TED2007
Nathan Myhrvold: Archeology, animal photography, BBQ ...
Nathan Myhrvold 聊建築、動物攝影和BBQ……
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Nathan Myhrvold 講了最近令他著迷的活動──動物攝影、考古、燒烤，以及大致上怎樣做一個怪癖天才大富豪。聽聽來自動物世界邊緣（多少有點色情）的荒野趣聞。
Nathan Myhrvold - Polymath
Nathan Myhrvold is a professional jack-of-all-trades. After leaving Microsoft in 1999, he's been a world barbecue champion, a wildlife photographer, a chef, a contributor to SETI, and a volcano explorer. Full bio
Nathan Myhrvold is a professional jack-of-all-trades. After leaving Microsoft in 1999, he's been a world barbecue champion, a wildlife photographer, a chef, a contributor to SETI, and a volcano explorer. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:18
So, I'm in Chile,
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話說，我在智利，
00:20
in the Atacama desert, sitting in a hotel lobby,
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阿塔卡馬沙漠，坐在某個酒店大堂，
00:23
because that's the only place that I can get a Wi-Fi connection,
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因為那是唯一能無線上網的地方，
00:26
and I have this picture up on my screen,
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然後我在電腦上展示出這張照片，
00:28
and a woman comes up behind me.
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一位女士來到我身後，
00:30
She says, "Oh, that's beautiful.
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她說：「哎呦，真漂亮。
00:32
What is it? Is that Jackson Pollock?"
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這是什麼？是Jackson Pollock（美國藝術家）的大作嗎？」
00:35
And unfortunately, I can be a little too honest.
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不幸的是，我這人說話可能太直了。
00:38
I said, "No, it's -- it's penguin shit."
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我說：「不，這是─企鵝的便便。」
00:41
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
00:43
And, you know, "Excuse me!"
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可想而知，她說：「你說什麼！」
00:45
And I could sense
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而且我能感覺到
00:47
that she thought I was speaking synecdochically.
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她以為我在表達對Pollock作品的看法。
00:50
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
00:55
So, I said, "No, no, really -- it's penguin shit."
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於是，我說「不不，真的，真是企鵝便便。」
00:58
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
01:00
Because I had just been in the Falkland Islands
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因為我剛從福克蘭群島回來，
01:03
taking pictures of penguins.
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拍了一些企鵝的照片。
01:05
This is a Gentoo penguin. And she was still skeptical.
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這是一隻巴布亞企鵝。而她還是將信將疑。
01:08
So, literally, a few minutes before that,
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其實就在幾分鐘前，
01:10
I downloaded this scientific paper
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我剛剛下載了這篇科學論文，
01:12
about calculations on avian defecation,
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關於鳥類排便的計算。
01:17
which is really quite interesting, because it turns out
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這個問題真的很有意思，因為研究發現
01:20
you can model this as something called "Poiseuille flow,"
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你可以建立鳥類糞便排出時的「泊肅葉流」模型，
01:24
and you can learn an awful lot
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你能學到很多很多
01:26
about the physics of the avian rectum.
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關於鳥類直腸的物理學。
01:29
Actually, technically, it's not a rectum. It's called a cloaca.
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事實上，嚴格說來，那不是直腸，那叫泄殖腔。
01:33
At this point, she stops me,
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說到這裡，她打斷了我，
01:36
and she says, "Who are you?
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她說：「你是什麼人？」
01:39
Wha -- what do you do?"
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「你，你是做什麼的？」
01:43
And I was stuck,
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然後我就無語了，
01:45
because I didn't have any way to describe what I do.
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因為我無法解釋我是幹什麼的。
01:48
And so, in some sense,
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因此，從某個意義上，
01:50
this talk today
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今天的演講
01:52
is my answer to that.
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就是我對這個問題的回答。
01:54
It's a selection of a random bunch of the stuff that I do.
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我隨便挑了些我所做的事出來。
01:58
And it's very hard for me to make sense of it,
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我很難說出做這些有什麼意義，
02:01
so I'm not sure that you can.
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我不也敢肯定你們能看出其中的意義。
02:03
It's the kind of thing that I sit up late at night thinking about sometimes --
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這些就是我晚上不睡覺苦苦思索的事，有時─
02:06
often at four in the morning.
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經常折騰到早上4點。
02:09
So, some people are afraid of what I do.
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所以，有些人對我的所作所為感到擔心。
02:14
Some people think I am the nerd Tony Soprano,
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有人認為我是HBO影集《黑道家族》裡的Tony Soprano，書呆子版。
02:17
and in response, I have ordered
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有鑑於此，我已經訂購了
02:19
a bulletproof pocket protector.
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一個可防彈的胸袋筆插。
02:22
I'm not sure what these people think,
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我不太清楚這些人怎麼想的，
02:24
because I don't speak Norsk.
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因為我不會說挪威語，
02:26
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑）
02:28
But I'm not thinking "monsteret" is a good thing.
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但是我不覺得這裡用來形容我的「怪物」是個好詞。
02:32
I don't know, you know?
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我不覺得，你們呢？
02:34
So, one of the things that I love to do
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那麼，我的愛好之一就是
02:36
is travel around the world and look at archaeological sites.
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到處旅行，參觀那些考古遺址。
02:39
Because archaeology gives us an opportunity
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因為考古學讓我們有機會
02:41
to study past civilizations,
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研究過去的文明
02:43
and see where they succeeded
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看看他們的成功
02:45
and where they failed.
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以及他們的失敗。
02:47
Use science to, you know,
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用現在的科學水平
02:49
work backwards and say, "Well, really, what were they thinking?"
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回看過去，想：「唉，真的，他們那時在想什麼？」
02:52
And recently, I was in Easter Island,
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最近我去了復活節島，
02:55
which is an incredibly beautiful place,
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那個地方美得讓人難以置信，
02:58
and an incredibly mysterious place,
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也神秘得讓人難以置信，
03:00
because no matter where you go in Easter Island,
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因為在這個島上，無論你走到哪裡，
03:03
you're struck by these statues, called the moai.
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你都會看到這些令人震驚的雕像，叫做MOAI
03:06
The place is 64 square miles.
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這個地方一共64平方英里。
03:08
They made, so far as we can tell, 900 of them.
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目前我們大致能看到900個雕像。
03:13
Why on Earth? And if you haven't read
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這到底是幹啥用的？如果你沒讀過
03:15
Jared Diamond's book, "Collapse,"
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戴蒙的書《大崩壞》
03:17
I totally recommend that you do.
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我強烈推薦。
03:18
He's got a great chapter about it.
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其中很精彩的一章就是關於這個問題。
03:20
Basically, these people
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大致的意思就是這些人
03:22
committed ecological suicide
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是在生態自殺
03:24
in order to make more of these.
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就是為了製造更多的雕像。
03:27
And somewhere along the line, somebody said,
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話說某日某個傢伙說：
03:29
"I know! Let's cut down the last tree
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「我知道了！讓我們砍掉最後一棵樹，
03:31
and commit suicide, because
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然後自殺，因為
03:33
we need more identical statues."
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我們需要更多一模一樣的雕像。」
03:35
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
03:37
And,
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不過
03:39
one thing that isn't a mystery, actually,
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有個事其實不算是秘密，
03:41
was when I grew up -- because when I was a little kid, I'd seen these pictures --
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當我還是小孩子時，我就看過這些照片，
03:43
and I thought, "Well, why that look on the face?
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我想「哎呦，為什麼是這種表情？
03:46
Why that brow?" I mean, it's such a powerful thing.
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眉毛為啥是那樣的？」我的意思是，這麼有衝擊力的作品。
03:49
Where did they get that inspiration?
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從哪裡來的靈感？
03:51
And then I met Yoyo,
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長大後，我遇見了YOYO，
03:53
who is the native Rapa Nui-an guide,
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他是復活節島當地的嚮導，
03:55
and if you look at Yoyo's face,
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如果你看看YOYO的臉，
03:57
you kind of figure out where they got it.
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你大概就能瞭解到他們從哪裡得到的啟發。
04:00
There's many mysteries, these statues.
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關於這些雕像有很多秘密。
04:02
Everyone wants to know, how did they make them,
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大家都想知道，它們是怎麼雕刻出來的，
04:04
how did they transport them?
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怎麼運輸的？
04:06
This woman in the foreground is Jo Anne Van Tilberg.
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照片裡這位女士叫Jo Anne Van Tilberg。
04:09
She's the leading archaeologist working Easter Island today.
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她是目前在復活節島上工作的首席考古學家。
04:12
And she has studied the statues for 20-some years,
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她研究這些雕像已經20多年了，
04:15
and she has detailed records of every single statue.
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而且她有每個雕像的具體資料。
04:18
The one on the page here is the same that's up there.
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紙上畫的和那邊立著的是同一個雕像。
04:22
One interesting problem is the stone isn't very hard.
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一個有趣的問題是這種石頭不大硬。
04:25
So, this used to be completely smooth.
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所以雕像曾經是完全光滑的。
04:29
In fact, in many of the statues, when you excavate them,
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事實上，當你挖掘出它們時，其中的很多雕像
04:31
the backs are totally smooth -- almost glass smooth.
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背部是完全光滑的─幾乎像玻璃那麼光滑。
04:34
But after 1,000 years out in the weather,
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但是當風吹日曬1000年以後，
04:36
they look like this.
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它們成了這樣。
04:38
Jo Anne and I have just embarked on a project to digitize them all,
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Jo Anne和我剛剛開始著手一個計畫：將它們全都數位化，
04:41
and we're going to do a very high-res digitization,
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而且是相當高解析度的數位化，
04:44
first because it's a way of preserving them.
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首先，因為這是保存它們的一種方式。
04:46
Second, we have these ideas about how you can algorithmically, then,
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其次，我們有一些關於如何能夠以演算法
04:49
learn a few of the mysteries about them.
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瞭解這些雕像一些秘密的想法。
04:51
How long have they been standing in what positions?
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它們在什麼位置站立多久了？
04:54
And maybe, indirectly, get at some of the issues of
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也許還能間接瞭解到
04:56
what caused them to be the way they are.
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是什麼使它們成了這個樣子。
04:59
While I was in Easter Island, comet McNaught was there also,
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當我在復活節島時，正好麥克諾特彗星也來了，
05:02
so you get a gratuitous picture
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所以你免費得到一張
05:04
of a moai with a comet.
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同時有石像和彗星的照片。
05:07
I also have an archaeological project going on
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我進行著另外一個考古計畫
05:09
in Egypt.
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在埃及。
05:11
"Going on" is perhaps a little bit strong.
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說「進行」可能有點過了。
05:13
We're trying to get all of the permissions
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我們還在努力獲取所有的許可
05:15
to get everything all set, to get it going.
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以便讓一切就緒，準備開動。
05:17
So, I'll talk about it at a future TED.
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所以這個我在以後的TED演講再說。
05:19
But there's some amazing opportunities in Egypt as well.
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不過在埃及有很多很好的機會。
05:23
Another thing I do is I invent stuff.
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我做的另一件事就是發明小東西。
05:27
In fact, I design nuclear reactors.
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事實上，我在設計核反應爐。
05:31
Not a joke.
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沒開玩笑。
05:33
This is the conventional
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這個是傳統的
05:35
nuclear fuel cycle.
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核燃料循環。
05:37
The red line is what is done in
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紅線是大多數核反應爐的
05:40
most nuclear reactors. It's called the open fuel cycle.
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運轉方式：一次通過式燃料循環系統。
05:44
The white lines are what's called an advance fuel cycle,
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白線是一種所謂「先進燃料循環系統」，
05:46
where you reprocess.
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可以對用過的核燃料再處理。
05:48
Now, this is the normal way it's done.
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目前這是常規的做法。
05:51
It's got the huge advantage that it
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它最大的優點就在於
05:53
does not create carbon pollution.
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不造成碳污染。
05:56
It has a lot of disadvantages:
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它也有很多缺點─
05:58
each one of these steps is extremely expensive,
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這裡的每個環節都非常費錢，
06:01
it's potentially dangerous
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它有安全隱患，
06:03
and they have the interesting property that the step
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它的一個有趣的特點就是它的處理步驟
06:05
cannot be performed in anyone's backyard,
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無法在普通人後院實施，
06:07
which is a problem.
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這就很成問題了。
06:09
So, our reactor eliminates these steps,
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所以，我們的反應爐淘汰了這些步驟
06:13
which, if we can actually make it work, is a really cool thing.
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如果我們真的能成功，那就太酷了。
06:17
Now, it's kind of nuts to work on a new nuclear reactor.
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這個，研究新型的核反應爐是有點瘋狂。
06:20
There's -- no reactor's been even built
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現在，沒人在製造反應爐
06:23
to an old design, much less a new one, in the United States
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無論是舊式的，更別提新式的了，整個美國都沒有
06:25
for 25 years.
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已經25年了。
06:28
It's the kind of very high-risk, but potentially very high-return
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這是一項高風險，但是可能是更高回報的
06:31
thing that we do.
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研究，這就是我們在做的。
06:34
Changing into a totally different field,
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現在切換到另一個完全不同的領域，
06:36
we do a lot of stuff in solid state physics,
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我們研究很多固態物理學的東西，
06:38
particularly in an area called metamaterials.
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尤其是一個稱為「超材料」的領域。
06:40
A metamaterial is an artificial material,
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所謂超材料就是一種人工製造的材料，
06:44
which manipulates, in this case, electromagnetic radiation,
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我們想做的這種可以控制電磁輻射，
06:47
in a way that you couldn't otherwise.
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它的特性是獨一無二的。
06:50
So, this device here is an invisibility cloak.
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因此，這裡這個儀器就叫隱形斗篷。
06:55
It may not seem that, but if you were a microwave,
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看上去可能不太像，但是如果你是一束微波，
06:58
this is how you would view it.
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你看到的就是這樣的。
07:00
Rays of light -- in this case, microwave light --
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光線─在這裡就是微波光線─
07:02
come in, and they just squish around the cell,
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照過來，然後它們繞過這個小室
07:05
and they come back the other side.
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然後從另一頭出來。
07:07
Now, you could do that with mirrors from one angle.
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嗯，你可以用鏡子從某個角度做到這樣。
07:09
The cool thing is, this does it from all angles.
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但更酷的是，這個儀器能做到全方位。
07:12
Metamaterials, unfortunately --
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這個超材料，很不幸─
07:14
A, it only works on microwave,
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第一，它只適用於微波，
07:17
and B, it doesn't work all that well yet.
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第二，它時靈時不靈。
07:19
But metamaterials are an incredibly exciting field.
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但是超材料是一個極其激動人心的領域。
07:22
It's -- you know, today I'd like to say
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它是，你知道目前我喜歡這麼說，
07:24
it's a zero billion dollar business, but,
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它是一個0億產業，但是
07:26
in fact, it's negative.
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事實上，還要倒貼錢。
07:29
But some day, some day, maybe it's going to work.
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說不定哪天，有那麼一天，它也許就成功了。
07:33
We do a lot of work in biomedical fields.
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我們還做很多生物醫學領域的東西。
07:36
In this case, we're working with a major medical foundation
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這裡我們和一個大型醫藥研究基金合作
07:39
to develop inexpensive ways of diagnosing
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開發一種便宜的診斷方法
07:42
diseases in developing countries.
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在開發中國家使用。
07:45
So, they say the eyes are the windows of the soul --
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有人說眼睛是靈魂之窗─
07:47
turns out they're a window to a whole lot more stuff.
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事實上它們是很多東西的窗口。
07:50
And these happen to be my eyes, by the way.
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順便說一下，這是我的眼睛。
07:55
Now, I'm also very interested in cooking.
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還有，我對烹飪也很有興趣。
07:58
While I was at Microsoft, I took a leave of absence
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當我在微軟時，我曾經請大假
08:01
and went to a chef school in France.
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跑去法國上一個廚師學校。
08:03
I used to work, also while at Microsoft,
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當我在微軟工作時，我同時還在
08:05
at a leading restaurant in Seattle,
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西雅圖一個很出名的餐廳幹活，
08:09
so I do a lot of cooking.
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所以說，我燒過不少菜呢。
08:11
I've been on a team that won
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我曾經加入一個團隊，贏得
08:13
the world championship of barbecue.
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燒烤世界冠軍。
08:16
But barbecue's interesting, because it's one of these cult foods
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燒烤很有意思，因為它是人們瘋狂熱愛的食物
08:19
like chili, or bouillabaisse.
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類似辣椒，或馬賽海鮮湯。
08:21
Various parts of the world will have a cult food
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不同的地方會有自己的一種狂熱食物
08:23
that people get enormously attached to --
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有超多的人吃得上癮。
08:25
there's tremendous traditions, there's secrecy.
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關於這類食物有驚人的傳統，也有秘方，
08:28
And I'm trying to use a very
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而我走的是一條非常
08:30
scientific approach.
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科學的路線。
08:32
So, this is my latest cooker,
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這就是我最新的爐子，
08:35
and if this looks more complicated than the nuclear reactor,
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可能它看上去比核反應爐還複雜，
08:39
that's because it is.
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因為確實如此。
08:42
But if you get to play with all those knobs and dials --
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但是如果你真玩起這些旋鈕和轉盤─
08:45
and of course, really the controller over there does it all on software --
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當然真正在那兒控制整個過程的都是電腦軟體─
08:48
you can make some terrific ribs.
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你能做出無與倫比的大肉排。
08:51
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
08:54
This is a high-speed centrifuge.
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這是一個高速離心機。
08:56
You should all have one in your kitchen,
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你們每個人都應該在廚房裡裝一個
08:58
beside your Turbochef.
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就放在你的急速烤箱旁邊。
09:00
This subjects food to a force about 50,000 times
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它讓食物承受5萬倍
09:02
that of normal gravity,
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重力的力量，
09:04
and oh boy, does it clarify chicken stock.
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我的老天爺啊，它能不能做出清澈的高湯？
09:07
You would not believe it!
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結果令人難以置信。
09:10
I perform a series of ghoulish experiments
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我還做過一系列極其殘忍的實驗
09:12
on food --
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針對食物的─
09:14
in this case, trying to calibrate a mathematical model
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在這裡，我試圖校驗出一套數學模型
09:17
so that one can predict exactly
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可以讓人精確預測
09:19
what the internal cooking times are.
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內部的烹煮時間。
09:21
It turns out, A, it's useful, and for a geek like me, it's fun.
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結果確實管用，而且對我這種科技迷來說也很有趣。
09:24
Theory is red,
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理論是紅色線條，
09:26
black is experiment.
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黑色是實驗結果。
09:28
So, I'm either really good at faking it,
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所以我要不就是非常精於作弊，
09:31
or this particular model seems to work.
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要不就說明這個模型是有用的。
09:34
So, another random thing I do
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嗯，我做的另一件事
09:36
is the search for extraterrestrial intelligence,
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就是尋找外星人
09:38
or SETI.
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簡稱SETI。
09:40
And you may be familiar with the movie "Contact,"
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可能你們都熟悉一個電影叫《接觸未來》，
09:42
which sort of popularized that.
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這電影使SETI被大家瞭解。
09:44
It turns out there are real people who go out
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事實上真的有人
09:46
and search for extraterrestrials in a very scientific way.
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以非常科學的方法尋找外星人。
09:50
In fact, almost everybody in the movie
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其實，電影裡幾乎每個人
09:53
is based on a real character, a real person.
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都取材於某個真實的角色，一個真人。
09:56
So, the Jodie Foster character here
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所以，茱蒂‧福斯特扮演的
09:58
is actually this woman, Jill Tarter,
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其實是這位女士，Jill Tarter，
10:01
and Jill has dedicated her life to this.
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Jill畢生都在找尋外星人。
10:05
You know, a lot of people risk their lives
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要知道，有很多人可能會冒著生命危險在
10:07
in a brief act of heroism,
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一時的英勇行為上，
10:09
which is kind of cool,
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這也很酷，
10:11
but Jill has
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但是Jill的所作所為
10:13
what I call slow heroism.
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我稱為緩發的英雄主義。
10:15
She is risking her professional life on something
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根據她自己的計算
10:18
that her own calculations show
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她將她的學術生涯花在一個
10:21
may not work for a thousand years -- may not ever.
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一千年─也可能是永遠─都可能沒結果的研究。
10:25
So, I like to support people that are risking their lives.
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所以我喜歡支持這些拿自己的一生冒險的人。
10:28
After the movie came out, of course, there was a lot of interest in SETI.
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電影上映以後，當然，很多人開始對SETI感興趣。
10:31
My kids saw the movie,
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我的孩子也看了電影，
10:33
and afterwards they came to me and they said,
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看完以後他們跑來問我，
10:35
"So, Dad, so -- so --
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「所以，爸爸，所以所以─
10:37
that character -- that's Jill, right?"
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那個女的─就是Jill，對不對？」
10:39
I said, "Oh, yeah, yeah -- absolutely."
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我說：「啊，對對─當然是啊。」
10:41
"And that other person, that's someone -- " I said, "Yes."
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「那，另外那個人，也是真人─」我說「沒錯。」
10:43
They said, "Well, you know that creepy rich guy in the movie?
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他們又問：「那，你知道電影裡那個古里古怪的有錢人嗎？
10:47
Is that you?"
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就是你吧？」
10:49
I said, "Well, you know, it's just a movie! Come on."
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我說，哎呀，你知道，那只是個電影呀！別亂說！
10:51
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
10:55
So, the SETI Institute,
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因此，SETI學會，
10:57
with a little bit of help from me, and a lot of help from Paul Allen
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在我的小小幫助，以及Paul Allen 的大力支持下，
10:59
and a variety of other people,
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還有一大群別的人參與，
11:01
is building a dedicated radio telescope
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建造了一個專門的電波望遠鏡，
11:03
in Hat Creek, California,
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位於加州的Hat Creek，
11:05
so they can do this SETI work.
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從而可以展開這項SETI計畫。
11:08
Now, I travel a lot, and I change cell phones a lot,
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如今，我到處旅行，而且經常換手機，
11:10
and the one person who always gets updated
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有一個人總是得到及時更新
11:12
on all my cell phones and pagers and everything else
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我所有的手機，call機，以及各種通訊工具，
11:15
is Jill, because I really don't want to miss
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那就是Jill，因為我真的不想錯過
11:17
"the call."
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外星人打來的「那通電話」。
11:19
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
11:21
I mean, can you imagine? E.T.'s phoning home,
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我的意思是，你能想像嗎？ET打電話到我家，
11:23
and I'm not, like, there? You know, horrible!
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而我竟然不在？知道了吧，太糟糕了！
11:27
So, I do a lot of work on dinosaurs.
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另外，我還研究恐龍。
11:30
I'm known to TEDsters as the guy that has sex with dinosaurs.
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TED人都知道我是那個和恐龍穿一條褲子的人。
11:33
And I resemble that remark.
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我差不多就是那樣。
11:36
I'm going to talk about a different aspect of dinosaurs,
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我要說說關於恐龍不同方面的話題，
11:38
which is the finding of them.
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尋找恐龍（化石）。
11:41
Now, to find dinosaurs, you hike around in horrible conditions
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為了尋找恐龍（化石），你要在艱苦的環境中，靠步行
11:44
looking for a dinosaur.
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來尋找牠們。
11:46
It sounds really dumb, but that's what it is.
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這聽上去真的很蠢，但事實就是如此。
11:48
It's horrible conditions, because
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環境艱苦是因為
11:50
wherever you have nice weather,
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凡是氣候好的地方，
11:52
plants grow,
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植物也茂盛。
11:54
and you don't get any erosion, and you don't see any dinosaurs.
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而沒有侵蝕風化，就看不到恐龍。
11:56
So, you always find dinosaurs
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所以你要找恐龍
11:59
in deserts or badlands,
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就必須去沙漠或戈壁─
12:01
areas that have very little plant growth
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那裡幾乎寸草不生
12:03
and have flash floods in the spring.
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而且春天還會發洪水。
12:05
You know, skiers pray for snow?
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你知道嗎，滑雪的傢伙求雪，
12:07
Paleontologists pray for erosion.
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古生物學家求風化。
12:10
So, you hike around
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所以就得到處走
12:12
and -- this is after you dig them up, they look like this.
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而這就是挖掘出來以後─它們就是這樣的。
12:15
You hike around, you see something like this.
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你走來走去，看到類似這樣的東西。
12:17
Now, this is something I found, so look at it very closely here.
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這個就是我發現的，要非常非常仔細看這裡。
12:20
You've got this bentonite clay,
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你看到的這個是由火山灰分解而得的膨潤土
12:23
which is -- sort of swells up and expands.
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它有點膨脹隆起。
12:26
And there's some stuff poking out. So, you look at that,
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這裡有什麼東西伸出來。於是你看著它，
12:28
and you look up close, and you say,
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再湊近了看，然後說，
12:30
"Well, gee, that's kind of interesting. What are all of these pieces?"
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「哎呦喂，有點意思─這些小片片是啥？」
12:35
Well, if you look closely, you can recognize, actually,
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嗯，如果你離近了看，你就能辨認出來，真的
12:37
from the shape, that these are skull fragments.
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根據它的形狀可以看出，這些是頭骨碎片。
12:40
And then when you look at this,
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而當你看到這個時，
12:42
you say, "That's a tooth.
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你會說「這是一顆牙。
12:44
It's a big tooth."
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一顆很大的牙。」
12:46
It's about the size of a banana.
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這個大約有香蕉那麼大。
12:49
It has a big serration on the edge.
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在邊緣有巨大的鋸齒。
12:51
This is what Tyrannosaurus rex looks like in the ground.
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這就是暴龍埋在土裡時的樣子。
12:54
And this is what it's like to find a Tyrannosaurus rex,
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這就是發現暴龍的場景，
12:57
which I was lucky enough to do a few years ago.
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我很幸運在幾年前找到了。
13:01
Now, this is what Tyrannosaurus rex looks like in my living room.
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這個就是暴龍在我家的樣子。
13:07
Not the same one, actually. This is a cast, which I had bought,
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當然不是我發現的那個。是我之前買的石膏模型。
13:10
and then, after buying the cast, I found my own,
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後來，在買了這個模型之後，我才發現我自己的那個。
13:12
and I don't have room for two.
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而我沒地方放兩個暴龍。
13:16
You know.
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是吧。
13:18
So, the thing that's wonderful for me about finding dinosaurs
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那麼對我來說尋找恐龍的美妙之處就在於
13:21
is that it is both an intellectual thing,
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它同時也是一個思考的過程，
13:24
because you're trying to reconstruct the environment
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因為你要嘗試重現的地理環境
13:27
of millions of years ago.
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可是數百萬年前的。
13:29
It's something that can inform all sorts of science
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它能以意想不到的方式
13:31
in unexpected ways.
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提供資訊給科學各學門。
13:33
The study of dinosaurs led to the realization
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對恐龍的研究讓我們認識到
13:36
that there's a problem with asteroid impact,
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小行星撞擊會造成問題，
13:38
for example.
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就是一個例子。
13:40
The study of dinosaurs may, literally,
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研究恐龍可能真的
13:42
one day save the planet.
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在某天就拯救了地球。
13:44
Study of the ancient climate is very important.
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研究遠古時期的氣候也很重要。
13:46
In fact, the Mesozoic, when dinosaurs lived,
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事實上，恐龍生存的中生代
13:48
had much higher CO2 than today,
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二氧化碳的含量要遠遠高於現在，
13:50
was much warmer than today, and is one of the interesting proof points
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也比現在溫暖很多，這是一個有趣的證據指明
13:53
for the effects of CO2 on climate.
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二氧化碳對氣候的影響。
13:57
But, besides being intellectually
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但是除了智識
14:00
and scientifically interesting, it's also very different
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和科學上的興趣，它還不同於我做的其他事
14:03
than the other things I do, because you get to hike around in the badlands.
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因為你必須在不毛之地靠步行尋找。
14:07
This is actually what most dinosaur research looks like.
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這恰恰就是研究恐龍的大部份工作。
14:09
This is one of my papers: "A pygostyle from a non-avian theropod."
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這是我的一篇論文《非鳥獸腳類恐龍的尾綜骨》
14:13
It's not as gripping as dinosaur sex,
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這些沒有恐龍性生活那麼吸引人，
14:15
so we're not going to go into it further.
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所以我們就此打住了。
14:18
Now, I'm also really big on photography.
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現在，我還特喜歡攝影。
14:21
I travel all over the world taking pictures --
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我環遊世界到處拍照─
14:25
some of them good, most of them not.
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有些不錯，大部份都很爛。
14:27
These days, bits are cheap. Unfortunately, that means
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這年頭存儲材料很便宜。不幸的是那意味著
14:29
you've got to spend more time sorting through them.
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你得花費更多的時間整理這些照片。
14:33
Here's a picture I took in the Falkland Islands
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這張照片是我在福克蘭群島拍的
14:35
of king penguins on a beach.
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海灘上的國王企鵝。
14:39
Here's a picture I took in Alaska, a few years ago, of Orcas.
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這是我幾年前在阿拉斯加拍到的殺人鯨。
14:42
I'd gone up to photograph Orcas,
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我是特意跑去拍殺人鯨的，
14:44
and we had looked for a week,
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然後我們找了一星期
14:46
and we hadn't seen a damn Orca.
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連個殺人鯨的鬼影都沒見到。
14:48
And the last day, the sun comes out,
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到了最後一天，太陽出來了，
14:50
the Orcas come, they're right by the boat. It's fantastic.
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殺人鯨也出現了，它們就在船邊，一切都無比神奇。
14:53
And I get lots of pictures like this.
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結果我就拍了一堆這類的照片。
14:56
Then, a little bit later,
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然後，過了一會兒，
14:58
I start getting some pictures like this.
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我開始拍到這樣的照片。
15:00
Now, to a human audience, I need to explain that
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嗯，針對人類觀眾，我需要解釋一下
15:04
if Penthouse magazine had a marine mammal edition,
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如果閣樓雜誌有一個海洋哺乳動物版，
15:07
this would be the centerfold.
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那這個就是中心彩色折頁。
15:11
It's true.
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千真萬確。
15:13
So, there's more and more activity near the boat,
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然後在船周圍這樣的活動越來越多，
15:15
and all of a sudden somebody shouts,
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突然某人喊了起來，
15:17
"What's that in the water?"
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「水裡的那個是什麼？」
15:21
I said, "Well, I think that's what you call a free willy."
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我回答：「唉，我想這就是你們說的威鯨闖天關。」
15:24
(Laughter)
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（電影名諧音「自由的陽具」）（觀眾笑聲）
15:28
There's a variety of things you can learn from watching whales have sex.
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你能從觀看鯨魚做愛的過程學到很多各種各樣的東西。
15:31
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
15:34
The first thing you learn
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你學到的第一件事就是
15:36
is the overwhelming importance of hands.
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手的重要性是壓倒一切的。
15:39
They don't have them.
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它們沒手。
15:41
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
15:43
I think Paul Simon is in the audience,
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我想Paul Simon 今天也來了，
15:45
and he has --
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他曾經─
15:47
he may not realize it, but he wrote a song all about whale sex,
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他可能自己沒意識到，但是他的確寫了一首關於鯨魚愛愛的歌：
15:50
"Slip-Slidin' Away."
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〈漸滑漸遠〉
15:53
That's kind of what it's like.
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唱的就是這個。
15:56
The other interesting thing that I learned about whale sex:
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我從鯨魚性愛中學到的另一個有趣的事就是：
16:00
they curl their toes too.
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它們也會勾腳趾。
16:03
(Laughter)
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（觀眾笑聲）
16:06
So --
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那麼─
16:08
where do you go putting all of these disparate pieces together?
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所有這些東拉西扯的東西應該歸到何處呢？
16:11
You know, there's a tremendous amount of wisdom
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你們都知道，有很多很多聰明的人
16:13
in finding a great thing, passion in life,
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都是尋找一生中一件偉大的東西，一個愛好，
16:17
and focusing all your energy on it,
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然後把所有的精力都投入在上面，
16:20
and I've never been able to do that.
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而我就一直做不到這樣。
16:22
I just -- you know, because, yes,
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我就是─你們都知道，是的，
16:25
I'll focus passion on something,
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我老是對某個東西非常有熱情，
16:27
but then there will be something else, and then there's something else again.
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但是之後又會對別的東西有興趣，然後又會有別的東西出現。
16:29
And for a long time I fought this, and I thought,
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很長時間我都為此而掙扎，我想：
16:31
"Well, gee, I really ought to buckle down."
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「唉，好了，我真得應該定下心了。」
16:33
And you know, when I was at Microsoft,
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而要知道，當我還在微軟的時候，
16:35
that was so engrossing,
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那時是多麼引人入勝，
16:37
and the whole industry was expanding so much,
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整個產業正在急速擴張
16:40
that it did tend to crowd out most of the other things in my life.
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那時這個工作的確擠掉了我生活中大部份的其他事情。
16:44
But ultimately,
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但是最終，
16:46
I decided
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我決定
16:48
that what I really ought to do is not fight being who I am,
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我真正應該做的就是不要再跟自己對抗，
16:51
but embrace it.
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而是接受這樣的自己。
16:53
And say, "Yeah, you know, I --
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然後說：「對，你們也知道，我─
16:55
this whole talk has been a mile wide and an inch deep,
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這整個演講博雜有餘，但是專精不足，.
16:58
but that's really what works for me."
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但這真的很適合我。」
17:01
And regardless of whether it's nuclear reactors
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不管是核反應爐還是超材料
17:03
or metamaterials or whale sex,
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還是鯨魚愛愛，
17:07
the common -- or lowest common denominator -- is me.
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其共同之處─或說最小公分母─就是我。
17:10
That's it, thank you.
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就是這樣，謝謝大家。
17:12
(Applause)
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（觀眾掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nathan Myhrvold - PolymathNathan Myhrvold is a professional jack-of-all-trades. After leaving Microsoft in 1999, he's been a world barbecue champion, a wildlife photographer, a chef, a contributor to SETI, and a volcano explorer.
Why you should listen
Since leaving his post as Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer in 1999 (with fortune in tow), Nathan Myhrvold has been a professional exemplar of the spirit of the "Renaissance Man," proudly following his interests wherever they've led. His dispersed passions have triggered an impressive list of accomplishments, including world barbecue championships, major archeological finds (several Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons), prize-winning wildlife photography, building a section of Babbage's Difference Engine #2, s, and a new and consuming interest in the sous-vide cooking technique.
Malcolm Gladwell's 2008 New Yorker profile of him revealed an impish but truly inspired character whose latest company, Intellectual Ventures -- which brainstorms and patents a wide array of inventions -- has been accused in some quarters of acting like a 'patent troll' but is described by Myhrvold as "a disruptive organization providing an efficient way for patent holders to get paid for the inventions they own, and... for technology companies to gain easy access to the invention rights they need." After funding big-vision projects such as the Allen Telescope Array, exploring active volcanoes and investigating penguin digestion, Myhrvold insists that his hobbies aren't as discursive as they seem. They do have a common denominator, after all: him.
Nathan Myhrvold | Speaker | TED.com