Dilemma

This Sunday we will have a discussion on selection of team members of this year's mountaineering team and scientific exploration team. I, as the vice president of our climbing club who don't go mountaineering, will take part in this discussion.

There is a girl, whom I wish could be in the exploration team. She provided the most foundamental idea for this year's topic. Her knowlegde on social science would surely help us. But she herself eagerly want to go mountaineering. As a member of the board, I need to make my choice: enhance the ability of my team, or support her wish?

I had struggle. However, after I knew that she did so much to take part in mountaineering, I have made my decision. I will do my best to help her enter the mountaineering team.

(Maybe) My last burdened climbing drill

It's June 1st, Children's day. Also, it's near the end of our intensive training for this year's mountaineering. Today, the subject is climbing training, ascend for 500 metres with a burden of 40kg.

I never thought it a over-heavy burden. But I worry about our fatigue. I and VstarLoss decided that we wouldn't climb too fast. It took us 84 minutes to complete the training.

After the training, first I just feel relaxed. Later when we headed to the dining hall, I remembered that this could be the last burdened climbing drill in our climbing club. Suddenly a sentimental and bittersweet feeling stroke me.

No more "Cheer up"s, no more encouraging cries! How long it would take for me to reunion with my teammates under the tall tower? Ade, bricks; ade, my friends!

But all of them are so happy! There are years to come before they leave the club. Everyone's enjoying themselves while enduring the hardest labour. This summer, some of them will be going to Nyanqen Tanglha Mountain. God bless them!

The sky's especially blue today, which makes me happy.

[Academic] Methods of assessing regional ecosystem health

Ecosystem Health and Its Measurement at Landscape Scale: Toward the Next Generation of Quantitative Assessments

Seven tools and concepts can be used to assess regional ecosystem health: 1. the concept of ecosystem health; 2. innovative stochastic techniques for representing human disturbance and ecosystem response in landscapes, and the corresponding statistical tools for analyzing them; 3. representation of spatial biocomplexity; 4. innovative combination techniques of upper-echelon-based spatial scan statistic to detect, delineate, and prioritize critical study areas for evaluating and prioritizing causal factors and effects; 5. the capability of comparing and prioritizing a collection of entities in light of multiple criteria, using poset mathematics of partial order with rank frequency statistics, to provide multicriterion decision support; 6. extending data mining and visualization techniques to determine associations between geospatial patterns and ecosystem degradation at landscape scales; 7. comprehensive studies conducted on different types of regional ecosystems.

The challenge is to characterize, evaluate, and validate linkages between socioeconomic drivers, biogeochemical indicators, multiscale landscape pattern metrics, and quality of human life indicators.

Regional Vulnerability: A Conceptual Framework

It suggests that to conduct an integrated assessment on a regional ecosystem, we must use synergistic methods. Synergy is too difficult to measure now and too important to ignore. We can use vulnerablility as a middld-road means to assess health situation of a regional ecosystem.

Rock climbing today: a breakthrough

Today I finally managed to top the required rock climbing route, which means I have formally got the right to go to the expedition this summer vacation. This year's route is a bit harder than that of last years. I invested a lot of time practising. I am not so good at rockclimbing. However, I progress a little every time. Yesterday I tried 5 or 6 times but I didn't figure out how to reach the last step of the route. At last I understood but I was too exhausted to climb. Today is the test. I thought over the route last night. The whole process is very smooth. When climbing, I almost forget everything else, only the rock wall and I exist. At last when I reached the bar at the top of the rock wall, I heard claps and joyful shouts from below. I was so happy then. I have got good luck. It also have something to do with my practice.

RotS: a nice completion of the epic

My friend and I just come back from the movie. We all know well about the plot. Anakin Skywalker will finally become a Sith. The value of Star Wars Episode 3 is that it tells us the struggle of Anakin and the real intrigue of Darth Sidious, so the Epic can be complete. George Lucas must tried very hard to make the plot between Episode 3 and 4 smooth. In RotS we can see the former types of star destroyer, tie fighter and X-wing, as well as storm troopers. These all can bring any Star Wars fan a sentimental feeling. For one thing, our memories of olddies SF movies are brought back. For another thing, the age of Star Wars is gone. Maybe Lucas will betray his words and shoot another Star Wars movie, but it won't have much connection to the old ones. The movie is a exciting journey from the beginning. There are only a few slow tempo scene. They are necessary to show us how deep Anakin's love to Padme is. Still, the emotion of roles is abrupt and thin. We don't want to critisize that, because it's not the key point of the movie. The ending of Episode 3 can be among the best endings of movies. The scene in Tatooine is the best I have ever seen.

[tusea,kekao]Todos

I will complete an outline for a preparation training course which will be given to the team members.

After that, the outline of the whole exploration must be worked out. As well as a proposal that provides an overall view of the project.

Busy living

Well, let me put out my hand and count with my fingers: my graduation thesis, my optional course essay, the science exploration preparation work, visa application.... I don't really know if I am busier than the time when I was a Junior student. But I am very sure that I can manage my time better than then.

The most important issue is that I like what I am doing. My experience in these months may bring me benefit in the rest of my life. One who is not so busy may never understand how he can do so many things at the same time. I hope one day I will become a scientist who is important in the science world. That would mean much work and a life fulfilled. So, how can I be beaten by these work at my hands now?

Some of my classmates simply do what they are asked to do. Well, I will do that part at least as well as them. Besides, I will carry out my duty, which they never have, from which they never take any pleasure.

[tusea, kekao] Mission 1: detailing topics

We are applying for some fund provided by a magazine called Nanfengchuang. They want plans that are practical and results expectable. In order to achieve this, our plan has to be modified. We will need more detailed contents about our exploration.

There are 4 aspects around Qing-Tibet railway: society, economy, culture and ecosystem. We should choose 3 -- 4 topics from these aspects. The topics should be attracting, unique and can be completed with limited time and resources.

Right now I have a topic about researchers along the railway, and one about cattle-raising industry. I also asked others in the preparation team to think about some possible topics.

I also have to read some books about social survey because I will give a lecture to all team members about it.

[tusea,kekao]My assignment

After I come back from the field survey of my graduation essay, I will see to the academic work of our Climbing club's scientific exploration. It's challenging. I must use all my energy to do it well.

[MGS]MGS 4 announced!

On E3 Expo, Hideo Kojima announced new MGS title. Which will be MGS 4. On the official Metal Gear Solid Site, a new link pointing to "Kojima Productions" appeared, which mentioned "MGS 4", as well as a power-up version of MGS 3 (I know it would come) and Metal Gear Acid 2. The promotion movie of new MGS also comes out at this address: mms://wm1.streaming.ne.jp/konami2/kojimapro_e32k5_e_n4v8.asf In my last blog about new MGS, I mentioned that in new MGS there will be "no place for Hideo Kojima", well, forget about that. In the promo, Hideo changed it to "No Replacement for Hideo Kojima". Good news? At least for MGS 4. In the promo we can see Raiden and Snake fighting to seize the place for the "main character", and of course Snake won, but maybe Raiden (or someone looks like him) will also appear in the new MGS. I guess CQC would still play important role in new MGS, and there could be more drastic environment changing, which makes you "no place to hide". Hideo also played parody on Splinter Cell and Sam Fisher. He knows quite well about his enemy: XBOX 360 and UBI, huh?

[Academic]Revising indicator system

Today I reviewed my indicator system. I deleted some indicators because:
1. there are no data supporting.
2. they are not representative enough.

May the Force be with you

It's May 19th, 09:02 AM, a few hours before the time when Star Wars Episode 3: the Revenge of the Sith hit theatres and cinemas all over the world.

This can be a very sentimental moment. When a legend which lasts over 30 years finally comes to an end, we may be a bit lost. But before I see this movie, there is more anticipitation than sadness in me.

Most critics speak highly of this closing episode to the Star Wars Epic. Some lucky boy who saw it last night say it's kinda na\"ive. No matter what they say, I want to see it myself and have my own private feeling about it.

Restarting my blog

This, I guess, is one of my earliest blogs. Because of the great firewall, I couldn't see what I have written after I submit. However, I managed to use some small tricks to get through that (they can't block the whole internet, can they?). So I decided that I will restart this blog.

My old blogs are scattering here and there:
http://snakehsu82.spymac.net/blog/
http://snakehsu.blogchina.com/
http://snakehsu.freefronthost.com/