beer is food

当我今天向往常一样打开布拉格每日督察报的网站时，看到头条新闻说布拉格最大的市场SAPA（也就是我们中国人常说的4区越南市场）发生火灾，来自55个单位的350名消防员都赶来救火。新闻图片上是一家中国商店背后浓烟滚滚的场面。

我很熟悉这个商店，因为我曾经还试着和这家店老板聊天呢。当时我转了一圈发现整个市场好像就这么一个中国人开的店（所以他们才自称中国商城），于是我怀着很期待地心情问她们是从哪里来的，她们却很警惕地反问我要找谁。虽然在国内问这样的问题很可能得到同样的回答，可是在包括学生商人餐馆老板在内只有一千名华人的国家听到自己同胞这样的回答实在令我失望。所以我没能给她们拍照，只好在远处给这家店拍。店门口前停满了车，我能拍到的只有店的上面半截。你也可以在我的flickr里看到更多越南市场的照片。

自从这个博客建立以来，很多人问我为什么取名为6109。我原以为这是一个简单的小把戏，没想却使大家如此困惑，正如我将校内和豆瓣的用户名后面加了一个“没”字一样。我想看了下面这两副图你应该就很清楚了。

说到校内，最近我看到很多认识的和不认识的人的头像都改成了这个

于是我也凑热闹把头像改掉了，可是这样一来我的星级用户就没了！

改过头像之后我满怀希望大家过来给我留言说为什么改这个头像。可是人们都只对那个名字后面的“没”和写了好几天的签名档“荷兰荷兰荷兰”感兴趣，并没有一人提及头像，这令我有些失望，就像小时候画好一幅自己觉得最好看的画给老师看，可是老师给了只给了很低的分数一样。

这是因为当我在用平面图形和文字表达一件事情的时候，我总会倾向于用最少的东西来实现。比如我在设计Strahov的项目主页时为了表达“鼠标移动控制鼹鼠的移动”以及“单击鼠标右键显示菜单”功能，经历了这样几个阶段：

首先，因为“鼠标移动控制鼹鼠的移动”本身无需多解释，谁都知道这是鼠标的基本功能，所以简单的画上两道波浪线便一目了然。“单击右键显示”则直接用在右键上画根线出来标明菜单。后来觉得这根线指代不明，到底是指鼠标右键呢还是指整只鼠标？于是给右键加上一个边框表示“单击右键”。最后，觉得menu两个字写得实在太丑了，可是用既有字体又会显得过于单调。想了很久，过程中问了自己一个问题，用户是否这么傻非要表明是menu才会知道是菜单？虽然在演讲时特别是给听众介绍新东西的演讲时，最好把听众当白痴，但是会看这个页面的人至少也会用鼠标把。所以我干脆把menu的字眼去掉，并把右键上色。这样传达的信息只有“单击右键”，至于功能的话我想用户点过就知道了，就像现在很多键盘的设计会把WSAD键涂上颜色来表示这是第一人称射击游戏专用键盘一样。

从标题看到这里我想你应该开始了解我的思维模式了，我并不是跳跃思维也不是发散思维。我是只有扯上一点关系才会联想的思维。

LETTER OF MOTIVATION

For admission to Eindhoven University of Technology

October 28, 2008

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,

I heard of the scholarship programs of Eindhoven University of Technology about one year ago via school websites, though it sounded appealing to me but I wasn’t prepared to study for master’s degree abroad at that time. After gaining amazing experience both in academic research and overseas life, now I find myself ready for the upcoming new experience in the Netherlands.

My interests in academic research date back to the Erasmus exchange program I’ve participated at Czech Technical University in Prague during winter semester 2007. I took several courses there and one of them was Computer Graphics. I learned a lot about OpenGL library during programming for final course project (developing an interactive environment) as well as in the lectures. More importantly, I found myself obsessed with the connection of human and the generated images and 3D models via computer technologies. Soon after I came back to Zhejiang University, I joined the Laboratory of Computer Aided Design and Computer Graphics (CAD&CG) and took part in a research project as a student researcher. Being the sole undergraduate student in the project, I learned to work with graduate students and contributed a piece of mesh simplification software.

Though as a student studying computer science, I am always fascinated by art and philosophy. I am an amateur photographer and fan of all sorts of art represented in forms of new media technologies. After exploring more of many researchers and new media artists, I realized that research on Human-Computer Interaction — the intersection of computer science, behavioral sciences and art, is exactly what I am pursuing. So I talked with Prof. Pan Gang, who is the lead of Pervasive Computing Group, and found out that he had newly started research topics on HCI. I came up with the idea of using Nintendo Wii controllers and its accessories to build a drum kit, and he considered it quite innovative and related to his research topic. The main point is that everyone can be musician if easy-to-use tools with the ability of pervasive computing are provided. The focus of CHI Conference this year is balance between art and science, design and research, practical motivation and the process that leads the way to innovative excellence. Similarly, I believe that my scientific research on HCI is based on the premise that artists and engineers can rectify the imbalances of power and privilege that have been built into most contemporary technologies.

After obtaining the master’s degree, my career goal is either to work on PhD in one of the prestigious institutes such as J.F. Schouten School or to work in R&D departments in a certain company that creates innovative technologies and products. My personal goal during the master’s program is to finish a project in the field of interactive art and have my work exhibited in contemporary art museums.

With these goals, I find that Eindhoven University of Technology is the right place to study. The master’s program of Human-Technology Interaction at the Department of Technology Management matches my research profile the most and I am quite impressed by its focus on viability of new technological developments in relation to human constraints, preferences and capabilities. I am also aware that the Netherlands is a country rich in excellent art centers and art academies, and they always bring me inspirations for interaction design and research. My second preference of master’s program is Computer Science and Engineering, since my research interest in Computer Science, especially in Computer Graphics, has never faded.

Yours Sincerely,

He Zhao

由于之前的一篇文章有超过七百条垃圾留言，所以只有让以后大家的留言新用户的留言必须通过我的同意才会显示。所以如果你留言后没有马上显示请不要着急，因为还需要我在后台的通过。在删垃圾留言的过程中不小心把有些网友的留言误删了，在这里告诉大家，你们的留言我都看到了，谢谢！