless felt that this had become "acceptable and seen as a sign of diligence and efficiency".
In fact, it is a recipe for muddled thinking and poor performance, said Dr Wilson, who also called for restraint by the two-thirds of people who check work emails out of office hours and even on holiday. He said: "Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working." ¶ 1:23 AM 0 comments
Martin Wainwright
Friday April 22, 2005
The Guardian
The distractions of constant emails, text and phone messages are a greater threat to IQ and concentration than taking cannabis, according to a survey of befuddled volunteers.
Doziness, lethargy and an increasing inability to focus reached "startling" levels in the trials by 1,100 people, who also demonstrated that emails in particular have an addictive, drug-like grip.
Respondents' minds were all over the place as they faced new questions and challenges every time an email dropped into their inbox. Productivity at work was damaged and the effect on staff who could not resist trying to juggle new messages with existing work was the equivalent, over a day, to the loss of a night's sleep.
"This is a very real and widespread phenomenon," said Glenn Wilson, a psychiatrist from King's College, London University, who carried out 80 clinical trials for TNS research, commissioned by the IT firm Hewlett Packard. The average IQ loss was measured at 10 points, more than double the four point mean fall found in studies of cannabis users.
The most damage was done, according to the survey, by the almost complete lack of discipline in handling emails. Dr Wilson and his colleagues found a compulsion to reply to each new message, leading to constant changes of direction which inevitably tired and slowed down the brain.
Manners are also going by the board, with one in five of the respondents breaking off from meals or social engagements to receive and deal with messages. Although nine out of 10 agreed that answering messages during face-to-face meetings or office conferences was rude, a third nonetheless felt that this had become "acceptable and seen as a sign of diligence and efficiency".
In fact, it is a recipe for muddled thinking and poor performance, said Dr Wilson, who also called for restraint by the two-thirds of people who check work emails out of office hours and even on holiday. He said: "Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working." ¶ 1:23 AM 0 comments
全世界都认为汉语是婴儿语
全世界都认为汉语是婴儿语 - 龙的传人 - 网易部落
100年前，全世界都认为汉语是婴儿语，后来才发现原来汉语是进化过的世界最先进的语言。原来在七千年前，汉语也有罗嗦的后啜和字格，后来我们把那些无用东西都抛弃了。比如用一个“了”字就把已经完成的动作表现出来了。根本不用什么现在过去完成时那么罗嗦。
古埃及楔形文字演化成腓尼基语，腓尼基古文字又演化成希腊语，希腊语又演化为拉丁语，拉丁语又变成法语，法语又演化成英语。拉丁语向东成为斯拉夫语系，斯拉夫语系又演化成俄语。同时这也是一个宗教的传播史，是天主教分化为基督教，东正教的过程。汉语是世界上唯一不使用字母高级语言。
汉语又是唯一可用于计算机时代的语言，最适合语音控制，而不用象英语那样用手瞎摸！这是一个决定中国人命运的问题，请所有朋友尽量宣传！汉语的一个明显的优势是，思维面广阔，在数学上由于单音节发音，对数字的反应速度也更快，但在逻辑思维方面还是拼音文字较好，但从人类文明发展的 趋势看，作为表意文字的汉语，由于可以自由组合新名词新概念以至新思想，可以容纳信息和知识爆炸的冲击，无疑将发展为人类的共同语言，用这种语言 来交流思想更加方便，更加丰富多彩，当然在论文和计算机语言是汉语和拼音文字并用了，汉语的伟大就在于兼容，你们看看在汉语的学术论文有汉语和阿拉伯数字和西方拼音文字的混用现相，但在英语论文中则找不到一个汉字，中国的物理学专家可以凭借他在中学时代的化学基础知识通读化学专家的论文，反之依然，而英美的不同行业的专家要交流他们的学术成果，则是对牛弹琴，凭这个优势，汉语就有资格成为世界语，而我们国内还有些学者还要把汉语拼音化，这不是邯郸学步东施效颦吗？我们中国人民也有资格控告那些所谓的文明的西方人，是谁在制造环境污染，破坏森林和草原，就是他们，因为印刷同样内容的一本书，西方语言要比汉语浪费2倍的纸张，全世界使用西方语言的人要比使用 汉语的人多5倍，按照简单的因素级连倍乘法，就要浪费10－20倍以上的木材
增加20倍以上的工业废水，就语言的优越性来讲，西方人没有什么资格对汉语说三道四，连文盲都知道从联合国五种工作语言找出汉语文本，因为汉语文本是最薄的那一本
中国人心里有这样一种成见；认为汉语迟早要被英语所淘汰。记得有一次，大概是胡野碧在辩论时干脆把它清楚地说了出来。前几天‘世纪大讲堂’请了一位学者李锐也认为全球化的结果是让英语统治世界。只有阮次山在一次‘大时代，小故事’中谈到汉语的思维速度比英语快。但是，他又提出一个问题；既然由于汉语使用了‘声’使得汉语的思维速度比英语快，那么，由于广东话中的声比普通话多，是不是广东话的思维速度比普通话更快呢？我的回答是，广东话虽然使用的声调多于普通话，但是，广东话有两个缺点，第一、它的文字规划得不好，文字表达欠佳，且有闭音节的声音存在。第二、它的声音利用率不高，普通话有21个声母、35 个韵母和四声，连乘的结果是2900个声音，但是能够被利用的是2500个，而真正被用到普通话中的仅1200个。广东话有九声，即使它的声母和韵母与普通话一样多，那么它实际使用的声音也应该是普通话的两倍多才对，但是，广东话中实际使用的声音仅有1500个，与普通话相差不多，而它的利用率比普通话小了几乎一倍。利用率小，就说明难学。因为同样的一个声母或韵母，每次的使用实际上也是一种练习的过程，利用率高的声母或韵母必然容易记忆、容易掌握。日常生活中也可以看到，凡是常用的语言元素，包括声母、韵母、汉字和单词等到，越是经常使用的越容易掌握。语言的好坏其实取决于两个方面，第一、是不是能够用很少的记忆来掌握，第二、是不是能够在有生之年掌握到比其他人更多的知识？用一句极限的话来讲应该是：最好的语言是不学而知，但是所掌握的知识又最多的语言，或者说，学少而知多的语言。
英语与普通话相比则不同，国际音标中，英语有20个元音和20个辅音，所以英语的声音种类不会超过 20×20＝400个；反过来说，不在这四百个声音之内的任何声音都不被英语所承认，或者被认为是不正确的发音；这里所说的不是‘音节’。比较一下就会看出，汉语的发音种类是英语的3倍，两者的比值远大于广东话与普通话的比值。
下面要说一下，为什么声音种类越多，思维速度就越快。这个问题，去年我在‘北大中文’论坛讨论了一个月才使大家弄清楚，在这里我希望尽量说得简单。假设有一个仅会发两种声音的人，具体地讲，他就会发a和b两个音。根据电脑的理论，我们知道，他用这两个符号依然可以表达整个世界。再假设，世界上仅有400种事物需要表达，那么，一个英国人可以用每一个发音来表达400种事物中的一件，而仅会发两个声音的人，有时就不得不用九个发音来表达400种事物中的一件，因为二的九次方才大于400。比如，英国人用‘i’ 代表‘我’而仅会两个声音的人可能要用abbababba代表‘我’这个概念。一般人每发一个声音大约需要消耗四分之一秒的时间。比较两者就会看出，仅会两个声音的人，不但表达得慢，而且还费力气。在表达‘我’这个概念的时候，英国人使用四分之一秒的时间，而仅会两个声音的人使用了二又四分之一秒。如果两个人总以这样的比例生活一辈子，他们一生中所享受到的所有信息将是它的反比9：1。实际的情况中，最明显的是日语与汉语的对照，我们知道，日语使用了 100种不同的声音，而汉语使用了1200种声音，因此很多汉字让日本人一念就必须用两个或者三个声音来表达。我们假设日语中所有的字都用两个声音来表达，那么岂不是说，日本人一生所能够享受到的信息仅仅是中国人的一半吗？我曾经思考过，这是不是与日本历史上从来没有出现过伟大的思想家有关。我们知道，思维实际上是一种心里说的过程，如果在说话时表达得快，那么，思维的速度也应该跟着快。具体的例子是赵元任曾经比较用英语和汉语背诵乘法口诀的速度，汉语使用了30秒，而英语使用了45秒。因此，如果两个人同时用英语和汉语来背诵的话，到了30秒的时候，汉语使用者一定想到了九九八十一，而英语使用者则一定到不了这里，说不定，他想到的仅仅是七七四十九。这就证明了使用发音种类多的语言比使用发音种类少的语言思维速度快。这一点曾经被国、内外许多学者所证实。至于思维速度快是否就代表聪明这个问题是被很多学者所承认的。
我的证据是解释一个历史上的‘谜’古希腊人为什么比其他人更聪明？因为希腊的文化来自古菲尼基人，我们知道菲尼基人发明了人类的拼音字母，就声音的分解来说，这是一大进步，就思维速度来说，它是一大倒退。因为，为了筛选容易区分的声音元素，菲尼基人仅仅使用了22个辅音，这样，它的表达速度当然比现在任何语言都慢，而希腊人则采用了元音，我们知道元音与辅音结合以后，声音种类等于增加了好几倍。事实上，菲尼基人的声音中也有元音，否则他们是发不出来的。所谓的22个辅音是说他们仅承认这22个辅音为信息栽体，也就是，ma、me、mu、mai、muo在他们的耳朵里与一个m没有任何区别就像me的四种声调对于英国人来讲没有任何区别一样。由于声音种类的突然增加使得希腊人的思维突飞猛进，造成了后来的现象。论坛上曾经有人问汉语的声音种类依然多于英语，为什么没有英国先进。我的回答是，当声音种类突然增加的时候就有新思想出现，反之，当声音种类减少时，思想就趋于保守，而元朝以后，中国的声音中失掉了一个‘入’声，中国的衰弱正巧从那时开始。最后，在讨论尼安德特人的时候，人们也发现，使用声音种类少的人种会被历史淘汰。
我之所以认为汉语必定战胜英语的根据还不在这里，关键是要解决人类目前所面临的知识爆炸问题。我们知道，目前的英语单词包括各种生物名称及专利发明的新术语已经超过了数百万，如果考虑到英语中有一些可以推导和联想的成份；比如前、后缀和复合词等，它所需要记忆的基本单词也有一百万个。而所有这些单词在汉语中都可以用四千个汉字来表达。根本的原因还是英语的发音种类不够。
比如pork这个词，在英语中代表猪肉，它和猪pig、肉meat没有任何关系而仅仅代表它们的一个联合体而已，如果把猪肉 pork、羊肉mutton、牛肉beef、猪油lard、羊油suet和牛油talon放在一起进行比较的话就发现，英语中所有的联体词都是一个与其中任何一个分解词毫无关联的新符号，而它们却构成了英语词汇的主体，英语中几百万的单词就是这样来的。它的根本原因是由于如果将pork改成pig和 meat连在一起的形式，那么就要发音四次而pork仅仅发音两次；所以联体的词能够节省发音却要增加记忆，而分体的词，无需记忆可是却增加了发音次数。设想，一位屠夫，每天要用到‘猪肉’这个词上千次，使用两次发音的单词要比使用四次发音的词节省两千次发音，何乐不为？但是遇到不常用的词的时候，英语还是和汉语一样，使用分解的词，比如驴肉就用donkey meat来表达。因为不常用的词，即使设立了符号形式，别人也记不住。汉语能够将英语中联体词汇分解的功能，非常有用，它使所需要记忆的词汇大大地减少；不仅如此，它还能够将词汇在人们头脑中的位置整理得清清楚楚。达尔文主义的诞生就是建立在林奈的双名法的基础之上的，这种方法使得各种印象在脑子中由原来的平面，变成立体的。比如，在林奈以前，人们给所有的生物一个名字，结果，由于种类太多，同一种生物可能有两种名字，而另外的生物，可能没有名字。林奈则将所有的生物先分类，并且给出一个类名，然后在类名的下面放一个词，两者组成双名法的名字。这样不但清晰，而且大大的减少了需要记忆的符号；比如原来有一万个名字，现在分成一百个类，又在每类中分成一百种，我们所需要记忆的仅仅是一百个类名和一百个种名，共二百个，而不是原来的一万个。随着知识爆炸的问题逐渐恶化，人类就有必要将其他的术语也仿照这个方法改造，而目前唯一的办法就是按照汉语的结构进行改革。而原因还是在于发音种类的数量。
这个现象最先是德国的莱布尼兹体会到的，他认为汉语是自亚里士多得以来，西方世界梦寐以求的组义语言。但是，他没有看到声音的真正特性，却由于汉字的数量上的性能而定义汉字是世界上最先进的文字。我想，如果他看到今天知识爆炸的世界，他一定会要求世界上所有的国家废除拼音文字而采用汉字。
最后，谈一下关于人的一生中到底能够记住多少单词或符号的问题。中国人所使用的汉字通常在三到四千，而莎士比亚时代的英语仅有三万个单词，他本人能够全部掌握。但是，到了丘吉尔时代，他的单词量依然是三万个，可是，那个时候的英语已经拥有近百万个单词了。所以，我认为，莎士比亚使用英语单词的熟练程度是后人根本无法达到的。我曾经在网上向很多英语中高等教育的语言机构请教，到底学习英语应该掌握多少单词才成，但是，他们的回答总是含糊不清，或者扯一些别的东西。后来，在一些无法避免这个问题的文章中我发现，语言学家们对于英语单词的要求是：一个受过教育的英语使用者应该掌握五到二十五万单词，不但差距范围很大，而且，用这个标准来衡量，莎士比亚和丘吉尔都应该是文盲，至少是没受过教育的人。我认为，这是任何推崇英语的人的软肋，只要他们能够躲过别人问这个问题，其他的方面 ......
我的观点曾经在北大中文网上讨论过。但是，可以看得出来，不知道的人还有很多，他们都认为自己是劣等民族和劣等文化。所以，在鼓舞中国人的信心方面还有很多事情要大家努力。其实，只要大家能够恢复信心，中国人在很多事情上早就应该领先于世界的。可是我们太爱钻牛角尖，总是当外国人设立一套标准的时候，我们拼命地追呀赶呀。为什么，我们自己不能够设立标准，也让他们换换口味？我记起几年以前，西方国家有一个喜欢指手划脚的毛病，那时，我也有一个毛病－－喜欢掣肘拖腿。美国有一份cox报告，内中例举了大量的对比，用以说明中国人不可能通过三、四十次的核实验取得与美国一千多次核试相同的成果。唯一的解释就是中国盗窃了美国技术。有人也称这次事件为李文何事件。我那个时候给美国所有的参议员各发了一封电子信件。内容是说，如果他们希望彻底调查此事，就应该设立另外一个调查小组，好好研究一下汉语和英语在思维上面的差异。只有这样才能够弄清楚，为什么中国三、四十次的核试所取得的进展与美国一千多次核试的进展相差无几。在信的后面又附上了我的对于两种语言对比的计算书。后来，接到了不少回信，要求我告诉他们我的真实地址才肯继续考虑。
……我也明白，不会有哪个美国参议员会提出任何有关的议案的，因为，任何有关议案的提出，其本身都是对于汉语的一种变相宣传，都是对于英语的贬低。没有任何美国人愿意辩论它。道理非常明显，如果辩论下去，必然牵扯到语音和语言学中的诸多问题，每一个问题都是他们的一块伤疤。目前，美国一直要求中国降低人民币汇率，但是，态度依然没有超出礼貌的范围，所以，这套理论还不适合。一旦他们超出了理性，那么，非常容易扯到语言学的问题上来。换句话说，是：由于英语的思考范围狭窄，所以不能够从更加长远的利益来考虑问题。但是，这话我还不敢说，至少不敢对美国人说。因为我是学工科的，工程上的事情我有点把握，可是一碰到经济问题，我心里没底。
类似的事情还有就是找世界语bbs进行辩论。谁都知道，世界语实际上是将英语改头换面设计的语言，当然不懂得使用‘声调’。我的问题是，英语的单词已经远远超过了常人的记忆极限，世界语有什么办法弥补这个缺陷吗？当时有人回答我说，世界语中使用派生的结构比英语更加明显。可是，当我将汉语中的声音种类，以及‘声调’的利用方法向他们解释以后，再也没有人发言了。
还有就是美国有一个‘只说英语运动’english only曾经向全世界争求意见。可想而知，我的意见是什么了。我告诉他们，你们一意推行英语实际上是将美国文化推向深渊，是在摧毁美国文化。拯救你们的方法只有重新选择一门带有‘声调’的语言。对于这些没学过汉语的人来说，他们一般不懂得什么是‘声调’，所以，只好用唱歌时候的音阶来向他们解释；任何一个英语‘音节’都可以跟随音阶变化出至少八种不同的声音，这和‘声调’的作用差不多。上述所说的实际上就是美国人的软肋，没有必要的话，我是不会乱碰的，影响团结。而且，随着中国国力的增加，我们可以说的也越来越少，因为说多了，就给人借口说中国威胁他们。 ¶ 12:46 AM 0 comments
100年前，全世界都认为汉语是婴儿语，后来才发现原来汉语是进化过的世界最先进的语言。原来在七千年前，汉语也有罗嗦的后啜和字格，后来我们把那些无用东西都抛弃了。比如用一个“了”字就把已经完成的动作表现出来了。根本不用什么现在过去完成时那么罗嗦。
古埃及楔形文字演化成腓尼基语，腓尼基古文字又演化成希腊语，希腊语又演化为拉丁语，拉丁语又变成法语，法语又演化成英语。拉丁语向东成为斯拉夫语系，斯拉夫语系又演化成俄语。同时这也是一个宗教的传播史，是天主教分化为基督教，东正教的过程。汉语是世界上唯一不使用字母高级语言。
汉语又是唯一可用于计算机时代的语言，最适合语音控制，而不用象英语那样用手瞎摸！这是一个决定中国人命运的问题，请所有朋友尽量宣传！汉语的一个明显的优势是，思维面广阔，在数学上由于单音节发音，对数字的反应速度也更快，但在逻辑思维方面还是拼音文字较好，但从人类文明发展的 趋势看，作为表意文字的汉语，由于可以自由组合新名词新概念以至新思想，可以容纳信息和知识爆炸的冲击，无疑将发展为人类的共同语言，用这种语言 来交流思想更加方便，更加丰富多彩，当然在论文和计算机语言是汉语和拼音文字并用了，汉语的伟大就在于兼容，你们看看在汉语的学术论文有汉语和阿拉伯数字和西方拼音文字的混用现相，但在英语论文中则找不到一个汉字，中国的物理学专家可以凭借他在中学时代的化学基础知识通读化学专家的论文，反之依然，而英美的不同行业的专家要交流他们的学术成果，则是对牛弹琴，凭这个优势，汉语就有资格成为世界语，而我们国内还有些学者还要把汉语拼音化，这不是邯郸学步东施效颦吗？我们中国人民也有资格控告那些所谓的文明的西方人，是谁在制造环境污染，破坏森林和草原，就是他们，因为印刷同样内容的一本书，西方语言要比汉语浪费2倍的纸张，全世界使用西方语言的人要比使用 汉语的人多5倍，按照简单的因素级连倍乘法，就要浪费10－20倍以上的木材
增加20倍以上的工业废水，就语言的优越性来讲，西方人没有什么资格对汉语说三道四，连文盲都知道从联合国五种工作语言找出汉语文本，因为汉语文本是最薄的那一本
中国人心里有这样一种成见；认为汉语迟早要被英语所淘汰。记得有一次，大概是胡野碧在辩论时干脆把它清楚地说了出来。前几天‘世纪大讲堂’请了一位学者李锐也认为全球化的结果是让英语统治世界。只有阮次山在一次‘大时代，小故事’中谈到汉语的思维速度比英语快。但是，他又提出一个问题；既然由于汉语使用了‘声’使得汉语的思维速度比英语快，那么，由于广东话中的声比普通话多，是不是广东话的思维速度比普通话更快呢？我的回答是，广东话虽然使用的声调多于普通话，但是，广东话有两个缺点，第一、它的文字规划得不好，文字表达欠佳，且有闭音节的声音存在。第二、它的声音利用率不高，普通话有21个声母、35 个韵母和四声，连乘的结果是2900个声音，但是能够被利用的是2500个，而真正被用到普通话中的仅1200个。广东话有九声，即使它的声母和韵母与普通话一样多，那么它实际使用的声音也应该是普通话的两倍多才对，但是，广东话中实际使用的声音仅有1500个，与普通话相差不多，而它的利用率比普通话小了几乎一倍。利用率小，就说明难学。因为同样的一个声母或韵母，每次的使用实际上也是一种练习的过程，利用率高的声母或韵母必然容易记忆、容易掌握。日常生活中也可以看到，凡是常用的语言元素，包括声母、韵母、汉字和单词等到，越是经常使用的越容易掌握。语言的好坏其实取决于两个方面，第一、是不是能够用很少的记忆来掌握，第二、是不是能够在有生之年掌握到比其他人更多的知识？用一句极限的话来讲应该是：最好的语言是不学而知，但是所掌握的知识又最多的语言，或者说，学少而知多的语言。
英语与普通话相比则不同，国际音标中，英语有20个元音和20个辅音，所以英语的声音种类不会超过 20×20＝400个；反过来说，不在这四百个声音之内的任何声音都不被英语所承认，或者被认为是不正确的发音；这里所说的不是‘音节’。比较一下就会看出，汉语的发音种类是英语的3倍，两者的比值远大于广东话与普通话的比值。
下面要说一下，为什么声音种类越多，思维速度就越快。这个问题，去年我在‘北大中文’论坛讨论了一个月才使大家弄清楚，在这里我希望尽量说得简单。假设有一个仅会发两种声音的人，具体地讲，他就会发a和b两个音。根据电脑的理论，我们知道，他用这两个符号依然可以表达整个世界。再假设，世界上仅有400种事物需要表达，那么，一个英国人可以用每一个发音来表达400种事物中的一件，而仅会发两个声音的人，有时就不得不用九个发音来表达400种事物中的一件，因为二的九次方才大于400。比如，英国人用‘i’ 代表‘我’而仅会两个声音的人可能要用abbababba代表‘我’这个概念。一般人每发一个声音大约需要消耗四分之一秒的时间。比较两者就会看出，仅会两个声音的人，不但表达得慢，而且还费力气。在表达‘我’这个概念的时候，英国人使用四分之一秒的时间，而仅会两个声音的人使用了二又四分之一秒。如果两个人总以这样的比例生活一辈子，他们一生中所享受到的所有信息将是它的反比9：1。实际的情况中，最明显的是日语与汉语的对照，我们知道，日语使用了 100种不同的声音，而汉语使用了1200种声音，因此很多汉字让日本人一念就必须用两个或者三个声音来表达。我们假设日语中所有的字都用两个声音来表达，那么岂不是说，日本人一生所能够享受到的信息仅仅是中国人的一半吗？我曾经思考过，这是不是与日本历史上从来没有出现过伟大的思想家有关。我们知道，思维实际上是一种心里说的过程，如果在说话时表达得快，那么，思维的速度也应该跟着快。具体的例子是赵元任曾经比较用英语和汉语背诵乘法口诀的速度，汉语使用了30秒，而英语使用了45秒。因此，如果两个人同时用英语和汉语来背诵的话，到了30秒的时候，汉语使用者一定想到了九九八十一，而英语使用者则一定到不了这里，说不定，他想到的仅仅是七七四十九。这就证明了使用发音种类多的语言比使用发音种类少的语言思维速度快。这一点曾经被国、内外许多学者所证实。至于思维速度快是否就代表聪明这个问题是被很多学者所承认的。
我的证据是解释一个历史上的‘谜’古希腊人为什么比其他人更聪明？因为希腊的文化来自古菲尼基人，我们知道菲尼基人发明了人类的拼音字母，就声音的分解来说，这是一大进步，就思维速度来说，它是一大倒退。因为，为了筛选容易区分的声音元素，菲尼基人仅仅使用了22个辅音，这样，它的表达速度当然比现在任何语言都慢，而希腊人则采用了元音，我们知道元音与辅音结合以后，声音种类等于增加了好几倍。事实上，菲尼基人的声音中也有元音，否则他们是发不出来的。所谓的22个辅音是说他们仅承认这22个辅音为信息栽体，也就是，ma、me、mu、mai、muo在他们的耳朵里与一个m没有任何区别就像me的四种声调对于英国人来讲没有任何区别一样。由于声音种类的突然增加使得希腊人的思维突飞猛进，造成了后来的现象。论坛上曾经有人问汉语的声音种类依然多于英语，为什么没有英国先进。我的回答是，当声音种类突然增加的时候就有新思想出现，反之，当声音种类减少时，思想就趋于保守，而元朝以后，中国的声音中失掉了一个‘入’声，中国的衰弱正巧从那时开始。最后，在讨论尼安德特人的时候，人们也发现，使用声音种类少的人种会被历史淘汰。
我之所以认为汉语必定战胜英语的根据还不在这里，关键是要解决人类目前所面临的知识爆炸问题。我们知道，目前的英语单词包括各种生物名称及专利发明的新术语已经超过了数百万，如果考虑到英语中有一些可以推导和联想的成份；比如前、后缀和复合词等，它所需要记忆的基本单词也有一百万个。而所有这些单词在汉语中都可以用四千个汉字来表达。根本的原因还是英语的发音种类不够。
比如pork这个词，在英语中代表猪肉，它和猪pig、肉meat没有任何关系而仅仅代表它们的一个联合体而已，如果把猪肉 pork、羊肉mutton、牛肉beef、猪油lard、羊油suet和牛油talon放在一起进行比较的话就发现，英语中所有的联体词都是一个与其中任何一个分解词毫无关联的新符号，而它们却构成了英语词汇的主体，英语中几百万的单词就是这样来的。它的根本原因是由于如果将pork改成pig和 meat连在一起的形式，那么就要发音四次而pork仅仅发音两次；所以联体的词能够节省发音却要增加记忆，而分体的词，无需记忆可是却增加了发音次数。设想，一位屠夫，每天要用到‘猪肉’这个词上千次，使用两次发音的单词要比使用四次发音的词节省两千次发音，何乐不为？但是遇到不常用的词的时候，英语还是和汉语一样，使用分解的词，比如驴肉就用donkey meat来表达。因为不常用的词，即使设立了符号形式，别人也记不住。汉语能够将英语中联体词汇分解的功能，非常有用，它使所需要记忆的词汇大大地减少；不仅如此，它还能够将词汇在人们头脑中的位置整理得清清楚楚。达尔文主义的诞生就是建立在林奈的双名法的基础之上的，这种方法使得各种印象在脑子中由原来的平面，变成立体的。比如，在林奈以前，人们给所有的生物一个名字，结果，由于种类太多，同一种生物可能有两种名字，而另外的生物，可能没有名字。林奈则将所有的生物先分类，并且给出一个类名，然后在类名的下面放一个词，两者组成双名法的名字。这样不但清晰，而且大大的减少了需要记忆的符号；比如原来有一万个名字，现在分成一百个类，又在每类中分成一百种，我们所需要记忆的仅仅是一百个类名和一百个种名，共二百个，而不是原来的一万个。随着知识爆炸的问题逐渐恶化，人类就有必要将其他的术语也仿照这个方法改造，而目前唯一的办法就是按照汉语的结构进行改革。而原因还是在于发音种类的数量。
这个现象最先是德国的莱布尼兹体会到的，他认为汉语是自亚里士多得以来，西方世界梦寐以求的组义语言。但是，他没有看到声音的真正特性，却由于汉字的数量上的性能而定义汉字是世界上最先进的文字。我想，如果他看到今天知识爆炸的世界，他一定会要求世界上所有的国家废除拼音文字而采用汉字。
最后，谈一下关于人的一生中到底能够记住多少单词或符号的问题。中国人所使用的汉字通常在三到四千，而莎士比亚时代的英语仅有三万个单词，他本人能够全部掌握。但是，到了丘吉尔时代，他的单词量依然是三万个，可是，那个时候的英语已经拥有近百万个单词了。所以，我认为，莎士比亚使用英语单词的熟练程度是后人根本无法达到的。我曾经在网上向很多英语中高等教育的语言机构请教，到底学习英语应该掌握多少单词才成，但是，他们的回答总是含糊不清，或者扯一些别的东西。后来，在一些无法避免这个问题的文章中我发现，语言学家们对于英语单词的要求是：一个受过教育的英语使用者应该掌握五到二十五万单词，不但差距范围很大，而且，用这个标准来衡量，莎士比亚和丘吉尔都应该是文盲，至少是没受过教育的人。我认为，这是任何推崇英语的人的软肋，只要他们能够躲过别人问这个问题，其他的方面 ......
我的观点曾经在北大中文网上讨论过。但是，可以看得出来，不知道的人还有很多，他们都认为自己是劣等民族和劣等文化。所以，在鼓舞中国人的信心方面还有很多事情要大家努力。其实，只要大家能够恢复信心，中国人在很多事情上早就应该领先于世界的。可是我们太爱钻牛角尖，总是当外国人设立一套标准的时候，我们拼命地追呀赶呀。为什么，我们自己不能够设立标准，也让他们换换口味？我记起几年以前，西方国家有一个喜欢指手划脚的毛病，那时，我也有一个毛病－－喜欢掣肘拖腿。美国有一份cox报告，内中例举了大量的对比，用以说明中国人不可能通过三、四十次的核实验取得与美国一千多次核试相同的成果。唯一的解释就是中国盗窃了美国技术。有人也称这次事件为李文何事件。我那个时候给美国所有的参议员各发了一封电子信件。内容是说，如果他们希望彻底调查此事，就应该设立另外一个调查小组，好好研究一下汉语和英语在思维上面的差异。只有这样才能够弄清楚，为什么中国三、四十次的核试所取得的进展与美国一千多次核试的进展相差无几。在信的后面又附上了我的对于两种语言对比的计算书。后来，接到了不少回信，要求我告诉他们我的真实地址才肯继续考虑。
……我也明白，不会有哪个美国参议员会提出任何有关的议案的，因为，任何有关议案的提出，其本身都是对于汉语的一种变相宣传，都是对于英语的贬低。没有任何美国人愿意辩论它。道理非常明显，如果辩论下去，必然牵扯到语音和语言学中的诸多问题，每一个问题都是他们的一块伤疤。目前，美国一直要求中国降低人民币汇率，但是，态度依然没有超出礼貌的范围，所以，这套理论还不适合。一旦他们超出了理性，那么，非常容易扯到语言学的问题上来。换句话说，是：由于英语的思考范围狭窄，所以不能够从更加长远的利益来考虑问题。但是，这话我还不敢说，至少不敢对美国人说。因为我是学工科的，工程上的事情我有点把握，可是一碰到经济问题，我心里没底。
类似的事情还有就是找世界语bbs进行辩论。谁都知道，世界语实际上是将英语改头换面设计的语言，当然不懂得使用‘声调’。我的问题是，英语的单词已经远远超过了常人的记忆极限，世界语有什么办法弥补这个缺陷吗？当时有人回答我说，世界语中使用派生的结构比英语更加明显。可是，当我将汉语中的声音种类，以及‘声调’的利用方法向他们解释以后，再也没有人发言了。
还有就是美国有一个‘只说英语运动’english only曾经向全世界争求意见。可想而知，我的意见是什么了。我告诉他们，你们一意推行英语实际上是将美国文化推向深渊，是在摧毁美国文化。拯救你们的方法只有重新选择一门带有‘声调’的语言。对于这些没学过汉语的人来说，他们一般不懂得什么是‘声调’，所以，只好用唱歌时候的音阶来向他们解释；任何一个英语‘音节’都可以跟随音阶变化出至少八种不同的声音，这和‘声调’的作用差不多。上述所说的实际上就是美国人的软肋，没有必要的话，我是不会乱碰的，影响团结。而且，随着中国国力的增加，我们可以说的也越来越少，因为说多了，就给人借口说中国威胁他们。 ¶ 12:46 AM 0 comments
Friday, April 22, 2005
Inventor Creates Soundless Sound System
Yahoo! News - Inventor Creates Soundless Sound System: "PORTLAND, Ore. - Elwood 'Woody' Norris pointed a metal frequency emitter at one of perhaps 30 people who had come to see his invention. The emitter — an aluminum square — was hooked up by a wire to a CD player. Norris switched on the CD player.
'There's no speaker, but when I point this pad at you, you will hear the waterfall,' said the 63-year-old Californian.
Norris' HyperSonic Sound system has won him an award coveted by inventors — the $500,000 annual Lemelson-MIT Prize. It works by sending a focused beam of sound above the range of human hearing. When it lands on you, it seems like sound is coming from inside your head."
Norris said the uses for the technology could come in handy — in cars, in the airport or at home.
"Imagine your wife wants to watch television and you want to read a book, like the intellectual you are," he said to the crowd. "Imagine you are a lifeguard or a coach and you want to yell at someone, he'll be the only one to hear you." ¶ 9:26 PM 0 comments
'There's no speaker, but when I point this pad at you, you will hear the waterfall,' said the 63-year-old Californian.
Norris' HyperSonic Sound system has won him an award coveted by inventors — the $500,000 annual Lemelson-MIT Prize. It works by sending a focused beam of sound above the range of human hearing. When it lands on you, it seems like sound is coming from inside your head."
Norris said the uses for the technology could come in handy — in cars, in the airport or at home.
"Imagine your wife wants to watch television and you want to read a book, like the intellectual you are," he said to the crowd. "Imagine you are a lifeguard or a coach and you want to yell at someone, he'll be the only one to hear you." ¶ 9:26 PM 0 comments
Thursday, April 21, 2005
A South Korean Buddhist attaches his name card to a lantern to celebrate the upcoming birthday of Buddha which is slated for May 15, at the Chogye temple in Seoul, Tuesday, April 12, 2005. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) ¶ 11:41 PM 0 comments
Chinese cyclists travel in a sandstorm in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei province April 19, 2005. The strong sandstorm reduced visibility to a very low level and caused problems for residents. In spring, northern China regions, including Inner Mongolia and Beijing, are vulnerable to sandstorms due to scarcity of rainfall and desertification. REUTERS/China Newsphoto ¶ 11:40 PM 0 comments
The shear face of the massive B-15A iceberg in McMurdo Sound after it broke off the Ross Ice Shelf in Antartica, November 2000. Scientists say that more than 200 coastal glaciers in are in retreat because of higher temperatures.(AFP/HO-NSF/File/Josh Landis) ¶ 11:37 PM 0 comments
its not so far you know,upgrade youre gene pool for only $199.99
new genetics by strown (Worth1000.com contest) ¶ 11:28 PM 0 comments
Italians come out on top in penis study
Yahoo! News - Italians come out on top in penis study
Thu Apr 21, 2:10 AM ET
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese men have no reason to feel inferior about the size of their penises, according to a Hong Kong study which showed local men measured up to others elsewhere in the world below the belt.
"Our conclusion is that Hong Kong people are no smaller than western men, where their penises are concerned," said Chan Lung-wai, director of the Urology Centre at the Union Hospital, who headed the study.
"There has always been the myth that westerners have bigger penises and their (sexual) ability is better."
A group of scientists in Hong Kong spent five months from October last year measuring 148 ethnic Chinese volunteers aged between 23 and 93.
The average length of their flaccid penises was 8.46 cm (3.4 inches), which compared favourably with similar studies on other men overseas.
Germans have average lengths of about 8.6 cm, Israelis 8.3 cm, Turks 7.8 cm and Filippinos 7.35 cm. Italians were the longest at 9 cm and Americans averaged 8.8 cm.
The study did not measure the penises when they were erect.
It found that a man's height bore no relation to the length of his member, but those with higher body mass indexes, or fat content, appeared to have shorter penises.
"It seems that as someone gets older and fatter, his blood vessels change, so the penile size is not static. It may be a reflection of the condition of the person's blood vessels," Chan said, adding that this could spur yet another study. ¶ 5:21 AM 0 comments
Thu Apr 21, 2:10 AM ET
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese men have no reason to feel inferior about the size of their penises, according to a Hong Kong study which showed local men measured up to others elsewhere in the world below the belt.
"Our conclusion is that Hong Kong people are no smaller than western men, where their penises are concerned," said Chan Lung-wai, director of the Urology Centre at the Union Hospital, who headed the study.
"There has always been the myth that westerners have bigger penises and their (sexual) ability is better."
A group of scientists in Hong Kong spent five months from October last year measuring 148 ethnic Chinese volunteers aged between 23 and 93.
The average length of their flaccid penises was 8.46 cm (3.4 inches), which compared favourably with similar studies on other men overseas.
Germans have average lengths of about 8.6 cm, Israelis 8.3 cm, Turks 7.8 cm and Filippinos 7.35 cm. Italians were the longest at 9 cm and Americans averaged 8.8 cm.
The study did not measure the penises when they were erect.
It found that a man's height bore no relation to the length of his member, but those with higher body mass indexes, or fat content, appeared to have shorter penises.
"It seems that as someone gets older and fatter, his blood vessels change, so the penile size is not static. It may be a reflection of the condition of the person's blood vessels," Chan said, adding that this could spur yet another study. ¶ 5:21 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Skype to hit mobile phones this year : Software : MobileMag
Skype to hit mobile phones this year : Software : MobileMag: "At the Voice On the Net (VON) conference in Toronto, Skype Technologies co-founder and CEO Niklas Zennstrom reported that a mobile version of Skype will be available this year.
Skype is a free global telephony application that allows for VoIP communications, it currently runs on Mac OSX, Windows and Pocket PC, Skype plans to release a version for Embedded Linux, Symbian or Windows Mobile devices later this year."
¶ 8:45 PM 0 comments
Skype is a free global telephony application that allows for VoIP communications, it currently runs on Mac OSX, Windows and Pocket PC, Skype plans to release a version for Embedded Linux, Symbian or Windows Mobile devices later this year."
¶ 8:45 PM 0 comments
