My Romance with 21st Technologies

For the past few weeks I have been busy with my romantic encounters with the 21st Century technologies. I had a day with a phone, a week with my notebook, a day with an airplane and several other technologically influenced events.

The Haptic Phone

I pawned my phone last week for I badly needed to live. When I arrived here in Manila from Iloilo (I was there to attend the burial of my grandfather), I realized that I only had 500 pesos in my pocket and I still had 10 days before salary day. How can I survive with 500 pesos in 10 days? So there I walked in the pawnshop, handed over my N70 and took PHP 1,300.00. Imagine, the worth of N70 in the pawnshop, it is only PHP 1,300.00. I bought it for around PHP 10,000.00 and pawned it for only 10% of the actual price.

I ranted my disappointment to Pow and I thought of buying the latest high-edge phone like the Samsung Soul powered by Haptic technology (sounds high-edge for me because of the Haptic thing). Several days after that it dawned to me that my line of reasoning of buying high-tech phone was wrong. Why should I buy something pricey and eventually later on I would pawn it? Hmmmm… does this mean I am foreseeing personal financial shortfalls in the coming months? I should not be thinking of it.

Samsung Soul

Anyway, I would rather not discuss this financial shortfall, but I would rather discuss my thoughts on mobile phone technology.

Haptic technology, what is it? I can’t remember anymore where I first heard this term, maybe from my readings on synaptic or touch-interface technology. Haptic technology, according to wikipedia, ia a technology which interfaces the user via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations and/or motions to the user. Futuristic, isn’t it. Now I am wondering why I can’t see any technology like this in Enterprise of Star Trek, except for some later episodes with the appearance of people from the future.

For me this is the next wave of technology, the touch screen technology, the Haptic technology. Imagine controlling everything my just waving your fingers on the screen or by just simply touching certain icons on the screen. Just like in Matrix Revolution, people in Zion control the gates of Zion with transparent haptic screen. Isn’t it cool to have this kind of computer or gadget?

Zion Command Center

Now that we are having early generations of Haptic gadgets, I have my 100% confidence that in 10 years we are going to achieve a fully functional Haptic gadgets, like having a very thin (1-2 mm) mobile phone and fully haptic driven functionalities. Everything will work just by slightest touch. No more keypad pieces or any other buttons to press. Well it would also be great it has also some holographic and voice recognition components. In the far future we can see computers like the one being used by Zion. Aside from that I am also looking forward to see the first generations of Nootic Technology, gadget driven by thoughts or human mind.


To be continued…(the romance with Ubuntu and other OS, the future flight, and the Nootic Technology).

Growing Number of Genes of English Language

I read something about the growing variety of English words.

Soju say you're a pescatarian? US dictionary adds new words

WASHINGTON (AFP) - - Are you a wing nut pretexting as a netroots advocate on webinars and thought you could blend in anonymously?

Or a soju-, prosecco- and edamame-loving pescatarian -- but not part of an esoteric religion?
Well, your cover was blown Monday as words from wing nut -- "one who advocates extreme measures or changes" -- to pescatarian -- "a vegetarian whose diet includes fish" -- were added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, a reference work for US wordsmiths.

New entries -- and there are around 100 every year -- paint a sociological map of trends in the United States today.

This year's entries show that Americans are becoming technology-steeped foodies with a keen interest in medicine.

"The three richest sources of new words in the last decade have been technology, foreign words for food, and medical terms. This shows these are effectively growth areas in American culture," Merriam-Webster's editor-at-large, Peter Sokolowski, told AFP.

"We know there's a recent obsession with cooking shows on television but the world is also getting smaller and we are more exposed to different cuisines these days. So that helps explain the food terms," he said.

"Technology is self-explanatory: the Internet is a relatively new phenomenon and we need words to describe it.

"The medical terms, I think, correspond to the aging population of America and the technological and research abilities that accompany that."

A word only wins its place in the dictionary after passing Merriam-Webster's "carefully edited prose" test.

"If a word appears frequently in print without parentheses, without appearing in italics, without any kind of explanation, then that's a word that editors and writers assume their readers know and understand. That word should be in the dictionary," Sokolowski said.

But not all of the additions are new words: some are included because they have passed from specialized fields of use into the mainstream while others are new senses given to old words.
Among this year's newcomers is "dirty bombs," included because in today's world of terrorist plots and war, it is oft-mentioned in the press and on respected websites.

But dirty bombs first appeared in print in 1956.

"It is not a new word at all," said Sokolowski.

"It was probably a specialized term at first, used among military analysts and government officials, and has finally expanded to the point where the general population is expected to know and understand this word. Therefore, it has to be in the dictionary."

The word "subprime" might seem to have been around forever and has entered into everyday-speak in the United States, so often is it mentioned in the press.

But it is another addition to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, and another reflection of the current state of the United States, which has been swept by a housing crisis as holders of risky, subprime mortgages have defaulted and banks and agencies who arranged the loans have gone bankrupt.

"Subprime" is defined as "having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers."

Incidentally, edamame are immature soybeans; prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine; soju is a Korean vodka made from rice.

A webinar is an online seminar; netroots are grassroots activists who use the Internet as a medium; and someone who pretexts presents themselves as someone else with a view to gaining access to information.

Source: Yahoo News

The Night Sky: ESA Arc

(Terribly messy – need to be cleaned)

When I was a kid I used to map the stars on my elementary pad paper. I would usually put some random dots and connect them just like the constellation appearing in the night sky. Even I was doing that that time I have to be honest that until now I cannot really distinguish the name of the stars (as well as point the exact star) except for Orion’s belt. After doing some weird, indescribable and doodle-looking patterns, I would usually make a story out of it and would say that they were my predictions of the future. Oh well, I was a kid then. Now, I cannot exactly remember those predictions. But one thing remained, my curiosity of things beyond that thin lining that separate the earth from space. Back then, I already believe that we are not alone that those stars might contain some other beings aside from us, that those stars might reveal surprising wonders to us someday, that I might have a new friend from the other star.

No one could beat me when it comes to imagination that time. Maybe I was the only kid in town thinking about some plants bearing fruit with money inside, a rice-plant that can produce rice grains thousand times without cutting them into paddies, corn that can bear instant food, friends from outer space, and creating robots out of the scraps from my father’s junk shop.

Until now, those stars, that I always look at in the sky during clear evenings, remained the same stars for 26 years and with them, my dreams will be immortalized. I always believe and I have hope that man someday will colonize those small twinkling dots in the space above us.

Of course, as a result of that childhood curiosity, I got this habit of monitoring the advancement of man in conquering space.

Noted here are the several important explorations of Man in space. Let’s start with ESA’s endeavors.

ESA – European Space Agency

Mars Express

THE MISSION:

Mars Express, so called because of the rapid and streamlined development time, represents ESA's first visit to another planet in the Solar System. The spacecraft borrows technology from the failed Mars 96 mission and from ESA's Rosetta mission that is currently en route to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The mission helps to answer fundamental questions about the geology, atmosphere, surface environment, history of water and potential for life on Mars.

Here are some worth keeping links (results of Mars Express data):

HRSC Data Explorer

… need to cook lunch… (so I have to list the links quickly)

Venus Express

THE MISSION:

Venus Express is a follow on from the Mars Express mission. Many of the instruments on the mission are simply upgraded versions of those on the Mars Express platform. After a 153 day cruise to Venus the spacecraft entered Venusian orbit on 11 April 2006.

Rosetta

THE MISSION:

The International Rosetta Mission was approved in November 1993 by ESA's Science Programme Committee as the Planetary Cornerstone Mission in ESA's long-term space science programme. The mission goal was initially set for a rendezvous with comet 46 P/Wirtanen. After postponement of the initial launch a new target was set: Comet 67 P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko. On its 10 year journey to the comet, the spacecraft will pass by two asteroids: 2867 Steins (in 2008) and 21 Lutetia (in 2010).

Ulysses

THE MISSION:

The joint ESA-NASA Ulysses deep-space mission was designed to study the heliosphere - the region of space influenced by the Sun and its magnetic field. The primary scientific goal was to make the first-ever measurements of the unexplored region of space above the Sun's poles. Other areas of investigation include determination of the global properties and behaviour of the solar wind, the study of energetic particles of solar and interplanetary origin, measurement of the magnetic field of the Sun and the heliosphere, study of galactic cosmic rays, investigation of how the heliosphere interacts with interstellar space, and participation in a programme to identify the origin of gamma-ray bursts.

Anyway, I think this is enough for now. Always visit this website re: Astronomy matters… Astronomy Blog.

Am I Ready?

Sometimes it occurs to me the feeling or the wanting to have a little child of my own. I am thinking to have a daughter (a son is also okay, however I prefer to have a daughter). Just recently, I realized I lover playing around with little children, taking care of them, making them laugh and teaching them some very basic things in life like counting, matching certain colors or even just letting them point to an object and telling them the name of that object.

Upon thinking about having baby, I realized that it will be a gargantuan responsibility to have one. Then suddenly asking myself, am I ready?

For now, I guess I am not ready yet. I still have a lot of priorities to work on before I am going to add another responsibility on my shoulders. Maybe someday when I can already find both my career and finances stability. After-all I am still young. Maybe 10 years from now, I will be ready to have one daughter. By that time, I might be living somewhere else and I have already established the foundations of my stability.

Well... still the thought of having a little child (of your own) in your arms is an incredible and lovable moment. Just the mere thought of it...





...ice breaker... I really love this cartoon... hilarious :D


Lately, I am already determined to stop chasing love. I actually don't know why I love to chase love in my life. The ironic part of it is that I don't like beng hurt or being in emotional pain but I tend to do things (like chasing the people I love in my life) that are highly probable for me to be pained. Hmmmm... I can't even understand myself when it comes to my lovelife.

Anyway, I have decided to forget these guys in my life. But I cannot deny they always matter to me, that they will always be in heart, that they are always special to me... I will treasure my moments with them forever.


... certain part of the entry was deleted

The Rare Element of Me

Sometimes, I am whacky and crazy, especially when someone or a group of people dares me to be whacky and crazy. This is a very rare element of me, a side of me that only few people have witnessed. I am kind of a star complex, but I barely show my whole me in front of the camera, so here you go, enjoy feasting the “me” in trunks.

How about these... me in zen-way? or buddha-way?




How about doing the stints of TOROTOT casts?

It’s Just A Matter of Time

It’s 2:30 PM and I was still lying on my bed. I would be meeting up by High School classmates in Glorietta at 3:00 PM to treat out one of our classmates who just arrived here in Manila. I had to traverse the roads of Metro Manila from Fairview to Makati in 30 minutes. I know, it’s impossible so I texted Linda that I would be late. I took an FX from Mindanao Avenue, Fairview to Quezon Ave and took an MRT directly to Ayala. At around 4:10 pm I was already with Ronald, Linda and Bench.

We had some coffee in McCafe Glorietta while waiting for Mike to arrive. After that we headed to Greenbelt Cinema to watch Hancock. It was a great movie. Funny, inspiring and a little thought provoking (because I am dying to know their origin). I enjoyed watching it with my HS classmates, just like 10 years ago.

After the movie, we went to Gerry’s Grill Glorietta to munch some dinner. We had two plates of sisig, one bowl of nilagang bulalo, one plate of chop suey, and a good cup of garlic rice. Of course I ate with a good cup of coffee.

Then with full stomach we walked from Glorietta to Gil Puyat Ave via Ayala Ave. It was a good walk for me. I have this tingling joy inside of me while walking with Mike, Ron, Linda and Bench. A lot of High School memories were brought back and it made me to punch a contented smile in the air of Makati. “It’s been a long time and we are still friends. Just 10-14 years ago we were just little kids full of craziness of high school life and now here we are walking through length of Ayala Avenue, sharing memories, sharing dreams, and sharing experiences as adults. We will stay as friends forever and we will always be the Kineticists I’ve known since 10 years ago,” I said to myself. They are indeed the young people to whom I have shared my craziness, my youthful dreams and my inner self. They know me inside out.

Each one of them took a cab to go home and I was left alone in People Support. So I decided to walk home also (technically not home but to the house of my aunt here in Makati).

Now, I am here in front of the PC, dancing through imagination again.

(But before that, here are some photos with Bench, Ron, Linda and Mike)

Speaking of my imagination, actually it is not about the fantasy land I created in my mind. It’s about the random thoughts I am having everytime I am online. Jumping from one site to another site, getting some insightful ideas or tidbits of information. Reading my journal. Writing an entry. And pouring out my craziness in a Boolean sheet.

My thoughts are in action again and I started thinking about my scholastic life, I mean my value of existence. When I say value, I mean my technical value in this real world, my diploma, the degree I obtained. By now, I obtained nothing yet because I have been jumping from one course to course, from one school to another and from one decision to another. I realized that I have not focused myself in giving value to my worth. Maybe it’s time for me to give worth to my self. I know I have been writing about this in my blog but I cannot be pacified not until I obtain it and this is the only way I can express what I feel and thought.

I am planning to take BA Mathematics from CAP College through their distance learning approach. In this way, I guess I won’t have any hard time in going to the classroom every day. All I need to do is take the modules, submit them and take the final exam to finish up the course. The good thing about this is that you can finish the whole thing according to your phase. Maybe I can speed up things this way. After that, I might be getting an MBA from any Business School. Why MBA? Well, it is one of the most value-giving courses. Maybe through this I can stabilize my financial status and eradicate my only insecurity in life.

Once I obtained my MBA, then maybe that’s the time I can go back to the mathematical and theoretical side of me. I might proceed on getting my second course which is BS Physics from UP and proceed to my scholastic career. All I need now is focus and discipline.

It means I have to drop the thought of Love, the thought of Sex and the thought of Happy-Go-Lucky life. I am getting older now and I must not waste my time on some youthful desires.

Another thing that I must think of is my unit (condominium unit). I need to take care of my money and finances so that I won’t encounter any problem in the future. I have to pay this place at maximum for 20 years and I need to have a job earning not lower than 15-20k/month during that timeframe. For me to do that, I need to have a diploma as soon as possible and I need to enrich my skills as a manager every year.

So many things to think. But at the end of the day, my heart desires to work with my fellow physicists, mathematicians and natural theorists. I am longing to work on the mystery of our universe.

But I guess things will just fall to their right places. And it is just a matter of time.

Enough of this self-contemplation, here are my web finds for this week:

Carl Zimmer

When I have nothing much to do, I usually check some of the websites I bookmarked. Most of them are science, math and physics related websites. One of these is Carl Zimmer’s website and I visited this page today. Carl Zimmer is a popular science essayist and now a blogger. He’s known for his essays on evolution. I usually check his site for some interesting articles related to evolution. Ever since high school, I have this undying interest in knowing the tree of life and the mechanism behind the emergence of our existence, the emergence of life.

Today, I read about the cons of getting smarter, of how it could be dangerous to the survival of some species. Also, there is one article about a scientist who has not been tired by collecting of some bizarre species and mapping, compiling and doing comparative genetics to the complete genes of 77 species. From this they were able to pinpoint that fact that Insects are closer to nematodes and not to vertebrates.

Also, from Carl Zimmer’s page, I stumbled upon the Encyclopedia of Life website.

Encyclopedia of Life

It’s a fascinating website. Fascinating in the sense that it is gearing to compile all relevant information of all species on planet earth. (Now my mind is thinking of the species of the entire Universe… he he he he). Anyway, it’s a simple website but very educational. I believe that this can go long in its way. Someday, somehow most biological and genetics researcher will refer to this website. Just like the Tree of Life Web Project.

The good thing about this website, it shows the geological distribution of the species around the world.

Well, I am already a member of this site and I guess I will be constantly visiting this website.