台北國際書展 Taipei International Book Exhibition

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今天去了台北國際書展。通常我都會用這種一年一度的機會買文學類的書；今年也是。

今年書展的主題館是歐洲四國文化館；擺了很多我看不懂的文字寫的書，然後展示一些歐洲版的台灣古地圖；現場有位德國(?)版畫家在刷國際書展德國館的紀念海報，我很愛那個質感但是買了也沒有地方貼，所以就byebye了。

另外一個主題館是古書。有從希臘圖書館借來展示，讓律流口水的五百年前的柏拉圖(笑)。

去年有算過城邦集團總共有六個館；今年到處走來走去都是根本就不想算了。倒是分了這麼多攤位，城邦的「1-5本書79折，6本書以上69折」就變的很沒有意義：總不能跟二館奇幻基地的店員說「我先拿四本基地到一館那裡再選兩本再結帳」這樣吧？幸好一館也有擺基地系列就是了。

或許城邦以後書展可以把世貿附近某個地方借來開「城邦館」，一次逛完旗下所有出版社還不用跟別的出版公司搶一、二、三館的攤位。

啊，在大塊那裡有看到幾米本人在簽書；沒帶相機超可惜的。那裡也有展各國版本的幾米繪本；像是向左走向右走的英文版與日文版。

另外一個會在書展做的事情是去台灣東販買River的書。我很訝異結帳的時候店員問我「要不要拿River親筆簽名的書呢？」拿到簽名書一方面是高興啦，另一方面心中的疑惑是「明明就是書展第一天限量的怎麼會剩到今天？」看來雖然River在網路上很有名，但是大家還是沒有用行動去支持River，特別是書大部分的內容在網路上都看的到的時候。

另外一個沒有賣光的東西是電話男限量公仔，所有的公仔屁股上都有River 2002年(汗)的簽名。每年都看到它，不過今年好像只剩下4個在攤位上；我覺得說不定明年就看不到它了就抓了一個。啊，反正River所有商品都買了，也不差一個公仔。

數位典藏國家型科技計畫是另一個每年必展，每年必逛的攤位。每次拿了它一本網站介紹，就會想「網站好多啊，有空一定要逛逛」但是都沒去。

雜誌廠商(PCHome、牛頓、遠流、國家地理雜誌等)的攤位全部都充滿了要你訂雜誌的業務，接近不能。有必要搞成這樣，對自己的商品這麼沒信心嗎？

完全接近不能的還有三館的出版社(青文、東立、木棉花等等)。我的天哪人怎麼可以多成這樣？進去要排隊而且要排一圈！只好在外面繞繞不進去了。我記的我唯一在書展買過的漫畫周邊是LOVE HINA的海報；那年東立的櫃檯是向外的，不用進去也買的到。也是要擠就是了。

最後，今年書展有個特別的攤位展了一台(我覺得)真正的電子書閱讀器。它的螢幕不是普通的電子辭典哪種強光下看不見的液晶，而是電子紙(?)。廣告說2/15會在網站上推出閱讀程式和一些免費的內容；機器要在五月才會推出。雖然說我不喜歡在螢幕上看漫畫或是小說(我這樣的人的存在是為什麼我家巷口漫畫店還沒倒的原因)，但是如果老師寄的作業PDF或是大家的blog能不用刺眼的電腦螢幕也不用帶笨重的筆記型電腦，那我還滿期待的(什麼都印出來的話就太浪費紙了)。

I went to Taipei International Book Exhibition 2006 today.

Titled “international”, it’s actually kind of domestic. The only international parts are the section for international publishers to trade their rights and a “Cultural Diversity in Europe” Pavilion. I couldn’t read German, French or Dutch, but I was interesting in the maps of Taiwan (titled “Ilha Formosa”) and photos of Taiwanese drew or taken by westerners in 17 and 18 century.

The largest Publishing group in Taiwan is Cite – they featured six pavilions last year and I decided not to count again today – it’s just too many. I bought the first four books of Asimov’s Foundation series; the Chinese edition had just re-published in recent years. Also, I happened to meet Jimmy Liao – a famous painter in Taiwan – signing his books in one of a Cite pavilions; Damn, I bring no camera! The pavilion also shows many of his works being translated to English, Japanese and many languages – like A Chance of Sunshine.

Another thing I would do in the book exhibition each year is to bought the latest book from River – an Internet cartoonist. I was surprised that I got a limited signed edition – it didn’t sold out these days after exhibition opening. Looks like that people just don’t support River by action – when they can see most of the work online 🙁 .

National Digital Archives Program features every years, with every years of my visiting and forgeting – they put so many great sites on the web and I just don’t check they out. I should put it in my del.icio.us then 🙂 .

Hall III featured all the major comic publisher (comic, or Japanese animé, is very popular among Taiwanese youths). I tried to get in one of the pavilions and I gave up because every one of them required a 10 mins plus wait.

That’s all for this year’s visit. Hope to see something different next year.

Internet Explorer is not just a Browser

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Internet Explorer is a very powerful program. It not only connect websites, but automatically launches various programs, including Office applications to open it. In fact, it actually allow websites to install applications to your computer – usually with your ecknowledge. Try to recall the how you update your Windows, install the latest MSN Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger then you will realize that.

Internet Explorer can be embedded to any windows program. The standard example is HTML Application, with others well-known examples like PCMan, KKman, Maxthon Browser. Microsoft had stop developing IE’s user interface for a very long time, forcing people to move to other ‘browsers’ without knowing they are still using it. Actually, Windows Explorer, the application that open your folders, is displaying folders in an IE – then it enables an icon displaying box within the IE box. Norton AntiVirus, sounds strangle to do so for a anti-virus software, also display it’s UI in an IE box.

Of course, there always a dark side. Websites you don’t trust can install spyware in to your computer through IE. We usually expect an “Are you sure?” pop-up when they do so, but sometimes they just found a way in. There is a launch-able chain – Windows Explorer launches IE within it; IE launches Media Player; Media Player launches visual plug-ins, etc. It takes just one defect, just one, within the chain of applications to open a way in, and to damage your system.

Now you know why Microsoft ask you to update your Windows frequently.

So you really think Internet Explorer is just a browser? It does much more than you think. Why bring up IE (with these applications) just to browse Internet? Try Firefox, safer, lighter, and better.

But don’t uninstall your IE (even if you can)! You will always need it – in the field it really shows the power.

Internet Explorer是個非常強大的程式。他除了可以瀏覽網頁以外，當網頁上有檔案需要其他程式開啟的時候，它可以主動的呼叫該程式像是Word等Office程式。它甚至可以讓網站安裝程式到您的電腦中；想想看您之前怎麼更新Windows、安裝MSN Messenger或是Yahoo!即時通就會發現了。安裝程式通常需要您的同意，通常。

Inrernet Explorer可以內鑲在任何Windows程式裡面。標準的範例是HTML Application，其他有名的範例還有PCMan、KKman、Maxthon Browser。Microsoft已經停止研發新版的IE操作畫面很久了，讓許多使用者改用其他的瀏覽器上網——但是不知道他們其實還在用IE。其實，打開資料夾會用的Windows Explorer也是把資料夾顯示在IE裡面——然後再到內鑲IE裡面再內鑲一個顯示資料夾圖示的小程式。很奇怪是就連防毒程式——Norton Anti-Virus都用IE顯示它的操作畫面。

凡事都有不好的一面。許多您不信任的網站會利用IE安裝間諜程式到電腦裡；通常網站要求安裝程式的時候，我們會看到安全性警告；但是它們就是找的到不經過同意就可以安裝的方法。IE帶著一個「程式啟動鏈」——像是Windows Explorer在自己的畫面啟動IE；IE啟動Media Player；Media Player啟動視覺效果… 只要這條鏈裡面有一個程式有瑕疵——只要一個——就會開個後門然後搞壞您的電腦。

所以你現在知道為什麼Microsoft要大家更新Windows了吧。

你現在還覺得IE真的只是個網路瀏覽器嗎？它可以做的事情比您想像的多太多了。為什麼只是網站就要啟動IE呢？試試看Firefox，更安全、更快的網路瀏覽器。

不過不要急著解除安裝IE呀(就算有辦法解除安裝)！在它能發揮實力的地方，IE總是有用的。

Dock

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Dock & Dock with Iframe。

很早就寫過把MacOS X形式的Dock放到網頁上的Javascript程式了；那時候的習慣不是很好、程式碼寫的有點糟；但是那時候還真有耐心啊(廢話那時候用掉的是一生只有一次的大學聯考激發出來的生產力啊，啊哈哈)。

這幾年過去有點小小的長進所以拿以前的程式做練習，意外發現同樣的行為用簡單的疊加程式碼就可以寫出來；根本不用先弄個時間－大小函數。終於有點長進了。

現在拿出來給大家申請使用。需要放在自己站上請舉手，要經過老師同意才能加入會員喔。我已經同意讓Aray用在她的COLOR BLOG上了；如果有想出圖示的話(想不出來啊)可能也會用在松江水綠 Web版上。

Iframe版本在IE上已知問題

如果Iframe內的網頁是一個標準網頁(也就是用<!DOCTYPE>開頭)，IE會算錯它的寬度，然後顯示不知道在捲什麼的橫向捲軸。您用Dock-iframe逛MozTW就會感受到這個問題。解決方法是將網頁升級成xHTML 1.0標準。檔案用<?XML>開頭後面的<!DOCTYPE>就會被IE忽略。用兩個bug互相抵消的手段對付IE(唉)；希望IE7出來的時候不會只修好一個，那就要想其他方法了。

This is one of my recent Javascript work. I chose Dock because I had done it before in a nasty way when I was a kid (laugh). Surprisingly Dock can be done in such simple code.

Please use these code with my prior permission.

Known Issue

When using Dock-iframe in IE, IE will display horizontal scroll bar if the webpage inside is a standard one, i.e. has <!DOCTYPE> tag. IE can never count width correctly. To avoid this simply upgrade your webpages to xHTML 1.0 standard; <!DOCTYPE> somehow would be omitted by IE since the webpage then begin with <?XML>. This is how we deal with IE: use two bugs to cancel each other. I hope this will work on IE7, too; haven’t tested it though.