Monday, January 29, 2007
Nothing much has been happening in my life since the New Year.
In terms of research, a good analogy of my current position is that basically I'm in the valley between two huge mountains. I've just scaled the first mountain, which is the mountain of experimental research; and now I'm about to climb the second mountain to reach my final destination, and that mountain is consolidating the research, publishing the results as well as the writing of my Ph.D. thesis.
To me right now, it's a scarily daunting task. It's like looking up at the peak and there seems to be no end to the journey. And I think that it is the wrong way to look at the mission. I have to break it down, the journey contains a mid-way station, and there are probably a few more stops in the middle as well. And that's what I plan to do.
In the mean time, I have also confirmed my attendance at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2007 in Italy (ICRA'07). The paper has been accepted so that means a month-long trip to Europe, with a short stop-over in Malaysia for a few days in early April. The conference is in Rome, starting one day after Easter Sunday, and I hope to catch a glimpse of Easter in the Vatican and Rome on that day. My trip includes a lab visit in Pisa, vacation in Rome, Florence and Venice. We may travel northeast to Paris, before visiting my brother in London and then flying home to Australia. I'm looking forward to it.
I've also started preparing my own lunches and cooking more dinners at home. These days my lunch will either be sandwiches with cheese and ham or salami, and maybe some green sandwich veges, or intentional leftovers from the previous dinner. Now that I'm not working and only getting a $500 per week stipend, I aim to save up more money for the Italy trip. I don't think I'll be able to save much, since the rent already takes up 40% of my stipend, but I hope to not use any of the money I've got in the bank for day-to-day expenses.
And believe me, I'm not a bad cook myself. I can refer several, in fact more than 10, who agrees. I hope.
Till next time!
In terms of research, a good analogy of my current position is that basically I'm in the valley between two huge mountains. I've just scaled the first mountain, which is the mountain of experimental research; and now I'm about to climb the second mountain to reach my final destination, and that mountain is consolidating the research, publishing the results as well as the writing of my Ph.D. thesis.
To me right now, it's a scarily daunting task. It's like looking up at the peak and there seems to be no end to the journey. And I think that it is the wrong way to look at the mission. I have to break it down, the journey contains a mid-way station, and there are probably a few more stops in the middle as well. And that's what I plan to do.
In the mean time, I have also confirmed my attendance at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 2007 in Italy (ICRA'07). The paper has been accepted so that means a month-long trip to Europe, with a short stop-over in Malaysia for a few days in early April. The conference is in Rome, starting one day after Easter Sunday, and I hope to catch a glimpse of Easter in the Vatican and Rome on that day. My trip includes a lab visit in Pisa, vacation in Rome, Florence and Venice. We may travel northeast to Paris, before visiting my brother in London and then flying home to Australia. I'm looking forward to it.
I've also started preparing my own lunches and cooking more dinners at home. These days my lunch will either be sandwiches with cheese and ham or salami, and maybe some green sandwich veges, or intentional leftovers from the previous dinner. Now that I'm not working and only getting a $500 per week stipend, I aim to save up more money for the Italy trip. I don't think I'll be able to save much, since the rent already takes up 40% of my stipend, but I hope to not use any of the money I've got in the bank for day-to-day expenses.
And believe me, I'm not a bad cook myself. I can refer several, in fact more than 10, who agrees. I hope.
Till next time!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Thanks to those who shopped and bought groceries at Woolworth's on Tuesday. Woolies has managed to raise $4.7 million for drought victims and farmers from Tuesday's profits.
Link
Link
Interesting Article, but not for the faint-hearted!
_______________________________________________________________________________
What food causes flatulence?
It's happened to us all. You're standing in a lift when suddenly that silent but deadly smell spreads through the air. Michael set out to ascertain what kind of foods are most likely to cause flatulence.
The test
Toilet humour starts in our school days. Whether we're two or 20, we can find flatulence funny but this laughing gas is also a social embarrassment and a source of domestic strife.
Vic and Kathy Hanisch have survived decades of marriage — despite Vic's colon coughs. On average, men will do it 14 times a day. Vic got his title of trumpeter by letting rip at least 25 times a day.
"If I'm alone or with friends it's easier to get it out as opposed to in a shopping centre or so forth," says Vic.
"He lets it go there too and that's what really irritates me," objects Kathy. "If we are in a shopping centre, he just lets it go."
Says Vic, "But they don't stink!"
Vic blames his vegetarian diet for his wind. According to gastroenterologist Professor Terry Bolin, Vic's right. He says up to 90 percent of wind is down to the food you eat.
"Over a 24-hour period you might produce two and a half litres a day of gas and two litres is what you might find in an average party balloon that you blow up, so it's quite substantial," says Prof. Bolin.
Gas is caused by fibre, starch and some complex sugars that aren't easily digested. They're fermented by bacteria in the colon, producing hydrogen, methane and hydrogen sulphide gases. These gases are expelled as wind.
Which foods produce the most gas? Most people blame baked beans — are they right?
To find out, we enlist the help of a very accommodating bunch of guys from the local footy team.
For one day, each of our volunteers eats only one food. Simon gets the pre-match favourite, baked beans. For Clint it's veggies, especially cabbage and broccoli. Tim will be our eggs-pert. Joey does dairy and it's meat for Matt. Chris gets the plum job — fart master.
"The difficult thing with being a fart master is trying to actually count how many farts they actually do," says Chris.
Fart master Chris is being kept busy. One thing he has noticed is a variation in quality. Some are loud and some are smelly — why are they different?
"The volume influences the loudness — the greater the volume the louder the fart," says Prof. Bolin.
The smell depends on the amount of sulphur you eat. Sulphur is found in meat, eggs and some veggies. Therefore, a nice plate of sausage and egg should produce some real stink bombs — but surprisingly, only for half of us.
"The population is roughly divided into those who aren't going to produce hydrogen sulphide gas, which is the cause of the aroma, and those who do," explains Prof. Bolin. "That depends on the bacteria you've got in very large quantities in your colon."
By the end of the day Clint and his cabbage are out in front with a score of 13. He's ahead of the pre-match favourite, Simon and his baked beans on 11. A long night lies ahead for our fart master who has to stay awake in this roomful of stinkers and keep score.
The results
By morning Matt, who ate meat, is at the bottom of the table with eight farts. Next is Joey on 13 with his dairy diet. Eggs gave Tim a total of 17 and Clint's veggies ended up in second place with 29. The big winner by a long margin was Simon and the baked beans with a whopping windy score of 37.
Beans really do deserve their reputation. It seems they're a deadly combination of fibre and complex sugars — two of the three biggest wind producers. They pass straight to the colon, where the bacteria think it's party time.
Conclusion
Says Prof. Bolin, "Farting is not a symptom of disease — in fact, it's sign of good health. You're eating a healthy diet and paying the price for it by eating more fibre than next person."
The best way to fight flatulence is to limit the trigger foods; those beans; vegetables like cabbage and broccoli; smelly eggs, and fizzy drinks, which fill you up with gas.
If you're really self conscious, you could perhaps try a carbon cushion, designed to absorb those silent but deadly aromas.
If you're worried you've got a problem with excessive flatulence, talk to your doctor about it.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
What food causes flatulence?
It's happened to us all. You're standing in a lift when suddenly that silent but deadly smell spreads through the air. Michael set out to ascertain what kind of foods are most likely to cause flatulence.
The test
Toilet humour starts in our school days. Whether we're two or 20, we can find flatulence funny but this laughing gas is also a social embarrassment and a source of domestic strife.
Vic and Kathy Hanisch have survived decades of marriage — despite Vic's colon coughs. On average, men will do it 14 times a day. Vic got his title of trumpeter by letting rip at least 25 times a day.
"If I'm alone or with friends it's easier to get it out as opposed to in a shopping centre or so forth," says Vic.
"He lets it go there too and that's what really irritates me," objects Kathy. "If we are in a shopping centre, he just lets it go."
Says Vic, "But they don't stink!"
Vic blames his vegetarian diet for his wind. According to gastroenterologist Professor Terry Bolin, Vic's right. He says up to 90 percent of wind is down to the food you eat.
"Over a 24-hour period you might produce two and a half litres a day of gas and two litres is what you might find in an average party balloon that you blow up, so it's quite substantial," says Prof. Bolin.
Gas is caused by fibre, starch and some complex sugars that aren't easily digested. They're fermented by bacteria in the colon, producing hydrogen, methane and hydrogen sulphide gases. These gases are expelled as wind.
Which foods produce the most gas? Most people blame baked beans — are they right?
To find out, we enlist the help of a very accommodating bunch of guys from the local footy team.
For one day, each of our volunteers eats only one food. Simon gets the pre-match favourite, baked beans. For Clint it's veggies, especially cabbage and broccoli. Tim will be our eggs-pert. Joey does dairy and it's meat for Matt. Chris gets the plum job — fart master.
"The difficult thing with being a fart master is trying to actually count how many farts they actually do," says Chris.
Fart master Chris is being kept busy. One thing he has noticed is a variation in quality. Some are loud and some are smelly — why are they different?
"The volume influences the loudness — the greater the volume the louder the fart," says Prof. Bolin.
The smell depends on the amount of sulphur you eat. Sulphur is found in meat, eggs and some veggies. Therefore, a nice plate of sausage and egg should produce some real stink bombs — but surprisingly, only for half of us.
"The population is roughly divided into those who aren't going to produce hydrogen sulphide gas, which is the cause of the aroma, and those who do," explains Prof. Bolin. "That depends on the bacteria you've got in very large quantities in your colon."
By the end of the day Clint and his cabbage are out in front with a score of 13. He's ahead of the pre-match favourite, Simon and his baked beans on 11. A long night lies ahead for our fart master who has to stay awake in this roomful of stinkers and keep score.
The results
By morning Matt, who ate meat, is at the bottom of the table with eight farts. Next is Joey on 13 with his dairy diet. Eggs gave Tim a total of 17 and Clint's veggies ended up in second place with 29. The big winner by a long margin was Simon and the baked beans with a whopping windy score of 37.
Beans really do deserve their reputation. It seems they're a deadly combination of fibre and complex sugars — two of the three biggest wind producers. They pass straight to the colon, where the bacteria think it's party time.
Conclusion
Says Prof. Bolin, "Farting is not a symptom of disease — in fact, it's sign of good health. You're eating a healthy diet and paying the price for it by eating more fibre than next person."
The best way to fight flatulence is to limit the trigger foods; those beans; vegetables like cabbage and broccoli; smelly eggs, and fizzy drinks, which fill you up with gas.
If you're really self conscious, you could perhaps try a carbon cushion, designed to absorb those silent but deadly aromas.
If you're worried you've got a problem with excessive flatulence, talk to your doctor about it.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Weird Celebrity Child Names
Pity the child of a celebrity - they are quite likely to have an insane name thrust upon them as these shockers prove!
Victoria Beckham / David Beckham - Brooklyn, Romeo
Pamela Anderson / Tommy Lee - Brandon Thomas, Dylan Jagger
Gwyneth Paltrow / Chris Martin - Apple
50-Cent - Bow-TY
Paula Yates / Bob Geldof - Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom
Paula Yates / Michael Hutchence - Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lilly
Michael Jackson - Prince Michael, Prince Michael II, Paris Michael
Courtney Cox Arquette / David Arquette - Coco
Kurt Cobain / Courtney Love - Frances Bean
Johnny Depp / Vanessa Paradis - Lily-Rose Melody
Jermaine Jackson / Hazel Gordy - Jermaine Jr., Jaimy, Autumn
Simon LeBon (Duran Duran) / Yasmine Singer (Model) - Amber Rose, Saffron Sahara, Tallulah Pine
Spike Lee (Director) / Tonya Linette Lewis (Actor) - Satchel
Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) / Donna D'errico (Baywatch) - Storm, Gunner, Frankie-Jean, Dekker-Nilson,
Frank Zappa (Singer) - Dweezil, Ahmet Rodan Moon Unit, Diva
Mia Farrow / Woody Allen - Satchel
Julia / Jamie Oliver - Daisy Boo, Poppy
Demi Moore / Bruce Willis - Rumer, Scout
Arlyn / John Phoenix - River, Leaf
Madonna / Guy Ritchie - Rocco
Sarah Ferguson / Prince Andrew - Eugenie
Angie / David Bowie - Zowie
Mel C / Jimmy Gulzar - Phoenix Chi
Eddie Van Halen / Valerie Bertinelli - Wolfgang
Peter Andre / Jordan - Junior Andre
Liv Tyler / Royston Langdon - Milo
Bono - Elijah Bob Patricus Guggi Q (that's right, one name), Jordan, Eve
Forest Whitaker - Ocean, True, Sonnet
Robert Rodriguez (Director) - Racer, Rebel, Rocket
Will Smith / Jada Pinkett Smith - Willow
Bob Marley - Ziggy
Eddie Murphy - Zola
Jason Lee - Pilot Inspektor
Jonathan Davis (Korn) - Pirate
Nicholas Cage / Alice Kim Cage - Kal-el
Pity the child of a celebrity - they are quite likely to have an insane name thrust upon them as these shockers prove!
Victoria Beckham / David Beckham - Brooklyn, Romeo
Pamela Anderson / Tommy Lee - Brandon Thomas, Dylan Jagger
Gwyneth Paltrow / Chris Martin - Apple
50-Cent - Bow-TY
Paula Yates / Bob Geldof - Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom
Paula Yates / Michael Hutchence - Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lilly
Michael Jackson - Prince Michael, Prince Michael II, Paris Michael
Courtney Cox Arquette / David Arquette - Coco
Kurt Cobain / Courtney Love - Frances Bean
Johnny Depp / Vanessa Paradis - Lily-Rose Melody
Jermaine Jackson / Hazel Gordy - Jermaine Jr., Jaimy, Autumn
Simon LeBon (Duran Duran) / Yasmine Singer (Model) - Amber Rose, Saffron Sahara, Tallulah Pine
Spike Lee (Director) / Tonya Linette Lewis (Actor) - Satchel
Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) / Donna D'errico (Baywatch) - Storm, Gunner, Frankie-Jean, Dekker-Nilson,
Frank Zappa (Singer) - Dweezil, Ahmet Rodan Moon Unit, Diva
Mia Farrow / Woody Allen - Satchel
Julia / Jamie Oliver - Daisy Boo, Poppy
Demi Moore / Bruce Willis - Rumer, Scout
Arlyn / John Phoenix - River, Leaf
Madonna / Guy Ritchie - Rocco
Sarah Ferguson / Prince Andrew - Eugenie
Angie / David Bowie - Zowie
Mel C / Jimmy Gulzar - Phoenix Chi
Eddie Van Halen / Valerie Bertinelli - Wolfgang
Peter Andre / Jordan - Junior Andre
Liv Tyler / Royston Langdon - Milo
Bono - Elijah Bob Patricus Guggi Q (that's right, one name), Jordan, Eve
Forest Whitaker - Ocean, True, Sonnet
Robert Rodriguez (Director) - Racer, Rebel, Rocket
Will Smith / Jada Pinkett Smith - Willow
Bob Marley - Ziggy
Eddie Murphy - Zola
Jason Lee - Pilot Inspektor
Jonathan Davis (Korn) - Pirate
Nicholas Cage / Alice Kim Cage - Kal-el
Monday, January 15, 2007
Woolworths is donating its entire supermarket sales on the *23rd January 2007* to the drought relief. So if you need to grocery shop make sure you do it on this day and help out the drought relief program.
Link
Link
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Check this out on YouTube! Created by some students at MIT, it fondly reminds me of the good old days playing RPG video console and computer games. And it's darn funny and interesting as well!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
A short clip/slideshow of our Xmas and New Year vacation. Enjoy!
