TWC - Week 11

How do we spot for a trend or a fad for technology?

It always amaze me how ideas from comics that everybody read, can become a wow factor in reality.
Just like the google earth 2010 mentioned in this video, i have seen the idea of this technology in Archie Comic.

This video portrays a very interesting point of view between people who sees things normally versus people who dare to dream and innovate.

My prof introduced 2 way of viewing the world and its innovations. Hold 2 piece of blank paper on your hand, crush one of them. One will have all the strains of the world and it is hard to go about implementing or changing the world. However, the other piece of paper is a totally new blank piece of paper, where you can just purely think about what do you want to do if you are given the power to change the world.

This actually give me a huge inspiration. I want a to create an environment for Christians like me to share our own creation of songs on it. I want to create this platform where it encourages people to write more songs for Christ, share their testimony, encourage each other, and make it a common platform to go to if you are a Christian looking for like-minded friends. This idea, i believe is the blank piece of paper that the prof talks about. A music christian Facebook.

Stakeholders analysis are important for change management. it helps you to identify the "smiling tigers" who shows you that they support you but they try to backstab you at the back behind by sabotaging you. people who disagree with you are the easiest to work with because you can choose to either convince them or exclude them. it is the smiling tigers that are the most dangerous because they do not tell you want they feel and you wouldn't know what they think.

"i may detest everything that you have to say, but i will defend every right that you have to say it." - voltaire

"the best way to predict the future is to invent it" - alan kay

TWC - Week 10

Hope i can still remember what was discussed in class last week!

Will robot ever be smarter than human?
In my opinion, it is possible for robot to be smarter than a human. Think about it. A robot who can do everything that it is programmed to do, can excel in mathematics, physics, chemistry,etc. Use this robot against a human born with IQ less than 50. Do you think in this case that human is smarter than robot? No, i don't think so.

Similarly, comparing this robot with a genius who can do what it can do, and even more. Like having free will to not perform a task, or having the free will to choose how to perform the task, or having the free will to shut down the entire system and proclaim victory by default? Now in this case, is human smarter than robot? Again, the answer is no. Because at this stage, people will say that it is programmed this way. If i give it artificial intelligence to learn from experience and think on its own, it can still be smarter than the genius.

To me, all these are foolish thoughts. Why even try to create a being that is way better than you and posing a threat to the society if misused? If it was all to satisfy the ego of human trying to prove that they are smart and have the ability to create something that is way more powerful than them, then indeed, human are stupid. As compared to robots? I wouldn't want to know.

Will robot overtake human?
On the topic of robots, people will look forward to the day when they don't have to do anything and just leave everything to these machines. However, my prof brought up an interesting idea! He says that maybe some country like India will ban the use of robots so that it will not take away the jobs of people. Since they have so many people.

<to-be-continued>

Nano technology.

Innovation distinguishes the leader from the follower. -Steve jobs

Siemens electronic cars
How the smart grid will power the electric cars: eMobility

In the future, people will most likely become Prosumers-a mix of consumer and producer

3D artificial blood vessel Bio printer

TWC - Week 09 - Part One

I was introduced the a very interesting concept of creating biofuel using algae during lesson. So i made a search and found that it is indeed a feasible alternative to fossil fuels! I would like to share some interesting points as stated in the website.

It all started about three years ago when inventor Jim Sears wanted to think of a solution to mass-produce biofuel.

As quoted from the website, The science is simple: Algae need water, sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow. The oil they produce can then be harvested and converted into biodiesel; the algae's carbohydrate content can be fermented into ethanol. Both are much cleaner-burning fuels than petroleum-based diesel or gas.

Like what most people knows, fossil fuel is a depleting source. However, right now we are able to produce an new alternative source of energy which is more green and i believe is a renewable energy.

Given the right conditions, algae can double its volume overnight. Unlike other biofuel feedstocks, such as soy or corn, it can be harvested day after day. Up to 50 percent of an alga's body weight is comprised of oil, whereas oil-palm trees—currently the largest producer of oil to make biofuels—yield just about 20 percent of their weight in oil. Across the board, yields are already impressive: Soy produces some 50 gallons of oil per acre per year; canola, 150 gallons; and palm, 650 gallons. But algae is expected to produce 10,000 gallons per acre per year, and eventually even more.

In fact, the amount of energy that algae biofuel is able to provide is also quite substantial.

"If we were to replace all of the diesel that we use in the United States" with an algae derivative, says Solix CEO Douglas Henston, "we could do it on an area of land that's about one-half of 1 percent of the current farm land that we use now."

Since algae biofuel is so great, then what is stopping them now? Well, actually base on the website, nothing is stopping them now and in fact, they are facing a challenge that is of good news to everyone in the world!

The main focus now, says Cary Bullock, GreenFuel's president and CEO, is figuring out "how to grow algae fast enough and cheap enough that it makes sense economically. That's not easy to do."

I truly look forward to the day when this technology is greatly accepted all over the world. It is truly an eye opener for a student like me who have always thought of algae as just another green and disgusting organism which grows and provides food in the water. My perspective of energy generation has been opened wider in lesson.

Read more: Pond-Powered Biofuels: Turning Algae into America's New Energy - Popular Mechanics
An additional source of information for Algae biofuel if anyone is interested is here: Algae: 'The ultimate in renewable energy'

Interesting Facts - Predict Weather Without Technology

How to Predict the Weather Without a Forecast

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit


Long before technology was developed to predict the weather, people had to rely on observation, patterns and folk lore to avoid being caught off guard by the elements. If your plans, livelihood or even your survival depend on the weather, it certainly wouldn't hurt to become familiar with some of these methods, especially since you never know when you might be out of touch with the local weather report. These methods aren't foolproof, but they have their usefulness, and if you don't have a forecast on hand, what do you have to lose by trying them?

Steps

1. Check the grass for dew at sunrise. If the grass is dry, this indicates clouds or strong breezes, which can mean rain. If there's dew, it probably won't rain that day. However, if it rained during the night, this method will not be reliable.
   
2. Remember the rhyme: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." Look for any sign of red in the sky (not a red sun); it will not be a bold orange or red the majority of the time, but that depends a little on where you live.
   
   • If you see a red sky during sunset (when you're looking to the west), there is a high pressure system with dry air that is stirring dust particles in the air, causing the sky to look red. Since prevailing front movements and jet streams weather usually move from west to east (see Tips), the dry air is heading towards you.
     
   • A red sky in the morning (in the East, where the sun rises) means that the dry air has already moved past you, and what follows behind it (on its way towards you) is a low pressure system that carries moisture.
     
3. Look for a rainbow in the west. This is the result of the rising sun's morning rays from the east striking moisture in the west. Most major storm fronts travel west to east, and a rainbow in the west means moisture, which can mean rain is on its way. On the other hand, a rainbow in the east around sunset means that the rain is on its way out and you can look forward to sunny days. Remember: Rainbow in the morning, need for a warning.
   
4. Detect which direction the wind is blowing. If unable to immediately detect the wind's direction, throw a small piece of grass in to the air and watch its descent. Easterly winds can indicate an approaching storm front, westerly winds the opposite. Strong winds indicate high pressure differences, which can be a sign of advancing storm fronts. Deciduous trees show the undersides of their leaves during unusual winds, supposedly because they grow in a way that keeps them right-side up during typical prevalent winds.
   
5. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and smell the air.
   
   • Plants release their waste in a low pressure atmosphere, generating a smell like compost and indicating an upcoming rain.
     
   • Swamps will release gasses just before a storm because of the lower pressure, which leads to unpleasant smells.
     
   • A proverb says "Flowers smell best just before a rain." Scents are stronger in moist air, associated with rainy weather.
     
6. Check for humidity. Many people can feel humidity, especially in their hair (it curls up and gets frizzy). You can also look at the leaves of oak or maple trees. These leaves tend to curl in high humidity, which tends to precede a heavy rain. Pine cone scales remain closed if the humidity is high, but open in dry air. Under humid conditions, wood swells (look out for those sticky doors) and salt clumps (is that shaker working well?).
   
7. Watch the clouds.
   
   • Clouds going in different directions (e.g. one layer going west, another layer going north) - bad weather coming, probably hail
     
   • Cumulonimbus clouds early in the day and developing throughout the day - greater chances of severe weather
     
   • Mammatus cloud (formed by sinking air) - can form with both severe and nonsevere thunderstorms as well as other cloud types
     
   • Cirrus clouds high in the sky like long streamers - bad weather within the next 36 hours
     
   • Altocumulus clouds like mackerel scales - bad weather within the next 36 hours. The old sailor's saying for these types of clouds is "Mares tails and mackerel scales, tall ships carry short sails." Another is "Mackerel skies and mare's tails, sailors furl their sails." Mackerel skies and mares tails formations sometimes appear in the same sky. When that happens, rain is sure to follow the next day.
     
   • Cloud cover on a winter night - expect warmer weather because clouds prevent heat radiation that would lower the temperature on a clear night.
     
   • Cumulus towers (cumulus castellanus) - possibility of showers later in the day
     
8. Observe animals. They are more likely to react to changes in air pressure than we are.
   
   • If birds are flying high in the sky, there will probably be fair weather. (Falling air pressure caused by an imminent storm causes discomfort in birds' ears, so they fly low to alleviate it. Large numbers of birds roosting on power lines indicates swiftly falling air pressure.)
     
   • Seagulls tend to stop flying and take refuge at the coast if a storm is coming.
     
   • Animals, especially birds, get very quiet immediately before it rains.
     
   • Cows will typically lie down before a thunderstorm. They also tend to stay close together if bad weather's on the way.
     
   • Ants build their hills with very steep sides just before a rain.
     
   • Cats tend to clean behind their ears before rain.
     
   • Turtles often search for higher ground when a large amount of rain is expected. You will often see them in the road during this period (1 to 2 days before the rain).
     
   • A very old wives tale says if birds feed in a storm it will rain for a long time, if they don't it will clear soon.
     
9. Make a campfire. The smoke should rise steadily. Smoke that swirls and descends is caused by low pressure (i.e. rain on the way).
   
10. Look at the moon during the night. If it is reddish or pale, dust is in the air. But if the moon is bright and sharply focused, it's probably because low pressure has cleared out the dust, and low pressure means rain. Also, a ring around the moon (caused by light shining through cirrostratus clouds associated with warm fronts and moisture) can indicate that rain will probably fall within the next three days. Remember: Circle around the moon, rain or snow soon.
    
11. Create your own prediction methods. The methods provided thus far are based around a few key (but very general) principles: Low pressure brings rain, and major weather systems move from west to east. Predicting the weather is all about recognizing the signs of pressure change in your area. While prevailing systems may move from west to east, for example, individual storms in a particular region may not, due to local weather phenomena. Long term residents who spend a great deal of their time outdoors, particularly farmers, commercial fishermen and the like, learn to observe trends that give them clues to long term weather patterns and seasonal changes in their specific geographical location. In the southern United States, for instance, dogwoods are seldom caught off guard by late spring frosts, so when they bloom, you have likely seen the last frost of the season. By being observant, forming hypotheses, and testing your predictions, you can fine-tune your weather predicting abilities beyond what any article could ever instruct..
    

Tips

• If you have the inclination, you can use a barometer (or make your own) to measure changes in pressure. Keep a notebook and observe what else happens when the pressure changes. Be attentive and you might come up with your own weather-prediction method that's localized to your area.
  

Warnings

• Don't risk your life or well-being based on these indicators and proverbs. Predicting the weather in this manner is not an exact science.
  
• Remember tornadoes don't follow the hollow.
  
• This is mainly a personal experiment. Don't ignore the professionals, they predict weather for a living.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make a Simple Weather Barometer
  
• How to Calculate the Distance from Lightning
  
• How to Find True North Without a Compass
  
• How to Find out How Much Time Is Left Before Sunset
  
• How to Protect Yourself in a Thunderstorm
  

Sources and Citations

• Wikipedia entry on weather lore
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Predict the Weather Without a Forecast. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.