Sometimes, I am a hare. Sometimes, I am a tortoise. When I edit other people's writing, I am as fast as a hare. (Yes, I may take a nape before I get to the finishing line.) When I write my own research paper; gosh, I am as slow as a tortoise... (Don't worry, I will get to the finishing line, though it will take many days and weeks.) Right now, I am definitely a tortoise!
I was told that I was “Middle Aged” many years ago, by my own parents, when I was barely 40. I know very well that I am getting older every year; but who isn’t? No one gets younger in reality, unless you are Benjamin Button. Still, it shocked me that I am now “officially” a senior (but not senior enough to get discounted movie passes in Hawaii, when one has to be 62), and I can be referred to as “a grandma,” according to this article below. Need to 'Rent-a-Grandma'? Try This New Franchise A Los Angeles-based employment service that specializes in providing senior women for domestic staffing needs has just launched a national franchise program. Even though the ink on the disclosure documents is barely dry, Rent-A-Grandma has already reached tentative agreement with a Texas entrepreneur to roll out five franchises in the Lone Star State. The service provides carefully screened women age 50 and over for roles including child care, elder care, housekeeping, cooking, estate management, pet sitting and other domestic staffing jobs. The advantage that older women bring is their extensive age/life experience, Todd Bliss, the company's founder and CEO, told BusinessNewsdaily. To read more, go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110606/sc_livescience/needtorentagrandmatrythisnewfranchise
Management and Leadership,What's the difference? From: http://blog.tianya.cn/blogger/post_show.asp?BlogID=1535195PostID=14619059 Having frequently been asked what the difference is between management and Leadership, Gill McKay decided to put pen to paper. When considering the difference between leadership and management, there are few better starting points than the excellent book "What Leaders Really Do" by John Kotter, who was Professor of Leadership at the Harvard Business School at the time he wrote it. While many people believe that leaders are born rather than made, Kotter points out that leadership is a learnable skill that is complementary to management. He writes: "Leadership is different from management, but not for the reasons most people think. It has nothing to do with having charisma or other exotic personality traits. It is not the province of the chosen few. Nor is leadership necessarily better than management or a replacement for it. Both are necessary for success in a complex and volatile business environment." But before considering what the differences are between management and leadership, let’s first consider what the terms mean. One simple definition of management is "coping with complexity". The growth of large organisations led to the creation of management hierarchies as a method of maintaining control over things such as planning, budgeting, reporting, supervising and so on. Good management means that, even in the most complex of organisations, things happen in an orderly and controlled fashion. Leadership however, is about the process of initiating and coping with change, now a vital factor with significant changes in technology, competition, regulation, economic and demographic changes occurring more and more frequently. While most management processes have in the past been geared towards gradual evolutionary change, organisations are increasingly finding themselves in situations that require constant change. More importantly, this constant need for change is not simply occurring at the top of the organisation, it is a pressure being experienced at all levels in the organisation. It is for this reason that Stephen Drotter, co-author of “The Leadership Pipeline” points out that “Today’s organisations need effective leaders at every level and in every location”. Whilst management focuses on controlling complex processes, leadership is about challenging the existing ways of doing things and setting new directions for the organisation. In other words, management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things. As Stephen Covey puts it in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People; “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” Management focuses on creating and managing structures whereas leadership focuses on inspiring people to work towards the achievement of the new direction, often through the personal example set by the leader. Controlling and problem solving is the job of management whilst leadership focuses on motivating and enabling others to work towards new goals. The differences between these activities can be summarised as follows. Planning and budgeting vs. setting direction. Planning and budgeting (whether short or long-term) are by definition intended to produce orderly, expected results. Direction-setting is about defining where we need to change and laying out the new direction. It need not be a mystical process but can relate to a hardheaded analysis of what is necessary in a critical situation. The output of direction setting is a vision or a strategy rather than a plan, but this does not imply that the vision is an ethereal concept that only the creative, psychic, or users of hallucinogenic drugs can produce. For example, the stated vision of Scandinavian Airlines was at one time to be "the best airline in the world for the frequent business traveler". Far from being an altruistic aim, any observer of the airline business would know that this could be translated as "To corner the most lucrative segment of the market airlines market". The success of a vision is not its originality, but the ability to translate it into meaningful action through energizing others. Having this sense of direction is a leadership function, which long term planning (the management analogue) is not a substitute for. Organising versus inspiring and aligning. Modern organisations are complex, interconnected, and contain many dependencies. To create significant change therefore requires the persuasion of a significant group of people to align themselves to the leader's vision and to move together. Many companies assume that change has been achieved when the old organisation chart has had the old reporting lines erased and new lines drawn in. However, this is analogous to changing the labels on the buttons on a control panel, without changing the connections to the things they operate. Even ignoring the need to change processes to reflect organisational changes (itself a management activity), the vital communications task of aligning people (to use Kotter's word) is a key leadership activity in getting commitment to work for rather than against the change. As well as getting the message across it means enabling people to take the necessary actions to "make it happen", particularly if taking initiative has historically been a risky activity in the company culture. This sort of culture change is not something that one can make rules for. Motivating versus controlling and problem solving. If direction setting is about setting the direction, and aligning is about persuading people to start moving along the new path, motivating people is the factor that keeps them moving and helps them to overcome obstacles. This process begins at the vision stage by expressing the vision in a way that appeals to common values and makes achievement of the new direction important to those being led. It involves supporting efforts by coaching, feedback and role modeling (the word "leading" in English has a connotation of being out in front). It involves providing encouragement and help when progress is tough, and recognition of success when it is achieved. This latter behaviour both rewards success and reinforces the belief that the organisation cares about its people. Creating a Leadership Culture Increasing change in the organisation's environment implies a need for creating a leadership culture. One key element of success in this is the need for informal networks of likeminded individuals that can facilitate change in the same way that formal management structures ensure control and order. Most organisations have fragmented networks with a few well connected people and a majority of poorly connected ones. The creation of strong informal networks can help ensure that individual or departmental visions can be complementary rather than fragmented. Individuals who wish to be successful in creating change need to be aware of how the complementary skills of management and leadership interrelate. Both are necessary but whereas management is about coping with complexity, leadership is about coping with change. While one considers what is probable, the other considers what is possible. An organisation needs both management and leadership to be successful. Whereas the disciplines of the former have perhaps been better recognised and applied in the past, the successful organisations of the future will be those that recognise, develop and apply both in equal measure. About the author Gill McKay is an Associate Director of Extensor and can be contacted by e-mail at gill@extensor.co.uk Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves. 领导和管理缺一不可。二者并不是一回事，却无疑是相互联系、互为补充的。任何将二者分开的做法都可能会造成事倍功半的结果。 Still, much ink has been spent delineating the differences. The manager's job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader's job is to inspire and motivate. In his 1989 book 'On Becoming a Leader,' Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences 。 不过，关于领导和管理之间区别的描述已有很多。管理者的工作是计划、组织和协调。领导者的工作则是激励人心、鼓舞干劲。华伦 • 班尼斯 (Warren Bennis) 在 1989 年出版的《领导者该做什么》 (On Becoming a Leader) 一书中列出了领导者和管理者之间的不同。 The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager is a copy; the leader is an original. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader's eye is on the horizon. The manager imitates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person. The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing. 管理者从事管理，领导者进行创新。管理者是 “ 拷贝 ” ，领导者是 “ 原版 ” 。管理者着重维护，领导者着重发展。管理者关注系统和结构，领导者关注人。管理者依靠控制，领导者激发信任。管理者看眼前，领导者看长远。管理者问的是 “ 怎样 ” 、 “ 何时 ” ，领导者问的是 “ 什么 ” 、 “ 为何 ” 。管理者关注利润，领导者纵观全局。管理者模仿，领导者创造。管理者接受现状，领导者挑战现状。管理者是标准的好兵，领导者自有主见。管理者把事情做好，领导者则做正确的事。 Perhaps there was a time when the calling of the manager and that of the leader could be separated. A foreman in an industrial-era factory probably didn't have to give much thought to what he was producing or to the people who were producing it. His or her job was to follow orders, organize the work, assign the right people to the necessary tasks, coordinate the results, and ensure the job got done as ordered. The focus was on efficiency. 或许曾有一度管理者和领导者的工作可以被分开。工业时代，工厂中的工长或许不需要太多地考虑自己在生产什么或是考虑工人的情况。工长的工作就是听从命令、组织生产、让合适的人去完成必要的工作、协调结果、确保工作如指令的一样完成。他关注的是效率。 But in the new economy, where value comes increasingly from the knowledge of people, and where workers are no longer undifferentiated cogs in an industrial machine, management and leadership are not easily separated. People look to their managers, not just to assign them a task, but to define for them a purpose. And managers must organize workers, not just to maximize efficiency, but to nurture skills, develop talent and inspire results. 但是在新经济时代，价值越来越多地来自人们的知识，工人们不再是机器上一模一样的齿轮，在这种情况下，管理和领导不能简单地分开。人们看着他们的管理者，不仅是等他交待工作，还等他给他们定一个目标。管理者们必须组织工人，不仅是将效率最大化，还要培养技能、发展人才、产生结果。 from: http://blog.hjenglish.com/zhuling/archive/2011/03/07/1672904.html
Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story' Stephen Hawking dismisses belief in God in an exclusive interview with the Guardian. Photograph: Solar Heliospheric Observatory/Discovery Channel A belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a "fairy story" for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said. In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain's most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time. Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, shares his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an exclusive interview with the Guardian today. The incurable illness was expected to kill Hawking within a few years of its symptoms arising, an outlook that turned the young scientist to Wagner, but ultimately led him to enjoy life more, he has said, despite the cloud hanging over his future. "I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said. "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added. Hawking's latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design , in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe. The book provoked a backlash from some religious leaders, including the chief rabbi, Lord Sacks, who accused Hawking of committing an "elementary fallacy" of logic. The 69-year-old physicist fell seriously ill after a lecture tour in the US in 2009 and was taken to Addenbrookes hospital in an episode that sparked grave concerns for his health. He has since returned to his Cambridge department as director of research. The physicist's remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos. In his bestselling 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, Hawking drew on the device so beloved of Einstein, when he described what it would mean for scientists to develop a "theory of everything" – a set of equations that described every particle and force in the entire universe. "It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we should know the mind of God," he wrote. The book sold a reported 9 million copies and propelled the physicist to instant stardom. His fame has led to guest roles in The Simpsons, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Red Dwarf. One of his greatest achievements in physics is a theory that describes how black holes emit radiation. In the interview, Hawking rejected the notion of life beyond death and emphasised the need to fulfil our potential on Earth by making good use of our lives. In answer to a question on how we should live, he said, simply: "We should seek the greatest value of our action." In answering another, he wrote of the beauty of science, such as the exquisite double helix of DNA in biology, or the fundamental equations of physics. Hawking responded to questions posed by the Guardian and a reader in advance of a lecture tomorrow at the Google Zeitgeist meeting in London, in which he will address the question: "Why are we here?" In the talk, he will argue that tiny quantum fluctuations in the very early universe became the seeds from which galaxies, stars, and ultimately human life emerged. "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in," he said. Hawking suggests that with modern space -based instruments, such as the European Space Agency's Planck mission, it may be possible to spot ancient fingerprints in the light left over from the earliest moments of the universe and work out how our own place in space came to be. His talk will focus on M-theory, a broad mathematical framework that encompasses string theory, which is regarded by many physicists as the best hope yet of developing a theory of everything. M-theory demands a universe with 11 dimensions, including a dimension of time and the three familiar spatial dimensions. The rest are curled up too small for us to see. Evidence in support of M-theory might also come from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern , the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva. One possibility predicted by M-theory is supersymmetry, an idea that says fundamental particles have heavy – and as yet undiscovered – twins, with curious names such as selectrons and squarks. Confirmation of supersymmetry would be a shot in the arm for M-theory and help physicists explain how each force at work in the universe arose from one super-force at the dawn of time. Another potential discovery at the LHC, that of the elusive Higgs boson, which is thought to give mass to elementary particles, might be less welcome to Hawking, who has a long-standing bet that the long-sought entity will never be found at the laboratory. Hawking will join other speakers at the London event, including the chancellor, George Osborne, and the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
Internet of things----one of the top 10 predicted technology （罗汉江） Cisco chief futurist Dave Evans said that the Internet of Things is one of the fundamental technologies will really change and influence how people work, play and learn in the next decade. According to Evans, " The World Wide Web has arguably gone through four distinct changes in its nearly 20-year history, but the Internet has remained fundamentally the same since the early days. Technologies have changed, standards have come and gone, but the Internet really hasn’t evolved at its base level since the days when it was usedin the academiaand government ". The Internet of things alsocalled WuLianWang (物联网) in Chinesewhich means a new internet structurewith more sensors that willhelp us creating a more smarter world around us. It is also featured with more smart sensors which make the internet more proactive and less reactive. " The world has hit a point where there are more devices connecting to the Internet than people doing so ". Andthose sensors generate data automatically without our interference which make the real-time monitoring of things a reality in our life. Dave Evans also said that our internet is becoming more mobile than before because we use more mobile sets now with internet connection ability such as wifior 3G. Reference： 《 Cisco chief futurist: The Internet of Things is here 》 http://www.channelbuzz.ca/2011/05/cisco-chief-futurist-the-internet-of-things-is-here-1887/
Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) The BCCI case was a major banking fraud of some 800 million. The bank collapsed in 1991. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world lost their savings amidst accusations that the bank's senior executives had fraudulently siphoned off funds BCCI was a bank trusted particularly by the UK's Asian community though victims also included local councils such as Western Isles, Westminster City and Harlow. The case attracted the media spotlight and caused great concern in political circles and in the banking sector. It was one of the SFO's biggest investigations, requiring spill-over premises to house more investigators. Working with the City of London Police, the SFO by 1997 had secured convictions against four BCCI executives and the mastermind of the fraud, shipping magnate Abbas Gokal. His Geneva-headquartered Gulf Group was used to launder funds stolen from BCCI. He was arrested in transit at Frankfurt airport on a flight between Pakistan and the USA and was returned to the UK for trial.. He was jailed for a total of14 years and a further three when he later failed to pay against a confiscation order. http://www.sfo.gov.uk/our-work/our-cases/historic-cases/bank-of-credit-and-commerce-international-(bcci).aspx
Original version： I am just sitting here, looking at the computer screen and putting my fingers on the keyboard. I am ready to write something, but I don’t know what I should write about. The office is so quiet that as if only I myself be here. In fact, there are not so many people in this ample room, and most of them are off duty for errands or private affairs. Those left, including me, are occupied with other things. Take myself for instance, I am busy and concentrated on my job, but what I am doing has no business with my job. For some inexplicit reasons, our department is much less busy than last year. It is good for me, because I can spare a lot of my time on my English learning. Although I want to make my learning travel as enjoyable as possible, but I keep it clearly in my mind that the only way to get great improvement is to practice all the time. Albeit It is said that I have got much progress, there is a long way for me to go to get my aim. Some bad smell breaks my thought. It comes from a kind of food, which looks like a hotdog, on my desk. A colleague went to Thailand to attend a conference and bought us this food called durian cake. You know, I don’t like the smelly durian, not to mention this cake. It’s a problem for me to deal with it. Neither abandoning nor eating unwillingly is my choice. You want it? I can give to you. It’s ten to five now, I have to get ready for my yoga class. See you! Revised version: I am just sitting here, looking at the computer screen and putting my fingers on the keyboard. I （am ready to）want to write something, but (I) don’t know what to (I should) write (about) . The office is so quiet that it seems as if only I myself is (be) here. In fact, there are not so many people in this ample room, and most of them are off duty for errands or private affairs. Those left, including me, are occupied with other things. Taking myself for instance, I am usually busy and concentrated on my job, but what I am doing now has no business with my job. For some inexplicit reasons, we are much less busy this year than the last one . It is good for me, because I can spare a lot of my time on my English learning. Although I want to make my learning travel as enjoyable as possible, (but) I keep it clearly in my mind that the only way to get great improvement is to practice all the time. Albeit It is said that I have got much progress, there is still a long way for me to go to get my aim. Some bad smell breaks my thought. It comes from a kind of food, which looks like a hotdog, on my desk. This food are called durian cake from Thailand,wherea colleague went to attend a conference and bought it to me. You know, I don’t like the smelly durian, not to mention eating this durian cake . It’s difficult for me to deal with it. Neither abandoning nor eating it unwillingly is my choice. You want it? I can give to you. It’s ten to five now, and I have to get ready for my yoga class. See you! 备注： 红色和括号 是删掉的部分；蓝色是修改的部分。
NASA's Earth Observation System Data Information System by Kevin Schaefer Over the years, NASA has collected a great deal of Earth science data from dozens of orbiting satellites. With time, these data collections have scattered among many archives that vary significantly in sophistication and access. NASA risked losing valuable, irreplaceable data as people retired, storage media decayed, formats changed and collections dispersed. Scientists began to spend more time searching for data than performing research. Today, NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth, which leads the agency's Earth science research, continues to collect data. This office operates 11 active satellites and instruments, which together produce 450 gigabytes (Gb) of data each day. Landsat alone, one of NASA's most popular sources of remote sensing data, produces 200 Gb of raw data per day. In 1997, NASA will launch the first of many Earth Observation Systems (EOS) satellites and instruments that will double the daily production of raw data. EOS will produce 15 years of global, comprehensive environmental remote sensing data. To handle the size and variety of data now available and to promote cross-discipline research, NASA created EOSDIS, which drastically reduces the time spent searching for relevant data, allowing scientists to focus their research efforts on changes in the Earth's environment. EOSDIS allows scientists to search many data centers and disciplines quickly and easily, quickening the pace of research. The faster the research, the more quickly scientists can identify causes of detrimental environmental effects, opening the way for policy- and lawmakers to act at international, national and local levels. The well-known hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic illustrates the process from research to policy to law. Researchers first discovered the ozone hole when lofting a weather balloon from an Antarctic research station. But NASA's NIMBUS 7 satellite had the necessary instruments, so why hadn't it detected the hole? Scientists quickly discovered that the calibration algorithm routinely dropped low ozone values as "noise." When they retrieved 12 years of original NIMBUS 7 data, scientists verified the existence of the hole and indicated that it had grown over the last decade. Data from additional instruments revealed that CloroFloroCarbons (CFCs), such as Freon, destroyed the ozone layer and created the hole. Armed with this knowledge, the United States signed several international treaties restricting the production of CFCs. Congress passed regulations on the production, distribution and recovery of CFCs in the United States. As a direct result, worldwide production of CFCs has plummeted. Today, consumers cannot openly buy Freon. Given time, the CFCs already in the atmosphere will disperse and the ozone layer will heal itself. Another example of the benefits of multiple-discipline Earth science research lies in the work of the EOSDIS Pathfinder projects, which recycle old data from past and current satellites into new products for scientific research. One project used old Landsat data to assess deforestation in the Amazon basin, indicating that the true rate of deforestation closely matches that cited by the Brazilian government, thus ending a long standing, international debate. Now that scientists have settled the extent of deforestation, policy- and lawmakers can act to fix it. In yet another result of the EOSDIS philosophy, ocean dynamists recently discovered a huge, low-amplitude wave that propagates back and forth across the Pacific Ocean. Only a few inches high, but a thousand miles long, the wave bounces back and forth between South America and Asia. The same scientists also found that sea level has risen slightly over the last few years, while other researchers detected a slight decline in total ice coverage. Are these three phenomena related? If so, why? Only collaborative research between atmospheric physics, ocean dynamics, meteorology and climatology can answer these questions. The same principles apply to regional and local, as well as national and international, policy and law. Through EOSDIS, state and local governments can obtain accurate data and information about water tables, flood plains, ground cover and air quality. For example, the state of Ohio has begun using NASA remote sensing data to monitor reclamation of strip mining sites, a task for which the state does not have enough personnel to perform on-site inspections. EOSDIS does a lot more than just store and distribute Earth science data. It also provides the operational ground infrastructure for all satellites and instruments within the Mission to Planet Earth office at NASA. It contains Earth science data from EOS satellites, other MTPE satellites, joint programs with international partners and other agencies, field studies and past satellites. It receives and processes the raw data from the satellites. After initial processing, EOSDIS delivers the data to the Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) for further processing, storage and distribution. EOSDIS also includes mission operations and satellite control. Distributed Active Archive CentersThe DAACs serve as the interface between EOSDIS and the user community. Each DAAC concentrates on a specific discipline of global change and Earth science, storing all raw satellite data received from the Data Production Facility and processing the raw data into usable products. The products are then distributed on a variety of media, such as magnetic tape or CD-ROM. Users query DAAC content through the Internet, viewing low resolution, browse images of the desired data. EOSDIS has nine DAACs: Alaska Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Facility (ASF), located outside Fairbanks, Alaska, specializes in sea ice and polar processes. EROS Data Center (EDC), jointly funded with the U.S. Geological Survey, specializes in land processes; it is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland, specializes in the upper atmosphere, atmospheric dynamics - the global biosphere. Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), in Los Angeles, California, specializes in ocean circulation and air-sea interactions. Langley Research Center (LaRC), located near Norfolk, Virginia, specializes in radiation budget, aerosols and tropospheric chemistry. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama, specializes in the Earth's hydrologic cycle. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), at the University of Colorado in Boulder, specializes in the Earth's cryosphere. Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), jointly funded with the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, specializes in biogeochemical dynamics. Socioeconomic Data Archive Center (SEDAC) at the University of Michigan in Saginaw, specializes in integrating socioeconomic and environmental data. The Science Computing Facilities generate the software algorithms that DAACs use to transform raw satellite data into useful products and perform quality control on DAAC products. One or more Science Computing Facilities support each instrument on each satellite. EOSDIS Core SystemThe EOSDIS core system consists of the Science Data Processing Segment, the Flight Operations Segment and the Communications and Systems Management Segment. The Science Data Processing Segment handles all data production, archive and distribution through the Information Management Service, the Planning and Data Processing System, and the Data Archival and Distribution Services. The Information Management Service performs data search, access and retrieval for the EOSDIS. The Planning and Data Processing System processes the raw data into the standard products offered by the EOSDIS. The Data Archival and Distribution Service permanently stores all data received or produced by EOSDIS. The Flight Operations Segment, consisting of the EOS Operations Center, the Instrument Support Terminals and the Spacecraft Simulator, supports the EOS satellites and instruments. The Operations Center commands and controls the operation of EOS satellites. The Instrument Support Terminals consist of a few generic workstations dedicated to the command and control of specific instruments. Generally, each instrument will have its own Instrument Support Terminal. The Spacecraft Simulator analyzes general satellite information stripped off the main data stream, searching for trends and problems. The Communications and Systems Management Segment, consisting of the Systems Management Center and the NASA Internal Network, manages schedules and operations among the DAACs and other elements of the EOSDIS. The Systems Management Center manages network loading, data transfer and overall processing to optimize EOSDIS performance. The Internal Network connects all of the permanent archives, transferring data among all of the DAACs and Science Computing Facilities via a dedicated fiber network utilizing the asynchronous transfer mode. The NASA Science Internet (or Internet for short) links the general user to the EOSDIS. The Internet also links EOSDIS to data centers outside NASA. The EOSDIS Data and Operations System (EDOS), consisting of the Data Interface Facility, the Data Production Facility and the Sustaining Engineering Facility, handles all telemetry to and from the satellite and performs the initial data processing. The Data Interface Facility is the primary communication and data link between the ground and the satellites. The Data Interface Facility separates the main data stream into the scientific and system information. The scientific information goes to the Data Production Facility, while the system information goes to the EOS Operations Control Center and the Spacecraft Simulator. The Data Production Facility separates the scientific data by instruments, calibrates it and attaches any ancillary data (orbit information, for example). All data then gets transferred to the DAACs for permanent storage. The Sustaining Engineering Facility maintains equipment, identifies hardware trends and plans for future upgrades. The DAACs process the data from each instrument on each satellite into approximately 250 products. Among the many satellite projects from which products are developed are the Tropical Rain Measurement Mission, the Ocean Topography Experiment and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer. Through EOSDIS, data products can come from field campaigns, such as the Boreal Ecosystem Atmosphere Study; from satellites operated by other agencies, such as NOAA's Geostationary Orbit Environmental Satellite; and from past NASA missions and programs. Users can locate data products by discipline, DAAC, Earth location, instrument, satellite or time. EOSDIS allows any data format, but uses the Hierarchical Data Format, developed by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, as the standard. NASA released Version 0 of the EOSDIS to the general public in 1994. Version 0 connects all the DAACs with some elements of the Science Data Processing Segments, primarily the Information Management Service. Version 0 consolidates 12 distinct data systems and allows users to locate and order data products at eight DAACs (SEDAC will come on line later this year). Through Version 0, users can also link to NOAA's Satellite Active Archive. Version 1, due for release in February 1996, will include all functional elements of the EOSDIS, but not at full capacity. Version 2, due for release in November 1997, will bring the EOSDIS up to full capacity. Minor upgrades between versions will fix small problems, improve specific services and add new products. Anyone can access the EOSDIS via the Internet with telenet or via modem. One can access Version 0 from a computer that runs UNIX, X-Windows or VT100. Users can search through the EOSDIS archives in a variety of ways: by scientific discipline, satellite or product name. One can limit the search to specific regions on the Earth or specific dates. To help in selection, EOSDIS allows users to preview low-resolution browse images before ordering the data product. Data set descriptions also help users choose applicable products. A help desk at each DAAC takes data orders and troubleshoots problems. Kevin Schaefer is with NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Apr-95/schaefer.html
Learn how to collect happiness When people speak of happiness , the idea of much money always crowds in . In most people’s eyes , it seems that owing it means owing everything and happiness is just a notion like a big sum of money . Actually taking possession of plenty of money can surely help you buy what you want while people’s basic necessities of life can’t do without it , from the viewpoint of which happiness means money . However , different people have different views on what happiness is about and their types of happiness they are seeking varies . It is absolutely wrong of people to think that you must feel happy because you have a large amount of money and that on the contrast ,you are not because of no quantity . As is known to all , there are many other things more important than money in the world . They can also bring people happiness , even much more than money . In my opinion , real happiness is something you feel in your innermost heart , that is , when you feel happy , you are happy . In modern society full of intense competition , only a few people are capable of making big money . Do you think they are happy ? Only they themselves can answer it . The idea that happiness is only based on money or wealth is obviously inacceptable . Thus , people have to transfer their attention to money to something else so as to seek their own real happiness . It turns out that they can manage to gain their happiness they think of from what they do . Happiness doesn’t mean you need to make great achievement . Small things you succeed in doing can also result in instructive and significant effect on others . Then you are a happy person. Hong Kong’s average citizen , Huan Furong( 黄福荣 ) feels enjoyed as a volunteer worker . He is just a common truck driver , not rich , but he constantly went to and fro between mainland China and Hong Kong in order to offer as much help as possible to others in need. During his ten years of volunteer service his deeds include donation of all his savings , a seven- month walk from Hong Kong to Beijing for helping raising money for China’s Marrow Donors Program and providing two-month volunteer service for Wenchuan quake zone. All that he did is not something great . However, he set a good example for everyone with his loving heart . Whenever and wherever he turned up , people would see his love and help. Not until he lost his life in Yushu quake zone where he joined in earthquake relief work did people get to know him .One word he ever said is “ If I lose my life in the course of my volunteer service , that is a favor God does me .” In his eye , this is happiness . Now he has gone to heaven where we hope he is a happy person forever and ever . Happiness is something really quite simple . Itcan be a cup of tea you drink after you are thirsty . Itcan be a piece of bread you eat after you are hungry . Itcan be a sweet smile and warm welcome from your beloved ones after you return after a long journey . Itcan be a hand you give somebody in trouble . It can be an article of well-content dress you wear after you have just bought . It can be …. There are so many types of happiness around you . To be a careful and minded person , you won’t be able to miss happiness present everywhere . Happiness can be enlarged. When you pass your happiness to others , they share it with you , then the happiness will be doubled . As the saying goes , joys shared with others are more enjoyed . Huan Furong is such a person who spread his love among others . Nowadays the loving baton are going from one to another , becoming the bond of happiness . As a result , wherever there is more love there is more happiness . Happiness is present everywhere . Only to be a person with loving heart , he or she can gain real happiness . Only to be a person who knows enough is as good as a feast, he or she can enjoy real happiness . Only to be a careful and minded person , he or she can discover real happiness . Let’s all become experts who know how to collect real happiness. Remember the saying – Joys shared with others are more enjoyed .
People / Faculty Norman G. Lederman, Ph.D. Chairman Professor Office: IGT Building (South), Suite 4008 3424 S. State St. Chicago, IL 60616 Office Hours: Phone: 312.567.3658 Fax: 312.567.3659 Email: ledermann@iit.edu Web: Expertise Education B.S. Biology, Bradley University M.S. Biology, New York University M.S. Secondary Education, Bradley University Ph.D. Science Education, Syracuse University Curriculum Vitae Research Major Accomplishments Dr. Norman G. Lederman is currently Chair and Professor of Mathematics and Science Education at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He has taught a full range ofgraduate (Masters and Doctoral) courses in secondary science education and supervised teaching interns. Dr. Lederman received his Ph.D. in Science Education from Syracuse University (1983); M.S. in Secondary Education from Bradley University (1977); M.S. in Biology from New York University (1973); B.S. in Biology from Bradley University (1971). Before arriving at his present position, he was Professor of Science and Mathematics Education at Oregon State University since1985, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, SUNY/Albany (1984-85) and Assistant Professor of Science Teaching, Syracuse University (1983-84). Dr. Lederman taught high school Biology at Eureka (IL) High School (1974-79) as well as college level biology at Onondaga Community College (1979-82) and Illinois Central College (1976-79). He has received the Illinois Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (1979), a Presidential Citation for DistinguishedService from the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science (AETS, 1986), the Burlington Resources Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research (1992), the AETS Outstanding Mentor Award (2000), and the National Association for Research in Science Teaching Award for Outstanding JRST Paper (2001). Dr. Lederman is internationally known for his research and scholarship on the development of students' and teachers' conceptions of nature of science and scientific inquiry. He has also studied preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge structures of subject matter and pedagogy, pedagogical content knowledge, and teachers' concerns and beliefs. Dr. Lederman has been author or editor of 10 books, including an elementary science teaching methods textbook. He is editor of the recently published Handbook for Research on Science Education. He has written 15 book chapters and published over 200 articles in professional refereed journals. In addition, Dr. Lederman has made over 500 presentations at professional conferences and meetings around the world. Dr. Lederman has served as President of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science (AETS), and the Oregon Educational Research Association. He has also served as Director of Teacher Education for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Director of the Northwest Region of AETS, North American Director of the International Council of Associations for Science Education and served on the Board of Directors of NSTA, AETS, NARST, and the School Science and Mathematics Association. Dr. Lederman served as the Editor of the journal School Science and Mathematics for 10 years and serves, or has served, on the Editorial Boards of the American Educational Research Journal, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, International Journal of Science Education, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Journal of Elementary Science Education, Journal of Science Teacher Education, Science and Education, and Science Education. Current Projects Project Way2Go - Illinois Institute of Technology - Western Michigan University Collaboration "A current, 5 year NSF joint project with Western Michigan Univeristy. The project goals are to investigate the relative value of inquiry-oriented and "direct" instruction." International Investigation of Inquiry and Direct Instruction "A collaborative research project between MSED and the University of Stockholm. This is a systematic investigation of the relative effectiveness of direct and indirect instruction in Stockholm, Sweden and Chicago." NOS/Inquiry Instrument Development "This collaborative project with University of Duisberg-Essen, in Germany is developing a competency based assessment instrucment for nature of science and scientific inquiry." Perceptions of Inquiry "An international collaboration with University of Hong, Beijing Normal University, and IIT. This is a cross-cultural investigation of physics’ teachers’ perceptions of inquiry-oriented instruction." Development of Instructional Skills for Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry "Investigation of the parallel development of knowledge of nature of science and knowledge about inquiry and instructional practice." Development of Assessment Protocol for Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry "This project, in collaboration with Ancona School, is attempting to develop an assessment protocol for nature of science and scientific inquiry for use with students who are too young to write or read." Development of Public Understanding of Science "This international project, in collaboration with the University of Wittswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, investigates the use of museum exhibit design to develop knowledge of scientific inquiry and nature of science." Perspectives- IIT Mathematics and Science Academy "MSED will serve as the Math and Science partner for Perspectives Charter Schools’ newly approved Mathematics and Science Academy (grades 6-12). The school is scheduled to open Fall, 2008." High School Transformation Project "A three-year (with opportunity to renew for two additional two-year periods) curriculum and professional development project funded by the Gates Foundation and Chicago Public Schools. MSED provides new science curricula (biology, chemistry and physics) and professional development for all science faculty in 11 Chicago high schools. Additional high schools are added each year." CUES (Conceptual Understandings of Earth Systems) – IIT/American Geological Institute "A three year Instructional Materials Development grant funded by NSF. A collaboration between the American geological Institute and IIT to create a middle school earth sciences curriculum that stresses nature of science and scientific inquiry." Operation Biotechnology "A three-year FIPSE grant in collaboration with the Biotechnology Institute. This project develops and implements biotechnology instructional modules, as well as prepares lead teachers for subsequent professional development dissemination." Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Grant "Department of Mathematics and Science Education, in collaboration with Dean Ali Cinar and Alex Flueck, was awarded a National Science Foundation grant that provides extensive summer university research experiences for more than100 teachers in IIT laboratories." Math/Science Leadership Cohort "A professional development leadership program for inservice teachers that leads to a Masters degree in science or mathematics education. Those who complete the program serve as mentor teachers for their districts as well as supervisors in model sites for future teachers. We are currently in our fourth year and recruitment for cohort #5 will begin in the spring." Chicago Public Schools – Science Cohort "A project designed to assist science teachers from representative Chicago high schools implement newly adopted science curriculum. Twenty-five teachers typically participate in year-long professional development in Glencoe-based earth science, chemistry and biology." Young People’s Project "Curriculum implementation project targeting grades 3-6 students, high school tutors, and college tutors. IIT serves as external evaluator for this project." Project RECRUIT "An alternative certification program funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by the University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign. IIT is the external evaluator." Taiwan Academic Cultural Exchange "For the fifth consecutive year, MSED will host a group of 30 middle school students from Taiwan. Students experience advanced science instruction and stay in IIT dorms for 10 days each June or July." Awards/Honors http://www.iit.edu/csl/msed/faculty/lederman_norman.shtml
Some people think we are running out of phosphorus, a key ingredient in the plant nutrient mix. That was one of the more disturbing bits of information I ran across in my research for a story on global fertilizer last year. After a little more research, it turns out phosphorus reserves may be just fine. It's where they are located that has everyone worried. The fertilizer industry – particularly potash and phosphate – is a classic oligopoly, with very few established players that exist in a business that is extremely capital intensive. You can count on two hands the number of companies that produce those nutrients. It costs a couple billion dollars to open a new mine, says Joe Dillier, fertilizer analyst with GrowMark, a large farm er cooperative here in the U.S. 'Peak phosphorus' Some scientists, notably Dana Cordell and Stuart White of the University of Technology in Sydney , Australia , believe phosphorus supplies could begin running out in 30 to 40 years, threatening long-term, worldwide famine. See their research here . The idea was fleshed out by White and another researcher, James Elser of the University of California , in an article in Foreign Policy . "Our dwindling supply of phosphorus, a primary component underlying the growth of global agricultural production, threatens to disrupt food security across the planet during the coming century," claim the authors. "This is the gravest natural resource shortage you've never heard of." Click here for the full story . Then the New York Times picked up on this and ran a bit in their "Idea of the Day" blog back in April last year. But "Peak phosphate" is baloney, say others. “World Phosphate Rock Reserves and Resources,” a study released in September by the IFDC , a public organization focused on international food security, estimates that global resources of phosphate rock suitable to produce phosphate rock concentrate, phosphoric acid, phosphate fertilizers and other phosphate-based products will be available for several hundred years. "There is no evidence of a peak phosphorus event," says Steven J. Van Kauwenbergh, principal scientist and leader of IFDC’s Phosphate Research and Resources Initiative. Steve Jasinski agrees. "I don't think there is a peak phosphorus situation to be concerned with at this time," says Jasinski, mineral commodity specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey . "Phosphate resources are large. The (peak phosphorus) assumptions were based on older reserve estimates and didn't take into account improvements in processing, higher prices, and other factors." "The running out of phosphate in 30 years is a complete lie, pushed by a bunch of academics with an environmental axe to grind," adds Barrie Bain, an analyst with Fertecon , an industry tracking organization. Who controls what "Rather than peak phosphorus, there should be more emphasis on future supply patterns, with Morocco controlling most of the world's reserves," Jasinski told me. Most phosphate mines, including those in the U.S. which own 17% of global resources, have been in decline for the past decade, hindered in part by environmental regulation. So companies must look farther afield to find supplies. According to the IFDC report, Morocco is sitting on about 50 billion tons of phosphate rock – a 300 to 400 year supply and possibly 80% of world reserves. Many of the country's mines are in Western Sahara , a disputed territory and site of human rights concerns. China has 7% of world reserves, but when food prices ran up in 2008 it slapped a 135% export tariff on phosphate exports. Phosphorus, says Auburn economist Bob Taylor, is "a geo-strategic ticking time bomb." With so few players in the industry, Taylor worries that one key ingredient in food production may eventually fall under the control of two or three nations. “Who will control the key inputs to food production?” he asks. "The political dimension is as large as the corporate dimension in fertilizer markets. We are setting ourselves up to rely more and more on agriculture inputs from politically unstable countries."
Men and women can now thank a dozen brain regions for their romantic fervor. Researchers have revealed the fonts of desire by comparing functional MRI studies of people who indicated they were experiencing passionate love, maternal love or unconditional love. Together, the regions release neurotransmitters and other chemicals in the brain and blood that prompt greater euphoric sensations such as attraction and pleasure. Conversely, psychiatrists might someday help individuals who become dangerously depressed after a heartbreak by adjusting those chemicals. Passion also heightens several cognitive functions, as the brain regions and chemicals surge. “It’s all about how that network interacts,” says Stephanie Ortigue, an assistant professor of psychology at Syracuse University, who led the study. The cognitive functions, in turn, “are triggers that fully activate the love network.” Tell that to your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Graphics by James W. Lewis, West Virginia University (brain) , and Jen Christiansen. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=your-brain-in-love-graphsciWT.mc_id=SA_CAT_MB_20110209
On the researchers' evaluation meeting, one researcher said, "I'll spend time enjoying life! I'll start blogging!" The attendees are in applause! Ya, blogging is a very good way ofsharing our thoughts with others and recording our life. Your blog is a live advertisement on yourself. Through the blog, you can know many people who are related to your research fields or who have common interests or hobbies with you. Bloggingcan also greatly improve our writing proficiency, I think. You have to think out an interesting or meaningful topic.You have to consider how to express your ideas in a logical and clear way, you have to consider how to impress others with beautiful language and pictures or other auxilliary measures. Blogging is also a very effectiveway to relax one's nerve! When you don't wantto work, when you feel bad to do anything, you can come here to blog. Quickly, you'll recover from your fatigue and then be back to your work!
A Good Woman Director Mike Barker's adaptation of an Oscar Wilde play is set in 1930 on Italy's sparkling Amalfi Coast. What does a good woman have if not a good reputation? Well, you will be surprised An Ideal Husband I watched the 1999 film version last night. For the story itself, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Ideal_Husband
You may read Times, Newsweek, or other magazines, if you can afford the time. If not, The Week is not a bad choice. What I like about it, say an article under Talking points, it always provides the readers at least two opposing views. Confusing? Maybe. Still, I prefer different views than one-sided opinion. I enjoy many articles under The last word. Here are some links to free articles you may read online: The_last_word:_He_said_he_was_leaving._She_ignored_him. The_last word: The little_dog_lost_at_sea. The_last_word:_Inside_a_dog's_world
标签: people
