不过虽然限行措施是有效的，能有效多久却不能让人放心。因为如果购买新车的审批手续还是没有变得严格，车辆的增加迟早都会抵消限行的作用，而且放开购买新车，也意味着车主们可以下有对策──等咱有了钱，车子买两辆，一辆单号，一辆双号。意大利人早就这么干过，而北京的有钱人其实不在少数。
2007年8月27日星期一
北京实行“单双号”制度的成效
这张照片于本月27日拍摄于北京中关园，也许在没到过北京的人看来没什么特别，但是实际上这是一个月来第一次在正午的北京能看到蓝天。
不过虽然限行措施是有效的，能有效多久却不能让人放心。因为如果购买新车的审批手续还是没有变得严格，车辆的增加迟早都会抵消限行的作用，而且放开购买新车，也意味着车主们可以下有对策──等咱有了钱，车子买两辆，一辆单号，一辆双号。意大利人早就这么干过，而北京的有钱人其实不在少数。
不过虽然限行措施是有效的，能有效多久却不能让人放心。因为如果购买新车的审批手续还是没有变得严格，车辆的增加迟早都会抵消限行的作用，而且放开购买新车，也意味着车主们可以下有对策──等咱有了钱，车子买两辆，一辆单号，一辆双号。意大利人早就这么干过，而北京的有钱人其实不在少数。
深圳黑雨事件暴露规划与发展问题
8月23日的《南方周末》18版报道了今日发生在深圳南山区的一次“黑雨”事件。根据环监部门的说法，黑雨 pH 值低达3.53，且含有大量硫化物。因此有关官员怀疑黑雨是当地热电厂吹除锅炉中的重油燃烧残留物所致。
在《南方周末》记者的调查中，虽然还未能证实在黑雨前几天进行的吹灰操作与黑雨有直接联系，但确实有一些问题暴露出来。最突出的，是城市不断增加的电力需求与电厂能源供应的矛盾，以及电厂附近诡异的火爆楼盘。
热电厂解决硫污染的一条一劳永逸的途径是“油改气”，即改变燃料，由煤炭、重油改为天然气，然而南山区电厂面临的问题是高昂的油价导致天然气供应不足，4台机组中的3台仍然需要燃烧重油，而且周围城区对电力的要求仍然在不断增加。因此，排放二氧化硫的问题一时间难以从根本上解决。
而更加奇特的现象是，热电厂周围一般不会被用做房产建设的土地，在南山区竟然也被开发，而且“房价暴涨至2万元每平方米”，这个价位在深圳全市都属于高档。如果说开发商唯利是图在这样已经遭受严重污染的地方建房还可以理解的话，难以理解的是为什么当地环保和规划部门给这样的楼盘以许可，更难以理解的是住进这些楼盘的居民为什么一直以来都没有对自己的健康状况表达过明显的担忧。因为如果有他们的声音在房市上出现，这个区域的房价应该不会一路走高。
黑雨事件也许算不上是一次严重的环境污染事件，但是它暴露出了一个快速发展的城市在环保和规划当中的慢性问题，即能源安全得不到保证，规划缺乏环境考虑。这个事件也说明了战略环境评价在规划过程中的重要性。我们自然不能要求深圳最初的建设者们现在回过头去为当年的规划进行战略环评，但具体到现在的每个项目，比如将南山区定位为居住区的举措，难道不能先搞这类评价，看看怎样才能有利于民吗？
另一方面，深圳特区建立以来一直致力于吸引资金和人力，这在建设的初期并非一件坏事，但是城市不能可持续地迅速扩张，在城市规模达到一定水平后，是否应当把资源用于改善现有居民的生活条件，而不是一味地建设新区新楼？特别是深圳这样在地理条件上受到限制的城市，也许更应该发出适当的信号，避免盲目地吸引人口和工业，否则能源、环境和基础设施都会面临巨大的压力。
在《南方周末》记者的调查中，虽然还未能证实在黑雨前几天进行的吹灰操作与黑雨有直接联系，但确实有一些问题暴露出来。最突出的，是城市不断增加的电力需求与电厂能源供应的矛盾，以及电厂附近诡异的火爆楼盘。
热电厂解决硫污染的一条一劳永逸的途径是“油改气”，即改变燃料，由煤炭、重油改为天然气，然而南山区电厂面临的问题是高昂的油价导致天然气供应不足，4台机组中的3台仍然需要燃烧重油，而且周围城区对电力的要求仍然在不断增加。因此，排放二氧化硫的问题一时间难以从根本上解决。
而更加奇特的现象是，热电厂周围一般不会被用做房产建设的土地，在南山区竟然也被开发，而且“房价暴涨至2万元每平方米”，这个价位在深圳全市都属于高档。如果说开发商唯利是图在这样已经遭受严重污染的地方建房还可以理解的话，难以理解的是为什么当地环保和规划部门给这样的楼盘以许可，更难以理解的是住进这些楼盘的居民为什么一直以来都没有对自己的健康状况表达过明显的担忧。因为如果有他们的声音在房市上出现，这个区域的房价应该不会一路走高。
黑雨事件也许算不上是一次严重的环境污染事件，但是它暴露出了一个快速发展的城市在环保和规划当中的慢性问题，即能源安全得不到保证，规划缺乏环境考虑。这个事件也说明了战略环境评价在规划过程中的重要性。我们自然不能要求深圳最初的建设者们现在回过头去为当年的规划进行战略环评，但具体到现在的每个项目，比如将南山区定位为居住区的举措，难道不能先搞这类评价，看看怎样才能有利于民吗？
另一方面，深圳特区建立以来一直致力于吸引资金和人力，这在建设的初期并非一件坏事，但是城市不能可持续地迅速扩张，在城市规模达到一定水平后，是否应当把资源用于改善现有居民的生活条件，而不是一味地建设新区新楼？特别是深圳这样在地理条件上受到限制的城市，也许更应该发出适当的信号，避免盲目地吸引人口和工业，否则能源、环境和基础设施都会面临巨大的压力。
2007年8月24日星期五
The 11th Hour Movie
This is [another environmental awareness movie](http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/) made in the U. S. after [Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth](http://www.climatecrisis.net/). Narrated by Hollywood actor and environmental activist [Leonardo DiCaprio](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000138/), The 11th Hour tries not only to raise awareness, but also to give suggestions on tackling the global warming problem. The message being carried by the movie is that people should change their ways of lives to help save themselves from formidable global climate disaster.
The goal however, is not easy to achieve. Asking Leo to do the narrator work is a nice consideration to raise people's interest. However, it is the quality of persuation of the movie that determines to what extent will the current undesirable state be changed. I will see if I can watch it myself in a cinema and continue the report.
The goal however, is not easy to achieve. Asking Leo to do the narrator work is a nice consideration to raise people's interest. However, it is the quality of persuation of the movie that determines to what extent will the current undesirable state be changed. I will see if I can watch it myself in a cinema and continue the report.
2007年8月14日星期二
终于看完了银河系漫游指南
在小岛上一直想看这本书，无奈书价实在太贵，而且学校图书馆又不收藏这种过多地探讨宇宙终极问题的读物。回国后找到了电子书下载，在硬盘上放了一个多月后终于读完了一遍。
文字和细节方面，书本比电影还是稍胜一筹，不过在阅读很多段落的时候还是禁不住要联想到电影里的画面，特别是 Heart of Gold 在超空间飞行的那段，电影的处理相当有趣。
阅读时发现了一个可能跟 Google 有关的细节：有一台计算机名字里有 Googleplex 这个词，不知道 Google 当初是不是用它给自己总部命名的。
文字和细节方面，书本比电影还是稍胜一筹，不过在阅读很多段落的时候还是禁不住要联想到电影里的画面，特别是 Heart of Gold 在超空间飞行的那段，电影的处理相当有趣。
阅读时发现了一个可能跟 Google 有关的细节：有一台计算机名字里有 Googleplex 这个词，不知道 Google 当初是不是用它给自己总部命名的。
2007年7月19日星期四
What went right in I. Mongolia and what went wrong in Tibet
A news focus article "Getting at the Roots of Killer Dust Storms" on this week's [*Science*](http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/317/5836/314?etoc) reported the recent progress in combating desertification by grazing management and ecological restoration in Bayinhushu, Inner Mongolia.
Apparently by reducing the number of livestocks and grazing intensity, as well as natural restoration, after five years the vegetation in this villiage is recovering towards the level 50 years ago. The production of pastoralism products are not hindered as the output per livestock doubled due to improved nutrient from corn planted by villagers instead of natural grown grass.
Other measures employed before, such as forestation and settlement development, proved not feasible while counterproductive in the semi-arid areas. Trees either die or suck too much groundwater, thus make draught worse. Settled communities brings higher pressure to the land and create denuded rings around their villages.
The success in Inner Mongolia is due to its consideration over economic and social as well as ecological effects. Such approach suits better to the local situation. However, the successful method cannot simply be copied to other semi-arid areas in China, such as Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Inner Mongolia has better water and nutrient conditions than TAR. If it is to be imitated, at least local environmental conditions should be considered first.
In some areas in Tibet, where moving sand dunes make the hand-off approach not feasible, human intervention may be needed to stablise sand dunes first, then surface vegetation can be reestablished. The fragile economy and poor soil in Tibet may prove difficulties to local people who are asked to control the grazing. But the experience from Inner Mongolia does provide a more desirable to restore grassland in Tibet than the current settle-down policy.
Apparently by reducing the number of livestocks and grazing intensity, as well as natural restoration, after five years the vegetation in this villiage is recovering towards the level 50 years ago. The production of pastoralism products are not hindered as the output per livestock doubled due to improved nutrient from corn planted by villagers instead of natural grown grass.
Other measures employed before, such as forestation and settlement development, proved not feasible while counterproductive in the semi-arid areas. Trees either die or suck too much groundwater, thus make draught worse. Settled communities brings higher pressure to the land and create denuded rings around their villages.
The success in Inner Mongolia is due to its consideration over economic and social as well as ecological effects. Such approach suits better to the local situation. However, the successful method cannot simply be copied to other semi-arid areas in China, such as Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Inner Mongolia has better water and nutrient conditions than TAR. If it is to be imitated, at least local environmental conditions should be considered first.
In some areas in Tibet, where moving sand dunes make the hand-off approach not feasible, human intervention may be needed to stablise sand dunes first, then surface vegetation can be reestablished. The fragile economy and poor soil in Tibet may prove difficulties to local people who are asked to control the grazing. But the experience from Inner Mongolia does provide a more desirable to restore grassland in Tibet than the current settle-down policy.
2007年7月16日星期一
ifmslide -- 一个似乎没什么人用的 LaTeX 演示宏包
今天在无聊的时候随便用
- 可以方便地定义背景图像；
- 可以自定义导航按钮的形状和位置；
- 可以方便地开关导航栏和定义导航栏位置；
- 用 pdf 格式时生成幻灯片，用 dvi 格式可以生成 handout ，基本不需要改动代码。
不过还不清楚对中文支持如何，也不清楚是否像
locate 命令看了一下自己的硬盘，发现 TeXlive 2005 里还有一个用于制作 slide 的宏包，叫做 ifmslide。这个东东似乎利用了 texpower、seminar 等多个宏包的功能，有一些它自己的特点，包括：- 可以方便地定义背景图像；
- 可以自定义导航按钮的形状和位置；
- 可以方便地开关导航栏和定义导航栏位置；
- 用 pdf 格式时生成幻灯片，用 dvi 格式可以生成 handout ，基本不需要改动代码。
不过还不清楚对中文支持如何，也不清楚是否像
Beamer 那样支持 pgf 提供的绘图命令。另外一个缺点就是没有提供设计好的模板，不清楚做出来的幻灯片美观程度如何。
2007年6月29日星期五
"New Priorities for Climate Change Research"
Apparently the new IPCC synthesis on climate change has provided ground that current climate change is largely anthropogenic. Although it may still take up to decades for the U.S. to put carbon emission control system into their legislation, the responsibility of *Homo Sapiens* cannot be easily exempted.
For the U.S., their research focus has been shifted from proving the responsibility to "the causes, the impacts, and solutions". From [Science](http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/316/5833/1828b):
> [the budget bills] include more than half a billion dollars for new applied energy research, a novel $50 million climate research commission that would address regional impacts, and some $17 million to spread the message on climate change through education and public outreach....
>
> ...[A] draft spending bill would set aside $24.9 million for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to begin to develop two of the canceled sensors--both crucial for measuring Earth's heat balance--to bolt onto the crafts later if possible.
These priorities are, in fact, hardly anything new. The scientific society has called it for years. It is just at present that these budget requests are finally seen to. Of course such investment and prioritisation of climate-related research will surely accelerate the gain of understanding of climate trends and impacts. But the U.S. should not be boasting such late-bestowed attention to a pressing and significant problem.
For the U.S., their research focus has been shifted from proving the responsibility to "the causes, the impacts, and solutions". From [Science](http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/316/5833/1828b):
> [the budget bills] include more than half a billion dollars for new applied energy research, a novel $50 million climate research commission that would address regional impacts, and some $17 million to spread the message on climate change through education and public outreach....
>
> ...[A] draft spending bill would set aside $24.9 million for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to begin to develop two of the canceled sensors--both crucial for measuring Earth's heat balance--to bolt onto the crafts later if possible.
These priorities are, in fact, hardly anything new. The scientific society has called it for years. It is just at present that these budget requests are finally seen to. Of course such investment and prioritisation of climate-related research will surely accelerate the gain of understanding of climate trends and impacts. But the U.S. should not be boasting such late-bestowed attention to a pressing and significant problem.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)