Nobel Peace Prize

I was quite excited about the news that the Nobel Peace Prize has given to Xiaobo Liu this morning. After I got to lab, on Twitter and my email box, there were full of congratulation messages and joy for the right choice of Nobel Prize Committee. Also, another news was about the China's official condemnation and disappointed comments from people both in China and outside.

I tried to write something down in my Chinese blog. At the time, I tried to save my draft, I found that lots of words are sensitive words I can't use in my blog. Moreover, I can't publish my blog directly before it is passed the censor. Of course, this is the normal way how Chinese government uses to avoid public consensus.

This might be the first example that a nation or the official government is not honored about its citizen won the first Nobel Prize. Even some Chinese immigrants had won Nobel Prize but in the sense of nationality, they are not Chinese. This is the first Nobel Prize for Chinese people. There is no flower or applause but the forbidden words and expression. Disappointment can't express how Chinese people feel now. Even worse, if you search the Nobel Peace Prize, there is no directly positive news in China. Chinese government might blockade the news.

A few days ago, the blackmail behavior of Chinese government made many people scorned about such a huge and powerful rising government would use this kind of scheme to make other people agree with its opinion on its human right issue. It reminds me the bullies in middle school. If it is a common sense that this behavior is defective for the development of children, then why those governors are not able to see this.

Xiaobo Liu might not be known by most of the later 80s' and 90s' generation because of lack of information resources and that period of history is distorted by the official. In the long time, my history teacher told me that most of history is written by the current authority, and they normally leave the evidences which will benefit them. This is the reason truth is berried under somewhere no one is able to find it. The results might be lost of ability to distinguish right or wrong, although for some case, the line between them is blur.

Most people expected that Nobel Peace Prize is able to give Chinese people power to fast its sluggish reform in human rights, and it is a very challenge to Chinese government. It might trigger curiosity and interest for normal Chinese to dig out his records and that special history. It might arouse ordinary people to start to fight for their rights and make the Charter 08 more publicly. It might provide a breach of China's restricted sensor system. However, what will happen next fully depends on how millions of ordinary people react to this and how much they would sacrifice for the freedom of right.

Key victory to same-sex marriage

Yesterday, a federal judge changed the history of gay rights who struck down a California ban on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional. This action might affect all over the country or even the world. Now the Propsition 8 moves to a higher court.

Although this success is not the final victory, it gives people hope after the Prop 8 passed in November 2008, which damped down gay right supporters . In comparison, I did not hear any news from China gay rights advocates. Even one of the famous blog writter turned to other topic. When it comes the time, people have the freedom of believe, they should have the freedom to express their nature.

World cup and the sun

Walking out from the bar, I found the sky became blue and the sun came out. Everything shined in golden and bright color. Before I came to Santa Monica, I dreamed that I am able to watch sunset and sunrise whenever I want. Although I find out it might not be possible for the sunrise, for the bus service is not provided before 5am, the sunset would be possible. Don't need to beg for anyone to drive me to any place for just 10 minutes miracle or worry about my time schedule conflicted with others.

After coming back from "Cyrus" yesterday, I had a conversation with my roommate about the movies -- "before sunrise" and "before sunset". First, I want to talk about that special theater, it is located opposite to my office on the 2nd street. It is a small theater but only puts on independent movies and art house, not like normal commercial ones. I got this information from Nick on the first day of work. I guess we might like the same type of movie. For those two movies, they are two of my favorite movies in my life, which might be scorned by other people for greedy about romance or not real life. For me, they are real life, just like the movie itself from dream, novel to real life takes nice years.

I need to learn how to finding the center of my life in myself, the sun of my sky in my heart. Then there will be sunshine everyday even those I can't see the sun which is just there on the other side of the cloud or 10 miles away from my location.

love is ....

Those cute pictures were love letters from a cute couple, which are widely spread to express what is love. Thanks for sharing with me. It made me smile as the sunshine in life in this cloudy day.

Need sunshine

This is the second week at Santa Monica, a city supposed to be full of sunshine and sea view.
This is the second week that I did not stay in the sunshine in this city.
This is the second week of actually real work.
This is the second week began to receive friends' phone call from South Africa and China.
This is the second week left kaixin001.
This is the second week kept missing sending out the invitation letter to professors.
This is the second week ....
Talked with googler, began to understand their life status and understood what is the meaning between life and work. We could talk about economic statistical model, psychology test, agile programming, all the new technologies, families, cookings. Everyone seems to know what they want in life, which is a quite positive influence.

Miss sunshine and the favor of sun. Before I came here, I thought I could watch sunset and sunrise whenever I want. However, current situation made me homesick....

North California travel

The trip for North California, I am always expecting.
Still did not get my drive license, still not find a group to join to begin the adventure.
Still dreaming....



One day, I might be on the the Pacific Coast Highway, go to Yosemite National Park for its fantastic landscape and beautiful falls, Hearst Castle for one of the famous castle in America, though I might take long for me to be able to go those castles like in fairy tell in Europe , Napa Valley, the The birthplace of California wine as in the movie of 'Sideways' and San Fransisco, special culture, Victorian architecture, California Academy of Sciences museum and famous bay area and redwood.

uniform random generator

The last interview asked about the random number generator. The problem is that given a uniform random generator which will generate random number from 0 to m-1, you need to come up with a uniform random generator from 0 to n-1 which n > m. I did the normal way as I started the C++, using

number = (rand() % (max - (min - 1))) + min.

However, the modular operation destroy the uniform distribution.
We need to make the distribution untouched. The interviewer told me that any math operation will destroy the distribution. Think about it carefully. I think he was wrong. There is a way to over come it and using arithmetic operations:

number = (rand() * (float(max - min) / RAND_MAX)) + min.

Another reason of not using modular is that in the pseudo random generator, it uses lower bits in the random value. However the reality is the lower bits are less random than higher bits. If you want a uniform distribution, it is not a good idea to use lower bits.

How to Train Your Dragon

The side effect of watching this movie is to remind me the intimate feeling with pets. On Wed, a lot of friends get together and hang around. All of suddenly, we started to talk about pets which ringed the bell of Dandan and other pets I had before. This is a great movie, however a little bit too short. Even the story is simple, still worthy watching it, especially the feeling it brought you.

Here is the OST , quite great. They used an orchestra and quite a long of different music element. Enjoy it :)

The Marriage of Figaro

The collaboration by Mozart and Da Ponte, "The Marriage of Figaro " is a comic opera, which gave me the thought that UCR's students are so great that there are people who can fulfill the ability of the soprano and baritone. Well the result was they adapted it into a play. They combined a lot of modern elements and music style, still quite amazing.

At night, when trying to talk with DD about the play, she did not remember we listen part of the opera when we were at college. Sad..... She can't share my joy.

Well, again confirmed that I need to learn English harder, it was quite difficult to understand them while they trying to talk with expression and kind of sing while talking. I guess if I did not know anything about it before I went to watch the play, it might ruin all my passion.

All right, English learning, you are on my urgent agenda now. Hope I can understand better next time.

Don't give up - google

I am kind of surprised about the Google China's decision, because a lot of global enterprises, once they decided to enter the important emerging market of China, need to be ready to adapt to all kinds of invisible rules or laws, such as the censorship and taxation. I heard that one friend was curious about my attitude about it, and some lab mates discussed it in lab as well.

From my opinion, firstly, I have the same feeling with ZZ. Google China does not set up firmly and positive image in China, because of the scandal of plagiarism of the Chinese input product - Goolge pinyin. And as far as I known, Google China did not release any popular, useful products respect to Chinese market which can actually efficiently change Chinese user's surfing habits. And most of the things they did, according to a lot of people's eyes, just translate all the popular products into Chinese. But Google China still is one of the best dream working places for all computer science college students. Even though, a lot of them felt disappointed about those scandals comparing with its famous slogan - "Don't be evil".

As for the censorship, I remember a lot of web sites we can't get access. However, some of them might have cached page in Google search engine. That's the first time, I felt that there were still some people fighting against it. And I appreciated it. Now it announced to quit Chinese market. I don't know it is the sorrow of Chinese people or the giant company.

Last year, Chinese government enforcedly blocked a lot of Google's service during the insurrection of Urumqi and the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square event, as well as a lot of other websites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Even the e-mail services were sacrificed during certain period. As a company, facing those unfair situation will affect their efficiency of operation. But all the Chinese people are standing at your site.

China has more than 300 million people on-line everyday. If they can just get all the information from the filtered news or stories. The fairy tell - The emperor's new suit, might the most suitable description for the situation. I hope Chinese people would have more speech freedom, but there should be a way to give their channel to express. Right now the organism of Chinese government is kind of loss this function. Even though the media power is not the pivot of solving these problem, at least, it will arise public attention for those are still willing to devote themselves on the current Chinese situation.

Riverdance

If only using one word to describe, it is fantastic. Quite incredible marvelous, the performance is. Although it does not include all the traditional sounds, still excellent for its dancing, orchestra and singing. All those three elements combines quite fluently. While I guess there is misunderstanding for Riverdance that most people think it is just about Irish step dancing, excluding fast-paced step dancing Riverdance actually contains passionate and powerful Spanish flamenco dancing, elegant ballet, and emotional modern dancing. The orchestra has a lot of my favorite instruments well, such as violin, tambourine, scottish bagpipe, flute. Moreover the stage scenery is amazing too.

Although driving to San Diego back and forth is painful, it is quite worthy. Thanks DC :)

The side effect is quite hard to fall asleep after coming back. While closing my eyes, I can still see those passion steps and dreamlike blue stage scenery.