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Movie - Garden State
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2/28/2005
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(Comment for the Movie "Garden State". Please be advised that this review may disclose part of the move plot, so stop reading right here if you haven't seen this movie and do not want it to be spoiled).
Zach Braff is one of my favorite actors largely because of his performance in the NBC TV serial "Scrubs", which is something hilarious while provokes your thought afterwards. The over-stretch, the exaggeration and the moral narrative make it so different from other comedies, such as "Will and Grace" or "Committed". Some of the "Scrubs" style is inherited in this movie, such as the open scene when Zach is day-dreaming while everybody else is in panic during the plane crash. Another such scene is Zach wearing a bizarre shirt in front of a wall of decoration made of the same cloth.
Back to the move , it is all about looking back, about rediscovering yourself after you got lost under the barrage of time. Andrew(Zach) went back to his hometown where he left behind ten years ago, ran into an assortment of old friends and a newly-met girl he ran across in the clinic. This mixture gives him a new perspective of life somehow, although I don't quite understand or agree upon the ending. The movie itself is not that grandstanding, but it is like a new taste of ice-cream, which you won't regret to have a bite.
References:
[1] Yahoo Movie, Garden State
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Movie - House of Flying Daggers
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2/20/2005
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(Comments for "House of Flying Daggers", 2004)
Make-up can turn a plain-looking girl into a pop star, but that does not make her Snow White. Zhang Yi-mou is the stylist who knows how to do the make-up. This movie is an epitome of what artful cinematography ought to be. Colorful scenes, ethereal beauty, well-designed props and costumes... You name it. But one thing falls short- the story line. It is a cliche coated with sugar. Should that be a far greater topic, it could vault this movie into a level Mr. Zhang has never attained - the Academy Award.
I really feel sorry for Mr. Zhang, whose name is not even on this year's Oscar nominee.
References:
[1] Yahoo Movie, House of Flying Daggers, 2004
It might be an anachronism to use modem at the era of broadband, so don't deride me if I bought one today.
DYNEX, DX-M100 PCI Modem, 56K V.92
Bought from Best Buy on 02/19/05
Price $34.99
I guess it adopts Intel 536EP as its controller.
The actual connect speed is showed as 52.0 Kbps. It is definitely not lightening fast, but I think it is serviceable, at least for me to use at home.
References:
[1] PC DIY(2)
[2] PC DIY(1)
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Lab Notes - GPIO and SM Bus
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2/18/2005
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Passive acceptance of prevailing principles quells innovation and discovery.
It was once deeply rooted in my mind that we need an I2C controller to control an I2C slave device. Since many CPUs already carry built-in I2C controller, that line holds for a long time.
However, for some SM Bus devices, they speak quick command. But there are I2C controllers that are strictly forbid to do r/w without data part. i.e. they can not send out quick command by nature. It is like speak English without the letter "V". You can not say "I love you" in that case.
To spell "love", GPIO come to rescue. At first, I thought it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to do I2C by pure software simulation. But the reality convinces me that it is still doable. Upon further reflection, since the SCL is sent out by I2C master, and the frequency is only 100K .The clock drifting due to software simulation seems not a serious problem here.
Which raised another question in my mind. Is it possible to software-up the RS-232 by GPIO as well? I think the answer might be "Yes". But is it worth the effort? Since the RS-232 is so popular that almost every CPU carries one or two UART. And I would be hard pressed to see any circumstance that prevents us from spelling "love"
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Personality Matters
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2/17/2005
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(What follows are comments for NBC reality show "The Apprentice" in the past two weeks.)
Kristen and Michael were fired in the last two episodes. Their departure shows that personality and characteristic can play a major role on career path. Kristen is a control freak, who likes to micro-manage and who is stubborn. Each character is not a big deal, but put together, it can get you fired. In the previous few episodes, she clashed with Brian, with Angie, now almost with every member from her team. If she consulted with John, maybe she could get a better understanding of John's idea and make a win out of it. Instead, she just went ahead with her own version of commercial. Even a tie with other team could not save her.
Michael is no better than a punk kid. His fate is already doomed when Danny was fired. What saddens me is his complete misjudgment of situation, which illusively gain him some false confidence. What lies between him and Donald Trump is not just a billion bucks as he pictured. If you want to be a leader, you have to spearhead the whole process on different level, with passion and incentive. It is easy to talk the talk, but it is always hard to walk the walk. It is good for the well being of Magna to go without him.
If let me pick for Donald Trump, I would fire Stephanie in next round. She is the female counterpart of Michael in Magna, who lacks incentive and enthusiasm.
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No One Is Superman
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2/01/2005
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(Comments of "The Apprentice" Season 3, first 2 episodes)
Brian was got fired right away last week. He had it come when he said he took full responsibility for the loss. That is very courageous, or shall I say, foolhardy. Maybe that is his surprise attack in the board room. Maybe he hoped he could turn the table with this bold move. That only proves he had a poor judgment of people, especially to a man as savvy as Donald Trump.
Besides his boldness, Brian also showed his stupidity and stubbornness. He brushed aside his teammates' suggestion for a budget, he bought 14 expensive toilets single minded. (Just as one of his team mates said, the ass wouldn't notice the difference whether it is $500 toilet or just a 5 buck toilet- seat). At the end of the day, he had no money left for carpet. His teammates were alienated by his arrogance. So he had to broom the room all by himself, alone. No one is Superman. You can not take everything into your own hand. Brian was in the hole dug by himself.
For the team of "Book-smart", let's just say things are only slightly better. Verne went AWOL under heavy stress. I don't think she could go very far if she can not take the heat. I heard that there will be someone calling quit in next episode. I bet that will be her.
On that team, Danny is definitely a loose cannon. I thought he would be gone last episode. Perhaps Donald wants to keep this clown for entertaining purpose. Danny is a typical example of college hippy, over-liberal.
However, from a team of High School, John made himself stand out in the first 2 episodes. He knows how to motivate people, he knows how to be a good follower and presents help to the leader (Like what he said to Brian. Unfortunately, Brian is not amenable to suggestion at all. He did not even appreciate different opinion. He is too narcissistic. Even when he was kicked out of the boardroom, he said in the cab "I am very confident that Donald Trump just lost a good negotiator." You can never be successful if you can not learn from your own fall). Contrast to Brian, I bet John could make it at last, or at least final four.
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