Lannyland - A Land of Imagination

The Outcast: Volume 1 Chapter 8

2009-05-09T00:23:00.000-06:00

Volume One: Eastwood Is All Stones

Chapter 8: Life in the abandoned mine pit

After completing the last micro-scale soldering, Xu Le took off the deep-color protection mask from his face, feeling quite satisfied. Next, he organized all the fully repaired items inside the workshop room following the labels on the items and sorted them neatly into the metal shelf. A push of a button by the shelf sent all the items outside of the workshop room. By early morning next day, these repaired items would be shipped back to the fourth district of the Xiang-Lan Boulevard. Out of old habit, Xu Le always got things ready ahead of time.

He quickly washed his face with hot water, and then smoothly retrieved a bottle of eye solution from a drawer and carefully added a few drops to his eyes. Even with the help of various microscope type instruments, the world of metal chips could still be quite a torture for the eyes of any electrical technician. Especially since he would always forget about time when he devotes himself into the world of metal chips, both of his eyes appeared to have reddened.

“Go get a rest. Enjoy some scenic views and relax the muscles in your eyes.”

Feng Yu rubbed his own gray hair and felt very satisfied with Xu Le’s speed and concentration. For the last half a year, most of the repair jobs for the electrical appliance repair shop at the Xiang-Lan Boulevard were really completed here by Xu Le in the secluded mine tunnel. And all Feng Yu had to do was to stay at his shop during weekdays and then show up here to give a few pointers during the weekends. As time went by, Xu Le’s repair speed had become faster and faster, now even faster than Feng Yu, who was once an electrical technician in the military.

Xu Le acknowledged with a mumble. He took out two bottles of fruit juice from the freezer and then followed behind Feng Yu, walking toward the upper part of the mine pit.

Xu Le could hear the non-stop clanking sound coming from the front. He couldn’t help but look up, and then once again, he saw the extremely eye-catching ragged jeans worn by Uncle Feng Yu, together with the tightly wrapped buttocks, and also … a bunch of keys, screwdrivers, and the kind of metal things alike. They swung non-stop in the air and again and again hitting the big buttocks, making disturbing noises.

Xu Le could never understand why Feng Yu would present himself in such a way. But Feng Yu told him that it’s just like the sword of a swordsman or the gun of an assassin would never be left behind. Therefore, electrical technicians should never let their tools be left behind…. Xu Le actually knew it. This uncle believed that wearing wind chimes on his ass makes him look extra manly, which could really help him attract the eyes of those young and lonely ladies.

It was already quite late. The light above the Eastwood Grand District had gradually dimmed. The twilight also gradually turned redder and darker, producing a dazzling shine through the reflections against the large pile of metal thingy behind Feng Yu’s back. Xu Le squinted his eyes naturally and gazed at the shadow that was climbing the slope not at ease. He suddenly remembered the moment two years ago when he foolishly walked in the repair shop.

The relationship between him and Feng Yu was a bit strange. It was not a relationship between student and teacher, but he did learn from Feng Yu knowledge and practical experience about electronics, something he always longed for.

Although repairing electrical appliances didn’t help him at all with respect to his dream, the dream of becoming an auxiliary officer of a battleship or living a better life in the Capital Star Circle, Xu Le did find satisfaction and equilibrium from the small repair shop.

Xu Le was not an employee of Feng Yu, either, because Feng Yu never paid him any money and only left enough food in the freezer. Such treatment would only make Xu Le a pitiful slave of the Xiang-Lan Boulevard Repair Shop … but Xu Le did make quite some bucks for the repair shop during the past two years.

“The registration fee for the draft exam, if I choose electrical technician … the government will only reimburse forty percent.” Staring at the back of the uncle, Xu Le finally gathered enough courage to make his demand. “There are only two years left. I really need to save some money.”

The hidden meaning of these words was of course a request to get paid by the repair shop owner, but Feng Yu rejected it without even looking back.

“It was you who cried and begged me to teach you. Did I ever ask you for any tuition?”

What a shameless guy! Even more shameless than I am! Xu le thought to himself. Then he remembered the time when he first ran into the repair shop and how he shamelessly held onto the owner’s thigh. The courage to ask for money quickly diminished. He heaved a helpless sigh, ran a few steps, and then sat by Feng Yu’s side.

The two of them were now sitting at the very top of the mine pit. Behind them were the shadows of the city’s buildings, which were a good distance away and appeared blurry and unreal. In front of them was a large stretch of green grassland. Deep in the grassland they could see tall trees reaching the sky. The refreshing scene of the nature almost felt like a jumping flame, burning with ardor under the setting sun.

“I’ve always been curious.”

Feng Yu didn’t take the juice Xu Le handed to him, instead, lit another cigarette. He took a deep breath in with a great joy and then glanced greedily at the grassland the forest in front of him before continuing.

“There are at least one thousand repair shops in the Eastwood Grand District. Why did you choose me?”

Xu Le cast a side glance toward him, shocked at the idea that he had only thought of the question after two years had passed. After a short pause, he finally looked down and replied.

“The automatic vacuum door of the coffee shop had stopped working. I heard that you fixed it, so I decided to find you.”

“Anyone could have fixed that door,” Feng Yu exclaimed without turning his head.

“Perhaps you were in a really good mood when you fixed that door….” A slight trace of cunning quickly flashed across Xu Le’s eyes, which always looked extra sincere when he smiled. “The glueless vacuum joint at the B2 port was simply remarkable, with an error grade in the one-thousands. That was two grades higher than the civilian standards, even slightly higher than the military standards. Ever since then, I knew you weren’t just any ordinary guy, boss!”

Feng Yu seemed to have been startled. He suddenly burst into laughter. Turning around he raised his hand as though to strike Xu Le’s head, but eventually he settled for rubbing the untidy black hair.

“You are crazy! Who would have thought of measuring that thing?”

“Maybe it was just my intuition?” Xu Le smiled happily. “I just felt there was something really weird about that door, and I happened to have some money at that time, so I went and bought a multi-spectrometer. And as soon as I measured it, I found the oddity.”

“Even the smallest multi-spectrometer won’t fit under the door. How did you measure it? I am quite curious.” Feng Yu’s interests instantly shot up.

“Hmm….” After a short moment of awkward silence Xu Le finally answered. “I asked for Li Wei’s help, and the two of us took the door apart at night … of course we put it back on the same night. I am no thief.”

Feng Yu couldn’t help but laugh again.

“But didn’t I install an alarm on that door…?” he asked.

“The one hidden inside the double-pane glasses?” Xu Le lowered his head in embarrassment. “I…I found it right away and…took it apart too.”

Feng Yu suddenly fell quiet. He stared at the young lad next to him, and for a long time, didn’t speak another word. Two years ago, Xu Le was only a self-studying student who only knew how to memorize processes and standards from books in the library. Even then Xu Le was already capable of disabling an alarm set up by Feng Yu, himself. Now when he thought about it, the conclusion he had come to earlier on the couch was indeed accurate.

Right at that moment, several majestic-looking wild buffalos, cloaked in the beautiful twilight of the dusk, slowly wandered outside of the woods and walked toward the direction of the mine pit.

Both Xu Le and Feng Yu instantly stopped all thoughts and motion and only stared at the buffalos steadily. The stares were filled with greed.

“Uncle, we haven’t had any fresh buffalo steaks for half-a-year now,” Xu Le swallowed a mouthful of slaver and suggested.

Feng Yu stood up slowly and cast a glance at the long, endless metal isolation guardrail that separated the mine pit and the grassland, his face turning into a grimace.

“All through my life, I hate two federation laws the most. One of them is that god damned Wild Life Protection Act.”

Xu Le tried hard to hold his laughter. Raising his head up, he asked, “What’s the other one?”

“The First Constitution.”

After that most arrogant statement, he led Xu Le toward the wild buffalos on the other side of the isolation guardrail, looking vicious and dangerous.

Now support the author Maoni by clicking this link, and support the translator Lanny by following my blog! :)

Video of the Day:

I suspect the name Xiang-Lan Boulevard mentioned in this chapter comes from Hong-Kong singer Jacky Cheung's famous song "Li Xiang Lan." Either way, it is a beautiful song! Enjoy!

Robot of the Day: Microswimmer Robot Taking Pictures of Your Intestines

2009-05-08T00:02:00.107-06:00

This is a robot I read about recently, a robot the size of a pill that can swim inside your body powered by external MRI machine's magnetic fields with the task of taking pictures of your intestines.

Credit: Tel Aviv University and Brigham & Women's Hospital

The robot was developed by scientists at Tel Aviv University in Israel and Brigham & Woman's Hospital in Boston and introduced in a recent paper published in Biomedical Microdevices. Although still in the early testing stage in a water tank, the tiny robot seems to maneuver well with its 20mm x 5mm tail. The eventual objective of robot is to enable doctors to see the inside of a patient's intestines and detect early stages of gastrointestinal cancer.

Presently doctors can already have patients swallow a pill-sized camera. Pictures are taken every half second or so until the camera is passed. However, doctors have no control of the camera's movement when they wanted pictures of specific part of the body. One challenge with the robot idea is how to power the robot because embedding large power supplies would increase the size of the robot and cause other problems. The beauty of the proposed solution is that it uses magnetic field to control the movement of the robot via the little copper and polymer tail. And since MRI machines are already a common device in hospitals, they can become very handy.

I remember seeing a video of how live bacterias can be controlled by magnetic fields to push around a "nano-robot" in a Discovery Channel documentary. In this case, the magnetic field controls the robot directly which is probably more predictable than trying to control bacterias.

Some people even suggest that we can leave such robots inside us permanently like parasites. Now imagine having a bunch of these things inside your body, constantly posting images or videos online of your internal like those live web cams.... Now you not only have no privacy outside of your body, you don't even have privacy inside your body.... Well, but if lives can be saved, I guess it's okay.

To read more about this, click here.

The good news: the robot is reusable!
The bad news: the robot is reusable!

10 Famous Thought Experiments That Just Boggle Your Mind Part 5

2009-05-07T00:01:00.002-06:00

Read Part 4: Einstein's Light Beam

6. The Ship of Theseus

One of the oldest of all thought experiments is the paradox known as the Ship of Theseus, which originated in the writings of Plutarch. It describes a ship that remained seaworthy for hundreds of years thanks to constant repairs and replacement parts. As soon as one plank became old and rotted, it would be replaced, and so on until every working part of the ship was no longer original to it. The question is whether this end product is still the same Ship of Theseus, or something completely new and different. If it’s not, at what point did it stop being the same ship? The Philosopher Thomas Hobbes would later take the problem even further: if one were to take all the old parts removed from the Ship of Theseus and build a new ship from them, then which of the two vessels is the real Ship of Theseus? For philosophers, the story of the Ship of Theseus is used as a means of exploring the nature of identity, specifically the question of whether objects are more than just the sum of their parts.

I couldn't help but think of the story about Steve Jobs and his Mercedes Benz. Steve was able to exploit a hole in Californian law and roved the Silicon Valley in a Mercedes without license plates:

It turns out there's a provision in California regulations that give one six months to get license plates for a new car, and Jobs took advantage of it. Yes, he leased a silver Mercedes SL55 AMG, said Callas -- and every six months he traded it in for a new one.

So to Steve, the car was still The Car of Jobs, but to the Californian DMV, the car was a different one.

It might not matter too much if this thing we talk about is just a physical thing like Steve Jobs' car. What if it is an intangible object, for example, a song. If we move up or down the pitch of all notes in the song, is it still the same song? If you think the answer is yes, then what if we move the pitch to a range where human can no longer distinguish them?

Now let's think about robots. US Soldiers in Afghanistan have being using remotely-controlled robots to detonate road-side bombs. As unintelligent as these robots are, many soldiers have developed close affection toward these devices. When damaged robots are sent in for repair, the normal procedure is to simply send back a replacement unit because it is most time-efficient and cost-efficient. However, many soldiers demanded the exact same unit or robotics device to be repaired and sent back because they have assigned a personal identity to the robot as a teammate and friend.

Let's think one step further. With robots that are more intelligent, especially ones that learn from past experience, it is still possible for us to duplicate the programs and memory of the robot (with the exception of Johnny 5) and then load the same programs and memory into an identical robot. Now we run into a real identity crisis -- both for the robots and the users. Both robots will think they are the original robot, and to the user, both robots are the original robots with the same memory, same logic, and same appearance. (Why do I keep thinking of the movie The 6th Day?) What problems will this create?

I also can't help but think of all the protagonists in these reincarnation novels (like the Joy of Life story I am translating, for example). Are these persons still the same persons? Probably not! But why not?

That's enough philosophical discussion for today! Have a good day!

Video of the Day:

Enjoy this beautiful song The Velocity of Love, and the beautiful video while you struggle with philosophical thought experiments!

Robot of the Day: CQ-10 Snowgoose Cargo Delivery Glider UAV

2009-05-06T16:15:00.004-06:00

CQ-10 Snowgoose is a glider UAV developed by Mist Mobility Integrated Systems Technology (MMIST), a Canadian firm, for the purpose of pinpoint precision small cargo delivery. It is one of the earliest UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) used by US military in the war in Afghanistan.

The Snowgoose UAV uses a parafoil for lift and then a "pusher" propeller to help with the glide. A newer version of the UAV CQ-10B actually includes an autogyro rotor for lift and is capable of vertical take off and landing. Therefore the UAV is capable of three types of deployments:

ground launching from the back of a truck or Humvee,
air launching from the back of a cargo plane,
or self launching using the gyro rotor.

The Snowgoose UAV has six modular cargo bays and can be used for leaflet dispensing or delivery of small amount of ammo or medical supplies. The newer model can carry up to 2400 lbs of cargo and travel up to 93 miles. Operator can upload flight plans to the UAV and then the UAV will perform the delivery fully autonomously. This can be very helpful in search and rescue missions, disaster relief efforts, or support military operations in hostile environment.

In 2003, U.S. Special Operations Command bought five of these for $250,000 each and deployed them to Afghanistan in support of special operations in the tough terrains.

With the steep price tag, it is unlikely to see such UAVs used in search and rescue missions (with the exception of this story), which is kind of a shame. That's why cheaper and smaller Micro-UAVs stand better chance of actually deployment in local search and rescue teams.

Video of the Day:

A woman floating on a surfboard near Santa Cruz, California almost ended up on the lunch menu for a humpback whale.

10 Famous Thought Experiments That Just Boggle Your Mind Part 4

2009-05-05T00:01:00.006-06:00

Read Part 3: The Ticking Time Bomb

7. Einstein's Light Beam

According to his book Autobiographical Notes, Albert Einstein’s famous work on special relativity was inspired by a thought experiment he conducted when he was only 16 years old. He thought about chasing a beam of light as it traveled through space, and reasoned that if he were able to move next to it at the speed of light, he should be able to observe the light frozen in space as “an electromagnetic field at rest though spatially oscillating.” For Einstein, this thought experiment proved that for his imaginary observer “everything would have to happen according to the same laws as for an observer who, relative to the Earth, was at rest.”

The video below gives a good example of special relativity.

I can't think of how this relates to AI, but the lesson here is that simple thought experiments can lead to extraordinary findings. Therefore I'll keep running all kinds of thought experiments in my head like how properties of intelligence should remain the same regardless of what species is displaying intelligent behaviors.

Read Part 5: The Ship of Theseus

I love staring at the starry sky, because that lets me stare right into the past.

The Outcast: Volume 1 Chapter 7

2009-05-04T00:23:00.000-06:00

Volume One: Eastwood Is All Stones

Chapter 7: He doesn’t know his talent

Feng Yu was a middle-aged man, who always liked to describe himself as: a mature, sedate, reliable, and handsome yet with a grain of ripeness from vicissitudes, stunning middle-aged uncle who could capture the hearts of the entire world, especially those of the young girls.

He wasn’t exaggerating too much. Suppose that he was willing to take a bath once a while, shave a bit more often, replace his mouthful of ugly teeth, and put on some appropriate clothing, maybe even become a few years younger, then he certainly possessed that special grace.

Unfortunately the reality didn’t allow that many suppositions, so Feng Yu was still just an ordinary, childless, middle-aged citizen who did nothing but drinking liquor, chitchatting, dazing inside the electronic appliance repair shop in the fourth district of the Xiang-Lan Boulevard from Monday through Thursday every week and drool over the occasional female police officers in uniform who happen to be walking past the repair shop.

The appliance repair shop always had good business because Feng Yu certainly had excellent craftsmanship. Whether it was the latest model of the rollable crystal screen or the antique liquid crystal display, or an overclocked room thermal control, or an electric skateboard for kids, as long as it was a machine powered by electricity, he could always put it back to order.

Good business naturally meant stable income. For that reason, during every three-day weekend protected by law, Feng Yu got into the habit of closing down the shop and frequented himself in the many major recreation clubs of the Riverwest State. He got to know many of the girls in the recreation clubs and at the same time spent a great deal of money. His neighbors in the district had long known the horny side of the middle-aged man, so no one ever showed any sign of surprise.

However, none of them knew that, during the weekends of the last two years, Feng Yu had not spent every weekend on relieving his male hormones, but instead, gone to a secluded mine tunnel far from the city. The mine tunnel had been abandoned for many years. Especially after the mine accident ten years ago and the United Mining Corporation’s bankruptcy, no one ever visited the mine tunnel again. So even though the miner’s old break room had been turned into an appliance repair shop, no one else ever learned about it.

Xu Le shot a sharp glare at the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa. Then after a quiet sigh, he took out the dishes from the oven by his side and laid them on the table.

“Time to eat,” he said softly as he went on retrieving a hot towel for the middle-aged man to wipe his face first.

No matter how annoyed Xu Le found himself, his habitual softheartedness and kindness soon took over. Not able to stomach the dispirited look of the middle-aged uncle, he couldn’t help but look after him.

Feng Yu sat on the table and started chewing the cheap-looking meat, making loud disgusting noises.

“Why’s the buffalo meat so tough?” he suddenly exclaimed.

“No meat tastes good if you leave it in a freezer for half-a-year.”

With a blank face, Xu Le filled his own bowl with rice and then sat by the table. The two men’s dining habits had turned into something quite unusual in the last two years. If an ordinary Eastwood District resident had seen this, he would have considered them excessively luxurious.

“You haven’t answered my question,” Xu Le suddenly put down his chopsticks and demanded sincerely. “I know you worked for the military as a repair technician and only became a deserter because you offended your supervising officer. But that electric prod you taught me to make, man, doesn’t it look a bit too authentic? See…it has been several days now. I must have really scared Bao Longtao well. He didn’t dare to bother Li Wei no more.”

“Didn’t I tell you two years ago? I am a man with stories!” Uncle Feng Yu clearly didn’t mind the nausea-causing effect of his tone and continued with a leisure voice filled with self-complacency. “In those old days in the military with my rank and security clearance, the kind of design documents I could get my hands on will totally blow you away. Even if you wanted a battle-grade cannon, I could have made one for you, as long as you’ve got the needed materials, let alone a mere electric prod.”

Xu Le had grown quite used to this kind of conversation, so naturally he didn’t show much of a reaction.

“Give up the bragging! Remember that time when we were lucky to find a central control unit for a Mech at the waste station? You looked at it for five days and still dared not repair it.”

Feng Yu’s face turned purple. After a few coughs, he reprimanded sternly.

“That was an antique from the days of the Fourth Military District! Dammit! Who knows a piece of crap hundreds of years old? Of course all I could do was to observe it with appreciation.”

“But what else can you make besides the electric prod?” Xu Le said dispiritedly. “It has been two years! All I learned from you were how to repair TVs, refrigerators, toys, and cars. The draft exam for the Department of Defense is only two years away. So far I haven’t even seen a real Mech or battleship. How will I ever pass the exam?”

Feng Yu chewed on his steaks and mocked in a disgruntled voice.

“You never even finished the 12-year Compulsory Education, nor were you trained in a military technical school. How are you ever gonna pass? The Department of Defense is also enrolling cannon fodder marines. Why don’t you give that a try? I bet you every Marine Corps would welcome you with open arms!”

“If I pass the draft exam, then I’ll start off as a Technician Sergeant. That’s a higher starting point,” Xu Le replied sincerely after a short moment of ponder.

Feng Yu finally raised his head up and stared at the young lad with utter disbelief. Then he sighed with deep sorrow.

“You still haven’t given up that shameful dream of yours, have you?”

“Why would a dream be shameful?” Xu Le’s face shined with resolve. “The first dream of my life is to become an auxiliary officer of a battleship. My second dream is to join the research branch of a big company at the Capital Star Circle, so I could live a good life.”

“The Feds is still in war with the Empire over at the Westwood District.” Feng Yu’s voice suddenly turned somewhat calm. “Forget your first dream. And as far as the second one goes, it’s actually not that difficult.”

They were both fast eaters, and by then Xu Le had started tidying up the table.

“The war has been on for over sixty years. People here at the Eastwood Grand District have never seen any Empire guys, maybe with the exception of their diplomatic group on TV. What’s there to be afraid of?”

He paused for a second and then continued with a tone of frustration.

“I know I am not talented, only learned how to make an electric prod after learning for two years. But I know I really enjoy working with these machines. That’s why I want to give the draft exam a try.”

Feng Yu fell quiet. He lay down on the couch to watch TV, but his stares were actually still fixed on Xu Le’s back.

After washing the dishes, Xu Le entered the workshop room as usual, and soon began operating those tools and instruments that he was as familiar as his fingers. At an unusually steady rate, he began fixing the pile of old and broken appliances, putting them back to working condition one by one.

The kind of common electronic appliance problems were not difficult to troubleshoot and overcome, but Xu Le still worked with the utmost earnestness, as if he was working on the most delicate and finest instrument in the entire Federation. Perhaps he never even noticed that every time when he fully devoted himself into his work, a brilliant trace of sincerity would shine in his adolescent face.

Uncle Feng Yu with stories lit a cigarette and then watched Xu Le’s busy figure through the glass wall with his narrowed eyes. It was probably time to lower the dust grade for another level, he thought to himself. Then he remembered the words Xu Le had said earlier. He couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth, and then blew a smoke ring.

The smoke ring scattered slowly and eventually disappeared into Feng Yu’s gray hair. At that exact moment, Feng Yu thought to himself: Everyone in the world calls me a genius, but in some aspects, this young lad named Xu Le has only got … more talents.

Now support the author Maoni by clicking this link, and support the translator Lanny by following my blog! :)

Video of the Day:

Giant Gundam Mech Warrior Robot Statue Protecting Tokyo!!

10 Famous Thought Experiments That Just Boggle Your Mind Part 3

2009-05-03T00:01:00.007-06:00

Read Part 2: The Gettier Problem

8. The Ticking Time Bomb

Imagine that a bomb or other weapon of mass destruction is hidden in your city, and the timer on it will soon strike zero. You have in your custody a man with knowledge of where the device is planted. Do you resort to torture in order to get him to give up the information?

Sounds like an action movie? It's only another thought experiment called "ticking time bomb". Like the trolley problem, the ticking time bomb scenario is an ethical problem that forces one to choose between two morally questionable acts.

Thanks to many fictional movies and TV shows, the ticking time bomb scenario is one of the most discussed thought experiments. The US government has laws against torturing prisoners (Although we all know how well that law is being followed. Think Abu Ghraib.), but would breaking the law be justified if large number of people's lives can be saved? A British news article extended the scenario and asked if one would be willing to resort to torturing the man's wife and children as a means of extracting the information from him. This sounds really scary now!

According to Wikipedia:

In September 2002, when reviewing Alan Dershowitz's book, Why Terrorism Works: Understanding the Threat, Responding to the Challenge, Richard Posner, a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, wrote in The New Republic, "If torture is the only means of obtaining the information necessary to prevent the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Times Square, torture should be used--and will be used--to obtain the information.... No one who doubts that this is the case should be in a position of responsibility."

Morgan from the Center for American Free Thoughts gave an interesting discussion in the video below (sorry, I can't find a commercial-free version, so this will do).

I don't know which side I should support. It is quite a dilemma. However, I am one hundred percent sure that we shouldn't allow the government to easily slap the title of "terrorists" on innocent citizens and then torture him/her or take away their basic rights and claim it is "justified".

Read Part 4: Einstein's Light Beam

Picture of the Day:

This spectacular photo looks like it is coming out of a Sci-Fi movie. It is actually taken by a Russian girl who snuck into a Russian military rocket factory.

Robot of the Day: Air Hogs Gyro X RC Helicopter

2009-05-02T01:21:00.211-06:00

Maybe because of the frequent sightings of helicopters flying over our house, my three-year-old son developed this special interest in helicopters and always wanted a helicopter. And since my research is related to robotic airplanes, I also have a strong urge to own a robotic airplane myself. So when I found out about the Black Friday deal on the Air Hogs Gyro X RC Helicopter, I jumped on it, under the claim that the helicopter was really the birthday present for my son's three-year-old birthday!

The RC helicopter normally sells for $40, but I was able to get one at half price thanks to Black Friday sales at RadioShack. It is a remote-controlled toy airplane, so the kit included a controller that lets the user controls the throttle (to fly the helicopter up and down) together with an omnidirectional stick to control the flying directions. The controller also has a wheel on the side that allows you to trim the plane (adjusting the balance of the plane so it doesn't keep rotating in one direction). The controller also acts as a charger. Powered itself by four AA batteries, the controller has a wire to connect to the airplane for charging the battery on the airplane.

This RC toy can actually be categorized as a robotics device because it has built-in a "gyro" electronic stabilization system for smooth flight. The "gyro" sensor can sense the roll of the plane and then adjust the speed and direction of the small tail propeller to automatically stabilize the plane. What this means is that a beginner can easily focus on the throttle of the helicopter (controlling the altitude) and not worry about keeping the helicopter in an upright position. In a sense, the "auto-pilot" on the tiny plane can take over some of the responsibility for keeping the plane hovering in the same spot, which is extra nice because now even my three-old son can fly this thing around the house.

In robotics terminology, this type of function is called "Shared Control". For example, you can direct a ground mobile robot to go toward a certain direction, but the robot is capable of going around obstacles autonomously, so you don't have to worry about it. Although in the RC helicopter case, the stabilization autonomy falls pretty low in Tom Sheridan's Levels of Autonomy, it is a start. The robotic planes we use in our research also can stabilize themselves in the air in various wind conditions and maintain a constant speed. And once we load the terrain data into the control station, the UAVs can also maintain their height-above-ground. With GPS capabilities, the research UAVs can also follow way points.

The $20 Air Hog RC Helicopter of course is not that sophisticated. Besides, GPS works terribly in an indoor environment. However, it is totally possible that I could use some computer vision program to estimate the position of the plane and then send control signals from a computer instead of the RC controller. Then the little plane might display a slightly higher intelligence.

Another great thing about this helicopter is its durability. You can crash it left and right without worrying about damaging the device (which is a rare thing in robot world). The biggest downside is that the tiny battery in the plane only flies for about 5 minutes with a full charge --- frankly, a bit too short for me, especially when time seems to zoom by quickly when I have a great time flying this thing. Then it takes 20-30 minutes to charge. The upside about this is that it really teaches my kids that patience is a virtue.

Anyway, this RC helicopter is a great toy for beginner operators and kids. If you want to read a more detailed review of this RC Helicopter, click here.

Picture of the Day:

Staples.com Black Friday Fail! Only a programmer will get a kick out of this!

10 Famous Thought Experiments That Just Boggle Your Mind Part 2

2009-05-01T00:01:00.176-06:00

Read Part 1: The Trolley Problem

9. The Gettier Problem (The Cow in the field)

One of the major thought experiments in epistemology (the field of philosophy that deals with knowledge) is what is known as “The Cow in the Field.” It concerns a farmer who is worried his prize cow has wandered off. When the milkman comes to the farm, he tells the farmer not to worry, because he’s seen that the cow is in a nearby field. Though he’s nearly sure the man is right, the farmer takes a look for himself, sees the familiar black and white shape of his cow, and is satisfied that he knows the cow is there. Later on, the milkman drops by the field to double-check. The cow is indeed there, but it’s hidden in a grove of trees. There is also a large sheet of black and white paper caught in a tree, and it is obvious that the farmer mistook it for his cow. The question, then: even though the cow was in the field, was the farmer correct when he said he knew it was there?

The Cow in the Field was first used by Edmund Gettier as a criticism of the popular definition of knowledge as “justified true belief”—that is, that something becomes knowledge when a person believes it; it is factually true; and they have a verifiable justification for their belief. In the experiment, the farmer’s belief that the cow was there was justified by the testimony of the milkman and his own verification of a black and white object sitting in the field. It also happened to be true, as the milkman later confirmed. But despite all this, the farmer did not truly know the cow was there, because his reasoning for believing it turned out to be based on false premises. Gettier used this experiment, along with a few other examples, as proof of his argument that the definition of knowledge as justified true belief needed to be amended. The video below shows another example of the Gettier Problem.

A robot or an AI agent can acquire knowledge in several distinct ways. The easiest one (at least for the programmer) is to memorize facts. For example: the capital of the United States is Washington D.C., earth is a sphere, and a triangle has three sides. These are beliefs we forcefully inject into the agent's brain and the agent might blindly take them in as faith. AI agents are great at storing facts and can store large quantities of facts. This is similar (roughly) to us human learning in elementary schools.

Another way of acquiring knowledge is to learn the rules and then apply rules to different problems. For example: don't run into an obstacle. Abstracting and representing rules can be quite challenging for designers, that's why robots today don't have a lot of rules programmed into them. Having too many rules can also exponentially increase the computational complexity can cause internal conflicts, unless the robot is designed to ignore rules at times or only apply rules that can help optimize or maximize certain utilities, like how we humans do at our convenience. However, once the rules are implemented, robots are great at executing them (as long as the rules are clearly defined). For example, we already have AI agents that can solve or generate proofs for very complicated math problems, even better than the human counterparts. This method is similar (roughly) to us human learning in middle schools. Learning by demonstration probably falls under this category as well.

A third way of acquiring knowledge for robots and AI agents is by the means of traditional machine learning using existing data sets. Whether supervised learning (where records in a data set are labeled by human) or unsupervised learning (no labels), the basic idea is that the agent would try to "rationalize" the data sets and then find some consistent properties, or "insights", in the data sets, and then be able to apply them to new information (generalize). This is similar (roughly) to us human learning in college where we are exposed to a lot of facts, but we have to come up with general senses of these facts and then conclude with our own, newly identified rules. Agents are normally bounded by "features" identified by human who provided the data sets. However, few smart agents can try to come up with "features" of their own and it falls under the name of "Active Learning".

Yet another way of acquiring knowledge for these artificial beings is through Bayesian networks (logical nodes interconnected like a neural network). Given that a good Bayesian network exists (or one that's pretty good at self-evolving), the agent first have some a priori beliefs of things (e.g., sky is blue and grass is green) acquired either through previous mentioned methods or simply non-informative (e.g., a woman is probably just as lazy as a man). Then through observations, the agent learns from experience and obtain a posteriori knowledge. The new knowledge might be completely opposite to the a priori beliefs, therefore the agent modifies its beliefs of the existing rules, previous facts, and the world and everything in the universe. You probably already see where I am going. This is similar (roughly) to us human beings learning in grad schools.

Not to ridicule things, by the time the agent becomes really imaginative and start to question everything simply based on reports from lower-level agents (hmm...grad school robots?), we make it a professor. (I hope my advisor is not reading this...)

Anyway, back to the original topic, IMHO, we can't always rely on justified true beliefs, but isn't at least trying to justify the belief better than blind beliefs? Of course when it comes to authority, my robots don't have to justify its beliefs, because to them, I am God!

Read Part 3: The Ticking Time Bomb

Video of the Day:

Great examples of illusions. So we shouldn't trust what we see with our eyes. Does this mean we shouldn't trust everything we see?

Random Thoughts: A Few Brain Teasers

2009-04-30T00:51:00.001-06:00

Sharing some brain teasers I found interesting. See how many you can figure out yourself:

Problem 1: The Missing Dollar
==========================
Three guests check into a hotel room. The normal charge for one night is $30, so each guest pays $10. Later the owner said that there's a promotion and the bill should only be $25. To rectify this, he gives the bellhop $5 to return to the guests. On the way to the room, the bellhop realizes that he cannot divide the money equally. As the guests didn't know the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest $1 and keep $2 for himself.
Now that each of the guests has been given $1 back, each has paid $9, bringing the total paid to $27. The bellhop has $2. If the guests originally handed over $30, what happened to the remaining $1?

Problem 2: Cut the Loss
==========================
One day a customer came to Tom's store. He collected $20 worth of merchandize, and then gave Tom a $50 bill. Since Tom didn't have enough change, he went to Charlie's store next door and exchanged the $50 bill into changes. Then he gave the customer $30 change. Shortly after the customer left, Charlie came to Tom and told him that the $50 bill was counterfeit money. So Tom immediately gave Charlie another $50 bill in exchange. So after all, how much money did Tom lose from this incident? Was it $50, $80, or $100?

Problem 3: Green Onion Vendor
==========================
A customer came to the green onion vendor and asked about the price of the green onions. The vendor said that the green onions sell for one dollar per pound. Since he had a total of 100 pounds, it would cost one hundred dollars to buy them all. The customer then asked if the vendor would consider selling green onion stems and leaves separately. The vendor told him that the green onion stems would sell for 70 cents and the green onion leaves would sell for 30 cents. The customer then decided to buy 50 pounds of green onion stems and 50 pounds of green onion leaves. The vendor then calculated as the following:

50 x 0.7 = 35, 50 x 0.3 = 15, 35 + 15 = 50

So the customer paid $50 and left. Now the green onion vendor was very confused: how come the customer was able to take away his $100 worth of green onions for only $50?

Problem 4: Find the Odd Ping Pong Ball
==========================
You have 12 ping pong balls. One of them is slightly heavier OR lighter than the others. You also have a balance scale. How can you find the odd ball out, and if it is heavier or lighter, in only 3 weighings. Please help!

Problem 5: Silver Utensils Problem
==========================
Bill wanted to buy some silver utensils, so he went to the utensil store and then found out that he only had enough money to buy 21 forks and 21 spoons, or 28 knives only. Since he needs to buy the same number of forks, spoons and knives to make complete sets, and he would really prefer to use up all the money he had brought, can you help him out?

Video of the Day:

A great review of year 2011 based on what people searched in Google:

The Outcast: Volume 1 Chapter 6

2009-04-29T00:23:00.008-06:00

Volume One: Eastwood Is All Stones

Chapter 6: He is not a special agent

Bao Longtao had not seen what happened under the big green tree earlier, but that didn’t stop him from raising plenty of caution about the youngster whose face was still hiding behind the hood. He took two steps forward and then lowered his head so he could speak softly right next to Xu Le’s ear, which was of course still separated by the hood.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t ask you. I should go ask Li Wei.”

Like how animal handlers at the zoo always have their ways to handle the disobedient animals, whether with a whip or fresh meat, if an officer of the federation wants to handle the underground forces, he always has endless means. When Bao Longtao mentioned Li Wei’s name at this moment, he obviously meant to threaten Xu Le – even without checking ID himself, he could still easily find out about Xu Le’s identity.

But Xu Le had no worries. He was sure that Li Wei and those other orphans had plenty of means to survive. He carefully avoided Deputy Chief Bao’s intimate gesture without showing any offending signs, still with is head lowered, he walked into the dark shadow humbly.

“I am sure we’ll meet again!” Bao Longtao shouted toward the youngster’s back, loosening his grip of the police baton.

……

It didn’t take long for the two to meet again. As a matter of fact, it was too short, so short that it was shocking and absurd.

In the dark shadow by the side gate of the Green Garden Apartments, Xu Le raised his head in shock, his bright eyes now squinting into two crescents. He gazed in utter disbelief at Bao Longtao, who leaned against the wall in a very comfortable posture with the confidence that the entire situation was still under his control. Xu Le appeared quite startled at the fact that the man had followed him to this remote corner without ever catching his attention.

“Didn’t I say we’ll meet again…. And I am very glad that no security monitors or nosy passersby would be able to interrupt our communication this time.”

Deputy Chief Bao stepped out of the dark shadow in his dark police uniform, the big grin on his face filled with insidious satisfaction. The police baton hanging by his waist was now in his hand. The diamond-shaped metal tip sparkled with terrifying blue electric arcs. Although they looked small, no one would have any doubt about their power.

He didn’t want to give Xu Le any chance to escape and didn’t expect Xu Le to spill his guts right away. Out of habit Bao Longtao was ready to disable the young lad with a good shock before anything else and use the unbearable pain to soften the boy’s heart, so he would reveal the one behind him, the one who was capable of hacking into the Police Station network and taking advantage of the conflicts among the upper management of the Riverwest State government.

The tip of the baton almost reached Xu Le’s waist when Deputy Chief Bao suddenly felt a sharp pain.

A strong electric current instantly shot through his entire body, making all parts of his body twitching without control. In the unbearable pain, he collapsed to the ground, trembling like someone with an epileptic seizure. White foam spilled from his half-open mouth.

The faint burning smell quickly dispersed into the night wind. The wall, however, was left with traces of permanent burning marks from the electric current.

After making sure Bao Longtao had no resistance left in him, Xu Le returned the electric prod in his hand to his pocket.

The prod only had the length of a finger, but the electric current it sent out far exceeded the prod he gave to Li Wei earlier, not mentioning the police baton held by Bao Longtao.

Bao Longtao had pretended to let Xu Le leave and secretly intended to torture him in the dark corner. But it was simply beyond his imagination that the feeble young lab could so easily take him down.

Xu Le walked by Bao Longtao. He hunkered down and examined the man. Then he placed some small metal piece into his ear and spoke with an intentionally lowered voice.

“Federation communication special agent number 78 reporting. Operation interrupted. Requesting to erase eyewitness.”

Xu Le crouched over Bao Longtao’s unconscious body as though he was waiting for instructions from the other end of the communication. A moment later, he received his instructions. Not paying any more attention to the Deputy Chief Bao lying next to his feet, he quickly adjusted his jacket, so the hood covered his face even tighter, and soon disappeared into the darkness next to the Green Garden Apartments.

Obviously he did not live in the Green Garden Apartments.

……

After a long while, Deputy Chief Bao at the foot of the wall slowly opened his eyes. He made sure the mysterious young lad was really gone before he struggled to sit up. Wiping the white foam from his lips, he glanced gloomily at the direction of the youngster’s disappearance, his face twitched in grimace.

The pain and sore in his muscle nerves were not gone yet, but Deputy Chief Bao’s attention was fully consumed by the shocking finding. When he had been struck down by the electric shock, he hadn’t really lost his consciousness, and heard every word of the youngster’s request clearly. The words “erase eyewitness” and “special agent” frightened him, and he had dared not to open his eyes.

Federation communication special agent, operating directly under both the Federation Communication Committee and the Federation President? You’ve gotta be kidding. The feeling of dread quickly shot up Bao Longtao’s heart. The man who secretly provoked the orphans to cause trouble on the streets was a special agent sent from the Capital Star? The tiny yet powerful electric prod Xu Le had pulled out of nowhere only strengthened Bao Longtao’s conclusion.

As short as a finger, yet powerful enough to shoot an electric arc as far as fifty centimeters. Such delicate yet powerful weaponry cannot have been copied by underground gangs. Only the military had the luxury to be equipped with such devices and they were for Special Forces only.

Did that young lad work for the Federation Communication Committee or the President? Either would be a class far beyond his status. Bao Longtao slowly got back onto his feet with the help of the wall, still awed in terror. He knew he had made a terrible mistake today. This matter was not something he’d ever touch again.

……

Hot water streamed from the faucet. The welfare of the Federation had always been good with details like these. The thick fog from the steam filled the entire bathroom with a dreamlike setting. Xu Le stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at the face inside the mirror. The face soon became indistinct from the steams, but he remained still. Only after a long while, he finally breathed out heavily.

The hands that grasped the edges of the white ceramic sink seemed to have been squeezing quite hard. The fingers looked paler than usual and also trembled slightly. He found himself terrified.

Xu Le pulled the small metal piece from his year, then also took out another metal thing from underneath his tongue that was used to change the sound of his voice. He threw them into the sink, which made two crisp clanking sounds – they were really only two metal buttons from his leisure jacket.

Bending his head low, Xu Le breathed hard, as though doing so would allow him to exhale all the terror inside out of the system. With only two metal buttons, he had just fooled the infamous Bao Longtao, who was truly dreaded by many of the orphans, but he felt no accomplishment, not a single bit of it. If it weren’t for Li Wei’s sake, he would never have done something like this.

He was no special agent, nor did he have the slightest ties with the big shots in the Capital Star Circle. He was merely a common person, gifted at mechanics maybe, but just a young lad.

Bao Longtao had always thought there were some powerful political forces standing behind him, but Xu Le knew that there was only one damn fellow behind all these. If that fellow didn’t beg him in tear, how could he ever let the orphans and himself fall into such an absurd situation?

Would Bao Longtao continue with his investigation? Xu Le couldn’t tell.

He could only splash hot water over his face again and again until the naïve-looking face turned almost red, and that was when he could finally breathe normal again. He stared at himself in the mirror with irritation and then cussed in a lowered voice.

“Feng Yu, you a-hole, who on earth are you?”

Now support the author Maoni by clicking this link, and support the translator Lanny by following my blog! :)

Video of the Day:

Enjoy Michael Jackson's Beat It, but the Red Army Version!

Random Thoughts: Sharing Some Mini-Stories

2009-04-28T10:43:00.002-06:00

Sharing some mini-stories I read on the Internet. Hope you enjoy!

He was three when he peed his pants. She took her own pants off and gave it to him. "Remember to give it back to me," she said.
He was thirteen when he was courting a beautiful girl. She shoved her wallet into his hands. "Remember to give it back to me," she said.
He was thirty-three when he lost his ring. She took off the identical ring from her finger. "Remember to give it back to me," she said.
He was forty-three when the plane was about to crash. She strapped the parachute on him and waved. "You don't have to give it back to me this time," she said with a smile.

**********

Many years after the breakup they met again by chance.
Man: "How are you doing?"
Woman: "Good."
Man: "How is he doing?"
Woman: "Good."
"How about yourself?" the woman asked.
"Good."
Woman: "How about her?"
Man: "She just told me she is good."

**********

Everyday I would take the subway together with my girlfriend to go to work. Then one day and every day after she always found the handsome young man waiting for her outside of the station leaned on his sports car and looking at her with a big smile. At first she simply ignored him. But the handsome man and his sports car consistently showed up on time every day. Gradually she treated me with less and less enthusiasm until the day when the handsome young man confronted her with a large bouquet of red rose and asked, "Will you leave him, please?" "Of course!" she said with excitement. "She no longer loves you," the young man turned to me, "be my boyfriend, will you?" I accepted the bouquet.

**********

She climbed in the taxi and then recognized him. They had been intimate lovers ten years ago and had decided to go separate ways under the heavy pressure from their parents, never seeing each other again.
"How are you?"
"I am good, you?"
"Good."
She noticed the watch on his wrist was still the same one she had given him.
When she was getting off, he heard the jingles from the bell strapped on her handbag, the one he had given her.

**********

It was night. The boy had the girl on the back of his motorcycle.
Girl: "Can you slow down? I am scared."
Boy: "Isn't this fun?"
Girl: "Please! I am scared."
Boy: "Alright. Tell me you love me."
Girl: "Fine. I love you. Can you slow down now?"
Boy: "Can you take off my helmet and put it on. It's making me very uncomfortable."
The next day in the news: One death and one survivor in a motorcycle crash. Malfunctioning brakes to be blamed.

**********

In the United States.
"Hello...oh, hi mom, what is it?"
"Nothing, I just miss you."
"Alright, mom. I am really sleepy. It's early in the morning here. How many times have I told you. Don't forget the 12 hours timezone difference."
"Oh, I forgot. Go back to sleep..."
Five minutes later.
"Gosh, who's calling this early again!"
"This is your uncle. Your mom's apartment building is on fire!"
Dialing back immediately.
"Mom! Mom! Pick up the phone!!"
Ring...ring...ring...

**********

She works in a highrise building in the jungle of the city. He works in the office in the same floor just across the street. Everyday she would secretly watch him, imagining his joy and sorrow and then record them in her blog. Then one day he disappeared suddenly. She felt as if a chunk was missing from deep inside her heart. "He left. I miss him but he doesn't know." she wrote in her blog. A new comment quickly popped out. "Silly! I just moved to the floor above."

**********

Appreciate what you have before they are gone!

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 6

2009-04-27T16:00:00.035-06:00

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 5

第十一式打躬击鼓

接上式，右脚落地，起身向右转90度，右脚向左脚收半步，距离与肩同宽，成下蹲势。两手抬至头侧后方，掌心按压两耳，周身放松，中、食、无名指稍屈，轻轻叩击枕骨处，两手交替进行，各叩击七次，谓之”鸣天豉”。鸣豉后双手抱后脑，缓缓向前弯腰，头垂于裆间至最大程度，膝挺直，如打躬状。鸣天豉时身体先向左转90度，再向右转180度，再向左转90度。弯腰垂头时牙关咬紧，作细微自然呼吸。重复做三遍。

11^th Stance: Bowing Down and Beating the Heavenly Drum

Continue from the last stance. Put the right foot down to the ground and stand back up. Turn 90 degrees to the right to return to facing front. Move right foot half step toward the left foot so they are at shoulder width and then squat. Raise both hands above your head and then lower them behind the head until your palms cover your ears. Relax the whole body. Slightly bend the index fingers, the middle fingers, and the ring fingers and gently tap the occipital bone with alternating hands. Tap seven times with each hand. This is called “Beating the Heavenly Drum.” After beating the drum hold the back of the head with both hands and slowly bent forward until your head cannot go any lower between your crotches. Keep the knees straight as if you are bowing down. When beating the heavenly drum, turn your body 90 degrees to the left first, next turn 180 degrees to the right and then turn 90 degrees to the left. Clench your teeth while bending forward and take small breathes naturally. Repeat three times.

第十二势：掉尾势

两腿开立，双手仰掌由胸前徐徐上举至头顶，目视掌而移，身立正直，勿挺胸凸腹；十指交叉，旋腕反掌上托，掌以向上，仰身，腰向后弯，目上视；然后上体前屈，双臂下垂，推掌至地，昂首瞪目。呼气时，屈体下弯，脚跟稍微离地；吸气时，上身立起，脚跟着地；如此反复21次。收功：直立，两臂左右侧举，屈伸7 次。

12^th Stance: Swinging the Tail

Stand with legs spread open. Slowly raise your hands past your chest and above your head, palms facing upward. Fix your stare on your palms as they move. Keep your body upright and don’t pull back shoulders or hold out your bosom. With ten fingers crossed, rotate your wrists and then lift upward with palms facing up. Extend the upper body and bend your waist backward while looking up. Then bend your body forward with both arms stretching out on the side and touch the ground. Lift your head and open your eyes wide. When exhaling, bend forward and at the same time lift the back heels off the ground slightly. When inhaling, return upper body back to standing position and land the back heels back to the ground. Repeat 21 times. To finish the exercise, stand in upright position and raise your arms from the side. Bend and extend the arms 7 times.

Again, please see how our friendly Mr. Bruce Wen demonstrate these two stances and explain things in English. Remember, Mr. Wen's version might be slightly different from the version I translated.

This concludes the entire Twelve Stances of the Yi-Jin-Jing. The following video shows a different flavor of the Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing demonstrated by a Shaolin monk in one smooth continuous form.

Video of the Day:

A National Geography documentary on the subject of Shaolin Kung Fu.

The Outcast: Volume 1 Chapter 5

2009-04-26T00:23:00.002-06:00

Volume One: Eastwood Is All Stones

Chapter 5: A finger in the night wind

“Xu Le is willing to see you only because your mom raised him for two years after the mining accident. He is grateful…. But you must clearly understand that he is one who doesn’t like to cause trouble. Better let the words you hear rot inside your tummy.”

Having returned to the apartment building of the Bell-Tower Street, Li Wei shot a threatening stare at Little Qiang, still feeling a bit worried. The boy was, after all, just a ten-year-old kid. What if he spilled the words out inadvertently?

The little fellow showed a puckered mouth and was almost scared to tears by Li Wei’s stern stare. Li Wei’s eyes always appeared clear and adorable, but every orphan hanging around the Bell-Tower Street knew how cruel and merciless the sixteen-year-old chief could become.

The metal shaft was no longer in Li Wei’s hands. He had probably hidden it somewhere. His hands now held a beer bottle and continued pouring beer down his throat. He sat under the street light and hummed the tune of a folk song, looking quite content. The little fellow gave him a timid peek, and then hesitated for a while, but the question still burst out eventually.

“Brother Le rarely came back to the Bell-Tower Street for the last two years. What on earth is he doing?”

“Who knows? The bloke always fancied craftsmanship since little. Who’d have thought he could be so brutal. Do you still remember that thing we saw that year?” Li Wei gulped down a mouthful of beer and gasped in admiration.

“I was only five by then. I don’t remember a thing now.”

The little fellow licked his lips when he cast a side glance at the beer bottle in Li Wei’s grip, looking quite curious. The lives of the orphans in the Eastwood Grand District were generally worriless, only that finding drinks that contained alcohol had always been difficult. And liquors in the black market were simply way too expensive.

“Right. I was only eleven, myself. Xu Le was only ten.”

Li Wei threw the empty beer bottle onto the garbage pile under the street lamp not far from him and took a deep breath. His young and puerile face seemed to have been gradually taken over by traces of numbness.

“If that thing never happened ten years ago, we’d probably still be in school. We might even have earned our professional certificate and made it into the Riverwest University…heck…we might even go to the Capital Star as exchange students.”

The street lamp cast long shadows behind the two boys, one tall and one short, and the shadows draped over the garbage piles in a distance. A black cat quietly walked in the dark shadows. No matter how wide his yellow pupils dilated, he didn’t see any mouse. The entire surroundings were submerged in desolation and deathly stillness.

……

The mining accident ten years ago had buried underground over three hundred miners. What made it worse was when the collapse also reached the temporary residence complex. Many visiting relatives also became unfortunate victims and countless families were brutally broken apart.

The accident shocked the entire federation. Such disastrous tragedy and large death toll in a society with super advanced technology resulted in the dismissal of many government officials. Top officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the Governor of the Riverwest State all resigned under the immense pressure of the news media. Three officials ended up with criminal charges. Even the Deputy Secretary in charge of safety and security of the Eastwood Grand District were sentenced to four years of jail time.

The aftermath reactions of the federation government and the justice system were indeed swift and strict. But the perished lives were lost forever. This severe mining accident gave the final heavy blow to the mining industry of the Eastwood Grand District, which was already on the brink of crumple and just hanging by a thread. The United Mining Corporation filed bankruptcy and was soon taken over by the federation government.

This event had deep impacts on many future government policies, but few gave any thought to the fact that the deepest impacts were really about the lives of the many orphans.

……

The orphans who participated in the rally at the Bell-Tower Street during the day were all victims of this mining accident. Li Wei was one of them, so was the little fellow, and so was Xu Le.

Xu Le was one of the many orphans resulted from the mining accident. To be more precise, he was an oddball among the orphans. During the years he never cast any admiring glance at the swaggering gang leaders on the streets. His favorite activity was to sit in the grocery store by the street corner and watch others repair electronic appliances.

He does look muscular, sinister, ruthless or callous. In fact his face always carried a slight smile, as though nothing could bother him no matter how difficult the situation was.

But very strangely, none of the fight-eager orphans dared to provoke him. It almost seemed that the orphans of the three streets actually respected him. The respect was probably largely due to Li Wei’s sincere respect for him.

Five years ago, an incidental street cleanup operation by the government forced an underground mob into the backstreets and alleys of the orphan-occupied Bell-Tower Street. Coldblooded and vicious, they successfully took over the control of this long-abandoned district. With a mere two-hour period, three oldest and bravest orphans had been killed in the brutal clash.

The rampant and arrogant orphans during normal days were really only showing off lion cubs before they successfully evolve into the sinister gangsters.

On that day, Xu Le, who never participated in regular orphan group activities, went missing. Then all of a sudden, the police force and reinforcement from the local military unit, who couldn’t penetrate the troubled lower district of the Riverwest State capital city, were finally able to enter the large complex behind the Bell-Tower Street through an underground pipeline.

Many of the gang members were killed. The orphans returned to their old territory, very glad that the deaths of the three orphans were avenged. But no one knew that in that cold rainy night, the always dull but optimistic Xu Le had stabbed to death the escaped leader of the underground mob with a scrap elbow hydraulic pipe from a junk Mech just outside of the waste station.

Except the shivering Li Wei and the little fellow hiding in the interlayer of the sheet rocks at the abandoned factory dining hall. That year Li Wei was eleven, the little fellow was five, and Xu Le just turned ten.

……

“Four years ago?” Xu Le repeated the words of the middle-aged man in front of him, still hiding his face in the hood of his jacket, and then grinned.

He was now sure that the man was just trying to trick him instead of referring to that most terrifying memory deep inside his heart.

“I was taking a makeup entrance exam given by the State Education Office four years ago.”

Deputy Chief Bao fixed his eyes on the youngster with a chilling stare. He knew the lad must have something to do with the fiasco in the afternoon, but he could not be sure. How on earth could a young lad get hold of the internal itinerary of the police station? How the hell would he be able to understand the political conflicts and wrestling among the upper management?

“I need to know who is behind you.”

Bao Longtao thought that the chilling tone of his was just perfect and the question was also perfectly right to the point. Of course he had no doubt that orphans hanging around the Bell-Tower Street would have no problem recognizing him and the authority he represents.

However, when Xu Le heard the question, he couldn’t help but lower his head and squeezed out a bitter smile. He gave a shrug and then walked on toward the bright street lamp, ready to go home and sleep, as if he couldn’t see the middle-aged man in front of him who stared at him like a black dog.

Bao Longtao gave a firm grip to the police baton in his hand.

Young lad Xu Le suddenly raised a slim but steady finger.

Pointing toward the dark shadows behind the street lamp, he said, “There are a total of five security monitors over there. You only work for the police. You are not a judge, nor work for the Management Committee. You would have no way to erase the security video. So I would suggest you give up the idea of physical assault…whatever you want to know, why don’t you first obtain the legal documents, and then I’d be very glad to cooperate with your investigation.”

A trace of disbelief flashed across Deputy Chief Bao’s eyes. He froze for a second and finally spoke again after a good while.

“ID check. I’ll need to read your chip.”

Xu Le turned around, with the hood still over his head.

“Tomorrow, the Deputy Chief of the Number 2 Police Substation will be reprimanded by the Governor himself. He might even make the morning news on TV because of today’s rally. Who would ever believe that he would be so inclined to personally perform an ID check on a harmless feeble youngster so late at night?”

The finger that had been pointing at the security monitors in the dark shadows waved slowly as Xu Le spoke with a very sincere tone.

“I am a good person. Believe me. All what I just said were for your well being.”

Bao Longtao suddenly felt a chill. The unidentified young lad had spoken in such a calm and sincere manner. Suspicion brewed thicker and thicker in his chest and his grip onto the baton also became tighter and tighter.

Now support the author Maoni by clicking this link, and support the translator Lanny by following my blog! :)

Video of the Day:

Gators attacked by cat - what I would call a stupid cat!

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 5

2009-04-25T16:00:00.020-06:00

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 4

第九式青龙探爪

接上式，左脚回收于右脚内侧，成立正姿势。左臂屈肘收回于左腰间。同时右肘微屈，吸气，上体向左扭腰转体，右手向体前探爪抓去，并吐气发出“嘘”声，此时要求腰腹放松。右手回收，向左46度方向做第二次探爪，再收回向左90度方向做第三次探爪。然后，头带动躯干沿逆时针方向转动一小周，右手随之书一小圆（上图）。两眼随右爪瞭望，如寻食状。每次探爪均发出“嘘”声。探爪时右臂一伸一缩，身体随之转后。然后右手收回腰间，左手以同样动作向右探爪（下图）。

9^th Stance: Green Dragon Waving Its Claws

Continue from the last stance. Retract left foot back next to the right foot in an Attention position (like in military drills). Bend the left elbow and retract left arm next to the left side of the waist. Meanwhile, bend the right elbow slightly, inhale, turn the upper torso to the left, reach forward with the right hand in a dragon claw, exhale and make a “Shu” sound. Remember to relax the waist and abdomen for this stance. Retract the right hand back and then reach out the second time 46 degrees to the left with a dragon claw. Retract again and then reach out a third time 90 degrees to the left. Next, let the head lead the torso and make a small circular movement counterclockwise. Then make a circular movement with the right hand (see upper figure). Glance following the left claw hand as if hunting for preys. Make the “Shu” sound each time when reaching out with the claw hand. Extend and retract the right arm when executing the dragon claw. Turn your body afterwards. Then retract right hand back to the waist side and reach out with the left hand in dragon claw to the right (see lower figure).

第十式卧虎捕食

接上式，左臂回收于腹前，右脚向右跨一步，同时向右转体90度，上体顺势前倾，两掌手心向右前方下扑，如卧虎捕食。此时两掌落地，成右弓步，昂首环视（上图）。然后以双手手指支撑全身重量，左腿屈膝成90度，左脚抬离地面，脚心朝上﹔两臂一伸一屈，身体上下起伏。做三至五次。而后两手离地，手心翻向上，体向左后转180度，两手掌再翻向下，再做卧虎捕食动作，唯方向相反（下图）。

10^th Stance: Crouching Tiger Hunting for Prey

Continue from the last stance. Retract the left arm back to the stomach. Take a step to the right with the right foot and at the same time turn 90 degrees to the right. Lean the upper body forward following the natural flow of the movement and pounce forward with both palms facing down like how a crouching tiger pounces on its prey. Both palms should reach the ground while the legs are in a right front stance. Raise your head and look around (see upper figure). Next use fingers from both hands to support your entire body weight. Bend the left knee to 90 degrees and lift the left foot off the ground and turn the bottom of the foot upward. One arm should be in extended position while the other one is bent. Shift your body up and down for three to five times. Then raise both hands with palms facing upward and turn your body 180 degrees to the left. Turn the palms to face downward again and execute the crouching timer pouncing on prey move, only in opposite direction (see lower figure).

In the video below you can see our friendly Mr. Bruce Wen demonstrating these two stances and explain in English. Remember, Mr. Wen's version might be slightly different from the version I translated.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 6

Picture of the Day:

Although my 6-year old daughter Adeline has never learned the Tendon-Altering Sutra, although she is only a white belt, she certainly knows how to throw a beautiful kick!

10 Famous Thought Experiments That Just Boggle Your Mind Part 1

2009-04-24T18:57:00.003-06:00

I ran into an interesting article in a forum (original in Chinese) that talked about 10 very famous thought experiments in the fields of philosophy, ethics, and psychology. Since I am getting a Doctor degree in Philosophy (hopefully), and also because I strongly believe these type of questions and experiments are very related in the research of artificial intelligence, I thought I'd share these with you together with my thoughts on the subject. Hope you enjoy!

10. The Trolley Problem

The trolley problem is a well known thought experiment in ethics, first introduced by Philippa Foot, a British philosopher. Trolley is the British term for a tram. The problem goes like this:

A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are five people who have been tied to the track by a mad philosopher. Fortunately, you could flip a switch, which will lead the trolley down a different track to safety. Unfortunately, there is a single person tied to that track. Should you flip the switch or do nothing?

A common answer takes the utilitarianism approach where flipping the switch becomes the obvious option because saving five lives result in a higher utility than saving just one life. But critics of the utilitarianism believe that flipping the switch constitutes a participation in the moral wrong, making one partially responsible for the death when otherwise the mad philosopher would be the sole culprit. An alternative view believes that inactivity under such a circumstance is also unethical. The bottom line: whatever you do, it is unethical. You are doomed either way.

It is reasonable to guess that your choice might vary if the single person happen to be your kid and the group of five consisted of four complete strangers plus your mother-in-law. In that case, you are simply assigning different utility values to different people (with the possibility of a negative utility). You no longer assume all people are equal. And if the group of five also included two other kids of yours, you simply assign the utility values and do the math and then make the "logical" decision (man, I am so cruel here!). This reminded me of a famous darn question people always get asked: if both your mother and your wife fall into the river and neither one knows how to swim, who should you save first? If you ever are asked this question, here's one answer you could use:

I'll jump into the river and drown myself, and we'll all go to heaven together. Now are you satisfied?

When it comes to artificial intelligence, a lot of times the choice is made based on a utility computation. Maybe the utility is computed using some fancy statistical functions. More advanced algorithms might take into consideration of probability or utility functions derived from past observations. Even more advanced algorithms might allow the agent to dynamically change or evolve the utility functions as time progresses -- a sense of learning. The agent will simply compute the utility values following whatever formulas it comes up with and then choose the option that will result with the highest utility. This is why AI agents or robots are normally considered to be very logical and at the same time very inhuman.It would be a long time before an AI agent would find itself trapped in this moral dilemma. (Remember the big computer in the movie War Games? It eventually figured out that the best winning strategy of playing the game of Tic-tac-toe was to not play the game at all).

So how would you design the AI agent or robot to be able to deal with morality, especially when you are giving it a weapon and grant it the permission to fire the weapon? Even we humans don't have clear clues in situations like in the Trolley Problem. Can we expect or require the agent or robot to do better than us? Unfortunately no one knows the right answer at the present time, we can only learn from our mistakes. Let's hope these mistakes are not disastrous and recoverable.

Read Part 2: The Gettier Problem

Picture of the Day:

You can go here to see more animated portraits like this one.

The Outcast: Volume 1 Chapter 4

2009-04-23T00:23:00.000-06:00

Volume One: Eastwood Is All Stones

Chapter 4: The hood cannot hide your face

When the fifteen-year old Xu Le made this claim in a trembling voice and the most sincere and flurry tone, even he himself didn’t think this dream would ever come true. An orphan in the remote Eastwood Grand District could certainly become totally obsessed with the purple-haired little goddess of the Federation on an ultra-thin TV on his knees and use such strong-worded proclamation to express his intense emotion. But the real root was after all something to do with the physiological causes due to puberty.

The poor is certainly entitled the right and the courage to fantasize, only that the huge gap between different social stratums is not something that can be narrowed by individual efforts. And other than his poorness, the youngster Xu Le had nothing else to offer. He probably would never have the chance to set his foot on the capital star, not even just for a short tour….

Xu Le was not a particularly handsome young lad. He was certainly not ugly, but only possessed a still somewhat puerile, tender, and ordinary face, just like any ordinary teenage boy. He had neither an attractive face nor an adorable figure. He was, after all, just one of the common people.

The most noticeable features on his face had to be his eyes, which squinted slightly under the dark bushy eyebrows and appeared to be a bit small, not really matching well with the pair of attractive eyebrows. Especially when he became deep in thought, his eyes would squint even more, and the once sincere and austere expression in his eyes would be tainted with an infatuated and naive look.

However, if someone could stare deep inside the pupils, behind the infatuated look, he’d for sure find some stone-solid persistence and determination, a special trademark character of the Eastwooders.

……

“Between fifteen and fifty…all men in the Federation think Jan Shui-Er is super gorgeous, and all are willing to take her for a bride,” Under the dim night sky and the big green tree, Brother Wei patted Xu Le gently on his somewhat feeble shoulder and uttered with the utmost sympathy. “Including me. But I am too thin-skinned to say it out loud. You are indeed shameless!”

“I…I think so too.”

The young boy by Brother Wei’s side cast a sneaky glance at Xu Le. When he confirmed that Brother Le’s eyes were still fixed on the shining display of the ultra-thin crystal screen, totally preoccupied by the purplish portrait in the last frozen frame of the episode, he finally gathered enough confidence and added his comment.

Xu Le raised his head slowly and glanced at the little boy.

“Little Qiang, you are only ten. You know nothing!” he said with a grin.

After that remark, Xu Le stood up and leaned against the trunk of the big green tree. He pressed lightly on the side of the ultra-thin crystal screen. With a pleasant sliding sound the entire screen retracted into a thin circular shaft.

He gently stroked the smooth metal surface of the circular shaft, a trace of grief creeping in his thick eyebrows.

“This is a high-quality pirated model of the N98. It’s worth at least four thousand on the market. You got a really good deal, Li Wei. It is yours now, but if want it repaired one day, I’ve got to charge you.”

“Stop acting like a girl!” Li Wei scratched his pale blonde curly hair irritably and snatched the circular shaft from Xu Le’s hand. “You’ve got to see that stern face of Bao Longtao today. Are you saying that the risk we took today, over one hundred of us, is not even worth this damn TV?”

Xu Le let out a grin and did not argue with him. Instead, he gave a strong pat to Li Wei’s shoulder.

“Same old deal. If I need something, I’ll trouble you again.”

Li Wei did not reply immediately, and instead, stared at the ordinary-looking face of Xu Le, puzzled. He continued with the stare for a long time until he could no longer withhold the question.

“Where have you been hanging out during the day for the last two years? Why are you always hiding from us? I know you don’t like us hanging out on the streets, afraid that we might join the gangs…. But the school has always kept the gate open for us. Frankly speaking, for the last ten years, the government has also been good to us.

“We’ve thrown away school course work for several years. How are we ever able to catch up?” Xu Le heaved a sigh helplessly.

Li Wei didn’t fancy convincing his friend so easily. He cussed a few words annoyedly.

“I am just afraid you son of a gun might turn autistic.”

That remark gave Xu Le a big grin, so big that his eyes squinted again, as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the entire world. But he did not stay with the topic.

“Don’t you want to give it a try?”

Obviously the ten-year-old boy did not understand the conversation between the two youngsters. Wasn’t that circular shaft a very fine-looking and very expensive ultra-thin crystal screen? It also had great TV signal reception earlier. What else is left to try?

But Li Wei’s face turned serious at these words. Holding the thin circular shaft tightly with his right hand he cautiously pushed at a hard-to-spot small metal piece.

……

ZAP! ZAP! A strange sound resonated under the big green tree as a faint blue electric arc shot out from the tip of the shaft with awe-inspiring and soul-stirring beauty. The arc traveled with a half-meter radius and quickly circled back to the tip of the shaft.

The young boy threw himself to the ground as soon as he saw the blue electric arc and quickly placed both of his hands behind his head. Obviously in the past, orphans on the streets had suffered a great deal of torture from this type of weapons. Li Wei’s face turned slightly pale. Gazing at Xu Le stupidly, he asked in a trembling voice.

“Holy cow! You call this an electric prod?”

“It just looks scary. The attacking power is not even half of the military models. But those ones require major efforts to mod,” Xu Le said with a frown. “Make sure you only use this when you pick fights with those street punks. You’ll be in deep trouble if you let anyone from the Number 2 Substation see it.

Li Wei quickly thrust the circular shaft underneath his jacket and kept staring at Xu Le with disbelief.

“I thought this thing would just make a few sparks at most…you…you are a goddamned genius.”

By then Little Qiang had also got back onto his feet and stared at Xu Le as though he was worshiping an angel. Although they were only orphans and had very little education, they still could imagine what talent would be required to mod the most beautiful ultra-thin portable crystal screen on the market into such powerful electric prod!

“But I am a genius….” Xu Le raised his bushy eyebrows slightly.

This reaction didn’t look arrogant in any way, and instead, made the youngster appear extremely sincere and honest.

Li Wei gazed earnestly into his eyes and finally asked sincerely, “Xu Le, you must have put in a lot of work on this thing. You did all these just…just so you could watch Jan Shui-Er?”

“Of course,” Xu Le replied with an even more sincere tone.

Li Wei felt a sudden urge to beat the hell out of him. But eventually he only scolded, “You are an idiot!”

……

Xu Le watched on until the two shadows vanished into the dark night by the edge of the city. Feeling a bit relaxed, he reached back, pulled up the hood hanging from his leisure jacket, and put it over his head, making sure his entire face was well covered in the shadow. Then he walked down the green hill, away from the big green tree, and followed a different road, walking toward another residence district of the Riverwest State capital.

However, the journey home for the youngster today was not trouble free. Right by the street lamp at the entrance of the Rolland Street, he was stopped.

“The hood cannot hide your face…I think we met four years ago.”

Under the dim street light, the figure of the Deputy Chief of the Riverwest State Police Number 2 Substation, Bao Longtao, appeared extra murky and fearful. He stared at the young lad in front of him, who was at least two heads shorter than him. He stared at the hat that hid the youngster’s face and uttered the cold words.

Now support the author Maoni by clicking this link, and support the translator Lanny by following my blog! :)

Video of the Day:

I almost fall off my chair laughing! Hope you get a kick out of this too. Here I present you: Indian Superman!

Lanny's 2012 New Year Resolutions

2009-04-22T17:07:00.002-06:00

First of all, Happy New Year to you all! Wish you all a very productive year ahead of you!!

Well, it's that time of the year again -- time to make a new list of new year resolutions. So what are you putting on your list this year? But before you start, maybe it's a good idea to pause for a minute and think how well you did with your resolutions in the past year.

One thing is for sure, the year of 2011 went by too quickly!! There were many things I wanted to finish but didn't. I am still working on my dissertation and there are still a lot left to be done. I didn't translate as much as I wanted and I also didn't post as many blogs as I had hoped. But the good thing is that I did translate some and I also did post some blogs. =) I also designed the robot I want to build and bought most of the parts. Still need to put them together and write some code to drive that thing. Let's hope that gets completed this year!

There are two very different methods of achieving success. One method is to really lower your expectations. For example, the Mars Rovers were only expected to work for 90 days, and now 6 years later, they are still working. What a great success. The other method is to set really high goals, and then even if you only accomplish a portion of what you set out to do, you would have already accomplished a lot. You'll probably find both methods applied in my new year resolutions.

Anyway, here's the resolution list for this year:

1. I will try my best to go to bed before midnight every day.
Maybe not getting enough sleep every day resulted in low performance and low efficiency. I'll make sure I get 7 hours of sleep each day this year! I also need more sleep because I'll be exercising more this year and I need the sleep to rejuvenate. (Method 2)

2. I will graduate before the world ends.
It has already been 5 years since I started grad school. Time is running out since my advisor's funding, my personal funding, and the world (according to the Mayan calendar) will all end soon. So I am DETERMINED to get my PhD before the world ends!! (Method 1)

3. I still hope I can post two blogs each day.
I actually started many drafts. The key is to complete them and publish! (Method 2)

4. I still plan to translate one page each day.
I actually translated quite a bit last year. Just didn't post them all because I wanted to mix robot related posts with translation related posts. I'll still try to stick to this plan this year! (Method 2)

It's 23 minutes past midnight already. Doh!! I better go to bed now! Wish you all have a great New Year Resolutions List and with you all stick to it!!

Video of the Day:

A great way to strength your lower back. Wish you a very healthy 2012! (And just love this mafia accent!)

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 4

2009-04-21T16:00:00.004-06:00

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 3

第七式九鬼拔马刀

接上式，两臂分开成侧平举，手心向上。然后右臂屈肘，右手至头后，腰略弯，头略左摆，食指中指第一关节夹住左耳垂，食指微提，中指微下压，并轻轻向右牵拉。同时左肘弯曲，左手背贴背部上移于两肩胛之间，尽力上抬，手指向上，并向左转体；微屈膝，低头看右脚背。而后身体慢慢恢复原势，头左转向后看（左图）。定式后约静立半分钟。反方向再仿一次（右图）。

7^th Stance: Nine Ghosts Drawing the Saber

Continue from the last stance. Open your arms and move to the side at should height with the palms facing up. Then bend the right arm and reach your right hand behind your head. Bend your waist slightly and lean your head to the left slightly. Use the first joint of the index finger and the middle finger to grip the left earlobe. Lift gently with the index finger while pushing down gently with the middle finger and pull gently to the right. At the same time bend the left elbow and place the back of your left hand upward so it is between the two shoulders. Raise your left hand as high as possible. Point the fingers upward and turn your body left. Bend knees slightly and look down at the top of the right foot. Then slowly return body to the original position. Turn your head to the left and look behind your shoulder (see left figure). After completing the stance stand still for about half a minute. Then perform and stance in opposite direction once (see right figure).

第八式三盘落地

接上式，左脚向左跨一步，两脚尖外撇。两臂侧平举，掌心向下。而后两腿弯曲成骑马蹲裆势，同时两掌下按，与膝齐平。然后两臂外旋，两手翻为仰掌，两腿同时缓缓伸直站立，两臂随之慢慢上抬成侧平举。下按时呼气，意念两掌心，如按浮木﹔上抬时吸气，仿佛两掌心放有重物。反覆做三至五次。

8^th Stance: Three Bases Dropping to the Ground

Continue from the last stance. Take a step left with the left foot and point the feet outward. Hold your arms out flat at the side of the body at shoulder height with palms facing down. Then squat down into a horse stance and pushing downward with both palms at the same time until they are at knee height. Then rotate both arms outward and turn both palms to face up. Slowly straighten both legs to stand up at the same time and naturally raise both arms so they are flat at the side of the body. Exhale when pushing down and set your mind on the center of the two palms as if you were pushing down floating logs in water. Inhale when raising the palms as if there were heavy objects inside the two palms. Repeat three to five times.

Again our friendly Mr. Bruce Wen happily demonstrates the two stances for you and explains what each stance is good for. If he is right, then it is recommended that you perform these two stances at a location where a convenient restroom is nearby. Remember, Mr. Wen's version might be slightly different from the version I translated.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 5

Picture of the Day:

I wanted to check out Google's new 3D trip planner so I searched for driving directions from Orem, UT to China. It's really interesting that Google Map suggested "Kayak across the Pacific Ocean", and it only estimated 14 days and 5 hours for this feat! I figured that I might have a slight chance of accomplishing that if I can fully master the 12 stances of Tendon-Altering Sutra! LOL!

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 2 (1)

2009-04-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

Chapter 2: Palace of White Jade in Heaven

ONE

Bai Yujing^{^[1]} was not in heaven, but on a horse.

His saddle was almost completely worn out; same goes with his boots and the scabbard of his sword. However, his clothes were brand new.

The scabbard dangled loosely against the saddle as the spring breeze gently stroked his face.

He was very cheerful and very comfortable.

The aged saddle was very comfortable for sitting; the well-worn boots felt very comfortable on his feet; the old scabbard would never cause damage to the sharp edge of his sword; new clothes always put him in high spirits and feel vigorous and energetic.

What he was most cheerful about, however, were not these things, but that pair of eyes.

In the horse-drawn carriage in front of him, a pair of charming eyes had been peeking at him all the time. This was not the first time he saw those eyes. He could still remember the first time when he saw those eyes. It was inside a small inn in a small town.

He had just entered the inn when she walked by and bumped into him.

Her lovely smile was filled with shyness and embarrassment, and her face was as red as the rain-soaked sunset.

He secretly hoped that she would bump into him again, because she was really a very attractive lady while he was really not a hypocritical gentleman.

The second time when he saw her, it was inside a small restaurant. He had just begun his third drink when she walked in. As soon as she recognized him, she hung her head with the sweetest smile.

The sweet smile was still filled with shyness and embarrassment.

At that time he smiled too, because he knew she would not have smiled again and again had she bumped into another person. He also knew that he was not an unattractive man, which he had always been very confident with.

Therefore even though he left first, he did not hurry with his journey.

As expected, her carriage had caught up with him by now, but did this happen by chance or by purpose? He was a rover who enjoyed wandering the world. Along his journeys, he had met all kinds of people.

Among them were red-bearded barbarians who roamed the grasslands outside of the Great Wall and heavily-armored cavalries who galloped the great deserts. There were also ill-tempered outlaws that would slaughter at the slightest argument, as well as young and daring champions of Martial World chivalry.

The endless wandering gradually worn his saddle and scabbard, and his beard grew thick and stiff.

But his life was always fresh and colorful.

He could never foresee in the next part of his journal what things might happen or what kind of people he would meet.

The spring breeze gradually grew chilly, and a misty spring shower suddenly spilled off the spring clouds, moisturizing his new spring outfits.

The carriage ahead of him halted. As he rode closer, he found that the curtains had already been rolled up and that pair of charming eyes gazed at him intently.

The charming eyes, a shy smile, a lovely face untouched by makeup, and a dress as vivid as the violet twilight made up a breathtaking scene.

She pointed at her delicate feet, then at his newly wetted clothes, her slender fingers as pretty as the scallions of the spring season.

He pointed at himself, then at the carriage.

She nodded, and then with a charming smile, opened the door.

The interior of the carriage was cozy and dry. The silky seat covers were as smooth as her skin.

He dismounted his horse and stepped up into the carriage.

The spring shower was tender and intimate – it rained just at the right time.

In spring time, the Heavenly Lord seemed to be very fond of arranging intriguing occasions to bring together fine people in fortuitous encounters.

There was neither the slightest bit of awkwardness, nor unnecessary words, as though it was his destiny to meet her and his destiny to sit in this carriage.

Along a lonesome journey and between a pair of lonesome travelers, no one could object to their cross of paths.

Just when he thought of wiping the rain drops off his face with his sleeve, she handed him a handkerchief of soft, red silk.

He gazed at her, but she hung her head to play with a corner of her dress.

“You’re welcome.”

“My name is Bai, Bai Yujing.”

She let out a charming smile and then chanted gently.

“A palace of white jade in heaven,

Has pavilions five and castles a dozen,

Where the deity stroked my pate and coiled up my hair,

And blessed me longevity as my welfare.”

“You like Li Bai^{^[2]} too?” He smiled as well.

She entangled the corner of her dress to her slender fingers and began to recite in a low, lengthened voice.

“On the mountain of Lao by the east sea,

I once savored the violet twilight carefree,

Where I met the legendary immortal Elder An Qi^{^[3]},

Who shared with me melon-sized fruits of jujube.

Only as a middle-aged man I called on his Majesty,

Failing my aspiration I return home despondently.

My once youthful face had withered in the spring sun,

And the graying of hair in life had inevitably begun.

I crave the golden elixir of eternity,

And to ride the carriage of clouds in serenity.

Up the heavenly terrace I follow the elder in pleasure,

To sweep fallen petals with the celestial at leisure.^{^[4]}”

Her voice had a slight pause at the mentioning of the mountain of Lao.

“Miss Lao?” Bai Yujing guessed.

Her head bowed even lower, and a soft voice replied, “Yuan Zixia^{^[5]}.”

Suddenly the sound of galloping hooves echoed as three horses raced past the carriage, and three pair of sharp eyes glanced over the inside of the carriage.

As the horses sprinted forward, the last rider suddenly leapt off his saddle in a back flip and landed on Bai Yujing’s saddle twenty feet away. With a tap of his tiptoe, he hooked the scabbard that hung from the saddle and caught it with his hand.

The three horses suddenly turned around, and with another swift flip, the man returned to his own saddle at ease.

Only moments later, the three riders had disappeared into the hazy mist of shower, no longer to be seen.

“They stole your sword!” Yuan Zixia exclaimed, her beautiful eyes widening.

Bai Yujing only replied with a grin.

“You just watch them taking away your belongings and not do anything about it?” asked Yuan Zixia.

Bai Yujing grinned again.

“I heard that in the Martial World some people hold their sword as dearly as their own lives,” Yuan Zixia bit her lips and said.

“I am not that kind of person,” replied Bai Yujing.

Yuan Zixia sighed softly as if she was slightly disappointed.

Are there young girls who didn’t adore heroes? If you fight others to death for the sake of a sword, they might think of you as a fool, or they might even shed tears for you.

But if you simply watch it happen when others take away your sword, they would undoubtedly be very disappointed.

“Do you know much about the Martial World?” Bai Yujing looked at her and grinned once again.

“Not much. But I like hearing stories and watching with my own eyes.”

“Is that why you left home all by yourself?”

Yuan Zixia nodded and began toying with the corner of her dress once again.

“Fortunately you have not seen much; otherwise you’d for sure be disappointed.”

“Why is that?”

“Things you see are never as beautiful as the stories you hear.”

Yuan Zixia wanted to ask more, but then refrained from the urge.

Right then, sound of galloping hooves suddenly filled the air again. The three riders that had zoomed by them returned.

The leading rider suddenly leaned backward toward the side and extended his arm. In the next instant, he had gently returned the scabbard back to its former place alongside the saddle.

The other two riders bowed slightly with cupped hands[6], and moments later, all three disappeared into the hazy mist yet again.

Yuan Zixia’s eyes widened from the shock and excitement.

“They brought your sword back!”

Bai Yujing grinned.

“You knew they were going to bring it back?” Yuan Zixia blinked.

Bai Yujing grinned again.

“They seemed to be afraid of you!” Yuan Zixia gazed at him, her eyes glowed with enthusiasm.

“Afraid of me?”

“Your…your sword must have killed many people!” Yuan Zixia exclaimed, her voice trembled from excitement.

“Do I look like someone who has killed before?” Bai Yujing asked.

“Not really,” Yuan Zixia had to admit.

“I didn’t think so either.”

“But why are they afraid of you?”

“Maybe they are afraid of you, not me!”

“Me? Why would they be afraid of me?” Yuan Zixia giggled.

“One smile can crumple a city, and a second smile can crumple a kingdom^{^[7]}! Even the sharpest sword is no match for a beauty’s smile,” Bai Yujing exclaimed.

Yuan Zixia’s smile became even sweeter. Eyes winking, she asked, “Are you…are you afraid of me?”

Her eyes seemed to be suddenly radiating with irresistible power, as though she had just posed a challenge for him.

“I guess you wouldn’t take no for an answer!” Bai Yujing heaved a sigh.

“If you are afraid of me, shouldn’t you do as I say?” Yuan Zixia bit her lips again.

“Naturally!” replied Bai Yujing.

“Good! Then I want you to have a drink with me,” Yuan Zixia commanded with a pretty smile blooming on her face.

“You can drink?” Bai Yujing was caught by surprise.

“Do I look like someone who can drink?”

“You do!” Bai Yujing answered with another sigh.

He had no choice but to admit, because he knew very well whether it was drinking or killing, one could never tell who’s good at it just from his or her looks.

[1] “Bai Yujing” means palace of white jade, the same words used in the first line of the poem at the beginning of chapter 1.

[2] Li Bai (701-762), a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, the author of the poem recited here.

[3] An Qi (nicknamed Thousand-Year-Old Elder) was a Taoism philosopher during the Qin (221-207 BC) and Han (202 BC-220 AD) eras. He was said to have become a celestial after taking some potion he had made himself. He was a very important figure in history because he set the example of becoming a celestial from taking magical pills.

[4] Another poem by Li Bai and my pathetic attempt at translating it.

[5] “Zixia” means violet twilight in Chinese. In the original poem in Chinese, the phrase “mountain of Lao” was right next to the phrase “violet twilight”, hence, the wrong guess on Bai Yujing’s part.

[6] A traditional way of greeting in Chinese culture.

[7] Excerpts of a poem describing the beauty of Madam Li, sister of the poet Li Yannian, who later became the imperial concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). The story about the power of a beauty’s smile came from a real historical event. During the ruling of Emperor You of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-771BC), the imperial concubine Bao Si never smiled. In order to make his lover smile, Emperor You followed the advice from his minister and lit the war signal fire used to summon warlords to protect the empire from the northern barbarians. The chaos created by the many armies hurrying in did make the imperial concubine smile, but also angered the many warlords, so when the northern barbarians really invaded the capital a few years later, no warlord showed up to protect the capital despite the war signal fire. The emperor and his minister were both killed, which marked the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

Jet Li demonstrating on a talk show why Tai-Chi is more than an old-men exercise.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 3

2009-04-19T16:00:00.003-06:00

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 2

第五式倒拽九牛尾

接上式，左手由上经左侧至左胯外侧，掌心向上，手指内屈，右手由背后伸至肩高时屈肘，变成虚握拳，上体与左腿成一条斜线，与地面约成45度。右脚向右跨一步，同时向右转体90度成右弓步势，右膝关节弯曲，膝盖不超过脚尖，外形动作似用力拉车状。呼吸自然，意念两手心。然后身体左转，左脚向前上一步，左手伸向前，右手伸向后，动作相同，方向相反（右图）。

5^th Stance: Pulling Nine Bulls by Their Tails

Continue from the last stance. Move left hand downward past the left side of your body until it reaches the outside of the left hip. Turn palm facing upward and bent the fingers inward slightly. Raise the right hand up from behind your back until the arm is at shoulder height, then bend the elbow and transform palm into a hallow fist. The upper body and the left leg should now be inclined to form a 45 degree angle with the ground. Move right foot one step to the right and at the same time turn your body right 90 degrees and from a front stance toward the right. Bend the right knee but the knee should not exceed the toes of the right foot. The posture resembles pulling hard on a wagon. Maintain natural breathing and focus your mind on the two palms. Then turn your body left and take a step forward with your left foot. Reach the left hand forward and extend the right hand back. The movements are the same just to the opposite direction (see right figure).

第六式出爪亮翅

接上式，右腿用力蹬地，向前上一步，落于左脚内侧，成立正姿势。两臂均回收于腰间，拳心朝上。然后两拳变掌，同时向前推掌，掌心向前，指尖与肩斋平。向前推掌要重如推山。推掌时意想推窗望月，返回时五指微张，慢慢收向两胁，意想海水返潮。反覆七次。

6^th Stance: White Crane Spreading Wings and Extending Claws

Continue from the last stance. Firmly push the ground with the right leg and then take a step forward so the right foot lands next to the inside of your left foot and you are standing straight (the Attention position in military drills). Retract both arms back next to your waist still holding fists with the palm side facing upward. Then open the fists and shift hands into the palm form. At the same time push your palms forward. The centers of your palms should be facing forward, and the finger tips should be at shoulder height. Push palms forward as though you were pushing a giant mountain. Imagine that you are pushing windows open so you can appreciate the beauty of the moon when pushing palms forward. When retracting the arms, slightly separate the fingers and slowly retract arms back to the sides of your waist. Imagine the tidal waves retracting to the ocean. Repeat seven times.

Now let's see how Mr. Bruce Wen does it and explains it. Remember, it might be slightly different from the version I translated.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 4

Video of the Day:

I also do this intense abs workout twice a day! It's a good one!

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research (Part 6)

2009-04-18T10:00:00.006-06:00

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 5

I have discussed several top conferences related to my research. Now moving on to top symposiums. These symposiums are like workshops where new ideas are presented and discussed to get a reality check from the fellow researchers and also to brainstorm. However, they normally last for several days and give the participants plenty of time to collaborate and discuss things.

Top Symposiums
==================================================================

RO-MAN -- IEEE International Symposium on Robots and Human Interactive Communications

RO-MAN workshop/symposium addresses fundamental issues of co-existence of human and intelligent machines such as robots and recent advancements of technological as well as psychological researches on every aspect of interactive communication and collaboration between robots and humans. Originally founded by several Japaneses researchers in 1992, the symposium has grown to attract much attention from researchers around the world. For example, the last RO-MAN included papers from 17 different countries. Solicited subjects cover a wide range including (but not limited to) ones such as socially interactive robots, entertainment robots, human assisting robots, human training robots, education robots, and robotic arts.

The RO-MAN symposium/workshop is a two-track event held annually, therefore, relatively small, holding about 70 to 280 participants. Papers accepted are mostly six pages long. I have never attended the RO-MAN symposium, and I couldn't find any information on the acceptance rate of the workshop. I would guess the acceptance rate is much lower compared to the top conferences I had blogged about before

Since the last RO-MAN symposium just happened last month, the location for the next RO-MAN symposium Ro-Man 2012 (the 21th) is still unknown at this point.
Conference Dates: July 31-August 3, 2012 (roughly)
Submission Deadline: March 1, 2012 (roughly)

AAAI Spring/Fall Symposium Series

The AAAI Spring/Fall Symposia are great places to meet peer researchers in a more intimate setting and a relaxed atmosphere to share ideas and learn from each other's artificial intelligence research. The topics might change each year depending on symposium proposals received. Multiple symposiums of various topics will be held simultaneously and participants are expected to attend a single symposium throughout the symposium series. Besides the selected participants by the program committee (authors of accepted papers), only a limited number of people are allowed to register in each symposium on a first-come, first served basis, due to limited seats (the Symposium series are actually quite popular).

The Fall Symposium series is usually held on the east coast at Arlington, Virginia during late October or early November.

Each symposium will have a distinct research interest. For example, the AAAI 2011 Fall Symposia have the following seven topics:

Advances in Cognitive Systems
Building Representations of Common Ground with Intelligent Agents
Complex Adaptive Systems: Energy, Information and Intelligence
Multiagent Coordination under Uncertainty
Open Government Knowledge: AI Opportunities and Challenges
Question Generation
Robot-Human Teamwork in Dynamic Adverse Environment

The last one about Robot-Human Teamwork would be the one I am interested in. Sometimes you can find the papers accepted at the symposium-specific web sites. But they really want you to buy the technical report at $35.

The next AAAI Fall Symposia AAAI 2011 Fall Symposia will be held at Arlington, Virginia, USA.
Symposia Dates: November 4-6, 2011
Submission Deadline: May 20, 2011

The next AAAI Fall Symposia you can submit a paper to is AAAI 2012 Fall Symposia
Symposia Dates: November 4-6, 2012 (Roughly)
Submission Deadline: May 20, 2012 (Roughly)

The Spring Symposium series is typically held during spring break (generally in March) on the west coast at Stanford. This one is actually my preferred one because Stanford University is not that far away from Utah, and I also lived in the neighborhood for three months.

The next AAAI Spring Symposia include the following six topics:

AI, The Fundamental Social Aggregation Challenge, and the Autonomy of Hybrid Agent Groups
Designing Intelligent Robots: Reintegrating AI
Game Theory for Security, Sustainability and Health
Intelligent Web Services Meet Social Computing
Self-Tracking and Collective Intelligence for Personal Wellness
Wisdom of the Crowd

I have never attended either the Spring or Fall Symposia, but I was the co-author of a paper that got accepted at the AAAI Spring Symposium 2009 under the topic Agents that Learn from Human Teachers. It would be great if I could publish here again in the near future. It's always fun to visit the Silicon Valley!

The next AAAI Spring Symposium AAAI 2012 Spring Symposia will be held at Stanford University, Palo Alto,California, USA.
Symposium Dates: March 26-28, 2012
Submission Deadline: October 7, 2011

A good friend of mine, Janet, passed away this morning because of Acute Leukemia. Wish her peace in heaven! Lessons learned: Complete all those projects you want to do before a doctor tells you that you only have 5 days to live. Let's see, I need to finish my PhD, finish translating SPW, finish building a robot, and make up all the blog posts. Man! I better get working!

Robot of the Day: Panasonic's Hair-Washing Robot

2009-04-17T10:22:00.001-06:00

Washing your hair might not be a difficult or tedious task that needs to be automated, unless you are a disabled person, an elderly, or a nurse at a hospital who has to give many patients many hair washes everyday.

At the International H.C.R. Exhibition (International Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition) 2010 held at Tokyo last year, Panasonic demoed a prototype robot that's capable of washing a person's hair autonomously. That robot had 16 fingers. In the upcoming H.C.R. 2011. Exhibition that will be held next week at Tokyo, Japan, Panasonic will demon a newer version of the hair-washing robot, one with 24 fingers and supposedly capable of delivering a more comfortable wash.

The hair-washing robot, with the size of a washing machine, is fully automous and can perform all the tasks of your regular hairdresser from wetting to shampooing, rinsing, conditioning and drying. It can even give you a head message at the end of hair wash like how most hairdressers do it in China. The robot first scans the shape of the person's head and then uses two robotic arms to guide the 16 fingers to work on your head. Sensors built into these fingers also make sure they apply the right amount of pressure to your head so your head does not explode. The video below shows you how the robot works.

In the video the robot only worked on a dummy. I would have liked to see a real human getting served by the robot. I don't know if real human have been used to test the robot, but I am pretty sure this kind of experiments would never get approved by the IRB at the universities here in the US. (On a side note, all those military robots never seem to run into this IRB problem, somehow.)

It would be really fun to open a shop equipped with these robots. For now people would just walk in to get a hair wash and massage. In the future, customers might also get a haircut in these unmanned barber shops. That would my idea type of robots -- robots that work and make money for me, so I don't have to. LOL! Of course one challenge is to help people overcome their fear of the robot malfunctioning. In fact, the lack of regulations and rules regarding the liabilities and safety of such kind of robots (robots with close human-robot interactions) is the precise reason why Panasonic has not commercialized the robot. Rumor has it that the situation will change dramatically during the year of 2012.

To be honest, I don't mind having one of these at my house if I don't have to pay for it. I'll even wash my hair once a day! But what I really need is a robot that can wash my kids autonomously several times everyday. Somehow they are always dirty!

Now I know why some people don't hate mowing the lawn, because they either have a robot lawn mower or they have a self-propelled lawn mower (which counts as a half-robot). I got one of those self-propelled lawn mowers, and man, what a difference! Now mowing the lawn feels like walking the dog.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 2

2009-04-16T16:00:00.007-06:00

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 1

第三式掌托天门

接上式，身体不动，两臂由两侧同时缓缓上举，举至正上方时与肩同宽，此时屈肘翻掌，手心向上，掌指相对，双臂成U字形状，并尽力上托，同时尽力提踵，并咬牙叩齿，舌抵上颚，咽津液下送丹田。接看两脚跟外开，两臂缓缓下落至侧平举。下落时由小指到拇指依次弯曲握拳，两脚跟随之下落，手足还原。两臂由平举向上举时吸气，至托掌时略闭气或自然呼吸。定式后约静停半分钟。

3^rd Stance: Palm Lifting the Heavenly Gate

Continue from the last stance. While keeping the body static, slowly raise arms from the side until they are at shoulder width. Now bend the elbows and turn your palms so your palms are facing upward and the tips of your hands are pointing at each other. The two arms should be in a U-shape. Push hands upward with strength and at the same time raise your heels off the ground. Grit your teeth and push the palate with your tongue. Swallow saliva down to the Dan-Tian (lower abdomen) region. Then turn your heels outward and slowly lower your arms to the side until they form a straight line with your shoulders. While lowering the arms, bend your fingers inward in order, pinky first and thumb last, and lower your heels back to the ground. Inhale while changing your arm position from flat on your sides to a lifting position. Once reaching the lifting position hold your breath shortly or breathe naturally. After the stance is completed, hold the position for half a minute.

第四式摘星换斗

接上式，左臂由上经左下侧划弧，落于背后，手心向下，并尽力下按。右掌心翻向内下，臂上举，掌心向下﹔同时脖子向右扭转90度，头上仰，目视右掌。转颈时右脚跟提起内转与左脚成丁字步。身体重心在左脚（左图）。定式后静停约半分钟，仿三五次深呼吸。然后右手下落，左手上举，向左做摘星换斗（右图）。

4^th Stance: Picking Off Stars and Change the Big Dipper

Continue from the last stance. Move left arm downward in a circular motion until it is behind your back with palm facing down and push palm down with strength. Turn the right palm downward and raises the right arm with palm facing down; at the same time turn your head 90 degrees to the right. Lift your head slightly to stare at your right palm. While turning your head, lift the right heel and rotate it so it makes up a T-step with your left foot. Keep your body weight on the left foot (see left figure). Hold the position for about half a minute and take 3-5 deep breaths. Then lower your right hand and raise your left hand to perform the stance on the other side (see right figure).

Again, here's a video of Mr. Bruce Wen demonstrating the two above-translated moves with English explanations. Note it is slightly different. I'll show a few other videos that match the translation better at the end of the series, but those videos won't have English dubbing or subtitles.

Watch out for the remaining stances translated in my future blog posts.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 3

Video of the Day:

No, I don't do Tendon-Altering Sutra, although I am thinking about doing it. I do this intense chest workout twice a day instead.

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research (Part 5)

2009-04-15T10:00:00.003-06:00

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 4

Top Conferences
==================================================================

BRiMS -- Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation

BRIMS is a conference for modeling and simulation research scientists, engineers, and technical communities across disciplines to meet, share ideas, identify capability gaps, discuss cutting-edge research directions, highlight promising technologies, and showcase the state-of-the-art in applications. It focuses on Human Behavior Representation (HBR)-based technologies and practices and bridge the gap across the disciplines of cognitive and computational modeling, sociocultural modeling, graphical and statistical modeling, network science, computer science, artificial intelligence, and engineering.

BRiMS is mainly funded by military research agencies such as Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and Office of Naval Research (ONR). Every year, there's always a heavy presence of researchers from these military research labs. Therefore, if you plan to work for a military research lab, this is a great venue to network and meet potential employers.

BRiMS is a single-track conference, hence, a relatively small conference. It does have workshops and tutorials the day before the conference. Interestingly, every other year, the conference is always held at Sundance, Utah, which is only 20 minutes from where I live (which saves my advisor a bunch of money such as the airfare and hotel). Then the other year a location in eastern US will be selected as the conference hosting venue. I have been fortunate to publish at this conference in the past.

The next BRiMS conference BRiMS 2012 (the 21th) will be held at Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia Island, Florida, USA.
Conference Dates: March 12-15, 2012
Submission Deadline: December 10, 2011 (roughly)

DIS -- The ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems

DIS is a multi-track conference held biennially. It is the premier, international arena where designers, artists, psychologists, user experience researchers, systems engineers and many more come together to debate and shape the future of interactive systems design and practice. Particularly, it addresses design as an integrated activity spanning technical, social, cognitive, organisational, and cultural factors. As described by the Interaction-Design.org, "DIS conferences are usually attended by people like; user experience designers seeking to go beyond usability; interaction designers developing interactive objects and installations; usability people who want to improve experience for ‘users’; web designers who want to create better Web sites; information architects; user interface designers working across the board, including desktop systems, mobile devices, and interactive products; cognitive and social scientists; human factors folks; games designers involved with characters, narrative and game play; visual designers concerned with information design and the aesthetics of their systems; ethnographers and customer service and many more."

DIS is a prestigious conference which makes competition between submissions high. For example, the acceptance rate for DIS 2008 was 34%. Because interactive design can be used in many aspects, DIS is naturally an interdisciplinary conference, encompassing all issues related to the design and deployment of interactive systems.

The theme of the upcoming DIS 2012 focuses on what happens when interactive systems are used "in the wild". This seems to be a perfect fit for research topics such as using a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in wilderness search and rescue.

The next DIS conference DIS 2012 will be held at Newcastle, UK.
Conference Dates: June 11-15, 2012
Submission Deadline: January 20, 2012

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 6

Why do I always forget to eat lunch? This is not the right way to lose weight!

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 1

2009-04-14T09:50:00.275-06:00

Yi-Jin-Jing (Tendon-Altering Sutra), or 易筋经 in Chinese, is a famous Kung Fu from the Shaolin Temple School of Martial Arts. It is probably one of the most famous ancient Kung Fu manuscripts thanks to Mr. Jin Yong (Louis Cha), who used the Kung Fu manuscript in the story plots in two of his well-received Wuxia (Martial Heroes) novels: Smiling Proud Wanderer, and Demi-Gods and Semi Devils. It is considered one of the two top Kung Fu skills of Shaolin alongside the Xi-Sui-Jing (Marrow-Cleansing Sutra).

Both the Tendon-Altering Sutra and the Marrow-Cleansing Sutra were said to be granted to the Shaolin Temple by Bodhidharma (达摩), the monk from ancient India and the founder of the Zen school of Buddhism in China. The two manuscripts supposedly contained breathing and meditation techniques that can turn a normal person into a top-notch Grandmaster of martial arts.

Of course Mr. Jin Yong had greatly exaggerated the power of the Tendon-Altering Sutra in his storytelling, but the manuscript was not a mere fabrication of the author and really existed. You can actually download the manuscript from the Internet. Following the exercises described in the manuscript can certainly improve one's well-being. The only problem is that the manuscript is in Chinese. So a fan of my SPW translation asked me if I could translate the manuscript into English. I thought it would be fun for all my readers to get a real sense of what the Tendon-Altering Sutra is all about, so here you go!

Note that there are many different variations of the Tendon-Altering Sutra, each slightly different from one another. I just picked one of them to translate, and the videos might show slightly different movements. I picked this set of video because the guy in the video actually explains everything in English. Besides, he is just a funny guy! Enjoy!

易筋经十二式

The Twelve-Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (aka Tendon-Altering Sutra)

预备式

预备式身体正直站立，脚尖外撇，两脚与肩同宽。周身放松，澄心敛神。两臂自然下垂，紧贴两大腿外侧，下颔微收，两眼半睁半闭。做三次深呼吸。

Preparation Stance

Stand upright, slightly point toes outward, and keep feet shoulder width. Relax your entire body, clear your heart, and keep your mind focused. Let arms hang naturally and keep them close to the outside of your thighs. Tighten your chin slightly. Keep your eyes half closed half open. Take three deep breaths.

第一式韦驮献杵

身体正直，两脚跟靠拢，两脚尖外撇，成小八字形。两臂向前缓缓举起，手心相对，与肩同宽。举至肩平屈肘成90度角，立掌，同时吸气。而后缓慢合掌于胸前，同时呼气臆想四肢之气调入胸中，定式后静停一分钟。

1^st Stance: Skanda[1] Presenting the Vajra Pestle

Stand in an upright position, keep two heels close, and slightly point toes outward like the Chinese character eight. Keep arms shoulder width, slowly raise arms forward, palms facing each other. Raise arms until they are at shoulder height, fold forearms inward so each elbow is at a 90-degree angle. Bent palms backwards while breathing in. Then slowly put palms together in a prayer position in front of your chest. Breathe out at the same time and imagine that you are directing inner energy flows from your limbs into your chest. Hold the position for one minute.

第二式横担降魔杵

接上式，身体不动，两臂缓缓下落，并逐渐分手。两手落到丹田时稍停片刻，再下落时分向两侧，经大腿外侧向上成俯掌侧平举，两脚跟提起。手臂下落时要意沉丹田，平举时气随手行入掌心。呼吸自然，心平气和。定式后静停一分钟。

2^nd Stance: Shoulders Carrying the Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle

Continue from the last stance, slowly lower two arms without moving the body and gradually move arms outward. Stop briefly when your two hands reach the Dan-Tian (lower abdomen) region. Then lower your hands while moving them outward and let your hands move past the outer side of your thighs before bringing your arms upwards on the sides with palms facing down. Raise your arms until they are even with shoulder height. Raise your heels to stand on your toes. When lowering your arms, you must submerge you mind into the Dan-Tian region. When raising your arms on the side, direct the energy flow from each arm into the center of your palm. Breathe naturally and maintain a peaceful and calm mind. Hold the position for one minute.

[1] Skanda is a Bodhisattva in Buddhism scriptures.

The video below shows you how the above-translated stances are executed, demonstrated by Mr. Bruce Wen, a Shaolin monk (I couldn't verify that). It's one of the many videos on the Internet demonstrating the stances of the Tendon-Altering Sutra. It's actually slightly different from the version I translated, but this is the only one with detailed explanations in English.

Watch out for the remaining stances translated in my future blog posts.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 2

Video of the Day:

I Googled Mr. Bruce Wen and found this very interesting video below, in which he demonstrated how to get rid of your useless yellow page phone book and spare metal bars. (Disclaim: Don't try this at home or anywhere else!) Enjoy!

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (4)

2009-04-13T01:00:00.002-06:00

This one is a bit short. It's Gu Long's fault, not mine. :)

FOUR

The stone cell was ghastly and chilly, but Gongsun Jing started to sweat. Drops of soybean-sized cold sweats streamed down his pale face one after another.

Young Master Zhu looked at him, his gaze as tender as when he looked at his own hands.

“You must know it!” he said in a gentle voice.

“Know…know what?”

“Know who is thanking you.”

Clenching his fists, Gongsun Jing suddenly turned around and dashed out.

“Well, he really is a nice guy. What a pity that nice guys are always said to not live very long…,” Young Master Zhu murmured with another sigh.

“Suppose it is true that there are only seven people who are capable of getting through these thirteen traps. Who would they be?”

“One is for sure. No matter how you count them, he’d count as one of the seven.”

“Who is he then?”

“Bai Yujing^{^[1]}!”

[1] “Bai Yujing” means palace of white jade, the same words used in the first line of the poem at the beginning of the chapter.

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

Disclaimer: I do not mean any disrespect to the Indian people. But this video is just hilarious!! So be aware, never get Buffalaxed!

The challenges of evaluating the search efficiency of a UAV's coverage path (1)

2009-04-12T01:20:00.000-06:00

Imagine that you have won a shopping spree sweepstake at the local Walmart. Assuming that you know the layout of the store pretty well and have common sense on how much general merchandises are worth. Now for the next 2 minutes anything you grab are yours to keep for free, what would you do? Would you just start grabbing everything that are close to you such as orange juice, eggs, sausages, and breakfast cereals, or would you dash straight to that 60-inch LCD TV (or that 5 Carat diamond ring if you are a woman) at the furthest corner of the store? What is the best path you should take to maximize the total monetary value of the shopping spree?

Now just to make it a little bit more complicated, what if you only have 1 minute to grab things? Maybe you are asked to start from the cashier's lane and must return to the cashier's lane before your time runs out? What if your shopping cart was tinkered with and it doesn't roll backward? What if getting that 5 Carat diamond ring required a Walmart employee to unlock three things before you can get to it? What if you forgot to bring your glasses and everything looked totally blurry in front of your eyes? Looks like the wonderful dream of winning the sweepstake has just turned into a nightmare! "Why are you making it so hard for me?" you moan. And I shrug and tell you that those are all the challenges I face when I plan a coverage path for a UAV in support of Wilderness Search and Rescue operations.

The benefit of adding a UAV to the Wilderness Search and Rescue team is that now you have an eye in the sky and you can cover large areas quickly and also reach areas that are difficult for human on foot to reach sooner. When planning a coverage path for the UAV with a gimbaled camera, what we really care about is the path of the camera footprint. In our path-planning approach, we use a 4-connect grid to represent the probability distribution of where it is likely to find the missing person. Even though a fix-wing UAV might need to roll and follow a curvy path when it turns, the gimbaled camera can automatically adjust itself to always point straight down and the path of the camera footprint can include sharp 90 degrees turns. As the camera footprint covers an area, it "vacuums up" the probability within that area, and obviously the more probability we can "vacuums up" along the path, the more likely the UAV can spot the missing person.

When we evaluate how good a UAV path is, we focus on two factors: flight time and the amount of probability accumulated along the path. If a desired flight time is set (maybe due to the fact that the battery on the UAV only lasts for one hour), then the more probability we can accumulate, the better the path. If a desired amount of probability is expected (e.g., 80% probability of spotting the person from the UAV), then the sooner we can reach that goal, the better the path. My research focuses on the first type of case only where we plan a path for a given flight duration.

So how good or efficient is the path generated by our algorithm? A natural way to evaluate this is to compare the amount of probability the UAV accumulates along our path against what the UAV can accumulate along the best possible path and compute a percentage. A path with 50% efficiency means the path is half as good as the best we can do. The irony here is that we don't know what the best possible (optimal) path is, and searching for this optimal path might take a long time (years) especially when the probability distribution is complex (like how it is in real search and rescue scenarios), and it defeats the purpose of finding the missing person quickly. Many factors can also affect how the optimal path might turn out and change the total amount of probability accumulated if the UAV follows that path. Here I'll list the ones we must deal with.

1. Desired flight time

If the search region is very small, the UAV has 100% probability of detection (say we are searching in the Bonneville Salt Flats), and you have plenty of UAV flight time to completely comb the area many times, then life gets easier and you can be pretty sure that you will spot the missing person if the UAV follows a lawnmower or Zamboni flight pattern (assuming the missing person stays in a fixed location). If the search region is very large and you have a very short UAV flight time, then maybe there are areas you simple can never reach given the short flight duration. Remember the 2-minute shopping spree vs. a 1-minute one?

2. Starting position and possibly the ending position

If the UAV starts from the middle of the search region, the optimal path will most definitely not be the same as the one when the UAV starts from the edge of the search region. And if the UAV must return to a desired ending position (maybe for easy retrieval or returning to command base), time must be allocated for the UAV for the return flight. Ideally, while flying back, the UAV should still try to cover areas with high probabilities. In the example of the shopping spree case, if you are required to start from the cashier's lane and also return there before time runs out, you probably still want to grab things on your way back, maybe choosing a different route back.

3. Type of UAV (fix-wing vs. copter)

A fix-wing UAV must keep moving in the air in order to get enough lift to maintain airborne. It also cannot fly backward. But a copter type UAV doesn't have these restrictions. It can hover over a spot or fly backward anytime it wants. Therefore, the type of UAV we use can really change how the optimal path looks like. Remember the shopping cart that was tinkered with in your shopping experience?

4. Task difficulty (probability of detection)

Although the UAV provides the bird's eye view of the search area, some times we look but we don't see. Maybe because the dense vegetation makes spotting the missing person a very difficult task; maybe the weather is really bad with lowers the visibility; maybe the missing person is wearing a green jacket that blends in with the surroundings. This means the probability of detection might vary from case to case and search area to search area. When the probability of detection is low, maybe we should send the UAV to cover the area multiple times so we can search better. This factor really adds complexity to the evaluation of a UAV's path's efficiency. When it takes 30 seconds for the Walmart employee to unlock everything and get that 5 Carat diamond ring for you, is it worth the wait? Or maybe grabbing all those unlocked watches at $50 a piece in the neighboring section sounds like a better idea now?

Given all these complicated factors, I still need to find out how well my path-planning algorithm is performing in different search scenarios. In the following blog posts in this series, I'll go through each factor and discuss how we can reasonably evaluate the efficiency of a search path without knowing the optimal solution.

Video of the Day:

A video my friend Bev made when I showed her around the BYU campus!

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research (Part 4)

2009-04-11T10:00:00.005-06:00

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 3

Top Conferences
==================================================================

RSS -- Robotics: Science and Systems Conference

RSS is a single-track conference held annually that brings together researchers working on algorithmic or mathematical foundations of robotics, robotics applications, and analysis of robotics systems. The very low average acceptance rate of 25% makes the conference a very selective one. Accepted papers cover a wide range of topics such as kinematics/dynamic control, planning/algorithms, manipulation, human-robot interaction, robot perception, estimation and learning for robotic systems, and etc. One thing great about this conference is that all proceedings are available online for free

RSS is also a relatively new conference. The first ever RSS was held in 2005. However, the conference is growing quickly, attracting lead researchers in the robotics community with an expected attendance of over 400 for the next RSS conference. The conference also includes several workshops and tutorials. I have not submitted anything to the RSS conference in the past. It would be really nice if I could get a paper published here.

The next RSS conference RSS 2012 will be held at Sydney, Australia.
Conference Dates: June 27-July 1, 2012 (Roughly)
Submission Deadline: January 17, 2012 (Roughly)

SMC -- IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics

The SMC conference is a multi-track conference held annually. It provides an international forum for researchers and practitioners to report the latest innovations,
summarize the state-of-the-art, and exchange ideas and advances in all aspects of systems engineering, human-machine systems, and emerging cybernetics. Wikipedia defines the word Cybernetics as "the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems." Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory.

The SMC conference is sponsored by the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society, whose mission is: "... to serve the interests of its members and the community at large by promoting the theory, practice, and interdisciplinary aspects of systems science and engineering, human-machine systems, and cybernetics. It is accomplished through conferences, publications, and other activities that contribute to the professional needs of its members."

My interest in the conference lies in the human-machine systems track, especially under the topics of adjustable autonomy, human centered design, and human-robot interaction. This would be a good place to publish research related to UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and search and rescue robotics.

I have never submitted anything to this conference before and I can't find any information on the acceptance rate for the conference. But one thing for sure, this is not one of those "come and greet" conferences and all papers submitted go through a serious peer-review process.

The next SMC conference SMC 2011 will be held at Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
Conference Dates: October 9-12, 2011
Submission Deadline: April 1, 2011

The next SMC conference you can submit paper to is SMC 2012, which will be held in Seoul, Korea.
Conference Dates: October 7-10, 2012
Submission Deadline: April 1, 2012 (Roughly)

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 5

Why is every day so short? Wouldn't it be nice if we don't have to sleep?

How to find all the modes of a 3D probability distribution surface

2009-04-10T23:14:00.280-06:00

A 3D probability distribution surface can represent the likelihood of certain events in a specific region where a higher point on the surface could mean it is more likely for the event to happen. For example, a 3D probability distribution surface created for a Wilderness Search and Rescue (WiSAR) operation, whether systematically or manually or with a hybrid, can show the searchers areas where it is more likely to find the missing person. The distribution map can be used to better allocate search resources and to generate flight paths for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

An example 3D probability distribution surface

Because different path-planning algorithms may be better suited for different probability distributions (I appeal to the No-Free-Lunch theorem), identifying the type of distribution beforehand can help us decide what algorithm to use for the path-planning task. In our decision process, we particularly care about how many modes the probability distribution has. So how can we automatically identify all the modes in a 3D probability distribution surface? Here I'll describe the algorithm we used.

In our case, the 3D probability distribution surface is represented by a matrix/table where each value represents the height of the point. You can think of this distribution as a gray-scale image where the gray value of each pixel represent the height of the point. And we use a Local Hill Climbing type algorithm with 8-connected neighbors.

1. Down sample the distribution
If the distribution map is very large, it might be a good idea to down sample the distribution to improve algorithm speed. We assume the surface is noise-free. If the surface is noisy, we can also smooth it with a Gaussian filter (think image processing).

2. Check for a uniform distribution (a flat surface)
It is a good idea to check if the probability distribution is a uniform distribution. Just check to see if all values in the matrix are identical. If a uniform distribution is identified, we know the distribution has 0 mode and we are done.

3. Local Hill Climbing with Memory
Start from the a point of the surface and then check its neighbors (8-connected). As soon as a neighbor with the same or better value is found, we "climb" to that point. The process is repeated until we reach a point (hilltop) where all neighbors have smaller values. As we "climb" and check neighbors, we mark all the points we visited along the way. And when we check neighbors, we only check points we have not visited before. This way we avoid finding a mode we had found before. Once we find a "mode", we can start from another unvisited point on the surface and do another Local Hill Climbing. Here I use quotes around the word mode because we are not sure if the "mode" we found is a real mode.

4. Make sure the "mode" we found is a real mode

An Even-Height Great Wall

The "mode" we found using Local Hill Climbing might not actually be a real mode. It might be right next to a mode previously found and have a lower value (because we only checked unvisited neighbors in the previous step). It might also be part of another flat-surface mode where the mode consists of multiple points with identical values (think of a hilltop that looks like a plateau or think of a ridge). Things get even more complicated with special distributions such as this one on the right. And the "mode" point we found might be connected to a previously found mode through other points with the same value (e.g, the "mode" point is the end point of the short branch in the middle of the image.

Therefore, we need to keep track of all points leading to the final "mode" point that have identical values and check all the visited neighbors of these points, making sure this flat surface is not part of a previously found mode. If these points make up a real new mode, we mark these points with a unique mode count id (e.g, mode 3). If they are only part of a previous found mode, we mark these points so (e.g., mode 2). If one of them is right next to a previously found mode but have lower value, we mark these points as non-mode points. This step is almost like performing a Connected-Component Labeling operation in Computer Vision.

At the end of the algorithm run, we will have a count of how many modes the probability distribution has and also a map with all the mode points marked. With the Even-Height Great Wall distribution, the map would look just like the image (white pixels marking mode points) with 1 mode. And within Milli-seconds, the algorithm can identify the 4 modes in the example 3D surface above.

That's it! If you ever need to do this for your projects, you now know how!

Recursive functions work great for local hill climbing until you get a stack overflow.

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research (Part 3)

2009-04-09T01:25:00.008-06:00

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 2

Top Conferences
==================================================================

IROS -- IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems

IROS is a multi-track conference held annually. It is a premiere international conference in robotics and intelligent systems, bringing together an international community of researchers, educators and practitioners in the field to discuss the latest advancements in robotics and intelligent systems.

Every year, thousands of people all over the world attend the IROS conference and a large number of papers get published in the conference. For example, the IROS 2011 conference received 2541 papers and proposals and accepted 790 papers, with a 32% acceptance rate. However, the acceptance rate for IROS is normally much higher at around 55%. Every year the IROS has a different theme. The theme for IROS 2011 is Human-Centered Robotics, and the theme for IROS 2012 is Robotics for Quality of Life and Sustainable Development. However, people generally ignore the theme and submit whatever they have. I have been fortunate enough to attend the IROS conference in 2009 and published a paper on UAV path planning there.

The next IROS conference IROS 2011 will be held at San Francisco, California, USA.
Conference Dates: September 25-30, 2011
Submission Deadline: March 28, 2011

The next IROS conference you can submit a paper to is IROS 2012. It will be held at Vilamoura, Algarve, Portual.
Conference Dates: October 7-10, 2012
Submission Deadline: March 10, 2012

ICRA -- IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

ICRA is a multi-track premiere conference in the robotics community held annually. It is in the same league with IROS and is also a major international conference with large attendance. The ICRA 2011 conference held in Shanghai, China welcomed more than 1,500 people around the world. The acceptance rate for ICRA is about 45%.

ICRA also has yearly themes. The ICRA 2011 conference's theme was "Better Robots, Better Life". The ICRA 2012 conference theme will be "Robots and Automation: Innovation for Tomorrow's Needs". Again, if you are thinking about submitting something to ICRA, don't worry about the themes. Just submit what you have on whatever topic, as long as it is related to robots or automation.

I have submitted a paper to ICRA before, but very unfortunately, the paper fell into the hands of several electrical engineer reviewers because I picked the wrong key words. They seem to hold grudges against computer science researchers. The same paper was accepted at IROS without any major revision. It is likely that I'll be submitting to ICRA again in the future, but I will be super careful about what key words to use this time!!

The next ICRA conference ICRA 2012 will be held at St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Conference Dates: May 14-18, 2012
Submission Deadline: September 16, 2011

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 4

Video of the Day:

This is why the back of my jersey has Messi's name on it!

Robot of the Day: MABEL, the Two-Legged Running Robot

2009-04-08T23:01:00.135-06:00

MABEL (not an acronym) is the name of a bipedal "humanoid" robot created by researchers at University of Michigan. It just got its fame recently because it could run in a human-like gait at speeds up to 3.06 meters/second. That is 6.8 miles per hour. That is the world record for a bipedal robot with knees.

MABEL was originally built in collaboration with Jonathan Hurst, then a doctor student at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Then researchers at U-M spent years improving the feed-back system in MABEL's training. MABEL was intentionally built to look like a human, with a heavier torso and light flexible legs. When it is running, MABEL is in the air for 40 percent of each stride, which is almost like a real runner. The robot can self balance in real time with a closed-loop control, and switch gaits as commanded autonomously. It can even transition from completely flat surface to uneven grounds. The video below shows MABEL running.

The researchers envision that two-legged robots can travel over rough terrains and function better in places built for humans. They can be used to enable wheelchair-bound people to walk again or to be used for robot rescuers that can step over small obstacles. Biped robots certainly have the advantage over wheeled robots when it comes to bumpy surface or stairs, however one important factor is that biped robots look more human-like compared to say a three-legged or 6-legged robot. The truth is that many four-legged animals run much faster than us two-legged human, and multiple-legged insects handle uneven surface much better than two legged ones. But would you rather have a two-legged humanoid robot serving you a drink or an eight-legged spider-looking one? Actually even the same MABEL robot walking backward looks more like a bird and seems weird (see video below).

I could envision multiple-legged robots to be very useful in space colonization. Most likely the surface terrain at another planet would not be flat, and the multiple-legged robots could easily transport goods for human and explore the planet surface more efficiently.

Back to the MABEL robot. It's hard to describe the feeling when I watched the robot running with large strides. There's certainly some uncanny valley effects there, but there's something beautiful about the strides, because they looked natural. Now we just have to put a soccer ball in front of it and then teach it to dribble and shoot...

To find out more about the MABEL robot, visit the researcher's project page here.

Video of the Day:

An interesting Logitech commercial showing a biped humanoid blending in the human environment. Enjoy!

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research (Part 2)

2009-04-07T01:03:00.022-06:00

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 1

Top Conferences
==================================================================

HRI -- ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction

HRI is a single-track, highly selective annual international conference that seeks to showcase the very best interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research in human-robot interaction with roots in social psychology, cognitive science, HCI, human factors, artificial intelligence, robotics, organizational behavior, anthropology and many more. HRI is a relatively new and small conference because the HRI field is relatively new. The 1st HRI conference was actually held here in Salt Lake City, Utah, in March 2006, and my advisor, Dr. Michael A. Goodrich, was the General Chair for the conference. It is very unfortunate that I only started grad school two months after the 1st HRI conference and missed this great opportunity. *Sigh* HRI has been growing rapidly and gaining attentions from many research groups and institutions. The last HRI conference (6th) had attendance exceeding 300 participants. HRI is also a top-tier conference with an acceptance rate between 19% and 25%. As the conference becomes more and more popular, researchers from many research disciplines (e.g., human factors, cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, etc.) began participating in the conference.

The venue of the HRI conference rotates among North America, Europe, and Asia. I have been lucky enough to attend the conference twice, once in 2010 and once in 2011. In 2010, I attended the HRI Young Pioneer Workshop. The workshop is a great event because you not only get to make friends with a bunch of young researchers in the HRI field before the conference starts, you also get to see what other young researchers are working on. Besides, NSF is generous enough to cover a good portion of the airfare, which is great help for poor grad students. I liked the workshop so much that I joined the organizing committee for the next year's HRI Young Pioneer Workshop, and also hosted the panel discussion at the workshop. That was also the reason why I was able to attend HRI 2011. Also in both HRI 2010 and HRI 2011, I guarded my advisor's late-breaking report poster sessions because he couldn't make it.

I have never submitted anything to the main HRI conference. Since this is the top conference in my research field, I'd like to publish something before I graduate.

The next HRI conference HRI 2012 (the 7th) will be held at Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Conference Dates: March 5-8, 2012
Submission Deadline: September 9, 2011

CHI -- ACM/SIGCHI Human Factors in Computing Systems - the CHI Conference

CHI is considered the most prestigious conference in the field of human-computer interaction.It is a multi-track conference held annually. Because of the heavy interests and involvement from industry leaders, large tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Apple are frequent participants and organizers of the conference. CHI is a top-tier conference with acceptance rate between 20% and 25%.

Human-Computer Interaction is a broad field that includes both software and hardware. The goal of HCI is to develop methods, interfaces, interaction techniques to make computer devices more usable and receptive to the user's needs. These days computer devices could include a wide variety of things such as cell phones, tablets, game consoles, or gadgets. Thanks to the advancement of sensor technologies, a whole set of rich interaction techniques have emerged to work with gestures, device orientations, and motion of the device.

Many of the HCI design principles, interface designs, and interaction techniques are relevant in Human-Robot Interaction. After all, a robot must have some kind of computer embedded (whether tiny or full-size, whether one or multiple). In many HRI tasks, the human user could very well be interacting with the robot through a regular computer or a touch screen device (think tele-presence, for example). I have never attended the CHI conference before, but I have heard a lot about it from Dr. Dan Olsen at BYU because he was always some kind of chair in the CHI organizing committee. In fact, he'll be the paper chair in the next CHI conference.

The next CHI conference CHI 2012 will be held at Austin, Texas, USA.
Conference Dates: May 5-10, 2012
Submission Deadline: September 23, 2011

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 3

Every time when you clip your finger nails, think what you have achieved since you last clipped your finger nail. If you can remember what you did, then you have not wasted your life.

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (3)

2009-04-06T01:00:00.002-06:00

THREE

Miao Shaotian walked at the very end, gripping the pair of golden rings tightly in his hands, so tight that the blue veins on the back of his hands almost popped out.

He shouldn’t have come, but he must.

That merchandise seemed to be emitting a strange field of attraction, sucking him close one step after another. He was not going to give it up until the last moment.

Two statue-like guards stood at the entrance of the underground tunnel. Then for every dozen steps forward, two more guards stood along the way, their faces as grim as the green stones in the walls.

A rampant green dragon was carved onto the stone walls.

It was said that the Green Dragon Clan had three hundred and sixty-five secret branches. This was undoubtedly one of them.

At the end of the underground tunnel stood a gate made of very thick iron railings.

Gongsun Jing took out a large chain of keys from his waist band and then opened three locks with three of them. Only then did the two guards behind the iron bars pulled the gate open.

But this was still not the last gate.

“I know many people can get in here. The guards here are not difficult to deal with. But from here onward would prove to be an arduous task,” Gongsun Jing explained.

“Why’s that?” Young Master Zhu asked.

“Between here and that stone door over there, there are a total of thirteen hidden traps. I can guarantee that there are no more than seven people in the entire world who could successfully get through all thirteen traps.”

“Luckily I am definitely not one of those seven people,” Young Master Zhu heaved a sigh.

“Why don’t you give it a try?” Gongsun Jing smiled even more politely.

“Perhaps I’ll give it a try at a later time, but not right now,” Young Master Zhu said.

“Why not now?” asked Gongsun Jing.

“Because I am perfectly happy staying alive,” replied Young Master Zhu.

The distance between the iron bars and the stone door was actually not far, but after hearing Gongsun Jing’s words, the path seemed to be ten times farther, and the stone door seemed to be even heavier.

Gongsun Jing used another three keys to unlock the door.

Behind the two-foot thick stone door was a nine-foot wide stone cell.

The room was ghastly and chilly as if it were the center of an ancient emperor’s tomb, only that a giant iron chest sat at the spot instead of the coffin.

Opening the iron chest of course required another three keys, but that was not the end of it because there was a small iron chest inside the giant one.

“Such maximum security perhaps deserves some higher prices from us,” Young Master Zhu said with a sigh.

“Young Master Zhu is very clever indeed,” said Gongsun Jing with a big smile.

Taking out the small iron chest, he unlocked it and opened the lid, but all of a sudden, his affable smile disappeared and his face looked as if someone had just shoved a rotten tomato down his throat.

The small iron chest turned out to be empty except a single piece of paper.

The paper only showed nine words, “Thank you! You are such a nice guy!”

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

Excerpt from the Shanghai World Expo Closing Ceremony Concert - Fusion of Art and Music. Enjoy!

Predictive Policing and Wilderness Search and Rescue -- Can AI Help?

2009-04-05T15:19:00.000-06:00

Santa Cruz police officers arresting a woman at a location
flagged by a computer program as high risk for car burglaries.
(Photo Credit: ERICA GOODE)

I came across an article recently talking about how Santa Cruz police department has been testing a new method where they use computer programs to predict when and where crimes are likely to happen and then send cops to that area for proactive policing. Although the movie "Minority Report" by Tom Cruise immediately came to my mind, that was actually not the same. The computer program was developed by a group of researchers consisting of two mathematicians, an anthropologist, and a criminologist. The program uses a mathematical model to read in crime data in the same area for the past 8 years and then predict time and location of areas with high probability for certain type of crimes. The program apparently can read in new data daily. This kind of program is attracting interests from law enforcement agencies because the agencies are getting a lot more calls for service when the number of staff is much less due to poor economy. This requires them to deploy resources more effectively. The article did not disclose much detail about the mathematical model (because it is a news article, not a research paper, duh), but it is probably safe to assume the model tries to identify patterns from past crime data and then assign probabilities to each grid cell (500 feet by 500 feet).

A multi-modal probability distribution predicting likely places
to find the missing person and a UAV path generated by algorithm.

I found this article especially interesting because in my research I am solving a similar problem with a similar approach. My research focuses on how an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) can be used more efficiently and effectively by searchers and rescuers in wilderness search and rescue operations. One part of the problem is trying to predict where are likely places the lost person might be found. Another part of the problem is to generate an efficient path for the UAV so it will cover those high probability areas well with limited flight time. I've also developed a mathematical model (a Bayesian approach) that uses terrain features to predict the lost person's movement behavior, and also incorporate human behavior patterns from past data in the form of GPS track logs.

In both cases, the problems arise because of limited resources.

It is very important to remember that no one has the real crystal ball, so predictions can not be 100% correct. Also the prediction is in the form of a probability distribution, meaning in the long run (with many cases), the predictions are likely correct a good percentage of the time, but for each individual cases, the prediction could very possibly be wrong. This applies to both predictive policing and wilderness search and rescue.

Another important question to ask is how do you know your model is good and useful. This is difficult to answer because, again, we don't know the future. It is possible to pretend part of our past data is actually from "the future," but there are many metrics, what if the model performed well with respect to one metric, but performed terribly with respect to another metric? Which metric to use might be related to the individual case. For example, should number of arrests be used to measure the effectiveness of the system? Maybe by sending police officers to certain areas would scare off criminals and actually result in a reduction in number of arrests.

The predictive policing problem probably holds an advantage over the wilderness search and rescue problem because a lot more crimes are committed than people getting lost in the wilderness resulting in a much richer dataset. Also path planning for police offices is a multiagent problem while we only give the searchers and rescuers one UAV.

One problem with such predictive systems is that users might grow to fully rely on the system. This is an issue of Trust in Automation. Under-trust might waste resources, but over-trust might also lead to bad consequences. One thing to remember is that no matter how complicated the mathematical model is, it is still a simplified version of the reality. Therefore, calibrating the user's trust becomes an important issue and the user really need to know the strength of the AI system and also the weakness of the AI system. The product of the AI system should be complementary to the user to reduce the user's work and remind the user places that might be overlooked. The user also should be able to incorporate his/her domain knowledge/experience into the AI system to manage the autonomy. In my research, I am actually designing tools that allow users to take advantage of their expertise and manage autonomy at three different scales. I'll probably talk more about that in another blog post.

Anyway, it's good to see Artificial Intelligence used in yet another real life applications!

You shall not carry a brass knuckle in Texas because it is considered an illegal weapon (but in California you'll be just fine). Don't you love the complication of the US legal system, which by the way, serves big corporations really well.

Robot of the Day: Mars Pathfinder and the Sojourner Rover

2009-04-04T12:01:00.216-06:00

On July 4th, 1997, which also happened to be the Independence Day of the United States, the Mars Pathfinder successfully landed on Mars. It made history because it was:

The third lander (since the two Vikings) successfully landing on Mars.
The first time a bouncing air bag landing mechanism was used for a lander.
The first time a robot rover was successfully deployed.
The first time a space mission was broadcasted on the Internet live.

After the successful landing, images of the mysterious red planet from the planet surface was broadcasted "live" on the Internet. This event had profound and extraordinary impacts on the public interests in space exploration, robotics technology, and web technologies, and inspired a generation of potential roboticists.

The Mars Pathfinder consisted of a lander and lightweight wheeled robotic rover named Sojourner (named after a a nineteenth-century black feminist and campaigner for the abolition of slavery). It was wrapped in large airbags. After entering the Martian atmosphere, a parachute was first deployed to slow down the falling of the capsule. Then a self-inflating airbag system in the shape of a tetrahedral was released, which "soft" landed on the terrain surface of Mars and rolled and bounced up and down all over the place. After the tetrahedral finally stopped rolling, the airbags were deflated and the lander unfolded itself, letting lose of the robotic rover. It is simply mind-boggling to see how the lander and the rover survived such vigorous movements, especially when one would have expected the scientific equipments on board to be very delicate devices. The video below shows some animations and footage of the landing process.

The main objective of the mission was to demonstrate it is possible to perform extraterrestrial exploration with low cost. As added benefit, the Mars Pathfinder also conducted some scientific experiments with a cameras, atmospheric structure instruments, and a spectrometer on the rover. The rover had six independently-controlled wheels and performed rock analysis as it roved about not far from the lander. The video below shows some footage of the rover moving about.

Roughly three months later, the mission control lost contact with the Pathfinder, but the mission had exceeded its goals just during the first month. Although still visible from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter up high in the Martian sky, the robot (system) had become fully autonomous and just wondered about like a lonely ghost. Just like its name suggests, it had finally broken free from its human masters and became a free, uh, robot!

When I interned at NASA Ames in California in 2009, I was very fortunate to spot a prototype of the Sojourner Rover at the Intelligent Robotics Group (see pic on the left). I am strong believer in space colonization because we must "spread the seeds of human civilization" before we totally destroy our planet earth. And to make space colonization possible, we totally need robots that can build habitats for us. I wish the government would spend more on robotics and space exploration instead of sending troops to other countries to torture their citizens under the name of spreading "democracy" and "freedom".

Anyway, if you want to find out more about the Mars Pathfinder, you can watch "The Pathfinders" Documentary on YouTube.

Picture of the Day:

Photo of a meteor taken by astronaut from the International Space Station.

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research (Part 1)

2009-04-03T22:36:00.016-06:00

Since my dissertation will be a paper-based dissertation, I need to publish a bunch of papers. My advisor has asked me to think about a schedule and a plan for where to submit my papers. There are many AI robot related conferences and journals out there. However, only some of them are quality ones. In this blog post I'll list some of the top ones, discuss what each conference is about, and identify paper submission deadlines. So if you are also thinking about publishing papers in the AI robot field, look no further. I've already done the homework for you.

Top Conferences
==================================================================

AAAI -- Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence

AAAI is a top-tier multi-track conference held yearly. It is a prestigious conference with an acceptance rate roughly between 25% and 30%. A very wide range of AI topics are covered at the conference including multi-agent systems, machine learning, computer vision, knowledge representation and reasoning, natural language processing, search and planning, integrated intelligence, robotics, and etc. The conference also includes many tutorials, workshops, consortium, exhibitions, and competitions.

The AAAI conference is devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines. It also aims to increase public understanding of artificial intelligence, improve the teaching and training of AI practitioners, and provide guidance for research planners and funders concerning the importance and potential of current AI developments and future directions.

I have been fortunate enough to attend the AAAI conference twice (2007 in Vancouver, BC and 2010 in Atlanta, GA, USA) and published a paper at the 2010 conference under the Integrated Intelligence track. I was also invited to present a poster for the same paper. In that same conference, I watched and blogged about the Robot Chess Competition.

The next AAAI conference AAAI-12 (the 26th) will be held at Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Conference Dates: July 22-26, 2012
Submission Deadline: February 8, 2012 (roughly)

IJCAI -- International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence

IJCAI is also a top-tier multi-track conference held biennially in odd-numbered years. The acceptance rate for this conference is roughly between 20% and 26%, which makes the it even more selective than many AI journals. It also covers a wide range of AI topics such as multiagent systems, uncertainly in AI, and robotics and vision. One difference between AAAI and IJCAI is that IJCAI is more of a real international conference with paper submissions from all over the world.

One thing great about this conference is that all proceedings of the papers are free to all from their web sites. They also provide video recordings of each session at the conference, so you don't have to be present at the conference and can still watch all the presentations as if you were really there. This is very rare for AI robotics conferences as far as I know and it is a wonderful service they are providing!!

I have not had a chance to submit anything to IJCAI. If possible, I'd really like to give it a try for the next one, and if you read the next line, you'll know why.

The next IJCAI conference IJCAI-13 (the 23rd) will be held at Beijing, China.
Conference Dates: August 3-9, 2013
Submission Deadline: January 25, 2013 (roughly)

AI Robot Related Conferences and Journals For My Research Part 2

Picture of the Day:

We found this very friendly black poodle wandering on the street, so we took her home while we looked for her owner. She was such a wonderful little thing and our entire family loved her. Luckily the owner saw our posts online and contacted us. My daughter was very sad to see her go, but we are very happy that she could finally go home! So if you have a pet, make sure you have a tag with your address and phone number. Could be real handy at times!

Thrun and Novig Offer Free "Intro to AI" Course at Stanford

2009-04-02T11:43:00.007-06:00

If you have studied Artificial Intelligence before, you probably already know who Thrun and Novig are. For those who have no idea, let me first introduce the two prominent researchers in the AI community.

Sebastian Thrun is a Computer Science professor at Stanford University. He also works for Google at the same time. His most famous achievement was to lead the team that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, a competition where unmanned cars had to cross the Nevada desert fully autonomously. He also helped develop the Google self-driving car, which has been secretly driving all over California freeways and local streets (I am not really sure if this is legal of not). He is also the co-author of a wonderful book, Probabilistic Robotics, which should be, in my opinion, a must read for robotics researchers. I have had the pleasure of meeting him briefly at a AAAI conference.

Peter Norvig, who had worked for Sun and NASA before, is now director of research at Google. He is the co-author of the most famous AI textbook, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, a book any AI researcher should have in his/her collection. This book was also my textbook when I took the Intro to AI course at BYU. I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation Dr. Norvig gave at Carnegie Melon Ames Campus and asked him many questions (maybe too many). His current research interest lies in data-driver approaches to solving AI problems, which should comes to no surprise since he works for Google.

So here's the great news!! The two will be teaching the course Introduction to Artificial Intelligence at Stanford during the Fall Semester of 2011 and have decided to open the course to everyone for free. This means not only all the course materials will be publicly available, including videos of the course in 15 minute chunks for your convenience (lecture runs 75 minutes long), you can also do all the homework/course assignments/quizzes and take exams just like a real Stanford student. They will be graded and if you pass the course, you get a certificate of completion from the instructors. You can also compare your grade to the grades of the real Stanford students.

Anyone can sign up for the course for free at this web page up to September 10th. Many of my friends have already signed up. The Intro to AI class I took at BYU is one of my favorite classes ever in my entire life. I am sure the one offered at Stanford will be just as fun. I, however, don't plan to do any of the assignments or take any of the exams, :) and will only enjoy the videos of the lectures.

I think it is wonderful that people are offering their teaching and knowledge to the entire world for free, because of their love and passion for the subjects. In the past, MIT has offered free courses online and there is, of course, the famous and wonderful Kahn Academy. If we all contribute a little to the world without thinking about what we get in return, we can make the world a better place every day!

Picture of the Day:

I was at the little restaurant called The Italian Place enjoying lunch when I found this on my computer. Is this because of the Italian connection?

Robot of the Day: Clocky, R2-D2-like Alarm Clock on Steroid

2009-04-01T00:30:00.009-06:00

Clocky is a robot alarm clock created by Gauri Nanda, a graduate from the MIT Media Lab. Unlike other stationary alarm clocks, this R2-D2 or Droid-like little robot rolls off your nightstand when it's time to wake up, and rolls all over your room while making cute noises. This also means, in order to stop the alarm, you can't just keep hitting the snooze button and have to really get up to chase down Clocky in order to turn it off. What a great idea!! In fact, this idea is so great that after graduation, Nanda started her own company, Nanda Home, to commercialize the product and have already made millions.

This is yet another one of those innovative ideas of using simple robots to solve real world problems. Clocky is not a complicated robot at all. In fact, it doesn't really have any navigational capabilities or make any intelligent decisions. It just runs around randomly, looks cute, and annoys the hell out of you. But you have to admit, it does get the job done. The only possible downside is that you might be so mad after waking up and want to throw it out of the window. Although it's build to withstand falls from your tables or nightstands, but it probably won't survive free fall from anything higher than the second floor. The robot sells for around $49, and you can find many with different colors from places such as Amazon. I must admit, this little robot makes a great gift idea. So if you ever plan to send me a gift...cough...you know...

Last year, the company made Clocky a cousin and named it Tocky. Tocky rolls around like a ball, can also play MP3 files, and is $20 more expensive. So pick the one that's easier to catch for you.

I really wonder if someone will make another robot that will chase Clocky down and shuts it off, so we can go back to our sweet dreams uninterrupted. I can imagine how hard it is to develop such a robot, because you probably have to understand concepts such as Kalman Filter or Particle Filter.

If it has a wiki page, it's worth something! (Now someone creates a wiki page for me please! :)

Video of the Day:

Check out Flying Alarm Clock. At first I thought this is Clocky moving in 3D. But I was wrong!

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (2)

2009-03-31T01:00:00.002-06:00

TWO

It was night.

There were no stars or moon, only dark clouds and intense winds.

But the courtyard was well lit by many lights and there was even a table of feast.

The middle-aged scholar was crooning an indiscernible song with lengthened tones as he served wine for himself. Out of the blue, he suddenly raised his wine cup toward a large banyan tree outside of the courtyard and smiled.

“I’ve long heard that Chief Miao has a wonderful wine tolerance that can hold an entire river. Since you are already here, why not come down and join me for a drink?”

Owl-like laughter quickly resonated from within the thick shades of the banyan leaves. A shadow shot down and landed on the ground like a shooting arrow, except that the landing was so delicate as if what just landed was no more than a four-ounce cotton ball.

The man had a pug nose, a wide mouth, and a head full or bright red hair. Three large golden rings hung from his left ear. Although he had landed squarely on the ground, the golden rings still jingled. He was indeed the highest chief of the Red-Haired Gang, “God of Fire”, Miao Shaotian^{^[1]}.

He stared right into the middle-aged scholar’s eyes, so intense as if there were flames burning inside his own eyes.

“You must be Branch Captain Gongsun of the Green Dragon Clan.”

“That is right. I am Gongsun Jing.” The middle-aged scholar stood up and cupped his hand in front of his chest in a solute^{^[2]}.

“Indeed a worthy figure of the Green Dragon Clan! Very keen eyes!” Miao Shaotian praised, and then followed with his owl-like laughter.

Sounds of hoof beats suddenly rose like stormy raindrops in rapid successions and quickly approached.

“Little Zhang San is here, too. Not slow at all,” said Miao Shaotian as he knitted his pair of flame-like think eyebrows.

The hoof beats suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and a clear voice rose together with loud laughter.

“Who dares to be late for a meeting with an underboss of the Green Dragon Clan?”

Amidst the loud laughter, a man leaped in over the walls. The man had a suit of snow white short robe. The front pieces of the robe were intentionally left open, baring the burly and muscular chest, yet the chest skin was even whiter than the robe.

“What a fine ‘White Horse Little Zhang San’! Haven’t seen you for a few years. How come you look even younger and more handsome now? If Lao Miao^{^[3]} had a daughter, I’d for sure let you be my son-in-law.” Miao Shaotian gave a thumb up and burst into loud laughter.

“Even if you really had a daughter, no one would dare to take her,” White Horse Zhang San said calmly.

“Why?” Miao Shaotian stared at him with bulging eyes.

“Look at your own face. I am sure your daughter can’t be any better,” replied White Horse Zhang San.

Miao Shaotian’s eyes bulged even bigger. After a long stare, he finally said, “We are here to do business today. There’s no hurry to start a fight.”

“How about a drink?” asked White Horse Zhang San.

“That, we’d better hurry! Come! Let’s start by toasting three cups to Branch Captain Gongsun!” suggested Miao Shaotian, his face immediately turning into a big smile.

“My wine capacity is no good. How about I toast a cup first for you three?” Gongsun Jing grinned.

“Three?” Miao Shaotian knitted his brows again.

A man’s voice crowed from the ridge of a neighboring house in reply.

“Since both the East-Bank Red Hair and the West-Bank White Horse have showed up, how dare I be late for the party?”

“Mount Taihang^{^[4]} Zhao Yidao^{^[5]}?” asked Miao Shaotian.

But he didn’t have to wait for an answer, because he had already seen a bright saber, a sharp saber!

The saber did not have a scabbard.

The bright saber was directly fixed to his red waist band.

The man wore a green arrow suit with a green handkerchief on his forehead. His red waist band looked even brighter than Miao Shaotian’s hair, a perfect match to the blood-red silk attached to the saber’s handle.

But Gongsun Jing’s gazes were as sharp as the man’s saber and glanced across the three men’s faces.

“The Green Dragon Clan sent out twelve invitations, but only three came. Are the other nine not coming?” he spoke slowly.

“Right on! Straight to the point!” said Zhao Yidao.

“I am sure the three of you didn’t come such a long way just to listen to nonsense,” said Gongsun Jing.

“Not at all,” said Zhao Yidao.

“As for the rest of the nine guests, at least three of them are not coming,” said Miao Shaotian with a nasty grin.

“Six,” corrected Zhao Yidao.

“I took care of those from the Green Bamboo Gang, the Iron Ring Clan, and the Li Family of Taiyuan^{^[6]},” declared Miao Shaotian.

“Our three friends from the Twelve-Wharf Coalition, the Yangtze River Gang, and the Guan Family Style Fists from Chenzhou^{^[7]} suddenly caught some odd deceases on their way here and all had terrible headaches, so…,” added Zhao Yidao.

“So…what?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“They don’t have headaches no more!” said Zhao Yidao.

“Who cured them?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“I did,” said Zhao Yidao.

“How?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“I chopped their heads off,” answered Zhao Yidao. He then added casually, “Nobody will still have a headache if his head is chopped off.”

“Great idea! Simple and effective!” Miao Shaotian guffawed.

“I am afraid the two senior masters of the Ten-Thousand Bamboo Villa and the Flying Fish Pond won’t be coming either,” White Horse Zhan San suddenly added.

“Oh?” exclaimed Miao Shaotian.

“They all fell asleep, very deep sleep,” said White Horse Zhan San.

“Where are they sleeping at?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“Bottom of the Dongting Lake^{^[8]},” replied White Horse Zhan San.

“Wonderful!” Miao Shaotian chuckled. “That’s a cool place to sleep at, and they’ll never be disturbed either.”

“I always take good care of seniors in the Martial World,” White Horse Zhang San said indifferently.

“All those that should be here are here already, but where’s the merchandise promised by the Green Dragon Clan?” Zhao Yidao asked.

“Excellent, straight to the point,” Gongsun Jing said with a smile.

“I am sure the Branch Captain didn’t invite us here just to listen to nonsense,” said Zhao Yidao.

“Of course not,” Gongsun Jing nodded slowly.

“Branch Captain, are you waiting to hear our prices first?” Zhao Yidao asked.

“Not yet,” replied Gongsun Jing.

“What are you waiting for then?” asked Zhao Yidao.

“This merchandise was not easy to come by. Of course we’d prefer more bidders for a higher price,” said Gongsun Jing.

“Is the Branch Captain still waiting for someone?” Miao Shaotian glared at him.

“Don’t forget that there were going to be nine more guests, but you only finished off eight,” said Gongsun Jing.

“Who’s the last one?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“A person who neither has a headache nor fall asleep,” Gongsun Jing beamed.

“Frankly speaking, the Red-Haired Gang WILL get the merchandise one way or another. Whether there’s someone else or not, it makes no difference,” Miao Shaotian sneered.

“The Green Dragon Clan is always fair when it comes to business. If your Red-Haired Gang offers the highest price, this merchandise of course will go to the Red-Haired Gang,” White Horse Zhang San also sneered.

“Are you saying you are bidding more?” Miao Shaotian roared sternly.

“Why else am I here?” retorted White Horse Zhang San.

Miao Shaotian jumped onto his feet and stared at him with squinted eyes, the golden rings hanging from his ear jingled again from his sudden movement.

Sounds of rattling wagon parts and horse neighing suddenly echoed as a six-horse drawn extravagantly magnificent carriage arrived at the gate. Four burly, corky, and husky fellows leapt off the carriage shaft and then bent over to open the carriage door.

After a good while, a pale-faced, beardless, and obese man finally stepped out of the carriage panting. Only after three steps, he was already gasping for air as hard as an ox.

Behind him was a tall and thin man in a black robe that followed him like his shadow. This man had a sallow face, on which the two eyes sank in deeply like a sick man, yet his footsteps were nimble and swift. Along his waist hung a pair of shinny things, and a closer inspection showed that they were a pair of arc-shaped swords.

Such rare type of weaponry was not only difficult to learn, but also tricky to craft. Very few people in the Martial World would wield this kind of weapon, but for those who do, nine out of ten were outstanding Kung Fu masters.

Miao Shaotian, Zhao Yidao, and White Horse Zhang San immediately fixed their sharp stares onto the pair of arc-shaped swords.

“Who is he?” White Horse Zhang San asked first with a frown.

“Young Master Zhu from the Ten-Thousand Gold House of Suzhou,” Gongsun Jing replied.

“How about his bodyguard?” White Horse Zhang San asked again.

“Might just be a bodyguard,” Gongsun Jing said with a smile.

White Horse Zhang San pondered for a second and then suddenly turned to Zhao Yidao.

“Didn’t he come from your way?”

“That sounds about right,” replied Zhao Yidao.

“How come he didn’t have a headache?”

“Even if he did, I can’t cure it.”

“Why not?”

“His head is too big,” said Zhao Yidao in a light tone.

By then, Young Master Zhu had already sat down, although he kept wiping his sweats, panting incessantly.

He had only walked about thirty steps at most, but appeared as though he had just climbed seven or eight mountains.

The man in black stood behind him like his shadow, never more than a step from his side. The man’s pair of eagle-claw-like bony hands also kept a close distance from the pair of arc-shaped swords by his waist.

His deep sunken black eyes seemed to carry a strange ridicule, as if mocking those in front of his eyes for wasting their time on the trip.

The lanterns of the Wind-Cloud Inn swayed in the wind; the golden rings hanging off Miao Shaotian’s ear also tinkled.

White Horse Zhang San seemed to feel a chill and quietly pulled the covering of his coat closer.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yidao fixed his glance at the wine cup atop the table as if pondering upon a difficult dilemma.

No one said anything further as hostility brewed among the people present.

Gongsun Jing apparently quite enjoyed the air of animosity. He let out a long sigh and then spoke again with a smile on his face.

“The four of you do not know each other, but surely you have all heard of each other’s names. I’ll just spare the introduction.”

“There’s no need,” said Miao Shaotian.

“We didn’t come here to make friends,” said White Horse Zhang San.

“Even if we were friends, we no longer will be for the sake of the merchandise.” Miao Shaotian rolled his eyes and cast a side glance at him.

“Chief Miao has always been a sensible man,” White Horse Zhang San sneered.

“Now that everyone is here. Where’s the merchandise?”

“The merchandise is alright, but…,” Gongsun Jing said.

“But what?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“The Green Dragon Clan always follows well-established rules when we do business. We only do fair trade, and cash only,” Gongsun Jing said.

“Fine!” agreed Miao Shaotian.

He clapped his hands, and the nine red-haired weirdoes in hessian tunics suddenly emerged from the darkness, each carrying a hessian sack of quite some weight.

Sound of heavy footsteps also came from the doorway, and soon the curly bearded brawny man strode in holding a large iron chest in each hand. His iron-like black muscles were pumped up, and a deep footprint appeared in the ground with each step he took.

“Golden ring wedged in the wall, and white horse neighing in the wind. As soon as I saw those, I knew that the Red-Haired Nine Champions and the Giant Warrior had all arrived,” Gongsun Jing said, beaming.

“Don’t forget the eight sabers fluttering in wind,” White Horse Zhang San added.

Zhao Yidao finally lifted his head with a forced smile.

“East-Bank Red Hair and the West-Bank White Horse are both of abundant wealth and great power. Our Fast Sabers of Taihang certainly is not in the same league to compete. I guess our Taihang brothers are giving up the bid on the merchandise.”

“Excellent! Chief Zhao is very clever indeed!” Miao Shaotian guffawed wildly.

But his laughter suddenly came to a halt as he glared at Young Master Zhu with his burning glances.

“What about the young master of the Ten-Thousand Gold House? What are your thoughts?”

Young Master Zhu’s heavy breathing had finally ceased and was appreciating his hands like how a young man would appreciate his first love’s hands. But he still responded.

“Are you asking me what my thoughts are?”

“Humph!” snorted Miao Shaotian.

“I don’t have any thoughts. I am too lazy to think,” said Young Master Zhu.

“No thoughts? Got any gold?” Miao Shaotian asked with an angry face.

“Sure!”

“How much did you bring?”

“You want to see?”

“The rule here is cash only.”

“But you’ve seen it.”

“Where?”

“My words are as good as cash.”

“So whatever you say counts?” Miao Shaotian’s face turned solemn.

“Correct!”

“So if I offer ten-thousand, you’ll just say ten-thousand and one hundred?”

“You are very clever indeed,” Young Master Zhu replied.

Miao Shaotian suddenly turned his gaze toward the pair of arc-shaped swords. The nine red-haired weirdoes in hessian tunics had quietly surrounded Young Master Zhu. But Young Master Zhu kept staring at his own hands as if there was nothing else in the entire world worthy of his look except his own pair of hands.

Miao Shaotian’s hands suddenly shot toward the arc-shaped swords, fast and accurate, accompanied by a clear clanking sound from the golden rings on his earlobe clashing with each other.

But he would never have imaged that another pair of hands could be even faster than his, a pair of round and well-maintained hands.

Before his hands even reached the arc-shaped swords, this pair of hands had already pulled the golden rings off his earlobe.

Another clanking sound echoed when the golden rings clashed.

Miao Shaotian flipped his body backward and landed twenty feet away.

The man in black still stood behind Young Master Zhu like a shadow, not moving an inch.

Young Master Zhu still stared at his own hands in same position, except that a pair of golden rings astonishingly appeared in his hands.

White Horse Zhang San’s faced also changed color.

Zhao Yidao glanced at the wine cup in front of him and suddenly heaved a sigh.

“Now do you know what I mean?”

“What?” asked White Horse Zhang San.

“Even if he did have a headache, I can’t cure it.”

“Right, his head is indeed too big.” White Horse Zhang San couldn’t help but sigh too.

“Since everyone has brought their money, we might as well go see the merchandise,” Gongsun Jing let out another smile.

Miao Shaotian gazed at Young Master Zhu, his eyes bloodshot.

Young Master Zhu agreed leisurely, “Right! It’s a good idea to see the merchandise first. Who knows? I might not even want to make an offer.”

Putting the golden rings down on the table, he took out a snow white handkerchief, and after carefully wiping his hands, he finally stood up slowly.

“Please, please lead the way.”

“Please, please follow me,” said Gongsun Jing.

He walked toward the inn, leading the way. Young Master Zhu followed behind him slowly as if he was going to pant again. The man in black still followed him closely, but now White Horse Zhan San finally understood why there was that strange ridicule in his eyes.

He was not mocking anyone else. He was mocking himself.

Because only he understood that the man he was protecting did not need his protection after all.

[1] “Shaotian” means burning the sky in Chinese.

[2] A common form of greeting in ancient China by men with one clenched fist in the other hand moving about at the chest.

[3] “Lao” means old. Here “Lao Miao” is a way for Miao Shaotian to refer to himself.

[4] Mount Taihang is a famous mountain going through Hebei, Henan, and Shanxi Provinces.

[5] “Yidao” means one saber chop.

[6] Taiyuan is the capital city of Shanxi Province.

[7] Chenzhou is a city located in Hunan Province.

[8] Dongting Lake is a big lake located in the northern part of Hunan Province.

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

A beautiful dance performance named "Embrace the Sky (飞天)" depicting dancing styles of the Tang Dynasty.

Robot of the Day: WheeMe, Your Personal Massage Robot

2009-03-30T23:14:00.011-06:00

Ever wanted to have a back massage but couldn't find anyone to do it for you (for free, to be more precise)? Now there's an answer to your prayers: WheeMe, your personal massage robot developed by DreamBots. For only $49 apiece, WheeMe can massage not only your back, but also your tummy, your chest, or even your behind.

The palm-sized robot operates on three AA batteries and can move at 4.5 cm per second. It has four wheels, or "Fingerettes", which can tickle you wherever it goes. With intelligent sensing capabilities, basically accelerometers, it knows not to fall off your body, and then with random moving patterns, such as rolling back and forth or spinning in circles, it tricks you into thinking it's actually giving you a quality massage. And don't roll if you ever falls asleep, because you might severely crush damage your personal massage assistant and also scratch your back.

Okay, enough sarcasm, this is definitely an innovative way of using robots to solve everyday problems. And the price tag of $49 is really not very expensive for a robot. And to be honest, other than my robot, who's going to give me a massage for free? I haven't had the chance to try it because it's not available on the market yet, but you can pre-order from DreamBots web site and get one some time around the first quarter of 2012. It certainly makes a very unique Valentine's Day present!!

Since my creative juice is flowing right now, let me throw out some ideas. Wouldn't it be nice if the robot is also capable of:

Playing some soothing music while giving you a message to put you to sleep.
Acting as an alarm clock to wake you up when needed.
Having a video camera so you can see through the eyes of your personal robot (maybe using a goggle display of some sort) and look at your own back?
Having basic navigation skills, so you can put a leash on it and walk your robot "pet".
Having Internet access, so it can read latest news to you.
Transforming into a mobile phone so you can talk to your friends while getting massaged.
Can post updates to your Facebook, twitter, Google+ accounts via voice commands.

Well, one thing for sure, if it's capable of all those things, you won't get it for $49. Anyway, glad to see creative ideas with simple mechanism being put into real cool products. I am off to massaging my own tummy now.

Women estimate time like programmers. You have to double or triple the time when they say: "I'll be back in an hour."

Obama Announces National Robotics Initiative of $70 Million Per Year

2009-03-29T15:48:00.243-06:00

With the possibility of graduation actually within the horizon, I thought it might be a good idea to start a new topic in my blog: Robotics Jobs. This will help me research on what kind of robotics jobs are out there since I don't plan to be a professor and stay in Academia. It is encouraging to see more and more robotics jobs in the industry emerging and start to make a difference for people's lives, although most of them are small start-up companies. Hopefully this series of blog posts will be interesting and helpful for other people who are also searching for the right robotics related jobs. I see a new great era of robotics applications just about to knock on our doors, and it is great to be a part of this effort to transform new technologies developed at university research labs into the real world and change the world! Good luck to me and all robotics job hunters out there! And I'll start the series with the positive news that U.S. President Obama is allocating funding to create more robotics jobs!

Obama Giving a Speech at Carnegie Mellon
(Credit: White House)

In a recent visit to Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center, Obama announced a new National Robotics Initiative seeking to advance "next generation robotics." The new initiative will provide $70 million per year to fund new robotics projects, focusing on robots that can work closely with humans. The funding will be squeezed out from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the Department of Agriculture.

Obama Meeting Japaneses Android (Credit: AIST)

Obama loves robots (see photo on the left) and has a strong belief that advancing technology makes US companies more competitive and creates more jobs. But in order to help the economy grow, one important factor is how technology can be transitioned from research labs (the Academia) into the business world (the industry). Therefore, it is likely the money will be spent on research projects that are in a sense more applied than fundamental research, and private companies working in collaboration with university research labs will also have access to this funding and the money can be spent on developing real commercial robots -- really creating more robotics jobs!!

In the past, private robotics companies have had opportunities to get funding from the government mostly through military agencies to develop robotics weapons. Some also get a bit of money through the program called Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). The new initiative focuses on how humans and robots can work as a team where humans can supervise and advice robots using human expert knowledge. This is very different from programming an industry robot to perform dull repetitive tasks that required precision and speed, for example, in a food processing plant. This is especially good news for me because my research focuses on how human can better manage AI/robot autonomy leveraging their rich experience and domain expertise in dynamic tasks and environments. The program solicitation states:

This theme recognizes the emerging mechanical, electrical and software technologies that will make the next generation of robotic systems able to safely co-exist in close proximity to humans in the pursuit of mundane, dangerous, precise or expensive tasks. Co-robots will need to establish a symbiotic relationship with their human partners, each leveraging their relative strengths in the planning and performance of a task. This means, among other things, that for broad diffusion, access, and use (and hence, to achieve societal impacts), co-robots must be relatively cheap, easy to use, and available anywhere. As the US population ages and becomes more culturally and linguistically diverse, these co-robots may serve to increase the efficiency, productivity and safety of individuals in all activities and phases of life, and their ubiquitous deployment has the potential to measurably improve the state of national health, education and learning, personal and public safety, security, the character and composition of a heterogeneous workforce, and the economy, more generally.

I applaud Obama's effort in advancing robotics technology and creating more robotics jobs! Although the funding is still very small compared to, for example, the $20 billion per year the government is spending in air conditioning for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially when robots are expensive (e.g., a Honda UAV Copter costs $300K and a humanoid robot costs $300K-millions). But it is certainly a good start. Let's hope whoever gets elected as the next president will keep such initiatives alive!

Obama's speech about robots and technology.

You can listen to Obama's entire speech (above) if you are bored. You can also check out the IEEE Spectrum article for more details. The speech mentioned about Obama's visit to a local company called RedZone Robotics, who makes robots to explore water and sewer pipes. Guess I'll have to check this company out and then post a blog about it next time. Enough for this one. Ciao!

Video of the Day:

A funny robot video from the Portal 2 game.

Robot of the Day: Fitbot, Shape-shifting Robot Lets You Try Clothes Before You Buy

2009-03-28T21:22:00.144-06:00

Ever wondered how a shirt or dress looked good on you when YOU wear it? Mirrors in fitting rooms don't really tell you the entire story. And things get worse if you are buying from a catalog by phone or order one online. Thanks to robotics technology, your wish might be coming true. Before I say anything else, check out this video below.

The robot is the female version of the FitBot, a shape-shifting robot mannequin created by Fits.me, an online clothing store. The company also has a male version.

In many past occasions, we have been lured into buying dresses from catalogs or online stores because the dresses looked wonderful in the pictures but turned disastrous when we put the actual clothes on. What was the problem? The answer is simple: we are no models. That's why those beautiful models get paid big $$$s to put these clothes on and look beautiful in the pictures. But we had to jump through all kinds of hoops to return the dresses and get refunds. We are not alone.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could see how the dress would look on me, not that beautiful model? Wouldn't it be nice if I could see how the dress looks like when I walk around and get into different body postures with the dress on? The answer to the problem: robot! Using servo motors, the FitBot can actually change its shape into your body shape based on your own body measurements.

Now before you get all excited about the many possibilities, that's not how the robot is used at the present time. The retailer actually enumerates all the possible (humanly possible, that is) body shapes with the robot with each dress and then take many photos. These photos are made available through the web site, so after you enter your body measurements, the photos with those body measurements would be shown to you so you know how the clothes would look like if you had worn it.

Well, don't get too disappointed, this is at least a step closer. I could almost envision how it works in the future: After you log into your account with the online store, the system automatically loads your body shape measurements into one of the waiting mannequin robots. Then the robot will retrieve the dress you are interested in, put it on, and then get into various poses for you. You can probably even pose yourself, and a camera on your computer will recognize the pose and send that to the robot to imitate. The robot can slowly rotates around so you can see the full 360 degrees view. There might even be an added benefit: when you see how gross you look no matter what pose your use and what clothes you put on, you might have more incentive to get off your ass, walk away from your computer and try to get rid of some of those fat.

Anyway, glad to see another innovative way of using robotics technology to solve real-world problems. You can read this article for more details if you like. I am going to get off my lazy ass, walk away from my computer to do some exercise now! Ciao!

I am so glad drinking coke is not against the Honor Code of the university.

Kung Fu Tetris with Kinect and FAAST -- How To Tutorial

2009-03-27T18:04:00.004-06:00

[Ignore the date stamp. I just have a lot of blogging to make up for...]

I love Kung Fu; I am very passionate about Artificial Intelligence; and I like playing the game of tetris. What happens if I put all three things together?

Here, I proudly present to you: Kung Fu Tetris!

If you can't view the video above, try this or this or this or download video here.

So what do you think? If you think this is fun and want to do it in your home, read on. It's probably much simpler than you expected. In this blog post I will explain to you step-by-step how you can set this up yourself. Everything is pretty much off-the-shelf, except a small configuration file, which you can download from my blog.

Required Components:

The first thing you need is a Microsoft Kinect. Microsoft developed this depth-sensing device for Xbox game console. Thanks to the open source community for writing the drivers, now you can connect it directly to your computer and there's no need for an Xbox. You can buy Kinect from local electronics stores or order it from Amazon for $139. And if you are a student like me, you can get it shipped to you in two days for free.

You also need to have a computer to connect Kinect too. It can be your desktop computer or your laptop computer, as long as it has a USB port. I used an Acer Aspire One netbook, which I bought for $179. Even with a netbook's slow processor and limited memory, Kinect runs just fine.

It also helps if you have a large TV/monitor, so you can see the game better while not standing next to the monitor. Most large screen LCD TVs let's you connect your computer to it like it's an external monitor. I used a VGA to VGA cable (just like connecting to a regular LCD monitor) and set the LCD to RGB mode. Your miles may vary.
Next thing you need is a bit of space in front of the TV/monitor. Because the game of Kung Fu Tetris requires the tracking of your full body, you have to stay a good distance away from Kinect so it can cover your entire body. Besides, I am sure you don't want to accidentally smash your nice TV with your fierce kicks. So a living room is a better environment than your study.
You also need the tetris game to run on your computer. I just use free online flash version of the tetris game.
In order to use Kinect with your computer, you need to install the Kinect driver and the following three Open Source Applications: OpenNI, NITE, and FAAST.
Lastly, you need to create a small configuration file for the keyboard command and body gesture mapping. You can just download my version.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

1. Buy Kinect if you don't already have it. Amazon sells it for $130. No need to buy Xbox.
2. Connect your computer to a big monitor or TV.
3. Download and install the Kinect driver. Extract the msi file from the zip file and then double click the msi file to start the installation.
4. Download and install the latest version of OpenNI (NI stands for Natural Interaction). You can find the latest versions on this page. Unstable versions are just fine. The current latest 32-bit version v1.1.0.41 can be downloaded from this direct link. It's an msi file, so you can double click the file to install. Note that if you are running Windows 7, then you need the 64-bit version.
5. Download and install the latest version of PrimeSense NITE. You can find the latest versions on this page. Unstable versions are just fine. The current latest 32-bit version v1.3.1.5 can be downloaded from this direct link. Again, just double click the msi file to install. During NITE installation, use this free license key: 0KOIk2JeIBYClPWVnMoRKn5cdY4= when prompted.

6. Download and install the latest version of FAAST (Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit). You can find the latest version on this page. The current latest version 0.08 can be downloaded from this direct link. It's a zip file. All you have to do is to extract the zip file to a location on your local hard drive. Later, you just need to run the FAAST.exe file inside the folder. No other installation required.
7. Now plug the Kinect adapter into a power outlet.
8. Connect Kinect to your computer by plugging it into the USB port. You will be prompted to install three devices: Kinect Camera, Kinect Audio, and Kinect Motor. Since you have already installed the drivers, the system should automatically find the driver files for the installation. However if it fails to find the drivers, you can point to folder c:\Program Files\PrimeSense\SensorKinect\Driver\x86 (use \amd64 for 64-bit systems).
9. Sometimes the driver might not install Kinect Motor or Kinect Audio correctly. You can try the CL NUI Platform driver instead. The latest version can be found on this page. The current latest version v1.0.1210 can be downloaded from this direct link. The file is an exe file so you just have to double click to install. Drivers are installed to this folder c:\Program Files\Code Laboratories\CL NUI Platform\Driver.
10. Test if Kinect is working correctly by running the NiViewer program inside All Programs - OpenNI - Samples - NiViewer.
11. Open FAAST by running the FAAST.exe file. Click the Connect button to start the device. You should now see human shapes on screen.
12. Stand in front of the Kinect device and then hold a ‘Psi’ pose for several seconds until a stick figure appears, as shown in the image on the right.
13. Open a browser window and position it so it is side-by-side next to the FAAST application. Load the tetris game by going here (or here). I linked the flash file directly so you don't have to deal with the annoying flash ads on those web sites.
14. Right-click and then select save to download my configuration file from http://www.lannyland.com/download/KungFuTetris.cfg, and save it to a location you remember (such as your desktop).
14. In FAAST application, click Load button and then browse to where you saved the configuration file and load that file.
15. Click Start Emulator button, then select your tetris game so your browser is the active window. You might have to recalibrate by doing that ‘Psi’ pose again.
16. Start the tetris game and then start kicking. See if you can move the pieces. Remember the controls are: 1) front kicks rotate the pieces 2) side kicks move the pieces left or right 3) jump does fast drop.

Be aware:

1. Do your warm up routines before playing this game. I AM SERIOUS! Otherwise you risk injuring yourself.
2. Don't stand too close to anybody/thing, because you might kick that body/thing and cause damage to him/her/it.
3. Kick with good speed and good form, otherwise weird things might happen.
4. Jump sometimes doesn't work too well. Just jump more. It's good for your heart.

That's it! Leave some comments if you find this helpful. Hope you get it working and start kicking! Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible if you
1) smash your TV/monitor with your fierce kicks,
2) injure yourself because of excessive or improper kicking,
3) become so addicted that you stop doing your share of the housework and irritate your better half, or
4) develop a habitual involuntary kicking syndrome and find yourself always throwing kicks at people near you.

By the way, the Chinese character on the back of my t-shirt is Tao, as in Taoism, meaning the way of life. So here's the Tao of the day:

Workout should be fun and enjoyable instead of torturous.
And playing tetris can be productive too!

Videos of the Day:

I thought these two videos are very appropriate for today's Videos of the Day! You really have to finish watching the first video to really appreciate the humor in the second one.

The original Wii Fit Ad

The Wii Fit Parody

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (1)

2009-03-26T01:00:00.003-06:00

Seven Weapons is another great book written by Gu Long. The book consists of seven individual stories, each describing a specific type of weapon. However, at the end of each story you will find out that the real weapon the author wanted to discuss is not the one named at the beginning. In this book, Gu Long showed his mastery of depicting the spirit and soul of the characters. This is not a book about weapons, it is a book about humanity.

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Chapter 1: Wind-Cloud Inn

A palace of white jade in heaven,

Has pavilions five and castles a dozen,

Where the deity stroked my pate and coiled up my hair,

And blessed me longevity as my welfare.[1]

ONE

It was dusk.

Nine eccentric looking men suddenly appeared on the stone slated street, all wearing yellow hessian tunics, hemp shoes, and a bowl-sized golden ring hung from each man’s left earlobe. All of them had a head full of disheveled hair in bright red that spread across their shoulders like burning flames. Among the nine were people of various heights and ages. Though they had different body features, their faces all carried the same emotionless countenance, the kind normally found on dead corpses. And the way they walked, without ever moving their shoulders or bending their knees, closely resembled zombies.

They slowly marched along the long street, silencing the surroundings wherever they passed through. Even the sounds of crying children halted abruptly from because of fear.

At the end of the street, four giant lanterns sat atop a thirty feet long flagpole.

Bright red lanterns with pitch-black words that read, “Wind-Cloud^{^[2]} Inn.”

The nine red-haired weirdoes walked all the way to the front door of the inn and then halted. The leading man took off the golden ring from his ear and waved his hand. With a loud thump, the golden ring shot into the stone wall next to the pitch-black painted gate.

Sparks flashed everywhere as the golden ring actually wedged into the stone.

The second man grabbed a bundle of red hair from his shoulder with his left hand and then swiftly chopped using his right palm, which easily cut thorough the hair as if it were a sharp blade.

After tying the bundle of hair to the golden ring, the nine men marched on, their bright red hairs fluttered in the wind like blazes, and soon faded into the boundless twilight.

Right at that moment, eight sturdy horses came galloping out of the twilight. The sounds of hooves hitting the stone slated street echoed like raindrops hitting the window and battle drum beating like thunders.

All the riders uniformly wore green arrow suits with green handkerchiefs on their foreheads, flat toe Kung Fu shoes, and puttees wrapped around their calves, looking bold, vigorous and nimble.

As the eight horses sprinted pass the gate of the Wind-Cloud Inn, the eight riders waved their hands in unison.

Reflections of blades flashed like lightning. Another loud thump resonated as eight shinning steel sabers embedded into the large-bowl-sized flagpole.

The handles of the sabers still vibrated as the red silk piece attached to the handles puffed from the throw. Moments later, the eight riders vanished into the dark horizon.

The darkness of the evening had thickened when more hoof beats suddenly rose in the street, only faster and more intense than the previous eight riders.

But this time there was only one horse, a pure white horse without a single strand of colored hair from head to toe.

When the horse approached the gate of the inn, it suddenly let out a loud neigh and halted, rearing up on its hind legs.

Only by then could people distinguish the rider on horseback, a shirtless brawny man with wild curly beard whose dark-skinned muscles were as study as steel.

After the hefty man reined in the horse, he spotted the red hair tied to the golden ring by the gate and the eight sabers embedded in the flagpole. The man suddenly sneered and quickly jumped off the horse. Holding a horse leg with each hand, he let out a thundering roar and raised the horse high in the air until it reached the eaves of the gate.

The white horse let out another loud neigh. Although its manes danced in the wind, its four legs seemed to have been nailed into the eaves above the gate, not moving the slightest bit!

The bearded man laughed loudly and then strode away. Only moments later, he was already gone, leaving the white horse standing in the west winds under the nightfall sky all alone, making up an eerie scene with ineffable oddity.

The long street was completely desolate by now. All households and shops had shut their doors.

The Wind-Cloud Inn was completely silent. Inn guests had quickly slipped away through the back door when they saw the golden ring and the eight sabers by the gate.

The white horse, however, remained still in the west winds as though it had turned into a stone statue.

On the silent long street, a middle-aged, lean-faced scholar suddenly appeared. Wearing a blue long robe and white pants, he slowly strolled by. His face appeared to be very relaxed, but his pupils shined with wits.

Folding his hands behind his back, he slowly walked to the front of the inn gate, and cast a glance up.

“What an excellent horse! Excellent indeed! It’s a pity that your owner is so ruthless and brought grievance upon you,” he sighed.

He suddenly waved an arm behind his back, and the flying long sleeve swiftly created a wave of strong wind.

The white horse was startled. Letting out a long neigh, it sprang off the gate eaves.

The middle-aged scholar reached out his hands and somehow caught the falling horse by its stomach. He gently placed the horse on the ground and gave it a light pat in the stomach.

“Go back to carry your owner here. Just say a good friend of his is waiting here.”

The white horse seemed to actually understand these words, and immediately galloped away.

The middle-aged scholar casually pulled the golden ring out of the stone wall by the gate and began entering the inn. He gave a gentle smack to the flagpole as he walked by. The eight sabers immediately fell down at the same time.

The middle-aged scholar swept his long sleeve again, which caught and wrapped around the eight sabers.

“Where’s the Flag-Master?” he asked solemnly.

All of a sudden, a thin and small figure darted out from inside the inn and climbed atop the flagpole like a monkey, reaching the top of the flagpole within seconds.

A large flag suddenly spread out from the tip of the flagpole.

On the snow white flag embroidered a rampant jet-black dragon, so lively as if it would break through the clouds and fly away any moment.

[1] The first four lines in a long poem written by Li Bai (701-762), a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty.

[2] Wind-Cloud implies unpredictable and unstable situation. It is often used to describe the trend of the times.

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

To demonstrate how durable their SD cards are, Samsung dropped paper airplanes from the space with the SD cards embedded. Read more at the project web site.

Robot of the Day: Vgo Telepresence Robot Lets Texas Student Attend School as a Robot

2009-03-25T11:55:00.200-06:00

Vgo is a telepresence robot developed by Vgo Communications.It has a very simple design: a wheeled mobile base, a video camera at the top, and a small monitor with speakers and microphone. Although many people have built their own telepresence robots of a variety of forms, Vgo is one of the few that actually commercialized it as a product. Although the company has mainly targeted business customers and promoted using Vgo for tele-conferencing and business meetings, it had become famous recently for helping a Texas student to attend school as a robot.

Baty drives Vgo around school to attend classes (photo credit: CNN)

Lyndon Baty, a young man who suffered from a polycystic kidney disease, could not attend school because his immune system has been severely weakened from his treatments.But thanks to Vgo and technology-prone school officials, he can now happily attend classes every day at his high school in Knox City, Texas, as a robot! Like his classmates, he would switch between classes, and even chat with friends in the hall way during break time. For a boy who has spent much of his life in isolation, this robot has really set him free. Especially for teens who are used to social interactions through technologies such as Facebook, Skype, Baty, represented by Vgo, fits right in. Look at that big smile on Baty's face in the following video.

As great as the story sounds, the robot Vgo is definitely not cheap, with a retail price of $6000 plus a $1200/year service contract. I could probably throw a Netbook on top of a Roomba (or Create) and achieve similar effects for roughly $450. Also Vgo doesn't have any arm, so it always required extra help when it comes to opening doors (as you can see from the video above). Will people be willing to pay the big bucks for such telepresence capabilities? Will robotics companies like this one survive and become profitable?

It's worth noting that telepresence robots also might raise many additional concerns. For example, the video camera on the robot can record and reproduce everything it sees, and the video stream might even be hijacked, thus invading people's privacy. The robot might also be remotely hacked and taken over, thus enabling ill-intentioned foul play. But one thing we can all be sure: these robots are coming into our lives and we'll only see more and more of them everywhere as time progresses.

Video of the Day:

I can't find anything more appropriate than this video below for today's Video of the Day. The Big Bang Theory: The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon-bot. Enjoy!

Lanny's New Year Resolutions

2009-03-24T11:00:00.288-06:00

At the beginning of the year of the rabbit, I wish you all a very productive and happy Chinese New Year!! 春节快乐！

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I'll be visiting Lausanne, Switzerland to attend a conference for about a week in early March, 2011. Anyone reading my blog from Lausanne Switzerland? Anyone knows a cheap hotel near EPFL? If so, please kindly leave me a comment or shoot me an email! Thanks!

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It's that time of the year again, time to make plans and resolutions.Although I know every single year should be just as valuable as the others, somehow I know this year is going to have particular importance in my entire life. So here below are the things I'd really like to accomplish in the next three hundred plus days:

1. Post two blog posts each day

Many people are still very confused by the dates of my blog posts. For example, you'll see this very post I am writing at this very moment be dated at March 24, 2009, when today is actually February 7, 2011. I think the dates of my posts are less important than the contents of my blog posts, therefore, I'll stick with this imaginary existence of the parallel university, and use the past dates to remind myself of how many blog posts I have fallen behind of my ambitious goal of one blog post per day. The only way to make up and catch up is to post more than one post per day, therefore, I'll try my best to stick to this resolution. Two is the minimum. Maybe I'll even get lucky some day and post more than two for that day. Let's wait and see. :)

2. Translate one page each day

There are simply too many good Chinese books I'd like to share with non-Chinese readers but too little time. Translating a novel well is quite a challenging and time-consuming task. I feel very sorry for keeping my readers waiting for so long, so I'll take the advice from one of them and make it into a habit of translating a little bit every day. This will also be a very good exercise for self-discipline, which I am certainly lacking these days. Note that the one page here is for the English text. I am thinking about posting a translation blog post about every three days (so three pages worth of translation). Bug me to death if you see I am lagging, by email or by leaving comments, because your support is the best force to keep me going.

3. Complete the majority of my dissertation work
In just a little bit over two weeks (February 24, 2011 to be exact), I'll be taking my PhD Oral Exam and defend my Dissertation Proposal. After that, it's just a matter of implementing code, run experiments, collect data, and then write quite a few papers. Hopefully I'll be able to get the majority of my dissertation work done in the next 12 months and shoot for graduation for Winter 2012. The good news is that my advisor agrees with the time line; the bad news is that there are plenty of planned work ahead. Work, here I come!

4. Build a robot of my own
I've always felt that my PhD would be incomplete if I didn't build a robot myself (here "build" means mostly putting off-the-shelf parts together, but with my own design, not simply assembling a kit), since my research is about Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. I've already acquired some of the main parts to be used. Hopefully by the same time next year, I'll have a working robot that's capable of some low-level intelligence. I have high hopes for this robot. I envision a long-term companion/assistant/tutor as I keep improving it for the years to come, as that famous says goes, "build your own friend!"

That's it! I wish myself and all of you a very productive year ahead. But also don't forget to take a break once a while to enjoy those small beautiful things and moments you might normally overlook. Also don't forget to visit my blog once a while and send your encouragements this way!

Key to success: Set high goals. Even if you can only achieve half of what you set out to do, it might still be a great achievement! -- Lanny

Video of the Day:

Despite not being able to score a single goal in the South Africa World Cup, Lionel Messi was still elected the winner of FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 because of his excellence performance throughout the year. What a great way to start a new year!! I am so happy for him! He totally deserves it! I hope I also have a great start of a new rabbit year!