Cherry Blossom

A new season of cherry blossom has come..

(Take a look out of your window...Slow down...and Take a breathe...)

Ancient Methane Sealed in Quartz

Ancient gas traped inside quartz (viewed in cross-polarized light).(Source: Ueno et al. Nature 2006, 440, 516)

The air bubbles sealed in ancient rocks carry the information on the atmosphere and the life during the past. In this quartz from Western Australia, scientists found metane in it and particually the isotope ratio C-13/C-12 is low. The low isotope ratio indicates that the methane had a biological origin. The results suggest that there might exist such organisms that produce methane and change the content of the atmosphere back to 700,000 years ago, the so-called Archean era.

'Mona Lisa'-Made-in-China

Sneakers, T-shirts, Toys,....This list can go on and on. All have a common point: made in China. No matter where you are in today's world, it is almost unavoidable to buy all sorts of goods that are labeled with 'made-in-China'. And, 'Mona Lisa' is no exception either!
There is a small town called 'DaFen'(大芬) in the Shenzhen municipal area. The main business of this small town is to duplicate millions of world-renown oil paintings, from Mona Lisa to Sunflower, every masterpiece you can name it. The 60% of the oil paintings in the international market are made here. This town turns the art of oil-painting into an industry, in a way that artists may despise.
The business started in 1986 by a painter from Hong Kong. Then the business got boomed as the economy development of Shenzhen and then China. Like all the other goods made in China, the workers are mainly peasants. Some are illiterate and most only have middle school to high school education. For many of them, their parents and grand parents never know what is Mona Lisa or even see a real oil-painting work in their lives. The rapid development of Shenzhen turns them from peasants working in mud to the oil painters doing the remote art business. Their life would never be same.
Seen from another perspective, many famous painters, like Zhang Daqian, started their career to replicate other's work. Once their skills got matured and their fames got established, they revealed their true identities and became famous and rich too. How do you know if there is one or two Zhang Daqian will be born in the town of DaFen?
Some pictures can be found here.
http://pic.people.com.cn/GB/31655/4235936.html

Wait, Wait, Wait

Don't tell me....
What is in the Pandora's box?
Keep pursuing persistently for the one

天心 -- 天地之大德曰生

最近读张中行先生的《顺生论》，颇有醍醐灌顶之感。尤其第一分天心言人生之意义。
张先生乃实诚人也，读其书有如沐浴春风，如同朋友交心。先生之言不矫情做作，实事求是。先生虽专文学哲学，对科学却亦不含糊。