Beef Jerky

We are making beef jerky. We are using induction cooker and a small oven for it.

Boil beef until no blood when poking with chopstick or fork
-> Remove those foams floating on surface
-> Slice beef parallel to its texture
-> Put beef slices back to pot and keep the beef broth almost cover all beef slices
-> Add all sauces (amount per 1.2 kg beef)
60g soy sauce + 50 g sugar + 3/4 tsp salt + 3/4 tsp five spice powder
+ 1 tsp chili powder + 3/2 tsp curry powder + 20 pieces of black peppers
-> medium power (120 oC) for 20 min
-> lower power (100 oC) for 20 min (or until almost no juice)
-> bake at 150 oC for 30 min (or until dry)


五香牛肉乾

材料：
牛腿肉………………2400克
蔥、薑…………………適量
米酒…………………2大匙

調味料：
醬油…………120克（半杯）
黃砂糖………100克（半杯）
鹽、五香粉……各1小匙半
八角…………………2大匙
花椒粒、粗辣椒粉各1大匙

做法：
1) 牛肉放鍋中，加水淹過表面，再加蔥、薑、酒，燜煮到用筷子刺不會出血水（約需30分鐘），連湯一起放涼。
2) 撈起，順紋切片。
3) 放入炒菜鍋中，加4杯煮牛肉的湯，加全部調味料，開中火，翻炒到湯汁變少後改小火，一直炒到湯汁收乾。
4) 用烤箱烤乾。大概用150℃烤30分鐘即可，但要不時把牛肉翻面和移位。

註：
如果沒有黃砂糖，白糖也可；如果沒有八角、花椒，就用一包滷包代替。粗辣椒粉的量可以酌量增減，但不要用做韓國泡菜的那種細辣椒粉。

做牛肉乾的切法與一般烹飪時不同，必需順著肉紋切，成品的纖維才會長。

炒牛肉的火力要隨著牛肉和湯汁的份量調整，份量越多火力就越大，反之火力就要越小。

Read more!

Waterfalls in Tamborine Mountain

This was written in the night of Dec. 28, 2010, so I did not try to change my description even I published it on Dec. 29, 2010.

We decided to go to visit those waterfalls in Tamborine Mountain due to road closure between Townsville and Cairns. Those waterfalls are Curtis Falls in the Joalah section, Witches Falls in the Witches Falls section, Cameron Falls in the Knoll section, and Cedar Creek Falls in the Cedar Creek Falls section.

我們仍然沒有放棄去看瀑布，特別是下了這麼多雨以後，澳洲這裡平常像蓮蓬頭水量的瀑布應該會有改進。昨天晚上我們在網路上查路況資料，Townsville 到 Cairns 道路仍淹水不通，所以我們決定今天先到 Tamborine National Park 那一區去看四個瀑布，從我們住的地方到那裡大概是一個多小時的車程，這是位在我們的東南方的熱帶雨林國家公園。

早上去程的時候是穿過 Brisbane (布里斯本) 市中心走 Pacific Motorway (M3 -> M1)，然後在 Beenleigh 接 92 號公路 (Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd.) 往南，一開始都開得很順利，但是開到跨過 Albert river 的矮橋前 (Veivers Rd. 和 Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd. 交叉口前)，就看到一堆車子停在路邊，路中央放著一個 "Road Closed" 的牌子，原來河水已經淹過那個矮矮的橋了，一開始大家都在觀望，然後有些車子開始試著開過那個橋，先是那些吉普車或是小卡車，都沒有問題，接著轎車們也開始慢慢開過去，看起來好像只有淹水 10-20 公分，所以我們也決定開過去。耶，一切順利，這是我們今天遇到的第一個淹水路段。

第一站是位在 Joalah section 的 Curtis Falls，步道上一片泥濘，雖然有落葉，但還是踩得兩隻鞋子髒髒的，等到走到瀑布前，哇，好多好多的水，還挺壯觀的，和上次看到的蓮蓬頭瀑布有很大的差別，不錯的感覺。

第二站是位在 Witches Falls section 的 Witches Falls，據說這個瀑布只有在大雨過後才會看到，我們上次來的時候好像沒看到半滴水，今天應該不會這麼慘吧，走著走著就開始下雨，我們兩個合撐著一把傘繼續走著泥巴路，正奇怪為何一路無人，就遇到兩個人打著赤腳從對面走來，跟我們說前面淹水走不過去，我們想了想，決定去拍張淹水照，表示到此一遊。算起來應該是由路口走了 20 多分鐘就遇到那個淹水區，嗯，淹的挺嚴重的，連路邊指示淹水時的替代步道都被水淹得不見蹤影，簡直就是一片沼澤，我們自然是走不過去，只好放棄。真是神奇的瀑布啊，沒下大雨的時候沒水，下大雨的時候就步道淹水走不過去，不知道何時才能看到。

第三站是位在 Knoll section 的 Cameron Falls，沒有例外的，又是一腳高一腳低的在泥巴路上奮力前進，老公把兩隻褲腳都弄得滿是泥巴，我則是為了不想弄成這樣而像七爺八爺一樣兩腳開開晃啊晃地往前走，不過辛苦沒有白費，這個瀑布也是水勢驚人，水量是放在觀景台前的瀑布照片的四～五倍之多。

第四站則是位在 Cedar Creek section 的 Cedar Creek Falls，不過在到這個區的入口前，我們又被另一個淹過矮矮橋面的溪水困住了，到底要不要開過去呢？看了一下兩邊的高度尺，應該只有淹了 10-20 cm，我們決定拼了，車子順利開過去了，停好車後，發現這區的步道是超級好走的，全部都是水泥或石頭鋪面，完全不會有一腳踩進泥巴裡的問題，到第一個觀景台的步道是輪椅可通的。這個瀑布真的是超級多水，水聲轟隆隆，水花飛射四濺，由上到下有三個主要瀑布，非常棒，和上次看到的細水長流狀的瀑布有很大的差別。嗯，上一次是去年十月三十一日去的，看來豪大雨過後才是看瀑布的時候，不過這時候的道路可是很令人為難的。

看完這個瀑布，我們就決定回家了，肚子餓死了，可能是因為努力在泥巴路上走了很多上下坡，這次的肚子餓令人很難受。回程選了不一樣的路，先是 95 號公路 (Waterford-Tamborine Rd.) 往北，接著 88 號公路 (Camp Cable Rd.) 往西，然後 13 號公路 (Mt. Lindesay Hwy) 往北。88 號公路開一半後就看到左邊整片樹林草地有很大一部份都泡在水裡，果然當開到 88 及 13 號公路相交處，就看到 13 號公路往南的路面被封住，因為整段路都被淹掉了，因為和我們回家路線無關，所以我們沒有下車研究，但是這段路的淹水面積挺大的，不是那種淹十幾公分可以安全開車開過去的，我們心中還挺慶幸今天都沒有遇到過不去的淹水路段，還看到三個水量豐沛的瀑布。

回家後，烤了美美的牛排，煮好一鍋的青豆稀飯，同時也烤了明天早上的麵包，洗好澡洗了褲腳，兩個人心滿意足的在那邊想說是否要去試 Townsville 及 Cairns 之間的瀑布，也就是我們本來規劃要去卻因為颱風而取消的那一區，但是查了即時路況，最後還是決定放棄，雖然那條往北的高速公路可以通了，但是還有太多鎮與鎮之間的路段是亮紅燈的，似乎不值得去賭這個運氣。

Read more!

Well-done Beef Steak

I know that most people eat medium-rare to medium-well beef steak, but I like to eat well-done or at least medium-well one. It is not easy to find a well done recipe. I found 4 possible ones. The first one starts with higher temp (400 oF (204 oC)) for 20 min, then lower temp (325 oF (163 oC)) for >= 1 hour. The second one suggests to gradually increase temp to 300 oF (149 oC) for total 90-110 min. The third one suggests 250 oF (121 oC) for 3-3.5 hours. The fourth one suggest 370 oF (188 oC) for 2 hours.

Dec 27, 2010: We are trying the first one, but only cure beef meat in our ingredients for 2 hours before oven baked. The ingredients we used are soy sauce + wine + mixed herbs + honey + black pepper. We put the beef meat in aluminum foil, add 5-6 TBSP ingredient mixture, wrapped it, then 400 oF (204 oC) 20 min and 325 oF (162 oC) 1 hour. Yes, it is well done. We think it tastes good and juicy, but it is still a little bit dry for the part without any fat.

Rare 一兩成熟
Medium Rare 三四成熟
Medium 五成熟
Medium Well 七八成熟
Well done全熟

1. 台塑牛排 (2007/02/14 15:26)

材料：買長條肋排，加紅酒、醬油與蕃茄醬醃兩天。
作法：用錫箔紙全部包裹密實，置入烤箱中，400度烤20分鐘，再開325度烤一小時以上。
小叮嚀：醃肉功夫要足，否則不入味，喜歡吃原味者可不加番茄醬，烤肉盤底可放切塊的柳丁、橘子，讓底層肉有烤的空間，並增加風味。

2. 正宗台塑牛排做法大公開 全熟牛排汁多肉嫩

楊國初說，要製作出正統的台塑牛排，從挑選牛的品種，到最後烘烤都馬虎不得，在牛隻的選擇上，基本上他都採用美國黑牛，在製作上，一開始須要將多餘的油脂削除，再浸泡在由大蒜、胡椒、醬油與獨家醬料所的醬汁中冷藏48小時，接著送入烤箱進行烘烤，並在烘烤時定時淋上醬汁，避免牛肉過老肉質過硬。
在烤箱的溫度控制上，也需依照傳統循序漸進加溫，最後將溫度加溫至近300度，將肉汁封鎖在肉中，至於在烘烤的時間上，也要依照肉的品種而有不同，以美國帶骨牛小來來說，需烘烤1小時30分，而美國無骨牛小排則需70分鐘，另外若是紐西蘭帶骨牛小排就要花上1小時50分來烘烤，才會熟透但不老。
在肉質上，無骨美國牛小排不帶骨、不帶筋，有油花，肉質Q嫩可口，品質維持佳，每一塊牛排之品質都一樣，而紐西蘭牛小排則帶骨，纖維較同等級的美國牛粗，帶筋有咬勁，低脂且口感多變。

3. 我的台塑牛排初嘗試
材料: 牛仔骨(需向中國超市預先order,請肉販不要橫切,順骨切,厚度約10cm)
醃料:
(1). 紅酒(Dry,一瓶10 元以下即可)
(2). 醬油(用台灣產的,介於老抽與生抽之間,顏色會比較漂亮)
(3). 大蒜(若要蒜味重些,可剁碎,很重要可多加些)
(4). 黑胡椒粉(很重要可多加些)
(5). 吃辣者可加花椒及辣椒
(6). 糖
以上所列之醃料均未標示數量,請自行衡量,但需注意紅酒與醬油比例為1:1

做法: 1. 將牛仔骨浸泡於醃料中約5 分鐘即可放於烤盤,並把醃料倒在牛仔骨上
2. 烤箱預熱250℉,約烤3~3.5 小時(每隔半小時要翻面淋汁)即可

左看看、又看看，總覺得這樣的配方單調了點，似乎少了點什麼，所以我加了點大蒜粉、洋蔥粉、五香粉、白胡椒粉，花椒也磨了一些，糖的部分，我用冰糖與麥芽糖取代，醬油與紅酒各一杯，先將醬油與冰糖、麥芽糖先小火煮至冰糖融化，加入粉類調味料及現磨花椒，熄火待涼後，加入紅酒，進行牛小排的醃製，食譜說是五分鐘，可是我看電視看過頭，醃了將近30分鐘....

食後感想：好像有點小鹹，我醬油跟生抽的比例需要調整一下，另外我覺得下次加一點甘草跟味霖，讓醬油＋味霖跟紅酒比例呈現1:1 應該會不錯，

4. Oven baked steak is very tasty and easy to prepare. You need only oven, fresh steak and spices. Oven baked steak will delight all of your guests.
So, You will need these ingredients:
3 fresh steak
3 cloves minced garlic
1 red pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 cups of pure water
olives
onion
parsley
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Add butter and stir until melted. Add all ingredients in a pan and cover with a lid. Steak Bake in oven at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours, until steaks are tender.

5. Nice juicy steak recipes please
I don't often eat steak, and will only eat it if I cook it...I am so fussy with cooking steak, I don't like it burnt, it must be well done, juicy/tender with lots of flavour...don't ask much hey? LOL

My method isn't the everyday, usual way to cook it, but I love it & it tastes good to me LOL

I get a large peice of alfoil, large enough now to wrap the steak in like a pocket.

The fillings etc are to your taste likings, experiment a little :)

I spread some garlic herb butter on both sides of the steak & put in centre of alfoil.

Then I top it up with thin sliced, zucchini, onion, tomato etc...add some salt, pepper, chilli etc whatever you fancy :)

Then fold the alfoil up over steak & toppings leave a little room & fold down etc so it is in a loose pocket of alfoil. It's usually a good idea to make it all on the baking tray :)

I put mine in the oven for about 40 or so mins (thickness depending of steak), it cooks in the flavours of the toppings, herbs etc & its own steak juices...so mouth watering & tender unless you over cook it. This is for well done and a steak thickness about 1-1.5cm, in an oven on 180C (non fan).

Read more!

Raining Boxing Day

After landing in far north Queensland coast between Cairns and Innisfail on Christmas morning, topical cyclone Tasha is fading to a tropical low and moving south. I think it is dumping water in south-eastern Queensland now because it has been raining whole day today. A wet Boxing day. We still wonder where we can go in this holidays. It is really not fun to hike in raining day, not to mention those tourists trapped by flood.

Here is the updated QLD information from BOM.

River and flood condition (Dec 26 and 28, 2010):


Raining condition (Dec 26, 27 and 28, 2010):




Read more!

Cancel Christmas Waterfalls Trip

We have planned to visit 20-30 waterfalls during this holiday. Our targets are located in the region of Mackay to Bowen and Townsville to Cairns, central coast of Queensland, Australia. Today was the day we supposed to leave home for this 7-9 days vacation. We have bought foods and cookies for 7-9 days camping on Dec 19-20 and studied and printed out the information about those waterfalls and national parks on Dec 23.

The endless raining and flooding news have made us worry. We kept checking weather information everyday this week. Yesterday morning we saw a news "Towns cut off as Christmas floods continue to rise (Brisbane Times, by Marissa Calligeros, December 24, 2010 - 9:15AM)" which said "Travel between Townsville and Cairns is not possible due to other sections remaining closed. At this time there are no alternate routes available." Then we decided to cancel the whole trip because we don't want to watch our car being trapped by flood and sit on the top of our car showering by heavy rain.

We are still looking for other alternative trip. But the rain.... Sigh!


Towns cut off as Christmas floods continue to rise (Brisbane Times, by Marissa Calligeros, December 24, 2010 - 9:15AM)

The weather bureau has warned a second monsoonal low brewing off the Queensland coast may develop into a low grade cyclone in the next three days.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jim Davidson said Cyclone Tasha, if formed, would wreak more havoc in the state’s far north following torrential rain predicted for Christmas morning.

"It could develop into a cyclone in the next three days and cross the coast the day after Boxing Day," he said.

"Anywhere from Mackay to Cooktown we could expect to see exceptionally high rainfall events ... [with] 300 and millimetres falling in a very short period of time," she said.

"In a worst case scenario we could see major flooding events in more than one centre with a large population."

"Travel between Townsville and Cairns is not possible due to other sections remaining closed. At this time there are no alternate routes available."

Residents mop up after Cyclone Tasha crosses coast south of Cairns (Daniel Knowles From: The Courier-Mail December 25, 2010 11:36AM)
COASTAL communities south of Cairns are spending Christmas Day without power as they mop up and clear trees brought down by Cyclone Tasha.

Tropical cyclone Tasha crosses Qld coast (The Sydney Morning Herald, Lisa Martin, December 25, 2010 - 12:09PM)
A faltering tropical cyclone Tasha crossed the far north Queensland coast between Cairns and Innisfail on Christmas morning.

Bureau of meteorology said the fading category one cyclone made land about 5.30am (AEST) south of Cairns.

Although there have been no reports of major damage and Tasha has been downgraded to a tropical low, flooding is the major worry due to widespread rain.

Police are warning Innisfail residents to stay indoors because of fallen power lines and uprooted trees blocking roads.

Read more!

I Shouldn't Be Alive

We just watched "I Shouldn't Be Alive - Dive into Danger." I think I like this documentary series.

"Dive Into Danger" was first on air on 15 December 2006. It is the 6 episode in season, i.e. episode 19 of total. It talks about "In March 2002, when filming for a documentary they were making, two divers, Melissa Armstrong and Captain David Tomlinson, became stranded in the Pacific Ocean when their boat drifts away from them. As they believe help is not coming, they make a decision to swim for shore miles away or die trying.'

I Shouldn't Be Alive (also known as Alive in the UK) is a documentary television series that airs on multiple networks in the United States, the U.K., and Australia. Discovery's Animal Planet's I Shouldn't Be Alive is made by Darlow Smithson Productions, a UK-based production company.

The show features accounts of individuals and groups caught in dangerous scenarios, presented both through interviews and dramatic reenactments. Furthermore, it has been renewed for a fifth season scheduled to begin on January 5, 2011.

Read more!

Coconut Macaroon

I just saw the pictures of coconut macaroon on TV. Gee! I love the taste of coconut in cookie and macaroon. I think I will try it in this weekend. Here are some recipes I found by google.

Dec 19, 2010: We just tried the following ingredients. We love it and finished it in 10 minutes. I think we should make double amount next time and maybe use even less sugar.

Eggs: 1 (about 60 g), at room temperature
Salt: 1/8 tsp
Caster sugar: 50 g (original recipe is 85g (3/8 cup), but I don't want to eat something so sweet)
Shredded coconut: 100 g
All-purpose plain flour: 30 g (1/4 cup)

Beat the whole egg 2-3 minutes, then whisk with sugar and salt. Add coconut and flour in and mix well. Make 25 small balls and bake 25 minutes at 170 oC.


(1) Coconut macaroons on taste.com.au
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (serves 10)
195g (3 cups) shredded coconut
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
170g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method
Preheat oven to 170°C. Line 3 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Spread the coconut over 2 of the trays and cook in preheated oven, tossing occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate.
Use electric beaters to whisk the egg whites and salt together in a large, clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk for a further 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and glossy.
Add the vanilla essence and whisk to combine. Add the toasted coconut and use a large metal spoon to fold in until just combined.
Spoon tablespoonsful of mixture onto lined trays, leaving about 2cm between each. Bake in preheated oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 12-15 minutes or until light golden and firm. Set aside for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container.

(2) Coconut Macaroons Recipe on joyofbaking.com
Although many think of macaroons as a combination of ground almonds (or paste) and egg whites (recipe here), in North America we like our macaroons to contain sweetened coconut. Bite into one of these sweet tasting gems, still warm from the oven, and you will enjoy the contrast of a crispy exterior to a soft and chewy, coconut flavored interior.

There are many recipes for Coconut Macaroons. For example, there are two Coconut Macaroon recipes on this site as I couldn't decide which one I liked better. While both recipes are bursting with sweetened coconut, they differ in both ingredients and technique. This recipe starts by warming egg whites with white granulated sugar until nice and creamy. Then vanilla extract, cake flour, and sweetened coconut are folded in. Although not often used in Coconut Macaroon, adding flour gives these cookies a dense texture and a dome-like shape, rather than the more common haystack-like shape. Unlike the other Coconut Macaroon recipe on the site, this batter does need to the chilled until firm. For both recipes the cookies are baked until golden brown and are absolutely delicious warm from the oven. Coconut Macaroons store very well in the refrigerator. In fact, sometimes I think I like them better after a day or two, when their flavor has softened, yet they are still wonderfully moist and chewy. Now, for the chocolate lover you may want to add either 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips or 1/2 cup of small chunks of chopped semi sweet chocolate to the batter or, better yet, dip the bottoms of the baked and cooled cookies in melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (as I have done for the other Coconut Macaroon recipe). Another great idea would be to make the macaroons in miniature and then take two macaroons and sandwich them together with melted chocolate.

North Americans like sweetened coconut, rather than unsweetened coconut, in their macaroons. Sweetened coconut is made by combining coconut with powdered icing and is packaged either in plastic bags or cans and is available shredded or flaked, sometimes even toasted.

Coconut Macaroons: In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt. When this mixture is warm to the touch, and nice and creamy, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, flour, and coconut. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Ingredients to make about 2 dozen Macaroons:
Coconut Macaroons:
4 large (120 grams) egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (60 grams) cake flour, sifted
3 cups (300 grams) sweetened shredded coconut

References:
Lebovitz, David. Room for Dessert. Harper Collins Publishers. New York: 1999.
Luchetti, Emily. Stars Desserts. Harper Collins Publishers. New York: 1991

(3) 「甜上癮」Rochers aux noix de coco (椰子球)
我喜歡吃椰子球, 法國的椰子球叫做 Rochers aux noix de coco ,Rocher 是法文岩石的意思, 法國版的椰子球的確是角錐型硬硬黑黑的造型^^使用的食譜選自 "法國糕點大全" 徵得出版社同意, 公開配方及做法.

材料
蛋白80公克
細砂糖200公克
椰子絲150公克

蛋白打散至完全沒有彈性.注意喔, 是打散不是打發, 不需要濕性或硬性發泡.
加入細砂糖.狀況如圖所示, 舉起打蛋器蛋糊緩緩滴落狀.
加入椰子絲, 常溫放置2-3小時, 讓椰子絲完全吸收水分.
捏成一口大小的角錐型.
170度30分鐘.

外表脆脆硬硬的法式岩石椰子球,原食譜烤好後還會在底部沾調溫巧克力醬, 我省略了.阿莫先生說岩石下的泥濘不見了^^

泡過蛋液的椰子絲口感超好的, 有點Q有點嫩很彈牙^^

上次做出不成材的椰子球, 熱心網友紛紛提供配方, 最後還是決定乖乖照食譜做, 熟了以後再來做變化.我沒有忘記我心目中的椰子球口感,經過這次岩石版本椰子球, 我抓出製作訣竅,並且認為縮短烘烤時間我的台式版本椰子球會成功.嗯, 再來一次^^

170度12分鐘.是我心目中的椰子球長像和膚色.

入口時, 我想到一句話, 一分努力, 一分收穫^^我朝思暮想的椰子球做出來了!

(4) 茶點心椰子球中提到的作法及份量如下：

蛋白 3 個打至起泡，再加入 120 - 150 g 糖粉繼續打5分鐘，加入 3 杯椰子粉 (i.e. 720 mL) 拌勻，再加入麵粉 2 - 4.5 大匙拌勻 (i.e. 45 - 90 mL)。(因每顆蛋大小有差別，如果太濕可以再加適量的麵粉)

手沾水，取適量捏緊成圓錐狀，排放入鋪有烘焙紙的烤盤上，以180度C，烤15分鐘。
1 cup = 240 mL
1 tablespoon = 20 mL
1 teaspoon = 5 mL

Read more!

Electronic Pickpocket

I just saw this information about electronic pickpocket. It is kind of scary that people can steal your identity so easy via a $8 reader.

How to Keep RFID Credit Cards Safe
RFID credit cards use a radio frequency to transmit personal financial data. They are not swiped through a scanning machine like a traditional credit card. Unfortunately, RFID credit cards can be skimmed when an unauthorized user grabs the unencrypted data from your card using an RFID reader. The technology Website EnGadget found that data from RFID credit cards is easily skimmed using an $8 reader purchased on eBay. Credit card companies are aware of the problem and are creating security fixes, but there are a number of steps you can take to protect your financial information.

1. Leave your RFID credit cards at home. If you are concerned about the safety of your information on your card, use it only at home for online purchases. Pay for purchases outside your home with cash or regular credit cards.
2. Stack your RFID credit cards together in your wallet. Putting your cards next to one another will make it harder for a scanner to read the data on a particular RFID card. However, this only offers a small amount of protection.
3. Wrap your RFID credit cards in aluminum foil before putting them in your wallet. Some users have reported that this simple, homemade technique helps block RFID scanners from reading the card.
4. Consider a credit card shield for more advanced protection. There are a number of companies that manufacture shields that hold your credit card when it is not in use. Most companies use aluminum material to prevent RFID scanners from reading the data on your card, and they usually cost less than $10.
5. Consider a special wallet, such as a DataSafe wallet, if you would prefer not to have a separate shield for each individual credit card. These wallets look completely normal, but they are manufactured with materials that have been approved by the Government Services Administration to block RFID transmissions.
6. Monitor your credit card statements regularly for errors or odd charges. Credit card theft and fraud can occur even after taking the best precautions, but regularly monitoring your bank statements can alert you to any suspicious activity.

=============
Video about electronic pickpocket

Video about easy protection from electronic pickpocket by aluminum foil

Read more!

Fingernail Lunula

My parents sent me an article talking about how to diagnose your health by the outlook of fingernail lunula (指甲半月型) recently. In that article, it said that a healthy person should have 8-10 fingernail lunula on 10 fingernails and each lunula is about 1/5 of that fingernail based on traditional Chinese medicine.

Here is another article on EpochTimes.com about this: 指甲現豎紋 反映哪些器官有病灶.

I checked my finernails and only found a very tiny white one on my left thumb. Should I say I have almost no lunula or maybe they are same pink color to other part of finernail? I am wondering if this article is true or false. Do you have fingernail lunula? How do they look like?


Nail on wiki
A nail is a horn-like envelope covering the dorsal aspect of the terminal phalanges of fingers and toes in humans, most primates, and a few other mammals.
Nails are similar to claws, which are found on numerous other animals. In common usage, the word nail often refers to the nail plate only.
Fingernails and toenails are made of a tough protein called keratin, as are animals' hooves and horns. Along with hair they are an appendage of the skin.

Lunula (anatomy)
The lunula is the white crescent-shaped area of this finger.

The lunula, or lunulae (pl.) (little moon in Latin), is the crescent-shaped whitish area of the bed of a fingernail or toenail. The lunula is the visible part of the nail matrix (i.e. the root of the nail).
In humans, it appears by week 14 of gestation, and has a primary structural role in defining the free edge of the distal nail plate (the part of the nail that grows outward).

Eponychium
Longitudinal section through nail and its nail groove (sulcus). (Eponychium labeled at upper left.)

In human anatomy, the eponychium [Greek epi (on, upon) + onychion (little claw)], also known as the cuticle, is the thickened layer of skin surrounding fingernails and toenails. Beneath the cuticle is a thin layer of a membrane known as the pterygium. The function is to protect the area between the nail and epidermis from exposure to harmful bacteria. The vascularization pattern is similar to that of perionychium.[1]
Similarly, in hoofed animals, the eponychium is the deciduous hoof capsule in fetuses and newborn foals, and is a part of the permanent hoof in older animals.

指甲現豎紋 反映哪些器官有病灶
【大紀元2010年12月10日訊】我們指甲的每一個甲角都是經絡十二個經血所處的地方，《黃帝內經》裡提到：「陰陽交替生動氣，動氣者，十二經之根本。」中醫認為，指甲為臟腑氣血的外榮，與人體的臟腑經絡有直接聯繫，能夠充分地反映人體生理、病理變化。

據看中國報導，現在，許多時尚愛美的女性將一雙原本纖纖的素手打扮得不再「素」了，且看那指甲上染得花花綠綠的圖案，或紅或黑，或淡或濃，五彩繽紛，不一而足。甚至，連腳指甲也沒放過，非得給指甲畫上濃妝。不可否認，愛美是女人的天性，追求自己的個性之美也本無可厚非，但是，在追求美的同時，你是不是為指甲的保健想過呢?
指甲主要是由角質素和蛋白質組成，是表皮(皮膚外層)的基本結構，你可別因為剪指甲的時候不會疼，就把指甲排除在身體以外而肆意為了美而傷害它。從中醫上來講，我們指甲的每一個甲角都是經絡十二個經血所處的地方，《黃帝內經》裡提到：「陰陽交替生動氣，動氣者，十二經之根本。」所以指甲猶如一個源頭一樣，它是陰陽交替的關鍵地方。
氣為陽、血為陰，氣血是維持人體生理的一個重要的物質。如果人體的臟腑功能失調，氣血生成和運行就會受到阻滯，作為肢體末梢的甲床的血液供應同樣會受到影響，因而會從外觀上出現異常的變化。中醫認為，肝藏血，主筋，爪為筋之餘。因此健康的指甲從另一個方面說明氣血旺盛、各臟腑功能活動處於平衡協調的狀態。

健康的指甲紅潤且含蓄，堅韌而呈弧形，並且平滑、有光澤，其根部呈半月狀灰白色。壓其前端，放開後血色立即恢復，標誌著氣血充足，運行流暢，人體健康無病。我們可以通過指甲的顏色來瞭解身體的變化，如果把指甲都塗抹了甲或進行彩繪、配戴假指甲後，很難再從外觀上觀察到指甲色澤、軟硬度等的變化，因而給疾病的早期發現和治療帶來了極大的不便。

小小指甲，能看出甚麼?
中醫認為，指甲為臟腑氣血的外榮，與人體的臟腑經絡有直接聯繫，能夠充分地反映人體生理和病理的變化。比如說，位於指甲指甲下方五分之一處的半月痕，就是我們俗稱的月牙兒，它是我們人體精氣的代表，所以也叫稱為健康圈。正常來說，十個指頭上的月牙兒應該有8～10個。而體寒的女性，指甲上的月牙兒就少;越少，就表示精力越差，體質越寒，也就是免疫力弱，身體手腳寒冷。

小時候，指甲縫裡扎一根小刺都疼得不得了，大人們就會說「這十指可是連著心的」，因為每一根手指都有經絡，經過四肢直接通到腦部去，所以有「十指連心」的說法。再則，指甲下面遍佈著豐富的血管，無時無刻都在變化著。
月牙兒的發育深受營養、環境、身體素質的影響。當消化吸收功能欠佳時，或者體溫降低時，月牙兒就會模糊、減少，甚至消失。

在中醫的望、聞、切、診裡，通過「望」指甲的光澤、紋路和斑點等變化，可以推斷出身體正在悄悄發生的病變。

月牙兒告訴我們的事
我們十個手指上的月牙兒與五臟六腑有著密切的關係，比如拇指月牙兒關聯肺脾，如果拇指月牙兒是粉紅色，表示胰臟機能不良，容易反覆感冒、疲勞;如果食指的月牙兒是粉紅色的，則表明胃腸不好;如果中指的月牙兒呈粉紅色，表示精神過度緊張，易頭暈、頭痛、思路不清、腦漲、失眠、多夢;如果無名指的月牙兒是粉紅色，則表示內分泌失調，易得月經不調等婦科病;如果小指的月牙兒特別粉紅，則表示心臟血液循環不良，內臟功能異常時，都會出現某些自覺症狀，呈紅色時，易患嚴重的心臟病。

另外，如果任何一個月牙兒出來顏色變化，都可能是身體不健康的反映。

灰白色，精弱則影響脾胃消化吸收功能的運化，容易引起貧血、疲倦乏力;紫色，容易引起心腦血管，血液循環不良，供血供氧不足，腦動脈硬化;黑色，多見於嚴重心臟疾病，腫瘤或長期服藥，藥物和重金屬中毒。

如果月牙兒的面積小於指甲五分之一，則表示精力不足，腸胃吸收能力差;若月牙兒半月痕突然晦暗、縮細、消失，往往會患有消耗性的疾病、腫瘤、出血等;月牙兒大於五分之一時，多為心肌肥大，易患心腦血管、高血壓、中風等疾病。

健康小貼士：那些指甲上的道道

有的人指甲表面比較粗糙，仔細看的話，還有一道一道的豎紋。這種情況如果是短時出現，並很快會消失的話，通常是由於用腦過度、太過操勞;如果豎紋一直存在，則可能是體內器官的慢性病變。如果是黑直紋，說明肝腎的機能比較衰弱。

還有的就是出現橫紋，剛出現的時候，可能先是從指甲最底部，它隨著指甲的生長，逐漸向上移動，這種情況是指甲上的橫紋是一種對已經發生的病變的記錄。如果橫紋細小而且多，就表示長期的慢性的消化系統疾病，如：腸胃炎、結腸炎、胃病等。如果有一條很深的橫紋，則表示有過很嚴重的腸胃疾病。越深就越嚴重，越淺就越慢性。橫紋如果凸起則表示心臟問題，還有肝臟的問題，多缺乏維生素A、B等。

中醫有「精不足補之以味」的說法，這就是說，要補充蛋白質。優質蛋白質以中性為好，如奶類、蛋類、豆類、魚類、黑色性食物(逢黑補腎)、種籽性食物、胚胎性食物等。

由此可見，我們的指甲可以算是一個健康的晴雨表，在平時的生活中，我們要隨時注意它的變化。尤其是那些喜歡美甲的MM，不要忘記隔段時間給指甲放個假，讓它露出本來的面目。

美麗問問：
冬天的時候，我的指甲就會無緣無故地斷掉，請問該怎樣保養呢?
由於氣溫的原因，指甲容易變脆變硬，所以一方面需要保養，如儘可能用溫熱水泡手，塗抹橄欖油做護甲劑;另一方面，營養的缺失也會造成易斷的現象。指甲欠缺蛋白質，會變得脆弱易斷。飲用一些草本茶，如燕麥草或蕁麻，其內含的多種礦物質有助強化指甲。多吃蔬菜及高蛋白食物，有利於補充所需營養。
指甲油可以保護指甲，請問經常塗指甲油會不會導致甚麼病症?有顏色的透明的指甲油對人體的傷害哪個更大?
因為指甲油裡含有大量的苯，如果被人體吸收多了，會引起敗血病、白血病，也有緻癌的可能。所以，建議你少用指甲油。

我的指甲和肉靠在一起的部份越來越少了，應該怎麼辦呢?
簡單來講，就是你的指甲和肉分離了。
建議你試試用透氣膠帶紙纏繞手指，最好在晚上睡覺前纏上，起床後再去掉。白天，因為沒有了膠帶紙，手指很有可能因為活動而有所分離，這個時候，在不忙的時候，用其他的手指夾住手指，然後換其他的手指，此時的力度要稍微大一點，因為夾的時間肯定不會長，所以要講究效率，堅持下去，指甲和肉靠在一起的部份就會越來越多了。

Read more!

Healthy and Smart Brain

This is an old article talking about how to eat to maintain healthy and smart brain.

吃出聰明腦力

作者：謝明玲 　出處：天下雜誌 354期 2006/08

人一直在研究，怎樣能讓頭腦靈活，讓工作表現更亮眼？

八月中，德國柏林馬克斯普朗克分子遺傳學研究所的科學家宣稱發明了能穩定短期記憶、與加強注意力的藥物，當地媒體還稱其為「世界首例抗愚蠢藥」。

事實上，頭腦要更靈光不需要特效藥，對食物講究一點，就是好的開始。

腦的重量大約只佔體重的二％，但腦部所消耗的能量，卻佔了體重的二○％，和佔了身體五○％以上的肌肉與皮膚消耗的比例差不多。所以，對腦營養的補充，不能不斤斤計較。

以三大營養素：醣類、脂肪、蛋白質來說，除了補充要均衡，吃也要有技巧。

三大營養素要怎麼吃？

以脂肪來說，財團法人人人體重管理基金會營養師趙思姿就表示，脂肪與腦細胞建構息息相關，脂肪中的多元不飽和脂肪酸，能建構起細胞膜，讓腦運作更順暢，像是魚油中豐富的omega 3與omega 6，就是很好的多元不飽和脂肪酸來源。

但《大腦元氣飲食》作者生田哲則提醒，過度攝取飽和脂肪酸，如豬油等，反而使思考遲滯，不利學習。

攝取醣類時，也要注意是哪種醣類。趙思姿建議，複合型的多醣類像是全麥麵包、雜糧等，會讓精神比較好；單醣類的食物，如果汁、水果等，則令胰島素快速大量分泌（因為血液中葡萄糖突然變多），容易昏昏沈沈。

蛋白質的情況就比較複雜。蛋白質中的酪胺酸能合成多巴胺，讓頭腦反應敏捷、有活力；另一種色胺酸則會分泌血清素，讓人放鬆。

當他們一起進入血液的時候，通常酪胺酸會勝出，也就是說，補充蛋白質會讓大腦更清楚、思考更敏捷；但如果吃蛋白質前，先吃了醣類，就會使得色胺酸佔優勢，反而會想睡覺了。

所以最好的方式，就是先吃蛋白質，再吃醣類，重點在血糖快速升高前，讓酪胺酸能先進入頭腦。

「保持血糖穩定，就能增強記憶，讓注意力集中，」台北榮總營養部臨床營養組組長楊雀戀說，腦和一般器官不同，急速的血糖增加，反而對腦運作有反效果。

小幫手讓思路靈光

除了三大營養素，其他營養素也是頭腦需要的小小工程師，能適時修補建造，讓思路突然靈光起來。

像是維生素Ｂ群，尤其是Ｂ１、Ｂ２與菸鹼酸，就與能量產生與營養代謝有關。有了他們，營養素的代謝可以更順利，腦子更容易獲得能量。

維生素Ｃ與Ｅ，則能幫助抗氧化。楊雀戀說，尤其腦子是磷脂類，特別容易有過氧化、記憶衰退的問題，補充蔬菜水果等富含維生素Ｃ、Ｅ的食物就特別重要。

礦物質也擔負重要任務。

像是維持血液健康的鐵如果不夠，血液中運送的氧氣不足，頭腦就不可能運作得好。

還有像是硼，與腦的活動力有關；鋅則幫助蛋白質及核酸合成，對注意力有幫助；鉻與鎂則能調節血糖，維持血糖穩定，讓思路清晰。

不過，要吃出好頭腦，不光食物講究就可以，還要有正確的飲食習慣配合。

首先，要細嚼慢嚥。趙思姿說，這個好習慣除了對消化系統有幫助，還會刺激下視丘，促進腦細胞活動。吃早餐也很重要。楊雀戀表示，早餐是人在一段長時間禁食後的第一餐，給腦充足的養分，才有好的開始。

如果想要保持頭腦清醒，則盡量不要「飽食」，不要吃過份油膩的食物，因為這樣消化會比較慢，血液留在腹中，容易使人昏沈。

而儘管現代人也可以選擇吃各式的營養補充品或保健食品，但楊雀戀還是建議，均衡飲食才是上策。因為食物中很少只有單一的營養素存在，不同的營養素間會有協同反應；流行病學的研究中甚至發現，某些萃取後的單一營養素是看不到功能的。她強調，要增加腦力，為工作加分，還是要從食物著手。

變聰明：五種好習慣

1. 先吃蛋白質再吃醣類

2. 避免油膩的食物

3. 細嚼慢嚥

4. 一定要吃早餐

5. 均衡飲食，不以維他命代替正常營養攝取

補腦力：五大營養素

* 醣：全麥麵包、雜糧等複合醣類

* 蛋白質：奶、蛋、魚、豆類

* 脂肪： 橄欖油、芥菜籽油、葵花子油等植物油

* 維他命B、C、E： 糙米、豬肉、肝、蛋黃、豆類等（含維他命B）；大豆、糙米、堅果、全麥製品等（含維他命E）；奇異果、柳橙、橘子等（維他命C）

* 礦物質：綠葉蔬菜、紅肉（含鐵）、海鮮、杏仁等（含鋅）蔬菜、果仁等（含硼）、酵母、馬鈴薯等（含鉻）

Read more!

Atonement

We just watched this movie, Atonement.

A false testimony destroyed several people's lives. It is too late when you want to correct the mistake. Sad! Especially in the end.

(from IMDB)
Atonement (2007, UK) (from wiki)

Atonement is a 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same name, directed by Joe Wright, based on a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, and starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan. It was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006 in England and France. Distributed worldwide by Universal Studios (with the North American release handled through its Focus Features division), it was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 7 September 2007, and in North America on 7 December 2007.

Atonement opened the 64th Venice International Film Festival, making Wright, at the age of 35, the youngest director ever to open the event. The film also opened the 2007 Vancouver International Film Festival.

The film won an Oscar for the Best Original Score at the 80th Academy Awards, and was nominated for six others, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan). At the 61st British Academy Film Awards, it won the Best Film of the Year, and the Production Design award.

Plot

In 1935, Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), a 13-year-old girl from a wealthy English family, has just finished writing a play. As Briony attempts to stage the play with her cousins, they get bored and decide to go swimming. Briony stays behind and witnesses a significant moment of sexual tension between her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), a man Briony has a childish crush on. Robbie returns home and writes several drafts of letters to Cecilia, including one, explicit and erotically-charged. He does not, however, intend to send it and sets it aside. On his way to join the Tallis family celebration, Robbie asks Briony to deliver his letter, only to later realise that he has mistakenly given her the prurient one. Briony secretly reads the letter and becomes still more suspicious of Robbie's intentions.

That evening, Cecilia and Robbie meet in the library, where they spontaneously have sex. During, Briony walks in on the couple and mistakenly believes that Robbie is raping her sister. During dinner it is revealed that the twins cousins have run away. Briony goes off alone into the woods looking for them and stumbles upon a man running away from apparently raping her teenaged cousin Lola. Lola claims that she does not know the identity of her attacker, but Briony is certain that it was Robbie, and tells everyone this, including the police, claiming she saw Robbie commit the act. She shows the shocking letter to her mother. Everyone believes her story – except for Cecilia. Robbie is arrested and sent to prison.

Four years later, in 1939, Robbie is released from prison on condition that he joins the army. He is reunited with Cecilia in London, where they renew their love before he is shipped off to the French front. Briony (Romola Garai), now 18, has joined Cecilia's old nursing corps at St. Thomas's in London. Her attempts at contacting her sister go unanswered, as Cecilia blames her for Robbie's imprisonment. Later, Robbie, wounded and very ill, finally arrives at the beaches of Dunkirk, where he waits to be evacuated.

Briony, now fully understanding the impact of her accusation, later visits Cecilia to apologize to her directly; Cecilia coldly replies that she will never forgive her. Robbie, in a rage that almost becomes physical, confronts Briony and demands that she immediately tell her family and the authorities the truth. Briony reveals that the rapist was actually family friend Paul Marshall (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was an adult at the time of the rape, and that he cannot be implicated in a court of law because he has married Lola.

Decades later, an elderly Briony (Vanessa Redgrave) reveals in an interview that she is dying of vascular dementia, and that her novel, Atonement, which she has been working on for most of her adult life, will be her last. In a sudden plot twist, Briony reveals that Robbie actually died at Dunkirk of septicemia while awaiting evacuation, and that Cecilia died a few months later as one of the 65 flood victims in the Balham tube station of the London Underground during The Blitz. Briony hopes that, by reuniting them in fiction, she can give them the happy conclusion to their lives that they have always deserved.


Read more!

Yosemite's Frazil Ice

It is so cool to see this. People should put March or April visit in Yosemite National Park on their travel list.

Frazil ice: Fascinating forest hazard


Frazil ice looks like patches of snow, nestled among the trees. But it's actually a Slushee-esque mixture of ice crystals that form in bitterly cold waters—like the kind that run through Yosemite National Park in early spring. Watching this video, you can see how frazil ice can appear to be just your average slushy creek water, and, the next minute, turns into what looks like solid (if snowy) ground. And then the ground moves.

If you're thinking that it's potentially dangerous, you'd be right. In the video, park rangers talk about the risk of falling through frazil ice into frigid water deeper than your head.

Read more!

Lie To Me

Lie To Me is a TV show we have been watching. Well, it is amazing to use all those tiny detail behavior difference to know what people are thinking.


Lie to Me (titled as Lie To Me*) is an American television series that premiered on the Fox network on January 21, 2009. In the show, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his colleagues in The Lightman Group accept assignments from third parties (commonly local and federal law enforcement), and assist in investigations, reaching the truth through applied psychology: interpreting microexpressions, through the Facial Action Coding System, and body language.

Based on the real-life scientific discoveries of Paul Ekman, the series follows Lightman and his team of deception experts as they assist law enforcement and government agencies to expose the truth behind the lies.
==============

FBI超強閱人術，一分鐘讀出對方心思 (作者：吳凱琳 　出處：Cheers 83期 2007/08)

初次見面的陌生人，要在短時間內摸清對方底細，迅速掌握對方性格上的優缺點，依靠的就是「閱人術」。前美國聯邦調查局探員喬‧納瓦羅將運用他25年的偵察經驗，告訴你如何藉由敏銳的觀察力，從隱微的細節中看穿對方心思。

　和陌生人第一次見面時，要如何在一開始談話的幾分鐘內，了解這個人？如何和對方拉近距離？如何找到對方喜愛的話題？如何讓對方願意開口？

　這都得依靠細心而入微的觀察力，談到這裡就不能不提最近聲名大噪的喬‧納瓦羅（Joe Navarro）。

　他曾經擔任美國聯邦調查局幹員長達25年時間，是反間諜情報小組的身體語言行為分析專家，如今退休後成為美國知名的撲克牌教練。贏得牌局的關鍵就是掌握70—30法則，「其中70％來自於閱人能力，賭博技巧僅佔30％。」

　去年年底他出版了《牌桌上的閱人術》（Read'Em and Reap）新書，借重他在擔任探員期間測謊犯罪人士所練就的觀察力，教導玩家如何透過眼神、肢體動作的觀察，看透對方的心思，在牌桌上給予對方致命一擊。

觀察力可以靠後天練習

　首先最重要的，就是練習你的觀察力，其中最有效的方法之一是「回想遊戲」（recall game）。你可以在任何時候、任何地方練習。例如，當你走進一個房間之後，閉上眼睛，盡可能回想走進房間之前你看到了什麼，愈詳細愈好。

　時間久了，你也可以像納瓦羅一樣，走到朋友家的前門，就已經把周遭環境看清楚了：門前街道上停了哪些廠牌的車、隔壁房屋外有位男性在除草、另一間房子的門前放著兩份報紙……。

　另一種練習方式則是更進一步，當你觀察完周遭環境之後，還要再問自己，這些代表什麼意義？例如，除草的人應該就住在那間房子裡，因為門前的街道上沒有停放任何除草維護公司的車輛。

　答案正確與否不是重點，真正重要的是你必須訓練自己，從觀察到的線索中做出合理的推論。

　而當你真正和對方面對面接觸時，得隨時保持警覺，任何細節都不能放過。納瓦羅每次坐上牌桌，第一件事就是觀察同桌的對手，包括他們的臉部表情、雙手放的位置、坐姿、穿著打扮、發牌時出現什麼樣的臉部表情或動作。

　更重要的是競賽過程中，他會特別注意對手的行為是否出現異常。例如原本放在牌桌上的雙手突然環抱在胸前或放在大腿上，可能代表情勢變得對他不利。

雙腳動作比臉部表情更可靠

　一般我們在觀察人時，習慣第一眼就看對方的表情，但是納瓦羅卻反其道而行，先觀察對手的雙腳動作，「臉部表情可以裝，但是很少人知道如何偽裝雙腳的動作。」

　其中一個線索就是雙腳朝向的方向。根據許多針對法庭行為的研究顯示，如果法官不喜歡某個證人，通常會將雙腳朝向他們之前走進法庭時的大門。

　同樣地，當你和某個人說話時，如果對方的雙腳朝向某個方向，而不是正對著你，就代表他想要結束這場對話。

　如果對方突然雙腳（腳踝之處）交叉，就代表他有些緊張或是覺得受到威脅。

　如果對方將身體往後移，然後翹腳而坐，這就是自信的表現，代表情勢對他非常有利。

觀察不尋常的動作

　當然，觀察不只限於剛碰面的幾分鐘而已，愈到中後段，愈能看到對方真正的行為反應。因為除非接受專業訓練，否則過了一段時間，便會不經意露出馬腳。

　因此，在過程中你必須特別注意突然出現的異常行為。例如當人在緊張或是有壓力時，常會不自覺做出某些動作：

　1.觸摸或按摩頸部：我們的頸部有許多神經末梢，只要稍加按摩，就可以有效降低血壓與心跳速度，消除緊張。另外，按摩額頭或是摸耳垂，也都是一般人緊張時會出現的動作。而如果男生拉著領帶，或是女生玩弄頸上的項鍊，也代表同樣的意思。

　2.深呼吸或是話變多：深呼吸是立即平緩情緒的最簡單方法，因此當你看到對方深呼吸，就知道他可能在壓抑自己的情緒。或是在過程中對方不太愛說話，卻突然話多了起來，也代表他的情緒開始變得不穩定。

　3.用手放在大腿上：緊張時我們也會不自覺地雙手放在大腿上來回摩擦，試圖平緩自己的情緒，因此這個動作也是另一個重要的線索。
此外，有時候當你發現對方動作快速，決定很果斷，通常這麼做的目的是為了掩飾自己的沒信心。真正有自信的人會深思熟慮，而不是不假思索就做出決定，急著展現自己的信心。

　當你觀察到以上的行為時，就可以依據情況決定自己是否要趁勝追擊，迫使對方答應你的要求，或是說些話讓對方放鬆，以利接下來的對談。

從肢體語言看出對方個性

　然而，身體動作除了顯示對方當下的狀態之外，很多時候也是個性的展現。日本管理顧問武田哲男歸納出幾種常見的習慣動作，反映了特定的個性與行為模式：

　1.喜歡眨眼：這種人心胸狹隘，不太能夠信任。如果和這種人進行交涉或有事請託時，最好直截了當地說明。

　2.習慣盯著別人看：代表警戒心很強，不容易表露內心情感，所以面對他們，避免出現過度熱情或是開玩笑的言語。

　3.喜歡提高音量說話：多半是自我主義者，對自己很有自信，如果你認為自己不適合奉承別人，最好和這種人劃清界線。

　4.穿著不拘小節：也代表個性隨和，而且面對人情壓力時容易屈服，所以有事情找他們商量時，最好是套交情，遠比透過公事上的關係要來得有效。

　5.一坐下就翹腳：這種人充滿企圖心與自信，而且有行動力，下定決心後會立刻行動。

　6.邊說話邊摸下巴：通常個性謹慎，警戒心也強。

　7.將兩手環抱在胸前：做事也非常謹慎，行動力強，堅持己見。

多搜尋其他周邊線索

　不過，外表只是線索之一，你還可以從其他不同的來源，搜尋關於對方的重要資訊。《冷讀術》的作者石井裕之，提供了一些有趣的技巧，有助於摸清對方的個性。

　首先，你可以從筆跡下手：在適當的機會，請對方在一張白紙上寫下你要的資訊，像是請他寫下他的聯絡方式等。

　如果字跡潦草而寫字速度很快的人，工作速度也很快，但是通常比較馬虎粗糙，因為他認為「大略做好後再修改細節就行了」。

　寫字謹慎而慢的人，工作時會一步步邊確認邊進行、非常仔細，但是如果催促他加快速度，就不能發揮應有的水準。

　此外，手機吊飾也是很好的線索。吊飾複雜的人，通常朋友很多，是屬於怕寂寞、喜歡熱鬧的類型。沒有配戴手機吊飾，即使有也是式樣簡單的人，不大喜歡一群人在一起吵吵嚷嚷，也不大重視表面的交友關係，只與少數能真正交心的人長久交往。

　以上只是簡單說明幾種重要的觀察方法，重要的是要靠經驗的累積，只要平時多與人互動、多觀察，你也能擁有驚人的閱人能力。

Read more!