Monday, May 21, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Rescue IBM ThinkPad T40 "Black" Display: Replacing its CCFL
I bought Lin a used IBM ThinkPad T40 from ebay about 1 year ago and it has been working very well. However, the display recently became reddish and Lin complained it always. Since it worked somehow and I thus put less attention to it. One day the poor display finally gave up his ghost and stayed in black.
After a simple analysis, I guess the problem was caused by the defect of backlight. Since the display became reddish in his last few days, I was sure that the CCFL of the LCD display is brocken. I should have done more detailed investigation but I had neither time nor mood to do so. Forturnately, I was right and the display is revived.
As a memo I documented the most important steps in my Wiki.QS by the title "IBM ThinkPad T40 CCFL Replace"
After a simple analysis, I guess the problem was caused by the defect of backlight. Since the display became reddish in his last few days, I was sure that the CCFL of the LCD display is brocken. I should have done more detailed investigation but I had neither time nor mood to do so. Forturnately, I was right and the display is revived.
As a memo I documented the most important steps in my Wiki.QS by the title "IBM ThinkPad T40 CCFL Replace"
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Easter:第一站Antwerpen
4月6日 Good Friday！早上5点多挣扎着爬了起来，匆匆的洗漱了一下，拎上前一天准备好了的行李还有补给和老婆一起扎进了我那辆93年的“别摸我”。调整好GPS，油门一踩出发罗！一路上开开停停，顺便吃个早饭，两个小时后进入了荷兰境内。德荷边境没啥特别的，一路开过，先看到一个大方牌，上面蓝底白字写着Niederlande并环绕着一圈欧盟的小星星。继续开进约500米，更大的一个蓝牌则醒目的标记着荷兰境内交通限速的规定，Autobahn后面赫然印着120 km/h，sigh小郁闷了一下。再往前就是一个大型加油站和餐饮中心，周围停驻了不少18轮大卡。没什么闲心看这风景，于是匆匆驶过这个冷漠的边境。
在荷兰境内没开多久就进入了比利时的境内，路况感觉比荷兰稍差一些。但就这样，比利时的朋友也很喜欢开快车，同样是120的限速，对比利时人来说恐怕就是个建议而已。从出发开始，近4个小时后终于抵达了Antwerpen。和大多数其他欧洲旅游城市相似，Antwerpen也传达着它那点缀着17，18世纪欧洲传统建筑的妩媚。在欧洲驾车旅行泊车是个问题，我们在约定地点周围转了20分钟才找到个限时2小时的停车位。等停好车已经过了约定时间半小时，于是赶快跑去火车站和Lihlii还有Danly他们会合。
见到两位朋友，着实开心，在短暂的问候之后，我们一行4人就开始了正式的比利时旅行。Antwerpen是第一站
Antwerpen-Centraal Railway Station本身就是一个景点。它始建于1895年，并被公认为比利时最精美的火车站，其有关资料可以查阅Wikipedia的介绍。 离开了中心火车站，顺着正前方的大街步行，不久就到了Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal（the Cathedral of Our Lady）即圣母大教堂。教堂前的广场算是典型的欧式风格，四周一圈布满了大大小小的咖啡店和餐馆，在加上在广场上驻足休憩的人们和觅食的鸽子，让人身子骨都懒了起来。时间关系我们没有进入教堂内部参观，我则因为停车时间快到了，而不得不在此和其他三人暂时分开折回去取我的车。途中竟发现手机失窃，很是郁闷了一会儿，好在最后还是和大家在约定的集合地点碰上了。其间发生一个小插曲，我在用老婆的电话打给O2公司要求冻结我的电话的时候，那位接线的老兄居然认为我要冻结我正在通话的这个号码，不知道是如何的逻辑:(
在和朋友再次会合后，我们又相继走马观花地看了Het Steen（literally: ‘The Stone’）和Town House并饱食了一份意大利式的午餐。在Het Steen前我们看到了传说中的恶巨人Antigoon的雕像，据说他后来被一名罗马勇士Silvius Brabo打败，并割下他的一只手抛入河中。而这一传说也成为了Antwerpen城市名的由来，因为Antwerpen源自荷兰语Hand Werpen（hand-throwing）即“扔手”。并且这个著名的传说也被以各种各样的形式在城市中重复再现和传诵，这其中就包括做成手形状的巧克力和饼干:D
Antwerpen的观光很快就结束了，一路上记录的照片可以在Gallery.QS上找到！
2819
在荷兰境内没开多久就进入了比利时的境内，路况感觉比荷兰稍差一些。但就这样，比利时的朋友也很喜欢开快车，同样是120的限速，对比利时人来说恐怕就是个建议而已。从出发开始，近4个小时后终于抵达了Antwerpen。和大多数其他欧洲旅游城市相似，Antwerpen也传达着它那点缀着17，18世纪欧洲传统建筑的妩媚。在欧洲驾车旅行泊车是个问题，我们在约定地点周围转了20分钟才找到个限时2小时的停车位。等停好车已经过了约定时间半小时，于是赶快跑去火车站和Lihlii还有Danly他们会合。
见到两位朋友，着实开心，在短暂的问候之后，我们一行4人就开始了正式的比利时旅行。Antwerpen是第一站
Antwerpen-Centraal Railway Station本身就是一个景点。它始建于1895年，并被公认为比利时最精美的火车站，其有关资料可以查阅Wikipedia的介绍。 离开了中心火车站，顺着正前方的大街步行，不久就到了Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal（the Cathedral of Our Lady）即圣母大教堂。教堂前的广场算是典型的欧式风格，四周一圈布满了大大小小的咖啡店和餐馆，在加上在广场上驻足休憩的人们和觅食的鸽子，让人身子骨都懒了起来。时间关系我们没有进入教堂内部参观，我则因为停车时间快到了，而不得不在此和其他三人暂时分开折回去取我的车。途中竟发现手机失窃，很是郁闷了一会儿，好在最后还是和大家在约定的集合地点碰上了。其间发生一个小插曲，我在用老婆的电话打给O2公司要求冻结我的电话的时候，那位接线的老兄居然认为我要冻结我正在通话的这个号码，不知道是如何的逻辑:(
在和朋友再次会合后，我们又相继走马观花地看了Het Steen（literally: ‘The Stone’）和Town House并饱食了一份意大利式的午餐。在Het Steen前我们看到了传说中的恶巨人Antigoon的雕像，据说他后来被一名罗马勇士Silvius Brabo打败，并割下他的一只手抛入河中。而这一传说也成为了Antwerpen城市名的由来，因为Antwerpen源自荷兰语Hand Werpen（hand-throwing）即“扔手”。并且这个著名的传说也被以各种各样的形式在城市中重复再现和传诵，这其中就包括做成手形状的巧克力和饼干:D
Antwerpen的观光很快就结束了，一路上记录的照片可以在Gallery.QS上找到！
WPG2 Plugin Integrated!
Great Success! After 2 hour struggling, the "WordPress Gallery 2" (WPG2) plugin is settled in my blog. You should now see a thumbnail of the images from my Gallery.QS.
Since I am not a skilled worker of web scripts, it took me a while to figure out how to correctly install and configure it. To help myself later and the people, who might have the same tough life as I, I documented my experience and some tips in my Wiki.QS :D
Since I am not a skilled worker of web scripts, it took me a while to figure out how to correctly install and configure it. To help myself later and the people, who might have the same tough life as I, I documented my experience and some tips in my Wiki.QS :D
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Easter: BeNeLux游
马上要离开欧洲了，心里总还是有点眷恋。不为别的， 就是习惯了这里“悠闲懒散”的生活。这个话题不能深入，否则跑题，被批不及格 :P
人心有一部份是比较“贱”的，有佳人相伴的时候常不知道要珍惜！自从得知要离开欧洲后，就开始盘算着能否在走之前再多看几眼这里各国独具一格的风土人情。
时间是比较好定的，一般是找个周末再连个宗教节日（感谢上帝），所以一下就相中了复活节的那几天。选地点本来是件很头疼的事情，因为欧洲还没去过的地方很多。可这次的决定却作的比较果断，原因很简单：因为计划做的匆忙，定廉价机票也太晚，所以远的地方就不在考虑之列了；再看近的地方大部分都去过，而没去过的地方里面却正有个广为人知的“经典”路线 --- 荷比卢！lol ：D
Netherlands其实早在2003年初的时候就去过，不过那年只去了Amsterdam还把相机给弄丢了，结果玩得不开心，还什么美景也没能带回来。于是一直想着要再旧地重游，把上次错过的补回来。另外两个国家我都没去过，因为国家土地面积比较小，于是在旅游路线上一般都会和Netherlands并在一起。这并非是中国旅行社的专利履旅行路线，大部分欧洲“原驻民”也基本采用如此的路线游玩，因此他们将这三个国家统称为BeNeLux, 也就是Belgium, Netherlands和Luxembourg的缩写. 这一点有GPS地图数据为证，这三个国家的地图通常被归为一个文档，并命名为BeNeLux.map! Great Success!
荷比卢离我们实在不算远，于是乎决定趁我的老BMW还没卖掉前，赶紧拉出去遛遛。实际行驶的路线我在下面的地图上用不同颜色标示出来了。经过的城市如下Paderborn(start)->Antwerpen->Brugge->Gent->Brussel->Den-Haag->Kinderdijk->Rotterdam->Giethoorn->Volendam->Marken->Amsterdam->Paderborn(end).
整个旅游行程从4月6日凌晨6点开始，到4月11日晚上11点结束，历时5天半，行驶1750公里。其间故事多多，等我这两天整理照片的时候一并娓娓道来。此外在Den Haag的时候有受到Lihlii和Danly同学的热情招待，特此表扬:D 有心人估计从路线图上已经发现，我们其实没有去卢森堡，原因很窝囊，今天不好意思说，过两天酝酿好了在讲:D
人心有一部份是比较“贱”的，有佳人相伴的时候常不知道要珍惜！自从得知要离开欧洲后，就开始盘算着能否在走之前再多看几眼这里各国独具一格的风土人情。
时间是比较好定的，一般是找个周末再连个宗教节日（感谢上帝），所以一下就相中了复活节的那几天。选地点本来是件很头疼的事情，因为欧洲还没去过的地方很多。可这次的决定却作的比较果断，原因很简单：因为计划做的匆忙，定廉价机票也太晚，所以远的地方就不在考虑之列了；再看近的地方大部分都去过，而没去过的地方里面却正有个广为人知的“经典”路线 --- 荷比卢！lol ：D
Netherlands其实早在2003年初的时候就去过，不过那年只去了Amsterdam还把相机给弄丢了，结果玩得不开心，还什么美景也没能带回来。于是一直想着要再旧地重游，把上次错过的补回来。另外两个国家我都没去过，因为国家土地面积比较小，于是在旅游路线上一般都会和Netherlands并在一起。这并非是中国旅行社的专利履旅行路线，大部分欧洲“原驻民”也基本采用如此的路线游玩，因此他们将这三个国家统称为BeNeLux, 也就是Belgium, Netherlands和Luxembourg的缩写. 这一点有GPS地图数据为证，这三个国家的地图通常被归为一个文档，并命名为BeNeLux.map! Great Success!
荷比卢离我们实在不算远，于是乎决定趁我的老BMW还没卖掉前，赶紧拉出去遛遛。实际行驶的路线我在下面的地图上用不同颜色标示出来了。经过的城市如下Paderborn(start)->Antwerpen->Brugge->Gent->Brussel->Den-Haag->Kinderdijk->Rotterdam->Giethoorn->Volendam->Marken->Amsterdam->Paderborn(end).
整个旅游行程从4月6日凌晨6点开始，到4月11日晚上11点结束，历时5天半，行驶1750公里。其间故事多多，等我这两天整理照片的时候一并娓娓道来。此外在Den Haag的时候有受到Lihlii和Danly同学的热情招待，特此表扬:D 有心人估计从路线图上已经发现，我们其实没有去卢森堡，原因很窝囊，今天不好意思说，过两天酝酿好了在讲:D
Friday, April 13, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Leasing or Purchasing?
最近和一位朋友聊起在美洲买车的时候,提到了Leasing。德国人通常在私人购物的时候会考虑Instalment Plan而对于Leasing似乎不是很感兴趣，谈得也少。由于最近被逼换车，所以不得不花点时间来研究一下了。
Benefits of commercial leasing
For businesses, leasing property may have significant financial benefits:
* Leasing is less capital-intensive than purchasing, so if a business has constraints on its capital, it can grow more rapidly by leasing property than it could by purchasing the property outright.
* Capital assets may fluctuate in value. Leasing shifts risks to the lessor, but if the property market has shown steady growth over time, a business that depends on leased property is sacrificing capital gains.
* Leasing may provide more flexibility to a business which expects to grow or move in the relatively short term, because a lessee is not usually obliged to renew a lease at the end of its term.
* Depreciation of capital assets has different tax and financial reporting treatment from ordinary business expenses. Lease payments are considered expenses, which can be set off against revenue when calculating taxable profit at the end of the relevant tax accounting period.
Disadvantages
There are some significant drawbacks:
* If circumstances dictate that a business must change its operations significantly, it may be expensive or otherwise difficult to terminate a lease before the end of the term. In some cases, a business may be able to sublet property no longer required, but this may not recoup the costs of the original lease, and, in any event, usually requires the consent of the original lessor. Tactical legal considerations usually make it expedient for lessees to default on their leases. The loss of book value is small and any litigation can usually be settled on advantageous terms. This is an improvement on the position for those companies owning their own property. Although it can be easier for a business to sell property if it has the time, forced sales frequently realise lower prices and can seriously affect book value.
* If the business is successful, lessors may demand higher rental payments when leases come up for renewal. If the value of the business is tied to the use of that particular property, the lessor has a significant advantage over the lessee in negotiations.
Benefits of commercial leasing
For businesses, leasing property may have significant financial benefits:
* Leasing is less capital-intensive than purchasing, so if a business has constraints on its capital, it can grow more rapidly by leasing property than it could by purchasing the property outright.
* Capital assets may fluctuate in value. Leasing shifts risks to the lessor, but if the property market has shown steady growth over time, a business that depends on leased property is sacrificing capital gains.
* Leasing may provide more flexibility to a business which expects to grow or move in the relatively short term, because a lessee is not usually obliged to renew a lease at the end of its term.
* Depreciation of capital assets has different tax and financial reporting treatment from ordinary business expenses. Lease payments are considered expenses, which can be set off against revenue when calculating taxable profit at the end of the relevant tax accounting period.
Disadvantages
There are some significant drawbacks:
* If circumstances dictate that a business must change its operations significantly, it may be expensive or otherwise difficult to terminate a lease before the end of the term. In some cases, a business may be able to sublet property no longer required, but this may not recoup the costs of the original lease, and, in any event, usually requires the consent of the original lessor. Tactical legal considerations usually make it expedient for lessees to default on their leases. The loss of book value is small and any litigation can usually be settled on advantageous terms. This is an improvement on the position for those companies owning their own property. Although it can be easier for a business to sell property if it has the time, forced sales frequently realise lower prices and can seriously affect book value.
* If the business is successful, lessors may demand higher rental payments when leases come up for renewal. If the value of the business is tied to the use of that particular property, the lessor has a significant advantage over the lessee in negotiations.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
