Prototype of a Person

Volunteer for Science

This Metro advertisement caught my eye a few weeks ago.

From the Institute of Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin:

We wish to recruit members of the general public age 18-90 to our volunteer research panel. We study various aspects of human behaviour such as memory, attention and thinking. Our research aims to increase our understanding of how the mind and brain work, with a view to trying, in the longer term, to develop methods for assessing and treating conditions such as age-related memory problems and attention deficit disorder.

Volunteers who can easily reach central Dublin may be invited to take part in one or more studies, and if they do, a nominal honorarium will be offered.

Please leave your name and number at 01 89628684 before 3rd August.

I’ve called them up and left my name and number on the answering machine and I’m very much looking forward to volunteering my time to Science. 

It’s a pity that Irish research projects don’t reach out online, the same way that the Irish Blood Transfusion Service don’t, as pointed out by Damien. They are really missing out on the abundance of altruistic internet users and the numerous socially persuasive situations online (blogging, twitter, messageboards, etc.,) that would enable researchers and organizations to recruit many more volunteers. These kinds of blog posts are the first step though.

Book Inbox (11)

Whilst doing a late Spring clean this evening I decided to finally organise my overflowing bookshelf - which earlier today consisted of 3 squashed and disheveled shelves of books, 1 shelf of music/games and 1 shelf of DVDS. So, I put all my music/games in storage, which has given me a 4th shelf for my books to finally breath. During this reorganisation, I made a pile out of the books that I’ve not had the chance to read yet (or started reading and put aside).

Since the start of the year I’ve been reading nothing but journal articles and books for college, and since college ended term I’ve been indulging in a lot of fiction (Jeff Lindsay and Kathy Reichs in particular - don’t read into that too much!) but every single time I’ve looked at these books on my shelf individually, I’ve wanted (very much!) to start reading them, I just lack that extra motivation.

To motivate myself to read them all - I’ve set them aside on one half of my new 4th shelf (which just happens to be at eye level), and I plan on making sure that I get through all of them by the end of the Summer. They won’t be joining their comrades until they are read, so it’ll be like a Book Inbox, currently 11 unread books, and since there is nothing worse than a full inbox, I’m hoping these will be read quite soon.

What’s in your Book Inbox?

The Phoenix - Top Shelf Magazine?

This morning I went to the local newsagent (local to the office, so that would be a Centra on Amien’s Street) and searched the magazine stand for the new issue of The Phoenix. I did eventually find one partially hidden behind the RTE Guide only to discover it was an older edition, this is when I heard a rather gruff voice from behind me inquire…

“You’re not into that kind of thing are you?”

It was at this moment that I felt like I was reaching for the top shelf.

I did eventually get my hands on one at lunch time and there in the lower right hand corner of the cover is my older brother Dave. Yey Dave!

In Soviet Russia Time Travels You

Dad got me to listen to the Right Hook last night as there was a really interesting piece on the so-called “Atom Smasher” the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is scheduled to begin operation in May of this year and will be the largest (27km long) and highest-energy particle accelerator in the world (until completion of an even bigger accelerator proposed - the International Linear Collider (ILC) which will be 40km long). Building bigger and more powerful accelerators seems to be considered the next major step for physics and there are some interesting reasons why.

Particle accelerators literally smash subatomic particles together (hence the name “Atom Smasher”). They do this by taking a particle, such as an electron, speeding it up close to the speed of light and colliding it with an atom, thus allowing for the investigation of the atom’s internal parts. This produces an explosion, which itself mimics the conditions in the moments after the Big Bang, though in a much smaller scale. The more powerful the particle accelerator, the further back in time it can effectively peer (albiet simulated), and the higher the chances are of discovering something new.

Russian mathematical physicists (video, article) are claiming that the secrets of time travel will be revealed by the LHC. Their central hypothesis is that the massive energies created by the subatomic collisions within the LHC could be powerful enough to rip space-time itself, thus creating wormholes. It has been theorised that wormholes not only create shortcuts between two positions in space, but also between two positions in time. This leads us to the secondary hypothesis that the LHC could be the first ever time machine. It is being theorised that 2008 could be “Year Zero”, for time travelers. Einstein suggested that it would only be possible to travel back as far as the first doorway in time. Thus allowing travelers from the future to have access to the past.

Less of this science was actually explained during the Right Hook, but some interesting commentary was made throughout, which brought my Dad and I to a conclusion of our own:

The moment the LHC is turned on someone from the future will go back in time and destroy it.

Time Travel would allow wars to be fought across time, rather than space. It would be too much of a temptation to go back in time and eliminate your opponent. This would be, of course, too chaotic for any society to flourish in. Ultimately the decision would be made to prevent time travel becoming a possibility all together, thus the destruction of the LHC.
Personally, I will only be convinced that time travel is at all possible if the LHC (or the even bigger ILC) explode in a grandiose fashion.

Another possibility is that microscopic black holes will be created within the LHC. Which, unlike time travel, would be NO fun whatsoever.

Life in Cold Blood

I had a lazy moment on Sunday where I ended up watching the first two episodes of the new series of America’s Next Top Model. If it weren’t for my reality-tv-obsessed younger sister my comfortable-shoe-wearing self wouldn’t be seen dead watching anything Tyra Banks related. But, I cannot possibly deny the marvel of watching pretty young girls bullying each other into submission until they’re all crying (does crying shed pounds?), fumbling, wrecks.

Last night, as I tried to relax after a rather unpleasant dentist visit, I had the choice between a new episode of the above, or watching Life in Cold Blood (which I had caught last week and thoroughly enjoyed). I chose the later because, well, I love David Attenbourgh far more than any skinny girl who-has-had-the-worst-life competition. I’m sincerely glad that I did and was “rewarded” with an extremely vivid dream involving the ownership of two pet frogs that I was determined to keep wet (although there was no water available) or they would die.

What made a big impression on me last night was the news that amphibians the world over are being threatened by a highly contagious fungus. Also, according to many biologists we are entering the sixth mass extinction, but amphibians in particular are declining at a far greater pace than any other species. Personally I think that amphibians are one of the most fascinating species on the planet - their reproductive cycles are remarkable in complexity (which at this point is probably their greatest downfall) and they are so incredibly adaptable and diverse in nature. It is a pity that in such a short period of time there may no longer be any amphibians left in the wild.

There is a somewhat depressing and yet fascinating article about this issue on the Open University website.

Bonsai Tree Love

Some time before Christmas I picked up a Bonsai Tree from Aldi for €7.99 - part of me thought “This could just be a trial run” as I had always wanted a Bonsai Tree, but had this preconcieved notion that they were too expensive (and that if I was unsuccessful in looking after it I would be rather annoyed with myself for wasting hard earned Euros).

Although I opted for the cheap route, I’m very happy with it because the plant I got in Aldi is absolutely flourishing. I’m so delighted! Take a look at the before and after picture, to see how much it’s grown in a month. At the moment it’s pruned in an informal style as I’m only just reading up on all the different methods to go about this. Lidl are selling them at the moment, pick one up if you can (pity the pot is so garish though).

Picking the perfect spot for it, and figuring out the perfect amount/frequency to of watering is certainly hit and miss (the first week I over-watered and it developed some mould on top of the soil) but once you figure it out it’s plain sailing from there. Mine is on our kitchen table (because the kitchen gets lots of sun, but you can’t put it in direct sunlight) and I water it once a week by submerging it up to the first branch.

This is my sweet little Bonsai, I love it because it simply is… a teeny tiny baby tree!

New Bonsai - 23/12/07

I love my Bonsai! - 04/02/07

Which invention has helped you most with your working life?

Another Science Week submission…

The Filofax

I’ve given up searching for the perfect electronic organiser or PDA and rather than continue to struggle with my data being scattered across wall calendars, notebooks, post-it notes, smart-phones, my laptop, my desktop in work etc., What with going back to college and working full time I’ve had to make sure that I am very organised, so I’ve recently started using a Filofax. It is a godsend.

I don’t have to worry about charging or syncing my Filofax. I don’t have to worry about the screen cracking if I drop it. I didn’t have to spend hundreds of euro on a device that would only partially suit me and would be replaced in 6 months or so by a slicker and better value for money piece of kit. Really the only worry I have is that my writing might not be legible after jotting down notes on a speeding bus. Although, now that I think of it, I wouldn’t mind if I could put some kind of password or lock onto it, to stop a certain someone trying to figure out what she was getting for Christmas.

My favourite feature of my Filofax is that there are no constraints to what kind of data that I can enter. As I am writing this I realise that it’s strange to apply these types of observations to something that is, on the most basic level, really just paper and pen. No matter how advanced technology has become nothing can change how satisfying it is to quickly jot down notes and drawings or doodle stars and Santa Claus around your daily calendar entry for December 25th. Simply being able to do anything I want (if I can draw it, or stick it, it’ll end up in there) is very productive for me.

It is the built-in software constraints that are there to stop users making mistakes that have stopped me from really embracing any kind of electronic organiser. Nothing exists that can imitate the physical aspects, the tactile sensations and visual guides that I employ. For instance, multicoloured page markers (flags) - the different colours represent different important events. They are physically placed to open the appropriate page, and they also indicate when similar events are taking place over a certain time frame (importantly though, this information can be discerned without flicking through the pages). Even something so simple like being able to put an already written post-it note straight into the Filofax saves me time during my day (be it in college or work). Sometimes I like to jot down quick notes about a project I’m doing, these are usually really messy (but yet very organised at the same time) mind-maps and diagrams. I am a very visual person and I like my data to be visually appealing - I can’t use pink, green and blue highlighter pens in a PDA now can I?

A really great addition to my Filofax has been a template I created in Microsoft Word to print out pages of information (timetables etc.,) that will fit, and also a Filofax hole puncher so I can place the pages perfectly. So no, I haven’t turned my back on technology all together (as if!).

You can read the other submissions to this competition here.

What was the favourite invention from your childhood?

This week is Science Week – which is hard not to notice if you’re a reader of any of the popular Irish Blogs. They’ve been running a blogging competition and my favourite entry so far has been by Roosta answering the “What invention do you want to see most in the future?” topic from today with his Giant Fighting Robots, it totally cracked me up. I’ve had visions of B-Movie type escapades on the moon ever since. Yesterday’s topic was “What was the favourite invention from your childhood?” and although the competition is closed for this topic I still feel an urge to write about it briefly.

HoTMaiL

Over 10 years ago my brother Dave brought home a dial-up modem for our home computer, opening up a mass of information and entertainment to us. Prior to this the only access that we had to any kind of Internet was from free CDs that came with computer magazines (they would sometimes put entire websites on these CDs!). Being teenagers and having little concern we proceeded to run up extraordinarily large home phone bills. Much to our dismay the Internet got banned from the house, but not before we both got completely hooked.

Luckily for us an Internet Café opened up nearby where we could get our fix. But the thing about the Internet way back then (which is actually exactly the same, now) is that you needed an e-mail address to sign-up to practically everything online. Not having your own internet service provider (ISP) at home meant no e-mail address and this closed off a large section of online content.

Independence Day 1996 - Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith launched the first webmail service on the Internet, they chose this day to symbolise freedom from ISP based e-mail and being able to access your e-mail from anywhere in the world. This service was called HoTMaiL and in December 1997, having reached over 8 million subscribers, it was bought by Microsoft and is now known as Windows Live Hotmail, though users still generally refer to it as simply Hotmail.

Thanks to Hotmail in the late 90’s a whole world of geeky goodness became privy to my curious mind. Having access to a web-based e-mail service meant that I could sign-up to all those wonderful geeky science fiction and technology newsletters and websites that I dreamed about being able to access and get involved with. It meant being able to make friends online in far off places like America that would happily spoil the latest season of Star Trek Voyager for you.

Most importantly though, it meant being able to share interesting websites, files and photos. It was a lot harder to find information (and any interesting content) online in the days before Google search and blogging. Also, not having access to an e-mail account meant being the last person online to find out about everything. Web based e-mail also meant you could access your e-mail from any computer, any time. Not knowing if your parents were ever going to let you get back online at home meant that you often had to use your initiative to access your e-mail, so being able to access your e-mail from any computer was very important.

Through my youth online I learned how to write, to think critically, and I was encrouaged by my peers to be opinionated and expressive. I was encouraged to learn new skills like web design, graphic design and typing skills. If it hadn’t been for my first e-mail address I probably wouldn’t have immersed myself so completely into the online world and to this day it is of benefit to me that I did.

Quick Update

It’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything, been very busy and nothing new in the world of gadgets/technology has taken my interest, expect perhaps Blackle. Been busy changing jobs - I’m now working in Admin/ICT for the Health Service Executive in their mental health section. It’s Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, or flexi-time if I need to come in late, or go home early - which suits me perfectly, especially so for college in October.

I’ve my interview for the M.Sc. in Cyberpsychology at the beginning of September, I’m feeling confident about it, I can’t see how they’d refuse me. I’m putting all my eggs in one basket - I know this - but I honestly couldn’t find a Masters program that suited me the way this one does, so even if I don’t get in, I’d rather that than do a course I wasn’t excited about.

Update: Induction is on the 22nd. I start formal lectures on the 29th. Goodbye Saturdays. Hello education.

X-Series: The Next Big Thing?

The new job is going well, a change of scenery is definitely something I needed. I feel a lot less stressed out. Working for 3 as a sales associate means I am completely focused on selling products and hitting my targets, rather than stressing out about the store paperwork and deadlines. You would think that I’d be happier now… but I’m actually bored. Selling 3 handsets is easy, they practically sell themselves. I’ve come to the conclusion that I was stressed out in 3G because I wasn’t being paid to BE responsible, but it was part of my job to be, but no-one else on the same wage had any of the management duties that I did. I’m craving a little responsibility now that I find my brain switching off and my automatic “robot selling phrases” kicking in. The only aspect of working for 3 that is keeping me interested is talking to customers about the X-Series.

X-Series is a sexy name for access to the “Internet” on your phone, or rather 3s version of the Internet. They have partnered with Skype, Yahoo!, Orb, Sling, Google, Ebay and Windows Live Messenger to bring features of these online services to X-Series compatible handsets. You also have FULL, free web access. There will no longer be a “walled garden” - if you connect to the “Internet” from any 3 handset at the moment, you’re only able to access a selection of mobile sites that are compatible with your phone, but the handsets due to launch on X-Series are highly sophisticated devices.

There is a massive interest in the Nokia N73, due to launch on the network sometime in January, I’ve got my eye on one of these bad boys. This will be the first X-Series handset launched, with the Sony Ericsson W950i following later. While most consumers I’ve spoke to are dying to get their hands on a Nokia handset with a 3.2 mega-pixel camera and Carl Zeiss lens, don’t be under any illusion that this is a “camera phone”, this is a truly portable multimedia and communication device.

With an X-Series handset you can check your e-mail, logon to Windows Live Messenger, make voice calls over Skype (currently limited to other Skype users), bid for items on Ebay and even use Google to search. You also can browse online, check your Myspace profile or your Bebo page. Your profile that you labored over for hours will still look a lot better when viewed on a pc screen though, as the Internet browser from 3 modifies webpages to look “better” on the handsets small screen, in order to improve legibility.

For all these features, you’d expect there to be a massive monthly fee, it makes sense right? Granted you’ll need to take out a 12 month mobile phone contract, as the service isn’t available on 3Pay, but the X-Series subscription is cheap and for a flat-rate monthly fee you have “unlimited bandwidth” (although there IS a fair usage policy, stating that 1gb is sufficient for each user).

In the UK the monthly fee for full services is €15 a month, or you can access services for €8 a month which excludes Orb and Sling only. Orb allows you to connect to your home computer, and Sling allows you to connect to your home television subscription (such as Sky Digital) both via your home broadband connection. These two features are probably the most impressive and yet the least accessible to non-geeks as they require a complicated technical setup (they’ll also drain the battery life out of your handset).

Overall X-Series sounds rather impressive, as the service hasn’t launched in Ireland yet I haven’t had the opportunity to test the above features out. As soon as I get my hands on my very own N73, I’ll post a full usability review. For now, there is a fantastic review of the UK version over on Digital-Lifestlyes.info.