Performance Measures

The performance of a coded communication system is in general measured by its probability of decoding error (called the error probability) and its coding gain over an uncoded system that transmits informatin at the same rate. There are two types of error probability, probability of word (or block) error and probability of bit error. The probability of word error is defined as the probability that a decoded word (or block) at the output of the decoder is in error. This error probability is commonly called the word-error rate (WER) or block-error rate (BLER). The probability of bit error, also called the bit-error rate (BER), is defined as the probability that a decoded information bit at the output of the decoder is in error. A coded communication system should be designed to keep these two error probability as low as possible under certain system constraints, such as power, bandwidth, and decoding complexity.

(p. 15-16, Error Control Coding - 2nd Edition - Shu Lin, Daniel J. Costello - Pearson Education International)

Communication Systems

The goal of a communication system designer is to configure a system that transports a message signal from a source of interest across a noisy channel to a user at the other end of the channel with the following objective:

"The message signal is delivered to the user both efficiently and reliably, subject to certain design constraints: allowable transmit power, available channel bandwidth, and affordable cost of building the system."

(Commuication Systems - 4th Edition - Simon - Haykin)

Happy New Year 2011

Today is the first day of the year 2011!

I would like to say Happy New Year to everyone! Specially I would like to say thanks to my family, my love and all my friends who have been encouraging me in my study and my life!

Wish all you a Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011, welcome new journey!

Love all you,

LHH

A thank you letter

My dear friend,

First of all, I would like to say thank you very much for your help for my Taiwan trip last September. It is such an interesting journey.

In the beginning of the journey, I wondered how I should stay in Taiwan and also worried about the transportation and accommodation. Then, it was very lucky for me when I met you on the http://www.couchsurfing.org/. You have helped me with much important information. What’s more exciting, you did agree to join with me as my tour guide.

I think we had a wonderful time together. We have explored around Taiwan, and I have discovered many beautiful places (spots) in your country as well. You know, those experiences touched my heart.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to you and your family. Hope to meet you in my country, Vietnam, in the near future.

Your friend,

Hoang-Hiep Le

Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam (3/3)

The President Ho-Chi-Minh's Mausoleum

(cont.)

17. President Ho-Chi-Minh's Mausoleum:

- Inaugurated in 1975. It faces Ba-Dinh Square. President Ho's body lies inside a square stone - walled room - on a three tiered platform.

18. No 43, Hang-Ngang Street:

- Here in the 1945, President Ho wrote the famous Declaration of Independence.

19. The Museum of the Revolution:

- Relicas from various phases of the Vietnamese people's patriotic and revolutionary struggle.

20. The Museum of History:

- Developments of the Vietnamese nation. Rich collections of archaeological findings, including some relating to the era of the Hung Kings about 3,000 years ago.

21. The Museum of the Army:

- Great periods of the armed struggle of the Vietnamese people's. War trophies.

22. The Museum of Fine Arts:

- Artistic works ranging from bronze drums (1st millenium B.C) to sculptures, paintings, engravings, and lacquer works by contemporary artists not to mention folk art.

23. Tay-Phuong (West) Pagoda or Sung-Phuc Pagoda:

- 40km from Hanoi, Built in the 8th C., rebuilt in 1680, 1792. Three parallel one - storeyed structures. Its 76 statues carved out of jack-tree wood are valuable art objects. The collection of arhat statues (18th C.) is wonderful.

(A Handbook for the English Language Translator - Hữu Ngọc et al.)

Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam (2/3)

The Khue-Van Pavilion (Van-Mieu)

(cont.)

7. Quan-Su Pagoda (The Ambassadors' Pagoda):

- In the 15th C. it was the site of a Guesthouse for ambassadors coming from buddist countries, with a small pagoda close by. Rebuilt in 1936 - 1942.

8. Ba-Da Pagoda (The Pagoda of the Stone Lady):

- While the soil was being dug for the building of the citadel of Thang-Long (ancient Hanoi), the stone statue of a woman was unearthed. Hence the name of the pagoda.

9. The Temple of the Two Ladies:

- The Trung sisters (1st C.) rose against the Chinese Han invaders. They became queens but were in the end defeated.

10. Quan-Thanh Temple (Tran-Vu Temple):

- Built under the Ly (1010 - 1225); later rebuilt. Tran-Vu was the god of the North. (attributes: a Tortoise and a Snake). Bronze statue (1677): 3.7m in height, 4 tons in weight.

11. Tran-Quoc Pagoda:

- Built probably on the site of an old royal Summer Place. A stele (1639) on its history.

12. The Literature Temple (Van-Mieu):

- Built in 1070; later rebuilt. Dedicated to Confucius. Also the first University in Vietnam. Portico, Khue-Van Pavilion, 82 stone steles bearing the names of the laureates of "Tien si" royal examinations (1484 - 1789).

13. The Temple of the Kneeling Elephants (Voi-Phuc Temple):

- Built under Ly-Thanh-Tong (1054-1072) and dedicated to Ling Lang who used his war elephants to defeat the Chinese Song aggressors. Thu-Le 200 park and lake.

14. Lang Pagoda:

- First built under the Ly dynasty (1010-1225). Statues of the Monk Tu-Dao-Hanh and King Ly-Than-Tong - re-incarnation of Tu-Dao-Hanh - Stone stele (dated 1656).

15. Ngu-xa Pagoda:

- The biggest bronze statue of Buddha in Vietnam.

16. Co-Loa Citadel (Spiral-shaped Citadel):

- In Dong-Anh suburban district. The remains of a fortness with walls arranged in a spiral, built in the 3rd century B.C to serve as capital for King An-Duong-Vuong. Temple to him and Princess My-Chau whose love for her husband caused the fall of the Kingdom.

(to be continued...)

(A Handbook for the English Language Translator - Hữu Ngọc et al.)