galloping saturday

It was a saturday which hurried past at great pace. I went out for a drive at 11:00 AM and landed up at the strand book stall,Manipal center. I picked up the "The complete sherlock holmes" which i am sure going to savour every bit of reading.Let the detective instincts begin!
Strand book stall, oxford book stall have some really good collections (of course! not computer science!!). I also happened to pick up p.g.wodehouse's "blandings castle". He is suppossedly the best comic writer of the 19th century. After having exhausted all books of "Calvin and hobbes" i thought of reading the book which inspired bill watterson the creator of calvin, charles.M.schulz's "peanuts".

this is a physical reminder to myself that i have to update. and i will as soon as i do my effing homework cuz i actually have stuff to say. my past weekend was abnormally eventful. i wouldn't even have realized that i was ignoring blog cuz i though no one read it BUT stephanie said she had no idea what was going on in my life cuz i ignore this thing! it's nice to know i have such a faithful reader hahahhahaha. i'm sad that i don't update as much as i used to. i never talk about what i do when i go out now and all taht stuff cuz it seems so boring/pointless. wiohsguiohsghs whatever

bisexual

I'll be damned. You ARE bisexual AFTER all!

You sees "31 Flavors" as the ideal place to work.

You can get unequivocally turned on by eating Cheese 'n Crackers -

taking the little sticks from the wrapper and sliding them into the cheese.

You are definitely a sexual glutton, taking as much as you can ;)

Are *You* Bisexual? Click Here to Find Out!

More Great Quizzes from The Quiz Goddess

Nanotechnology: Risk, Ethics and Law. Book Review

This book joins a growing number of publications exploring the opportunities, risks and implications of nanotechnologies. The question of what constitutes nanotechnologies, the extent to which they will disrupt or converge with existing technologies, and how best to reap the benefits of applications, while minimizing the risks have been major themes in recent discussions in the scientific community in the UK, US, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. Further, the issue of how best to engage ‘the public’ before technologies become established, to ensure consent and legitimacy for developments, has preoccupied science groups and science policymakers, particularly in the UK, where a number of recent public engagement initiatives have been undertaken. The 2004 report, Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies: Opportunities and Uncertainties, published jointly by the UK’s Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, has served as a focal point in debates about the implications of nanotechnologies and reflects concerns about public responses to this emergent field in the wake of the GM controversy of the late nineteen nineties. However, although highlighting a number of pertinent issues, this publication is science-focused and gives relatively scant attention to the socio-political, ethical, legal and global dimensions of nanotechnologies. The wide-ranging discussion of these issues in Nanotechnology (which claims to be ‘one of the first comprehensive books on the impacts of nanotechnology’ – p. 273) is therefore welcome.

The book, part of Earthscan’s Science in Society Series, includes contributions focusing on the development of scientific ideas about nanotechnologies, regional developments, the benefits and risks of nanotechnologies and public understanding of related issues, and the legal and ethical implications of innovations. The contributors represent a range of disciplines and fields, including molecular science, electrical and computing engineering, communication studies, oncology, sociology, health policy, law and environmental improvement. This is an impressive cast of contributors who, from their different perspectives, help advance understanding of the multi-dimensional character of the nanotech landscape. The chapters are, in the main, well written and provide useful summaries of a field, which is both contentious as to its boundaries and rapidly advancing as a consequence of huge investment, particularly in the United States under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), launched in 2000.

The early chapters (comprising Part 1) emphasise the history of the ideas and the contending definitions of nanotechnology, as well as the expectations for the field. They offer a useful orientation to the science and its potential applications for those who are unfamiliar with the issues. Novel properties are seen to emerge at the nano (billionth of a metre) level. Nano-size structures and processes are believed to offer new possibilities in diverse fields, including the manufacture of super-hard materials, the minituarization of electronic components and medical devices, new means of environmental management and of imaging, and novel sensing, monitoring and intelligence devices. However, these novel properties are seen to also present risks, particularly those arising from the manufacture of nanoparticles which may affect ecosystems and human health. Consequently, like other emergent technologies, such as medical genetics and GMOs, nanotechnologies have been greeted with a mixture of both fascination and fear. Taking responses to earlier technologies as a cue, Kulinowski argues (Chapter 2), one may predict a likely trajectory for the controversy surrounding this new field to follow from ‘wow’ to ‘yuk’. Uncertainties and fears are in particular associated with the predicted convergence or the synergistic combination of multiple technologies (e.g. Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science) (NBIC), which are likely to present new possibilities of human performance enhancement, manipulation, surveillance and control. The trajectory for controversy, however, is likely to play out somewhat differently in different national contexts. The book’s discussion of nanotech developments in Japan, the United States, Europe, and Canada (in Part 2) therefore is interesting in highlighting both commonalities and divergences in the path of technology development. Like biotechnologies, nanotechnologies are seen by policymakers in a number of countries as having applications in numerous fields and as potentially delivering major economic benefits. International competitiveness is a major driver of policies. However, the trajectory of innovations is shaped by local politics, history and culture. In Japan and the United States, the political-industrial elite are less welcoming of the precautionary criticism of nanotechnologies than in Europe where the emphasis has been on the policy of ‘better safe than sorry’ and on ‘upstream’ public engagement as early in technology development as possible. The chapters comprising this Part provide a useful description of these trends, although are limited in terms of their analysis and critique of issues and policies and assessment of potential longer-term impacts.

Other Parts (3, 4 and 5) include chapters on the benefits and risks and risk management of nanotechnologies, the global ethics of nanotechnologies, risk, trust and public understandings of nanotechnology, toxicological issues, the future of nanotechnology in food science and nutrition, the lessons from the biotechnology field, nanotechnology and the law of patents, matters of civil and corporate criminal liability and the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. These chapters offer both a useful summary of some recent debates about the regulatory challenges posed by innovations and serve as a source of information on current policies and legislation. Finally, the concluding chapter (‘What makes nanotechnology special?) (Part 6) emphasises the importance for nanotechnology of gaining the support of users of nanotechnology products and ‘the public at large’ if it is to become a ‘mature and sustainable technology’. Here, the potential for a ‘nano-divide’ is raised, and the reader is offered the pessimistic prediction that ‘Nanotechnology will reinforce global inequalities by fostering a nano-divide’. The chapter concludes with a recommendation that the United Nations or a similar body convenes an international conference oriented to the creation of ‘a permanent international multi-stakeholder body (for example, International Nanotechnology Agency) to review, monitor and regulate developments in nanotechnology’.

Like many edited collections, this one lacks a coherent theoretical argument and clear normative position. Further, the book makes little reference to the significance of the media in framing debates and to the politics of the public representations of emergent issues. This is a field full of expectation and competing claims about applications, benefits and risks, with much at stake in how issues are defined and communicated. Depictions of fact and fiction compete and blur in the me? lange of the numerous claims and counter-claims about the technologies’ possibilities and risks. As Vaidhyanathan (Chapter 18) points out, ‘Despite current nanotechnology claims being more relevant to science fiction than science, billions of dollars have gone into firms – all of which hope against hope that they will be among first-movers in this field and marshal the great proportion of what some claim will be a ‘US$1 trillion prize’. Nothwithstanding its limitations, however, the book can be recommended for its coverage of a broad range of topics, its inclusion of many disciplinary perspectives and its focus on the social, ethical and legal implications of developments which has been missing from many discussions thus far. This will make it an invaluable resource for science and technology scholars and students, science policymakers and funders, and indeed anyone wishing to learn more about this rapidly developing field.

Another day in the life

Kate,

I actually do understand some things, although it often takes time to figure out. Sometimes I mope because I'm wronged, other times I'm just sad because of missed opportunity.

(For the gallery: My parents called Sunday to say they were on their way to visit for the night. I wasn't real happy about that since we had just arrived back from being out of town for four days, and it had been over a week since we had sex. I was hoping for romance, not likely with Kate's in-laws visiting.)

Mondays are always a little hard for me. I really miss my kids the first day of the work week, even though yesterday was a short one. I got home and enjoyed the delicious dinner you made with food grown in your garden. Sorry if I didn't thank you enough. After dinner I went with the kids to go horse around in the living room. I had a nice evening, back at home with my family for the first night in several. This wasn't some grand homecoming but it was nice to just be the four of us at home.

You were busy with the laundry from the trip. Sorry I didn't help much. Here's what I think I understand now, and I didn't get last night.

-You put up with my parents visiting. They did buy us dinner and did spend some quality time with their grandkids, but as usual it seemed a bit forced. Our hints about them coming down to watch the kids went without response. I'm at least as upset about that as you are. (Remember though that my mom did agree to watch them all day next week).

-On top of them visiting, you changed the guest room linens so we could have a bit of fun. You also showered, put on my favorite camisole and my favorite shortie black robe. Thank you for putting effort into setting a romantic mood.

-I, on the other hand, enjoyed sitting in bed watching TV with a sleeping boy cuddled next to me. It was very nice and the I Love Raymond episode was pretty good. What I didn't realize is that you were off setting up this romantic scene without me seeming to care. I do care and I do appreciate it. Unfortunately I didn't know what all was going on until later when you were out of the mood.

bored!
got this from aisha x-core bebeh!

Name Four Bad Habits You Have:
1. smoking
2. touching my nose
3. waste good foods
4. spent too much time on the internet

Name Four Things That You Wish You Had:
1. a red mini cooper
2. L'eau D'Issey Eau de Toilette by Issey Miyake
3. that retro swatch watch
4. a fun and normal relationship (as in no sex, no longing for his/her touch whatsoever!)

Name Four Scents You Love:
1. BCBGirls Metropolitan
2. L'eau D'Issey by Issey Miyaki
3. Love by Anna Sui
4. Moonflower by Body Shop

Name Four Things You'd Never Wear:
1. army print of anything
2. carrot cut jeans
3. hotpants
4. boob tube

Name Four Things You Are Thinking About Now:
1. last friday
2. my 400 words essay
3. tyiara
4. things i said yesterday

Name Four Things That You Have Done Today:
1. went to class
2. had rice for breakfast
3. drove
4. smoked

Name the Last Four Things You Have Bought:
1. a book 'a walk to remember'
2. mascara
3. lip gloss
4. cigarette

Name Four Bands/Groups Most People Don't Know You Like:
1. ozomatli
2. n'sync
3. sonic youth
4. buzzcocks

Name Four Drinks You Regularly Drink:
1. barley ais
2. watermelon juice
3. air mesra petronas
4. nescafe ais

Last Song You Sang?
'get busy' sean paul

Last Person You Hugged?
my nephew, azfar.

Last Thing You Laughed At?
enamiix's friendster message

Last Time You Said 'I Love You' And Meant It?
yesterday

Last Time You Cried?
3 weeks ago.

What's In Your CD Player?
sean paul 'dutty rock'

What Color Socks Are You Wearing?
no wearing any

What's Under Your Bed?
my yellow boots

What Time Did You Wake Up Today?
0700 hours

Current Hair?
long and layered

Current Clothes?
pink checked baju kedah

Current Annoyance?
this open burning caused by my neigboor

Current Desktop Picture?
my girl gang

Current Worry?
too personal!

Current Hate?
if i state it here, it would be an issue.

Last CD You Bought?
beyonce 'dangerously in love'

Favorite Place To Be?
my room, coffee bean subang parade.

Least Favorite Place?
klcc

If You Could Play An Instrument?
i wanna play that scottish pipe.

Favorite Color?
yellow and apple green

Do You Believe In An Afterlife?
well. yes?

How Tall Are You?
i'm short!

One Person From Your Past You Wish You Could Go Back And Talk To:
no one

Favorite Day.
FRIDAY bebeh!

Where Would You Like To Go?
new york- do my degree

Type A Line You Remember From Any Book:
'that's exactly how i feel about you!'

A Random Lyric:
' i don't want you to adore me, don't want you to ignore me...'

the plugs and wires...

hafiz came over earlier to help me with the tv and dvd player. it was nice.

met kenny. he invented this new concept of love spreading. i've always thought he's a good crapper. but come to think of it, this new concept of his, it does make sense. kenny's all grown up now. he he he.

sleepy man!

renegrade amnesia

spread the love!

Sender:
kenny
+6016*******
Sent:
10:08:48

told you kenny is crappy! haih!

had my psychology test today. it was okay, considering that it contains only one essay question and five true/false questions. heh!

received my mid-term result for publication production. blargh!

tomorrow's allowance day! i am so happy. i'm down with only RM10 in my purse. haih!

mima and pipa has gotta be the coolest parents ever. seriously! i just felt like letting everyone know. they ARE the coolest parents!

asma ida. if you're reading this, please leave something on my guestbook, just to show that you are still very much alive.

News of the Weird

* A 21-yr-old man was hospitalized in intensive care in Murdoch, Australia (near Perth), in December following a barroom stunt in which he put on a helmet connected to a beer jug, with a hose that ran between the jug and a pump powered by an electric drill. The idea was to facilitate drinking a large quantity of beer without the laborious tasks of lifting a glass and swallowing, but the flow was so powerful that he had to be rushed to the hospital with a 10 cm tear in his stomach.

Robbery

Excerpted from an article which
appeared in The Dublin Times about a bank robbery on March 2.
Once inside the bank shortly after midnight, their efforts at disabling the security system got underway immediately. The robbers, who expected to find one or two large safes filled with cash & valuables, were surprised to see hundreds of smaller safes throughout the bank.
The robbers cracked the first safe's combination, and inside they found only a small bowl of vanilla pudding.
As recorded on the bank's audio tape system, one robber said, 'At least we'll have a bit to eat.'
The robbers opened up a second safe, and it also contained nothing but vanilla pudding. The process continued until all safes were opened.
They did not find one pound sterling, a diamond, or an ounce of gold.
Instead, all the safes contained covered little bowls of pudding.
Disappointed, the robbers made a quiet exit, each leaving with nothing more than a queasy, uncomfortably full stomach. The newspaper headline read:
'IRELAND'S LARGEST SPERM BANK ROBBED EARLY THIS MORNING'....

This year has been a rollercoaster ride for movies. I have watched all the sequels which got released this year "Lord of the rings: The two towers",
"X-men 2","Matrix:reloaded","Terminator-3:Rise of the machines","Charlies angles:Full throttle","Lara croft:The cradle of life" .
LOR,Matrix were the ones really worth,Others were ok barring Lara croft which was really boring!. I liked the first part of lara croft where lara uses a key to get the 2 pieces of "triangle of light". I watched it yesterday once more :)
Last week we (Ashok,Ashvin,sandeep and me) went to the "League of the extraordinary gentlemen" which too was really boring. We had planned to go to "Boom" this weekend but somehow did not materialise.
I forgot to mention "Koi mil gaya" another boring movie which i watched with my sister and cousins!

News of the Weird

The Classic Middle Name (all new): Charged with murder recently: Jessie Wayne Walker (Greensboro, N.C., December); Michael Wayne Carter (Indianapolis, Ind., October); Matthew Wayne Ferman (Waverly, Ohio, October); Keith Wayne Graham (Merced, Calif., August); Justin Wayne Smith (Bay City, Tex., December). Suspected of murder when he committed suicide: Brian Wayne Pennington (Klamath Falls, Ore., December). Convicted of murder: Billy Wayne Cope (York, S.C., September)

Vice City, Here I come...

I'm heading to Miami in 5 hours for a weekend of partying and drinking and womani...socializing.
I plan to make full use of my digital camera and Miami Vice knowledge.
It's Vice City, baby.

It's Over

The evil final is over for Business Math, and I managed an 88 percent after some coaching from the instructor. There were some problems that, when pointed out, made absolutely no sense. So, he asked me to take a closer look at them. He seems to feel I squeaked out a B in the class, but I'm thinking a C, considering the poor showing for the midterm. But, at least this horrid episode in my life is over. Now, the book and assignments go into the fire pit, if the weather cooperates. It's colder than a witches tit in a brass bra here. Throwing the materials into a blazing fire is therapy.

A couple more assignments, and this semester is over. I think I may have pulled A's in everything except evil Business Math. But, we'll have to see. While most of the other students I know hover endlessly over their grades and scores, I usually take a quick look at the last assignment and move on.

I have to contact the members of our 'group' in Foundations of Quality, and find out where the hell their technical college program/site reviews are. They were all supposed to be emailed to me by Wednesday, but of course, several people haven't lived up to their end of the bargain. I guess my time is unimportant compared to theirs. I am reviewing the web site and offerings at Lakeshore Technical College. To tell the truth, I have no idea how the information will go into a chart.

you and your boss

When you take a long time, you're slow.
When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough.

When you don't do it, you're lazy.
When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy.

When you make a mistake, you're an idiot.
When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human.

When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority.
When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative.

When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed.
When your boss does it, he's being firm.

When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude.
When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original.

When you please your boss, you're apple polishing.
When your boss pleases his boss, he's being co-operative.

When you're out of the office, you're wandering around.
When your boss is out of the office, he's on business.

When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick.
When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.

When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview.
When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked.

some questions

Please look at this photo carefully before you try to answer the questions below:

1. Can you recognize the person in the pic? Who is she?
2. What is she trying to do?
3. Is it right to post a photo of a person in a public community like this one without asking them beforehand if that photo is a part of an unrestricted or public album of that person?
4. I have posted this photo here because I found it somewhat funny. Do you also find it funny? Which adjective/s do you find most appropriate to describe this photo?

I see you at my job
you're carrying yourself so well
I made myself a promise
not to get emotional
as I remain stable(stable)
I take another glance at you
if we were at the disco (whoa whoa)
then I would have to dance with you
this isn't cool.... (not cool)

and in my lonely eyes
I see my self in eloquent strides
in a sharp tuxedo
here goes nothing to her.....

Hello Allison
I want to hold your hand,
I haven't been,
the same man since I saw you comin' in,
let's have a toast to the girl in aisle 10

I see you about a quarter after nine,
you shine in the neon sign,
where are you from?
you float in like an angel of night,
into my life,
and leave me with a song to write,
and now I'm loaded,
holdin' my sack and wonderin' where she is at,
with a line of customers gettin mad,
they didn't see what I seen, (nuh uh)
the store queen,
made everything easier for one fine eve....

and in my bloodshot eyes,
all I can see is everything's fine,
with a turning stomach,
runnin' thoughts through my head...

you came in here again,
I'm drinking by the copier,
I made myself a promise,
that I would finally talk to her,
as I remain stable,
I take another drink for you,
I set it on the table whoa whoa,
I'm sure I look a drunken fool,
I'm seeing two.....

pelican

i just got back from a date with adi fairuz. it was nice. got myself five happy coloured bangles. i'm so happy. and it's a ringgit each. now i have five. and i think i want more.

watched TROY. paris is such a pondan. and that archilles is so terrer i find it irritating. haih.

i love cinnabon.

Just in case anyone is wondering why I don't blog more often...

Kinda tough to type when she always wants a say in it.

Finished

After days of reviewing, pulling out my hair and Shouting at the Wind, I finally finished most of the final review for Evil Business Math. Now, all I have to do is take the test. There are a couple of review questions I have no idea how to cipher, but that's what the instructor's for.

This has the potential to get ugly fast.

Another class
Which brings us to another class--Foundations of Quality. Monday, our 'group' was assigned to do a couple of charts and graphs using the information from the last assignment, plus new information we are supposed to get from the web. The charts will be presented in the last class for the semester next week.

After much discussion, we decided on which topics to research as individuals, and then it came down to who was going to collect the information from the group members and graph it. Guess who got screwed? Go ahead, guess.

Yup. I'm the goat who will receive emails from everyone in the so-called group (hopefully by today, but I won't hold my breath), and try and pound the useless data into graphs that will be presented next Monday. First, three of us, including me, stayed late two weeks ago to put the last project together into a PowerPoint presentation. One of the three who stayed after class did the presentation, so all the members will benefit from the grade, which should be pretty good.

This situation reenforces my theory that groups are a useless waste of time and resources. Three people from this 'group' have carried it through the end of the class, while the others just sit there hoping that someone else does the work for them.

I have half a mind to tank the final project just so the non-participants don't benefit from other's work. But, I that would bring my grade down, so I will do the best I can.