Once again, my favourite time of the year...

the descent ©
Originally uploaded by ilovephotography32.

...and I'm nowhere near home, so as to be able to enjoy it.

I found this photo on flickr. Full credit to the photographer (who's not me) for snapping such a lovely shot.

There are no maple leaves in southern China, nor any changing of the colours. It's the biggest thing I miss about home.

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We aren't out yet...

The Great Escape
How we narrowly avoided a depression.

Our economic troubles have been going on for a year or more. This article indicates how lucky we were to avoid a true disaster.

Here's how the article closes:

Government's failure to perform this role in the early 1930s transformed recession into depression. Scholars will debate which interventions this time—the Federal Reserve's support of a failing credit system, the TARP, guarantees of bank debt, Obama's "stimulus" plan and bank "stress test"—counted most in preventing a recurrence. Regardless, all these complex measures had the same psychological purpose: to reassure people that the free fall would stop and, thereby, curb the fear that would perpetuate a free fall. Confidence had to be restored so that the economy's normal recovery mechanisms could operate. That seems to have happened. By September, the Consumer Confidence Index had rebounded to 53.1. Housing prices had stopped falling. By the Case-Shiller index, they've increased for three months.

But this improved confidence is not optimism. It is the absence of terror. The consumer sentiment index is still weak, and all the rebound has occurred in Americans' evaluation of future economic conditions, not the present. Unemployment (9.8 percent) is abysmal, the recovery's strength unclear. Here, too, there is an echo from the 1930s. Despite bottoming out in 1933, the Depression didn't end until World War II. Some government policies aided recovery; some impeded it. The good news today is that the bad news is not worse.

I can see, everyone's still on edge over the current situation. People aren't spending as much as before, aren't investing as before...and businesses are the same.

And so are the wife and I. I have my concerns that we will slip back into a second recession soon, perhaps after Christmas, when the sun is dim, the nights are long, moods are dark, and Christmas credit card bill need payment.

We've recently invested in a condo in Surrey BC Canada, not too far from my parents. We arranged the mortgage to have small monthly payments, with the option for large yearly payments. If things go well, we can pay off the condo in 5 years. If not, we can survive on our savings, and live in the condo, for two years, while unemployed.

Frugal and careful times, these.

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"Who watches the Watchmen?"

We watched Watchmen a while ago, and I've watched it again a couple of times. The film is based upon a graphic novel by the same name. The story explores the character traps that superheroes, and the societies they protect, can fall into.

The heroes are all too human: a macho-man who tries to rape one of his fellow superheroes, and glories in the killing fields of Vietnam; a child abuse victim who hides behind his ski mask and metes out brutal justice to brutal criminals; a glowing-blue former scientist who can manipulate space and time, but can't understand people; the younger woman who became a superhero out of hero-worship; the spectacled liberal who wonders what his band of superheroes fights for, when society seems to turn against them; and the brightest man of the age, who feels the only way to turn society away from the brink is to trick them into banding together in common cause against a mortal threat.

The story is set in an alternative history setting: a version of the mid-1980s, in which Nixon is still in power (thanks to victory in Vietnam, thanks to our heroes). Society is still violent, and crying out for heroes, but our heroes have been outlawed due to their own abuses of their power. The world is on the brink of nuclear Armageddon. As the story opens, one of the superheroes is murdered in his apartment. All of these elements are woven together, as our heroes try to untangle them, and save themselves and the world.

The feel of the film is dark and gritty. Often-times the world in which superheroes are set in, seems to glamorous and sterile, and if the world was really that way, why would we need superheroes? Like Batman Begins, Watchmen portrays the gritty side of society...and the compromises that the superhero makes in making his or her way through that society.

The film is definitely worth watching. I understand the DVD has extra footage not seen in the theatrical release, so enjoy! ...and think about the messages.

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a late apology...but still a deserved apology

Treatment of Alan Turing was “appalling” - PM | Number10.gov.uk

2009 has been a year of deep reflection - a chance for Britain, as a nation, to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who came before. A unique combination of anniversaries and events have stirred in us that sense of pride and gratitude which characterise the British experience. Earlier this year I stood with Presidents Sarkozy and Obama to honour the service and the sacrifice of the heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago. And just last week, we marked the 70 years which have passed since the British government declared its willingness to take up arms against Fascism and declared the outbreak of World War Two. So I am both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists, historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.

Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ - in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence - and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.

Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can’t put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more lived in fear of conviction.

I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years this government has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s most famous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long overdue.

But even more than that, Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united, democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was once the theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that in living memory, people could become so consumed by hate - by anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices - that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war are part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.

So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved so much better.

Gordon Brown

I think the apology comes from all of us, really.

More about Alan Turing and his contributions to our world here.

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Bloom County lives!

IDW Publishing | The home of 30 Days of Night, Star Trek, Terminator, Transformers, G.I. Joe...

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Looks like a full-blown Bloom County retrospective is on its way to us.

I used to love reading Bloom County. In those years I was a paperboy, I wuld always find a way to read the strip whilst delivering the papers.

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the travails of the small-market producer

Off-beat beer producers fight for survival

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Definitely, I feel for the small producers featured in the article above. Our own company, while it does not make beer (we make speakers), has many of the same issues....small producer issues with overhead, generating demand, etc. Thankfully, we're growing again, even in these tough times.

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Neandertals!

The Mysterious Downfall of the Neandertals: Scientific American

I found this article very interesting, as it studies and speculates about our own distant past.

Some 28,000 years ago in what is now the British territory of Gibraltar, a group of Neandertals eked out a living along the rocky Mediterranean coast. They were quite possibly the last of their kind. Elsewhere in Europe and western Asia, Neandertals had disappeared thousands of years earlier, after having ruled for more than 200,000 years. The Iberian Peninsula, with its comparatively mild climate and rich array of animals and plants, seems to have been the final stronghold. Soon, however, the Gibraltar population, too, would die out, leaving behind only a smattering of their stone tools and the charred remnants of their campfires.

Definitely worth glancing through.

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escapee from Doctor Who

escapee from Doctor Who
Originally uploaded by teflonjedi.

Snapped this photo with my mobile phone a few weeks ago. It's one of the more interesting mannequins I've ever seen...reminded me of the first episode of the revived Doctor Who, which I haven't seen since that first revived season.

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The short dark

Longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century covers parts of Asia in near darkness

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Yup, we're a bit south of Shanghai, which appears to have gotten the better "view", but it did get dark here. We couldn't see anything from the roof of the factory, because of a mix of clouds and still-bright sun, but it was a cause for excitement for all of us.

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potatoes for 3 RMB per kilogram

potatoes for 3 RMB per kilogram
Originally uploaded by teflonjedi.

That's roughly US$0.20 per pound, or CAD$0.51 per kilogram...by today's exchange rates.

The photo was taken today at our local Walmart, here in Danshui.

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The Man in the Mirror

Michael Jackson passed on this week. A talented man and artist...how much of what he became is because of himself, and how much because of us? Perhaps we should take a close look at ourselves, in the mirror.

The news broke as I was heading to work Thursday morning, here in China. As I told my Chinese colleagues in the car, they were stunned. My wife sent me an SMS later in the morning, as she heard the news. Truly, the man had an international reach and pull. I'm sure that, with time, all the crazy stories will fade, and we'll be left with our memories of his great music, and how he affected popular culture.


I'll Be There

You and I must make a pact, we must bring salvation back
Where there is love, I'll be there

I'll reach out my hand to you, I'll have faith in all you do
Just call my name and I'll be there

I'll be there to comfort you,
Build my world of dreams around you, I'm so glad that I found you
I'll be there with a love that's strong
I'll be your strength, I'll keep holding on

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well that's all I'm after
Whenever you need me, I'll be there
I'll be there to protect you, with an unselfish love that respects you
Just call my name and I'll be there

If you should ever find someone new, I know he'd better be good to you
'Cause if he doesn't, I'll be there
Don't you know, baby, yeah yeah
I'll be there, I'll be there, just call my name, I'll be there

(Just look over your shoulders, honey - oo)

I'll be there, I'll be there, whenever you need me, I'll be there
Don't you know, baby, yeah yeah

I'll be there, I'll be there, just call my name, I'll be there...

Human Nature

Looking Out
Across The Night-Time
The City Winks A Sleepless Eye
Hear Her Voice
Shake My Window
Sweet Seducing Sighs

Get Me Out
Into The Night-Time
Four Walls Won't Hold Me Tonight
If This Town
Is Just An Apple
Then Let Me Take A Bite

If They Say -
Why, Why, Tell 'Em That Is Human Nature
Why, Why, Does He Do Me That Way
If They Say -
Why, Why, Tell 'Em That Is Human Nature
Why, Why, Does He Do Me That Way

Reaching Out
To Touch A Stranger
Electric Eyes Are Ev'rywhere
See That Girl
She Knows I'm Watching
She Likes The Way I Stare

If They Say -
Why, Why, Tell 'Em That Is Human Nature
Why, Why, Does He Do Me That Way
If They Say -
Why, Why, Tell 'Em That Is Human Nature
Why, Why, Does He Do Me That Way
I Like Livin' This Way
I Like Lovin' This Way

Looking Out
Across The Morning
The City's Heart Begins To Beat
Reaching Out
I Touch Her Shoulder
I'm Dreaming Of The Street

If They Say -
Why, Why, Tell 'Em That Is Human Nature
Why, Why, Does He Do Me That Way
If They Say -
Why, Why, Tell 'Em That Is Human Nature
Why, Why, Does He Do Me That Way
I Like Livin' This Way

Thriller

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!
But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance against the thing with forty eyes, girl
Thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)
This is the end of your life

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeah
All through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen
I'll make you see

That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a
Killer, diller, chiller, thriller here tonight

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Girl, I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try
Thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, thriller, ow!

(I'm gonna thrill ya tonight)
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'alls neighborhood

I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, ooh baby
I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, oh darlin'
Thriller night, baby, ooh!

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller

Man in the Mirror

Ooh ooh ooh aah
Gotta make a change
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right

As I turned up the collar on
A favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street
With not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer's disregard
A broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other
On the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change, yey
Na na na, na na na, na na na na oh ho

I've been a victim of
A selfish kinda love
It's time that I realize
There are some with no home
Not a nickel to loan
Could it be really pretending that they're not alone

A willow deeply scarred
Somebody's broken heart
And a washed out dream
(Washed out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see
'Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror, oh yeah)
I'm asking him to change his ways, yeah
(Change)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
'Cause when you close your heart
(You can't close your, your mind)
Then you close your mind

(That man, that man, that man)
(That man, that man, that man)
(With the man in the mirror, oh yeah)
(That man you know, that man you know)
(That man you know, that man you know)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Change)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself then make that change

(Na na na, na na na, na na na na)
Ooh
Oh yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
(Na na na, na na na, na na na na)

Oh no
Oh no, I'm gonna make a change
It's gonna feel real good
Sure mon
(Change)
Just lift yourself
You know, you got to stop it yourself
(Yeah)
Oh
Make that change
(I gotta make that change today, oh)
(Man in the mirror)
You got to, you got to not let yourself, brother oh
Yeah
You know that
(Make that change)
(I gotta make that make me then make)
You got, you got to move
Sure mon, sure mon
You got to
(Stand up, stand up, stand up)
Make that change
Stand up and lift yourself, now
(Man in the mirror)
Make that change
(Gonna make that change, sure mon)
(Man in the mirror)
You know it, you know it, you know it, you know
(Change)
Make that change

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the other ancient game

King me: Schaeffer solves checkers -University of Alberta - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Eighteen years in the making, artificial intelligence researcher solves the game of checkers

My guess is that the program in question will not fit onto my iPod Touch. Probably a good thing!

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