X without Y

X without Y

sometimes I like questions in this form:
what will X be like if there is no Y?

Last month, when Cable TV was showing a series of Akira Kurosawa's movies, I simply couldn't help thinking of this:
what would happen to Kurosawa if he had never met Toshiro Mifune?
Or vice versa, what would Mifune become if he never met Kurosawa?
Well, questions with no answer.

Another interesting question I found recently, also in the form of "X without Y":
Earth without people - see NewScientist.com
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19225731.100

And, don't miss the picture on Human Impact on Earth.
Really amazed / shocked to see the light pollution.

So, time to sleep. Don't forget to switch the light off.

Pear to Pear

Pear (I)
I joined a 10.5K run yesterday morning.
After the race, the organizer gave away pears to the runners.
When it finally came to my turn to collect my pear, there was only one left.
It immediately reminded me of a common saying in Cantonese - "the orange at the bottom of the basket".
And, I was not surprised at all to find ... the pear carried a black speck.




Pear (II)
I joined a 10.5K run yesterday morning.
After the race, the organizer gave away pears to the runners.
I overheard a runner say:
"usually we get bananas after races. This time we got pears. Anyway, I think pears are better."
It immediately reminded me of a Japanese TV programme a long long time ago.
It was called Megaten.
There were 3 hosts: Baba Kenji, Tokoro George and Ms. Suzuki.
In each episode, they explored the science behind a very common subject matter.
These included: how fireworks work, the nutrition of Natto (preserved beans in Japanese style), ...
I can imagine:
if they hear somebody say pears are better (than bananas) after a race, probably they will take it serious, proceed with some experiments and then prove: pears are really better than bananas.

Clouds over Mt. Tai Mo

I didn't know clouds move so quick.
At first, I tried to take a picture of some clouds over Mount Tai Mo with my mobile phone.
I spent some time setting up my phone.
When I looked up at the sky again, the clouds were no longer there.
Then I waited for a while.
At last, I saw the clouds in this picture.