Flying

wing over cloud
Originally uploaded by aperture-lcf

interested?

Originally uploaded by aperture-lcf

静 - Stability

正值午夜十二时。

街上没灯，路上没人。只有风。微风，无声无息的那一种。

夜，特别静。静得有点寒，有点凉。就连他妈养的那只杂种小花猫也没凄凄地春叫。记得它上几个月还叫的特来劲。也对，不管杂种纯种，任凭它有大火燎原的热情也被这该死的寒冬给浇熄。更何况它还是一只快到中年的猫，而且还是杂种。（虽然纯种猫不见得就特会叫春。还有，这篇文章的主旨不是关于叫春的本事，所以此事就此搁下。）

在这么静的夜里，做什么最好呢？

做爱？（开玩笑，没搭档！）当然是思考。李亞普諾夫（Aleksandr Lyapunov）伟大的稳定性原理或许就是长期在这种静夜里酝酿出来的。

我不是俄国人，不懂力学，不懂数学，更不是李亞普諾夫本人。所以我不懂得在夜里思考。别开玩笑了，这么美好的静夜哪可以浪费在思考无聊的问题上？

所以，我选择笑。大笑。开怀地笑，豪放地笑，疯狂地笑，而且最重要的是 - 忘我地笑。

然后，寒冷的空气中充满了忘我而且热情的笑声，使湿气结成露水。难道你觉得世人除了笑还需要别的什么吗？可是活在世上，往往事与愿违。当我觉得笑是最重要的时候，别人同时认为睡眠更为重要。

他们，采取了行动。

And I have no choice, but to stand in the submission role.

The world is tranquil as it might seem. But mind you, it is full of conflicts. Many individuals and groups may be allies at one time, and in the next moment, foes to each other.

Everything is constantly changing, evolving in a dimension we call `time'. Perhaps, most happenings are altering around a small neighbourhood, with the same thing repeating itself, only possessing a different value in the time-axis. And Lyapunov thought that this kind of evolution was stable. Why not? Things don't explode as often as you might wish them to.

Therefore, to avoid this essay to explode itself, let's allow the character count settles. Let it converges to a number and stops.

---

导引：

文章中心思想不明，文字造诣粗浅，内容通俗愚昧，不值一览。

《周易·系辞下》有云：“穷则变，变则通，通则久”。作者企图通过文章内容的跳跃，语言的转变来表现出世事变换无穷的表态。然而，文章的起始与结尾，甚至是标题都围绕着“静”与“定”的概念。从这之中的可体现出“动”与 “静”，“变”与“久”的耐人寻味之关系。

Doing a high school maths problem with university notation

Problem: Determine the dimensions of the cylindrical can with volume v₀ and minimum surface (so that we can minimise material cost).

Solution:


So, here comes the interesting question: is a real can really made up of those dimensions?


And the answer is no. This is probably due to the existence of other constraints, such as the strength of can, manufacturing considerations and aesthetics factors.

Expand (x+2)^2

One day, a teacher asked students the following question in a test:

Expand (x+2)^2.

A student gave the following answer:

(x+2)^2
= (x_+_2)^2
= (x_____+_____2)_^_2
= (x__________+__________2)__^__2

note: _ means space; ^ means `to the power of'

Jargon description of a person

Is it possible to describe a person with a few maths, control, and statistics jargons? These are a few on top of my head:

S/He is ...

isotropically [dumb]. - [dumb], judging from every possible angle.
a MPC controller. - can think for a few steps ahead, almost as good as optimal controller, but more practical
an optimal controller. - can think infinitely far ahead and execute every little steps optimally
in the right hand side of the s-plane. - going exploding
stochastically perturbed. - been pushed in random directions
Taylor series'ing. - disintegrating

Slogans

Why are slogans typically with five syllables?

Nokia: "Connecting People"
Toyota: "Oh, What a Feeling"
Honda: "The Power of Dreams"
Hitachi: "Inspire the Next"

Other slogans not with five syllables, but (sort of) symmetrical:

Mazda: "Zoom Zoom"
Microsoft: "Your Potential, Our Passion"
Motorolla: "Hello Moto"
Sony: "Like no Other"

Aperture turned two

Nikon D70, 70mm, F/11, 1/1.5s, ISO200

Today marks the second anniversary of Aperture, so let's toast. Cheers buddy!

Australian International Airshow 2007

Let's watch something, kid.


On your radar, be alert!


Look, a missile!


And that is the F-111!


Don't forget about the propeller too!


Aircrafts have heads,


shoulder,


and tails.


The can fly together...


and flip around.


But they need to land eventually.


When the aircraft is on land, someone has to control the traffic.


"Good stuff," said the man.

Shining before sunset

Writing an important report on a 15 hours per day basis is not only bad for health, it is also counter productive, and, more alarmingly, induces undesired psychological side effect. More precisely, the term for the related psychological syndrome is known as "burn-out". Incidentally, I am suspecting that I had this syndrome days before. Therefore, a solo photographing trip to St. Kilda Beach was taken.

It was a fine day, with few clouds and strong wind. I peddled my way to the beach in steady speed while drifting my thoughts on some ideas for the report. And of course, I was looking for interesting spots to take photographs in the mean while . A little warning here: doing few things at once is fun at times, but care must be taken to ensure personal safety.

The theme for this trip was telephotography (a second attempt). Telephotographying is fun. But telephotographying using lens without image stabiliser under strong wind can be complicated. Nevertheless, the overall experience was rewarding.

---

Nikon D70, 120mm, F5.6, 1/500s, ISO500, polarising filter used
Notice that the top part of this building reflects the sun light. Would the reflected light increases the temperature in the adjacent appartment?

Nikon D70, 300mm, F27, 1/45s, ISO500, minor colour correction
The Spirit of Tasmania is heading towards Tassie in the sunset.

阿叔独钓

Nikon D70, 170mm, F19, 4s, ISO1600, sharpened edges of the man, minor colour correction

孤独的阿叔，这回不再在巴士上骂人了（参考：巴士阿叔）！为了疏解社会给与的压力，逃避“人逼人”的困境，孤独的阿叔这回选择了向江太公学习。这就对嘛，活到老，学到老，人活著总是要学习的。姚望无际的碧空畅海能让人心境开怀，暂时忘掉生活上的不如意。除此之外，空旷的环境还可以引发奇想，刺激想象空间和激发灵感的诞生。面对着滔滔的大浪，阿叔不但面无惧色，而且还频频地向大海抛钓杆，以图钓到大鱼。阿叔这种面对困难而无畏，为了理想而奋斗的精神是我们学习的榜样，值得效仿。

论自动结账系统

在一个风和日丽，阳光明媚的早晨，我把研究报告交上。然后就抱着轻松愉快的心情到百货公司去。我是一个对硬体工具感兴趣的人，所以很直然地，我就到了一间号称货廉价宜的硬体专卖店。

当我选好所要买的物品，准备到结账处的时候，我面对着一部机器，一部自动结账系统的机器。首先，机器要求我把物品划过条形码扫描器，然后选择付账方式，再付钱。通常结帐员所说的，所做的都由这部机器代劳。

付账完， 离开百货公司后，我心里有一种莫名的担心。以个人经验来说，自动结账系统是很可行的。它使用步骤简单，估计常人用了两三次后就会得心应手。一来,此系统可减少公司对员工的依赖，减少人为的疏忽；而且长期来看可减少公司开销。所以自动结账系统的普及是指日可待的。当此系统普及的时候，我们不难想象零售业的工作机会会降低。而且结账处也会缺少人性化。然而，系统会不会普及不是我们说了就算的。一般来说，这还得依序“吴竞天择”的原理来进行。

First hand experience with automated check-out system

On a bright and sunny day, after finishing the major research report, I went out for shopping. Naturally, like most men, I tend to like shopping for hardwares. Therefore, I went to a store which claimed to sell hardwares cheaply.

After picking up the stuffs that interested me, I go to the checkout and prepare to be served. Guess what? I was faced with an automated check-out system. I was served by a machine.

The automated check-out system was made by NCR, which is a reknown brand for making transaction machines. I was asked by the machine to scan the barcode of the item that I bought (like the check-out staffs usually do), and then put them into a bag (like the check-out staffs always do), and then choose the payment method (exactly what the check-out staffs always ask). Everything that the check-out staffs usually ask or do are asked by the machine.

Although the experience of using this automated system is pleasant, I am a little worry about its implications. For my own experience, I think that the machine is easily operated. Most shopper can cope with it easily and get used to it after a few shopping experiences. If the retailers are keen on using this system, then there would be a reduction in job opportunity in the retailing sector. Some low income earners, including some university students might faced with the loss of job. Automated system is also lack of the kind of personal engagement that you want when you shop. It is inhuman.

In summary, although there are some fallback for implicating the automated system, I believe that the system would be implicated in the near future. As most things, the 'natural selection' always implies. Most product that help reducing operational cost usually wins.

A Travel Advertisement

Hello City Hoppers,

Have you even been traveling on all of the train lines (except V-line) in Melbourne?
Have you ever been traveling around Melbourne on the train for a whole day?

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Have you ever dreamt of having a train ride for a "Trip Around the Melbourne in 1 Day"?

If yes, then here is a deal just for you.
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For people who has a dream and who are willing to achieve it, let's join the "Trip Around the Melbourne in 1 Day". The trip starts in the early morning on 14-Aug-05.

If interested, contact lcf. Be quick, book your place now before it is too late. (although, places are unlimited)

Regards,
Lcf's Travel.
[unregistered agent number: 007]

Flowers

Once in every while, we are fasinated by the creation of mother nature. Sometimes, flowers happen to be the key of fasination (although I can't explain why Homo sapiens can be fasinated by the sexual organ of plants). Naturally, when I was fasinated, I would take out my camera from backpack, and 'snap'! (honestly, most of the time, 'snap snap snap snap')

Here are some of the examples...

A tale of failing

My beloved bicycle elegently lean on a post in Melbourne Central

Some time ago, I was unfortunate to lose a 2.5 year old friend -- my purple mountain bike. The rear wheel axle was found broken.

As an enthused mechanical engineering student, I naturally had some though of the causes of the failure. After the dissection of the rear hub, and carefully examined the broken edge of the axle, I hypothesized that the axle was failed by fatigue due to cyclic bending load.


shiny or grainy broken surface of the axle suggested that the failure was due to fatigue.

Fatigue is a kind of failing mode which happens when cyclic tensile load is applied to the material. Unlike yielding, it can occur below the yielding stress of a material. Also, unlike human, fatigue of an engineering material cannot be recovered by resting.


Side view of the broken axle

Since the an axle was not subjected to torsion, it was unlikely that the axle was failed under torsion load. This hypothesis is also confirmed by the broken surface. If one examined carefully, it can be noticed that the broken surface is flat. Normally, in fatigue under torsion load, the broken surface would be in cone.

Since the bicycle is no longer performing its function due to broken rear axle (in other words, it fails to meet its objective), I cannot sell it. In fact, I would like to sell it, but no one will buy it (at least I had tried the Cash Converters).

So, lets give an honour to my beloved bicycle for its contribution during its life time.

Adventure to Dights Falls

In an attempt to practice my jotting skills, the delivery of this document was expedited. A description of the adventure to Dights Fall would be expected in this document.


The first spot of interest during this trip was Ceres Environment Park. There was a market in the park. Many things were sold there, which includes lots of vegetables.


Some living chickens can be found in the market.


And also some pumpkins.


And also some carrots.


And also some soaps.


During the this trip, many different kinds of track were used. This is track is a track that situated besides the Merri Creek.


We also crossed some bridges.


And climbed some hills.


Belief it or not, we even took a train.


Along the track, some interesting machineries were noticed. This is a wind mill.


This is a crane.


And this is the Merri Creek.


Naturally, when there is a river, there would be some bridges. And this arc bridge is one of them.


This is another bridge. Take note of the interesting structure of this bridge.


At some point, we stopped in the middle of somewhere to take some pictures. (This is why I had so many pictures posted here.)


To prove that I had taken many pictures, I posted this one. Can you see the city from here?


Lastly, we reached our destination -- Dights Falls.



And then, I took some more pictures at Dights Falls.


Before ending the journey, the crew had a lunch at Dights Falls.


The crew members consist of ...


Crew member 1, and


Crew member 2, and

Crew member 3.


[Due to the nature of thing goes, some details of location were deliberately left out.]