Confessions of a researchaholic

2025-07-11

Jury service

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 11:13 am
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I finally reported to a jury service after all these years.

The county court house sends out post cards to randomly selected residents as potential jurors. The night before the designated date, the recipients can check the court website to see if they need to report to the court house the next day. I never had to, until this time.

Upon arrival at the court house, I went through a security screening and arrived at a large waiting area with many other potential jurors. The wait could take a while, but not long after I was called into a court room. I can see the defendant, the defense attorney, the plaintiff, several sheriffs, and later the judge, who described the procedure including the principles of jury service, the time line, and the jury selection process.

The potential jurors were then called into the jury sitting area in groups, being questions by the judge and the attorneys, and either being selected or dismissed at the end of each round. The process continued until enough jury (and backup) members were selected. In this case, it took a full day and then spilled over a little bit into the next morning.

On one hand, the process could be run more efficiently, as the attorneys were repeating the same points with individual jury candidates. On the other hand, I can understand why the attorneys would want to do so, as it is a good way to test the jury candidates’ understanding of the rules and their ability to follow the process. I also found such civil engagement helpful for improving the trust in the judiciary system.

The most interesting part was hearing the answers from the jury candidates about their background, their understanding of the rules, and their ability and inability to follow the process. (Some seemed intent to be dismissed.)

As someone who has spent a whole career as a research scientist, I can see some similarities and differences between the jury service and paper reviews and committee meetings.

Similarities:

  • What happens inside the room stays inside; no disclosure outside and thereafter.
  • Follow the rules and procedures, be objective, and avoid potential conflicts of interest.
  • The process is usually long and tedious, but most of the time we just need to listen and wait, and occasionally something interesting happens.
  • Differences:

    • The paper authors could not be present and defend their work in a paper committee meeting, unlike during a trial.
    • The stakes are much higher in a trial, as it is deciding the fate of a person instead of just a paper.
    • The trial focuses on (mostly) one defendant while a paper committee evaluates many submissions.
    • The jury service is mandatory, while a paper committee service is voluntary.
    • No food or drink (except water) inside a court room, while a paper committee meeting is usually accompanied by food and drinks (often too much calories/sugar in my experience).

    https://www.instagram.com/p/DL8k9FtSuha/

    2025-07-07

    Calm after a break

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 4:24 pm
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    If you worry about coming back to work after a break, just remember that you are not alone, and I often find my colleagues to be still away or no more prepared.

    I also no longer have to think about what to do with my time during the break.

    2025-07-06

    Staycation with museum visits

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 6:38 pm
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    During this week’s company summer shutdown, I did not travel afar but went out during the usual workweek (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday) to visit some local museums. The exhibitions are all excellent and I experienced public transport as much as possible.

    Tuesday: Isaac Julien: I Dream a World + Matisse: Jazz Unbound at the de Young Museum, taking Caltrain, BART, and MUNI bus 44.

    Thursday: Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes from Art + Printing Color: Chiaroscuro to Screenprint at the Legion of Honor, taking Caltrain, light-rail, and MUNI bus 38R.

    Sunday: Yuan Goang-Ming: Everyday War at the Asian Art Museum, taking BART and some driving.



    2025-07-05

    Impression of an artist selling paintings on the street

    Filed under: Imaginary,Real — liyiwei @ 10:27 am
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    While waiting for the traffic light near the intersection of Jefferson and El Camino Real on May 20 2025, I saw this artist in a hoodie and facial mask sitting against the wall outside a Whole Foods store, with several paintings and a sign that read “painting for sale”. I did a quick sketch on my mobile phone upon arrival at the Caltrain station, but could not figure out how to proceed it until today when I used it as a composition reference for Adobe Firefly text-to-image generation.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/DLvGcf_vEdm/

    2025-07-04

    The longevity of artistic versus scientific works

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 9:28 am
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    According to Thiebaud, art cannot be replaced. So an art work, once created, remains unique. In contrast, a scientific model or theory can be invalidated and supplanted by newer ones.

    2025-07-02

    Immersive multi-screen installation

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 4:26 pm
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    The unique sense of immersion that I experienced with the multi-screen video installations of de Young’s Isaac Julien: I Dream a World exhibition could be attributed to several factors:

    • The multiple video channels provide the opportunity and imperative for the viewers to choose which one to watch, analogous to viewpoint switch in the real world.
    • The spatial arrangement of the screens provides 3D cues even if not conforming to the depicted scene geometry.
    • The spatial sound channels also help to modulate the visual experience, by guiding the viewers’ attention to different parts of the installation.

    2025-06-28

    Calm before a break

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 11:12 am
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    I usually enjoy the period right before a holiday more than the holiday itself, maybe because I feel more relaxed thinking about a break than actually taking one.

    2025-06-14

    Flowery fire hydrant

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 8:01 pm
    Tags: ,

    I can see this fire hydrant across the street right outside my home office window, and recently it has been surrounded by blooming flowers.
    The watercolor wet splatter brush helped me quickly create the flowers effect.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/DK5-xlaOqEl/

    2025-06-12

    Zero price effect

    Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 3:28 pm
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    My current employer has great on-site meal services with high quality, nutrition, taste, variety, and in a subsidized price. The employees usually use an app to order and pay for the meals.

    But today, when I tried to pick up my ordered meal, I found the food stall already closed. I was then told that since the app is down, we can just take whatever they like without paying.

    As expected, the popular food stalls either had long queues or were already closed due to running out of inventory.

    So I just had some salad which seems less popular or better stocked.

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