"Let the Bullets Fly", a smart commerical movie

Long story short: you should watch the movie "Let the Bullets Fly" if you are a Chinese.

People kept trying to find the symbolic meaning of the dialogue and scenes in the movie.  In fact, there is a scene in the movie when the tycoon played by Yun Fat Chow yelled at his people, "Come on, it's just an analogy!", like an inside joke about inside joke.  This is not surprisingly, consider that intellects in China already get used to communicate with code, symbol, proxy and irony on the Net.

However, it's the fact that the movie is enjoyable even without considering the hidden message, and the credit definitely goes to the script writer(s).  Yet, the pace and editing of the movie are tight enough that you get bored by the conversation.  Instead, the conversation keeps driving the storyline forward, seeing how the 2 parties in the story tried to out smart each other, like a intense chess game.

I think foreigners will have serious hard time to understand just the plot on the surface, let along the deeper meaning that drives Chinese people laugh and cry.  To me, the story really gives me hope on China that there are still a lot smart people with hearts.  The fact that a movie like this can be green lighted, produced, and well accepted by audience proves that intellects in aren't all corrupted by money and injustice system, that somehow we can see a bright future, as long as we "let the bullets fly a little bit longer."

Biggest headache, literally, ever in my life inm

I never serious headache before except when I had flu.  Starting from 2 days ago, however, I had some serious headache, and it was getting worse and worse, up to a point that 10 minutes ago I felt like something was trying to tear my head apart.  I also found it odd that the pain spot seem to move around, from my forehead to the side, and now being staying at the back side of my head.

I am really eager trying to figure out what in the world is causing me to have to crazy headache (or migraine, which seriously I have problem distinguish them).  Here's some tidbits about my life in the last 3 days:

• 3 days ago (Tuesday), I had lunch with bosses.  In order to "get in crowd"  I ordered a cup of espresso.  After 2 to 3 zips,  I stopped and couldn't take it anymore.  It was super too strong to me.  Notice that I didn't have headache on that day.
• I was starting to struggle on iPhone database technology CoreData since 3 days ago. and still haven't resolved the problem yet.  My original plan to spend half a day to learn it and half a day to implement it.  After 3 days and I still couldn't make it working, and in fact I might need to go back to square 1 this weekend and learn it from scratch in order to understand it inside-out.
• I was started working at home since Wednesday because I don't have a iPhone development enviornment at work.  I need to get back to the office since I need to attend a business lunch meeting.
• I have never had a headache so severer in my life before
• I was NOT having headache this morning until I get to the office, and started thinking about how to integrate the mobile dev, winform dev, SQLExpress DAO dev blend together without people stepping on each other

I still tend to think that the headache is a psychological thing.  Maybe I'll be better if I turn myself out.... forget about work .... forget about learning ... think happy thought ... think happy thoughts .........

meow

Apple wireless keyboard with iPad

I was resisting buying the Apple wireless keyboard for use with my iPad for a long while mainly because of the US$69 price tag. Now that I have it, I have to say it's totally worthy. And I also glad that I didn't go for the keyboard integrated iPad case because having a separate bluetooth keyboard really gives me more flexibility. in addition, the keyboard is better in quality, with better integration (a lot of function keys actually work on both my MacMini at home and my iPad.)

The experience of reconnecting the device is pretty smooth. For instance, my friend took the keyboard away and try pairing with him Windows machine. When he gave back to keyboard to me, all I need to do is turn on the bluetooth on my iPad again, select the previous paired setting, and instantly my bluetooth wireless keyboard is back working with my iPad.

The keyboard is very light weight, yet very durable. Leaving it in my back pad doesn't seem to inject any extra weight at all.

Most importantly, typing long article, like this blog, is way better done on the wireless keyboard than typing on the touch screen.

However, using the keyboard with Windows-remote-desktop-like apps, like WinAdmin or Jump, isn't as good an experience as I expected. Not all key has been properly duplicated, and raising your hand up and down and up and down between a virtual iPad screen and horizontal keyboard is such a terrible experience. In that sense, Steve Job was right that doing a touch-screen MacBook will be a bad idea. If you are really looking for a terminal like remote desktop experience, you really should get a sub-$300 net book.

Nevertheless, Apple wireless keyboard is an essential tool if you type a lot on iPad.

Haven't been watching live TV for years ... until now

Golden Globe and Fox animation line up running at the same time today, so I have to watch Golden Globe live.  Nice that I can totally watch this kind of show in background while doing other constructive stuff. Of course, the best way to watch it is still DVR it and then fast forward frequently.

Binary number 4

Interesting nerd story:

"A couple asked me to teach a five years old some basic programming knowledge.  When I asked whether it's too early to do so. The mom, 'maybe my son is my genius." In order to stimulate this genius to understand logic, I tried to teach him binary arithmetic, just like teaching little kids how to count.  So I ask him to use his fingers to represent binary numbers.  For instance, one is 00001, so he raised only the thumb.  Two is 00010, so he raised only the first finger.

Things went well until the counting reaches number 4.  Since then the parents prohibit me from being close to their son."

Hair cut that seal my uncle status

Among all the hair cut that I've had, the one I just had an hour ago was probably the shortest.  Looking at the mirror, I can totally see that now I am offically an "uncle".