August 2011
65 posts
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The past, present and future walked into a bar...
grammarizkewl:
It was tense.
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What I learnt today
Practice
Hydroponic and aeroponic greenhouses may be the future for rooftop urban farming.
Pointless
Spongiforma squarepantsii. That’s right. There is a species of mushroom named after Spongebob Squarepants.
Practical
The 2-2-2 Rule: Pick up phone calls in two seconds, answer text messages in two minutes, and reply emails within two hours.
Perspective
“Ironically, not only...
Anonymous asked: Name one fear.
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I remember when I was 7
I hated piano practice.
At the time, I was attending a local boarding school near Shenzhen, China.
Piano practice ran from 8 PM to 10 PM twice a week if I recall correctly.
There were three dusty upright pianos arbitrarily positioned near the middle of the practice room. Every time I returned for practice the pianos were in a different spot. The room was musty and dimly illuminated by...
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What I learnt today
Practice
“Contrary to popular belief, the efficiency of a solar cell decreases with increasing temperature. The reason for this, is that a higher temperature increases the conductivity of the semiconductor. This balances out the charge within the material, reducing the magnitude of the electric field at the junction. This in turn inhibits charge separation, which lowers the voltage across...
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Ponder Du Jour: Distinguished People
I was meaning to write a lengthy post about famous or distinguished people who, if they were to retire or pass away (touch wood), would cause personal misery in my life.
For example, to name a few off the top of my head:
Sir David Attenborough
Roger Rederer
Ryan Giggs
Hayao Miyazaki
Jeremy Clarkson
Steve Jobs (Resigned as Apple CEO today. Two words: pancreatic cancer. I hope for his...
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Denmark My Words: Thoughts on Denmark →
denmarkmywords:
On this day one year ago, I embarked on an extraordinary adventure. And I believe, undoubtedly, that the memories of my exchange experience in Copenhagen, Denmark will accompany me for the rest of my life.
Anniversaries never fail to stir up fresh feelings of nostalgia. At this moment, with…
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Ponder Du Jour: Death
I recap and think a lot about death these days: terror attacks in Morocco, terror attacks in Norway, Amy Winehouse, the Texas roller rink shooting, concert stages blowing down and crushing people, fatal brain-eating amoebas, the Japanese girl who fell into Niagara Falls, Jack Layton…
I really don’t mind seeing notable people or extreme cases of misfortune or tragedy receiving more...
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One year later: I can't believe I miss smørrebrød
denmarkmywords:
Flight Air Canada 882
From: Toronto, Pearson Int’l (YYZ). Sun 22-Aug 2010. 17:35 - Terminal 1
To: Copenhagen (CPH). Mon 23-Aug 2010. 07:15 - Terminal 3
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Ponder Du Jour: Travel
I’ve been getting travel wrong this whole time.
The problem lies with my checklist mentality and the been-there-done-that attitude towards travel. When I set foot into a new country, I immediately gravitate in the direction of the nearest tourist information office, hoard city maps, and methodically begin to prioritize which tourist attractions to visit first in authoritarian fashion. And...
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Anonymous asked: Do you believe in God?
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Bycatch 22
As a twisted consequence of overfishing regulations, commercial fishermen have no choice but to catch sea bass, flounder, monkfish, and tuna—and throw them dead back into the sea.
Continue reading…
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Researchers grow crops on super thin film
Japanese researchers at Mebiol have figured out a way to grow small crops of Earthly flora on clean sheets of hydrogel (commonly found in diapers), called Imec, that measures just tens of microns thick. Roots grow along the membrane, absorbing water through it, but the material is able to block out bacteria and viruses that could harm the plants.
Continue reading…
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What I learnt today
Practice
In water treatment, magnetic ion exchange resins are very effective at removing negatively charged contaminants such as dissolved organic content, sulphate, nitrate, phosphate, and arsenic. This technology is becoming increasingly popular among progressive municipalities.
Pointless
Practical
I leave my rechargeable electric toothbrush on the edge of the bathtub and use it as my...
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I remember when I was 6
I scored my first soccer goal.
This was in 1996 at a kindergarden somewhere outside Beijing, China. I think I had just learnt the rules of The Beautiful Game that day too.
The goal was nothing glorious; there was a scuffle in front of the goalkeeper, suddenly the loose ball rolled towards me, and I shot it past everybody between the posts. My first reaction was: Hey! Look at me! I won!
True...
Grandma
We don’t communicate as often as I would like.
I can only blame myself for my pathetic command (or lackthereof) of the Cantonese language. I’m usually at a loss for words and then I can only nod brainlessly and mutter vacant words of reassurance.
Anyway, this evening, I was listening to my music in the basement when I heard cautious footsteps coming down the stairs. I knew instantly...
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I was in a slow handclap upon finishing this book
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“Based on your current level of insecurity, would you make a fool out of yourself...”
– Fashion of the Mind
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加拿大道歉
On June 22, 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a speech in the House of Commons giving a formal apology for the use of a head tax and the exclusion of Chinese immigrants to Canada.
Very interesting, I was aware of this until just now.
Anonymous asked: Have you ever been in love?
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Anonymous asked: What is the meaning of life?
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Anonymous asked: Is it better to have a short live dominated by suffering, or to never exist at all?
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Hypothetical and rhetorical questions are welcome.
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Saudade, the mark of Portuguese culture
“Among the world’s languages, one of the hardest terms to translate is “saudade”, the Portuguese word for a feeling, a longing for something that one is fond of, which is gone, but might return in a distant future.
It often carries a fatalist tone and a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might really never return.
Few other languages have a word with such...
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I remember watching this show when I was 5 years old.
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Ponder Du Jour: Faults, Meat, and Retrotort
It’s your fault! Is there a social stigma affixed to accusing someone being at fault? Many people seem to dislike hearing that a mistake is their fault but find comfort in synonyms and euphemisms. And although no one likes to play the blame game either, there’s no shortage of scandals and economic unrest these days, so I think it’s important that we (the media) pinpoint and pin...
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You know your summers are underwhelming when...
… you spend hours at work proposing, practicing, and perfecting a new signature.
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Watch My reaction:
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