2026-07-13
2026-06-24
2019-01-23
I wonder at which voltage these are running: Miniature trains, a big hit with children at #floraexpo2018 and...
I wonder at which voltage these are running: Miniature trains, a big hit with children at #floraexpo2018 and competition to the horses at this ranch.
The usually (that slowly seems to change though) rather car-centric Taiwan has done a good job in making pedestrian...
The usually (that slowly seems to change though) rather car-centric Taiwan has done a good job in making pedestrian access to #floraexpo2018 comfortable. Almost the whole path from Houli station to the nearby exhibition areas (about 500 and 1000m) can be walked without encountering cars.
2019-01-22
Reinventing the wheel, with AI
Reinventing the wheel, with AI
I'm just busy banging my head against the nearest wall, after I came across this article. You may perhaps know KYMCO, the big Taiwanese scooter/bike manufacturer. Like their counterparts in the four-wheel tin can industry, they overslept electrification and are now trying hard to find ways to deal with Gogoro, the company most popular when it comes to moving batteries on two wheels.
To distinguish themselves from the in their eyes inexperienced competitor, they are now teaming up with ITRI, the institute for technological research in the industry, to solve a problem they discovered: Apparently, the display of remaining mileage and battery capacity on electric vehicles is unreliable, especially with older batteries, leading to people being afraid to ride their electric scooters out of fear they may end up in the middle of a trip with dead batteries.
The solution? AI! (I'm surprised they didn't include block chain.) And their plan is so ingenious: First they will display the remaining mileage based on the rider's riding custom. (Hmm, does that mean they will calculate based on current consumption? Sounds so.) Second they will display battery capacity in percent. (Really!) And third they will incorporate environmental and battery temperature. Wow! All of which can easily be done even with an 8bit MCU...
To give you an orientation on the severity of this "problem", at least here in Taiwan: I live in a village (OK, the official term is "township".) near one of the smaller cities. The closest Gogoro battery swap station is 800m from me, at a 7-11. I usually walk there. They also have regular chargers. In the other direction the next battery swap station is 3.2km away, the next charger 1.7km. I live a bit away from the main road, so the distance between the two chargers is 1.7km, between the swap stations 3.2km. In the countryside.
Plus: All the above mentioned functionality already exists. If it's not reliable, it's because of a poor implementation. So let's throw some AI at the problem, because it makes for such nice press releases...
https://udn.com/news/story/7240/3605971
https://udn.com/news/story/7240/3605971
I'm just busy banging my head against the nearest wall, after I came across this article. You may perhaps know KYMCO, the big Taiwanese scooter/bike manufacturer. Like their counterparts in the four-wheel tin can industry, they overslept electrification and are now trying hard to find ways to deal with Gogoro, the company most popular when it comes to moving batteries on two wheels.
To distinguish themselves from the in their eyes inexperienced competitor, they are now teaming up with ITRI, the institute for technological research in the industry, to solve a problem they discovered: Apparently, the display of remaining mileage and battery capacity on electric vehicles is unreliable, especially with older batteries, leading to people being afraid to ride their electric scooters out of fear they may end up in the middle of a trip with dead batteries.
The solution? AI! (I'm surprised they didn't include block chain.) And their plan is so ingenious: First they will display the remaining mileage based on the rider's riding custom. (Hmm, does that mean they will calculate based on current consumption? Sounds so.) Second they will display battery capacity in percent. (Really!) And third they will incorporate environmental and battery temperature. Wow! All of which can easily be done even with an 8bit MCU...
To give you an orientation on the severity of this "problem", at least here in Taiwan: I live in a village (OK, the official term is "township".) near one of the smaller cities. The closest Gogoro battery swap station is 800m from me, at a 7-11. I usually walk there. They also have regular chargers. In the other direction the next battery swap station is 3.2km away, the next charger 1.7km. I live a bit away from the main road, so the distance between the two chargers is 1.7km, between the swap stations 3.2km. In the countryside.
Plus: All the above mentioned functionality already exists. If it's not reliable, it's because of a poor implementation. So let's throw some AI at the problem, because it makes for such nice press releases...
https://udn.com/news/story/7240/3605971
https://udn.com/news/story/7240/3605971
2019-01-20
If you're going to San Francisco Flora Expo
If you're going to
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...
Visiting Flora Expo 2018, the world agricultural exhibition, this time taking place in Taichung.
2019-01-01
There has been a lot of debate the last few days regarding Donald Trump's announcement to withdraw troops from Syria.
There has been a lot of debate the last few days regarding Donald Trump's announcement to withdraw troops from Syria. It feels like a lot of people are opposing this mainly because it came from Trump. The real issue are however not the US soldiers in Syria - who are there rather illegally btw. This article may help shining a bit of light on the situation:
This is not about where US troops are stationed. The two thousand US soldiers at issue are a drop in the bucket in terms of the number of armed fighters in Syria today. They have not been on the frontlines of the fighting the way that the US military was in Iraq. The withdrawal of these soldiers is not the important thing here. What matters is that Trump’s announcement is a message to Erdoğan indicating that there will be no consequences if the Turkish state invades Rojava.
For the sake of brevity, I’ll oversimplify and say that today, there are roughly five sides in the Syrian civil war: loyalist, Turkish, jihadi, Kurdish, and rebel. At the conclusion of this text, an appendix explores the narratives that characterize each of these sides.
Each of these sides stands in different relation to the others. I’ll list the relations of each group to the others, starting with the other group that they are most closely affiliated with and ending with the groups they are most opposed to:
Loyalist: Kurdish, Turkish, jihadi, rebel
Rebel: Turkish, jihadi, Kurdish, loyalist
Turkish: rebel, jihadi, loyalist, Kurdish
Kurdish: loyalist, rebel, Turkish, jihadi
Jihadi: rebel, Turkish, Kurdish and loyalist
This may be helpful in visualizing which groups could be capable of compromising and which are irreversibly at odds. Again, remember, I am generalizing a lot.
https://enoughisenough14.org/2018/12/29/the-threat-to-rojava-an-anarchist-in-syria-speaks-on-the-real-meaning-of-trumps-withdrawal/
https://enoughisenough14.org/2018/12/29/the-threat-to-rojava-an-anarchist-in-syria-speaks-on-the-real-meaning-of-trumps-withdrawal/
This is not about where US troops are stationed. The two thousand US soldiers at issue are a drop in the bucket in terms of the number of armed fighters in Syria today. They have not been on the frontlines of the fighting the way that the US military was in Iraq. The withdrawal of these soldiers is not the important thing here. What matters is that Trump’s announcement is a message to Erdoğan indicating that there will be no consequences if the Turkish state invades Rojava.
For the sake of brevity, I’ll oversimplify and say that today, there are roughly five sides in the Syrian civil war: loyalist, Turkish, jihadi, Kurdish, and rebel. At the conclusion of this text, an appendix explores the narratives that characterize each of these sides.
Each of these sides stands in different relation to the others. I’ll list the relations of each group to the others, starting with the other group that they are most closely affiliated with and ending with the groups they are most opposed to:
Loyalist: Kurdish, Turkish, jihadi, rebel
Rebel: Turkish, jihadi, Kurdish, loyalist
Turkish: rebel, jihadi, loyalist, Kurdish
Kurdish: loyalist, rebel, Turkish, jihadi
Jihadi: rebel, Turkish, Kurdish and loyalist
This may be helpful in visualizing which groups could be capable of compromising and which are irreversibly at odds. Again, remember, I am generalizing a lot.
https://enoughisenough14.org/2018/12/29/the-threat-to-rojava-an-anarchist-in-syria-speaks-on-the-real-meaning-of-trumps-withdrawal/
https://enoughisenough14.org/2018/12/29/the-threat-to-rojava-an-anarchist-in-syria-speaks-on-the-real-meaning-of-trumps-withdrawal/
2018-12-29
🎶On the seventh day of shutdown the POTUS said to me:
🎶On the seventh day of shutdown the POTUS said to me:
I'll shut the border down!
Look here, our Navy SEALS!
This is a witch hunt!
Stop the caravan!
I never liked Mattis!
I need a Chief of Staff!
I want my wall, so give me money!🎶
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/28/trump-mexico-border-wall-democrats-fund-shutdown
I'll shut the border down!
Look here, our Navy SEALS!
This is a witch hunt!
Stop the caravan!
I never liked Mattis!
I need a Chief of Staff!
I want my wall, so give me money!🎶
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/28/trump-mexico-border-wall-democrats-fund-shutdown
2018-12-24
Ave Maria, the atheist version
Ave Maria, the atheist version
Originally shared by Sabine Hossenfelder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd5hT7Zv0rk&feature=autoshare
Originally shared by Sabine Hossenfelder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd5hT7Zv0rk&feature=autoshare
Just enjoy the holidays!
Just enjoy the holidays!
Via Hartmut Noack
Originally shared by Laura Natale
2018-12-23
Two birds with one stove - just like the proverb said...
Two birds with one stove - just like the proverb said...
2018-12-20
I wonder what will become of this.
I wonder what will become of this. If you mention "Christmas" at a Taiwanese university, students will usually respond with "Oh yes, the Christmas dance party!"
This appeared on the campus now, but it doesn't look like dance party. Most songs they played during sound checks can be found in my Christmas playlist, which makes me wonder: Does our university really arrange a reasonable celebration? I need to find out when this will take place...
#nkust #高科大
Packaging some more gingerbread for sale - our student council really got into the Christmas business now.
Packaging some more gingerbread for sale - our student council really got into the Christmas business now.
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
2018-12-17
Our student council is often complaining that they don't have any money, so I suggested they should do something...
Our student council is often complaining that they don't have any money, so I suggested they should do something about it. Humanities students do unfortunately usually not have many choices in that regard. None of our students is (to my knowledge) flipping burgers, but the general alternatives are not too exciting either.
But why not apply what you have learned? When students learn a language, they usually also learn something about the country, including the local food. Christmas is approaching and Germany has some goodies to offer for this occasion, so why not...?
Most student activities need to be applied for at the office for student affairs - and they just love extensive applications. After I saw the one for Octoberfest, I could understand our students' hesitation. Luckily, the university supports and encourages start-ups, for which another office is responsible - and those people apparently hate paperwork, which was great for us.
So we set out to spread the joy of Stollen and gingerbread. My weekly baking activity was hijacked by the student council, I became their "consultant". This is the first time they do this and of course a lot of problems need to be solved. But students have become enthusiastic and I'm looking forward to the results after Christmas. So far we must have made more than 60 (small) Stollen and 12 or more kilograms of gingerbread. I hope this week will be a little quieter, but probably not...
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
But why not apply what you have learned? When students learn a language, they usually also learn something about the country, including the local food. Christmas is approaching and Germany has some goodies to offer for this occasion, so why not...?
Most student activities need to be applied for at the office for student affairs - and they just love extensive applications. After I saw the one for Octoberfest, I could understand our students' hesitation. Luckily, the university supports and encourages start-ups, for which another office is responsible - and those people apparently hate paperwork, which was great for us.
So we set out to spread the joy of Stollen and gingerbread. My weekly baking activity was hijacked by the student council, I became their "consultant". This is the first time they do this and of course a lot of problems need to be solved. But students have become enthusiastic and I'm looking forward to the results after Christmas. So far we must have made more than 60 (small) Stollen and 12 or more kilograms of gingerbread. I hope this week will be a little quieter, but probably not...
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
Octopus spaghetti, or rather, as my students put it, jellyfish spaghetti.
Octopus spaghetti, or rather, as my students put it, jellyfish spaghetti. I need to come up with something new for the next meeting with my students...
Last preparations for the final performance
Last preparations for the final performance
Low light, sorry.
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
Low light, sorry.
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
Almost no leaves, but blossoming as if there is no tomorrow...
Almost no leaves, but blossoming as if there is no tomorrow...
The rest of the semester will finally be a little more relaxed: The graduation theatre is over, so I won't go to...
The rest of the semester will finally be a little more relaxed: The graduation theatre is over, so I won't go to evening practices anymore. Unfortunately, it seems some timing wasn't ideal, none of the invited German/Austrian/Swiss VIPs could come to see the performance, so students even tricked me into saying a few words on the stage.
I was quite impressed by the stage decorations and accessories. I had seen our students working on those since summer, but the final result was stunning. Everything you see was made at very low cost, but to very high standards and with great attention to detail. There was for example even a photo of the family in the living room. They all invested a lot of effort in this. In a behind-the-scenes video they all answered the same when asked what they will do after the performance: Go sleeping, possibly for 24 hours.
The play was based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker, with some modifications, written by the students themselves. I was mainly helping with language issues and showed students that their phones and tablets are much better replacements for paper when it comes to dealing with the script. Welcome to 2018...
Our student council used the opportunity to sell some German Christmas goodies, Stollen and gingerbread. As tutoring teacher I got the obligatory flowers (Which I'd prefer not to get, but...) and something rather unexpected: Not the Spanish Inquisition, a Totoro! In some ways I must be quite transparent... Now I'm curious who had the idea with the Totoro and when the video will be online...
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
I was quite impressed by the stage decorations and accessories. I had seen our students working on those since summer, but the final result was stunning. Everything you see was made at very low cost, but to very high standards and with great attention to detail. There was for example even a photo of the family in the living room. They all invested a lot of effort in this. In a behind-the-scenes video they all answered the same when asked what they will do after the performance: Go sleeping, possibly for 24 hours.
The play was based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker, with some modifications, written by the students themselves. I was mainly helping with language issues and showed students that their phones and tablets are much better replacements for paper when it comes to dealing with the script. Welcome to 2018...
Our student council used the opportunity to sell some German Christmas goodies, Stollen and gingerbread. As tutoring teacher I got the obligatory flowers (Which I'd prefer not to get, but...) and something rather unexpected: Not the Spanish Inquisition, a Totoro! In some ways I must be quite transparent... Now I'm curious who had the idea with the Totoro and when the video will be online...
#nkust #ifad #高科大 #應德系
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