some random thoughts on the eve of Malaysia's 50th independence day.
-seems like the "in" thing to do now is to fly our Jalur Gemilang. but is our patriotism measured by how big the flag on the building or how many small flags you have? after this, will you still drive around with your flags-laden-until-the-screen-is-blocked car???
-why am i not at padang kota/gurney drive/KLCC/putrajaya for the merdeka countdown? oh well, call me boring; call me stupid. i have tonnes of things-more-important-than-count-backwards-out-loud to do in lab.
-as much as i want to claim that i own myself, do whatever i want, go wherever i want; i'm still sober enough to know that MY.SUPERVISOR.DICTATES.MY.LIFE. (as for now...hopefully...plz god let it be over soon...)
have a nice day tomorrow.
Selamat Hari Merdeka!!
*~disclaimer: this is just an angst-ridden post by ikanrerama lamenting about her OWN life. it does not reflect the whole fishy people. capiche?~*
Labels: Crapology
Really weird experiments have been carried out through the years and someone has taken the time to compile twenty of the most bizarre ones. The list includes:
#4: The Initiation of Heterosexual Behavior in a Homosexual Male
#6: Human-Ape Hybrid
#8: Facial expressions while decapitating a rat
#9: The Vomit-Drinking Doctor
#14: "My Fingernails Taste Terribly Bitter"
Some really disturbing stuff if you asked me. Let's hope none of our research ends up on the list. :P
Labels: Science
This is an announcement to inform all aquatic students of USM School of Biological Sciences that a visiting professor, Prof Fattah El-Sayed will be giving a lecture next week. Details are as follows:
Date: 27th August 2007 (Monday)
Time: 11am - 12pm
Venue: Room 107, Bio School
Topic: Broodstock Nutrition and Larval Rearing of Nile Tilapia
There will also be a field trip to Jitra and Parit Buntar the following day. For details and registration, please contact either Finie or Kar Loon.
Labels: Talks
Looks like there will be some shake-ups in the Malaysian Higher Education system come August 27th.
Major plans to transform higher education
PETALING JAYA: Two comprehensive plans to transform the country's higher education will be launched on Aug 27.
The initiatives and programmes under the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007 - 2010 include:
* Introducing greater transparency in the selection of senior management in public universities;
* The development of a national lifelong learning policy through the formation of a national committee;
* Exchange programmes where top students will be given the opportunity to spend at least one semester in selected top foreign universities to enrich their learning experience; and
* Industry attachment of lecturers to enable the secondment of academics to private sector organisations and vice versa.
"The strategic plan is broad and comprehensive encompassing new initiatives and enhancing existing programmes.
It also expresses the ministry's vision for the transformation of higher education from now until 2020," Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said in a statement Wednesday.
Read the full article here.
Labels: Education
Bet you didn't know WD-40 had so many uses.
1. WD-40 can remove ink from a pair of blue jeans instantly, just a little spray should do the trick.
2. Another amazing WD-40 trick is that it can protect your precious silver jewelry from blackening.
4. Have you ever had a coffee stain on your favorite cup? Well you can get rid of it with WD-40.
12. You a tap dancer? WD-40 will keep tap shoes running smoothly.
15. Have a nasty piece of gum on your favorite shoes? WD-40 will clean it right off.
Give it a try some time.
Labels: Science
Intrepid Pipeline Solution is an enterprise-wide, fully integrated solution that allows you to seamlessly manage every aspect of your pipeline infrastructure. Coler & Colantonio Inc. utilises decades of experience to deliver a scalable solution that saves both your time and money.
With this experience spanning across several engineering divisions, they have come out with a Pipeline Software which integrates field data acquisition and viewing, allow for effective data maintenance and incorporates a number of analysis tools to meet the complex demands placed upon pipeline operators to ensure the safety and reliability of their networks.
Benefits of using this software includes:
- Offers mapping solutions for complex data management
- Fast-track to implementation
- Scalable
- Dependable/stable environment
- Easily customisable
- Easy to maintain
- Ability to interface with existing digital sources
- Allows for easy integration and implementation of new technology
- Cost-effective
For example, the "Learn More" button stands out very prominently on the start page. If you are to attract potential clients to your service, you definitely would hope they will click on that button and get to know more about your products and services. Unfortunately, it is not hyperlinked. Less tech-savvy clients would have just closed the site and ventured on to a competitor for such user-unfriendliness.
The navigation bar at the bottom of the page doesn't help much especially when some of the pages lack the navigation bar. The navigation bar should be at the top or the side for ease of use. If the website is not ready, they shouldn't launch it yet and definitely shouldn't ask for a review. It's just suicidal.
They may have a functional service/product but with such a website, they will definitely lose many potential customers. At the moment, their minisite on their main corporate website makes more sense visiting if you are interested in their products and services.
Labels: Reviews
Thrifty Mom did some research and came up with some inexpensive ways to combat mosquitoes. Some of the methods include:
5. Wear light colored clothing. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothes.
7. Spray garlic powder and water all over the yard.
8. Plant mosquito deterring plants around your yard such as citronella, marigolds, basil, lavender, and catnip.
If all fails, there's of course the mosquito repellent spray/lotion. Not the best option though. You'll understand if you've used one before.
Labels: Self Improvement
A study has found that the higher your IQ, the less likelihood of you having sex. Apparently, females suffer more compared to males. To rub it in even further, even an idiot with IQ lower than 70 has higher odds of having sex earlier than those with IQ 120 and above.
[...] Depending on the specific age and gender, an adolescent with an IQ of 100 was 1.5 to 5 times more likely to have had intercourse than a teen with a score of 120 or 130. Each additional point of IQ increased the odds of virginity by 2.7% for males and 1.7% for females. But higher IQ had a similar relationship across the entire range of romantic/sexual interactions, decreasing the odds that teens had ever kissed or even held hands with a member of the opposite sex at each age. [...]
By the age of 19, 80% of US males and 75% of women have lost their virginity, and 87% of college students have had sex. But this number appears to be much lower at elite (i.e. more intelligent) colleges. According to the article, only 56% of Princeton undergraduates have had intercourse. At Harvard 59% of the undergraduates are non-virgins, and at MIT, only a slight majority, 51%, have had intercourse. Further, only 65% of MIT graduate students have had sex.
The student surveys at MIT and Wellesley also compared virginity by academic major. The chart for Wellesley displayed below shows that 0% of studio art majors were virgins, but 72% of biology majors were virgins, and 83% of biochem and math majors were virgins! Similarly, at MIT 20% of 'humanities' majors were virgins, but 73% of biology majors. (Apparently those most likely to read Darwin are also the least Darwinian!) [...]
If you have access to Journal of Adolescent Health, you can read the published article here but
those who do not have access can read up a write-up here. Yes, it is a published article in a reputable journal. ;)
Labels: Science