If we continue this line of reasoning, is it fair for younger, healthy people in richer nations to receive more heath care, social welfare, etc., than vulnerable people in poorer states?
How should we define fairness across different groups of people?
Is such fairness achievable or desirable?
January 18, 2021
Fairness
Money, discipline, and life
Without enough disciplines, money, talent, or other resources cannot solve our problems, if not create more.
January 16, 2021
January 14 2021 3:15 am dream
I tend to have very vivid dreams (David Lynch plots combined with George Lucas visuals), at least for these that I woke up to remember, which I tried to depict to the extent possible within my visual memory and artistic skill without much sleep disruption.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKH2gSpH8kX/
Not found
Not found pic.twitter.com/I90DM6pwJX
— Li-Yi Wei (@liyiwei) January 17, 2021
January 15, 2021
Genetic donation
A discussion about sperm donation came into my mind a few days ago.
All biological beings are built to spread and continue their genetic legacies. However, I should also be responsible on how my genetic future will match, grow, and further spread. And thus consider one-way blind donation unsuitable for me.
January 11, 2021
Fallen apples
Recently there were a lot of fallen apples around my back yard, some of which became my breakfasts.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ2kSi-HzFD/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ7nP5hn9NJ/
January 7, 2021
Water bottle
I just wanted to quickly draw something simple and smooth.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJxgizQHQpV/
January 4, 2021
Smoke animation exercises
I am ready to move on to the next lesson.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJkZnxbHhXN/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJppSEbn-iU/
January 1, 2021
Relieved
My last direct report officially started a new job as a professor today, relieving all my management duties.
🙂— Li-Yi Wei (@liyiwei) January 1, 2021
December 31, 2020
Install IPA file on iOS devices
After hours experimenting with macOS VM I found that I can install .ipa files on an iPad from a Windows machine (e.g., AnyTrans).
Fire hydrants
The fire hydrants can have various sizes and shapes even in a nearby neighborhood:
https://twitter.com/liyiwei/status/1344832830921031685
flat head https://www.instagram.com/p/CJNCWw8nyUa/
large head https://www.instagram.com/p/CJSJlDJnGAa/
sharp head https://www.instagram.com/p/CJe9ee-nU9I/
December 29, 2020
Stolen package
I noticed a missed delivery slip near my front door. As before, I filled it out for redelivery without requiring signature, but the package never came and the staff could not find it in their office. Due to its content, I guess the package has been stolen. I did not keep a copy of the delivery slip since the process has worked before a few times.
Lesson learned: keep the due diligence and never let my guard down.
December 27, 2020
The 99% invisible city
This is a fascinating collection of short articles about how people build and interact with our environments. Initially I wondered why the book used illustrations instead of photographs, but as I read on I realized that this choice better fits with the design of the book, set in beautiful yellow-black color scheme and typography.
December 25, 2020
Practice drawing basic shapes
Fundamental exercises are worth repeating.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJQHZWvHN_Q/
Need to finish what I started
This is a social media post to force myself to wrap-up all these books that I am half-way through. Complete by the year end: the 99% invisible city; seven nights; elemental magic; trees, maps, and theorems. https://t.co/0tK1mnrJz6
— Li-Yi Wei (@liyiwei) December 26, 2020
December 23, 2020
Unnatural selection
One day, we will be able to program genomes for purposes good or bad.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11063952/
December 22, 2020
Common law versus civil law
Quote from here:
The main difference between the two systems is that in common law countries, case law – in the form of published judicial opinions – is of primary importance, whereas in civil law systems, codified statutes predominate.
But these divisions are not as clear-cut as they might seem. In fact, many countries use a mix of features from common and civil law systems. Understanding the differences between these systems first requires an understanding of their historical underpinnings.
So, common law is data-driven while civil law is procedural.
🙂
December 21, 2020
Winter solstice
Portrait sketch from a reference photo, third attempt, which finally started to look satisfying.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJFrEBLn-l2/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJIRUnpH6Ql/
December 20, 2020
Instagram embed for WordPress
Apparently Instagram embed for WordPress stopped working around October 24, 2020 due to an API change from FB, so from that point now readers will see the raw Instagram links (example) on my posts instead of the image posts (example).
There are workarounds such as use the embed code, but that looks too long and I prefer to keep the post sources simple and clean.
December 19, 2020
Memory of a tree pod
I saw this tree growing pods among tiny leaves and drew one pod from memory afterwards.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJAA0dsHbQE/
December 17, 2020
December 16, 2020
Profile of a deer group
I unintentionally captured an intriguing profile view of a deer group and drew from the video reference afterwards.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI4Q3hkn-aX/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI450DVnwLo/
December 15, 2020
December 14, 2020
Home desk worker
Avoid continuing the day work into the night.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CI07BkAH9wx/
December 12, 2020
A glass of diluted juice on the kitchen counter
The refraction and caustics of the drink on the checkered counter top made a perfect scene for drawing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIucoDmHqPQ/
December 9, 2020
December 7, 2020
Eyeglass case
This is a minimalist attemp to depict a simple smooth shape.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIhte_fnUCD/
December 4, 2020
Fortune cookie
A fortune cookie has an intriguing exterior shape and interior content.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbkvXhH_K6/
November 29, 2020
Coin box
Another basic exercise of drawing a box-shaped object with round edges and corners.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIMqFksHLVf/
November 27, 2020
Basic exercises in drawing box-shaped objects
I have the tendency to draw for fun instead of practicing the fundamentals.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIHz8hun1q2/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIH0HWkHF0i/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIKBJijHlAA/
What I most want to know about but is least described in research papers
How people came up with their ideas!
What I most want to know about but is least described in research papers: pic.twitter.com/PVI8ur97Bf
— Li-Yi Wei (@liyiwei) November 27, 2020
November 26, 2020
Rock debris load
I guess I just wanted something to do while bathing under outdoor sunlight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIEzpgzngIL/
November 24, 2020
Takeout box
I drew this common and yet intriguing object as a memoir of a short conversation with the restaurant owner during my pickup.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIAJaRSnF6b/
November 22, 2020
Coffee pouch
I meant to draw this used coffee pouch a while back until I recalled its existence after dinner.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CH7G1NunPmJ/
November 21, 2020
Lotus root peeler
I stood around drawing her peeling the lotus root to cook with jujube, longan, and sticky rice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CH4A4eGHB0L/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CH6fD54nFS6/
November 20, 2020
How to deal with randomness in life
[This is my reply to a co-author who expressed concerns about the randomness in peer reviews.]
During my military training, a saying went like 散彈打鳥不死也傷, which roughly translates to “if one shoots enough bullets into a forest eventually a bird will be hit”.
(There are others related quotes such as “the best way to have a great idea is to have a lot of ideas” by Linus Pauling, but shooting bullets feels more concrete/visceral.)
Other things being equal, more attempts tend to reduce statistical variance and increase the numbers of success.
November 15, 2020
Edgecliff and Far creek
Neighborhood drawing
Outside a sunny winter
Sunday afternoon
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHofqEtnJIB/
November 14, 2020
The Queen’s Gambit
This show is popular probably because it depicts an idealized version of America: people idolize intellect, compete fairly, act and dress elegantly, and treat each other with courtesy.
November 12, 2020
Rick retiring
I received an announcement earlier today that a prominent member of our research community is scheduled to retire next month, which made me think about what it means for a research scientist to retire.
To me, it means all the extra time and freedom to do whatever I want, such as single-author a SIGGRAPH paper in an exotic topic that I wouldn’t be able to find support from funding agencies or company managements. (I used to joke with my students that I plan to single-author papers when I am 88 years old.) But I have yet to reach that biological and career stage, so I cannot predict what I can or want to do then.
Maybe I will write a follow-up post when I turn 88.
November 11, 2020
Neck scarf
A head wrapped in a scarf can look very good; drawn from a stationary subject.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHewCrVgnWB/
November 8, 2020
Wrapped on a sofa in a cold rainy day
Another drawing practice of a relatively stationary subject.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHWYmOVHOcR/
November 6, 2020
Quick sketches of a resting construction worker
As captured in the time lapse, initially I was trying to depict the repetitive shovel motion but eventually settled for the resting postures, which seemed simplistic while drawing but quite expressive afterwards.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHRm2LkHLAI/
November 5, 2020
November 3, 2020
Adobe internship
If you are an intern candidate who can (1) propose crazy ideas that nobody else can think off and (2) beat everyone else to accomplish that idea, contact me. 🙂
https://research.adobe.com/internships/
November 1, 2020
Fuyu persimmon
This is an exercise with different mediums (pencil, charcoal, oil, watercolor) and tools (Fresco and Expresii).
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHEzugPHStF/
October 31, 2020
Epistemic dependence
I found this article a nice read, which highlights the much faster growth of our collective knowledge (accelerated by computers and algorithms) than our individual brain capacities (constrained by biology and evolution). Each one of us knows a shrinking slice of the world, and this has profound implications on our society and civilization.
One, as mentioned in the article, is the increasing need of collaboration among researchers, especially for experimental science. (At this moment of writing, it is still feasible to single author a computer science paper.)
Even though the numbers of co-authors of my papers have not increased too much, I do find it increasingly harder to know exactly what is going on in every aspect of a project, notably detailed implementations and user studies.
Another timely topic is about politics.
The policies can become so complex that nobody really understands what is going on.
Thus, each voter knows only a tiny aspect of each political topic or candidate, and thus can form drastically different opinions from one another. This can be a scientific factor driving political polarization, even without other factors like social media. Fortunately, Monte Carlo sampling indicates that with enough (sufficiently independent) samples, the aggregate estimation can still be robust (low bias/variance).
For example, the US essentially has 100+ million votes for the presidency, which should give us confidence on the outcome, no matter how ridiculous it may look.
October 26, 2020
Crow with acorns
I used to think the acorns were dropped on the roof by the squirrels, until this afternoon when I spotted these crows, which I didn’t manage to photograph on spot but drew one later based on visual memory and online photos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG1U1afnQvU/
Research goal post
In my personal experience, there are two ways to guide a research project: solving a specific problem with whatever solutions that work the best (based on a variety of criteria such as quality, speed, cost, etc.), and devising a novel idea that can span different problems, domains, and applications.
The problem-oriented approach happens more in engineering (which aims to solve practical problems) while the idea-oriented approach happens more in science (especially more theoretical fields like math which aim to formulate fundamental ideas behind a plethora of phenomena).
Solving a specific problem provides a clear goal and reduces the tendency to derail, while aiming for ideas is more likely to work after one has already worked on related problems so as to condense the experiences into the core forms.
October 25, 2020
Sofa portraits
Practice quick sketches of reasonably captive subjects.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGyJgqrn7NG/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGyvy5QHPvl/
October 23, 2020
Lemons on a tree
I didn’t notice, until today, this lemon tree near where I have lived for almost 20 years.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGtwTO4H7y-/
October 21, 2020
What can be quantified can also be automated
If the productivity of certain types of works can be quantified, it can also be optimized and thus automated.
Instead of performance evaluation, such measures are better used for identifying repetitive tasks potential for automation.
To achieve human-level intelligence, we probably need an AI framework very different from existing rule-based (e.g., Minsky) and data-driven (e.g., current ML) approaches.
October 18, 2020
Little painter
I drew this fun exercise with reference photo(s).
I found FB an excellent venue for virtual drawing archive: unlimited storage, albums for organization, “memories” for reminding/checking progress, social sharing (or peer pressure, depending on how you look at it) for motivation, and no known privacy issue (how to target ads based on drawings, aside from generic Adobe CC subscription?).
October 16, 2020
Pineapple
These are experiments with the charcoal brushes in Fresco.
October 14, 2020
Tree remains
I saw a newly chopped-down tree on Monday evening, came back this evening only to see its remains already cleaned away, and drew from visual memory/impression.
Interestingly, I can draw this one faster and better from memory than onsite, probably due to the mental abstraction already took place.
October 13, 2020
6 am dream
I remembered this dream after waking up around 6 am, but the visual memory already faded when I tried to draw it in the evening.
October 12, 2020
Vertical versus horizontal colleague
During the last 1-1 with a direct report who will transfer to another team, I found I prefer talking to him as a friend than as a manager.
I wonder if this reflects my style of influencing.
October 11, 2020
Cross-kneed reader
The amount of details should be proportional not only to the intended emphasis but also the unintended confidence about the specific drawing regions.
I did not have enough time to observe the legs (before they moved), and found out that they are better left only roughly sketched.
October 10, 2020
American nightmare
In nightmares, Jorge Luis Borges mentioned about the mesmerizing painting by Henry Fuseli, which inspired me to paint over my variation to reflect the current political atmosphere.
The reference image sources: incubus, statue of liberty, elephant.
October 9, 2020
Phone movie watcher
This is a practice for quick sketch of intriguing human poses.
October 7, 2020
Zaris Mech
Portrait requires high precision to look right.
The lockdown has reduced my chance to draw people on-site, so I switch to photo references meanwhile.
October 2, 2020
September 30, 2020
Jefferson and Fallen Leaf
I noticed the intriguing configuration of utility poles around this street corner due to the down ramp on the other side.
September 27, 2020
Feetcopter dream
I had this dream half a year ago on on March 27 2020.
Upside down helicopter man fly over a city.
Rotor stopped and dropped to the ground, captured by a GoPro camera.
Rescue workers brought a big net rushing towards the camera view, which I replaced by an ambulance view for easier drawing.
September 26, 2020
A day of several drawings
I remembered 3 weird dreams earlier at around 4:30 am and 6:00 am this morning, and decided to draw them out.
Before that, during an eye break, I spotted a rooftop worker.
This is the first dream, about an eel tank.
This painting is inspired by the name of a prior intern who is still collaborating with me.
September 24, 2020
OKR 2020
For OKR 2019, I rated myself 80 percent:
- Published 4 top papers with 4 student first authors.
- Transferred a research into a product for future release, and have 1 granted and 2 filed patents.
- Maintain regular drawing and animation exercises with steady progress.
-
I read the Book of Change as part of my drawing exercises, and have resumed the Baroque Cycles.
By avoiding a brand of low-quality chocolate, I have restored my biometrics to the previous non-normal-human level.
I have learned all 3 basic forms of the physical art I have started learning for about 4 years ago.
The default period is from July 2020 to June 2021 unless stated otherwise.
Publish top papers
Publish at least 4 papers in top graphics/HCI/vision/ML venues, such as ToG (including SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia), CHI/UIST, NIPS/ICML, CVPR/ICCV.
Build top products
Ship at least one product as a manager/researcher and file at least two patents.
Develop top talents
Help at least 4 students publish in top graphics/HCI/vision/ML venues individually.
Recruit at least 2 top job candidates.
Lead top impacts
This year marked so many remarkable events, such as a global pandemic, environment degradation, and social injustice, which are more worthwhile to address than the above 3 categories, which I no longer feel the kind of urge to prove after SIGGRAPH 2011.
I (belatedly) created this new category for the coming years.
Have fun, be awesome
Practice sketching and animation to a professional level.
Continue learning a Middle Eastern language to elementary school level, complementing the one Asian and one European language I already know.
Practice meditation to the level that I can enter the God mode immediately, anywhere and anytime.
Finish the book of change, to renew my (now rusty) Chinese and crack the only Chinese classics that my grandfather did not during his life time.
Finish the baroque cycle, which I have resumed in the middle of the first volume (quicksilver).
Recover from an acute physical incidence that threw me off balance, and fix a chronical one.
September 21, 2020
Resting excavator
After focusing on the claws in the previous sketch, I felt more comfortable drawing the entire excavator.
I misplaced a rod in my first pencil-and-pen sketch, which I fixed, and then proceeded to produce a color version.
I ran out of patience after oil-painting the yellow components and thus water-colored the rest gray, and completed oil-painting the body two days later.
September 19, 2020
Excavator claws
Initially I was trying to draw the entire excavator but found particular interests in the two claws.
September 12, 2020
Quick sketch of a cat on a fence
The cat allowed me only a quick glimpse before jumping away.
September 8, 2020
How to deal with shit in life
Remove it before it can further pollute the mind and the environment.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CE5xr0MHtLb/
September 4, 2020
Digital charcoal drawing of physical colored pencils
Late at night spotting
colored pencils for charcoal
digital drawing
September 2, 2020
Vertigo ceiling
During vertigo, the eyes can spin around following the incorrect signals sent from a faulty vestibular system.
The effect can be reduced by VR: track the eye movements, classify whether they are caused by vertigo, and adjust the display accordingly (e.g., move the visual field with the spinning eye gaze).
August 28, 2020
Side wing of a Buddhist church
There are many interesting architectural and religious constructs inside and outside this Buddhist temple converted from a Christian church.
I was attempting to capture its entire front side, but soon realized that it won’t fit well into a square canvas.
So I ended up drawing only one side, and plan for other outside and inside views in the future.
August 24, 2020
Farm Hill
This intriguing hill-corner-top view is part of my routine walks around the neighborhood.
August 21, 2020
Strawberries
I drew this plate of strawberries after dinner.
August 18, 2020
Wild fire
Given our performance so far against the covid-19 pandemic, how would you rationally expect we can deal with environment damage and climate change?
With the current trajectory, humanity may not last beyond 100 or even 50 years.
August 17, 2020
Liquid trail animation exercises
I only felt like doing one but did the second for variation.
August 16, 2020
Flower day lapse
I was planning to draw this bud every day until it completely dies off but something unexpected forced me to stop on Friday August 14 2020.
August 9, 2020
Exercises in secondary dynamic effects
The looping wave motion is more difficult to create than I expected.
Two of the earlier mistakes include a standing wave and a “smoke” that moves up and down.
After watching a candle fire extinguished by wind, I tried to capture the essence the memory via drawing the simplest possible animation.
Without looping, it is easier to create a jumpy fire followed by a rising and distinguishing smoke.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrhJBqHZVi/
August 8, 2020
Bud pair
This is a very quick oil painting. I plan to draw a time lapse of the flower life cycle.
Sharing paper source with publisher
Some publishers like ACM might ask for the source files to compile the camera ready papers. My understanding is that they need the source to tune the paper format, instead of publishing the source. Thus, it should be OK to share the source directly with the publisher.
If you have concerns about internal annotations such as author discussions not meant for the final paper, just clean up the source via arXiv Latex cleaner or something similar.
August 5, 2020
Popularity contest
A group of interns posted their projects on an internal expo and solicited popular votes with ferocity last seen in the 2016 Republican party presidential primaries.
Meanwhile, one intern submitted a paper to a top venue even before the start of the internship, and is now spending time revising the conditionally accepted paper, filing a patent, and collaborating with a product team, instead of campaigning for popularity among other interns.
Our time is very limited. As a research mentor, it is my responsibility to guide you towards what is important and steer you away from what is less so.
August 4, 2020
Morning energy
Bananas probably have one of the highest benefit-to-cost ratios among all food: nutritional, healthy, easy to consume, and low cost, despite their lack of genetic diversity and (like other fresh produce) perishable for storage and transportation.
Marc Levoy joining Adobe
It was great to (virtually) meet with my PhD adviser after all these years. I was trying to discuss collaboration and he told me that he just wanted to catch up.
I have been bumping into the same group of people throughout my career; maybe we are a small community.
July 31, 2020
Decomposition
The disintegration of a dead body is its reintegration back to the nature, and inspires me to decompose my sketching.
July 29, 2020
Library outdoor pickup
I walked up to the wait area, told the librarian my name, and received the book in a shopping bag.
July 28, 2020
Gift from the cat
The neighborhood black cat seemed to express his affinity by occasionally laying dead rats around the house.
I spotted this one in the backyard earlier this morning, but it disappeared when I tried to draw it in the evening; fortunately I have a reference photo taken earlier for backup.
July 26, 2020
Memory of a silverfish 衣魚
I spotted a silverfish in the morning, which reminded me of those I constantly saw in my grandfather’s numerous ancient Chinese texts, which he refused to throw away any despite repeated demands from my grandmother. (Is this house for people or books to live in? 這房子是給人還是給書住的?)
He started to teach me classical Chinese when I was in kindergarten, and told me several important and unconventional lessons, such as: do not trust everything in the history books, better to beat others with my brain instead of my fists, and never let others control my thoughts and actions.
July 25, 2020
Breakfast memory
I drew from visual memory a cut avocado that has been a regular part of my breakfasts.
July 24, 2020
Lack of energy
I did not bring out the underlying energy in this exercise of sketching secondary dynamic effects, and thus most of them look lethargic.
July 23, 2020
Hand steadiness experiment
I drew two circles by my left and right hands with onion skinning over multiple frames, and observed the circular animation caused by unsteady hand motions.
July 22, 2020
Lonely excavator claw
I saw this excavator claw sitting alone on the road side a few days ago, and walked back to sketch it.
The road is meandering and thus the car traffic can be a bit dangerous for pedestrians.
Fortunately, I can stand on the down-wind side of the claw, under the protection of its size and weight.
July 20, 2020
Road roller
I saw this road roller parked at the corner of a nearby fire station, which has a nice low wide stone wall for me to sit comfortably while sketching.
The connectors between the wheel/drum axes and the body seemed obstructive while on site, so I skipped them but found them pivotal for the structure and composition after the first drawing.
I came back to add the connectors the next evening.
July 19, 2020
Mamba graduation wine bottle
This is my first graphic design, to celebrate the graduation of my last HKU PhD student who derived her nickname from the black mamba.
(I managed to help her publishing top papers but not converting her from LAL to GSW.)
Inspiration:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCvFXuEpjPD
Source graphics:
wine bottle
graduation hat
the black mamba
July 18, 2020
Mailboxes
I was trying to draw a temple building but lacked enough time before the evening closure, so I switched to another nearby scene.
July 17, 2020
How to choose faculty jobs for research universities
The first rule, which you will also hear from others, is to choose a place that can attract top graduate students whom you can work with, because that is the main attraction for being a professor in a research university.
After that, consider other factors, like funding and geography (and thus why I went to HKU as a professor).
July 16, 2020
草草了事 undeleted from a restless afternoon
I was trying to sketch Dona Arguello‘s statue from a sliver of shaded area in a hot afternoon but could not gather enough interest within the allocated half hour, so I deleted the file, but restored it to continue from memory at home.
July 15, 2020
Dragon fruit peel
After eating the dragon fruit, I drew its peel to memorize it.
July 13, 2020
Pencil and pen sketch of an unlit corner after sunset
I went out after 8 pm to this interesting and yet unlit corner of my neighborhood, to force myself to either draw quickly before it was too dark and/or finish the rest from visual memory back home.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCm_h8RHb5h/
July 10, 2020
Hand exercise pine cone
When I picked up this pine cone it was still oozing sap, and has remained on my desk as an aroma source and hand exercise instrument.