Friday, July 17, 2009

Editing

I have been correcting super stimulating essays on various aspects of wood production.  

Here are some exerpts and my corrections:


Original: At first, the size and the position of defects are determined in order to extract some characteristics. These characteristics make up characteristic data. So pattern recognition is finished.

Corrected: First, the size and the position of defects are determined in order to extract characteristic data.


Original: Acoustic emission can be defined as a physical phenomenon that objects or materials gives birth to a kind of instantaneous elasticity waves when it releases energy. And AE signal is a kind of electricity signal, which is processed by the system and then comes forth as a kind of form, after one or more AE events are received by sensors.

Corrected:Acoustic emission(AE) is defined as the physical phenomenon that objects produce a kind of instantaneous elasticity wave when releasing energy.

Original:There are many methods that can be served as the methods of non-destructive testing of wood, but AE technique is the only method to detect dynamically the physical conditions according to the character of AE technique.
 
Corrected:There are many non-destructive wood testing methods, but the AE technique is the only method that can dynamically detect the physical characteristics of the wood. (If the other methods are not detecting the physical characteristics are they detecting the spiritual? the abstract?  A correct sentence, but still lacking meaning)
 
Original:In this topic the study about nondestructive log detection image collection and processing system is important work, because we not only make use of practical condition to construct nondestructive log detection image processing experimental circumstance, but also require all the practical experiences of nondestructive log detection automatic system, it includes hardware and software experience
Corrected: delete

Original:Preparations. Firstly, make the tested timber stand 1 or 2 meters away from computer and Arbotom testing apparatus, fix it and make sure it no shake, then take pins to averagely distribute on the circumference of timber, keep the pins on one level, and avoid crack and node when hitting the pins, and make sure the pins enter into log and fix it, then hang sensors on the pins orderly, keep sensor and pin perpendicularity, and then connect the sensors orderly using the sensor cables, and then connect computer and Arbotom testing apparatus, and connect Arbotom testing apparatus and first sensor, finally turn on computer, open Arbotom software and set relevant parameters, and turn on Arbotom testing apparatus, checkout whether all connections are correct (When then sensor chain is connected correctly, all sensors except the last one will show a green LED when the battery pack is switched on. 
Corrected: where to start...

Original: The wood with hole at location is studied.
Corrected: holey wood on location? in the forest?  wood with holes drilled at specified locations?

Original: Influence of medium order to reduce the variation caused by testing material, heartwood is used as wood sample. 
Corrected:To limit variation introduced by the medium, only heartwood was used in samples.

Original: On the condition of nondestructive appearance and structure of log, testing internal defects of log correctly is an effective method to utilize log, and it is significant for selecting log scientifically. 
Corrected: Nondestructive testing can be used to effectively utilize logs while maintaining their appearance and structure. 

ugh.


Special note: science can be used as an adjective and adverb in chinese.  It is so much fun too.  if you are talking about a program or project you can describe it as very science, meaning logical, well thought out, and legitimate.

Updates

First of all, blogger is still blocked and posting is a difficult affair, but I will put an update up in the near future. 

For now, pictures!  A new picture scheme.  Artsy pics go on Flickr .  Documentary stuff goes on Photobucket.  There is still some stuff on picasa, but i cant see it anymore so nothing new there. 

There is new stuff on both flickr and photobucket now.

Updates:

After Thailand I went to shangri-la in NW yunnan for a week long conference on sustainable land management.

Then there were two weeks back in kunming, finishing up at the forestry university, correcting obscene amounts of very very poor scientific papers about wood defect detection and land use change risk analysis, and studying for the second half of the GRE. 

Then there was the shanghai ultimate tournament.

Then two weeks house/puppying sitting at a friend's hutong place in beijing.

Then a week on the beach in weihai to celebrate the 4th. 

And now back here for a while.  Just started interning/ working for free at an NGO here doing more forestry research and preping for a conference next year. 

I made a pair of running sandals yesterday using some rubber sole material and some hemp rope. The fit and feel great.  I will wear them around for a week or so and see what they can do.  Then it will be down to the shoe repair wholesale market to find better sole material and maybe some leather laces for the second pair.

I made beer this week too.  A friend and i persuaded a local restaurant to sell us some malted barely and hops...we then spend 5 hours roasting barely to make our dark beer. Another 3 or so grinding it in a blender.  Jerry rigged a mashing/ sparging tub and then brewed away.  It is happily bubbling away as we speak. I predict drinking in early aug. 

Starting to think and plan a cross china motorcycle trip for late aug and sept.  Plan is to buy a chinese 125cc bike and a good helmet and go off to see the countryside.  As plans develop updates to come.

Getting pretty homesick for certain things. Hiking, the great outdoors, friends, social community, the ease of getting around and getting things done, and maybe pizza. 

Starting to apply for jobs/ internships for this fall.  In china, abroad, and in the US.  If you have any ideas let me know.  Also applying for stuff starting in Jan 2010.  

And of course starting to think about grad school and applying this fall for fall 2010.