Monday, March 9, 2015

What drones are up to, in the world

(All text are copied from a Reuters article : link)

Swiss-based Flyability, which builds drones inside a spherical cage that allows them to bump through doors, tunnels and forests without losing balance.


Another British company, BioCarbon Engineering, hopes to speed up reforestation by using drones to plant germinated seeds


And China, too, is in the game as hardware prices fall rapidly. China's DJI sells consumer grade drones for $500, making it hard for companies producing lower volumes to justify their higher prices.


In Singapore, (...) the company has been helping map the boundaries of palm oil plantations in Malaysia, it has added the ability to calibrate the drones' cameras to measure moisture levels in individual trees.
(can't find a video)

In Japan, the government is looking to fast track industry-friendly regulation to give its drone business an edge.
(can't find a video)

Source:
Game of drones: As U.S. dithers, rivals get a head start
BY JEREMY WAGSTAFF
Sun Mar 8, 2015 5:08pm EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/08/us-tech-drones-idUSKBN0M40VM20150308

Monday, February 2, 2015

Super Battery for RC X-Copter

唔知哩隻Silicon-Graphene電池幾時係巿面有得賣!真係10x快叉10x容量, 玩RC x-copter,就即係叉20分鐘電, 飛粒半鐘(1.5hrs)機!!痴線!!

When will this Silicon-Graphene battery be on market? If it is really 10 times more capacity and 10 time faster in recharge, my hexacopter will fly 1.5hours in the air and need only 20mins to do a full-recharge!!! Crazy!!!

====================================================================

From Noble price to RC hobby : Graphene

It is the new material discovered by scientists from University of Manchester, UK, winning the 2010 Noble price in Physics.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2010/press.html

In 2011, researchers from Northwestern University build Silicon-Graphene anode for Li-ion battery that holds a charge up to 10 times greater and can charge 10 times faster than conventional Li-Ion battery.
http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/11/batteries-energy-kung.html

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and California Lithium Battery, Inc. signed a licensing agreement for an Argonne-developed "Silicon-Graphene battery". The new battery triples capacity over the traditional Li-Ion battery today.
http://clbattery.com/the-calbattery-solution/
http://www.anl.gov/articles/argonne-and-calbattery-strike-deal-silicon-graphene-anode-material

(On a bit of a side note, the researchers who were named in the anode patent are all part of the Hersam Research Group at Northwestern University)
http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/graphenesilicon-anodes-for-liion-batteries-go-commercial

Nonetheless, Graphene seems not to appear very soon in our daily life.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/db153064-291b-11e4-9d5d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3QWGW0Dqb

Learn more about Graphene:




Thursday, November 7, 2013

權力及特權法 vs. 工程師梁振英

感想:

所謂「魔鬼在細節」,本來係用來鬧上屆政府,而家覺得係一種讚美!

為政策方向護航,上屆政府起麻會走入技術細節,用「邏輯藝術」粗調微調,軟化反對者, 就講遞補機制、超級功能組別、最低工資定價, 有時粗微調之複雜, 唔追開新聞真係原全唔識拿立場, 甚至我會覺得, nows直播中, 林公公好多反駁, 思考上同黃毓民一樣精彩。

所以我之前從來都唔識去新舊政總。

今日哩個政府 ... d新聞真係易睇得多, 唔好話走入技術細節粗微調, 連門面功夫做cover-up都技窮到咁 ... 琴日黃毓民既發言悶到嘔 ... 或者真係對家水平之劣根本確動唔到佢100%既腦, 好浪費 ....

錢唔夠多唔開得電視台, 三位數字票數就可以做特首
經驗不足就不誼開電視台, 公共事務經驗空白就可以做特首

哩d自相矛盾都唔好講

但論技術細節討論、邏輯思維表現, 話我知佢係「工程師」出身? ... 唔好影衰香港工程界啦 ...

同王維基哩個EE人比, 天淵之別。

有敢想既人, 千其唔好學我咁, 一切都以感想了事就算9數 ...

唉 ...................

Monday, November 4, 2013

回到追六半車的下班日子!

6:30pm尾班車回荃灣,好一個月多沒有追過,這個月差不多都在挑戰50 working hours/week這個仙境!

二月頭開始的project,上星期五終於「完滿」結束,歷時8~9個月,現在算對自己有個交代 --- 在公司Lte基站裏我做過physical layer其中一個部份。

這一段日子,算是賺到了部份同事的認同,不過總心有不甘,從前在垃圾公司中「優材生」地位,現在要高攀上很吃力。。。

調到新project裏,離開physical layer,收拾心情噢。。。做physical layer,對我來說很難得,畢業後可以繼續接觸數理。。。

其實現在心情已經平淡得多,沒有之前般強烈抗拒,一來physical layer的事情都做好了,二來新project可以玩硬件,三來還有點high school maths我可以接觸下!

我知揀飲擇食不好,但我太了解自己想要甚麼,我不想十年讀書最後變成一段巨大的「知識手淫」時光。

Saturday, October 19, 2013

王維基

「搵份好鍾意做的工,才會做得好;忠於自己的心,搵自己喜歡做的事,然後『死落去』。」

http://thehousenews.com/politics/尋死的魔童/#.UmFaccsZ7qA

王維基的故仔,數年前都有聽聞過,當時閒談PCCW vs HKBN,友人指HKBN公司細,廁所走廊遇上王維基屬見慣不怪,雖然是大老闆,但王會關注technical details,而他出身EE,大家一眾eng佬都有份「唔怪得啦~~~」的共嗚,然後把《PCCW vs HKBN》議題,昇華至《公司商人領導 vs 公司工程領導》。

對我來說,一個有工程背景的人,在電訊業從商有絕對優勢,至少在考慮投資建造WiMAX網絡還是Lte網絡之間,要王維基研讀一下IEEE/WIMAX Forum與3GPP的white papers/conference powerpoints,一定比少超人來得得心應手無限倍!

老電由「只要有夢想,凡事可成真」的年代,到被踢出恒指,進身垃圾股的年代,我總覺得這與老電由工程主導轉為商人主導有關!

曾經有念頭加入HKBN,爬了一下HKBN網站招聘頁,看到公司定期有讀書會,互相增進知識,對eng佬來說,這是很動人的公司文化。就那時開始,已經寄於王維基希望,他要做個EE代表,打倒靠金鎖匙出身的廢人!

HKTV牌照落空一事,我之所以無名火起,最大原因是他的故仔裏,劃多劃少看到自己的一些經歷、一些做人的理念,最不忿,是幾年來刻苦練跑,明明有希望跑得比TVB快,到頭來輸的竟然不是跑步速度,而是換來閒人勿進的教訓,就連如何入場都搞不清 ---「白痴仔,你練條春~~咩~~」。

====================================

面書有人分享,HKTV輸了就輸了,不能輸打贏要。

嗱!我是這樣分析的。

同意!輸了就該返鄉下執牛屎!又或者卷土重來,當然我希望是後者。

那要是卷土重來,這次應該要練乜春呢?

這就是為何政府有社會責任,要交代HKTV輸甚麼。

公共事務 與 公司企業 最大分別,是阿公年年囉正牌來你荷包打劫,你如果反抗,就是你錯,坐監啦!

而公司企業得而穩健發展,原全是高層英明的商業決定,誘使你送錢入他袋口,你如果反抗,就是他STUPID,食蕉啦!

所以政府,不存在要為「建立政府」而打倒甚麼巿場競爭對手,政府存在的基本使命,是「建立社會」--- 社會需要分對錯,政府就建立警隊;社會需要安全食物,政府就建立食物安全中心。廉署、平機會、消委會、家計會、環保署、...,每一個公共機關,都咐於了使命去建立社會某一個基本需要,包括公義。

(大概是這份建立社會的使命感,曾幾何時政府工都是優才生的理想工作,今日就莫講大家都把正苦工和養懶蟲等號起來,連香港都想離開!)

開放新牌照,原意(我所理解)是建立公平競爭的兔費電視巿場,是政府決定要邀請新商家加入,當然有必要教育公眾人仕如何加入、入場後遊戲規則。

無論是王維基要求交代輸乜,還是TVB要求交代now、iCable贏乜,政府都有社會責任向全部人講清楚。

更可況,收稅 與 打劫 最大分別,是政府有責任向你報告,拿賊贓幹了甚麼好事!

某程度上,現在政府是私企思維去營運公共事務,「消耗社會」來「建立政府」,錯晒!

Saturday, October 5, 2013

心結

都叫解左少少心結!

上年9月見哩份工, 阿頭送我出lift口時, 勸我搵其他我熟行既工作做, 話我應該係個好有堅持既人, 叫我比心機搵份「真」「係」「適」「合」我既工作 ...

結果有人救我返來。入來做, 每日最怕就係食飯, 怕做錯反應又怕做漏反應, 而令我顯得更唔適合

今晚9點幾10點, 哩個阿頭見我未走, 過來同我吹下水, 講笑話我都全職做佢d野咁淛, 都無乜點幫手寫c/c++, 不如幫佢做多d野啦咁, 心諗 ... 嘩lu晒飯應啦, 然後同我同另一個人入lab吹水, 講我地知d儀器做緊乜春

如果interviewer遇到candidate唔啱心水, 拿拿林叫佢返歸等就算啦, 拜託唔好廢up ... 想人開心, 比offer就得架啦, 唔好口多多 ...