My Neighbor, Steve Jobs

This article first appeared in Palo Alto Patch.

My neighbor, Steve Jobs, has been in the news lately. The talk of the town is the recent announcement he will be stepping aside to let other seeds grow at Apple. The business press, the general press, the blogosphere, and just about everybody else has waxed poetic about the “greatest CEO of all time” saying that this “boy wonder” has shaped the very nature of our lives with his genius. 

It’s all true, but here in Palo Alto, Steve Jobs isn’t just an icon, he’s also the guy who lives down the street.
I first met Steve (does anyone call him Mr. Jobs anymore?) years ago at a backyard pool party. I was so flummoxed by the off chance I was breathing in his DNA, I could barely say a word. I am sure I made a winning first impression as I stumbled over my own name when we were introduced.
I watched as he swam in the pool with his son. He seemed like a regular guy, a good dad having fun with his kids.
The next time I met him was when our children attended school together. He sat in on back-to-school night listening to the teacher drone on about the value of education (wait, isn’t he one of those high-tech gods who didn’t even graduate from college?) while the rest of us sat around pretending having Steve Jobs in the room was totally normal.
Not long after, I saw Steve as I was running in our neighborhood. He was deep in conversation with a younger version of himself — his very own mini-me in jeans, black tee-shirt, and wire-rimmed glasses. I must have looked like an idiot as I tripped over a crack in the pavement trying to give them wide berth.
It was at Halloween not long after when I realized he actually knew my name (yes, my name!). He and his wife put on a darn scary haunted house (to be specific, a haunted garden). He was sitting on the walkway, dressed like Frankenstein. As I walked by with my son, Steve smiled and said, “Hi Lisen.” My son thought I was the coolest mom in town when he realized The Steve Jobs knew me.
Thanks for the coolness points, Steve.
From then on, when I saw him holding his executive meetings in our neighborhood, I didn’t hesitate to smile and say hi. Steve always returned the favor, proving he may be a genius, but he is also a good neighbor.
In time, things changed. The walks were less frequent, the gait slower, the smile not so ready. Earlier this year when I saw Steve and his wife walking down our street holding hands, I knew something was different. Now, so does the rest of the world.
While Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal and CNET continue to drone on about the impact of the Steve Jobs era,  I won’t be pondering the MacBook Air I write on or the iPhone I talk on. I will think of the day I saw him at his son’s high school graduation. There Steve stood, tears streaming down his cheeks, his smile wide and proud, as his son received his diploma and walked on into his own bright future leaving behind a good man and a good father who can be sure of the rightness of this, perhaps his most important legacy of all.

Past Hurricanes in New York: Most Terrible Pictures

Tropical Storm Irene was downgraded from a hurricane which headed to New York on Sunday killed at least 18 people and caused extensive damage. In fact, in New York City history, there were only a few big hurricanes ever hit New York City. The last of them was Hurricane Gloria in 1985, which caused substantial damage on Long Island.

The Great Atlantic Hurricane in 1944, an intenseAtlantic hurricane was ever compared to the New England Hurricane of 1938. The hurricane cost $100 million in damage or $965 million in 2010, roughly one-third of the 1938 hurricane. Furthermore, 390 lives were lost during the hurricane; most from marine casualties and 46 deaths occurred on land, the low toll due to well-executed warnings and evacuations.

These trees were tilted when the high winds of the Great Atlantic Hurricane swept the corner of Rockefeller Plaza and 49th Street on September 15, 1944, New York

A fast-moving hurricane named Hurricane Carol 1954 with winds up to 100 miles an hour and torrential rains caused destructive waves in Asbury Park

This terrifying picture of an auto gone aground on Montauk Highway at Napeague, Long Island, New York on August 31, 1954, following Hurricane Carol which caused untold damage on eastern end of the island

Hurricane Connie in 1955 caused the heaviest rains of the year. Many cellars were flooded and a lot of roofs made dangerous heavy by the weight of the water, and motor cars accumulated along highways leading to the city.

Motorists took it easy through the underpass at Queens Blvd. and Horace Harding Blvd. on August 12, 1955 in Long Island, New York

This image showed off roads flooded at Long Island, New York on August 12, 1955 because of Hurricane Connie

Tropical Storm Doria in 1971 with torrential rains shattered windows throughout the metropolitan region including this automobile showroom Queens on August 28, 1971 in New York

Pedestrians hurry home with umbrella at the outside Grand Central Terminal as Hurricane Gloria heads to New York City in 1985. At that time, most schools and many businesses in the city are closed in anticipation of the hurricane

The windows of Saks Fifth Avenue were taped up to deal with the arrival of Hurricane Gloria in 1985

The Hurricane Gloria 1985 picture showed off roofs of houses in Fire Island, New York, blown away

A tree was seen on the top of a car in Freeport, Long Island caused by heavy winds and driving rain of Hurricane Gloria in 1985

A tree collapsed in the middle of New York's Fifth Avenue near 94th Street after Hurricane Gloria 1985 with heavy rains and strong winds passed through the city

Skype mở kho ứng dụng riêng

Kho ứng dụng Skype vừa ra mắt cung cấp các tiện ích của bên thứ ba có thể tích hợp vào dịch vụ nhắn tin và gọi điện của phần mềm nổi tiếng này.

Trước đây đã có khá nhiều ứng dụng hỗ trợ cho Skype, nhưng danh bạ ứng dụng này là nỗ lực đầu tiên của công ty nhằm tạo ra một địa điểm chính thức để người dùng có thể tìm kiếm và tải về những tiện ích ưa thích.

Video giới thiệu kho ứng dụng Skype:

Tại http://shop.skype.com/apps hiện mới có 23 ứng dụng cho Skype được sắp xếp vào 7 nhóm khác nhau dưới trường Categories, song hầu hết đều là ứng dụng hữu ích. Điển hình là IDroo (hỗ trợ dạy học qua Skype), VodBurner Video Call Recorder (ghi hình cuộc gọi video với Skype), CallBurner MP3 Call Recorder (thu âm cuộc gọi Skype), InnerPass Screen Sharing (chia sẻ desktop và các màn hình khác trong suốt cuộc hội thoại Skype), VuRoom (mở rộng hội thảo video và các tính năng phù hợp cho doanh nghiệp).

Phía trên trang web thống kê danh sách năm ứng dụng mới nhất, năm ứng dụng miễn phí và trả phí được tải về nhiều nhất. Để chuyển đổi giữa ba danh sách này, bạn bấm một trong hai nút tam giác màu trắng. 

Ngoài ra, bên trái còn tích hợp khung tìm kiếm nhanh ứng dụng Skype theo từ khóa.

Bạn nhấp chuột vào liên kết ứng với tên ứng dụng để xem qua thông tin mô tả nó (bao gồm phiên bản, chức năng, ảnh minh họa, miễn phí hay tính phí, số sao do mọi người bình chọn, lời bình,...) trên trang web của Skype, hoặc bấm nút Get it now nếu muốn chuyển luôn đến trang gốc của ứng dụng để tải về máy.

Steve Jobs Quotes

A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.
Steve Jobs

Apple's market share is bigger than BMW's or Mercedes's or Porsche's in the automotive market. What's wrong with being BMW or Mercedes?
Steve Jobs

Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.
Steve Jobs

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
Steve Jobs

I think we're having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we're always trying to do better.
Steve Jobs

I want to put a ding in the universe.
Steve Jobs

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
Steve Jobs

It is piracy, not overt online music stores, which is our main competitor.
Steve Jobs

It took us three years to build the NeXT computer. If we'd given customers what they said they wanted, we'd have built a computer they'd have been happy with a year after we spoke to them - not something they'd want now.
Steve Jobs

Pretty much, Apple and Dell are the only ones in this industry making money. They make it by being Wal-Mart. We make it by innovation.
Steve Jobs

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
Steve Jobs

The people who are doing the work are the moving force behind the Macintosh. My job is to create a space for them, to clear out the rest of the organization and keep it at bay.
Steve Jobs

To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines.
Steve Jobs

You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.
Steve Jobs

Love padlock craze weighs down Italy's romantic spots

ITALY'S landmarks are groaning under the weight of young lovers.
Loved-up couples, eager to prove their devotion for one another, are fixing padlocks inscribed with their initials to bridges and then tossing the key into the water.
The craze, inspired by the novel Ho Voglia De Te (I Want You) by Federico Moccia, is threatening many of the country's landmarks.
Venice's Ponte del Accademia has up to 300 padlocks attached to it, forcing the Italian authorities to take boltcutters to padlocks in February in an attempt to clean up the bridge.
The 16th century Rialto, with its arches and central portico, has also become a target. To locals, the padlocks are not simply an eyesore. When the padlocks rust they damage the stonework.

"It's urgent we act because the problem is spreading to the Rialto, the symbol of the city," Stefania Battaggia, the head of Venice's Office for Urban Quality, told guardian.co.uk.
"It's against the law and the rust from the locks risks damaging the stone. We have found 50 of them on metal stanchions but have yet to nab anyone while they are in the act."
Italian newspaper La Repubblica called for fines and jail terms for anyone caught taking part in the fad.
In Moccia's book, the main character swears eternal love by attaching a padlock to Rome's Milvio bridge before throwing the key into the Tiber.

Couples inscribe their initials on the padlocks before locking them. Picture: AFP

After it came out, lovers started leaving padlocks on lampposts on the bridge, so many that lampposts were in danger of collapsing. In response Rome's mayor put up special railings for the locks.
The craze has struck closer to home. Since 2006 the Sea Cliff Bridge on the NSW south Coast has been a magnet for hundreds of padlocks of varying shapes, sizes and colours.
The local authorities say they have no problem with the phenomenon.
Wollongong Council media spokesman Lachlan Harris said: "We take the view it’s harmless, if it’s an impediment we need to remove then we would do something.
"We also have some on Mt Keira lookout - they're harmless. I see them there and I presume people who come along and profess their undying love, put the padlock on then throw the keys away it’s like having a tattoo."

The Ponte Milvio in Rome and all the lovers who have visited to place their lips and locks. Picture: Eric Vandeville / Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/italy-angered-by-new-love-padlock-craze/story-e6frfq80-1226122612232#ixzz1W81Lj6mo

Muammar Gaddafi: 42 Years in Power

Muammar Gaddafi is famous as the Libyan leader who seized power in a military coup in 1969. With nearly-42 years in power, Muammar Gaddafi has become the fourth longest-ruling non-royal leader since 1900. He is also considered to be the longest-ruling Arab leader ever.

Gaddafi's family was reported to take over much of the economy. The Libyan leader spent billions of his rising oil revenues on international projects, including acquiring both chemical and nuclear weapons in order to start several wars. Gaddafi even directed the country’s revenues to sponsor terror as well as other political activities around the world.

Since 2011, a number of demonstrations against Gaddafi have spread across Libya. Gaddafi since then has lost control of most of eastern Libya and large parts of the west as well. In August 2011, Mr. Gaddafi lost much of Tripoli to the uprising.

The photo taken in 1971 shows the young Muammar Gaddafi in army fatigues

The Libyan military officer Moammar Abu Minyar al-Gadhafi (left) seized power in a military coup in 1969

Mr. Gadhafi has played an important role in the establishment of the Federation of Arab Republics, including Egypt, Libya and Syria. In the photo, Gadhafi attended the signing ceremony of the federation

The Libyan leader was in a press conference in 1986 where he introduced to American journalists about his family

Colonel Muammar Gadhafi waved to supporters from a balcony of his Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli after delivering a speech condemning the United States in 1986

Gadhafi’s wife Sofiya Gaddafi and his children were photographed in 1986

Muammar Gaddafi posed with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Tripoli, Libya in 1977

Mr. Gaddafi arrived at a graduation at the women's military academy in Tripoli in 1981

Muammar Gaddafi talks to correspondents outside the compound that was bombed by U.S. warplanes in 1986

Gaddafi attended at a parade to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Libyan revolution in Tripoli in September 1987

Colonel Gaddafi was reported to have close relations with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The two leaders had a photo together in Marsa Matrouh, a main Egyptian tourist city in 1989

British Prime Minister Tony Blair met Libyan leader Gaddafi in 2004

The Libyan leader shook hands with President Barack Obama at the 2009 G8 Summit held in L'Aquila, Italy

Libyan leader Gaddafi addressed the Libyan nation on state television, vowing to fight against protesters and die a martyr in February 2011

PRESS RELEASE: Letter from Steve Jobs

 August 24, 2011–To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Notable Devices to Measure Time in History

The idea of measuring time probably appeared 5000 to 6000 years ago. And many devices have been used to measure and keep track of time for thousands of years. Merkhet, obelisks, hourglass, mechanical clock, quartz clock, atomic clock and calendar are named as the most notable devices used to measure time in history.

The Ancient Egyptians are known as the first group of people to use the sun to measure the time. They divided the day into two 12-hour periods and used large obelisks to track the movement of the Sun. Of course, this way couldn’t work in cloudy weather or at night.

Ancient Egyptians used the sun to measure the time

The hourglass was also one among the oldest device to measure the time. It is believed that the hourglass is an invention of the ancient Egyptians. The hourglass features two glass chambers connected by a small opening.

Hourglass was one of the oldest devices to measure the time

Another Egyptian method of measuring the time is based on stars. They used a pair of merkhet, the oldest known astronomical tool, to establish a North-South line by lining them up with the Pole Star. By observing certain stars as they crossed the line created with the merkhets, Egyptians could measure the time.

Merkhet – the oldest known astronomical tool

Water clocks accompanied with sundials are likely to be the oldest time-measuring devices. It is not clear about when and where they were invented

The quartz clock dominated the market thanks to the accuracy and reliability of their performance as well as their low cost when produced in mass quantities

Calendar may have been used as a device to measure the time during the last glacial period by using tools such as sticks and bones to track the phrases of the moon or seasons

The mechanical clocks was said to be invented in medieval Europe. With three dials which show the hours, the minutes and the seconds, the mechanical clock was considered as one of the most important innovation in 16th century.

The mechanical clock was commonly used in churches in order to gather regular prayers

Atomic clock is the most accurate device to tell the time known to date. They are used to calibrate other clocks and timekeeping devices

VIỆT NAM XỨ SỞ CỦA NGHỊCH LÝ

Ở hội nghị bàn tròn các nhà báo Châu Á Thái Bình Dương, trả lời phóng viên báo Utusan(Malaysia), đồng chí Nguyễn Cơ Thạch nói rằng ở nước chúng tôi có thời kỳ giá một trứng vịt 30 đồng, trong khi đó giá một ký thép 5 đồng. Phải có đến 6 kg thép mới mua được một trứng vịt. Trên thế giới không ai làm như thế cả. Chuyện ấy khó tin, nhưng lại là một sự thật. Và đó chỉ là một trong muôn vàn chuyện nghịch lý đã và đang xảy ra ở đất nước ta.

Một giáo viên sau 13 năm giảng dạy, thấy đời sống quá khó khăn, không còn đủ sức theo ngành giáo nữa bèn xin nghỉ dạy. Nhà nước cấp cho chị 13 tháng lương va 6 tháng gạo, qui ra tiền tổng cộng 300.000 đồng. Mang số tiền ấy gửi tiết kiệm lấy lãi 8% mỗi tháng, như vậy không cần phải đi làm việc, mỗi tháng cô giáo lãnh được 24.000 đồng…hơn xa tiền lương lúc còn đi dạy.

Một em bé bán nước tại chợ Cồn Đà Nẵng, mỗi ngày mùa nắng đổ được 30 ấm, mỗi ấm kiếm được 100 đồng, vị chi mỗi tháng thu vào 90.000 đồng. Lương của một vị giáo sư đại học phải thua xa.

Có một dạo, tỉnh nầy thừa gạo nên đem nuôi heo, trong khi thành phố bên cạnh đang thiếu gạo phải cho dân ăn bobo và sắn lát thay cơm. Và hàng hóa sản xuất ra tại nhà máy ở Thủ Đức mà người tiêu dùng ở Chợ Lớn muốn mua phải ra tận Hà Nội mang về! Cung cách làm ăn của ta dựa trên cơ sở những nghịch lý: Người ta phá máy móc tốt để xuất khẩu sắt vụn thu ngoại tệ, dùng ngoại tệ đó nhập máy móc về để cho… han rỉ. Đất đai được chuyển từ người lao động siêng năng cần cù sang những người lười biếng và không biết trồng trọt. Tương tự như vậy, người biết thức khuya dậy sớm để phục vụ nhân dân từ nắm xôi điểm tâm đến cây kim sợi chỉ thì không được phép buôn bán, còn người không biết và không muốn buôn bán thì được giao cho những quầy hàng đồ sộ lộng lẫy.

Nghịch lý cơ bản và nguy hiểm nhất là quyền lợi giữa cá nhân và quyền lợi đất nước mâu thuẫn nhau. Một người lao động chân chính làm hết sức mình một cách thành thật và có năng suất dĩ nhiên sẽ mang lợi đến cho xí nghiệp, cho đất nước nhưng khốn thay bản thân lại đói khổ vì tiền lương quá thấp. Còn ngược lại, nếu chỉ biết lo cho bản thân mình đầy đủ và sung sướng thì dứt khoát anh ta phải làm hại đất nước: ăn cắp, buôn lậu, móc ngoặc, tham ô, gian dối….Do vậy mà có “định lý đảo”: ở Hà Nội có một công dân phải ở tù vì tội sản xuất ra những cây bút và lốp xe tốt hơn và rẻ hơn của nhà nước.

Trong nghiên cứu khoa học xảy ra những nhịch lý: sắn thì giàu đạm hơn thịt bò và hột mít thì ăn ngon và bổ hơn trưng vịt lộn. Đồng thời một giáo sư triết học trước đây tốt nghiệp tiến sỹ tại đại học Sorbone nhưng khi làm bài thi triết ở Việt Nam chỉ đạt được điểm 4/10.

Trong quản lý (tài chính) cũng lắm điều nghịch lý. Người ta in ra tờ giấy bạc ba chục đồng để nâng cao năng suất lao động của nhân viên ngân hàng..vì họ dành nhiều công sức để đếm, nhân chia….

Lại có chuyện nghịch lý như sau. Hai anh em nhà kia cùng rủ nhau đi vượt biên, một người đi lọt và một người bị bắt. Thế là một kẻ bị kết tội phản quốc phải đi tù, kẻ còn lại sau một thời gian trở về thành người yêu nước, được tiếp đón nồng hậu.

Giai cấp tư sản trong nước bóc lột công nhân quá tệ nên được triệt hạ đi, và sau đó người ta trải thảm đỏ mời tư sản nước ngoài vào.

Rồi đến nghịch lý dân chủ: Quốc hội là cơ quan đại diện và quyền lực cao nhất của người dân nhưng trong thực tế được xem như là nơi để…tán thành một cách có tổ chức và kỷ luật khi thông qua hoặc hợp thức hóa mọi chuyện cần hợp thức hóa.. Còn tại một huyện nọ, HĐND huyện phiên đầu tiên bầu chủ tịch huyện, ứng cử viên chỉ có một người duy nhất và điều lệ bầu: ai cũng phải bỏ phiếu và không được quyền bỏ phiếu trắng. Cách làm như vậy được gọi là “dân chủ”…

Trong thông tin có một ngịch lý đáng buồn là muốn biết chuyện xảy ra trong nước phải nghe báo đài nước ngoài, và báo chí ở thành phố HCM thì được tự do bênh vực và ủng hộ nhân dân Nam Phi bị áp bức và công nhân Mỹ bị bóc lột nhưng không được quyền bênh vực cho những người dân bị o ép ở Thuận Hải hay ở các tỉnh khác!

Những chuyện nghịch lý như vậy kể ra còn nhiều nhưng tất cả đều không đáng kể so với điều nghịch lý lớn nhất sau đây: Đến nay vẫn còn có nhiều người không cho những chuyện kể trên là điều nghịch lý

                                                                    HUỲNH NGỌC CHÊNH

                                                                               ( Đà Nẵng ) (Báo tuổi trẻ, copy lại từ 1 mem trên Linkhay)

Impressive Animal Pictures

Two zebras battling fiercely for supremacy in their herd, a ginger cat nuzzling a deer, or a lion and a tiger playing together though coming from different continents, is among weekly impressive animal pictures on August 23, 2011.

A cute photo taken by Megan Lorenz in Cape Coral, Florida, captures an owlet landing on the sprinkler hose and seems to turn the tap on during a hot day. “We have had some very hot weather in Florida recently and we've all done everything we can to keep cool. It seems the owls have the same idea and garden sprinklers seem like the perfect solution to them.” the photographer said.

The juvenile owlet perched on the sprinkler hose in Cape Coral, Florida

A picture taken by photographer Vitaly Ktachsays as walking in Odessa Zoo, Ukraine, with his camera shows a ginger cat nuzzling a deer. It is clear that the true love has no border

Lion Cameron and white tiger Zabu play together at the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, though the predators come from different continents

A three-month-old tiger cub at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

Siberian tiger Genghis takes an closer look at a snowman made by staff at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling

A streamlined puffin picking up a mouthful of sand eels flies through the air in the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland

An orangutan mother and her one-year-old offspring are spotted having a good laugh together in the tree tops

A Sumatran orangutan relaxes in its enclosure at Hagenbeck Zoo, Hamburg

Bolivian squirrel monkeys surround a toy ball at London Zoo

A python examines a rabbit in Leipzig, eastern Germany

An Alaskan brown bear takes a Baloo-like bear bath at the McNeil River Game Sanctuary on the Alaska Peninsula

A red belly squirrel, also known as Callosciurus Erythraeus, tries to catch a peanut in Taipei, Taiwan

The two zebras have a fierce battle for supremacy in their herd in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania