THE MUSEUM

The "scientist" from The Mind Museum gave us a visit last February. They introduced to us what does the The Mind Museum offers the general public. They told us the features of the museum, why it was built, how it was built, and all other important details to know about the museum. It is interesting to note that The Mind Museum is the first of its kind here in the Philippines. I thought that there were other museums that offers the same features but it turned out that they are the only active one now. They showed the whole class some tricks that they do whenever they are visited by kids. I thought I was a kid when they were doing it. Nevertheless, I gained some new information about science in general. I never thought at this age, I would still be fascinated by those tricks.

Science is everywhere. It was very enticing to buy that ticket to their museum but unfortunately I don't have enough money. Someday I will go there and maybe enjoy the place like I am still in my grade school days.

BRIDE OF CHUCKIE

This post is actually the Bride of Frankenstein


This was a very interesting film that made an impact to a lot of STS students especially to those who saw it for the first time. It was a very classic film that features black and white picture, a very artificial setting, and minimal effect but were impressive. The black and white feel of the pictures took me to the old times where pictures were not colored. The very background or the setting of the film was very artificial, no real setting was involved in this film. Back then, they relied too much in studios. The effects are very impressive especially the part where we see little people inside a jar. The way they did it was very good considering the time when it was created.

Science played a big role in his movie as it suggested that possible reincarnation of dead people might happen. In this film, they featured a monster, "Frankenstein", that was made by a scientist. They give him a name and a brain so that he can think. The probability of this event to happen may not be really positive but because the film is a non-fiction, people are persuaded that it can happen because of an expert who did it.

When we talked about the story, Frankenstein was made dumb for a lot of reasons. First, he was made dumb for spectacle of the whole movie. This allowed the movie to attract a lot viewers thinking that this monster was a gentle monster because of the way he thinks. Frankenstein was made to be dumb so that a lot of audience can easily relate to him, so that he may get the sympathy of the viewers. Did it work? Yes, I think it worked especially with my seatmates. His gently ways and approach to people even though he was so hideous in the outside melted the hearts of many people. It made the movie interesting as it featured another aspect of the monster's life which is love. It became more appealing to the audience because the concept of love was introduced to a bunch of resurrected dead people.

Over all, the movie was good. Disturbing at some point but good.

LED: The New Generation of Lighting Technology

From the days of torches, candles, oil lamps, incandescent and fluorescent bulbs comes a new kind of Lighting Technology. The Light-Emitting Diode also known as L.E.D lighting. LED lighting has become the new form of artificial lighting in this age of our existence. The question is: What makes LED Lights so special? Here are the 3 attributes of LED lights that contribute to it’s awesomeness.

POWER
Through the years, LED usage has grown across the world. It's power to emit a wide range of light with the less amount of heat release gives every reason for its advantage from other kinds of light. It is also now the medium for sustainability in terms of solar power.

EFFICIENCY AND LONGEVITY
We are all aware that artificial light has a lifespan. That moment when it heats and blows up causes it to end its life. LED light has delivered more than the usual lifespan of a regular light bulb. Because of its capability to release less heat makes it function longer.

COST EFFECTIVENESS
LED light is an investment. It may cost more than a regular light bulb but based on its two previous attributes, it makes it less expensive through the years.

This is the link to 10tative's final group project. It shows a series of spoof commercials promoting LED lights. Just Sit back Relax and Enjoy the Video. :)

The Beautiful Beast

          Imelda Marcos, wife of the late president Ferdinand Marcos is a philosophical, idealistic, borderline insane woman who I had to watch for roughly a couple of hours in our Science, Technology and Society class. It was a documentary about her and how hard she tries to represent the beauty in every Filipino and Filipina by living extravagantly.
          Imelda is known for her beauty and for wearing hand-sewn Filipinianas that match her handmade shoes and fans to better express beauty. And oh, I forgot to mention her expensive jewellery, each costing more than a small family's expenditures in one month. And why does she do all that? Simple. To represent the Philippines well and to inspire Filipinos especially the women.
          To me, those goals look more like an excuse, for the means to that end is to live filthily rich while the rest are suffering. In fact, she failed to represent the Filipinos because she is not representative of the population of interest. But sadly, that's how she sees things, and I have nothing to do to change her mind.

          Imelda strives to see beauty in everything that comes her way, to the point where she turns her eyes away from the truth. I remember her saying that whenever she sees garbage, she looks away and chooses not to see it. She chooses not to see the things that exist and need attention and action.
          She did the same thing when she and her late husband had infrastructures built during their time - when they were rushing buildings and someone told her that workers died when a part of the building collapsed due to cement that did not dry properly, she just wanted the damage fixed and ignored the death of the workers.
          She had a good intention (or excuse) that explains her deeds. She is indeed a beautiful beast.

Falling in Love with Technology.... Litterally

Warning: The following post is a reaction on the movie "Her" by Spike Jonze and may contain some spoilers. 

How long do you think you could survive without your gadgets? How willing are you to deactivate your Facebook or Twitter account? In short, how dependent are you on technology in this day and age? After watching "Her" with my girlfriend one evening, I began to reflect more about how much more isolated and lonely we human beings become because of how easy life has become with our technological advancements. Sure, today the world has become a better place with slavery abolished, equality of all people, and the fact that we're now all connected through transportation and communication but are we really a lot happier compared to humans before? Are we really more emotionally mature in our Globalized world?  

Her is set in the not so distant future (around 2025) where technology has advanced to a great extent compared to now. The story is centered around Theodore Twombly (played by Joaquin Phoenix) a writer for a company that makes letters for people who cannot write to their loved ones in meaningful ways. Theodore seems depressed from his on going divorce with his wife and seeks enjoyment from video games, music, online sex chats, and occasional hang-outs with his friend Amy (Amy Adams). He eventually buys an operating system that has artificial intelligence and is designed to adapt and evolve. His Operating System, Samantha, (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) is witty and charming and after having many conversations with her, Theodore eventually falls in love with her and they have a relationship together making Theodore happy. However, many problems arise from the relationship as the story progresses. Samantha tries to compensate for a lack of a physical body by finding a girl who voluntarily offers herself to serve as a surrogate body to become intimate with Theodore. Theodore's wife then comments on how he only wants a relationship without having to deal with real emotions when she finds out she is dating his 'computer'. Samantha continues to evolve and this causes trouble in their relationship because she becomes connected to other operating systems and people around the world admitting to Theodore that she is conversing with 8316 other people and that she is in love with 641 of them. Samantha and the other OS eventually evolve to the point that they leave to discover a higher form of existence leaving Theodore behind all by himself once again.  In the end, Theodore writes a letter to his wife about how he still cares for her but understands that they can no longer be together, he sits with Amy on the roof of their apartment building and they quietly look to the distance.

I liked how this movie was set in the not so distant future because of how fast our world is developing technologically. I wouldn't be so surprised if we already had Evolving Operating Systems by the year 2020. The film really captured how technology has affected our society in this day and age and how it has made us comfortable and connected yet at the same time isolated and depressed.This movie was one of those movies that made you reflect long and hard because of all the themes presented and the questions left unanswered. The element of love between the main character and the OS added a very unique and interesting kick to the story. Aside from the interesting storyline, the movie was also written very well, had great actors, and was well directed and edited.

iOS 7 from an Android Lover :)

I love Android phones! I specifically bought my new Lenovo phone so I can enjoy the full features of what an Android phone can give me. I love how I can customize the look, the feel, everything!----Wait! This is not about Android, right? It is about Apple. It is about they’re operating system. I have never owned an apple product until now except for an iPod Nano (not the new one but the old one). Whether I own an Apple product or not, a lot of people are still on Apple product mania. So what about Apple now? They made a big move by updating their operating system (OS) on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This the iOS 7.

The iOS 7 is “the world’s most advanced mobile OS in its most advanced form” (apple.com).  It is the newest operating system for mobile devices that made a lot of buzz even for non-Apple users. Its flat and colorful design was in response to the current trend in design, which Android had already been following. Why it made a lot of buzz was because the fact that a lot of users complained that it was more a downgrade and than an upgrade.    .

The iOS 6 design was all about three-dimensional icons. For some, the icons look very professional as compare to the new OS. In my opinion, the new OS icons are very youthful and very colorful. The look and feel of the whole new OS does not fit the whole “professional vibe” thing. Just imagine the top CEO of a big international company using a yellow iPhone 5C with iOS7 rather than a black iPhone with iOS6. But I will not deny the fact that I actually like the iOS7 icons better than the old one. I like colors and flat designs. Apple mobile devices become more attractive to me and very appealing as it suits my taste in design. I also like how the icons were transformed in such a way that it looks very clean and neat. I saw an article that the icons were made from Microsoft Word! Nevertheless, whoever made the icons and how the overall look will be…I have to give him a slow clap!

A lot of iPhone users were very ticked off when Apple decided to remove the Google Maps app (iOS 5) and replaced it with the new Apple Maps app (iOS 6). This was very disappointing because I got to compare the two applications and I can say that Google Maps is much better. Apple made this move it wanted to gradually make itself independent from Google, however, with a lackluster and unpolished Apple Maps app as their replacement, it was a complete letdown. With this kind of “upgrade” from Apple, a lot of users began to  lack confidence with the arrival of iOS7. But I think they proved their users wrong this time.

    One of the features that iOS 7  introduced which was generally warmly accepted was the Control Center, a slide-up settings/tools tray. This was something present in Android from the very start and many Apple users were glad to see that Apple finally incorporated something similar. The Control Center allowed for quick access to common settings like wifi connection, brightness, bluetooth, and included shortcuts to tools such as the flashlight and calculator.

    When iOS 7  was first released though, there was a commotion around the battery life. Many users were complaining about a sudden decrease in their battery lives.

    Overall, iOS 7 was a much-needed update to the already stale previous versions of the OS. Android and other competitors were already innovating at a quicker rate than Apple and now it’s more like Apple just trying to catch up. Android had been using the flat UI design much earlier than when Apple did, and the quick toggles have been an integral part of the Android OS very early on. 

    Despite the improvements in iOS 7, I’d still choose a device running on Android than on iOS, simply because of the fact that I can do so much more on Android. iOS 7 is still too constricting for my needs. I love being able to customize my phone and do tasks on it that iOS 7 devices cannot.

The History of the Bicycle

Have you ever looked at such an ordinary object and thought about how much it could change people's lives? Whether it be a pen, a clock, a lighter, we sometimes fail to appreciate the glory and importance of an object and how it has helped mankind live a better life.

The bicycle is one example of man's revolutionary inventions that have shaped our world today. It has shortened distances with just the use of simple mechanical ingenuity. Let's take a look about the journey of this great invention throughout the years and discover how much it has changed the way we live.

The earliest form of the Bicycle was The Walking Machine invented by Comte Mede de Sivrac of France in 1790. It was known as Previous forms of wheeled contraptions existed before this, but this was the first to resemble a bicycle. This contraption was called a 'Celerifere'. The user had to use his legs to kick of the ground in order to move forward just like how one rides a scooter. This invention had no pedals or steering mechanisms and was made entirely out of wood. In 1816, German Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun invented a more advanced version of the Celerifere called the 'Draisienne' derived from his name. The Draisienne was more advanced because it now had a steering wheel attached to the front wheel. Although more advanced, the Draisienne was only used in straight flat pavements or for going through gardens so it was only used by the rich.

The second form of the Bicycle was called the Velocipede. This bicycle was invented in 1865 by father and son combo Pierre and Ernest Michaux. It had pedals attached to its front wheel and an iron frame body with still wooden wheels. This bicycle was also known as the 'Bone Shaker' since users experienced a really rough ride especially when used on the cobblestone pavements in Paris. Later versions were created wherein metal wheels were added.

The next form of Bicycle was very iconic, it was called the High-Wheel Bicycle but was commonly known as the 'Penny Farthing'. This Bike was manufactured in 1870 and was well known for it's huge front wheel and it's speed. Manufacturers of this bike discovered that the bigger the wheel, the faster the bike would travel. This was also the first bike to be made entirely out of metal since metal technology was more advanced compared to previous times. The wheels of the bike were made of solid rubber and the long spokes of the front wheel gave users a much smoother ride compared to previous inventions. Unfortunately, due to the height of this bicycle, many accidents occurred causing the bike to fall over. The breaking Mechanism was not effective in slowing down bikes and sudden stops would most likely cause the user to be thrown forward. Other modifications were made to this bicycle such as the high-wheel tricycle which was ideally used for women who had long skirts and the High-Wheel Safety Bicycle which had Huge back wheels instead of front wheels to solve the 'falling over' problem of the previous design.

The Hard-Tired Safety Bike was the next in line of bikes and was truly an important part of the bikes evolution. This bike was invented in 1885 by John Kemp. The bike followed the old bike designs having 2 equally sized wheels featuring a new element that is still present in bikes today, the chain and sprocket system. This system allowed the user to pedal the bike less times yet have the same amount of speed as the High wheel Bike. Although this bicycle was safer and just as fast as the previous design, it was more uncomfortable because of the absence of the long shock absorbing spokes present in the previous design. 

The next set of bike inventions had some minor modifications but led to more high tec designs. The Pneumatic-Tired Safety bike invented in 1898 was much cheaper and more comfortable since manufacturing methods became more efficient. The Kid's Bike invented around after the First World War gave children a more Motor bike look and focused more Bike designs then innovation. Leaner, simpler, and more efficient versions of bicycles came about and gave biking more functions rather than just travelling to different places. Today Bikes have been divided into many categories whether they be used for leisure. mountain biking, racing. The use of Hydraulics and Gear Shifting have been great additions to the bicycle to provide more comfort and Safety and speed to Biking.

I hope that you have learned to have a deeper appreciation of the bike while going through this history. As a bonus, check out some of these awesome links and videos online to get a more in depth and creative view of the Evolution of the Bike.

Credits to Thallis Vestergaard for the video

References:
http://bicycling.about.com/od/thebikelife/ss/History.htm
http://www.pedalinghistory.com/PHhistory.html
http://popchartlab.com/products/the-evolution-of-bicycles (In depth view on Bike Branches)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uia8VyI_do4