Absolute Victor

Scientific research is like sex

2011-09-19T18:29:00.000-04:00

"Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it." — Richard P. Feynman

It seems that everything can be built some analogy to sex, in most cases I guess, there are more than one analogy you can make.

To test the statement, I hereby give an example on my current work, science research. Just make it for fun, not for specific points.

Scientific research is like sex: Time is used to assess one's ability to do it, of course it is bias.
Scientific research is like sex: You can gain pleasure by thinking of it.
Scientific research is like sex: Although you can do it by yourself, things will go better when you have a partner. But when you have lots of partners, especially at the same time, situations will not easy to control.
Scientific research is like sex: As is demanded in most of cases, It's preferable to have a 'PhD'. (Hint: pretty huge dick).
Scientific research is like sex: In some specific cases, animal can also be the object to try.

Map An Image on A Surface

2011-08-31T18:00:00.000-04:00

I've been always wondering how to create some interesting profile photos, so as to show off to the guys on facebook or twitter. Of course the photo should be different with others, which should not be simply photoshoped. Here comes a simple idea: why not spread a photo on a surface?

With matlab, it's definitely not hard to make one. I referred to the matlab document , at Coloring mesh and Surface Plots. The "surf" function is a classic tool to plot surface. Inputting a meshgrid matrix with certain spatial shape, it will plot the surface out. Then we can play with the color property of the surface, so that the color accord with the our photo property.

The procedure goes like this:

Import a graph to matlab, transform the RGB image to an index image.
Create a surface you want, like sphere, cylinder, you name one.
Use "surf" function to plot the surface.
Change the"Texture mapping" properties of the surface, with the image.

Here are the codes:

G= imread('filepath & file name'); % load an image

[X,map] = rgb2ind(G,256); % Convert RGB image to indexed image

% Create a surface

[theta,~]=meshgrid([-pi:0.1:pi,pi],[-pi:0.1:pi,pi]);

%[x,y]=meshgrid(10*cos(theta),10*sin(theta));

x=10*cos(theta);

y=10*sin(theta);

[~,z]=meshgrid(1:length(x));

surf(x,y,z) %plot the surface

h = findobj('Type','surface'); % get the object of the surface

set(h,'CData',flipud(X),'FaceColor','texturemap','EdgeColor','none') % Change the surface property

colormap(map) % change colormap

rotate3d on

A Zotero Problem running on openoffice, fixed

2010-03-30T18:33:00.008-04:00

I fixed a Problem when using Zotero in openoffice.

The Error information is :
“Firefox could not load the component required to communicate with your word processor.”

Here is my software settings:

Ubuntu 9.10 64-bit
Firefox 3.6.3
Zotero 2.0.2
Zotero integral for Openoffice 3.07
Openoffice 3.1

Zotero official support categorizes the problem as "OpenOffice component loading error". They said this error is usually caused by a non-functioning Java installation. (For more, see this link: http://www.zotero.org/support/word_processor_plugin_troubleshooting )

It took me a lot of time to solve this. To my experience, the solution could be 3 steps in general.

1. Install Java 6.

To check weather Java for firefox works, you can do by the link:(http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp) . For Firefox 3.6, It need Java 6 Update 10 and above. Reason see below:
http://www.java.com/en/downaload/faq/firefox_newplugin.xml

2.Enable java in firefox.

Usually the way is just simply click "enable Java" in firefox preference. However I didn't find the "Enable Java" on Edit>Preference>Content. The reason is that "Enable Java" checkbox has been removed from the Content panel. And we can enable and disable Java using the Add-ons window. But the wired thing is that I can't find Java item in Plugins in Add-ons window. So, I have to go to step 3.

3.Manual Installation and Registration of Java Plugin for Linux

The key is to Create a symbolic link to the Java Plugin libnpjp2.so file in the Firefox plugins directory.
the command is :

cd (Firefox)/plugins
ln -s (JRE)/lib/i386/libnpjp2.so

Since I'm using 64-bit ubuntu , so the command should be:

cd (Firefox)/plugins
ln -s (JRE)/lib/amd64/libnpjp2.so

For detail see this link: http://java.sun.com/javase/6/webnotes/install/jre/manual-plugin-install-linux.html

The Na'vi beauty in Avatar

2010-01-01T00:50:00.003-05:00

After I saw the 'Avatar', I found the alien Na'vi girl, Jake' GF, is very beautiful! Kind of exotic beauty.
Also, I'm very interested in the Na'vi language. It's similar with Klingon. lol.

Oh, Missionary Again

2009-11-03T22:23:00.008-05:00

When I got out of subway, a tall young white guy, looking at me from long distance, stepped directly close to me. After google in memory, I started to make sure that I don't know him, totally. But he opened his mouth and say to me, in French. I shrugged and asked him if he speak English. And then he speak in fluent English, "My name is &*%^$(I don't remember that), I'm a missionary, coming from England..." I suddenly realize why he, a stranger, talk to me so actively. I don't want to hurt them, because I know they are nice person. I know they are different from annoying promotion man. So I said is sorry and thanks.

This is the second time I met a missionary in a month. I 'm thinking, do other people also met missionary so often like me? Is this because I have some special quality or something else that make missionary like to choose me in a bunch of crowd people? Do I look nice that tend to accept them? Or Do I seem like evil that need to save?

Anyway, I wish them good luck and do not choose me again.

Matlab on Ubuntu

2009-10-09T00:24:00.010-04:00

I finally installed Matlab on my Ubuntu system. lol.
That is indeed not easy. Several days ago, I always fail to set up Matlab R14 to ubuntu 9.04. The problem is as below:

An error status was returned by the program 'xsetup',
the X Window System version of 'install'. The following
messages were written to standard error:

 Segmentation fault

Attempt to fix the problem and try again. If X is not available
or 'xsetup' cannot be made to work then try the terminal
version of 'install' using the command:

     install* -t    or    INSTALL* -t

-------------------------------------------------------------------
.: 15: Can't open /tmp/5892tmwinstall/update/install/cleanup.sh

I searched for technical aid, but none of the tip helps. I think the problem may caused by pulsevidio or java. Because I just installed the two software before I try to install matlab.

So I downloaded Version 2009b. This time I succeed without big trouble. An important procedure before start matlab is to start the licence magager server (/etc/lmstart) in the first place.

Enjoy my screenshot:

Blogger is blocked

2009-08-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

As blooger and facebook are blocked by GFW, It's less and less for me to update the blogs. I hate the damned GFW! But I guess the situation would get better when I arrive in Canada in several weeks latter.

Of course it is just an excuse. Acturally I have much more important thing to do.

Another excuse. Haha.

About My Cousin

2009-02-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

Before I leave Hohhot, my hometown, I had dinner with my cousin in ORIGUS. FYI, the cuisine there is magnificently awesome. The more beautiful thing is I could eat anything I want as much as I wish. Of course the point I want to express is not the dinner, but the person I have dinner with.

My cousin Mingming is almost the best friend of me in all of my relatives, since we have similar age, similar hobbies, and lots of words to talk with each other. He lived in city, whereas I live in town. So, we can't stay together except during holiday. Every Holiday came, I began to miss him. As many people said, distance creates beauty. It is the yearn that make our brotherhood closer and solid. When we were teenagers, we often saved money until meet, so that we could buy game coins to play digital game. Also, we left one or two game coin as badge, and promise to each other never use it to play until our next meet. It's the happiest and unforgettable time of us.

In that age, we have a dream that is have a digital game player at home when we grow up. Thanks to the modern technology, we realized it. While talking this topic, I feel just like swimming in the river of time.

See you at summer, dude. Good luck and healthy.

One Day in Beijing

2009-02-04T06:48:00.000-05:00

10.00 AM: Delayed 1 and a half hour,the train from Hohhot to Beijing arrived at the defination at 10 o'clock.am.
10:30 AM: After getting off the train, I bought another railway ticket to Hefei without waiting in long line.
11:00 AM: I went to the Wangfujing, having lunch. The food in the Dashidai is delicious for my appitite with proper money spent.
12:40 AM: I went to the Wangfujing Bookstore,hunged around, and finally bought a Book concerning TOEFL ibt Writing.
1:30 PM: I oddered some food and cola in KFC near the Bookstore,and read the books.
3:00 : It was When I feel tired and bored, I stop reading to take a walk.I didn't expect that I'm so energetic and powerful. I walk alone from Wangfujing directly to Fuxingmen, about several kilometers long. So impressive! Isn't it.
5:30 PM: I get back to Wangfujing for supper, of course not on foot, but on subway.
7:00 PM: In a internet bar near Beijing Railway Station, I am spending the rest time in Beijing.

To be continue...

Some Slangs learnd form TBBT

2009-01-19T10:09:00.000-05:00

The big bang theory,I watch the funny sitcom again and again,and get some interesting slangs,posting as below:

1.Holy crap on a cracker.
2.why do you pop an emotional cap on his buttocks?
3.I'm on a roll.
4.Drat.
5.Peace out.
6.Touche
7.Hook-up (meet up)
8.What is shaking?
9.S'up?
10.Booty call.

After searching, related exclamations to 'holy crap' are:

holy cat crap on a cracker, holy cheese on a cracker, holy Christ on a cracker, holy Christmas on a cracker, holy cow on a cracker, holy creepy Christ on a cracker, holy crinkly crap on a cracker, holy crud on a cracker, holy ever loving crap on a cracker, holy fart on a cracker, holy flipping snot on a cracker, holy fuck on a cracker, holy God and Jesus on a cracker, holy heck on a cracker, holy hell on a cracker, holy jumping Jesus Christ on a cracker, holy mother of Mary on a cracker, holy poop on a cracker, holy shit and Christ on a cracker, holy shit mother freaker on a cracker, holy sweet fucking Christ on a cracker.

Just do it,V

2008-12-14T08:30:00.000-05:00

I seems always have lots of things to do. But actually, I did nothing eventually.
That's the most embarrassed part of my resent life. Sometimes many people praise me that I'm so strong that published so many papers, did excellent social activities in Student Union, and took the Toefl and GRE, which most people consider them to be horrible but challenging.
But only my girlfriend and I know the reality. I never made one of these perfectly. I always not hurry up until the deadline came. I always work without plan or away from the plan. I always do something even when I know that I shouldn't do it at the moment.
That's me.
So, V, don't think of you are the S&T pacer in the school, just think about the issues you have to solve. Just do them, now!
To-do-List:
1. Personal statement
2. Recommend letter *3
3. Project proposal for my boss.
4. Certification and academic scores.
5. Contact professors abroad

I Believe

2008-10-25T22:55:00.000-04:00

It is long time since my last updating.
I ‘m quite busy in these days. Because I will take the TOEFL in 15 days. I was always thinking of the problems, why do I take the test? Do I just take it for a sufficent score for application? Of course not. Actually more than that. I also wanna improve my English through this test. That’ s why I am rigorous for study it in such long period. I love English, I love the way of speaking. I ‘m excited when I hear the colorful language. So, I always believe that I have strong English skills, though I always obtain suck scores in various English tests. The inflated confidence derive from the love of English from deep of my heart.
Maybe just as Qian Zhongshu ‘s saying that he always misunderstand the desire to write to be the ability of writing. We are quite in common in this sense. Anyway, I strongly believe that I could transfer the desire to ablity soon. Interest is the best teacher, not mention that I ‘m such a genious.

Reviews on a paper:Characterization of Land Contaminated by Past Heavy Metal Mining Using Geostatistical Methods

2008-07-25T06:49:00.000-04:00

My Review:
The paper concerns the spatial variation analysis of soil heavy metal in a old mining area in England. It aims to analysis the spatial distribution and pollution of soil heavy metals based on geostatistics. I have several argument below on the paper:

The paper calculated variogram in several scales, which is different from the papers I have read. The study area is 100*100m, in which sample lag is 10m, with some samples in lag of 5m and 1m in the center cross. So, The analysis could reveal spatial variation in different scales.The best variogram model is chosen from the best one in comparision of empirical variogram under three scales. It can be seen that variance in such scales (under 100m) is considerably large. I can't imagine my study which the sample lag is 2km. Will my result be ridiculous?
The paper did not do any transformation for data set before using geostatistics. The authors' explanation was "it is not required to have a normal distribution for kriging, because his study was not intend to build confidence interval and log-transformation could not made its data normal." In fact the reason seems a little groundless. Firstly, if data are not normal, the calculation of variogram may not be robust, let alone kriging. Secondly, if logarithm transformation doesn't work, the other transformation should be considered, Box-cox, for example. So I believe that it is not rational to do without transformation.
It can be seen from cross validation that the estimation of outlies was a little disappointing. Either in my study. This due to the flaw of kriging, its smoothing effect that make high value be lower estimated.

Title: Characterization of Land Contaminated by Past Heavy Metal Mining Using Geostatistical Methods

Authors: A. Ersoy, T. Y. Yunsel, M. Cetin

Journal: Archives of Environment Contamination and Toxicology

Paper link:http://springer.metapress.com/content/1eg4emmyjcet7whv/?p=994ef320bf5b4939a42a212443ef6c59&pi=0

Another Blog Open

2008-07-24T12:04:00.000-04:00

I open a new bolg here.
i like to take new challenge, and tast new dish.
MSN space has make me sick of its slow and uneffective.
So, that's why I get a new here as my english bolg.