"And Now We Are In Hell" [General]

I don't think Hurricane is kind of rare disaster but I had the feeling for Katrina this time I had never had before. If it happened to some very poor country (like hurricanes usually resort), it won't be so dramatic. It's just beyond people's imagination - New Orleans soaked in the water! And it needs army to keep the order!


I just can not imagine this really happens - in a Nation where people take richness and peace for granted.

Weiwei posted @ 19:17:23 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Dive At Loblolly Cove, Cape Ann, Mass. [    ]

Chi and I had two dives at Loblolly Cove today. Our plan is to dive all the 18 sites on the site map we got from the dive shop. So this is the first time we have been to Loblolly Cove.

Well all the 'coves' look pretty much the same - the big difference is about the entry. Some have rocks everywhere, some have sandy entry and some have boat ramps going into the water. There are a lot of rocks at Lobly cove. Among the rocks there is a small rail, which makes the entry much easier.

Our first dive is along the shoreline to the point. Since the water is not deep, there is lots of kelp. Lobersters everywhere...actually we plan to catch some crabs but turns out there are more lobsters.

The second dive is very interesting. We saw large school of fish, a huge winter flounder (We did not make to catch it...) and a sea raven we never saw before. But the dive is very interesting and you can see my pictures.

Weiwei posted @ 18:54:46 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Online Store [General]

I set up an online store for the website. The best name I can think of is just atweiwei.net - online store. It's for selling my pictures.

The motivation is from a talk with several friends. The whole point is just to make the digital pictures stored in my computer more useful - rather than simply shown on the screen for eye-candy. I hope it can be hanged on someone's wall and give people more happiness.

It takes me huge amount of time to put everything together and custermize my layout. Thanks for OsCommerce - I do not need to spend a lot of time on the code so that I can focus on the layout.

It's actually a pretty big project for me and so far it's going all right. There still a lot of details to modify but it needs time. Any suggestions or opinions are appreciated.

Weiwei posted @ 17:54:39 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

It's Not About Photography [Photography]

With digital photography today, we have the ability to look back and know the precise moment a photograph was taken. With GPS technology we may soon have the ability to know exactly where as well. Although sometimes things are best left as unknowns, I am still facinated by the story (via modern art notes) which reveals how researchers discovered exactly when and where Ansel Adams shot his famous photograph Autumn Moon:

"Using lunar tables, topographic maps, weather records and astronomical software, backed by a scouting trip to Glacier Point itself, the researchers believe that Adams pressed the shutter on September 15, 1948 at 7:03 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time."

Photographers wishing to duplicate Adams' efforts may be able to do so next month, when the moon will rise in nearly the exact position it did in 1948.

Weiwei posted @ 19:38:13 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament [Sports]

I went with Min to wathch the Pilot Pen tennis tournament. Today is the second day of the game. Actually this year is the first time that it will held men's game. This draws more people to watch the games.

We watched two girls from China: Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie. Peng Shuai is the Chinese so far having the highest rank. Zheng Jie has also has very good score. We watched here game in US Open last year. Peng Shuai won her first round. Zheng Jie lost at her second round but got into the second round in a double game.

The Pilot Pen tennis tournament is becoming a more and more important WTA tournament. It's really a great chance to watch it in New Haven.

Related Info: Pilot Pen 2004 (1) (2); US Open 2004;

Weiwei posted @ 18:42:40 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

More Butterfly - It's the Butterfly Season! [Photography]

I planned to get up very early this morning to see what's going on in the park. I went to the park at about 7:30. Unfortunately it's too early even the bees were sleeping. I went back home, took a snap and went back to the park at 2pm.

I got some very nice shots of the butterfles. Not only the monarch butterfly, there were several other kinds. But generally they were very shy. It's really a big test for my patience. I also put them in the photo album.

I think I have spent too much time in the garden recently and have to switch to something else...

Weiwei posted @ 18:34:33 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Photo Album Update [General]

I spent several hours today to update the photo album page. Now the style looks consistent with the whole site. More over, the layout looks much better and it's very easy to navigate.

Learn more about Exhibit Engine...

Weiwei posted @ 21:58:57 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Monarch Butterfly [Photography]

Monarch butterfly is one of my favorite creatures. It looks very gorgeous but not any showy at all. I got this shot today in Edgerton Park. The red painted background make this picture very beautiful.

It is still the very early season of the butterfly. They are very sensitive to person. You have to approach them very gently. I remember last year in late October, the butterfly were not shy at all and I could approach them easily. Early morning and early afternoon are the good time because they are very focused on feeding. At noon they will be take a rest and very sensitive to person. Besides feeding on the flower, they are very active to find the mate.

>> Read more: butterfly life cycle ...

Weiwei posted @ 19:28:18 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Diving In Cape Ann [    ]

Zhang Chi and I had a couple of dives in Cape Ann this weekend. We had three dives on Saturday including a night dive and two more dives on Sunday. It's exhausting but also very exciting.

The Old Garden: We met Bert and Wade at the Old Garden beach. It's actaully a very small beach with very nice sand. It is sandy close to the shore and reef at the further distance. There is nothing special on the reef, a lot of lobersters and flounders. Since it's very close to the shore, there is a lot sea weed and kelp. There is nothing really special unless you want to catch some lobersters. We do not have loberster permit. But we caught some stone crabs.

The Pebble Beach: We dove here last weekend. It's just a wide beach open to the ocean. Very easy entry and easy navigation. It's not a very calm night: very windy, hot and humid. Very big surf. There is nothing special at night. I actually think we should not dive in such a condition. The thunder storm came when we just got out of the water.

The Folly Cove: This is a very very nice place. Many people regard it the best dive site in Cape Ann. It's a very narrow cove, very much like Fort Wetherill in RI. Too many stones. So entry would be much easier at high tide. You can go either west or east of the cove. Abundant anemones in a variety of colors, striped bass, lobsters, starfish, mussels and sea urchins. I heard that night dive at site is also very nice. There is a granite bench dedicated to the memory of Normal Despres, a well-known underwater photographer.

Photo Note: I am better good at using the strobes this time. But the problem is the fog on the port. It's because the water is too cold. Eventhough I mounted the port in a air conditioned room, water still condensed on the port. So desicant is a must if you dive in cold water.

I am so exhausted when I get back home....

Weiwei posted @ 23:14:34 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Some Updates [General]

Here are some updates of my recent activities and the plan for the near future.

-> I got rid of several bugs on the website and refined some of the details. Not almost all of the pages should look pretty good in popular browsers. I have been trying to improve the browse compatibility.

-> I am now focusing on my thesis work, even though I still have some experiements to do before I leave the school. It's a lot of work but now the challenging part.

-> I am now planning for the exhibition of the next year. The exhibition will be called "Close Up In Nature" and I prelimiary decide to use the picture on the left for the poster. The time will be in the memorial day / commencement weekend. But the information is subject to change.

-> I will dive during the weekend trying to get more underwater pictures for the exhibition.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and stay coooool!

Weiwei posted @ 14:17:59 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Job Settled Down [Research]

It took me about half a year to finally settle down my job. I am going to work at Harvard with Professor Friend as a post-doctor in November 1st in Chemistry Department.


Well I learned that job searching is a big task. Patience is the most important thing!

Weiwei posted @ 21:56:20 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Diving the Pebble Beach [    ]

Zhang Chi, Pan Zi and I went to Gloucester today and joined the Cape Ann Diver's shoreline dive. We dove the Pebble Beach in Rockport.

It's very sandy in the beach. But if you step out just several feet, you would see the water with amazing visibility - I never saw this good visibility before in a shoreline dive in New England. It's just amazing.

There are several reefs out. Not very deep water. Plenty of stone crabs and star fish. There are lots of flounders and skates. Since the visibility is very good, I can see them very well. They don't seem very shy, just passing by freely. You basically can catch them easily.

Another amazing thing is that Chi found a huge lobster. It's the biggest I have ever seen. Just the tale has the size of a palm. Kind of scarying at the beginning. There are lots of lobersters.

Weiwei posted @ 19:48:15 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)

Cicada and the Nymph [Photography]

I found the shell of a cicada nymph today on the way to school so I know it's the season for the cicada nymphs mergy to from the ground. I really found one on the tree at night!

The life cycle of cicadas takes 17 years in northern species (the so-called 17-year locusts) and 13 years in southern species; the two types overlap in parts of the United States. The female deposits her eggs in slits that she cuts in young twigs. In about six weeks the wingless, scaly larvae, or nymphs, drop from the tree and burrow into the ground, where they remain for 13 or 17 years, feeding on juices sucked from roots. The nymphs molt periodically as they grow; finally the full-grown nymphs emerge at night, climb tree trunks and fences, and shed their last larval skin. The winged adults, which generally emerge together in large numbers, live for about one week. Different broods mature at regular intervals, so that at least one colony is conspicuous in some part of the United States each year, and even in a given locality a brood may appear every few years.

It would be even better if I could have the shots recording the whole molt process.

Weiwei posted @ 23:25:08 || New Haven, CT || Comments (0)