Forced Shut Down Hours

Classes were at a standstill for three hours in campus today as the power company strived - according to third hand reports - to fix a transformer that was hit by lightning during the thunderstorm yesterday. Since 2pm of the previous day until 12pm today, the campus was using a generator. It was also turned off at 730pm last night, leaving those in the dormitory with no lights for the rest of the night.

Dual Tasking

I used to just read one book at a time. Everytime I'd try to read two books at a time, I would get confused if a certain scene happened in the first book or the second book.

Now I'm back into the habit, but with a difference. I'd have one book I read before going to sleep.

Then, since times are more prevalent now that I'm kept waiting (for someone to arrive or another reason) I keep a second book in my bag, usually just light reading or not one story from cover to cover, that I open during those times.

This way I also get to go through my stack of library backlogs faster.

Short Attention Span

I still prefer the term ADD to ADHD because the people I know who have this are not hyperactive, or are maybe just lazy.

But it's sad that there are those out there who cannot concentrate enough on their work to pass at the end of the term, or even finish reading a book.

Giving it a name doesn't make it genetic, though, and therefore not the person's fault. I believe it's a matter of will on the person's part.

ANALYTICAL QUOTIENT Question #3

A set of alphabetical blocks has a single different letter of the alphabet on each of the six sides of each block. In all, the four blocks contain 24 letters of the alphabet. By arranging the blocks in various ways, you cal spell all the words listed below. Can you figure out which letters are on each of the blocks?

COIL, DREW, FAZE, HOUR, JUMP, LADY, MINX, NOSE, PANG, QUIZ, SKIP, WAIT

Analytical Quotient Question #2

Can you divide the figure above into 5 pieces, each containing 4 squares like the shapes in Tetris, with no 2 pieces having the same shape? Shapes identical by rotation and reflection are not allowed.

Congratulations to the following finishers yesterday:

Francis Libron 3 minutes
Mavic Agbisit 3 minutes
JC Ferrera 6 minutes
Daryl Dale Alano 8 minutes
Rahnee Joseph 10 minutes
Miguel Enriquez 13 minutes
Leo Tulabot 14 minutes
Alessandra Bacalso 17 minutes
Seane Flores 32 minutes
Lourdes Sibuyo 33 minutes

Multiple Choice Question

This is not part of the AQ Contest.

Car Pool Passenger/Student Group Officer: I have to be in school 7am tomorrow to prepare for the tree planting, which starts 730am.

Car Pool Driver: In my experience no activity in school ever started on time. We will leave at 6:45am, and can be at your usual pick-up point at 7:15am, if you want, and you can be in school 7:30am.

What is the best response?

[a] Car Pool Passenger/Student Group Officer: As a Student Group Officer I will strive to break that negative impression of our activities. I will go to school by myself and be there at 7am.
I'll see you guys there at 730am.

[b] Car Pool Passenger/Student Group Officer: I don't want to disappoint my fellow Student Group officers but I also don't want to commute to school by myself. Even though it's such a big favor for me to ask, please wake up earlier and pick me up at 6:45am so I can be in school by 7am.

[c] Car Pool Passenger/Student Group Officer: Okay, I'll ride with you guys (although I'll still keep you waiting again by not being at the pick up point when you arrive) and I'll just tell my fellow Student Group officers that there was traffic (even though it's an obvious lie because we all take the same road to school anyway).

Analytical Quotient Question #1

A Logic Puzzle Classic:

• There are five houses.
• Each house has its own unique color.
• All house owners are of different nationalities.
• They all have different pets.
• They all drink different drinks.
• They all smoke different cigarettes.
• The English man lives in the red house.
• The Swede has a dog.
• The Dane drinks tea.
• The green house is on the left side of the white house.
• They drink coffee in the green house.
• The man who smokes Pall Mall has birds.
• In the yellow house they smoke Dunhill.
• In the middle house they drink milk.
• The Norwegian lives in the first house.
• The man who smokes Blend lives in the house next to the house with cats.
• In the house next to the house where they have a horse, they smoke Dunhill.
• The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
• The German smokes Prince.
• The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
• They drink water in the house next to the house where they smoke Blend.

So, who owns the Zebra?

Congratulations to the three finishers yesterday:

Roberto Garcia 23 minutes
Aldrin Elbert B. Parati 34 minutes
Ian Torralba 41 minutes

A Problem with ED

In my ymail, which unfortunately unlike gmail, has spam that still gets into the inbox, I have to sort the mail by subject and just delete the ones that have usually the same subject even though they're supposed to be from different people.

Until I came across one whose subject was, "DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ED?"

My initial reaction was, "Who could this be and how did they know?" Until I opened the mail and found out it was about Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.).

Stupid spammers.

And for the record, no, I do not have a problem with "Ed". I liked his TV show, since it was produced by the same people behind the humor of "Late Night with David Letterman".

DLSC Invades EK

August 5, people! Tickets are just P150 to join the PHYSICS 1 field trip, P170 for those from outside the school.

Join usssss.....

Lessons In Killing

Watched this just last Wednesday night. A lot of scary things about this movie: revealing the best time to assassinate someone and not be suspected of the motive, reinforcing America's obsession with firearms shown in Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Columbine, and mirroring the extra-judicial killings in the country and their quick and dubious apprehension of the "suspects".


Otherwise, it was a good flick to raise testosterone levels that already got jacked up by Die Hard 4.0.

Delusions of Grandeur

My definition for this: making out an accomplishment or an involvement in something by actions, verbally or in writing, to be bigger and more important than it actually is.

If you have to say yourself or orchestrate to show how great you are, you're not. Only you think so and no one else does.

P.S. The picture is from an unfolded music CD cover. Awesome.

Pitching Robot Competition Winners

Some People, No Matter How Much You Hint, Are Just...

Next INTROBO Competition

July 26, 2007
8am
Robotics Lab

I've Been Simpsonized!!!

Search for the official site of the upcoming Simpsons Movie and you can customize how you might look like as a guest in the longest running animated series on prime time.

A Game That Follows The Movie Faithfully

Talking about Lego Star Wars again after a long time.

One of the parts that I like about the game is the level in the ice planet Hoth, where, to defeat the AT-ATs, you really have to hook a cable to one of their legs and maneuver the leash around them to make them trip.

July 10 Greetings

Belated Happy Birthday to 2-year ELECOM member, Math Champion and Engineering Senior Achiever Robin!

Red Carpet Syndrome

Sorry for harping on the same subject two days in a row, but is this the feeling of those who make other people wait? That they just made a "grand entrance" and that the people there are excited for their arrival?

On Promptness

When I set a time with someone to meet with them or to ride with them going somewhere, I always go to our meeting place ahead of time, because I don't want to keep my appointment waiting.

If I can't be there on time, I warn them about the possibility at least half an hour before. That's what the modern technology of instantaneous communication is for.

The same is true if I won't be able to make it at all, because if I don't relay the message to them, then they would have spent all that time waiting for me in vain.

This is especially true is you're part of a car pool. By being late you are putting several other people's schedule off track for the start of the day, maybe for the entire day.

Being late, especially chronic repeated behavior, despite how many times you apologize (if you're really sorry, you'd see to it that it doesn't happen again, right?) is a sign of disrespect to the people you are supposed to meet with, that you do not value their time.

It's best that students cultivate this behavior in school whether or not the teacher gives a bonus or a deduction for your attendance, because if you disregard this at work after graduation, it's your job that's on the line, and your excuses don't mean squat.

Thanks to Ina giving me a box of these when she got back from vacation abroad, my craving for these have been reawakened.

I was just in the mall earlier and I had to stop at one of those 100 gram candy counters and get myself a mixed bag.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Again, two weeks late here from when it was released are my impressions about this movie.

The military as portrayed here was extremely stupid to blindly trust as they did.

Invisible Woman's power is to spread her fingers in front of her. They couldn't come up with anything new to do with her creatively.

The ending didn't highlight their teamwork, but at least it didn't look second rate to the climactic battle in "The Incredibles" as the first movie did.

The Fantasticar was also cool.

A Throwback to the Game And Watch Days

A Game Boy Micro (the one on the lower right). I just teased someone in CSI about it earlier today, and now I'm getting one.

Now is that serendipity or what?

Projectile Motion In Action

A throwing machine is my students' next project in INTROBO. We have to contests: farthest distance and accuracy.

Watch them fling stuff around on July 12, 8am at the Science Lab on the second floor, East Wing.

An Enduring Video Game Design

Now we have drums, fishing, samurai sword and skiing simulations in the arcades, but some of the first types are the most popular.

Polar Bowler

Going bowling last Saturday reminded me of one of my favorite online games from two (or is that three?) years ago.

The characters were cute and it was challenging at the same time.

But my question is: is it just me, or is anyone else out there always looking for computer equivalents of fun offline activities?