Monthly Archives: July 2011

Partner of the Earth

Posted on by
Reply

This is an interesting article published in Nature, just for our information.  As people have their partners, the Earth has it’s ‘partenaires’ (in French) too.

The Earth has a very skittish dance partner. Locked ahead of the Earth’s orbit lies a 300-metre lump of rock — Earth’s first trojan asteroid, astronomers report today in Nature.

The points 60 degrees ahead of and behind a planet are one type of Lagrange point — stable gravitational wells where objects can lurk, caught between the Sun’s gravity and the planet’s. Objects residing in these spots are known as Trojans. With the discovery, the Earth joins Mars, Neptune and Jupiter as planets with known Trojans.

Trojans around Earth have been difficult to find because the objects dwell mostly in the daytime sky. But Martin Connors of Athabasca University in Canada and his colleagues used data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which launched in 2009 and has found more than 500 near-Earth objects. The researchers confirmed that the object, called 2010 TK7, was a Trojan through follow-up observations with telescopes in Hawaii.

The authors say the object’s behavior is fairly chaotic — it dances around the orbital plane with a tadpole-like motion. They say the asteroid might jump to other Lagrange points or orbital modes, and its stability can’t be guaranteed beyond about 7,000 years. The Earth better enjoy its pas de deux while it can.

                        (Posted by Eric Hand on July 27, 2011)

Perfect Stranger

Posted on by

1. Mat Yong, a-50-year old Chinese convert, single, living alone not very far from the infamous, small, roundabout in Grik town. I came to know him when he offered to help me and my family to a hotel. We became friend almost instantly.

2. Grik, an ex-communist town, is not new to me. In the late 90s, I used to cover psychiatric MO at Grik Hospital. It was a routine for me to visit Grik Hospital every month with a driver, who hails from Grik himself. After finishing the clinic, I would go to his house, picking up some fruits or to the duty-free shop in Pengkalan Hulu.

3. The small roundabout is legendary and still a landmark till these days.

4. Mat Yong is no ordinary friend. He came back the next day to bring me, looking around for spare parts. We had breakfast together, toured around the town in his red old car as he knew everyone in town. He cautioned me on the workshops that used to ‘potong’ customers (his own word for markup prices).

5. As a frail looking, 50 something bloke, Mat Yong was cautious about his health. Medications are very expansive, he told me, knowing me as a doctor.

6. He came to Grik in his 20s, doing all kind of odd jobs. It is from him, a perfect stranger that I rediscovering a new skill on social networking…helping people with unconditional positive regards.

Patent

Posted on by
Reply

1. Never heard about the patent? If I invented something new and I don’t want anyone else to profit from my idea, I need a patent.

2. Issued for a period of up to 20 years, a patent will make my creation my own property, and like any property, it can be bought and sold. This will take away the rights of anyone else to manufacture or sell the invention without my permission.

3. I want to patent my blog. No, I can’t. The patent only applies to inventions that contain new functional or technical aspects which means what and how I do it and the like.

4. How to patent my product in Malaysia? Go to Perbadanan Harta Intelek Malaysia at http://www.myipo.gov.my/

Coffee Or Sky Juice?

Posted on by
Reply

Coffee
Good For:
– accuracy, attention and alertness
– Gallbaldder -> may prevent gallstone
– Memory -> may improve power of memory recollection

Bad For:
– stress level -> adrenalisn rush
– addiction -> same mechanism like ‘coccaine’ and ‘heroin’
– teeth -> stains

Water
Good For:
– General Health -> wash out toxin, prevent constipation
– diet

Bad For:
– Nothing

You Decide?

DIY or DDIY?

Posted on by
Reply

DIY
1. To save budget
2. Stay in control
3. Having a bit of a laugh

DDIY
1. Have you really got the time to do it yourself?
2. Have you got the stamina to complete the project?
3. Have you got the necessary skills and equipment?
4. Can you cope with the scale of the work?

Bersih 2.0

Posted on by
Reply

1. I followed with great interest Bersih 2.0 demo through twitter. Every moment of drama was filled with trills and tribulations. I don’t understand how our political masters think. Bersih demands are essentially classified as ‘political’ and they should settle their differences in a political manner. By leaving it’s up to the police to handle delicate issues are like going 40 years back into the Emergency era.

2. Police are generally poor in handling issues. Police job is primarily to safeguard national security. Politicians on both sides must be responsible as they are answerable to the rakyat. Unfortunately, in securing the security, forces were used indiscriminately on many occasions.

3. We shouldn’t forget that in the world we are living today, every single individual is equipped with mobile telecommunication; telephone, camera, videocam, FB, and Twitter. Every single action can be recorded and sent at once for the rest of the world to see and finally, conclude. Thus, images that I have witnessed on the handling of defenseless demonstrators deserved to be classified under the abuse of power not simply a self-defense act.

4. On the same note, statements given post-Bersih demo by many ministers seem to ignore the fact that in the borderless world, information is accessible to public instantly and people are now empowered to counter-check the authenticity of information they heard.

5. I trust since confrontation has been chosen from the day one, there are lots of damage control have to be done…

Facts About Inflation

Posted on by
Reply

1. Rakyat complains the price of goods has increased in the recent months. The inflation rate in Malaysia was last reported at 3.3 percent in May of 2011. From 2005 until 2010, the average inflation rate in Malaysia was 2.77 percent reaching an historical high of 8.50 percent in July of 2008 and a record low of -2.40 percent in July of 2009.

2. Inflation occurs when the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is raising and subsequently purchasing power is failing. As inflation rises, every ringgit will buy a smaller percentage of a good. For instance, if the inflation rate is 2%, then an RM1 pack of cigarette will cost RM1.02 in a year.

3. Inflation is not necessarily bad for the economy. Modest inflation signifies growing economy. Severe inflation when it goes out of hand will lead to:
– reduced purchasing power. Government servant with fixed income may find their income is insufficient to provide for the lifestyle they’ve enjoyed previously.
– greater uncertainty in investments as it would be difficult to ensure that returns are greater than the inflation rate.
– domestic products become less competitive globally due to the increased price.
– In a severe case like in Zimbabwe, hyperinflation can occur. The value of the currency declines so rapidly that it is not worth the paper it is printed on. This result in the complete breakdown of the economy.

4. Let take the current inflation at 3% a year.

5. If you save RM100 under the pillow. In a year, your money will be worth RM97. If you invested RM100 in an investment with 4% p.a return. You will get RM104 after a year but the real rate of return is only 1%, which means your RM104 only has the purchasing power of RM101 a year ago.

6. If you took up a loan of RM100, with an interest rate of 2% p.a. After a year you will owe RM102 but the actual worth is only RM99. Inflation has reduced the value of your debt.

(Thank you HSBC for explaining this to me..)