Super Stars
Zhang Xin and Xiaoxiao are Amanda's Middle School classmates. Please visit Amanda's Blog for more info.
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September 25, 2005
September 24, 2005
My dream PDA
Teddy is holding my new PDA -- Dell x50v, upgraded from my old HP iPaq 2215. But neither of them are my dream PDAs. Dream PDA means I am dying to have, but not available for certain very reallistic reasons.
I will first talk about my Old PDA and then my new PDA, finally, "My Dream PDA".
Motivation of upgrade:
I am generally happy with my HP ipaq 2215. Actually this gadget has become an indispensable part of my everyday life. I used it mainly for GPS, Calendar, Contact, Excel (expense & loans), Notes. But I did find myslef in trouble sometimes.
Problems of iPaq 2215:
1. Small mem / Slow CPU
The PDA makers always appear to be very frugal on memory. But software like GPS does need large chunk of mem for its maps. And it also demands high CPU power, especially when it attempts to calculate new route in real time. Things are relatively smooth when I only load the maps of NYC and Long Island area. But when I add more maps, say I am making a trip to Washington DC, my PDA will start to slow down. When you leave the pre-selected track, and the PDA tries to recalculate the route, it will just go nuts, disconnect your bluetooth, freezing your PDA.
2. External Wireless
HP 2215 has internal bluetooth, which is great. But it doesn't include wireless (WIFI). I bought a compact flash (CF) wireless card, and it does work. But I found later, I am reluctant to bring the extra card with me or have a protruded stuff on my PDA.
3. Small screen for internet
The screen is too small for internet browse, while it works fine for other applications, which doesn't need large area of display.
Dell x50v
1. VGA (480x640) screen
2. 624MHZ CPU
3. 64MB(RAM) + 128MB(ROM)
4. Build-in wireless (WIFI)
5. Cheap price ($300 with second battery)
The above numbers mean larger (screen/mem), faster (cpu), easier (WIFI).
The screen is true VGA among the few available, while the traditional display is only QVGA (quarter of VGA, 240x320). The physical size of the screen stays small but the resolution is definitely different. It offers more details in Maps.
Faster CPU and larger memory help the software run more smoothly, without worrying about freeze or reset.
I have to say, this PDA (x50v) is above my expectation, after viewing lots of soso comments. The bottom-line is that it worths every penny you spend on it.
Ok, so if Dell v50x keeps me happy, why do I still want a "Dream PDA"? The difference is between Functional and Elegant.
My dream PDA is Sharp Zaurus 6000L, a rugged PDA powered by Linux.
September 18, 2005
Mid-Autumn International Finance Seminar
Simon hosted the Moon Festival party at his NJ apartment. It soon became an International Finance Seminar between Penn and Columbia. And I am a happy listener and picture taker plus snack-cook. I brought over traditional Chinese snacks: salted peanuts and chinese water chestnut (water caltrops).
We did have a peek of the Moon before we drove down to Manhattan, Karaoke at Biny.
September 11, 2005
Mafia
Simon is a very good Judge for Mafia, professional. As he said, Mafia is a good way to memorize the names of the people in the party. This game is also called "Sha Ren" in Chinese, a popular game for a large group of people.
Clare is the organizer of the party. She just moved in a new apartment, and is starting a new living experience. We all some-how connected to Clare, and I actually suggested an intuitive way of drawing a connection TREE, but I came to realize it would not be as helpful as Mafia, The Game.
Mike is Clare's colleague, originally from HongKong. He spent a whole year visiting Mainland China, before he accept the job in New York as a Journalist. I am very interested in his experience. I would like to "Interview" him sometime in the future. :P
September 04, 2005
South Hampton
I feel like a paparazzi in this samll town. I am the only person with camera in hand. Everybody else is enjoying the slow pace of the town. We are all visitors, but apparantly I am more visitor than the others. This feeling came to me once when I visited Fort Lauderdale. While all the other people enjoying the cool water and sun shine, I was standing there snapping pictures, in suit. People don't have to use pictures to show off their vacation, but suntan. Damn it, I am so used to taking my camera with me, 24/7.
West Hampton, South Hampton and East Hampton make the famous Hamptons of Long Island. Another lovely small town is Montauk. A lot of New Yorkers look for relaxation in those places, including many celebrities. It is hard to believe they are just 2-hours away from the crowded Manhattan. The town is slow in the day. I saw people just stood there staring into the thing air, enjoying the sunshine, and bikini girls biking through the town. At weekend nights, lots of parties are thrown. According to the FM100.3 "Z100", if you are a girl and go to the Hamptons without booking a room, 9 out of 10 times you can find an overnight party, but still you have the risk of sleeping at the beach. For a normal visitor, I would recommend you booking a hotel well in advance, especially for holidays like the Labor Day long weekend.
The north fork of Long Island is of less scene, in comparison with the hamptons of the south shore. Most places are farm ranches and vineyards. The orient point is the far east end of north fork, it has the historical light house.
My future plan is having a tour of Long Island. Starting from the south shore, along the Hamptons, I will drive to the Montauk. And then I will go to the Sag Harbor take the ferry to shelter Island and the north shore, visiting the vineyards. Maybe I should do it in a bike, yeah.
http://www.fodors.com/ is a very good source of exploring Long Island. People in the forum is very friendly and informative.
Clare's Birthday
Asian Pub is such an adorable place. Thanks to Clare, and happy birthday.
Asian Pub is located at 35 Cooper Square. As the name suggested, it has an Asian style decoration and a lovely yard. It is actually a fusion of East and West, especially when you see the beautiful East-European waitress. Sitting at the lovely backyard of the Pub, enjoying the breeze of the summer late night, is quite an experience.
The snacks and drinks are surprisingly cheap and good: Edamame (VEGETABLE GREEN SOYBEAN, one of my favorite Chinese snacks) is free for the first plate and $1.00 for each additional one; Calamari is only $4.00, and the source that comes with calamari is sooo good that it completely changed my opinion of calamri; Ice Coffee for only $1.00! And most other cocktails for $4.00. I love this place.
I am not very familiar with the lower manhattan or the village. So I did a little bit of search online. However I found very little exposure of the Asian Pub. I guess this could be because of it being new, which probably the case, or the owner of the Pub staying low-key. Clare suspected that the owner of the pub just want to have fun instead of making a heck load of money.
The rare resources I found online is from Village voice and the dinning instruction of Cooper Union (I think they misclassified the Asian Pub as Expensive.
I just found the reason why the place is called Cooper Square! No it has nothing to do with the rectangular Mini Cooper. It is because it is close to the Cooper Union College. And I did heard about it before, which is certainly over-shadowed by NYU, but actually a remarkable school. Abraham Lincoln made his famous "Cooper Union Address" at Cooper Union in 1860.
September 03, 2005
Drivers traverse Web to find cheap gas -- CNET
Katrina -- New Orleans -- Gas Price
It is all messed up. The hurricane brought down the levee and brought thousands of death, chaos, looting. The reaction from the Federal Government is surprisingly slow and inefficient ( I already counted in the fact that who resides in the White House, still surprised.)
The destruction of the oil industry in Mexico Gulf directly led to a sudden spike in gas price: more than 40% in merely four days! It does prevent me from fully enjoying my 2005 Honda Elemnt EX 4x4. I was left no choice. Oh, yes, I am a geek and I do remember there is a website for real time cheap gas at your neighbourhood. Here they are:
GasBuddy.com
GasPriceWatch.com
AAA's Fuel Price Finder
(Links from CNET)
I consider the price spike long-planed, and will not return to the level before Katrina. And I bet with two of my colleagues that the gas price will stay above $3.00/gal one month from today. Well, the bet is a way of risk avoidance anyway. If the price won't go down after one month, as I predicted yet not expected, at least I can get two meals as compensation.