—Some thoughts of <An Education>

Iceland people joke themselves as ‘disaster exporters’ while after last bankruptcies it follows volcano eruption which involves the whole Europe and is known world widely.

Millions of people are stranded in Europe, and its negative waves continue, types of vegetables like mushrooms and tomatoes in Huddersfield’s Sainsbury are almost  in short now.

I’d better get some canned food just in case. ..

It is but a photograph of a rail station in Huddersfield.

A great bar called ‘The Moorlands’, we had buffet lunch there and the atmosphere in the bar is really good, classical Yorkshire country. Scratching a car while we were leaving, sorry we just ran away.

The sky there was charming, with huge number of pieces of clouds in clearly blue background, that’s lovely. Looking up the glide planes flew freely just above peaks, jealous.

Leaving the peak zone, we went to Chatsworth. Pictures blow show a piece of iceberg of  deluxe Britain noble life. Paintings, sculptures, and numerous exhibitions fill the rooms, incredibly…

And finally, a picture of my standing on the top of a hill, though it was chilly and windy i was the first arriving.

When i was young i used to watch cars, tractors and boats going and coming everywhere, that is still in my memories. What attracted me so much was the wondering of where were these vehicles going and what were they doing.

Even today i can still image  scenes of my childhood as a little boy watching these vehicles until them gradually disappearing in far distance. And another strange habit which still remains is the preferences of smelling exhaust gas, not the gasoline’s but the diesel oil’s. Today when i saw the boat cruising in the narrow canal and sensed the smells, again i was wondering where it was going…

When i told friends that i had been UK for sixty weeks already i was often asked how could i calculate weeks staying. Even further if my further explanations are lacked, probably i would be misunderstood that the days in UK must be very tough due to the behaviour ‘calculation of weeks’ seems days being either idle or difficult for me.

I have no idea how should i provide them an appropriate explanation of my research life. Superficially it is a little boring and repeating, but indeed, it is challenging, exciting and enjoyable.

I was told the origin of the Easter by my supervisor though i have been knowing that for quite long. Anyway it is good to have holidays like that.

Happy Easter!

I have been interested in playing badminton for years, because surprisingly i did not get many chances to play and practice that. But funny enough we start playing badminton in office recently though it is officially not allowed. Fortunately even in such small space in the office i am having the fun of being relax. Thank you guys with whom i play badminton, definitely we need to apply a space for entertainments, and going out of the deadly boring office.

Another thing, i am going to learn swimming this summer. A good teacher has been invited who promises that i will never ever be drawn during learning. That makes me confident.

Here we go…

It is not a movie about love and wedding though it begins and ends there, it is about courage, the courage between the dream and the realism, the courage which is also needed even in the dream. Poking arms and waking up from the dream seems not so usable sometimes rather, taking the sword and facing the challenge would be the best choice for Alice.

I do think the movie trying to tell  a truth that, some things are destined, but even destinations need believes, insisting and courage.

There is an exception of myself to predict where love story movies going to, don’t know why, maybe because don’t know how. It is about love and life, realism and dream, girls and boys, but not right or wrong.

“Don’t worry about me, i am not alone here…”

St. Paul’s hall in sunset.

St. Paul’s hall, taken on my way home.

The sunset scence puts more mysteries on the hall taper.

On my way home, the St. Paul’s hall in Huddersfield.

Happy lunar new year of tiger!!!

Can you imagine the sky rains hamburgs? Here it is, the “cloudy with a chance of meatballs” which presents a vivid story about a young crazy scientist invents a rocket which is able to turn water into food. Be careful of raining meatballs or steaks.

At one time I was asked by Lesley how many films had i watched that, i could tell stories predictably, here my answer is just as average or, even less. Then i know, there needs some strong explanations to address such confusion. The reasons include being familiar to history and its sense of worth, the trail of screenwriters’ thoughts and some knowledge of commercial movie’s publication. No complicated logic is needed.

Clues in movies are subtle and invisible but not undiscovered, they just lay behind scenes which are quite possible to be ignored by audiences. Yes you can say my observation is sharp. However that is not the full answer, the other is thinking. I feel like watching movies very much not because i am presented fun, rather, i feel movies extend my life from single person to multiple dimensions, e.g. being bad guys, falling into love with someone and kind of revenge. I am able to continually experience all kinds of lives unless i quit watching movies. And my life becomes longer in another sense. Besides these experiences present me new feelings, they inspired my mind and equip my insights.

I wish i just made a clear explanation. What extra i’d like to mention here is, movies are movies, and life is still life.

The dramatic contrast between big cities and small villages in China has been witnessed all along my way home. When i was in Shanghai, its modern architectures impressed me very much though i do not feel like them as expected. However these high and low buildings can not be found any warmness but naked commercial competition atmosphere. They appear brand new but no stories behind, neither tenderness as i can find in vast villages in UK. My question is, would that be an ideal place as home for residence in the future ?

Snowed again from andol on Vimeo.

Surprisingly it snowed again in the second day of new 2010.

While i was watching 3D ‘avatar’ in cinema, i never had such strong feelings that i hope human beings failed, in all their invasive missions on purpose. Or after we failed the earth, we would get revenge as well.

Merry Christmas!

China’s 60th Anniversary national day – timelapse and slow motion – 7D and 5DmkII from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

This is a video clip which was made by Guardian.co.uk. Comparing with CCTV’s video recording, this video has a more interesting lens to watch the parade.

Just on my way home, i saw a squirrel looking for food in the litter. When he saw me he just ran away to the wood near the litter.

Today is Confucius’ birthday and 52 contries’ google logos have changed to Confucius’ birthday celebration. Never saw that before, it is exciting. The Chinese words in the logo mean that ‘a friend comes from far away, itn’t that a very happly thing?’ Yes, it is.

This is a picture i took on my way home while passing the woods near the civic center, the sunshine, and the trees made people so peaceful.

Andol in Cambridge from andol on Vimeo.

This is a short video of Cambridge tour. Admittedly, Cambridge is of a great place to dwelling.

Due to the previous domain “iandol.com” has been suspended in 13/07/2009, some of contens probably would not work perfectly. I am sorry to that and i will fix it soon.
–
Another bad news, i am indeed sorry that when i was trying to fix the problems above i replace all the post contents by mistake. Fortunately i recovered the data from a backup of 11/06/2009 although some posts got lost.

Thanks for your patient.

BBC has launched a new video channel in which some live webcams are capturing videoes of nature anamals, like swallow, greenfinch and kestrel all the lovely small animals. Through the online video player, we can watch the little birds waiting for being feed and playing in their nest.

This is the little swallows waiting for their parents back feeding them.

And, these are little greenfinchs, just playing in their nest happily.

The live broadcast is always online, but, i am not sure the users out of UK could be able to watch it, the address is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch/webcams/#2

Sunny day, i, with my housemate went out for cycling along the huddersfield canal. It was planed a fantastic routine, unfortunately, the mile reader didn’t work firstly, closely after that, on a short up going bridge, another bicycle’s bearing was not able to afford the weight and it was brocken.

So, we have to change the plan from cycling to walking home. I took some photographs along the cycling way, have a look.

FOR THE MEMORY OF PR RECOVERY

While changing the domain name from andol.info to andol.info, i lost all the page rank datas which was reset to zero. After nearly 2 months’ waiting, finally, the page rank starts to recover. It is back !

[Pictures from BBC.co.uk, all rights reserved by original authors]

Happy Valentine’s Day to all friends !

Snow storm in UK, new photo album of heavy snow added.

I wish all friends will have a 2009—a wonderful year with more success, archievements and happiness.

Good luck.

It is a story, big and long story which comes from nearly half year ago. And what presented in the front of you, is the start of story. This is indeen many people’s dream, it is absolutly many boys and girls’ crystal.

54XING.COM is a company which locates in hangzhou China and the web site we see comes from here. The company is consisted with powerful designer, deeply experienced product manager, and many hard working guys. When i was a member of them, i often felt the driven of the mission-do what we want. No matter later i left, the story, the dream is still burning. I admired the product manager Mr. Mu who comes from a huge internet business company in china, because of his interest the same as me, because of the insignt and personality. Some guys in the photo above is familiar to me although some isn’t. Whatever, dream is the most important thing when young.

Well,there’s still lot things to do as the sites designed.

Fianlly, I hope this will be a fantastic and brilliant long story, good luck, 54xing.com.

Related Read: What is good logo design

More pictures in Albums.

This is the 9th week in UK as a researcher, that means i have been here for two months.

Time flys so quich, amazing!

Several thoughts here:

The huddersfield town is really good place to live-clean air/friendly resident/blue sky and lovely children/fantacy acdemic environment.

Also, i am proving my english, my listenning english is not bad, now i am trying best to reduce the accent of oral english and practise more fluent speaking english.

Whatever, the two months here is really fantastic and wonderful, that is a good start of my researcher life, and, the most important, i learned a lot here, from my supervisor and all friends.

Good luck everybody, i am Andol, fighting on my way.

Happy halloween! 

终于发现在这世界上当中国人最爽,可以用筷子,打汉字,说汉语还能时不时冒几句骂人的话泄恨,还能随便吃想吃的中国菜, 怎一个爽字了得.

忙完下午的功课回到房间已经天全黑了,现在英国的冬天, 天黑的特别早. 回来的路上透着萤火虫一样有些黄黄的路灯, 哈着一路的冷气, 提着下周的粮食慢悠慢悠的回来后就开始准备晚餐和明天的午餐. 晚餐完毕就听会音乐, 感觉消化的差不多了就靠在暖气片上,坐在地板上,喜欢的话躺着也行,能看多少算多少,恨铁不成钢的导师布置的参考书实在是太多了.

The night out window, quite and imagable~

For starters, this second version of Gmail client has a faster and more reliable experience for users. If you have both a Gmail and Google Apps email account, you can easily switch between them quickly without using different applications to personal and work emails. It also supports saving multiple mobile email drafts so that you can pick and choose what you would like to send later.

If you have a QWERTY phone, you can use shortcut keys. Hit ‘z’ to undo, ‘k’ to go to a newer conversation, and ‘j’ to go to an older conversation. And the application has ability to compose and read email even while offline, then send automatically composed messages as soon as it detects a signal.

Also, Gmail for mobile 2.0 is available in over 35 languages now. Please note, though, that not all features are available for all phones. You can go to m.google.com/mail in your mobile browser to download the new Gmail for mobile to your phone.

my house

blackpool beach

blackpool beach

blackpool town

long chair on street in blackpool

blackpool building

transporation

tussaud’s waxworks

on the street

underneath the blackpool tower

Look, chicken made by andol, i am a good cooker now! wow~ha~

Got a new email domain address @andol.info.

It is open to everyone to sign up a email address with @andol.info,

just like andol@andol.info, it’s cool.

Cooking rice and egg fried tomatoes, this is my first rice dinner.

This is the photo published on the site of my research group which named Live:lab. I am a research now!

look, this is the house i live in.

This is the place i have been here for six years, so many classmates, teachers, friends and coleagues, i remember all of them. It’a a beautiful city, typical southern climate and leisure life. i have used to in hangzhou.

Look back to my 4 years’ university life, the greatest wealth is the friends and tutors i meet, thanks for them company with me. While i went to Zhejiang University’s to continue my master degree, i meet Mr. Peng who is really a good professor, i meet little star, i meet so many friends with same interests and i meet so many other good professors.

i’m sincerely appreciate for those people mentioned above for my past two markable days. Thanks Mr. Peng’s guide and lots of favors, underneath Mr. Peng’s leading, we even got one red-dot award. Thanks all my senior sisters and junior sisters, for the happy and fullfilling memory we shared. Thanks all the people love me or hate me. Thanks all my colleagues working with me, so many thanks.

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Yestoday was Chinese traditional festival called Middle autumn day which means eating moon cakes and watching the moon together with relatives and friends.

But yestoday the lab arranged some special activities that included watching movie and having dinner all together. The picture display above is the pop of the movie which called “FLOOD” in london.

Typoon totally broke today’s pan, boating,climbing and party.

This is me andol. The photography was took in the work place by my colleague just after supper, as the smile you see, i have good work situation, and of course, i do this job so well that i got lots praise.

Ok, this photograpy is not the first one i took in work place, we have had a lot parties in the past two months and had so much funny. Admittedly, I really really enjoy the present job that i nearly change the oversea plan and stay here.

Althought i decided to go abroad to UK at last, this work team and so many great colleagues and even my master of internet product design and all of these make me somehow reluctant to leave here, i love working with them with passion and pate.

i’d like to tell some of my sentiment of work for the last two months’ intern. There are three problems i found, the first is CORE STRATOGY. Dim stratogy is dangerous. The second is team cooperation flow. Working flow is fatal to the team working, one this part, the other one another part and suck like this. The third is speed. I think the internet application development should be develped rapidly and evoluted quickly as the users’ feedback comes back.

Although there are many problems and some difficulties else existed, i beleive this project’s future is everbright, of course the condition is to integerate all the available resources and clear the employees’ responsibilities and work flow.

Last weekend i went to Ningbo University in suburbs of ningbo with two of lovely lovely girls who are in the same major and supervisor with me but juniorer. The distination was Ningbo University, unfortunately, the day we set up rained, so i had to handle the umbrella and another hand hold the camera.

We went to the power station by taxi, while passing the west lake in rain, we appreciated the dim rain west lake in legend. Then we directoryly went to ningbo by rail, two hours and half more, we arrived at ningbo power station and by bus to ningbo university.

After all the transporation, we meet our friend my classmate Nan Wang-a tall handsome boy who has just been a hight school teacher for months. The supper was servered by Mr. Wang’s parents with most chinese traditional food-chinese dumplin. I liked it very much and of course all of us eached as much as we could as well as the fresh fruid apple. So thanks for Mr. Wang’s and his parents’ warm hospitality, really thanks.

[Album: 20080907_Ningbo Uni. click here]

ps: All the photoes are private protected and copyright reserved.

China’s traditional festivel Middle Autumn day is coming, as well as the moon cake being sold in supermarket. In this festivel, peaple would like to get together with reletionships and best friends, watching the round moon, and missing the friends and relatives far away.

Now it’s raining outside again in Hangzhou. Hangzhou is famous for its West Lake and rain, classical southern climate. I have been here for completely six years, i like this city more and more.

The quatuoed words are chinese as bellow:

在国外，大学，尤其是名牌大学的“脾气”那是相当地大。管你政客要人、明星大腕，在神圣的大学面前，都得仰视才行。

前几年，在苏格兰北部一个教育不发达的边区，有一位女学生的考试成绩达到了申请牛津大学的标准。这可是当地近百年来头一遭，当地政府十分重视。可令人遗憾的是牛津大学的教授面试后说，该生不具备牛津大学要求的创造潜质，不要。于是，当地政府就一级一级地向上找，最后找到教育大臣出面说情，也没管用。教育大臣又找副首相前去，结果还是没戏，副首相只得请首相布莱尔首相出面。布莱尔晓之以理，动之以情，可牛津大学硬是不给面子，理由就一个：任何人无权更改学院教授的面试结论。布莱尔丢了面子，心里自然憋屈，私下发牢骚说牛津大学真是太古板了。结果这话传到了牛津大学，师生大怒，立即宣布，取消授予布莱尔荣誉博士学位的原定计划。

贵为首相，权倾朝野，在学校近乎刻板的规矩面前，布莱尔不但败下阵来，而且也丧失了获得荣誉博士的机会。我替布莱尔难过，更为牛津的骨气叫好！

要说政要们替别人说情，大学拿出点儿“脾气”也就罢了，可对自己的学生和校友，他们也绝不“网开一面”。美国前国务卿基辛格博士，曾有意回母校哈佛大学当个老师，可哈佛大学有规定，凡在政府任职超过两届的，就不再有资格回校任教。基辛格无奈，只好继续把官当到底了。哈佛大学校庆，打算邀请时任美国总统的里根参加。里根一想，这下机会来了，就让人捎话，问能不能送他个荣誉博士头衔什么的。按说荣誉博士毕竟不等同于真正的博士，所以应该算不上什么大的原则问题。可哈佛师生对此议论纷纷，认为他和学术一点都不沾边儿，还是不送为好。

颜面大失的里根终于没来参加哈佛的校庆。哈佛倒也潇洒，爱来不来，有你不多，没你不少。这要是放在国内，压根就不是这么回事儿。哈佛敢耍大牌，来源于自身的价值标准和道德判断。学校就是学校，与你总统何干！

其实，国外的有些大学从来就不拿“领导”当盘菜。哥伦比亚大学曾拒绝给英国女王授予博士学位；牛津大学曾拒绝给撒切尔夫人授予荣誉学位。最近，曾任佛罗里达州州长的布什总统的弟弟，也被佛罗里达大学拒绝授予荣誉学位，只给了个荣誉校友算是安慰。这些大学够牛气吧？

大学的大“脾气”除了是自己“耍”出来的，也是烘托出来的。因为许多本身”脾气”就很大的名人，一到了大学，马上就变得没“脾气”。几次获得奥斯卡奖的好莱坞导演斯皮尔伯格，年轻的时候大学没读完就辍学投身电影了。几十年后，55岁的他再度报名母校的电影专业，继续攻读学士学位。这时的斯皮尔伯格是如日中天的大腕，他的电影成了教学范本，可他依然得接受年轻教师指导，该交作业就交作业，该做论文就做论文。虽然有时候交上去的作业就是自己导演的著名电影的片段，可老师给的分数还真就不高。老师有老师的标准，不会因为你是这个行业的权威就一定高看你。斯皮尔伯格呢，那是服服帖帖，表示出了对大学教育的极大尊重。毕业典礼时既不上台讲话，也不去主席台就座，而是和其他毕业的年轻人一样，穿着学士服，老老实实地坐在台下。

大学的“脾气”，更确切地说，应当是大学的尊严、教育的尊严、科学的尊严。没有“脾气”的大学，一如一个可以任主人役使的婢女。奴颜婢膝、阿谀逢迎的学校，只能是奴才的温床；没有“脾气”的大学，是培养不出大师的！

要建设世界一流的大学，还是先从培养学校的“脾气”和“骨气”做起吧！

Although we still have one best member not coming as he is in shanghai working, we called him and told him we missed him so much and the key thing was we asked him when going back to Hangzhou to have party together.

Eating and chatting, talking and smiling, they all felt sad for me going to UK, staying there place at least one year before we meet again. That’s not so serious, as usual, we can contact each other with email, telephone or even the video chatting online.

I like them, they are my friends. We finished the competition work together, we overcomed difficulties together, and we had best time with each other, such happy things and memories in my brain and heart. Now, they are almost one part of my life, without them, i would miss all of them so much.

First day of september, i went to UK VISA application center in hangzhou for air ticket consultation. Unfortunately, Qatar Airways has sold out the ticket from Shanghai to Manchester. Agent told me to query it couple weeks later and check whether anybody refunded the booked ticket.

OK, i have to wait~wait~and wait~

The Red-dot Award news is still exited, that is world class award, world class! i love it.

During this week end, i made a decision to change the blog theme to be more happy and increasing the readibilities. The previous page navagator is changed to the top menu like the bread navagator but not all of it. As a result, the users need not go to side bar to leap the page through the small page link。 Besides, i moved the sub tag type underneath the main top navagator to integerating two path navagator togethor.

The picture you see above is the original theme designed by some one, and of course the theme now, is just the web site you see.

Ok, i have to admit that the most awesome improvement is the part of photoes, the album. i added the same navagation path style into the albums section to get the album section path finder more convenient after browsing.

What you see now is not all the change i am planning to make, if there’s enough spare time i would improve this web site more interactive and intersting and readible.

ps: today is last day of August, i am writting this blog to memory this great month!!! Toasting!!!

Big news!

Totally surprise when i got the supervisor’s call that the Red-dot Concept design hit the great award. This summer holiday our team designed five concept works for the competition, just trying at that time. Fortunately, one of these works got the award which means top product design admitted.

We designed soft stretcher/drug bottle/secure keyboard/show disk/nail assistant all five concept product, the drug bottle was the lucky design which was designed to measure the liquid drug precisely with itself. This bottle’s secret is its cap which can be marked as drug took or not, besides, the cap could also be able to take the same dose each time easily without spoon any more.

Back to the summer holiday we designed the concept product, each of the teammate paid alot. But now, all we paid comes back!

Cheering for the great award~

Back to the lab and having rest in the chair, i memorized the university life in zhejiang university, in the digital media and creative lab with all the friends, classmates and great tutors.

I stay on this place for two years, now more than that. During the last two years, i experienced so much things, getting know new friend, falling into the love and breaking up, doing some research on the topic of digital media/interaction design and being a teacher assistant. Too many thins flushed into the brain to forget this place, i love ZJU, i love what i did in the past two years, i love the persons who gave me the lessen and the praise, all of this best memories, i will keep it in my heart.

But this is not the key point of this topic, the central topic is the western people’s thinking method and what they thinking about?

I do realized the gap between the english and chinese two languages, not only the grammar but also  the thinking method and probably even the world view. If chinese people goes abroad to UK or USA, english would be the only and efficient tool to communicate with foreigners. From industrial design to interaction design i have experienced, the thinking method gap is huge and not easy to leap unless getting to know the relevant culture.

Right, Culture is the key of the key point which decides what people thinking and doing.