It's the last day of the holidays... but i don't feel anything about going back to school tomorrow... cos it hasn't been any holiday at all.
And that's after false promises of a "no holiday homework policy"... I certainly second renyan's idea of a student's union (RIPB feedback seems to get ignored by upstairs).
We should fight for the French 35-hour work week, or at most double that (since we're kiasu Singaporeans)... i.e. a 70-hour work week, including all homework, projects etc (i.e. max 11.5 hours per day, excluding sunday, spent on school stuff).
Ok daydreaming over... i still have the chinese 读书报告 and 鹰的天空 to finish, 2cm of geog readings and an essay... and that's ignoring the stuff that is due after T3W1...
----------------------------------------------
On another note, here's a little introduction video i did for RI-BP science odyssey, which was basically a science competition we organised for primary schools. The storyline is a bit corny but the pri sch kids seemed to enjoy it. Haha
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The ironies of a holiday
It just doesn't feel like a holiday. So much homework (especially a particular subject)... plus all the CCA stuff and etc (though those are more fun).
It is necessary for us to go back to the principle behind a holiday. What is it for? To rest, to enjoy, to do what you like (e.g. CCA, attachments etc.). The idea is that it is a break from hectic school life.
Now juxtapose that against the current situation... and the dichotomy is striking. I'm not advocating totally no holiday work, but there must be a balance. Right now it is far from a holiday.
Like that very tiring and sian one (especially for certain subject's homework...). I want a break loh. Some more term 3 very xiong one.
I don't think i'll be able to finish the holiday homework... (with this competition and that)... the list on my blog is intended to improve my efficiency. So if you see me on msn please suan me on my unfinished homework...
"Teachers have been instructed NOT give holiday homework" - xxx. How ironic. Moral of the story: teachers also not obedient one.
It is necessary for us to go back to the principle behind a holiday. What is it for? To rest, to enjoy, to do what you like (e.g. CCA, attachments etc.). The idea is that it is a break from hectic school life.
Now juxtapose that against the current situation... and the dichotomy is striking. I'm not advocating totally no holiday work, but there must be a balance. Right now it is far from a holiday.
Like that very tiring and sian one (especially for certain subject's homework...). I want a break loh. Some more term 3 very xiong one.
I don't think i'll be able to finish the holiday homework... (with this competition and that)... the list on my blog is intended to improve my efficiency. So if you see me on msn please suan me on my unfinished homework...
"Teachers have been instructed NOT give holiday homework" - xxx. How ironic. Moral of the story: teachers also not obedient one.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
I'm melting
Sian... sit in front of com for 2 hours, blowing fan, then i become all sweaty and sticky. I buay ta han on aircon to do work dunno how many times the past 2 weeks.
Can't stand the koyak singaporean weather lah. So irritatingly hot - and way too humid.
There's this idea of a comfort zone (below), beyond which work becomes inefficient. heh. justification for aircon. Luckily our classrooms got aircon (but cannot change temperature, sometimes dunno why too hot one).
I actually like colder temperatures. Around 12-22 (Hamburg) is pretty comfy, and -2 to 5 (Beijing winter) is refreshing (and not as cold as it seems). Aircon does wonders too :-)
Can't stand the koyak singaporean weather lah. So irritatingly hot - and way too humid.
There's this idea of a comfort zone (below), beyond which work becomes inefficient. heh. justification for aircon. Luckily our classrooms got aircon (but cannot change temperature, sometimes dunno why too hot one).
I actually like colder temperatures. Around 12-22 (Hamburg) is pretty comfy, and -2 to 5 (Beijing winter) is refreshing (and not as cold as it seems). Aircon does wonders too :-)
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Gerdanken #2: Schrodinger's cat
Schrodinger's thought experiment (in his own words):
A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following diabolical device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of one hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer which shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The first atomic decay would have poisoned it. The Psi function for the entire system would express this by having in it the living and the dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts.
It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a ``blurred model'' for representing reality. In itself it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks.
We know that superposition of possible outcomes must exist simultaneously at a microscopic level because we can observe interference effects from these. We know (at least most of us know) that the cat in the box is dead, alive or dying and not in a smeared out state between the alternatives. When and how does the model of many microscopic possibilities resolve itself into a particular macroscopic state? When and how does the fog bank of microscopic possibilities transform itself to the blurred picture we have of a definite macroscopic state. That is the measurement problem.
The Copenhagen intepretation:
A system stops being a superposition of states and becomes either one or the other when an observation takes place. This experiment makes apparent the fact that the nature of measurement, or observation, is not well defined in this interpretation. Some interpret the experiment to mean that while the box is closed, the system simultaneously exists in a superposition of the states "decayed nucleus/dead cat" and "undecayed nucleus/living cat", and that only when the box is opened and an observation performed does the wave function collapse into one of the two states. More intuitively, some feel that the "observation" is taken when a particle from the nucleus hits the detector.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle:
Ok I won't go too far for this one. The basic idea is that measuring a system changes it. If you measure the momentum of a particle, you will change its position. If you measure the position of a particle, you will change its momentum.
Therefore,given a particle, the uncertainty in momentum (Δp) times the uncertainty in position (Δx) is greater than or equal to the reduced planck's constant (or div 2??? some sources say div 2...).
ΔxΔp ≥ ħ/2
Welcome to quantumland
mostly lifted from wiki
A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following diabolical device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of one hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer which shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The first atomic decay would have poisoned it. The Psi function for the entire system would express this by having in it the living and the dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts.
It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a ``blurred model'' for representing reality. In itself it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks.
We know that superposition of possible outcomes must exist simultaneously at a microscopic level because we can observe interference effects from these. We know (at least most of us know) that the cat in the box is dead, alive or dying and not in a smeared out state between the alternatives. When and how does the model of many microscopic possibilities resolve itself into a particular macroscopic state? When and how does the fog bank of microscopic possibilities transform itself to the blurred picture we have of a definite macroscopic state. That is the measurement problem.
The Copenhagen intepretation:
A system stops being a superposition of states and becomes either one or the other when an observation takes place. This experiment makes apparent the fact that the nature of measurement, or observation, is not well defined in this interpretation. Some interpret the experiment to mean that while the box is closed, the system simultaneously exists in a superposition of the states "decayed nucleus/dead cat" and "undecayed nucleus/living cat", and that only when the box is opened and an observation performed does the wave function collapse into one of the two states. More intuitively, some feel that the "observation" is taken when a particle from the nucleus hits the detector.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle:
Ok I won't go too far for this one. The basic idea is that measuring a system changes it. If you measure the momentum of a particle, you will change its position. If you measure the position of a particle, you will change its momentum.
Therefore,given a particle, the uncertainty in momentum (Δp) times the uncertainty in position (Δx) is greater than or equal to the reduced planck's constant (or div 2??? some sources say div 2...).
ΔxΔp ≥ ħ/2
Welcome to quantumland
mostly lifted from wiki
Friday, May 25, 2007
Competitions + Music
Hmmm... where should I start... Just finished the nat sci challenge and ijso (international olympiad) tests today. We got in for nsc, will be facing cat high and zhong hua in the 3rd quarters.
The NSC paper dunno why so much boliao questions (even "why is the dead sea salty" and maff. Then got some obscure bio words never even heard before. Then when they announce those who got in purposely give us heart attack: say announce in no order, then start announcing HC, AC, NUS, RGS.... in what we thought was descending order of scores, make us think we didn't get in, then announce us last.
IJSO paper of course more difficult than NSC - in fact it was harder than the IB prac papers. The bio again got some stuff never hear before, the physics about the same standard as the past year paper (i.e. hard but doable), and the chem quite good. But i already know my physics got a couple wrong.
Ok lah... praise the lord for NSC... and IJSO hope for the best loh.
Tomorrow is geog competitions. Switch track now. I'm reading Nagle at the moment, just realise how much stuff they cut out of RP syllabus... haiz...
Heart of worship
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
~ Philippians 4:6-7
Solitaire/ Clay Aiken
The NSC paper dunno why so much boliao questions (even "why is the dead sea salty" and maff. Then got some obscure bio words never even heard before. Then when they announce those who got in purposely give us heart attack: say announce in no order, then start announcing HC, AC, NUS, RGS.... in what we thought was descending order of scores, make us think we didn't get in, then announce us last.
IJSO paper of course more difficult than NSC - in fact it was harder than the IB prac papers. The bio again got some stuff never hear before, the physics about the same standard as the past year paper (i.e. hard but doable), and the chem quite good. But i already know my physics got a couple wrong.
Ok lah... praise the lord for NSC... and IJSO hope for the best loh.
Tomorrow is geog competitions. Switch track now. I'm reading Nagle at the moment, just realise how much stuff they cut out of RP syllabus... haiz...
Heart of worship
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
~ Philippians 4:6-7
Solitaire/ Clay Aiken
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Do you want the world to slow down?
---Original article---
Singapore: world's fastest walkers
CNN| Posted: 02 May 2007
Pedestrians all over the world are moving faster than a decade ago, according to scientists who have conducted a study into the pace at which people walk.
Psychologists say walking speeds have increased by an average of 10 percent in the past 10 years.
People in the greatest hurry live in Singapore, according to the study of cities in 32 countries. Following in their footsteps are residents of Copenhagen in Denmark and Madrid in Spain.
Researchers in each city found a busy street with a wide pavement that was flat, free from obstacles and sufficiently uncrowded to allow people to walk at their maximum speed.
The speed of each city's walkers was then timed by a team researchers, armed with stopwatches.
They timed how long it took 35 men and women to walk along a 60-foot (18-meter) stretch of pavement, monitoring only adults who were on their own and ignoring those conducting mobile phone conversations or struggling with shopping bags.
The results of the study, headed by British psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, were compared with similar results from a decade ago in an experiment carried out by American psychologist Professor Robert Levine, from California State University.
Wiseman said walking speeds provided a reliable measure of the pace of life in a city.
"This simple measurement provides a significant insight into the physical and social health of a city. The pace of life in our major cities is now much quicker than before. This increase in speed will affect more people than ever, because for the first time in history the majority of the world's population are now living in urban center," Wiseman said.
Surprisingly, some of the world's biggest cities did not even make the top five. New York came in at eight, London was placed 12th on the list and Tokyo was ranked 19th.
The findings also explode the myth of the laid back Irish. Dublin topped Levine's table in 1997 and takes fifth place on the new list.
The study was carried out with the help of the British Council, which promotes cultural links in 109 countries.
Comparing the results with those compiled by Levine in the 1990s, the study showed that people were, on average, now walking 10 percent faster. Men were generally 25 percent quicker on their feet than women.
The biggest changes were found in the Far East. In Singapore, walking pace had increased by 30 percent and in Guangzhou, China, the pace was more than 20 percent quicker.
---Additional articles---
Technology and time: pace of life
Metro article (picture below from here)
---Personal response---
As I read the article, I find myself nodding - rather vigorously. But I'm hardly surprised. Even school life is hectic - especially with torrents of homework, tests, and CCAs.
Why this fast pace of life?
First, we must consider how technology, which so permeates modern city life, really speeds things up. What was a 2-hour trip to the library is now a quick Internet search right from your desk. The ubiquity of handphones, coupled with low call charges, means that everyone is contactable anytime, anywhere, and we no longer have to wait till we reach home or office or scramble for a public phone to call others. Add to that how the coming PDA revolution will empower one and all to send emails and work on documents while on the move. This immediacy in itself translates into a fast pace of life.
Next, when computers make crunching thousands of cash-flow figures simple, we can do the same tasks in less time. But this does not mean that we have more time to relax. Rather, our greed and ambition means that we fill this extra time with more work. Things move faster.
My premise on human ambition is probably false for some people, but as long as some use technology to save time, do more, and race ahead, the threat of dropping out of the race forces everyone to follow suit, such that this becomes is the new standard expected of individuals in the modern workplace or classroom. Life easily gets hectic when you have to rush more in less time.
Do you want the world to slow down?
Personally, I enjoy a fast pace of life. In my opinion, being busy is just a way to make the most out of my life. While on holiday, I tried lazing about by the beach for a day, and couldn't take it - it was back into the shopping mall the next day to rush for bargains.
And yet consider the salarymen I see on the train home. More often than not, they look tired and worried. I can imagine how, as they stand in silence, squashed between other passengers, they are fretting about their mountain of work and looming deadlines. For these stressed-out salarymen, it is probably hard to find pleasure in work. They may also suffer from a short temper, and this strains relationships. Finally, the stress of a busy, fast-paced life can take a toll on their health.
It is hard to escape this hectic pace of life. Even if you juxtapose the busy, fast-paced Singaporean life against idyllic kampong life, few would be willing to give up the material luxuries that come with the former.
There can be no deus ex machina, but what the stressed salaryman can do to save his sanity from the hectic pace of life is to balance work and play and family to find some happiness, with which he can be recharged to cope with life in the fast lane.
(499 words)
Singapore: world's fastest walkers
CNN| Posted: 02 May 2007
Pedestrians all over the world are moving faster than a decade ago, according to scientists who have conducted a study into the pace at which people walk.
Psychologists say walking speeds have increased by an average of 10 percent in the past 10 years.
People in the greatest hurry live in Singapore, according to the study of cities in 32 countries. Following in their footsteps are residents of Copenhagen in Denmark and Madrid in Spain.
Researchers in each city found a busy street with a wide pavement that was flat, free from obstacles and sufficiently uncrowded to allow people to walk at their maximum speed.
The speed of each city's walkers was then timed by a team researchers, armed with stopwatches.
They timed how long it took 35 men and women to walk along a 60-foot (18-meter) stretch of pavement, monitoring only adults who were on their own and ignoring those conducting mobile phone conversations or struggling with shopping bags.
The results of the study, headed by British psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, were compared with similar results from a decade ago in an experiment carried out by American psychologist Professor Robert Levine, from California State University.
Wiseman said walking speeds provided a reliable measure of the pace of life in a city.
"This simple measurement provides a significant insight into the physical and social health of a city. The pace of life in our major cities is now much quicker than before. This increase in speed will affect more people than ever, because for the first time in history the majority of the world's population are now living in urban center," Wiseman said.
Surprisingly, some of the world's biggest cities did not even make the top five. New York came in at eight, London was placed 12th on the list and Tokyo was ranked 19th.
The findings also explode the myth of the laid back Irish. Dublin topped Levine's table in 1997 and takes fifth place on the new list.
The study was carried out with the help of the British Council, which promotes cultural links in 109 countries.
Comparing the results with those compiled by Levine in the 1990s, the study showed that people were, on average, now walking 10 percent faster. Men were generally 25 percent quicker on their feet than women.
The biggest changes were found in the Far East. In Singapore, walking pace had increased by 30 percent and in Guangzhou, China, the pace was more than 20 percent quicker.
---Additional articles---
Technology and time: pace of life
Metro article (picture below from here)
---Personal response---
As I read the article, I find myself nodding - rather vigorously. But I'm hardly surprised. Even school life is hectic - especially with torrents of homework, tests, and CCAs.
Why this fast pace of life?
First, we must consider how technology, which so permeates modern city life, really speeds things up. What was a 2-hour trip to the library is now a quick Internet search right from your desk. The ubiquity of handphones, coupled with low call charges, means that everyone is contactable anytime, anywhere, and we no longer have to wait till we reach home or office or scramble for a public phone to call others. Add to that how the coming PDA revolution will empower one and all to send emails and work on documents while on the move. This immediacy in itself translates into a fast pace of life.
Next, when computers make crunching thousands of cash-flow figures simple, we can do the same tasks in less time. But this does not mean that we have more time to relax. Rather, our greed and ambition means that we fill this extra time with more work. Things move faster.
My premise on human ambition is probably false for some people, but as long as some use technology to save time, do more, and race ahead, the threat of dropping out of the race forces everyone to follow suit, such that this becomes is the new standard expected of individuals in the modern workplace or classroom. Life easily gets hectic when you have to rush more in less time.
Do you want the world to slow down?
Personally, I enjoy a fast pace of life. In my opinion, being busy is just a way to make the most out of my life. While on holiday, I tried lazing about by the beach for a day, and couldn't take it - it was back into the shopping mall the next day to rush for bargains.
And yet consider the salarymen I see on the train home. More often than not, they look tired and worried. I can imagine how, as they stand in silence, squashed between other passengers, they are fretting about their mountain of work and looming deadlines. For these stressed-out salarymen, it is probably hard to find pleasure in work. They may also suffer from a short temper, and this strains relationships. Finally, the stress of a busy, fast-paced life can take a toll on their health.
It is hard to escape this hectic pace of life. Even if you juxtapose the busy, fast-paced Singaporean life against idyllic kampong life, few would be willing to give up the material luxuries that come with the former.
There can be no deus ex machina, but what the stressed salaryman can do to save his sanity from the hectic pace of life is to balance work and play and family to find some happiness, with which he can be recharged to cope with life in the fast lane.
(499 words)
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