2008年12月2日
Living History 怎么译？
作者 谢天振

美国前总统克林顿的夫人、现任纽约州的参议员希拉里的回忆录Living History最近出版。由于此书不是一般的一位前白宫第一夫人对其在白宫生活期间的回忆，而是还涉及到当年克林顿与白宫女实习生莱温斯基在白宫那段闹得全美国、甚至全世界都沸沸扬扬的风流韵事，所以此书的出版自然备受注目，出版后更是连续几周位居全美最畅销的图书之首。国内有商业眼光的出版社也是不惜重金买下该书的版权，并正以最快的速度请人翻译，据说不久即可出版。不过这些都是题外话，作为一名外语教师，笔者更关心的是希拉里这部回忆录的书名Living History如何翻译？

从目前见诸报端的有关希拉里回忆录的报道中可以见到几种译名，如《活着的历史》，《活生生的历史》，《生活史》，等等。但这些译名好象还没能把Living History内含的深层意义传递出来，太拘泥于原文的字面。我们可以假设一下，假如中国也有一位第一夫人要写回忆录，她会用上述这些标题中的一个作她的回忆录的书名吗？我想大概不会。一是这些标题显得太浅太露，而且词的搭配也有问题：在汉语中与“历史”一词搭配的话，在这个意义上通常会有“不可忘却的”、“无法抹掉的”、“仍在继续的”，等等。所以，把“历史”与“活着的”连在一起，总觉得有点牵强。“活生生的历史”这样的说法在汉语中也不是很多，而且汉语中如此说时，往往带有一种“控诉”或“训诫”意味。汉语中说得更多的是“活生生的现实”而不是“历史”。“生活史”当然是最地道的汉语表达，但有点偏离了原文的意思。另外，这几个标题中的“历史”或“史”也会对不明该书背景的读者产生误导，以为是某位历史学家撰写的什么“史”。

细细体味一下Living History这一书名，我们可以想见作者希拉里是想再现个人生涯中一段难忘的历史，这段历史交织着作者举世瞩目的第一夫人的辉煌经历和作为一个妻子的奇耻大辱，这段历史刚过去不久，历历如在目前，而且永远也不会抹去，所以她用了Living这个词，以强调这段历史在她记忆中的存在――恐怕至今仍在刺痛她的心。作者把英语中突出表现现在的现在进行时动词Living与表示过去的名词History连在一起，形成一个自相矛盾的组合，从而营造出一个奇特的修辞效果。而这里的History一词，显然也不是我们在通常意义上理解的“历史”，它更多是指的个人回忆中的一些前尘往事罢了。

略有翻译经验的人都知道，翻译中最令译者伤神费心的不是那些不认识的陌生词――那些词往往一翻词典就可以解决，而恰恰是那些我们早就知道、早就熟悉的词。我曾经让我的研究生翻译一篇学术论文，标题是The Problem of Influence in Literary History: Notes Toward a Definition。研究生们对该标题的前半句不觉得困难，马上译成“文学史中的影响问题”，但接触到后半句时，他们却对着再熟悉不过的Notes一词犯难了，“总不成翻译成‘笔记’吧？”他们问我。“当然不能，”我回答说。于是我跟他们大家一起讨论：这冒号后面的后半句我们是否可以在中译文中处理成作为正标题的前半句的副标题，并把它理解为是对某个“定义”（这里当然是“影响定义”）的Notes？这时有同学脱口而出说：“正标题可译为‘文学史中的影响问题’，副标题可译为‘影响定义刍议’，如果要突出原文Notes的复数意义，也可译为‘关于影响定义的几点刍议’。”大家一致说好。

把Notes译成“刍议”（或者“管见”等），这在词典里是绝对不可能找到的，这只有在把Notes这个词放到译入语特定的上下文语境里，它才会显示出这一层意义。由此我想到，当我们在讨论Living History这一书名怎么译时，恐怕也要把它放到中文特定的文化语境中，才能跳出“活着的”、“活生生的”和“历史”等比较狭隘、机械的词典释义，而找到它相应的译文。譬如，我们是不是可以把它译成“往事在目”、“岁月如斯”或其他类似的书名呢？总之，如果能不拘泥于原文的字面，而深入到原文的文化内涵，那么就一定会找到一个更好、更确切的译名的。

 

 

                                                                               (原载2003年8月1日文汇读书周报)



posted @ 2008-12-02 22:09 Rachelzzz 阅读(42) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
2008年7月25日
小小年纪，全副武装
Miu译文：

小孩子要学会走路，先要学会爬。要骑两轮自行车，先要骑三轮车，这谁都知道。但现在的孩子几岁开始用手机和笔记本，几岁开始拥有虚拟身份才合适呢？

这是21世纪的家长们面临的新课题，在这个问题上我们无法向上一代取经。你不可能对年少的孩子说：“我小的时候，一直到高中我才有机会大法短信。”

一些家长迫切地给孩子们提供高科技产品。住在新泽西州蒙特克莱尔的Samantha Morra是两个孩子的母亲，“我6岁的孩子已经有一个ipod了，现在他想要一台手机，虽然我和我丈夫还不知道他就近要给谁打电话。”

其他家长，如来自新泽西州弗雷明顿，拥有三个孩子的Chrisine Jorgensen对此持精神态度。Jorgensen太太说：“我可不喜欢让我的孩子生活在充斥中最新科技产品的环境中，他们可以为了攻克的需要上上网，但不能在我不在的时候使用，而且作为家长我们要实施严格的监护。”

到底怎样做才是对的？针对儿童成长的一系列研究为我们提供了一些折中的做法。早在第一代微软处理器被发明之前，瑞士心理学家Jean Piaget通过观察自己的孩子，明确了人类认知能力法站的4个阶段。他的理论给围绕怎样利用最新科技帮助孩子成长展开的讨论提供了逻辑基础。

0-2岁的宝宝和刚开始学走路的孩子在2岁半前是不能使用鼠标的，而且平面显示器也无法提供Piaget理论中第一阶段所需的认知刺激——“运动感觉”。孩子这么小的时候，技术产品必须像个一刻不停的小箱子，总是射出灯光发出声响，以此来回应孩子的动作。像“边笑边学二合一学习厨房这样的玩具（http://www.fisher-price.com/71美元，它配有门和各式按钮，帮助宝宝探索。还有可以让宝宝爬过的门框，对这个年龄阶段的孩子相当有帮助。

但这些活动可比不上实际生活中的经验。坚持使用孩子捏在手里会发出叫声的材料是合理的。而是应该花钱买一个便携式摄像机记录下孩子学步的样子。

3-5岁阶段 乔治镇大学儿童数码媒体中心主管，Sandra Calvert教授说：“现在的学龄前儿童是在数码世界中长大的，他们看着自己的父母使用手机电脑之类的产品。他们喜欢玩具手机，总是装作自己真的在打手机似的。”事实上这种模仿游戏在Piaget的“前运演”阶段起很重要作用，在这个阶段，孩子们开始意识到自己能够控制平面屏幕上出现的东西。

这么大的孩子可以用如V.Tech KidiZoom（http://www.vtechkids.com/60美元）这类张像机拍真实的照片，还可以自己参与研究PBS儿童台最喜欢的互动节目(http://www.pbskids.org/) 或Nickelodeon’s Noggin(http://www.noggin.com/)。每月花10美元，Noggin就为订购者提供无广告版本，以及适合儿童年龄层次的节目。



随着ClickStart之类的游戏越来越多，电视游戏变得具有互动性：“我的第一台电脑” (http://www.leapfrog.com/, $60),或操作如“野兽大救援”($40, http://www.take2games.com/, for Wii and PlayStation)之类的电子游戏。
便携式游戏设备帮助家长更轻松地让一刻都闲不下来的学龄前儿童乖乖地坐在车里，这类游戏包括“跳蛙”(http://www.leapfrog.com/, $60) 或 Nintendo DS ，以及运行软件“动物小博士”($30, http://www.animalgeniusds.com/)。
这些游戏都有利于这个阶段儿童的成长。
6-11岁，还是可以学自行车的时候就有能力上网了，也可以开始探索整个数码世界。忽然之间，他们开始沉迷于自己喜欢的电子游戏，在YouTube上观看有趣的视频。但Piaget把这个阶段称为“具体运算阶段”，因为孩子们还不能完全掌握抽象概念。Calvert教授提醒家长，电子设备应该被用来“补充现实生活经验，而不是代替现实生活经验”他还鼓励家长在孩子成长各个阶段的活动中要“确保孩子全面发展”。
孩子到了这个年龄，家长有必要留意着电脑屏幕，引导孩子登陆有益的网站，譬如“企鹅俱乐部”(http://www.clubpenguin.com/)，这个网站向孩子们介绍网络聊天和人们称为虚拟任务的网络替身的概念。它还教导孩子天下没有免费的午餐，只要支付会员费（6美元）就可以得到一个比别人漂亮的圆顶小屋。
像Wii和PlayStation这样的电子游戏系统花样就少了，大家都知道孩子们会把大量的童年时光用于躲在黑暗的地下里玩这些游戏的。幸运的是，已经设计出了一些能够弥补这些缺陷的游戏。Nintendo DS新上市的“青之救助队”可以帮助孩子练习阅读能力，而且Wii Fit最近也吸引了一些心理学家及教育专家的好奇心。“狂野非洲”(http://www.majescoentertainment.com/)可以把孩子培养成一名野生动物摄影师，“轰炸方块”（$50, http://www.ea.com/  Wii游戏）和“乐高印第安纳琼斯”($50, http://www.lucasarts.com/ 适合多种游戏机)中设计了许多机会方便锻炼孩子合作解决问题的能力。
到了10岁，许多孩子开始用M.I.T.’s Scratch这类软件对视频进行编辑及编程，这个软件可免费下载，适用于Macintosh或Windows系统。Scratch把例行程序变成拼图的形式，让孩子们可以自由拖放摆置程序。
12岁及以上儿童。中高中学生除了早上爱赖床，他们还到了具备成年人认知能力的年龄，进入了Piaget称为“正式运算”的阶段，可以随意摆弄电话，Mp3播放器以及笔记本电脑中的信息流。让无线设备供应商开心的是，通过这些设备和朋友交流变得和呼吸一样重要。
对这个年龄的孩子来说，拥有手机可以说是自起码的了。手机除了能方便社交，还可以让家长在拥挤的商场中不再那么有压力，方便孩子们在功课上互相帮助，还可以打电话叫孩子吃饭。孩子犯错误的时候，没收手机就是有效的惩罚。
到了这阶段，家长要懂得读电话账单。居住在新泽西州Mahwah市的Lori McCoughey是两个孩子的母亲，自从她开始采用Verizon的朋友及家庭规划方案，没有省下了200美元话费。像Tracfone(http://www.tracfone.com/)这样的网站还提供“量入为出”的付款方式。只要50美元，你就可以得到一个LG 225照相收集，预充100分钟通话时间。还有显示剩余时间。
孩子快要上大学的时候给他下一个数码礼物吧，一台笔记本。当他们还是高中生，给他们时间在独立之前设置自己的MP3播放器，让他们学会如何找到Wi-Fi无线上网区，如何写论文。他们还可以再Google网页制作器(http://www.pages.google.com/)上创建文件夹，向大学招生办公室和未来的雇主展示自己的成就。
Piaget要是现在活着，他大概会建议家长不要过早给孩子一切，不管这个东西是否用电池，应该让孩子自己去探索。但给孩子适合其年龄阶段的玩具才是最有效果的。

原文：

原文标题： So Young, and So GadgetedEVERYONE knows that babies crawl before they walk, and that tricycles come before two-wheelers. But at what age should children get their first cellphone, laptop or virtual persona?

[url=javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/06/12/technology/personaltech/12basics.ready.html', '12basics_ready', 'width=570,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')] [/url]Hadi Farahani

These are new questions being faced by 21st-century parents, and there is no wisdom from the generations for guidance. You can’t exactly say to your teenager, “When I was a boy, I didn’t have an unlimited texting plan until I was in high school.”
Some parents eagerly provide their children with technology. “My 4-year-old has been on the Web since he could sit up,” said Samantha Morra, a mother of two from Montclair, N.J. “My 6-year-old has an iPod and wants a cellphone, although my husband and I aren’t sure who he’d call.”
Others, like Christine Jorgensen, a mother of three from Flemington, N.J., are more cautious. “I’m not a huge fan of flooding my children’s lives with the latest gadget,” Ms. Jorgensen said. “My children go online for schoolwork, but our computer is in my sight, and protected to the teeth.”
What’s the right approach? Studies of child development offer some middle ground. Long before the invention of the first microprocessor, the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development by watching his own children. His theories bring some logic to the debate about how to support your child’s growth with the latest technology.
AGES 0-2 Babies and toddlers cannot use a mouse until at least age 2 ?, and flat monitors do not offer much in the way of stimulation in Piaget’s first stage, “sensorimotor.” To work at this age, technology products must act like a busy-box, with lights or sounds that respond to a child’s actions. Toys like the Laugh and Learn 2-in-1 Learning Kitchen ($71, http://www.fisher-price.com/), which has doors and switches for a baby to explore and a crawl-through doorway, fit well with this stage.
But even these activities should take a back seat to real experiences. It makes sense to stick to materials that squish in a child’s hand. Invest instead in a camcorder to catch those first steps.
AGES 3-5 “Preschoolers today are growing up in a digital world, and they see their parents using devices like cellphones and computers,” said Prof. Sandra Calvert, director of the Children’s Digital Media Center at Georgetown University. “They like to play with pretend cellphones as if it were the real thing.” This pretend-play is actually an important part of the Piaget “preoperational” stage, when children first understand that they can control the events on a flat screen.
This is an age when they can take real pictures with cameras like the V.Tech KidiZoom ($60, http://www.vtechkids.com/), and can explore interactive versions of their favorite shows on PBS Kids (http://www.pbskids.org/) or Nickelodeon’s Noggin (http://www.noggin.com/). For $10 a month, the subscription version of Noggin removes the ads, and the activities adjust to a child’s level.
A TV can be made interactive with the growing number of TV toys like ClickStart: My First Computer (http://www.leapfrog.com/, $60), or video game consoles running games like Go, Diego, Go! Safari Rescue ($40, http://www.take2games.com/, for Wii and PlayStation).
Portable game systems that can make it easier to wedge a wriggling preschooler into a car seat include a Leapster (http://www.leapfrog.com/, $60) or Nintendo DS, running software like Scholastic’s Animal Genius ($30, http://www.animalgeniusds.com/).
All of these are well suited to this stage of development.
AGES 6-11 At the age a child can ride a bicycle comes the ability to search the Web, and the whole digital world starts to open up. Suddenly they are hooked on favorite video games and watching funny videos on YouTube. But Piaget labeled this stage “concrete operations” because children still have trouble with abstract ideas. Professor Calvert reminds parents that electronic devices should be used to “supplement rather than replace real experiences,” and encourages them to “make sure there’s an overall sense of balance” in activities during this stage of life.
This is a time when parents need to keep an eye on the screen and steer children toward good sites, like Club Penguin (http://www.clubpenguin.com/), which introduces the notion of chatting and the online stand-ins known as avatars. It also teaches them that there is no free lunch online, and that paying members ($6 a month) can have a fancier igloo.
While video game consoles like the Wii and PlayStation have fewer gimmicks, they have been known to eat up large chunks of a childhood if used unmonitored in dark basements. Fortunately the number of games with redeeming qualities is growing. The just-released Pokémon Mystery Dungeon for the Nintendo DS can exercise reading skills, and Wii Fit has recently captured the curiosity of phys ed teachers. Wild Earth: African Safari (http://www.majescoentertainment.com/) can turn a child into a wildlife photographer, and Boom Blox ($50, http://www.ea.com/ for Wii) and Lego Indiana Jones ($50, http://www.lucasarts.com/ for multiple platforms) are thick with collaborative problem-solving opportunities.
By age 10, many children can start editing videos and programming with software like M.I.T.’s Scratch (http://www.scratch.mit.edu/), a free download for Macintosh or Windows. Scratch lets children drag and drop routines that take the form of jigsaw puzzle pieces.
AGES 12 AND UP Besides being much harder to wake up, middle- and high-schoolers are reaching the cognitive functioning of an adult. They have entered Piaget’s “formal operational” stage, able to juggle synchronous streams of information from phones, MP3 players and laptops. Communicating with friends is on par with breathing, to the delight of your wireless provider.
In fact, cellphones are now more or less mandatory for children at this age. Besides providing a social advantage, phones can reduce parental stress in a crowded mall, get children in touch for homework help, serve as a call to dinner — and be withheld as punishment that really works.
Parenting skills for this age include reading phone bills. Lori McCoughey of Mahwah, N.J., a mother of two, saved $200 a month by switching to Verizon’s friends and family plan. There are also pay-as-you-go plans like those from Tracfone (http://www.tracfone.com/). For $50, you get a working LG 225 camera phone, preloaded with 100 minutes. A meter counts down the remaining time.
Giving collegebound children their next digital prize, a laptop, while they are still in high school gives them time to set up their MP3 players, learn how to find Wi-Fi zones and write papers before they are on their own. They can also create portfolios on Google Page Creator (http://www.pages.google.com/) to show off their accomplishments to college admissions offices or future employers.
If he were alive today, Piaget would probably advise parents that for a young child, everything — whether it has batteries or not — is a discovery waiting to happen. But toys work best when they are matched to a child’s level of development.
posted @ 2008-07-25 17:24 Rachelzzz 阅读(29) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
2008年7月23日
译文: 微软伊坎联手收购雅虎

原文: Microsoft Is Icahn’s Ally in Pursuit of Yahoo


In yet another twist in its five-month-old pursuit of Yahoo, Microsoft said Monday that it would be interested in negotiating a purchase of Yahoo’s search business or of the entire company, as long as Yahoo replaces its board.

Mr. Icahn is mounting a proxy fight against Yahoo’s board, one built on the gamble that he can bring Microsoft back to the negotiating table.

But without a commitment from Microsoft to complete a deal, let alone any discussion of price, it is unclear whether Microsoft’s announcement will be sufficient to persuade Yahoo shareholders to back Mr. Icahn at the company’s annual meeting on Aug. 1.

Microsoft’s renewed interest in possibly buying all of Yahoo represents another acknowledgment that it badly needs Yahoo to compete with Google in Web advertising. But analysts said that for Microsoft, which this year had considered waging a proxy fight for control of Yahoo, backing Mr. Icahn also represents a shrewd strategy with little downside risk.

“It is beautiful,” said Youssef Squali, an analyst with Jefferies & Company. “Icahn is doing the dirty work, and they don’t need to commit to anything until they feel that the board is ready to deal. They are letting the prey come to them instead of chasing it.”

The new informal alliance between Mr. Icahn and Microsoft came together after a series of conversations between Mr. Icahn and Steven A. Ballmer, the Microsoft chief executive, during the last week, Mr. Icahn said in a letter to Yahoo shareholders.

“Steve made it abundantly clear that, due to his experiences with Yahoo during the past several months, he cannot negotiate any transaction with the current board,” Mr. Icahn wrote.

He later added: “However, Steve made it clear to me that if a new board were elected, he would be interested in discussing a major transaction with Yahoo,” like the purchase of the search unit or the whole company.

In an apparently coordinated statement, Microsoft confirmed its interest in negotiating with a new board, but said it was not ready to disclose publicly the specific terms of any transaction. In an interview, Mr. Icahn said he understood Microsoft’s interest in replacing the board.

“If you’re going to put up $45 billion, you certainly can’t be blamed for wanting to have faith in the stewardship of the company, especially if you have to wait a year to buy it,” he said, referring to the time it would take to get regulatory approval for the deal. “I believe Ballmer wants to buy it one way or the other.”

For its part, Yahoo sought to cast doubt on Microsoft’s commitment to acquire the company and suggested it would be risky for shareholders to endorse Mr. Icahn’s slate of directors without such a commitment.

“If Microsoft and Mr. Ballmer really want to purchase Yahoo, we again invite them to make a proposal immediately,” Yahoo said in a statement. “And if Mr. Icahn has an actual plan for Yahoo beyond hoping that Microsoft might actually consummate a deal which they have repeatedly walked away from, we would be very interested in hearing it.”

Microsoft withdrew its offer to buy Yahoo outright on May 3 after Yahoo executives said they would be willing to sell the company for $37 a share. Microsoft had offered $33 a share, or about $47.5 billion.
Two weeks later, Microsoft said it was interested in buying Yahoo’s search business, but the company has said time and again that it was no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo, not even for $33 a share.

Yahoo has said that selling its search business alone would not be in the best interest of shareholders. On June 12, it said talks with Microsoft had ended, and it signed an alternative search advertising partnership with its No. 1 rival, Google. Yahoo could withdraw from the partnership if it pays a breakup fee.

It is too early to handicap the outcome of Mr. Icahn’s proxy fight, as most major Yahoo shareholders have yet to say whether they will support him. Several large shareholders have said recently that they favored a deal with Microsoft, and they have voiced their anger at Yahoo’s management for its inability to consummate a merger.

Yet many have been unwilling publicly to endorse Mr. Icahn, who, they fear, lacks a specific plan, other than hoping to sell the company to Microsoft.

Some analysts said Microsoft’s statement Monday did little to change that calculus. But some Yahoo shareholders said they thought Mr. Icahn would be more effective in leading Yahoo than the current management, whether or not he succeeds in selling the company or its search business to Microsoft.

“If Microsoft comes back with a deal that is completely unattractive, we’d be back to where we are today,” said Mark Nelson, a partner at Mithras Capital, a private fund that owns about 1.7 million shares of Yahoo. “But the difference is that Icahn would be more aggressive in dealing with where Yahoo goes next.”

About 10 percent of the company’s shares were owned by Yahoo directors and executive officers as of May 7, according to a regulatory filing. Most of those were held by its co-founders, David Filo, with a 5.79 percent stake, and Jerry Yang, the chief executive, with a 3.9 percent stake.

Mr. Icahn owned about 59 million shares, or more than 4 percent, according to a June 6 filing. Mr. Icahn paid about $25 a share, on average. After Microsoft’s announcement Monday, shares of Yahoo rose $2.56, or nearly 12 percent, to $23.91.

Yahoo’s largest shareholder is Capital Research and Management Company, the giant investment firm, which owns about 16 percent of the shares. Its ownership of Yahoo is divided between two units, Capital World Investors, with a 9.8 percent stake, and Capital Research Global Investors, with 6.2 percent.

Gordon Crawford, a portfolio manager with Capital Research Global, has been openly critical of Yahoo’s management but his company has not publicly endorsed Mr. Icahn. Managers at Capital World have not spoken publicly about the proxy fight, but privately they have been far more supportive of Yahoo’s management and board, according to two people familiar with their views who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them.

A spokesman for Capital Research and Management declined to comment Monday.

Keith Gottfried, a partner in the shareholder activism practice of the law firm Blank Rome, said the downturn in the stock market could influence many fund managers to vote their shares for Mr. Icahn in the hope that he could complete a deal with Microsoft.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the effect that the bear market has,” Mr. Gottfried said. “Any opportunity that fund managers have to lessen the losses that they are likely to show in other parts of their portfolio might make them more willing to support a transaction.”


Miu译文：

收购雅虎的征程历时五个月，可谓一波三折，如今情况再次发生变化。微软周一表示只要雅虎现任董事会下台，便愿意就收购雅虎搜索引擎乃至整个公司一事与其进行洽谈。
      伊坎先生正以委托人的身份同雅虎董事会展开一场委托竞争的较量，打赌自己能让微软公司重会谈判桌。
      但微软公司至今还没有承诺一定会完成交易，更谈不上上订价格了，所以尚不清楚微软的这项声明是否能够打动雅虎的股东们，让他们在8月1日的公司年会上支持伊坎。
      微软对收购整个雅虎重新燃起了兴趣，这再一次昭示了公司迫切需要雅虎来帮助他们对抗Google网页广告。但分析家指出，微软今年已经考虑过为雅虎的控制权展开一场委托竞争，成为伊坎背后靠山的精明战略很有可能招致些负面效果。
      Jefferies公司分析师Youssef Squali说：“这招挺漂亮的，让伊坎唱红脸，而微软坐享其成，等着董事会准备接受协议。他们等着鱼儿上钩，而不需要亲手去抓。”
      伊坎在一封致雅虎股东的信中表示自己上周已同微软公司执行总裁Steven A. Ballmer展开一系列对话，并且两人之间已经形成了非正式的联盟。
      伊坎这样写道：“Steve明确表示，基于过去数周同雅虎打交道的经验，他认为不可能同现任董事会达成任何协议。”
      他又指出：“然而，Steve也明确告诉我，一旦选定新任董事会，他愿意同雅虎做一笔大买卖。”比如收购雅虎搜索业务或收购整个公司。
      微软的说法伊坎如出一辙，确认愿意同新任董事会协商的说法，但不愿透露协议的任何具体条款。在一次访谈中，伊坎表示自己能够理解微软期待雅虎董事会换血。
       他说：“要是有人要在一笔买卖上花450亿美元之多，你可不能怪他有要求，他总得对对方公司的托管制度有信心才行，尤其是在他必须等上一年的情况下。”这一年是指买卖通过监管机构审核所要花去的时间。“我相信无论通过哪种途径Ballmer总是对这笔买卖有兴趣的。”
      而雅虎方面对微软要收购整个公司的承诺表示怀疑，暗示股东们在没有明确承诺的情况下支持伊看的领导班子有些铤而走险。
      雅虎在声明中表示：“如果微软公司和Ballmer先生想要收购雅虎，我们还是欢迎他们即刻做出提议，而微软公司先前一再退出谈判。如果伊坎先生能够给出收购雅虎的具体方案，而不是一味期盼着微软能够圆满交易，我们还是非常乐意做下来谈谈的。”
      5月3日雅虎总裁表示他们愿意以37美元每股的价格出售公司，微软却断然撤销了报价。微软公司原打算以33美元每股或总价475亿美元的价格收购雅虎。
      两周后，微软表示有意购买雅虎搜索业务，但一再表示已经不想再收购整个雅虎公司了，就算雅虎同意以33美元每股的价格出售，也不愿意收购。
      雅虎方面则表示，仅出售搜索业务已完全能满足股东的利益。6月12日，雅虎称与微软的谈判已经终止，同时把搜索引擎广告合作权转手给了头号对手google。雅虎可以通过支付违约费撤销这项合作制度。
      现在花力气阻击伊坎委托竞争成果还为时过早，毕竟大多数雅虎股东还没有表示会支持他。数位大股东表示近来他们比较倾向同微软达成协议，同时他们还显示出了对雅管理层未能完成合并的不满之意。
      但还是有许多人不愿支持伊坎先生，因为他们担心伊坎除了想要把公司卖给微软外一点周密的计划都没有。
      一些分析人士认为微软周一的声明并不能多大程度上改变这种看法。但部分雅虎股东表示他们认为伊坎先生能比现有的管理层更加有效地领导雅虎，无论他最终是否能够把公司或搜索业务出售给微软。
      Mark Nelson是私募基金MithrasCapital的合伙人，他们在雅虎拥有1700万股股份，Mark表示：“如果微软提出的还是那套不具吸引力的方案，我们情愿保持现状。但不同之处在于伊坎对于雅虎的前景会更具开创力。”

      管理机构发布的文件表明，截至五月7日，大约10%的公司股份掌握在现有雅虎领导及执行官员的手中。大多股份归创始人所有，Daivid Filo持5.79%公司股份，执行总裁Jerry Yang持3.9%。
      根据6月6日的文件，伊坎先生持有590万股股份，大约4%。他每股购买平均花去25美元。微软周一发布声明之后，雅虎股份涨了2.56美元，将近12%，达到每股23.91美元。
       投资行业巨头Capital Research and Management Company是雅虎的最大股东，持有公司16%的股份。这些股份分成两份，Capital World Investors持9.8%，Capital Research Global Investors持6.2%。
      Capital Research Global投资组合经理Gordon Crawford公开批评雅虎的管理，但他的公司也没有公开支持伊坎先生。Capital World经理还没有对委托竞争公开发表过评论，但根据两位有关人士的说法，私底下他们更多地倾向于雅虎管理层及董事会。这两位知情者不愿透露姓名，因为他们无权参与讨论。
      Capital Research and Management发言人周一拒绝表态。
      Keith Gottfried是Blank Rome法律事务所的合伙人，参与股东激进主义实践，他表示股价下滑可能影响许多基金经理人把自己的份额投给伊坎先生，期待他能同微软达成协议。
      Gootfried说：“我可不会低估熊市的影响力，基金经理人会抓住一切机会减少有可能在其它投资项目中出现的损失，于是他们就更希望买卖能做成。”
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:56 Rachelzzz 阅读(21) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
欧洲央行加息防通货
原文: Eyes on Inflation, European Bank Raises Rate


FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank, spooked by soaring prices for food and fuel, raised interest rates on Thursday, joining several other central banks in battling a global eruption of inflation.

With the quarter-point increase, the central bank followed those in Sweden and Norway that raised rates this week, citing inflation. The Federal Reserve in the United States, where short-term interest rates are only half of those in Europe, has so far declined to join them.
The European Central Bank’s decision deepens a recent divergence in monetary policy on either side of the Atlantic, ending a long period when it tended to follow the course set by the Fed.
But the sharp rise in inflation has put Europe’s bank into a policy bind because it has been accompanied, in recent days, by evidence that the economy here is deteriorating much like that of the United States.
Manufacturing activity in the 15 countries that use the euro shrank in June for the first time in three years, according to a survey of European purchasing managers. In Spain and Ireland, where a collapse in housing prices has magnified the problems, there is a real risk of recession.
Still, the European Central Bank, hewing to its inflation-fighting mandate, pressed on with the expected increase, lifting the benchmark rate to 4.25 percent from 4 percent. Among other thing, it is intended as a warning to unions not to use higher inflation as a lever to demand hefty pay raises.
It was not clear, before an afternoon news conference chaired by the bank’s president, Jean-Claude Trichet, whether the increase would be a one-off gesture or the start of a cycle of tighter monetary policy.
Several economists said they doubted the bank could tighten much further, given the parlous economic situation.
“The E.C.B. is hiking at a time when confidence is plummeting,” said Thomas Mayer, the chief European economist of Deutsche Bank. “The question is, ‘what do you do when asset prices fall at the same time that consumer prices rise?’ The central bankers seem to have reached the end of the line.”
Indeed, the bank has come under intense political pressure in recent days not to tighten credit at such a fragile moment for Europe’s economy.
The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said higher rates would do little to stem the rising price of oil. Germany’s finance minister, Peer Steinbrück, warned that an increase could further depress growth.
The central bank, under Mr. Trichet, has steadfastly rebuffed efforts to influence its policy. But even within its 21-member governing council, the unhealthy combination of inflation and stagnation has opened a split — with inflation hawks calling for a rate increase, while the doves resisted it.
The hawks are led by Axel A. Weber, the president of Germany’s Bundesbank, which bequeathed its long tradition of inflation fighting to the European Central Bank. Germany is also an exception among major European countries, in that its economy is still expanding, even if more modestly lately.
“It’s clear that Weber convinced Trichet and the majority of the council to go for it,” Mr. Mayer said. “But the weakening growth numbers will lead the others to resist further rate increases.”
The position of the hawks was reinforced on Monday with new statistics that showed inflation in Europe rose to an annual rate of 4 percent in June, twice the ceiling set by the European Central Bank.
With oil prices continuing to surge — it traded at a new record of$145 a barrel in Asia on Thursday — some economists expect inflation to spike even higher in August, perhaps to 4.25 percent.
“There is a genuine question about what to do about inflation that is entirely driven by oil prices,” said Holger Schmieding, chief European economist at Bank of America in London. “One option is to let it filter through the system; the other option is to attack it now.”
In raising rates, even at a time of such uncertainty, the European Central Bank has opted for the latter.

Miu的译文：


译文: 欧洲央行加息防通货
法兰克福—欧洲中央银行近期受粮食价格及油价飞速上涨的困扰，星期四宣布加息，由此加入众央行行列共同抵御通货膨胀威胁。美国联邦储备短期利率一直都保持在欧洲一半的水平，现在也不得不上调到同样的位置。
      欧洲央行的这一举措进一步加深了大西洋两岸货币政策的差异，而不再紧跟联邦储备的步伐。
      但近期通货指数飞速上升，使欧洲银行陷入政策困扰，因为近几年来，越来越多的迹象表明，欧洲银行界正在与美国遭受同样的经济衰退。
      根据一份欧洲采购经理调查报告，今年6月份，15个欧元国家的制造业首次出现缩水。西班牙，爱尔兰出现房价下跌，使问题进一步严重化，出现经济萧条的可能性相当大。
      然而，欧洲中央银行还是一如既往地坚守抵制通货膨胀的立场，尽管通货指数上升如期而至，从4%跃升到4.25%。最重要的是，这等于在警告各工会不要利用通货膨胀为杠杆企图大幅提高薪酬。
      在今天下午银行总裁Jean-Claude Trichet出席新闻发布会以前，这种上涨是短暂的还是循环紧缩货币政策的开始还尚不清楚。
      多为经济学家表示，就现在危机的经济环境而言，对银行进一步紧缩的说法表示怀疑。
      德国银行的首席欧洲经济学家Thomas Mayer说：“信心大幅下降，欧洲央行加息。问题在于当资产价值下跌同物价上涨撞在一起时，你应该怎么办。欧洲央行的银行家似乎已无经别无选择。”
      确实如此，银行方面这些年来一直顶着巨大的压力，坚持不在欧洲经济如此脆弱的时候紧缩信贷。
      法国总统Nicolas Sarkozy认为高利息对抵制油价上涨并不能起到多大作用。德国经济部长Peer Steinbrück警告说加息反而有可能降低经济增长。
      央行在Trichet先生的带领下坚决抵制一切可能影响其政策的努力。但由于通货膨胀与经济之后同时出现带来的不良后果，有21人组成的央行理事会开始出现分歧—强硬派主张通过加息抵制通货膨胀，而主和派在反对。
      强硬派以德国Bundesban银行总裁 Axel A. Weber为首。欧洲央行继承了Bundesban银行对抗通货膨胀的悠久传统。而德国在整个欧洲范围内也总是例外，经济还保持增长，即便这种增长最近更加缓慢了些。
      Mayer先生表示：“Weber显然是说服了Trichet以及大部分理事会成员同意加息，但持续走软的增长数据会让其他成员抵制进一步加息。”
      由于星期一出的新数据表明6月欧洲通货膨行率上升到了年平均率4%，比欧洲央行设定的最高限度多出了两倍，强硬派更坚定了加息的信念。
      油价持续上涨—星期四亚洲没同创下了145美元的新记录—一些经济学家认为通货膨胀率8月还将再度攀升，可能达到4.25%。
      伦敦美国银行首席欧洲经济学家Holger Schmieding表示：“通货膨胀率完全受制于油价时，真的要好好想想对策，要么任其发展，要么坚决打击。”
      尽管不确定因素很多，但欧洲央行加息的举动表明了选择后者的立场。
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:55 Rachelzzz 阅读(16) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
网页设计师3招吓走客户
  
原文：Three Most Common Ways Web Designers Lose The Client

When Brian approached me about writing for Elite By Design, I immediately accepted. I’ve kept up with Elite By Design for awhile now, and it’s an honor to be here as a guest blogger. I wanted to write something that was worthy of Brian’s reputation; so I really dug deep to find a topic that I felt fit the Elite By Design vibe. Since I’m first and foremost a web designer, I finally landed on a topic that’s forever in the mind of the freelance web designer. It’s the question of how to convey the importance and complexity of web design without frustrating or boring clients. If you’ve spent any amount of time in client meetings, I’m sure you’ve discovered that non-web designers are quickly confused and frustrated by the things that web designers love. First, I’ll take a look at the three most common ways web designers shoot themselves in the foot during client meetings. Then I’ll present some easy ways to avoid those mistakes in the future.


1. Bombarding Clients with Industry JargonWeb designers love industry jargon. As if that isn’t enough, we take words and and phrases that are already esoteric and and turn them into cute little acronyms. HTML, CSS, PHP, and IA are tossed around way too much in client meetings. Using words and phrases that no one else understands—while it may make you look smart it won’t make clients want to work with you. Clients want to feel that they understand what they’re getting when they hire you. They rarely care how many acronyms you know. So how do you show that you know what you’re doing without being patronizing?
Solution:
The easiest way to fight the industry jargon monster is to rethink your vocabulary. You could call HTML and PHP the “behind the scenes code”. CSS is just “style”. Company blog could be “company news”. Find ways to describe the important elements of web design with words and phrases that are common to everyone. If you’re dealing with someone whose more web-savvy, adjust your strategy accordingly.
2. Getting Defensive with ClientsJust last week, I had a marketing director meet with me. He sat down and the first words out of his mouth were, “A website is like a brochure on the internet. It should have a little information about the company, and a way to get in contact. Nobody wants all that fancy stuff.” If I had gone with my initial reaction, I would have jumped up, told him what an ignoramus he was, and stormed out of the building. Fortunately, I stopped doing stuff like that a long time ago (coincidentally, I started making good money around the same time). How do you disagree with clients without getting defensive?
Solution:
This is a tricky one. There are some cases where you just have to let a client go because their mindset is so different than yours. But no matter what the final conclusion of a disagreement, it’s never beneficial to get defensive and combative with clients. Be patient. Start by finding common ground. In the situation above, I started by telling the marketing director that I agreed 100% that it’s important to have good information on websites. It was a small island of agreement, for sure, but it was a place to start. Always be gentle and constructive in your rebuttals. In the case that you just can’t work with a client, bow out gracefully. Never go out with a bang.
3. Setting Yourself up to Be a Hired Hand Instead of an ExpertIf someone is interested in hiring you, it’s probably because they need an expert. They want to pay your for your knowledge and expertise in the area of web design. But when you show up at a meeting and nod your head at everything a client says, and never give any valuable input; you are setting yourself up to be a doormat. You may even be setting yourself up to lose the project. Then on the other end of the pool is the web designer that barges into a meeting and disagrees with everything anyone suggests. How do you balance the two extremes?
Solution:
There’s a common saying that’s especially popular among parents: “Pick your battles”. Notice that the saying is not “Don’t battle”. It’s important to battle on the important issues. As each meeting progresses and new ideas are laid out on the table, just be as objective as possible. Carefully decide which elements are absolutely necessary for the success of the project, and which ones can slide. The balancing act is being the expert while validating the ideas of your clients at the same time.    

Miu译文：
Brian让我写一篇关于Elite By Design的文章，我欣然同意。关注Elite By Design也有一段时间了，在这里作为客座作者写评论是一件很荣幸的事情。所写的东西也要对得起Brain的名声。一番深入思考后，终于选定了一个与Elite By Design网密切相关的主题。因为我的第一重身份是网页设计师，所以最终定位的主题是自由网络设计者眼中永恒的话题。也就是说，设计网页怎样才能做到即充分发挥其重要性和复杂性，又不会使客户觉得繁琐乏味。你很快就会发现，网页设计者视作亮点的设计在别人看来很让人困惑不解。首先，我要讲一讲让网页设计者在客户面前一败涂地的三种最常见的方法。然后我会告诉大家将来怎样轻松规避这些错误。

1. 在客户面前满口行话

      设计网页的人喜欢说行话。而且这样我们似乎还觉得不够刺激，那些在普通人眼里本来就充满神秘色彩的词汇，我们喜欢用有趣的缩写表示。客户会议上尽听到那些HTML,CSS,PHP和IA术语。说些别人听不懂的话虽然可以显得很聪明，但客户就未必想合作了。如果他们要聘用你，他们希望清楚的明白他们将会得到什么样的产品。问题就在于，要怎样表现出你对工作很有把握，却没有那种气势凌人的态度。

解决方案：

      抵抗行话侵犯最简单的方法就是用别的词汇代替。你可以把HTML和PHP说成“图像背后的代码”，CSS就用“风格”二字代替。公司博客应该说成“公司新闻”。想方设法用常用词来代替网页设计中的核心词汇。如果对方通晓网页方面的知识，那就相应地调整策略吧。

2. 在客户面前激活防御姿态  
      就上个星期，我见了一位市场监督。他坐下来开口第一句话就是：“网站说白了就是网络宣传册。上面简单描述一下公司概况，罗列联系方式。不会有人想要那些花哨新奇的玩意儿。”我当时第一反应就是立马站起来，告诉那个人他有多么的无知，然后冲出大楼。所幸我很早就不再那么冲动了（也很巧，大概就是那段时间我开始有大笔进帐了）。你怎样才能在客户面前表达不同意见却又不显得很有防备心理？

解决方案：

      这个问题确实很棘手。对于有些客户你不得不放手，他们的理念心态和你太不相同了。但是无论意见不同的最终结果是什么，都不能在客户面前表现地很防备很好胜。要有耐心。首先要找出你同客户之间的共同点。就上述那个例子，我先告诉那位市场监督说我完全同意他的看法，在网站上大力推广公司信息是很重要的。这一点点微不足道的共识当然不算什么，但完全可以从这一点着手。提出反对意见的时候一定要态度温和，提出有建设性的想法。要是你真的不能和某个客户合作，也要有礼貌地退出。千万不要重重地甩门走人。

3. 没能成为专家，却成为别人雇来的人手

      如果有人想要雇用你，那大多是因为他们需要一位网页设计专家。他们付钱是为了得到你在这个领域的知识和专业技能。但要是你开会的时候一个劲儿地点头迎合客户，一点有价值的想法都没有的话，你就成了摆设。甚至还会因此而失去项目。还有完全不同的一种类型，有些网页设计师满腹牢骚，对别人提出的任何建议都有不同看法。你怎么去平衡这两种极端的态度呢？

解决方案：

      老一辈的人中流行一种说法：“有选择地战斗”。不是让你“不要战斗”。在某些重要问题上为自己的立场去争取很重要。每个会议进行的过程中，都会有很多新的想法提出，要保持最大限度的客观。仔细斟酌好那些东西对项目成功是至关重要的，那些却是可以忽略的。稳妥的做法就是，你必须担任专家的角色，同时实现客户的想法。
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:54 Rachelzzz 阅读(15) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
好友聚合器成为数码生活操盘手
原文：

Social Aggregators Emerge To Manage Digital Lifestyles

It's beginning to look like 2008 might be the year of the social aggregator as users begin to employ these emerging new tools to better manage and track their various online relationships, both personal and professional.  The introduction of these new Web applications, such as Friendfeed, Socialthing!, Spokeo, Second Brain, and Iminta, are making it easy for users to keep track of what their friends are doing online while simultaneously demonstrating that there are compelling alternatives to being social online without having to, say, actively maintain a Facebook account.  In fact, that's the very premise of this new type of social Web utility, which automatically tracks a user's public activity at sites around the Web including blogs, Flickr, Twitter, del.icio.us and so on, and creates a single convenient feed for others to consume and track.

I've been evaluating a number of these applications over the last few weeks and so far Friendfeed seems to be one of the best offerings in this space and also supports one of the widest array of online services, with Socialthing a close second.  Friendfeed currently monitors and aggregates one's social activity on 28 different services at the time of this writing, putting the result into one clean activity stream with a matching Atom feed.  While the latency on some of the services Friendfeed tracks isn't always great -- del.icio.us bookmarks seem to take a good long while to show up for example -- the integration ranges from the workable to the robust, with surprisingly good support for Twitter's hashtags for example.  Services you also might not have previously considered aggregating socially are also offered by Friendfeed including your Gmail status message, Netflix rental queue, and your LinkedIn activity.
However, a quick examination of Alexa traffic charts (partial sample below) shows there are no clear leaders in this emerging space that will soon be crowded with competition, if it isn't already.  Peter Cashmore at Mashable tracked at least 20 entries in this space mid-last year and so it's interesting to see how quickly Friendfeed has risen among the various players. Ease of use, visual elegance, and breadth of service tracking appears to be the competitive discriminator here, like it is with so many things in the Web 2.0 world.

This morning Duncan Riley at TechCrunch covered the best ways to track Web 2.0 and he omitted social aggregators as something users should be taking advantage of, while explicitly including things like TechMeme and blog readers.  That's because social aggregators are far from being mainstream yet and the long term staying power of these individual Web applications aren't clear either, making it a challenge to decide where to "move in".  But increasingly -- as Robert Scoble did this week -- I'm finding that I'm checking my Friendfeed stream and not Facebook or Techmeme as much as I used to, and I suspect many others will as well as they find aggregated social activity streams the fullest and most convenient picture of their social network.  The egalitarian nature of social aggregators is also appealing at a time when many social networks are trying to put up as much of a walled garden as users will accept.
The wild cards for this space include major players such as Google or Facebook credibly adding social aggregation to their own offerings as well as a killer app mobile entry.  Open social networking standards such as Open Friend Format will also make this space interesting in the medium to long term.  Please tell us your favorite social aggregator below.

Miu 译文：

保持在Facebook上的活跃度。事实上这恰恰是这种新型网页社会化用途的前提。这又继而对用户在网络上的一系列活动展开跟踪，比如blogs, Flickr图片, Twitter, del.icio.us美味书签等等。最终创建一个简单便利的feed供别人使用和跟踪。

posted @ 2008-07-23 17:53 Rachelzzz 阅读(12) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
艺林漫步
原文标题： Art walk

On my way to the office today, I passed Lord & Taylor and was blown away when I looked at the windows. They held a series of paintings from the Spanish artist Juan Genoves (click here for larger version of image above). My brain immediately took its own path, thinking how this painting holds a wonderful place in a visual representation of some trends we have seen.
We can start with Lucian Freud (that is a portrait of his mother) as the icon for the start of the Web, which saw experiments in community that were a little ahead of the mainstream’s readiness to adopt. Early Web was thus mostly solitary, focused on consumption of content and goods. Like Freud, who has wrestled with the portrait his entire life, the early Web was about the “I” and the “YOU”.
Genova’s work also made me think of Wayne Theibaud with that pop aesthetic. Theibaud’s highly stylized hillscapes (click for larger image) could be the next step in this visual journey, representing the obsession about “PLACE” which we saw so often in the early days of Second Life as fascination swirled around virtual architecture and representation of the real.
Genova’s paintings (see image at top) symbolize the journey to focus in on a core strength of virtual worlds, which is social interaction and communication. Genova strips out location, architecture, infrastructure and hones in on the simple essence of the crowd, of social energy, and the concept of “WE”.
If you are in New York, swing by Lord and Taylor at 38th and 5th Avenue and check out these fabulous paintings.

Miu的译文：


今日上班途经Lord&Taylor，橱窗里的一幕让我大为惊喜。他们摆起了西班牙画家Juan Genoves的作品（click here 点击察看大图）。我马上浮想联翩起来，想着这幅画如何在我们所见过的各种流派中充当着视觉艺术完美代表的角色。
用Lucian Freud作为网站的代表人物开始吧。（这是一幅他母亲的画像）这幅画中露出了些试验性质的苗头，超出了主流接受的范围。早期网站就是这样变得如此孤立，专注于内容及物品的消耗。就像Freud,在与肖像画的纠葛中花去了一生的时间，早期的网站都只是关于“我”和“你”。
Genova的作品同样让我想起带有流行艺术元素的Wayne Theibaud ，这种带有强烈程序感的山景可能成为这段视觉旅程的下一个亮点，它代表着对“地点”的痴迷，这种痴迷在第二人生早期阶段曾经风靡于视觉建筑领域，代表着真实。
Genova的画作（见上图）象征着凸现视觉世界核心力量的征途，也就是社交。Genova丢弃地点，建筑以及公共设施的概念，精心把人群，社会力量及“我们”这一概念打磨成简单的精华。
假如你在纽约正巧路过第五大道38号的Lord&Taylor，去看看这些鬼斧神工吧。
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:52 Rachelzzz 阅读(13) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
酷东东：机器人现身高清照片
原文： Cool Stuff: Super High Resolution WALL-E Photos




One of the cool things that press gets access to is super high resolution images, presumably for use in print publications. I know what you’re thinking, ‘That doesn’t exactly sound that cool’. And most of the time you would be right. Zooming in on a zit on the end of a famous actresses nostril is only fun for like five seconds. What is cool is when Pixar releases a new image. Unfortunately you guys rarely get to see these super high resolution images, because, well they are f’n huge. There is almost no reason for you to see them. However, I’ve always loved looking at the little details on a Pixar frame. It’s just so amazing to me. So I’ve decided to post a couple WALL-E images online for you to enjoy. They’re not new, they’re just HUGE.
I’ve actually made these the photo above my desktop wallpaper. And believe it or not, these images are even larger than the largest resolution on 30 inch Apple Cinema display. For instance, the high resolution image of WALL-E holding the rubix cube (seen in small size above) is actually 4188 pixels wide. High Definition (as you know it) is only 1080 pixels wide (or 720 depending on the source). To give you an idea, let’s take a look at what a piece of the above image looks like at real size:

I actually was forced to compress the Rubix Cube photo above, because if I had presented it at it’s real resolution with no compression, it would have been 35 mb! I
Warning: It is highly recommend that you right click on the images and hit “save/download link target” as these images are too huge for most browsers to handle. You might get a message saying the photo is corrupt or incomplete in some browsers if you don’t save the link target directly to your computer.
Here is another image of WALL-E sitting at a computer console of a spaceship.

Wall-E hits theaters on June 27th 2008.
Cool Stuff is a daily feature of slashfilm.com. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.


Miu译文：
要追求“酷”，就要承受的起压力，而这种压力的一个来源就是高清图像，一般是指印刷出版物中的图像。知道你在想什么，“听上去也不是很酷咯”。一般情况下这种说法确实没错。局部放大超级女星鼻孔底下的豆豆只能带来差不多5秒的快感。皮可斯发布的新图像才叫酷呢。可惜你们这些人不太会注意到超高清图像，因为他们并不那么巨大。你们也没有理由注意到。然而，我一直都很喜欢皮可斯画面的细节部分，简直太棒了。所以我决定贴几张机器人现身的图片让你们欣赏欣赏。它们也是不是最新发布的，但酷毙了。
其实我已经把这些照片作桌面了。不管你信不信，这些图像比苹果30英尺影院显示器上的最高分辨率还要高。比如，机器人拿着个魔方的图像（上方小图）最高分辨率为4188。众所周知，高清一般只有1080图素（有些来源可能是720）。为了方便理解，我们来看看上图部分图像放到真实尺寸的样子吧。

事实上，我不得不压缩上面这个魔方图，因为要是不经压缩，按照真是的分辨率上传，要35mb呢。
注意：强烈建议你右键点击图片选择“目标另存为”，大多数浏览器都无法处理这么大的图象。如果你不直接保存连接目标到电脑的话，可能出现图像受损或不完整的信息。

这是一张机器人坐在宇宙飞船操作台的图片。
机器人现身于2008年6月27日在各大影院上映。
酷东东为slashfilm.com的每日专栏。如果你知道哪些超级极客创意或超眩产品应该刊登在酷东东上，请邮件联系我们 orfilms@gmail.com。
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:51 Rachelzzz 阅读(32) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
客谈：精油与芳香疗法
原文：


This post is part of a series by guest writer Jennifer Chait.
Essential oils are a fairly in depth topic. Basically they’re oils extracted from flowers, plants, grasses, roots, fruits, and leaves. To learn more about the extraction and distilling process visit The International Organization for Standardization.
You can buy essential oils almost anywhere, but your best bet is a specific essential oil shop, a natural food store, or co-op. You want organic 100% pure essential oils. There are tons of synthetics out there. Synthetic oils are ok for scent alone, but don’t hold any real health benefits. The absolute best way to know that you’re buying a brand of pure essential oil is by price. If you see a shelf of essential oils and they’re all the same cost – they aren’t pure. Some essential oils are very expensive to make while others, even pure ones, you can find at a relatively low cost. In any case, if each bottle of oil is $10, move on.
You should also look for dark bottles. Light can ruin the therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Reputable companies almost always bottle their oils in dark glass. Another way to avoid fake oils is to shop with blotting paper. Real oils, contrary to what you may think, are not all that oily. If you drop a few drops of real oil onto your blotting paper it will evaporate and leave no mark. Lastly, once you work with essential oils enough, you’ll be able to tell if an oil is fake by scent alone. Until then you can always buy from a known reputable company like Quinessence Aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy Safety
Whenever you use essential oils you need to dilute them first. In aromatherapy texts, you’ll often see the term, “Carrier oil” or “Base oil” this is the diluter. For example, if you’re going to use lavender to treat a headache, the recipe may say, “Add 2 drops lavender to your carrier oil.” I almost always use sweet almond oil as my carrier. It’s not too expensive, it’s light, but not too light, and has a good scent. You can also try apricot or ask at a natural health store about other options.
One note: if you’re allergic to nuts you cannot use carrier oil made from nuts. This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen a couple people actually use nut oils when they’re allergic. Instead, use a fruit oil, safflower, or sunflower oil instead.
Here are some other key safety tips:
Before you use a new essential oil you should always do a skin test. Dab a drop on your arm, wait a day, and see what happens. Hopefully nothing happens. If you break out, itch, develop a rash, or something else out of the ordinary happens, don’t use that oil. More is not better with essential oils. Essential oils are very powerful and super concentrated. If I see that a recipe calls for 2-3 drops of peppermint, I may try 4 drops but never 10 drops. You never want to overuse oil. The National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA) recommends not ingesting oils when you might be able to get the same benefits from massage. There are some treatments that require ingestion or gargling of essential oils, but they’re rare. Unless you know your oils very well, I suggest not ingesting any. Many are toxic when ingested. If you’re pregnant never use oils without the direct advice of a care provider who is well-versed in oils. While many essential oils are good for treating pregnancy issues, some can bring on early labor, and other negative side effects. I always used essential oils with my son, even when he was a baby. However, I always did a skin test first, talked with his pediatrician, and I have experience with oils. In any case it’s good to use smaller amounts of oil for baby treatments, and never leave a bottle out where your young children can reach it. You should call poison control if your child ingests oil. Check back tomorrow for some aromatherapy recipes!
Among other places, you can visit Jennifer Chait at Offbeat Homes, Slices of Green, 7 Babes A Blogging, and Tree Hugging Family.

Miu译文：

精油可算是个有深度的主题。从基本角度来说，它们就是从花卉、植物、草、根、水果及叶子中提取的油。想要了解更多提炼及蒸馏的过程，请登陆网站The International Organization for Standardization（国际标准机构)。
      现在你在哪儿都可以买到精油，但要买上等的还要去专门销售精油的小店，自然食品商店或合作社。你要的是100%的纯精油，可现在到处都是合成的人工制造。就香味而言，人工的是可以了，但它们不具备任何真正的健康价值。最佳的鉴别方法还是看价钱。如果你在店里看到一整排精油都一个价格，那肯定不是纯的。有些精油的制造费相当昂贵，可有些即便是纯的，你也会发现，它们的造价相对要便宜。不管怎么说，要是每一瓶都是10美元，直接走人吧。
      还有就是要选择深色瓶子的。光照射可能破坏精油的治疗效果。可信赖的厂家所生产的产品基本上一贯都是装深色瓶的。还有个避免买假油的方法就是利用吸墨纸。可能你还不知道，大多数精油并不像你想象的那样，其实它们不全都是很油腻的。如果你滴几滴真正的精油在吸墨纸上，他们会立刻挥发，不留痕迹。最后，一旦你接触精油时间长了，你就可以单凭气味分辨真假了。到那个时候，你就可以一直购买到信誉厂家的产品了，比如Quinessence Aromatherapy（克妮赛斯芳疗公司）。
芳疗安全事宜
      每次用精油都记得要先冲淡。在有关芳疗的文章中经常出现“基底油”或“原油”，这个专业术语说的就是稀释剂。举个例子，利用薰衣草芳香治疗头疼时，说明上就可能会说：“在基底油中加入两滴薰衣草精油。”我一般都用甜杏仁做基底油。因为不是很贵，而且浓淡适中，味道也挺好闻的。你也可以试试杏子或让从事自然健康的小店帮你看看别的选择。
      有一点要注意：对坚果过敏的人不能用坚果精油作基底油。虽然听起来是再明显不过的事情，但我确实碰到过有些人在自己过敏的情况下使用坚果精油。可以用水果精油，红花精油或者葵花精油代替。
      以下是其它几点重要安全事宜：
·   每次尝试新的精油前，都要做个皮测。在手臂上滴上一滴，一天后看看有没有一样。最好是没有任何状况。如果突感不适，痒，起疹子或其它非正常反应出现，那就不要用这款精油。
·   精油可不是多多益善的。它们威力很强，而且具有高浓缩度。要是说明上写每天用2-3滴薄荷，我可能用4滴，但绝不会用10滴。使用精油千万不能过量。
·   根据美国国家全身芳疗协会（NAHA)，在可以通过按摩达到治疗效果的情况下，不建议直接服用。有些疗法可能涉及到服用或含漱，但这种情况相当少。除非你非常了解自己的精油，建议绝对不要直接服用。许多精油可在服用后产生毒素。
·   孕妇食用精油必须有明确的指导，指导人对精油十分了解。虽然许多精油有缓解孕期不适的作用，有些可能导致早产以及其它不良反应。
·   从我儿子很小开始，我就给他用精油了。但我总是先做个皮测并且咨询医师。我在精油方面是有经验的。无论怎么说，小孩子用一点精油是有好处的，但绝对不要把整瓶放置在幼儿可触及的地方。
      明天再来看看别的芳疗说明吧！
更多Jennifer Chait的文章，请见Offbeat Homes, Slices of Green, 7 Babes A Blogging, and Tree Hugging Family。
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:48 Rachelzzz 阅读(43) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
一封致Flash的情书
Miu的翻译：

一封致Flash的情书

最最亲爱的Flash：

     我发现就去年一年中，人们还是对你这么的不友善，说你没用，说你讨厌，说你在这个以内容为主的网络上就是个祸害。我也知道，有些暴徒仍旧在不断的败坏你的名声，他们侮辱你，用各种各样的方式伤害你。遭别人如此错误地对待，我知道这都不是你的错，即便你被迫作了一些自己不愿意做的事情。所以，我写这封信重申我爱你，我要让你知道我会永远爱你，支持你。
  
     首先，我喜欢你那总能让我眼前一亮的本事，每年都换个行头。大多数针对你的言论都是基于你五年前的形象，那时你还穿着Actionscript 1.0，带着那些傻乎乎的动画形状（关于这些，我终于可以不再介意了）。这几年里，你用面向对象的建模方式，统一事件处理和新型模拟机赢得了程序员的芳心。就连我，作为一个设计师，也不得不佩服你那特效与传统边缘柔化相结合的图像增强功能。如此多才多艺的你必有一番作为，事实上我已经见过你在更复杂网站上的展示才艺了，比如 Road Runner's
（说真的，一开始我还真不敢认你）。

      还有，你给许多产业注入了美感，当然还成就了可行性。要是在 YouTube上看视频还必须安装Real Media Player，谁还会去看？如果Kongregate上只有Java平台游戏，谁还会去光顾？要不是有TheFWA.com，我哪来创意组？一直以来，你让照片变得动感，教学充满乐趣。你甚至还为Google分析和Yahoo财经创造清爽的视觉形象，成了商务板块的座上客。

      现在我意识到，你并不是和所有人都合得来，许多人以错误的方式利用你，逼迫你做你不适合做的事情。你要知道，我是绝对不会这样对你的。尤其是自从你还帮我付了帐单。有了你，我还能更好地发挥创意，比起其他项目来，更加畅快淋漓。再说你现在加入了Adobe家族（我和Adobe的关系渊源已久），相信我们的感情一定会越来越亲的。

你忠实的，
S. Ryan

P.S. 听说有些开发者为了一个名叫Silverlight的小姑娘冷落你。请放心，我可不是见异思迁的人，我了解你信任你，所以一定会对你坚持到底...

原文：
Dearest Flash,

It's come to my attention that even in the past year, people have continued to be unkind to you, calling you useless, annoying, and the bane of a content-driven internet. I've heard that your reputation continues to be marred by certain miscreants who abuse you and say all manner of insult against you. It's not your fault that you've been mishandled and forced to do things that you were never meant to do. So I write this letter as a reaffirmation of my love to you, letting you know why I will continue to love and support you.

First, I love how you continually keep yourself fresh, changing on almost a yearly basis. I know that most of the arguments against you are based on who you were 5 years ago, when you were still dressing in Actionscript 1.0 and using those silly shape tweens (I've finally forgiven you for those). Over the last few years, you have won over this programmer's heart with object-oriented modeling, unified event handling, and a new virtual machine. Even your graphical advances like blending effects and custom anti-aliasing have made the designer in me smile. Such versatility has great potential and I've even seen it at work in more complex websites like Road Runner's (to be honest, I couldn't believe it was you at first).

Furthermore, you have brought so much beauty and yes, even accessibility, to many industries. Who would ever use YouTube if it required Real Media Player? Or who would visit Kongregate only to find Java-based games? Where would I get my creative fix if not for TheFWA.com? You continue to make photography vibrant and education fun. You've even visited the business sector, providing clean visualizations for Google Analytics and Yahoo Finance.

Now I realize that you're not for everyone and that many people use you in all the wrong ways, forcing you to be something that you're not. Know that I will never do this to you, especially since you have helped me pay many bills and you have given me more creative release than most projects do. And now that you're in Adobe's family (I have a long history with them), I'm sure our relationship will continue to grow and flourish.

Always Yours,

S. Ryan

P.S. I've heard that some developers have left you for this new gal named Silverlight. Rest assured that I will not be so hasty, and will be sticking it out with you whom I know and trust...
posted @ 2008-07-23 17:21 Rachelzzz 阅读(33) | 评论 (0) | 编辑 收藏
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