Notebook

The Google Stories

the author is biased, no doubt. but still a lot to learn from it.

i didn't realize google is so evil.

Tipping Point

good reading, a lot of insights and interesting discovery.

Harry Potter 7

as exciting as always. the conclusion is a bit confusing to me, but acceptable.

这个保险叫MEDI-CAL.65岁以上都可以申请,但非居民只包急诊. 但总比没有好,再说父
母来一般都带很多药, 就是怕有个急病.

下面是网站, 和SANTA CLARA COUNTY 的地址电话.

http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/scc/menuitem.2c9f27538b48f388dfe093102830a429/?path=%2Fv7%2FSCC%20Public%20Portal%2FHealth%20and%20Human%20Care%2FCaring%20For%20the%20Elderly%2FHealth%20Insurance%20for%20the%20Elderly

North County Office
Santa Clara County Social Services Agency
100 Moffett Blvd, CA 94043
(650) 988 6100
(408) 271 5600

很容易申请,只须注意以下三点:

1. 要说父母准备长期住在加州,临时居民不给;
2. 月收入父母一个人不超过$1000, 两个人不超过$1472;
3. 父母的家庭财产不超过$3000.

对于第一个问题,虽然签证只有6个月,但你只要说准备长期住在加州,就可以,他们不是
移民官. 对于第二和第三个问题,可以说在美国没收入,一般就不会在问了.但如过说在
国内有收入,要提供工资条和银行存折复印件.

If you live in San Mateo county, there's an even better option called the
WELL Program, which provides all general medical care (as well as some very
limited dental care) at the San Mateo Medical Center. There are some fees
associated with the program but for very low income people (anyone with only
retirement income in China will definitely qualify as very low income), all
services are free.

http://www.sanmateomedicalcenter.org/smc/department/smmc/home/0,2151,5562066_112231453,00.html
(scroll down the page to see the brochure for the WELL Program)

There are also some free medical clinics in the Bay Area that provide some
limited services:

Stanford Arbor Free Clinic
http://arbor.stanford.edu/

Stanford Pacific Free Clinic
http://pacific.stanford.edu/home.html

Berkeley Free Clinic
http://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org/home.html

(Google for other free clinics in the area)

PS - selection, layers

Selection Tools Tutorial

Selections Tutorial

Making Selections

Layers Tutorial

http://www.uwec.edu/help/PhotoshopCS2/blendmodes.htm

http://northlite.50megs.com/ps/blend.htm

http://teamphotoshop.com/articles-The-Techniques-Fun-with-blend-modes-5,8,62a.html

http://www.romeo-help4u.com/MG/tutorials/PS/site/basics/?page=blending-mode

http://www.nebulus.org/tutorials/2d/photoshop/ps3/

http://www.debdsweb.com/tutorials/blends.htm

http://www.gatheringofartists.com/epitome/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=52

http://www.gatheringofartists.com/epitome/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=77&Itemid=61

More Advanced

http://www.worth1000.com/tutorial.asp?sid=161017&page=1

The Suspect

by John Lescroart

Bearable writing with annoying protagonists. However, the San Francisco setting may lure me back to this author.

Classical Music

1. Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643, Italy)
L'Orfeo (first important opera)

****The Baroque Period (1600 - 1750)***

2. Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687, France)
Ballet des Plaisirs (reform orchestra composition)
3. Henry Purcell (1659-1695, England)
Dido's Lament from Dido [dai-do] and Aeneas
4. Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706, Germany)
Canon in D [pa-ke-bel]
5. Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1715, Italy)
Christmas Concerto (Concerto grosso No.8)
6. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750, Germany)
Brandenburg Concerto
Air on the G String
7. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759, Germany)
Water Music
Firework Music
Messiah (Hallelujah Chorus)
8.Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750, Italy)
Adagio in G minor (not written by Albanoni)
9. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741, Italy)
The Four Seasons

***The Classical Period (1750-1830)***

10. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788, Germany)
Sinfonia No.4 in G major (son of J. S. Bach)
11. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787, Bavaria)
Orfeo ed Euridice
12. Franz Joseph Hayden (1732-1809, Austria)
Symphony No. 45 'Farewell'
Symphony No. 94 'The Surprise'
Symphony No. 101 'The Clock'
Symphony No. 104 'The London Symphony'
13. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791, Austria)
Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Symphony No. 41 'Jupiter'
The Marriage of Figaro
Piano Concerto in C major
Requiem
Piano Sonata in A major
A Musical Joke
The Magic Flute
Symphony No. 40 in G minor

State of Fear

by Michael Crichton

Like all the fiction with an agenda, the tensity and pace of the story give away to prolonged clarification of the author's stand point. Crichton even goes through the length of giving academic references. It is enlightening at first and boring in the end. His characters are made simple and flat so that they can ask the same questions and illustrate the same ideas again and again.

The doubt about global warming is understandable, the theory of the state of fear is insightful, but somehow, putting together, it is neither captive nor persuasive.

The Enemy At Home

by Dinesh D'Souza

As always, D'Souza's book is full of insights, but as any other partisan propaganda, it is biased at least, and sometimes, to the extend of being ridiculous.

There's no doubt that most of the Americans, including some policy makers are clueless about how foreign people perceive America, as a nation or as a culture. Reading this book will definitely help. However, when the author drags his advantaged cultural perspective into a bi-partisan fight, it is unavoidably devalued. After all, you can't justify the good taste of an orange with a rotten apple.

What a shame!

Children Calcium Need & RDA for Others

1-3 500mg daily
4-8 800mg daily
9-18 1300mg daily

2000 calorie diet

100% calcium = 1000mg

1 Dannimal Yogurt: 250mg
1 Lucerne string cheese : 200mg
1 Whole Kids string cheese: 150mg
1 cup reduced fat milk: 350mg
1 cup soy milk: 250mg
1 cup soybean boiled: 260m

Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Nutrient	Units	RDA
Vitamin A	mcg_RE	800
Vitamin D	mcg	5
Vitamin E	mg_ATE	8
Vitamin K	mcg	65

Water-Soluble Vitamins
Nutrient	Units	RDA
Vitamin C	mg	60
Thiamin	mg	1.1
Riboflavin	mg	1.1
Vitamin B-6	mg	1.3
Vitamin B-12	mcg	2.4
Niacin	mg	14
Folate	mcg	400

Trace Minerals
Nutrient	Units	RDA
Iron	mg	15
Zinc	mg	12
Selenium	mcg	55
Copper	mg	---

Major Minerals
Nutrient	Units	RDA
Calcium	mg	1000
Phosphorus	mg	700
Magnesium	mg	320
Sodium	mg	---
Potassium	mg	---

Movies - 2007

1. King Kong - Fell asleep in the middle. A third way through the movie, I haven't seen the chimp yet, and when it finally shows up, it grabs fewer shots than dinosaurs.

2. Marie Antoinette - Pointless and meaningless. With strangely modern music. Frivolous enough, but still needs a root.

3. Thank You for Smoking - Best movie of the year so far. Humorous, funny, and smart.

4. Little Miss Sunshine - Good movie. Interesting, and light.

5. Mission Impossible III - As boring as the second.

6. Superman Returns - Fairly interesting.

7. The Break Up - Light, touching and pointless.

8. Ice Age: The Meltdown - Fell asleep and couldn't finish.

9. Crazy Farm - Boring, have to skip some passages.

10. My Super Ex-Girlfriend - So so funny.

11. Over the Hedge - Funniest animation this year so far.

12. Keeping Mum - Dark and creepy, but funny enough.

13. An Inconvenient Truth - Apart from Gore's fat ass, a very informative and insightful documentary.

14. Click - Surprisingly funny and touching.

15. Rumor Has It - Light.

16. The Departed - Another pointless trash. The ending is funny though, everyone dies, so quickly, so easy.

17. Stranger Than Fiction - Touching, and interesting.

18. Pride and Prejudice - All time classic. Never fails me. They just can't make a bad movie out of it.

19. Open Season - Okay animation, not very original.

20. Lucky Number Slevin - Bloody but cool. Bruce Willis still holds up.

21. Grimm Brothers - Surprisingly entertaining. Matt Damon hasn't failed me yet.

22. Inside Man - Fresh idea, loose ends, and slow pace. Amusingly lack of climax.

23. Babel - Miscommunication originated from sexual frustration?

24. Borat - Not sure I get it.

25. American Dreamz - Hilarious. Hugh Grant is dazzling as usual.

26. The Prestige - Captive but not lovable.

27. 16 Blocks - Reasonably good but not exciting.

28. Scoop - Woody Allen is soooo old.

29. Happy Feet - The most boring animation ever.

30. Curse of the Golden Flower - Zhang Yimou can only make trash now.

31. All the Kings Men - Strong performance.

32. Just Like Heaven - Cute and funny.

33. The Illusionist - So so good. The actress is too ugly.

34. Casanova - Entertaining enough.

35. The Holiday - Better than I expected.

36. The Pursuit of Happiness - So so. Depressing most of the time.

37. Brokeback Mountain - boring.

38. Memoirs of a Geisha - Watchable.

39. Pink Panther - Good laugh.

40. A Good Shepherd - A little bit confusing, but good.

41. Cheaper by Dozen II - Just like the title.

42. Children of Men - boring.

43. Copying Beethoven - Ugly except the music.

Cross

by James Patterson

So boring, I had to drag myself to the end. This is definitely my last Patterson.

Espresso drink names and terms

Caffe Latte
A Caffe Latte is a single shot of espresso with steamed milk. There is not frothed milk in this drink. A Caffe Latte should have approximately a 3:1 ratio of milk to coffee. Note: ordering a Latte in an Italian restaurant may get you a glass of milk so be sure to order Caffe Latte.

Cafe au Lait
A Cafe au Lait is similar to a Caffe Latte except it is generally made with brewed coffee instead of espresso in a ratio of 1:1 milk to coffee with sugar added to taste.

Cappuccino
Cappuccino is traditionally equal parts espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk. Many coffee shops will add much more milk than this in the belief that bigger is better.

Americano
An Americano is a single shot of espresso with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water added. This term was originally devised as a sort of insult to Americans who wanted their espresso diluted.

Hammerhead aka A Shot in the Dark
A hammerhead is a shot of espresso in a coffee cup that is then filled with drip coffee.
This may very well be the drink with the most distinct names. It seems that every espresso bar insists on giving it a new name. Check out a few of the alternate names.
This is probably one of those love it or hate it drinks. On one side it to me seems like a novelty drink in the sense of give me all the caffeine I can get. But at the same time if the espresso is made properly and the coffee is chosen wisely it can be an exceptional drink and unlike straight shots it's not gone in a couple of sips. Personally I love it. If you have the option of choosing the coffee go with something roasted a little lighter and on the acidy side. The combinations of the caramelized sugars and depth of the espresso plus the high notes of the coffee make an excellent beverage. Daniel

Mocha
This is usually a Cappuccino or a Caffe Latte with chocolate syrup added. This term actually has very little meaning beyond chocolate being involved so you might want to ask what it is in a given coffee house before you order one.

Espresso Con Panna
This is a shot with whipped cream.

Double
Two shots of espresso with the same amount of all other ingredients.
Just to make things confusing some shops will treat a double as double everything keeping the proportions the same.

Ristretto
This is a restricted shot. Less water is allowed to come through the coffee grounds but the shot should take the same amount of time as a normal pull. This is approximately a .75 ounce pull.

Lungo
This is an extra long pull allowing approximately twice as much water through the same amount of coffee as normally used for a single shot. This will be somewhat over extracted. It's about a 2-3 ounce shot.

Cafe Macchiato
Cafe Macchiato is a shot of espresso (served in a small espresso cup) topped off with steamed milk (of a velvety smooth texture) - the ratio of cafe/latte is approximately 80/20. Most Italians drop a teaspoon of sugar in this elixir. Put another way this is a serving of espresso with a small dollop of foam on top.

Cafe Breva
A Cafe Breva is essentially a cappuccino made with half&half instead of whole milk. This should have a very rich creamy flavor. Half&half is a bit of a pain to foam, but it most definitely can be done.

Dry
A dry cappuccino generally refers to a drink with a small amount of foam and no steamed milk.

Coffee roasting - from wiki

Darkness

A note on flavor: Describing the tastes of different roasts is as subjective as putting a wine into words. In both cases there’s no substitute for your own personal taste, for sample

	Aliases	Roaster Watch	Surface	Flavor
Light	Cinnamon roast, half city, New England	After about seven minutes the beans “pop” and double in size, and light roasting is achieved. American mass-market roasters typically stop here.	Dry	Light-bodied and somewhat sour, grassy, and snappy
Medium	Full city, American, regular, breakfast, brown	At nine to eleven minutes the beans reach this roast, which U.S. specialty sellers tend to prefer.	Dry	A bit sweeter than light roast; full body balanced by acid snap, aroma, and complexity
Dark	High, Viennese, French, Continental	After 12 to 13 minutes the beans begin hissing and popping again, and oils rise to the surface. Roasters from the U.S. Northwest generally remove the beans at this point.	Slightly shiny	Somewhat spicy; complexity is traded for rich chocolaty body, aroma is exchanged for sweetness
Darkest	Italian, espresso	After 14 minutes or so the beans grow quiet and begin to smoke. Having carmelized, the bean sugars begin to carbonize.	Very oily	Smokey; tastes primarily of roasting, not of the inherent flavor of the bean

Grades of coffee roasting; from left: unroasted (or "green"), light, cinnamon, medium, high, city, full city, French, and Italian.

CSS - continued

1. Code Style
2.

Feed

1. Feedburner

Blogs

Popular Blogs

Technorati.com lists the 100 biggest blogs as measured by the number of people linking to those sites/blogs.
Blog.gs - the top twenty, by the number of people who added the blog to their favorites.
Blogines - most popular blogs.

Political Blogs

Other Blogs and Places to Find Blogs

Google Blog Search
Tech Blogs
Sandi's blog. You should be reading this one regularly anyway!!
Yahoo Blogs
Blogdigger

Study: Most Wrinkle Creams Don't Work

Dec 14, 2006
(WebMD) You can pay more than $100 an ounce for a wrinkle cream that promises to erase the years from your face, but spending a few bucks on a good sunscreen is probably a better investment, new research shows.

Those "breakthrough" anti-wrinkle creams now dominating department store cosmetics counters don't really work all that well, shows a Consumer Reports investigation that compares wrinkle creams. And neither do their less pricey drugstore counterparts.

Investigators found no correlation between price and effectiveness in the wrinkle creams they tested. One of the cheapest -- Olay Regenerist -- performed slightly better than the rest.

But none of the tested brands produced dramatic results in terms of reducing wrinkles.

"The fact is that using these products isn't going to make you look like the models in their ads, unless you are 27-years-old and have no wrinkles to begin with," says Nancy Metcalf, a senior projects editor at Consumer Reports.

Study Compares Wrinkle Creams

Americans now spend more than $1 billion a year on antiaging skin products, but most have no idea if there is any scientific basis for claims the products make.

In their first-ever investigation to compare wrinkle creams, Consumer Reports investigators tested nine products, ranging in price from $38 to $335.

Light-skinned women between the ages of 30 and 70 used the creams as recommended by the manufacturers on one side of their face for 12 weeks, while using a moisturizer with sunscreen on the other side.

Each cream was tested by at least 17 women.

An optical device designed to measure minute changes in wrinkle depth and skin roughness was used to evaluate the creams' effectiveness.

Photos were also taken of the crow's feet area of the women's faces before, during, and immediately after participation in the study.

Finally, study participants were evaluated by specially trained technicians, as well as being asked about their satisfaction with the face cream they used.

The investigation found only slight improvements overall in wrinkles for any of the tested products.

But each product performed better for some women than for others.

At $57 for the cream, lotion, or serum, Olay Regenerist was the top performing product, followed by Lancome Paris Renergie, at $176, and RoC Retin-Ox+, at $135.

One of the worst performing products, La Prairie Cellular, was also one of the most expensive, at $335 for an ounce of day cream and 1.7 ounces of night cream.
Active Ingredient Didn't Matter

Investigators found little relationship between the active ingredients in the products and their overall performance.

That surprises Florida dermatologist Susan Weinkle, MD, who tells WebMD that the active ingredient in a wrinkle cream is the most important factor in how it works.

Weinkle is an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology.

She says products that contain the vitamin A derivative retinol do seem to have some effect on existing wrinkles. Retinol-based products are weaker versions of the prescription wrinkle cream Retin-A.

However, both the poorest performer in the Consumer Reports test, RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle, and one of the best performers, RoC Retin-Ox, have retinol as their active ingredient.

Weinkle says antioxidant-based products, like those containing vitamin C, green tea, or copper, may help prevent wrinkles, but they won't banish those that already exist.

For existing wrinkles, products containing hexapeptides or pentapeptides as their active ingredient may help, she says.

Olay Regenerist is a pentapeptide-based product, but so was one of the poorer performers in the test, StriVectin-SD.

Weinkle agrees that price has little to do with effectiveness when it comes to antaging skin products.

"Just because you pay more doesn't mean you are getting more," she says. "You really have to look at the ingredients."

She adds that wearing a sunscreen every day will do more to prevent new wrinkles than any face cream on the market.

"Wrinkling comes from ultraviolet light, so you can use expensive wrinkle creams until the cows come home," Weinkle says. "But they aren't going to do much good if you don't protect your face from sun damage."

Notebook

Health

books

shopping & entertainment

web tools

recipies

archive

about me

Who moved my cheese