My technological fantasy

  Today I write to you from my Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p, a superbly fast but superbly heavy piece of metal and fake carbon fibre. Beside it is an old Samsung S3, a hand me down from my older brother, a rather functional (circa 2014 haha)piece of phone rendered out of date by the ever rising standards of technology.

Introducing my thousand dollar backache.

(Source:http://notebookspec.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/y410p-2.jpg)

But I don't care.


From small, I've always been fascinated by technology, if that's the right word. I marvel at the many things that relate to the word technology, from the cars that ply the streets I live in, to the game consoles my friends enthusiastically talk of in school, to the big beautiful buildings that grace the world over, old and new, to those metal birds called airplanes and helicopters (where they got inspiration for the helicopter I don't even know) that zoom past quickly and noisily above our heads.

(Source:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Singapore_Airlines_Concorde_Fitzgerald-1.jpg)

The Concorde, one of only two supersonic jets for normal people like you and I to travel in, now defunct.

(Yes, Singapore for the home feels.)

I loved how technology just gets better and better, faster and faster. I adored how something as simple as pressing a button, turning a knob, or a wheel, or just pulling triggers can have results often much bigger than how its catalyst (in short, how output>input but yknow keeping things simple haha). I was and have always been, for so long, dreaming of one day harnessing that knowledge and power and mastering it, driving 200 mph death traps or flying two ton death traps with wings, or sailing the seven seas in floating death traps, or starting the next big technological death trap revolution a la Sony with the portable music player or Apple with the first modern smartphone zzzz (let's not get too technical about this highly debatable fact).

(Source: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/10/25/1288010612990/A-Sony-Walkman---005.jpg)

The music player apps and iTuneses of today came from this little piece of plastic, yknow.

With that being said, I dream one day of achieving my dreams, if not just simply writing about them being achieved by someone else, maybe as a tech journalist, doing what I love about what I love to people that I love pay my wages haha. Besides my other passion being writing (another post for another day), getting one of the earlier insights on such things, writing about it in a part of the media that isn't as corrupt and being able to interview the people behind it AND generally being in the whole mix of it is something I would enjoy very much^^





To conclude, I hearts technology, and so should you. Because it's increasingly becoming a bigger part of our lives. What was a dream borne out of science fiction, has and will continue to slowly become our reality :)

Where is my son?

Let me tell you a story in the form of a dream,

I don't know why I have to tell it but I know what it means,

Close your eyes, just picture the scene, as I paint it for you,

It was summer '92 when an old man Johnson woke up,

John was just living life with the wife and kids,

Living the American, the Texan, the simpleton life,

Today is a very very special day,

Sure is, brother's finally coming home, I say,

United Airlines, business class, arrival in five,

Wanted to ask brother how he's managed to survive, 

It's been beyond three years since I really saw him last,

But alas!

Right there, breaking news,

Plane's just gone down, all hell breaks loose,

"UNITED AIRLINES  PLANE CRASHED REPORT JUST IN" ,

Pictures of parts all burnin' and smokin',

John fell right into his wooden chair,

Heart heavin' wife screamin' all weeping in despair,

Sons and brothers and friends all up in the air,

But deep down old John was an optimist,

Maybe, maybe, and just maybe,

A different UA is carrying my baby,

But all hope's lost when his pocket's vibrate,

Sudden realisation of life's cruel fate,

Phone screen sayin' flight 23's delayed,


Here he is thinkin' bout what he want,
Here I am wonderin' bout what's to come,
Here all he is just askin',
 Where is my son?

Bookie Bites - David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants

   In today's horribly late edition of Bookie Bites, I have for you Malcolm Gladwell's new book, titled (yep you guessed it) David and Goliath. This basis of this book revolves around the very tale of these two characters, so I should familiarise you with the story before going on.

To quickly summarise the whole story, Goliath was a hulking warrior sporting heavy armour and heavier weaponry, adequately prepared for a battle and asking for one from the Israelites, the loser of which his tribe(?) (sorry) would be slaves to the other. The Israelites were terrified and when a little shepherd boy volunteered, there was little opposition. After refusing to carry with him the weapons of the leader of the Israelites, David picked up five stones from a brook(idk what that is either) and headed towards Goliath to do battle. What happened next is the stuff of legends.

Goliath, insulted by the fact that a boy was sent to do battle against him, was left distracted. David starts to run toward him, loading the stone into his sling*. Swinging it rapidly, at six or seven revolutions a second, he releases at the right moment and the stone is fired into Goliath's forehead. Goliath falls to his knees, David grabs his sword and cuts his head clean off, an improbable victory. Hence the term coined in the English Language.


But anyway.


As I mentioned earlier, the book tells the tales and know-hows of improbable victories; how they come bout, and how they are overcome. How we all see difficulties, and how they may make us stronger and how some strengths weaken us in the face of adversity. I implore  cheh recommend everyone to pick this book up and have a good long read. It has taught me a lot (self help book cliches aside) and I really really enjoyed reading this book.



A particular part of the book that I found I could relate to was a couple of chapters regarding a student by the name of Caroline Sacks(not her real name duh). Caroline was a girl who breezed through school with As here and As there and As everywhere, due to her bright mind and undying fascination with science.

After high school, she toured universities with her father, checking up meticulously on the many universities she could go to, before settling for Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League school. Marlyand University was her backup, and she decided to major in Chemistry. As far as anybody was concerned, she made the right choice. Choosing the more prestigious school, with more resources, more academically able students, and whatnot, was what anybody would do. She'd accepted the face that she wasn't going to be the big fish anymore, and that true.


What she didn't anticipate was the sheer difficulty that she would face in enrolling into a top course in a top school. She struggled to excel in her examinations, her classmates were reluctant to help her, and the elite environment depressed her, despite her excellent academic ability. She eventually had to drop out and go for an arts major. If she had enrolled in a lesser competitive university, she probably would have pulled through and may  still be studying the subject that she loves. Cue opinion collision that rhymed



Further statistics would also prove that a dropout from a top school would do well and go on to pursue their desired careers if they'd enrolled in a lesser prestigious school. Delightfully paraphrased, of course. While it may seem a bit apparent, I thought it was something I didn't realise, so yeah mindblowing hahaha. The whole story of Caroline was one focusing on the Big Fish-Little Pond effect. As aptly put by the author,

"  The more elite an educational institution is, the worse students feel about their own academic abilities. Students who would be at the top of their class at a good school can easily fall to the bottom of a really good school. Students who would feel that they have mastered a subject at a good school can have the feeling that they are falling farther and farther behind in a really good school. And that feeling--as subjective and ridiculous and irrational as it may be--matters. How you feel about your abilities--your academic "self-concept"--in the context of your classroom shapes your willingness to tackle challenges and finish difficult tasks. It's a crucial element in your motivation and confidence. "

Conclusion (cos I wanna GAME)

I rate this book (cheh) amazing out of ten. The book delivers information and hard stats in a very digestible and enjoyable way. I learnt mostly, that some setbacks are actually blessings in disguise, sorta like the concept of hikmah, and that it is never ever ever ever impossible to do so. Till next time peepz.  


Sling: A leather pouch in the middle of a cord the ends of which are attached to the middle finger and pinched between the forefinger and thumb respectively. Swung in arcs, one end is relased precisely to launch the projectile.

(Source:http://2012ojhsancient.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/3/3/10333335/4884277_orig.gif)

it's ok

You know you can't keep letting it get you down

And you can't keep dragging that dead weight around

Is it really all that much to lug around

Better run like hell when you hit the ground

When the morning comes

When the morning comes

Can't stop those kids from dancing but why would you want to

Especially when you are already getting good?

'Cause when your mind don't move then your knees don't bend

But don't go blaming the kids again

When the morning comes

When the morning comes

When the morning comes

When the morning comes

When the morning comes

When the morning comes

Let it go, this too shall pass

Let it go, this too shall pass

(Let it go, this too shall pass)

You know you can't keep letting it get you down

No, you can't keep letting it get you down

(Let it go, this too shall pass)

Oh, is it really all that much to lug around

And you can't keep letting it get you down

When the morning comes

Oh, you can't keep letting it get you down

No, you can't keep letting it get you down

(When the morning comes)

Oh, you can't keep letting it get you down

No, you can't keep letting it get you down

(When the morning comes)

Oh, you can't keep letting it get you down

No, you can't keep letting it get you down

(When the morning comes)

Oh, you can't keep letting it get you down

No, you can't keep letting it get you down

(When the morning comes)

(might wanna watch the mv tho go scroll backk up)

SCHOOL RANT

So let me tell you the tale of my last paper for my first semester. I have to get this out or I won't enjoy my holidays bear with me for a bit here (if you're here) (edit: still here) (sayang allyall)

Anyway.

It was a lovely Thursday morning in Dover. I was up bright and early (paper was at four FOUR) for said paper though instead of finishing touches of revision, I was doing more of a put-out-a-forest-fire-with-a-bucket-of-water-this-may-not-work kinda studying for this paper. For let me tell you about the module for which this paper is set.

Electronics. Which is basically electricity in physics zoomed way in. There's the formulas, the fact that machines count differently than we do, the many many electrical components in existence,  stuff like that. It's feasible, but only if you have a good lecturer who explains concepts well, effective materials to study with, clear instructions on what to learn and all that good stuff.

Which I didn't have.

For I had a lecturer who was exceptional at everything related to teaching. And by exceptional I mean exceptionally bad puke worthy. Struggled to capture attention let alone teach. The class was also generally noisy and distracting so that sucked as well. I only recalled a dude who could understand the heck she was dribbling about while playing Battlefield 3. Everyone else was just meh. Me included.

Then came the textbook OH the amazing textbook. First of all the textbooks is updated yearly (OR SOMETHING IDK) to keep itself updated. This means past editions are near useless. Add in also that each edition is 25 bucks. And I'd be using it for throughout my three one semester. Only. It would only suck more if one bought the book and somehow some topics aren't covered in the book. Which was what precisely happened as well. I didn't buy the book, by the way. I slagged off the library resources and past year editions. Both of which didn't help a lot due to the different nature of all the books compared to the batcrazy syllabus set.


I should tell you more about this batcrazy syllabus, and the generally bad organisation for this module. Towards the examination, I get three four different sources as to what will be in the dag exam. I have my module coordinator announcing(cos apparently we needed guidelines cos some topics weren't in the book) that these few topics will be in the exam. Fine, great, whatever. Then I had my lecturer who sourced out her slides which labeled which topics were while necessary, conflicted what was announced. Well, this sucks, I guess I should play it safe and spam past year papers. Surely the same questions would be recycled right?

Wronggggg and don't call me Shirley HAHAHAHAHA ill show myself out. Apparently, the syllabus each year was different. Which was swell.

I totally bombed the paper. Not that I didn't bomb the other papers, but I absolutely Hiroshima-ed the hell out of this paper.

So glad the module is over.