Working extra hard is not a long timer viable strategy to survive in a corporate world. Productive only scale linearly for putting in the extra hour. In order to stay afloat, your productivity has to grow in multiples by continuous learning.
Lawns 1-2-3 – Home Depot
今天幹了一整個下午的苦工﹐我第一次替新屋剪草﹐兼人生第一次使用剷草機。上手業主完全不打理前園﹐有些草地雜草叢生﹐長到好像亞馬遜森林。有些草地則不知生了什麼﹐顏色枯黃像生癩痢。初初搬進來對著這塊草地﹐我感到束手無策﹐問身邊朋友也得不到什麼有用的意見。中國人朋友大多請人剪草﹐他們大慨連自己草地上種植的草是什麼品種也不知道。西人朋友倒意見多多各有祖傳秘方﹐可惜人多口亂都不知信誰才好。當然最簡單是請人重舖草地﹐不過這可是要花幾千元的大工程。我想試下自己能否把草地起死回生﹐最多試過了不行﹐請人重舖草地才心息。
我的草地知識由零學起﹐網上有雖然很多護理草地的資訊﹐不過始終要看過入門書藉﹐心裏才會感到踏實的知識。這本《草地一二三》是Home Depot的一二三易學叢書其中一冊。Home Depot是北美最大的家居維修專門店﹐它出版教人DIY的書內容不一定最好﹐不過勝在淺白易懂。書中有很多示範圖片和詳細解說﹐化繁為簡步驟由淺入深﹐最適合我這類初心者閱讀。
這本書從草地的最基本說起﹐講解草的生長過程﹐溫帶草和寒帶草的分別﹐介紹不同的剪草工具。很多左翼綠色人士批評養草地不環保﹐說那是市效的中產階級價值觀﹐養草地浪費大量食水。其實健康的草地有助環保﹐每二十五平方呎的草地﹐便可以產生出一個人每天所需的氧氣。草地可以吸熱替房屋降溫﹐減少冷氣耗電。草地可以過慮空氣中的塵埃和污染﹐讓空氣更新清新。草根可以找緊泥土﹐防止水土流失。最重要是草地如果打理良好﹐可以令房屋增值一成半。
剪草﹐淋水﹐施肥﹐除蟲﹐除雜草﹐土壤﹐每一項都是學問﹐書中各用一章來講解。最後一章對我最有用﹐講如何自己動手舖草地。最重要是先把草地清空﹐把上面的雜草和有病的草除去﹐把泥土翻鬆讓水和養份滲入﹐再舖上草種然後淋水施肥﹐過幾個星期草便會重新長出來。書中說打理草地只要適得其法﹐要擁有一幅綠油油地氈般的草地﹐並不需要花太多時間和功夫。我現在先在前園一角實驗種新草﹐如果成功便在秋天大規模翻新草地。我並不期望草地會像哥爾夫球場般優美﹐我只祈求草地不再遍地雜草和頹頭﹐好讓我在新鄰居面前不會太失禮。
Synthetic biology and man made life
My plan of cloning myself is old news from yesterday. With the new technology of synthetic life, now I want to create an entire new me from scratch. If you can make something newer and better, why bother mere copying?
RX-178 Gundam Mk.II Titan ver.
RX-178 Gundam Mk.II Titan ver.
MS-05B Zaku I
Introduced in UC 0075, the MS-05B Zaku I was the Principality of Zeon’s first true mass-production model mobile suit. Although designed as a front line combat unit, the Zaku I was soon replaced by the improved MS-06F Zaku II and would be replaced as the mainstay of Zeon’s mobile suit forces. Early during the One Year War of UC 0079, most Zaku Is were relegated to menial construction and supply duties, although a few did continue to serve in combat roles. During the war’s opening days, Zaku Is were also used in other combat-related work roles, such gassing of colony populations, attaching booster engines to space colonies to hurtle them towards Earth, and so on. It wasn’t until the last months of the war that Zeon, desparate after facing losses in Operation Odessa and Operation Star One, would move the old Zaku Is back to the front lines to reinforce their faltering main forces. Several units would even see combat on Earth when the Midnight Fenrir team fought in defense of the California Base. (from MAHQ)