I regret that I have missed tonight’s broadcast of DNC. Fortunately, with the Internet, I watched parts of the event through the video clips provided by CBSNews.
I love Bill Clinton’s speech. It was well balanced. I wish one day I can give speeches as well as Bill Clinton.
In the past, Chinese emperors sacrified oxen and sheep to draw rains from the heavens. Today, Chinese scientists use a technology called Cloud Seeding to make rain. The basic idea is to shoot chemicals into the sky to increase the effeciency of precipitation formation. Cloud Seeding is a solution for easing drought. Extrat rain falls can also help to reduce energy consumption by cooling the temperture in the major cities.
Althought Cloud Seeding has been around for awhile, but this is the first time that I have heard about it. I’m quite amazed that humans can actually change weather.
Just got back from a Mets baseball game. It was quite fun hanging out with people from the AAMAS 2004 conference.
Added a few more snapshots that I have taken in the past month.
What an interesting product — ASP Space Aquarium! I love its design. If my future house allows for this type of fish tanks, I will set up couple of them in my living room.
It has been almost a week since I watched Fahrenheit 9/11. I waited awhile before I write something about this movie.
The Movie. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a well-made movie. While the subject of the movie is about serious political matters, but the movie itself is very entertaining and comprehensible by a broad range of audience. The marketing of the movie was excellent. Exploiting the existing political controversial that is talked by many Americans, this movie is a sure winner in the US box office.
Positive Comments. This movie can be very educational to people who are less familiar with the “true evil” behind wars and politics. It can help to arouse people to think more and harder about the ongoing controversial issues. I believe typical Americans don’t really care and don’t know enough about the matters that go beyond the US borders. In addition, assuming the facts presented in this movie are true, the movie has raised a number of social and political issues: (i) Is it fair that a majority of the poor neighborhood kids from are “forced” to join the military? (ii) Can we really justify the invasion of Iraq? Is it really necessary? (iii) In the future, is it important for the public to be informed about the private business of the President elect before taking the Office?
Negative Comments. It’s a typical political propaganda movie. Personally, I dislike political propaganda because it is a very dangerous tool that can make long-term damage to people’s belief system if it is wrongfully used. For example, Mao’s communist propaganda during the Culture Revolution in China. Although most of the Americans are educated, but not everyone is capable of thinking critically and logically about the facts, arguments, and issues that are presented in the movie. It’s too easy for a person, after watching this movie, to think Bush is an evil president, discredit everything he does, and perhaps even associate Bush with negative things that he was never directly involved.
This week we are baby-sitting a dog for a couple of friends while they are on their vacation. This afternoon while the dog was taking a nap, I saw her paws and legs were moving. I began to wonder if she was dreaming?
So I turned to Google for some answer. 
Do animals dream? Yes, according to the findings of some MIT researchers (a short summary).
Do you know…. Hunting animals like cats, dogs, and humans spend more time dreaming that animals that are hunted, such as cattle, rabbits, sheeps and goats (see also).
