本來不打算就港人副校事件再說甚麼的,因為我個人認為否決任命本身並不像拖延任命般明顯有問題,而會議內容並無法以獨立途徑確證,外人亦難以置喙。但在網上讀到好幾名同行評價陳文敏學術成就,不由得再寫幾句:

第一,一名學者對其專業範疇的供獻,應由同一範疇內的其他學者評價。當法律界對陳文敏作為學者的評價是相當正面的時候,十來個外行人持相反意見就很難說得過去。若校委會對候選人的成就有懷疑,應參考教授升遷制度委託同一範疇內的校外學者作評核,以示對學術的尊重。其他學科的學者就更應三緘其口,不應隨意公開作出評價,特別是當自己其實對該範疇的學術評審傳統認識不多的時候。

第二,單以文章刊出的期刊排名來量度學術水平,並不能準確評價一名學者對香港的供獻。以經濟學為例,假設有兩個以相同的技巧量度最低工資影響的研究,一篇用美國數據,一篇用香港數據,則前者肯定可以刊登於比後者好得多的期刊。但以對香港的供獻來說,後者大有可能比前者重要。

本土研究相對不受重視,一來是因為排名高的主要都是歐美學術刊期,因此在好些學術範疇內都會有地域偏好。二來香港畢竟只是一個城市,以香港為對象的研究在國際上重要性不及以大國為對象的亦屬正常。

問題的本質是本港由研資會以降都以排名為尊。當大學對研究的要求越來越高,學者在有限的時間下必須作出取捨時,本土研究就難免受到排擠,而這現象在經濟學和法律這些地域性強的範疇尤為明顯。單是本港經濟學界就已經不止一次出現戮力本土研究的學者,因為著作的國際排名不夠高而被逼離開。院校在學術範疇內的排名和其對社會的供獻愈趨脫節,自不是社會之福。

 

PowerPoint Multi-Display Setting Fix

PowerPoint係簡報開始時會轉成extend screen,但完結後就唔會轉返轉頭。唔想咁樣,可以點樣?
If you find PowerPoint 2013’s habit of changing multi-display setting without changing back annoying. How to fix this issue?

入registry更改以下設定:
Change the following registry key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\PowerPoint\Options]
“RestoreTopology”=dword:00000001

If you do not like editing registry yoyurself, you can create a file that fix the issue for you:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2013_release-powerpoint/powerpoint-2013-changes-display-setup/3ca470a0-d896-4577-b724-a360b6bf1c4e?auth=1

好些男網民在網上表達不滿,說今屆港姐不漂亮云云。我想說,抵你地啦,平時大義凜然說罷看CCTVB,現在人家觀眾投票選了個不合你們心水的,你憑甚麼投訴?

認真的,無線的觀眾組成相比十多二十年前的確變了很多。無線以往由評審員選出勝利者還不是那麼明顯,但像今次港姐這樣100%由觀眾投票選出則會完全反映出來。記得中學時亞視《我和殭屍有個約會2》大結局和港姐決賽是同一天播出,結果是選擇睇殭屍的人多過睇港姐的。大家可以想像一下港姐還有甚麼人在看,而他 / 她們心目中的理想港姐又是否要是模特兒級的靚女一名?

我個人的預測是,若港姐繼續保持由觀眾選出港姐三甲,不久將來相信有會有以下的港姐候選人:

正職老師候選人:「我想同我4D班嘅同學講,我地學校雖然唔係乜名校,但Miss都選到港姐,你地努力讀書,都一定可以出人頭地!」
正職社工候選人:「我今次參賽係想同天水圍青少年中心嘅一班青少年講,姑娘無懷疑過自己,你地都唔好放棄自己!」
正職醫生候選人:「我想同我腫瘤科嘅院友講,你地個個都比我靚!我地一齊奮鬥到底!」

今屆港姐是一個香江勵志故事:冠亞軍都是同一傳統名校出身,家長從事教育工作,自小悉心裁培。這個故事也教訓我城的小朋友和少女們,不論你的理想是做醫生還選港姐,都要讀好書、入名校。

Extending the Functions of Windows 10’s Cortana

Screenshot 2015-08-13 23.47.46

Cortana, the digital assistant that comes with Windows 10, is Microsoft’s answer to Apple Siri and Google Now. It is quite capable, but there are times when I wish it has more features. For example, I really wanted to be able to lock my computer with a single voice command, but Cortana does not have this function built in. Fortunately, it is possible to extend Cortana’s function. To do so, we make use of the fact that Cortana searches through the start menu shortcuts when you say the keyword “open” or “launch”.

Here are the steps to create a command to lock your computer:

1. Create a shortcut in an accessible location such as the desktop. This can be achieved by pressing the right mouse button and select [New]->[Shortcut].

2. For the location of the item, enter: %SystemRoot%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

3. Give the shortcut a natural name, which is what Cortana will look for when you speak to her. Since Cortana utilitizes natural language processing, it is much better at recognizing phrases that actually make sense.

4. Copy the newly created shortcut to: %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. You will need administrative privileges to complete this step.

If all goes well, you should be able to lock your computer by saying “hey Cortana, open lock computer”.

You can create similar commands to hibernate or sleep your computer. Just change the location of the item accordingly:
Hibernate: %SystemRoot%\System32\rundll32.exe Powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState Sleep
Sleep: You need PSTools from Microsoft (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896649.aspx). Set item location as: [Location of PSTools]\psshutdown.exe -d -t 0

Another thing you can do is to create a command to open a website. You might think that this would be as simple as adding an internet shortcut to the start menu, but turns out it is more complicated than that: while Cortana keeps a record of internet shortcuts created through installation of programs, she does not do so with ones that are added manually. Furthermore, she does not index shortcuts that have non-executable extensions, meaning that you cannot use “chrome.exe gmail.com”, because this would be recognized as having a “.com” extension.

Here is how to get around this issue:
1. Create a text file and type in it “start ” followed by the URL you want to open.
2. Change the extension of the text file to “.bat”
3. Create a shortcut that points to the file you just created and follow the aforementioned steps.

For example, I have created a shortcut called “Gmail” that points to a “Gmail.bat” that executes “start http://www.gmail.com”. With this, Cortana would open Gmail with my computer’s default browser when I say “Hey Cortana, open Gmail”.

Upon creating the shortcuts, you might notice that the default icon is quite uninformative. You can pick a better one after you created the shortcut by right-clicking on the icon, click [Properties], followed by clicking [Change Icon…]. Enter one of the following in “Look for icons in this file” textbox, where you should find a lot of icons to choose from:
%SystemRoot%\System32\shell32.dll
%SystemRoot%\System32\imageres.dll

So here you go, try it out!

Screenshot 2015-08-13 23.38.25

Setting up a Large-Format 4K Office Monitor

P_20150730_184504

Due to space contraints in the department, several colleagues and I had to move into smaller offices. With the smaller desk I concluded that it is no longer ideal to have multiple monitors standing on the desk, and a new solution was needed. I eventually settled on mounting a 49″ 4K television on the wall, and here is what I have learnt in the process.

Rationale
A 4K display panel has the same number of pixels as four Full HD panels. A 49″ monitor thus give you roughly the same screen estimate as four 24″ Full HD ones. 24″ Full HD monitors are popular in workplace due to their comfortable pixel density for normal office work. A 49″ monitor is similarly comfortable, but with four times the area you essentially never run out of space.

Design
The primary reason why I chose a 49″ unit over smaller ones was my intention to use it for small group presentation. To accommodate this use I have installed a wall mount with a very long arm, allowing me to swing the unit to different positions.

P_20150730_184848

 

P_20150730_184550

Picking a Model
The primary consider in picking a unit is whether it support a 60hz signal, which is the usual refresh rate for computer screens. This is not easy to achieve—4K 60hz signal requires an HDMI 2.0 connection, which many cheaper units do not have. For those that do support HDMI 2.0, not all support loseless color signal, which is essential for sharp text. Based on user manuals and online forums, here is a partial list of compatibility:

  • LG – The current lineup support 60hz signal and loseless color.
  • Samsung – The current lineup support 60hz signal. Manuals say loseless color is supported, but online forums dispute that claim.
  • Sharp – Only the top of the line models support 60hz signal and loseless color.

Once you find a compatible unit, you need to drive it with a display card. Old display cards most likely cannot drive 4K 60hz. Currently only Nvidia’s newest GTX 9xx series have HDMI 2.0 built-in, and these cards are so huge that they might not fit inside the small cases that are popular these days. For other relatively new cards with DisplayPort you can see if you can find a DP-to-HDMI 2.0 cable, which is rumored to be available but I have never tried one personally.

P_20150731_112513

Settings
Modern TV use a variety of techniques to enhance images. These techniques are developed for videos, however, and are unsuitable for monitor purpose. This means you want to turn as many of these features off as possible. The list of features you want to try turning off includes:
Dynamic contrast, dynamic color, automatic black level adjustment, noise reduction, Motion-Eye Care (for LG). For Samsung and LG units at least, these features—plus some others than you cannot control manually–are turned off when you label the input as “PC”. You can test whether you are settings things right by opening the this image in 100% size. If all the text including the blue one is sharp and crispy, you are good.

Limitations and Additional Thoughts
There are a couple of drawbacks in using televisions as monitors. First, they usually have glossy screen, which is not ideal for office work. Second, the glass panel is a lot thicker than typical computer monitor, and with the screen being so large, some pixels at the edges will be blocked by the glass itself. The second issue can be overcome by using the newest curved televisions from Samsung and LG, but those are a lot more expensive than their flat counterparts.

P_20150730_185541

One more issue to consider is whether you need a smart TV. Smart TV provides a lot of functionalities, but with the unit being connected to a computer all the time you might not need most of them, and ‘dump’ 4K televisions are significantly cheaper than their smart counterparts.

Total Cost
LG UF6750 UHD TV: HK$6400 (comes with gifts worth approx. HK$200)
Wall mount with 60cm arm: HK$300
MSI Nvidia GTX960 display card: HK$1600
Grand Total: HK$8300 (US$1070)

從一個學術單位管理層的角度出發,即使同情學生的動機,在原則上還是不可能支持學生干擾會議—若人人都覺得可以用干擾行為影響管理層,整個決策制度就蕩然無存。就這點我是理解的,但當這種反應變相成為對拖延任命副校一事的默許,影響就會十分負面。

根本的問題是在今日的香港,反建制人仕要面對的是一個基本上沒有底線的公眾。

若你在香港問:「甚麼情況下學生才應該以行動對抗校委會?」我相信很多人會答不上。這並不代表他們認為在任何情況下都不應該以行動作抗爭,而是他們根本沒有想過底線應定在那一點,又或有意識地不想處理這個難題。持這種想法的人在不公義步步進迫時會不斷退讓,因為後者還未碰到他們那條實際上不存在的「底線」。

有談判經驗的人都明白當對手曉得你的底線,你在談判中就註定失敗。在回歸初期,建制一方並不知道港人的底線在哪,所以2000年的港大民意調查風波以鄭耀宗辭任校長告終。港大校委拖延任命副校一案,性質比港大民意調查風波嚴重得多,但今日建制已很清楚一般香港人並沒有底線,無論價值觀受到多大的挑戰,都不會有更激烈的抗爭。只要對遊行、聯著等各種慣常手段不作回應,再不段重覆自己支持「法治」、「機制」、「理性」等等空泛的理念,他們就立在不敗之地。「人無恥便無敵」,沒有比這句話更合適用來形容今日的香港。

沒有底線就沒有談判籌碼,這可能就是香港要面對的結局。

Microsoft has Windows 10 Enterprise Edition’s download link mixed up with Enterprise LTSB Edition’s one. I guess they must have been too busy to check whether the links they post up were correct or not.

考慮到多媒體短訊(MMS)並不是太流行,我認為就安全計,所有人都應照建議把MMS自動攝取馬上關掉。
Given how rarely-used MMS are in practice, I would suggest simply following the recommended remedy of turning of “auto-retrival”of MMS messages in the settings menu of your messaging app.

http://blog.zimperium.com/experts-found-a-unicorn-in-the-heart-of-android/

一次捐血會抽取約470mL的血,大概是成人體內血液的10%左右。根據香港某醫療專家近期的說法,其實一次過捐十包血都不會對健康有明顯威脅,畢竟一生拉勻計,一年都捐不到一包,而大把人係每年捐二三次的。