Albert T. Wong - 黃頌言

Now the Gear Will Start: The Gadgetry of World War II
Granted, there isnt much in the way of recognizable gadgetry in my new book, Now the Hell Will Start: One Soldiers Flight from the Greatest Manhunt of World War II. Most of the action takes place in the Indo-Burmese jungle, circa World War II—long before the advent of the integrated circuit. But that doesnt mean American GIs were entirely without nifty gear, much of which helped spur the development of our beloved modern toys. Read on for a rundown of three vital gadgets that took shape during the epic Allies vs. Axis throwdown, when geeks saved the world and my yarns anti-hero went on the lam.

Opposite sex drives you crazy — the causes - CNN.com
# Story Highlights
# There are explanations why men and women act differently
# Sexually released oxytocin encourages cuddling, testosterone neutralizes
# Men only talk about problems to find solutions, women discuss them to relieve stress
# Men like “chic flicks” more than they publicly admit

Awesome essay…..

Exam Essay, Theories of the Fetish
“A fetish is an object,” wrote psychiatrist Robert Stoller, “masquerading as a story.

UC piling extra cash on top of pay / 8,500 top staffers pulling down at least $20,000 each in bonuses, compensation
When the University of California hired David Kessler as dean of the UCSF School of Medicine two years ago, the university announced he would receive “total compensation” of $540,000 a year.

Turns out he actually got much more.

In addition to his salary, he received a one-time relocation allowance of $125,000, plus $30,000 for six months’ rent and a low-interest home loan.

There was more. He was reimbursed for his actual moving costs from Connecticut, and his family received round-trip airline tickets to go house-hunting in the Bay Area.

Kessler is hardly unique. Despite UC’s complaints that it has been squeezed by cuts in state funding and forced to raise student fees, many university faculty members and administrators get paid far more than is publicly reported.

In addition to salaries and overtime, payroll records obtained by The Chronicle show that employees received a total of $871 million in bonuses, administrative stipends, relocation packages and other forms of cash compensation last fiscal year. That was more than enough to cover the 79 percent hike in student fees that UC has imposed over the past few years.

The bulk of the last year’s extra compensation, roughly $599 million, went to more than 8,500 employees who each got at least $20,000 over their regular salaries. And that doesn’t include an impressive array of other perks for selected top administrators, ranging from free housing to concert tickets.

Western Warship Combat Club - Home

Never heard of robotic warship combat? We build 1/144 scale model warships (WWI and WWII vintages), use balsa wood for armor, arm them with CO2-powered cannons that fire BBs or ball bearings, and go to a lake and try to sink each other.

Linux.com :: Open source testing tools target varied tasks
Testing is an important function of the software development process, no matter how big or small the development project. But not every company or developer has access to professional testing tools, which can run into hundreds and even thousands of dollars. The good news is that they dont need them, thanks to the tons of freely available open source software testing tools.

In simple terms there are two major approaches to testing software — the manual way a summer intern with a checklist or through an automated program. With automated testing programs, you can spend a lot of money procuring these tools or distracting yourself from the task at hand by rolling out your customized automated testing software.

Punch Cards to Laserdisc: History of Computer Storage in Pics
Over at Royal Pingdom there’s a fascinating little picture history of computer storage from the year dot nearly up to the present day. Who knew that hard disks were once the size of a small car? Not me, though I remember being surprised when finding an 8-inch floppy disk in an old science workstation once. And probably few now remember that Fortran’s strange columnar code structure came, in part, from punch card use. Check out the images in the gallery: some of them will amuse you, some may amaze.

Fully Automated Robo-Restaurant Tested Verdict: Delicious, Fun, No Bloody Tips
A BBC News crew went to Germany to try s Baggers, the robotized, fully automated restaurant in which theres not a single waiter in sight and plates float over your head on steel rails to reach your seat, Futurama-style. And apparently, they loved it.

As we already knew, everything in this restaurant in Nuremberg is completely automated, from the ordering process—using a touchscreen which also allows you to surf the web or email while waiting for our order—to the delivery of the food to your color-coded seat. Only the cooking is manual, which is done by some Elzar apprentices, 70% human-30% iron chefs, somewhere in the building.

The creator of the technology behind s Baggers thinks theres a big market for these kinds of restaurant, which are convenient, fun, and save costs to the owners and the clients. The BBC seems to agree. Their verdict: fun, delicious, fast, and no tips. Makes a good case to eradicate that awful, ingrate job of waitressing all throughout the planet. Sad, I know. But dont despair, my friends: theres always blogging.

The reality of the RDF: how Apple motivates us to creativity
Starting back when it was Apple Computer, the company now known simply as Apple has attempted to foster a strong brand identity thats associated with an image of creativity. Now, a new study PDF that will appear in next months Journal of Consumer Research suggests that the vaunted Reality Distortion Field may be grounded in reality, revealing that Apples efforts have paid off in unexpected ways: not only do consumers consider Apple creative, but the subliminal display of an Apple logo is enough to motivate them to be more creative. The study provides some revealing insights into the very strange inner workings of our brains.

College: How to Cram for Exams
If youve been hard at work in school and havent had the time to study for an exam, then perhaps you should set aside time the night before to cram for the exam. Depending on what type of learner you are, you may feel comfortable cramming by rereading your course notes, reviewing summaries in college textbooks, recording critical information into a tape recorder or computer, or applying memorization techniques. Quiz yourself to review the information youve retained. Sure, it might be better to space out your studying over a few days, but if that option fails, cramming might be your only option—and these suggestions should get you on your way.