Solar Eclipse Over The Pacific From my blog statistics I noticed that there has been a large spike of visitors to Fresh Brainz looking for information on the 22nd July solar eclipse.Well, it has been rainy and overcast in Singapore so we can't see the Sun, but even if the sky was clear only about 6% of the solar disk is covered by the Moon from our location, so there isn't much to see.Good thing that the Japanese TV company NHK has just uploaded this video of the eclipse relayed from a ship in the Pacific Ocean that is smack in the middle of the lunar shadow, providing a few minutes of totality.Spectacular.I like the fact that you can see planets in the daytime, for example Mercury as shown in this video. I for one have never seen Mercury directly before.It is also interesting to see that while at totality, the surrounding horizon is still lit by the Sun, so it's sort of like a weird sunset all around them - except that the Sun is still straight up in the sky!Pity that in the middle of the sea there aren't birds to sing their mis-timed evening song, which often occurs when totality happens over land. "Militant Secularism" In The Netherlands "Aggressive secularization" in the Netherlands leads to polygamy, euthanasia, infanticide and a suicide pill.Oh noes, the Netherlands is DOOMED!Wait a sec, this news report came from Fox News, which is the most "Fair and Balanced" news network in the USA.Better go check some actual data...**********Divorce Demography (crude divorce rate per 1,000 total population)USA = 3.8 (2003)Netherlands = 1.91 (2004)Singapore = 0.78 (2004)Prison Population(per 100,000 total population)USA = 701 (2002)Singapore = 388 (2002)Netherlands = 100 (2002)Intentional Homicide(per 100,000 total population)USA = 5.8 (2008)Netherlands = 0.97 (2002)Singapore = 0.48 (2005)Infant Mortality(death per 1,000 live births)USA = 6.3 (2005)Netherlands = 4.7 (2005)Singapore = 3.0 (2005)Abortion(per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years)USA = 20.8 (2003)Singapore = 12.6 (2004)Netherlands = 10.4 (2004)Suicide(death per 100,000 total population)USA = 11.1 (2005)Singapore = 10.3 (2006)Netherlands = 9.4 (2004)**********Wow, the USA is truly a world "leader" in all these areas!Let's hope that the Netherlands (and Singapore too) will never follow its "lead" here.Indeed, Fox News should be proud of their country and their own special style of reporting where the truth is always optional.Pipette tip to Sandwalk.Would you like to know more?- Is Polygamy Really Legal in the Netherlands? Third Year It's been three years down the road, and I would like to thank fellow Clearthought Singapore veterans and all my regular readers for staying on this channel.I'll probably write a more substantial post a little later, because I went to the Darwin and Wallace talk in late June and took extensive notes, but right now my situation is not conducive to serious blogging.So, to mark this third blogiversary I'll leave you with this little piece of Socratic dialogue, inspired by the post "don't need doctors anymore" at Angry Doc's site.I hope you'll find it funny and interesting.**********Geordie: "Did you know that Steve McCurry, the photographer who took the famous 'Afghan Girl' photo came to Singapore and gave a talk at SMU?Freddie: "Dang, I missed that. I went to John van Wyhe's talk at NUS instead. So, anything interesting?"Geordie: "Somebody asked him what brand of camera he used. Ha ha, can you believe it?"Freddie: "Heh, don't tell me it's the Nikon vs Canon dickfight again. Or is it Leica vs Zeiss?"Geordie: "It's the Nikon vs Canon. I think that marketing hype is making people stupid. Nobody would ask a famous painter what brand of paintbrushes he used, so why should people care about the brand of camera that a famous photographer used? As long as the picture is focused and well-exposed would it have mattered if he used a disposable camera?"Freddie: "I think that tool worship is common to people who don't understand or are not interested in the process. Perhaps the professionals themselves are contributing to this misunderstanding by making the process look too easy. The tool IS the profession. I can totally see it from that point of view."Geordie: "What are you talking about? Are you saying that a camera can walk by itself to Afghanistan, endure the hardships of a wartorn environment, seek out interesting people, interact with them and produce a well-composed and expertly-timed shot?Freddie: "Look, a camera is what takes the photos, right? If Steve McCurry didn't have a camera with him when he saw the Afghan Girl, the photo could never happen. You can consider him merely as a vehicle to bring the camera to the Afghan Girl and then press the shutter button. All he did was to travel to a remote place, turn some dials and push some buttons - the camera did all of the 'real' work."Geordie: "Ha ha, that's a pretty twisted way to see it. The facts are the same but the emphasis is backwards. From such a view you can dismiss the photographer as an incidental, or even an irrelevant aspect of the photographic process!"Freddie: "You don't need photographers any more, you just need an expensive brand name camera. The photographer only pushed a button! Anyone can push a button."Geordie: "From that perspective you can pretty much dismiss the work of any professional. Teachers? Anyone can talk and write something on the whiteboard. The textbook IS education. Scientists? Anyone can push buttons and transfer liquids from one tube to another. The PCR machine IS research. Oh man..."Freddie: "There you go."Geordie: "Who could see it that way? Apart from a few strange people? I mean, that can't be a prevalent view, right?"Freddie: "I suspect that it is more common than you think. To a society that is obsessed with results and performance indicators, most people can't be bothered about the process behind anything. What they want are results, now now now! Don't care how you do it. Just tell me what I want to hear."Geordie: "But without the process you cannot have results."Freddie: "But even with the process, you may not have results. So why care about the process? As long it produces a result that you like, it must be a 'good' process, whatever it is."Geordie: "Ha ha, this must be a personality-dependent thing, because I don't understand how anyone can think that way. I suppose it is some kind of superduper mental shortcut. Good photo = expensive branded camera. Expensive = good. Cheap = lousy. Quick and easy."Freddie: "Easy on the brain, but difficult on the wallet!"Geordie: "Yeah, which reminds me of that neverending treadmill of earning and spending. If the price is the primary gauge of what is 'good' then people must keep buying more and more expensive stuff in order to feel a sense of improvement in their lives."Freddie: "That's good news for the marketing people."Geordie: "For the Nikon marketing people, Canon marketing people, or the disposable camera marketing people?"Freddie: "Ha ha... suffice to say that happiness is not free, but it is surprisingly inexpensive.Geordie: "It is meaningless to talk about the 'expense' of happiness. It's a process. You can't just stuff happiness into a bottle and slap a brand label on it."Freddie: "Actually I think you can. And someone will pay real money for it."Geordie: "Someone?"Freddie: "Everyone." Everybody Cheats... At Least A Little Bit Interesting talk by MIT behavioural economist Dan Ariely about the psychology of cheating and how it relates to the stock market.While the observation that morality is heavily dependent on the social context is not new, what really impressed me most is the implication of his experimental results - that a moral code not only helps to regulate in-group behaviour, but also concurrently enhance in-group loyalty via a "Us vs Them" mechanism.Even if the moral code itself is completely made up!I don't understand why there is a deep human need to feel morally superior to other people, but this need can clearly be exploited by people who stand to benefit richly from it.Pipette tip to Mind Hacks.Would you like to know more?Another TED talk by Prof. Dan Ariely- Are we in control of our own decisions?- Predictably Irrational Rise Of Creationism In Asia Brandon at The Biology Refugia wonders why the creationist/ID movement has suddenly gained prominence outside of the USA in the past ten years or so.I see the rise of the movement more as an incremental phenomenon, though likely spurred on in recent times by eight years of the Bush administration.Monuments of ignorance such as the Creation Museum and the Discovery Institute have undoubtedly ignited the enthusiasm of others who are interested in replicating these impressive results in their own country.Brandon also asked:"So, future intellectual historians of our times: why is this happening now? And why simultaneously in societies so different from each other and from the US, where all this started?"That's a great question - an interesting consequence of globalization is that with the increased exposure to travel and mass media, two people in one "society" of a country can have practically nothing in common, whereas two people living in different continents may share practically the same motivations and goals.This has and will continue to create tensions between people living in the same "society" who share the same nationality, ethnicity, language and cultural history but yet have completely different or even conflicting worldviews.Yau-man Chan at the Skepticblog puts it this way:"The problem I have with Chinese fundamentalist Christians is how could they discard their own history? For better or for worse, we come from an ancient culture and definitely have the baggage to show for it. We have written history as old as any Middle Eastern civilizations. We have our own legends and sagas to tell the stories of our glorious ancient past. So how can a Chinese, knowing his own culture and historical past become a Young Earth Creationist? How can a person have two histories? What kind of mental gymnastic must my YEC classmates perform to adopt the Genesis stories as real and to discard the narratives of our forebearers was mere legends?"Considering that respect for our ancestors and cultural history is an integral part of many East Asia societies, it is curious to observe that so many people are abandoning their own identity and embracing a foreign culture wholesale.Perhaps their own local culture is not atas (high class) enough for them.In any case, it is interesting to discuss how these people insist on "traditional values" that are not really traditions in their own culture but are actually imported "traditions" from a Western country, eg. USA.What do you think? Aw... What A Cute Song! For some odd reason I can't seem to find the lyrics to this song so I've decided to transcribe it myself.Enjoy...?Screw Youby Kate Micucci(featured in Scrubs Season 8 Episode 8)Short VersionF: I've got too many questions in my mind.M: I've got too many answers to find.F: Can I give up all I've imagined?M: Am I magical enough for this to happen?F: Because I like you.M: I like you.F: I like you.M: I like you...Both: And like can lead to like-like.And like-like can lead to love...Sure as the stars above I'd really like to (F) screw/(M) kiss you.M: Oh.F: Oh.Full VersionF: I've got so many questions in my mind.M: I've got so many answers to find.F: Can you be the man I've imagined?M: Am I magical enough for this to happen?F: Because I like you.M: I like you.F: I like you.M: I like you...Both: And like can lead to like-like.And like-like can lead to love...Sure as the stars above I'd really like to (F) screw/(M) kiss you.M: Oh.F: Oh.M: Can I be the man you're looking for?F: Can I be your girl forever more?M: I'll try real hard not to lose her.F: And I'll try to be less of a loser.M: Because I like you.F: I like you.M: I like you.F: I like you...Both: And like can lead to like-like.And like-like can lead to love...Sure as the stars above I'd really like to (F) kiss/(M) screw you.(F) Screw/(M) Kiss you(F) Kiss/(M) Screw you(F) Screw/(M) Kiss youBoth: Screw you.Would you like to know more?- Kate Micucci website- The full song (YouTube) How To Do It Have you ever wondered why professionals in technical fields can become so grumpy and pessimistic?Yes it would be sooooo nice if one simple, quick solution can be found for everything, such as "Just believe in success and you would achieve success!" or "Just vote for us and we'll guarantee job security and societal stability!" or "Just stop eating animals and you can prevent heart attacks, cancers and achieve world peace!" or "Just believe this book and everything will finally make sense when you attain eternal life!"Pollyannas are especially annoying.Not only because they keep shifting goalposts to make everything look cheery.Not only because they dismiss the difficulties that technical people face with cute soundbites or the mere wave of a hand...But most of all, because they are not the ones who have to take any real responsibility when their over-optimistic and simplistic plans end in utter failure.It's never the "Vision" that is flawed!It's always the workers "down there" - they are too complacent, they don't work hard enough, they are not resilient enough, they are not sufficiently hungry for "Success", they don't "believe" in the "Vision"...The world is ruled by obscenely wealthy and well-connected people who are impressed by "The Secret" or "Who Moved My Cheese?" or "The Purpose Driven Life", while other people who make their opulent lifestyle even remotely possible with the blood and tears of their toil are marginalized and fed table scraps.This is not a sustainable situation. That's Not How You Play The Violin! Here's a classically trained violinist, Alex Mitchell, playing the violin in a decidedly unclassical way...Some people spend years and years learning from the establishment so that they can emulate them exactly and perpetuate the tradition forever.Some other people spend years and years learning from the establishment so that they can evaluate them, transcend them, and sometimes even consign the useless bits of tradition into the giant trash heap of history.As the great non-scientist/non-engineer Tay Ping Hui once said on TV:"Scientists ask 'Why?'. Engineers ask 'Why not?'."Actually, scientists MUST ask "Why not?" - at the minimum, to examine alternative explanations to their pet ideas to avoid getting shot down by their peers, to say nothing of scrutinizing established theories.And did you think engineers have the luxury of asking "Why not" if scientists never asked "Why"?Did you think that James Clerk Maxwell, Michael Faraday, Hendrik Lorentz and André-Marie Ampère were electrical engineers?Did you think that Erwin Chargaff, Rosalind Franklin, Francis Crick and Jimmy Watson were biomedical engineers?If the science stuff doesn't exist, then what would engineers engineer on?A magic voodoo chant?Hugh Laurie knows that playing a doctor on TV doesn't make you a doctor. Maybe Tay Ping Hui doesn't. Nineteen Sixty-Six Two astounding events occurred in 1966 that would forever change the face of broadcast television.Nah, not really.Observe the brutal transparency of the villian; not since the Talking Snake has there ever been a baddie of such epic honesty.To paraphrase an old tag-line from the Space channel:"It's funny how the future looks exactly like 1966."OH MEIN GOTT! Censoring Myself Into Silence This is it folks, I've totally run out of steam. Essentially, I've politically-corrected myself into silence. Fresh Brainz was supposed to be about science, which is a reliable method for discovering the truth. Unfortunately, the truth can be very offensive to many people in this world. They would cling on to their beliefs even when strong evidence indicates the contrary.For too long I have been tasked to do impossible things. I don't considering focusing all your energy into doing impossible things as some admirable sign of tenacity or resilience. Especially when the evidence is clearly there.I think that ordering other people to do impossible things and forcing them to believe in impossible things is a sign of megalomania, maybe sadism or even madness.There is only so much one can do to hint or use subtle words to somewhat nudge you to plausibly tangentially consider some sort of issue. It is very tiring to bend over backwards to respect the feelings of everyone all the time.That is not my style.And so I have nothing left to say. Mas Selamat Captured In Malaysia! Latest news - Mas Selamat has been caught in Johor and is now held by Malaysian authorities:Mas Selamat captured (Straits Times)Fugitive who escaped from Whitley detention centre last year is tracked down and captured in Johor after tip-off from Singapore; he is being held for interrogation by MalaysiaBy Leslie Lopez, Senior Regional CorrespondentKUALA LUMPUR: Thirteen months after his audacious escape from detention in Singapore, Mas Selamat Kastari has been caught in Malaysia.Singapore's most wanted terrorist was captured on April 1 while hiding in Johor, regional intelligence sources told The Straits Times.It is believed that he was nabbed in the outskirts of Johor Baru and is now being held by the Malaysian authorities for interrogation.It is not known how he slipped out of Singapore or when he entered Malaysia.Although he was arrested six weeks ago, the Malaysian authorities have not yet announced the capture. Mob Behaviour Of Social Groups What a remarkable confluence of events today!1. This morning I received an email from an old friend - unfortunately it was a chain mail with some pretty NASA photograph in it.I prefer not to propagate chain mails, so I deleted it while asking myself: "Why do people fall for chain mails so easily?"2. Next, I came across this YouTube video about chain letters on MySpace and other social networking sites:Nykytyne2 sees a connection between Pascal's Wager and the mob behaviour of people who keep reposting chain letters.He thinks that social networking and multiplayer game sites can potentially be a great tool for social psychologists to study mob behaviour.3. And then, sociologist Jesse Fagan of Orbital Teapot posts a summary about this research study:Effective leadership and decision-making in animal groups on the move (Couzin et al. 2005, Nature)This paper has revealed a very interesting result. Jesse explains:The powerful insight, I thought, was that groups that behave like swarms or flocks can find some resource if only a small proportion of the the individuals have the knowledge. Furthermore, the ratio between those who know and those who follow scales logarithmically with respect to the size of the total group. That means the larger the group, the group of knowledgeable individuals does not have to rise linearly.When I say agents who behave like a swarm I mean they obey a small set of simple rules.So here's a plausible explanation for why there are so many "sheeple" in the world today mindlessly following a tiny clique of powerful overlords.Maybe it doesn't hurt society to have many stupid people who are only good at following orders - there could be a structural reason behind this.Ain't that neat?The question, the hypothesis-generation and the results all popped up within the space of a few hours.Sometimes I wonder if I am trying to find systems science, or if systems science is trying to find me... Paint Your Palette Blue And Grey Thanks to everyone who turned up for the Sidewalk Astronomy Carnival, especially Angry Doc and Ed, as well as Richard of SingAstro.Three drinks under the stars.Contemplating the certitude that eludes them. Update: Results Of The AWARE EGM Latest news - the result of the no confidence vote in the new AWARE Exco has just been announced:1414 vote yes (in favour of the old guard).761 vote no (in favour of the new Exco).The vote of no confidence has been passed.At this point in time (8.25pm), the new Exco is still considering whether to resign or not.*Update 03 May 2009:Ms. Josie Lau's team has resigned.The newest AWARE Exco is now led by president Dana Lam.Would you like to know more?Online media sources:- More than a thousand turn up for Aware EOGM (The Online Citizen)- LIVE from Suntec: AWARE EGM, 2 May 2009 (The Wayang Party)Mainstream media sources:- New Exco of AWARE given vote of no confidence (Channelnewsasia) Swine Flu: Alert Orange Latest update on swine flu - the Ministry of Health has upgraded the Disease Outbreak Response System Alert status in Singapore from Yellow to Orange:Swine FluLast Updated 30 April 2009The Mexican swine flu outbreak situation continues to evolve rapidly.As of 30 April 2009, there are reportedly 99 confirmed cases of Mexican swine flu (H1N1) cases in Mexico (with 8 deaths), 91 in the United States (with 1 death), 19 in Canada, 10 in Spain, 5 in United Kingdom, 3 in Germany, 3 in New Zealand, 2 in Israel, 2 in Costa Rica, 1 in Austria, 1 in Switzerland and 1 in Peru.As of 30 April 09, there are no human cases of Mexican swine flu in Singapore. There have been 22 cases in total referred for further medical assessment. Of the 22 cases, 19 cases have been tested negative for Influenza A. 2 tested positive for usual circulating seasonal strains of Influenza A and 1 is pending laboratory investigations.Alert StatusOn 29 April 2009, WHO raised the current level of flu pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5. The change to a higher phase indicates that there is human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one region. The declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent, though not inevitable. WHO has recommended countries to take steps to heighten surveillance, adopt measures for early detection and treatment of cases, and step up infection control in all healthcare facilities.Even though there are currently no human cases of Mexican swine flu in Singapore, the Singapore Ministry of Health on 30 April 09 upgraded the Disease Outbreak Response System Alert status in Singapore from Yellow to Orange. There is a real possibility that such cases may surface in Singapore and we must be prepared at all fronts to delay its spread to Singapore for as long as possible.Public AdvisoryMembers of the public are strongly advised to postpone or avoid non-essential travel to Mexico and affected areas. In the event that travel is unavoidable, the public is advised to take precautionary measures such as avoiding crowded areas and maintaining high standards of personal hygiene at all times.The public is advised to maintain high standards of personal hygiene, such as washing hands frequently with soap and water, especially after contact with respiratory secretions (e.g. after sneezing and coughing). Those who are unwell with respiratory illness should stay at home and wear a surgical mask if possible.Schools, workplaces and places of mass gathering are encouraged to conduct temperature checks routinely. Those with a higher-than-normal temperature should be advised to seek treatment immediately. Recording of all information of all visitors, including the date and time of visit, personal particulars and contact number of visitors, is recommended. This will facilitate contact tracing when the need arises.Would you like to know more?- FAQS on Swine Flu (flu.gov.sg)- Communicating the Swine influenza A (H1N1) crisis (The Biology Refugia)- We are now at Alert Orange (Angry Doctor) Health Alert: Swine Flu An outbreak of Swine Flu, caused by a new subtype of the Swine Influenza A/H1N1 virus, has occurred in the USA and Mexico.The World Health Organization (WHO) states that this is a situation of high concern:"The majority of these cases have occurred in otherwise healthy young adults. Influenza normally affects the very young and the very old, but these age groups have not been heavily affected in Mexico.Because there are human cases associated with an animal influenza virus, and because of the geographical spread of multiple community outbreaks, plus the somewhat unusual age groups affected, these events are of high concern."1. Here are the affected countries so far (27 Apr 2009):Google Maps - H1N1 Swine Flu (by niman)Pink markers are suspected casesBlue markers are confirmed casesDeaths have no dot in the markerMexicoTotal - about 900 suspected cases18 laboratory confirmed cases20 confirmed deaths due to swine fluUnited States of AmericaTotal - 20 cases(laboratory confirmed cases)California - 7 casesKansas - 2 casesNew York City - 8 casesOhio - 1 caseTexas - 2 casesCanadaTotal - 6 confirmed casesBritish Columbia - 2 casesNova Scotia - 4 casesNew ZealandTotal - 10 likely (Influenza A positive) casesIsraelTotal - 1 suspected caseSpainTotal - 3 suspected casesFranceTotal - 2 suspected cases2. Health advisory from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).For public:Residents of States with Swine Influenza CasesCDC has identified human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in people in the U.S. CDC is working with local and state health agencies to investigate these cases. We have determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, we have not determined how easily the virus spreads between people. As with any infectious disease, we are recommending precautionary measures for people residing in these areas.- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.- If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.There is no vaccine available at this time, so it is important for people living in these areas to take steps to prevent spreading the virus to others. If people are ill, they should attempt to stay at home and limit contact with others. Healthy residents living in these areas should take everyday preventive actions.People who live in these areas who develop an illness with fever and respiratory symptoms, such as cough and runny nose, and possibly other symptoms, such as body aches, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, should contact their health care provider. Their health care provider will determine whether influenza testing is needed.For Clinicians:Clinicians should consider the possibility of swine influenza virus infections in patients presenting with febrile respiratory illness who- Live in an area where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) has been identified or- Have traveled to an area where human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) has been identified or- Have been in contact with ill persons from these areas in the 7 days prior to their illness onset.If swine flu is suspected, clinicians should obtain a respiratory swab for swine influenza testing and place it in a refrigerator (not a freezer). Once collected, the clinician should contact their state or local health department to facilitate transport and timely diagnosis at a state public health laboratory.Update 28 Apr 2009WHO raises pandemic alert to phase 4Latest tally:Mexico = ~ 2000 suspected cases (149 suspected deaths)USA = 40 confirmed casesCanada = 6 confirmed casesSpain = 1 confirmed caseUK = 2 confirmed casesUpdate 29 Apr 2009Till date, no deaths outside of Mexico.Latest tally:Mexico = ~ 2000 suspected/ 26 confirmed cases(152 suspected/ 7 confirmed deaths)USA = 64 confirmed casesCanada = 13 confirmed casesNew Zealand = 11 confirmed casesSpain = 2 confirmed casesUK = 2 confirmed casesIsrael = 2 confirmed cases*Update 30 Apr 2009WHO raises pandemic alert to phase 5First death from swine flu outside Mexico - a 23-month-old Mexican child died in Texas.Latest tally:Mexico = ~ 2000 suspected/ 26 confirmed cases(159 suspected/ 7 confirmed deaths)USA = 91 confirmed cases (1 confirmed death)Canada = 13 confirmed casesNew Zealand = 11 confirmed casesUK = 5 confirmed casesSpain = 4 confirmed casesGermany = 3 confirmed casesIsrael = 2 confirmed casesAustria = 1 confirmed caseWould you like to know more?- Swine Influenza and You (US CDC)- Singapore will be pro-active in handling possible swine flu outbreak (Channel NewsAsia) Update: Doesn't Sound Like Reconciliation To Me The AWARE Exco takeover saga had become so confusing that I didn't want to talk about it, but now some new information has clarified the situation a bit.According to Alex Au of Yawning Bread (interesting points in bold):Here's another contradiction: On TV, Josie Lau said,Josie Lau: My priority right now is to reconcile the team which clearly has fissured.Now, here's something the public does not yet know: The television station's original plan was for a member each of the old guard and the new guard to be in the interview. Josie Lau objected vehemently and insisted they would not share the interview room and program with anyone from the old guard. So much for reconciliation.There's also the extremely curt email (so much for reconciliation, again) they sent to Braema Mathi telling her she's been relieved of her position as chair of the subcommittee preparing AWARE's report to be submitted to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Without even a customary word of thanks, the email said:Kindly note that your term of office as chairman of the CEDAW Committee has ceased at the date of the AGM on the 28 March 2009.Kindly submit all the work in progess by Friday 17 April 2009 without fail.RegardsSally AngWow, assuming that the information is factually correct - that must be the most cruel email I've ever seen.It doesn't sound like a dismissal.More like a military order.Except that even military orders will have proper handing/taking over procedures, containing details such as:- Who is the new CEDAW committee chairperson.- How long is the estimated understudy time for the new chairperson to become familiar with the project and the volunteers involved.- How long is the grace period given if the report cannot be written up in time (forced to wrap up/abandon halfway in just ONE day???).- Thanking the outgoing chair for her contributions and asking if she will be available in the future for technical advice.Instead, the email says something like:"Newsflash! Guess what? You've just been sacked. Goodbye."The new Exco is really fierce. Photo Gallery Twelve The photo gallery returns with a slight difference; rather than focusing on the artistic aspect, this week's selection is a quick survey of some bizarre sights around Singapore, with a touch of black humour.It's difficult to find graffiti in Singapore, what with all the constant scrubbing and whitewashing of public areas.But those few that remain are no less arty or profound than the ones found in any other large city.It's hard to tell what this example here is trying to say; it may be an expression of personal frustration, or a biting social commentary.But we do know for sure that the painter is a fan of Don Hertzfeldt.Sometimes words can achieve what pictures will never do. Unlike the crass "Johnny loves Carmen" or "For a good time call XXX-XXXX" variety, this set of scribblings is appropriately composed upon a lamp post, a source of earthly light that serves as a metaphor for the heavenly light of God.Within these words, we can feel the frustration of those who yearn to see by heavenly light what they are unable to see by earthly light.The anguish of those tasked to convince others to see what they themselves cannot see.But we do see many things around us, with exquisite clarity. A tiny glitch in the System reveals the Matrix that underlies everything.As the great German philosopher Hans Oberlander once said: "We're all going to be computers soon you know. Thank goodness!"After they are confronted by another tedious object hunt or the mythical "wall of air" for the nth time, do avid gamers start to question if they are playing the computer game, or is the game playing them?Which is the Tool, and which the Master?Here's another burning question. If there are so many "registered" soccer players in the great US of A, then why do they suck so bad at it?Perhaps sheer numbers will impress... no, distract people from the searing reality that the best soccer players in the world never did spend their formative years spending top dollar to consume bottles of glorified sugary water.Or perhaps the Gods of yesteryears have been replaced by the Gods of Red, White and Blue - the mother of all brand names.It only takes a spark, to get the fire going. And soon all those around, may end up as charred corpses.The first few foreign particles on the leaf may be attractive, even beneficial additions, but as more and more of them arrive, their behaviour changes and the leaf is severely compromised.Not unlike how adding some carbon particles can strengthen iron into steel, but add too much and you will produce a fragile piece of cast iron that will shatter to pieces when hit with a hard knock.The cost of diversity is vigilance, a perpetual awareness of the social boundaries that allow a people of various cultures to work together with some semblance of cooperativity.This is heightened when a huge population is confined to a small geographical area, resulting in frictions that occur on a daily basis.An appearance of nonchalance on the surface cannot fully mask the suspicions beneath.Like the models above who look at the shoppers with disturbing stares, people are always watching.Judging.Defining social progress by primarily economic terms, there are many who seek the use of Darwinian principles to justify their actions in what they perceive to be a dog-eat-dog, "survival of the fittest" world.But Nature is a tinkerer, and much of biological evolution has proceeded via stochastic, neutral events.Many things persist, not because they are superior to the competition, but because they are irrelevant to the competition.Take a look at this rusty old weighing machine with creaky analogue levers and spinny wheels. Once a staple of shopping centres everywhere, this one sits alone in a corner that time forgot.Who would spend 20 cents to receive her weight info stamped onto a card? What is the cost-benefit ratio of such a machine today?Yet it lives on, oblivious to the rise and fall of digital technologies around it, maybe due to nostalgia, or more likely because nobody really cared enough to get rid of it.An artifact of the past; now reborn as a metaphor in an obscure science blog.A shining future of opportunities awaits you! No doubt decked out with flashy new gizmos and catchy new slogans.But an astute outside observer will ask: "The train only has two sides. Why would you need a display to point out where the doors will open?"The observer may have failed to appreciate the crushing mass of humanity during rush hour that would impede a person from reaching the other door, if she had inadvertently picked the wrong side of the train to stand at.More importantly, the observer may have failed to realize that the future does not belong to the last person who is still standing, but to the last person who is still breathing.Would you like to know more?- Photo Gallery Eleven Sidewalk Astronomy Carnival! As you may be aware, 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. My good friends at the Science Centre have informed me that there's a fun astro event to be held right at your neighbourhood sidewalk megamall!**********Sidewalk Astronomy CarnivalIn celebration of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009, Science Centre Singapore and The Astronomical Society of Singapore (TASOS) together with our partners, HISTORY(TM), StarHub and Vivo City, is bringing to Singaporeans a Sidewalk Astronomy Carnival. The Carnival will provide a unique opportunity for the public to gain an understanding of astronomy through observations of the sky and related educational talks, activities and documentaries that bring enjoyment and edutainment to both young and old. The public will be able to get up close and personal with the Moon and Saturn through telescopes set up on site.Date: 1-2 May 2009, Friday & SaturdayTime: 6pm – 10pmVenue: Vivo City SkyparkProgram6:00 – 6:30 Astronomy projects for kids/families6:30 – 7:00 Stage games by emcee + FAQs7:00 – 7:45 History Channel Screening of The Universe (The Moon)7:50 Welcome Mdm Ellen Lee, MP for Sembawang GRC & Adviser to Woodlands GRC8:00 Telescope viewing starts8:00 – 9:00 “The Night Sky and our Solar System” Talk by Mr Kalaimani s/o Retnasamy (Founder member and Hon Secretary, TASOS)9:00 – 9:15 Stage games by emcee + FAQs9:15 – 10:00 History Channel Screening of The Universe (Saturn – Lord of the Rings)10:00 Close**********If you are curious about what Saturn looks like through a small telescope under good seeing conditions, here's a nice video:"Sidewalk" star parties tend to focus on the Moon and planets, because these are easier targets in the city sky, which is awash with the orange glow of light pollution.To see the more spectacular deep sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies, you may not need a bigger telescope, but you MUST go to a better dark sky location. I'm sure Teck is now at a more stargazing-conducive location than any of us here in Singapore; do check out some of his photos.However, the upside of a such convenient location is that if the seeing conditions aren't so great, you can just head indoors and stuff your face silly with some of that famous Vivo City kueh tutu!I think I'll turn up with me olde SP-C80.Fresh Brainz fanz, if you find a guy with the rustiest scope you've ever seen... that would be me. Update: Spy vs. Spy Yet another news release on the AWARE Exco takeover saga, this time with two bizarre twists (highlighted in bold):AWARE president questions intentions of veterans unhappy over election outcome By Cheryl Lim/Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsiaPosted: 17 April 2009 1747 hrsSINGAPORE: The new president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), Josie Lau, has questioned the intentions of veteran members who are unhappy that newcomers have swept most of the executive committee (Exco) seats in the organisation's recent annual election.In a statement to the media, she challenged these members to disclose their motives and objectives fully and honestly.On Tuesday, 160 members had written to the new Exco to request for an extraordinary general meeting, with the apparent purpose of replacing the Exco. The much-awaited extraordinary general meeting will be held on May 2.Meanwhile, Ms Lau pointed out that no more than five of the signatories were present at last month's annual general meeting.She also highlighted that just-resigned president Claire Nazar had nominated six out of the 11 new Exco members with the support of veteran members.Ms Lau also said that following the first Exco meeting on April 7, Ms Nazar unilaterally resigned by email on April 8.The Exco then called for a second Exco meeting on April 15, the earliest possible date, as the Constitution requires at least seven days' notice.It was at this meeting that Ms Lau was named the new president unopposed.Ms Lau said the current committee hopes to improve the life of women in Singapore and is pro-women, pro-family and pro-Singapore.She added that AWARE is a secular organisation - with members from different races, walks of life and belief systems.She said that as a democratic society, they welcome diverse viewpoints.Ms Lau added that she has full confidence in her team and that they are ready for the challenges ahead.Meanwhile, on Friday evening, some members of the new Exco spoke to Channel NewsAsia.The new Exco said the organisation's old guard is recruiting members to call the extraordinary general meeting.The new guard said 120 of the 160 signatories were recruited in the last month to swell support for the requisition.A vote of no confidence may be considered against the new committee at this meeting.This comes just weeks after the old guard accused the new Exco of recruiting members to "muscle their way onto the Exco" in the society's annual general meeting.When asked of their intention of joining AWARE, the new Exco said they wanted to bring fresh ideas to the organisation and improve the quality of life of women in Singapore. They are also planning programmes to help women who are suffering during the economic downturn.**********Wow.I thought I was pretty good at bending my brainz around stuff, even quantum physics, but this latest news is just too much for me.I... erm... I'm actually lost for words.As such, Fresh Brainz will adjourn from this topic, at least until the new Exco actually organizes some dubious activities, if they ever have the chance.Back to your regularly scheduled mix of wacky research, fun science events and my endless blathering about systems science!*Update (18 Apr 2009): Josie Lau was actually nominated by Claire Nazar! (1 clash settled, 1 heats up - TODAYonline)*Latest Update (20 Apr 2009): Josie Lau says that the takeover was not a planned coup. (Aware chief answers critics - ST) Update: Josie Lau Is AWARE's New President Latest news - the new president of AWARE is Ms. Josie Lau, who is a vice-president at DBS Bank and the wife of Dr. Alan Chin.Check out the following news article for more details (key points in bold).Click on the link to see some pictures of the new Exco:DBS exec is Aware's headJosie Lau appointed despite employer's advice not to runBy Tan Dawn Wei, Wong Kim Hoh & Yen FengBANK executive Josie Lau, 48, was appointed the new president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) on Wednesday night at a meeting of the new team in charge.She is vice-president of consumer banking group cards and unsecured loans for DBS Bank.But shortly after she announced that she was president, posed for pictures and made brief comments to reporters, her employer expressed unhappiness that she had taken the top post at Singapore's best-known women's group.DBS Bank said it had told her just before last night's Aware exco meeting that it did not support her running for president. The bank said it supported employees' participation in community work, but they needed approval before taking on external appointments.And Ms Lau did not have the green light to be Aware president.'We believe that as a vice-president in DBS, she already has a challenging job with many responsibilities, and the role of president would demand too much of her time and energy,' a spokesman said last night.Ms Lau could not be reached to comment as the new team wanted media queries to be channelled via the Aware office.Checks by The Straits Times revealed that she is married to Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang, who owns several clinics under the Lifeline Medical Group. They have two teenage daughters, and Ms Lau is also listed as director and shareholder in some of her husband's clinics.A beaming Ms Lau refused to take questions from reporters when she emerged from last night's exco meeting which lasted nearly four hours. But she said she was pleased and delighted to be president.'Together with the new exco which was duly elected under the Constitution, I will build on the good work of the past Aware members who advanced the causes for women in all areas of society through advocacy, research and community work,' she said.**********With this announcement, I think that the suspicions of many people regarding the Exco takeover has been substantiated.The Straits Times also reported that "Exco member Caris Lim, a long-time member, walked out three hours into the meeting of the new team, saying she was 'very disillusioned'."The official statement says: "The new team intends to build on the solid foundations laid by the founders of Aware and will continue to promote the participation of women, on equal terms with men, in the political, social, economic and cultural life of our society. The goal remains to bring about full equality of the sexes and to end all forms of discrimination against women."However, the new president has refused to answer any question from reporters.DBS Bank appears to foresee the potential implications of this new appointment, but I fear that they may be vastly underestimating the public sentiment.To me, reading this news feels like seeing the first six watertight compartments of a ship completely flooded with water.Would you like to know more?- Construction of the Titanic Update: AWARE Exco Remains Silent Here are some updates from mainstream media sources regarding the AWARE Exco takeover (I've highlighted some key facts in bold):1. 160 AWARE members call for meeting to question new ExCo By Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsiaPosted: 14 April 2009 2057 hrsSINGAPORE : 160 members of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) have submitted a request to call an extraordinary general meeting for the society, where a motion of no confidence in the newly-elected Executive Committee (ExCo) will be considered.It all started at the AWARE annual general meeting on March 28.Nine of the 12 Executive Committee positions went to newcomers during that meeting. Over 100 people had turned up to vote and many of these voters had only just joined AWARE.Some of the newcomers have previously written to the media speaking against homosexuality. AWARE, on the other hand, is known for its liberal stance."It (AWARE) stands for choice, it stands for gender equity, it stands for democracy, it stands for diversity, plurality. That's why our membership has always been open," said Corinna Lim, a former Executive Committee member and AWARE member since 1992.When asked for their reasons for seeking leadership, the new ExCo members declined comment."We told you that ExCo is going to be meeting sometime this week, after which there will be a press release. So there is no comment," said Charlotte Wong, VP of AWARE.Its newly-elected President, Claire Nazar, a longtime member of AWARE, resigned barely two weeks after being voted in.Some past presidents in the meantime, have been collecting signatures to call for an extraordinary general meeting - prompting some observers to comment that they are behaving like sore losers."We welcome change, it is not about losing at all. Someone from a different group came in, have certain ideas about what AWARE should be doing and hasn't communicated it, and all we want to know now is what this is about," said Lim."The extraordinary general meeting is an opportunity for the new guard to explain their position and win the members over. We can't really comment whether they will hold fast to the traditional line of AWARE, but I can't imagine why not, if they chose to enter AWARE and run for office there," said political analyst Gillian Koh.The current committee has not replied to members' request to hold the meeting.AWARE has about 500 members. - CNA /ls2. Old guard calls for meetingESTHER NGestherng@mediacorp.com.sgTHE old guard is fighting back.After a leadership grab by new faces, the abrupt resignation of the new president and rumours of hidden agendas swirling on the Internet, some 150 longstanding members of the women’s advocacy group Aware have called for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) that may include a motion of no-confidence in the new executive committee (Exco).“We don’t know who these people are. We’ve not heard a word from the new Exco for the past two-and-a-half weeks,” said Ms Corrine Lim, a longstanding member of Aware, which stands for the Association of Women for Action and Research. Ms Lim is one of the 150 signatories calling for the EGM.The concern of the old guard is palpable. On March 28, a large group of new members turned up at Aware’s annual general meeting and apparently staged a coup. Nine of the 12 seats on the society’s Exco went to new members. Eleven days later, its new president Claire Nazar quit abruptly and cyberspace has since been abuzz with rumours about the religious and allegedly anti-gay views of the new Exco members.“It didn’t help that people were speculating all kinds of things on the Internet. In fact, in times like these, the Exco should come out to respond quickly,” said Ms Lim.Aware’s new vice-president Charlotte Wong was tight-lipped when Today met her at the group’s office yesterday.“None of us can answer your questions until the Exco meets. We’re just following the rules. They are in the constitution,” said Ms Wong. “We’ll be releasing a statement after we meet.”However, a check with Aware’s constitution has turned up no such rule. Today understands that the Exco will meet today.Responding to comments by veteran journalist P N Balji that Aware should live up to its spirit of “championing the need for choices in a pluralistic society” and so accept the new line-up, Ms Lim said the EGM will precisely serve this purpose.“It will be an opportunity for members to raise their concerns with the Exco and also for the new Exco to explain their values and vision of Aware. If the general meeting is happy with their goals, we’ll go along. If not, we’ll put (the matter) to a vote,” she said.Members of the old guard have asked that the notice to call the EGM be issued no later than 14 days from the date of the request. This is the first time that the society has called for one.3. Counter-attack at Aware160 veterans to table no-confidence vote at extraordinary meetingBy Wong Kim Hoh, Senior WriterTHE old guard at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) has launched a counter-attack after several unknowns seized the leadership at its recent elections.A group of 160 veterans are calling for an extraordinary general meeting (EOGM) where they intend to table a vote of no confidence in the new executive council.In a statement on Tuesday, they expressed concern over the unusual nature of the March 28 annual general meeting 'when a large number of new members turned up and appeared to vote for several office bearers, all of whom are also new members'.Older members present were shocked when the newcomers contested and won almost all positions, beating more seasoned members by wide majorities.Those calling for an EOGM also found it disturbing that Mrs Claire Nazar, who was elected president without a contest, resigned within days.The new exco members have yet to make known publicly who they are, how they are connected, what prompted them to take over in the manner that they did, or their plans for Singapore's leading women's group.Repeated attempts to reach exco members for comments have drawn a blank since last week.Ms Corinna Lim, 44, a spokesman for the old guard group, told The Straits Times: 'It is necessary to have an EOGM because we need an open discussion of what their agenda is.'We've had a lot of calls from concerned members but we have had no communication from the new exco.'Ms Lim, a corporate counsel, said that under the Aware constitution, an EOGM must be called if 10 per cent of the membership ask for one in writing. Given the rules, it could be held within a month. **********In light of this new information, I think that my previous guess that there is a lack of rapport between the veteran core and their members is incorrect.The fact that 160 members can stand together and call for an extraordinary general meeting shows that their ties within the organization and their commitment to AWARE's mission remain very strong.This suggests that the Exco takeover was only successful due to its unexpected nature and not because of any fundamental disunity within the organization.If there is any schism at all, it is between the new Exco and the vast majority of AWARE members.And this gulf widens every day with their continued and concerted effort to stop communicating with their own members, not to say the press.Even more worrying, they appear to be interpreting AWARE's constitution in their own special way.If this situation persists, the remaining silent majority of about 300 members may become motivated to take a stand.Anyone who has some experience as a member or a leader of a committee would be aware of the importance of a clear channel of communications, especially during unusual situations.And this is an unusual situation indeed.How unusual? Let me put it this way:Imagine if you just won an election, by a landslide victory, over a group of veterans in an established and respected organization.You would thank your supporters enthusiastically.You would immediately reach out to the outgoing exco, thanking them for their previous contributions and assuring their supporters that their voices will continue to be heard by the new administration.You would greet the new day with a press release announcing the plans of the new exco, affirm your commitment to the core values of the organization and say something optimistic about its future.In other words, you'd be rather happy. Ecstatic even.Because you won!But instead, we get this cold, hard, stonewall.Even the supporters, who in other elections (remember the US presidential election?) would be running around happily, singing praises of the new committee, remain strangely silent."No comment".In my previous post, I used the metaphor of an iceberg collision to convey my feelings about this matter.Once a few chunks of ice hit the deck, people will start to ask questions.If the leaders do not quickly and honestly communicate the situation to the people, the people may begin to imagine all sorts of hideous problems under the surface.Would you like to know more?- Time line of events aboard the Titanic Serge Haroche's Talk At NUS French physicist Professor Serge Haroche came to the new NUS Alumni House last Wednesday to give a public talk entitled "Power and Strangeness of the Quantum".I think that quantum physics is one of the most misunderstood fields of science in the public perception, so I decided to go to the lecture to learn more about it directly from an expert in this area.Since it was going to be a public talk, hopefully there won't be too much difficult maths!As you can see, the turnout for the talk was excellent. This was my first visit to the Alumni House - they have a nice big lecture theatre, which was about three-quarters full on that day.The crowd was quite varied; there were political dignitaries (I assume from the French Embassy), French-speaking scientists, school kids in uniform and even a Sister in religious dress.Here's the MC for the evening starting off the event by introducing the Dean of Science, Professor Andrew Wee, who would be giving the welcome address.In his address, Prof. Wee said jokingly that he was glad that so many people turned up for the talk, even though it was April Fool's Day!He noted that this talk was part of the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Faculty of Science, which would include many other activities, such as science busking.He also revealed that the Ambassador of France was in attendance in the audience, which indicates that the invited speaker is a highly respected academic indeed.Next, Prof. Wee called upon Christian Miniatura, who is a visiting professor at the Centre for Quantum Technologies, to give an introduction about Prof. Haroche's research career.Here's a quick overview of Prof. Haroche's many academic accomplishments. Note that he has taught in American universities for a number of years - I'll come back to that later.Next, a photo of the research group where Prof. Haroche was a graduate student. His supervisor Prof. Claude Cohen-Tannoudji would later share the Physics Nobel Prize in 1997.Prof. Miniatura remarked that Prof. Haroche looked pretty casual at that time, with his hands in his pockets...Another photo of Prof. Student Haroche at that time, not looking very prominent amongst a big stack of research equipment.Prof. Miniatura noted that those machines may look antiquated, but our instruments today would also look old-fashioned to our grandchildren.I should also add that scientific equipment may become faster and better, but one thing will never change - troubleshooting.Remember kids, if there isn't any troubleshooting, it ain't science!After the brief introduction, Prof. Haroche was welcomed onto the stage...... and there was a lolcat right there waiting for him.But of course.What did you expect?Did you really think that you can sit through a lecture on quantum physics without seeing a lolcat?!??Think inside the box, my friend!Prof. Haroche began by remarking that seeing those old photos again gave him a bittersweet feeling, because it reminded him of how fast time flies.I think that the years that he spend in the USA has affected his accent; he sounds less French than Prof. Miniatura.(I also noticed that French people who have spent too many years in Singapore pick up an amazingly authentic Singlish accent, far more accurate than Americans or Brits. But that's a topic for another time...)He then pointed out that the famed Richard Feynman quote - "nobody understands quantum mechanics" - should be taken with a grain of salt."But just in case you don't learn anything from my talk, at least you're in good company," he joked.Nice.Though quantum physics is usually associated with microscopic phenomena, it actually deals with more than 60 orders of magnitude!As mentioned in the previous slide, quantum law appears at all scales, but at the macroscopic level, it is generally "veiled".This is an important point that he'll explain in detail later.As usual, with these sort of scale charts, biological scales are often represented by the DNA double-helix, but never the collagen triple-helix.It always makes me smirk. Oh well, I'm not a biochemist anyway.And biologists always appear "sandwiched" between particle physicists and astronomers.That's fine to me too; it's the stuff in the "middle" that determines the flavour of a sandwich...This is a public talk where the audience may be more interested in tangible benefits, thus Prof. Haroche spent some time emphasizing the importance of quantum physics to everyday technologies, such as computers...... lasers...... atomic clocks (less than one second error over 10 million years!) and GPS systems that depend on them...... and the quintessential marvel of modern technology - the MRI, which is actually a combination of three quantum technologies.Now for the maths... time to run and hide!Not so fast, Prof. Haroche is simply stating that the behaviour of an electron in a hydrogen atom can be described using a wavefunction - a mathematical tool that gives probabilistic results.Instead of a particle moving in a fixed orbit, the electron is considered to be in a superposition of an infinite number of possible positions.He noted that Nature has a "wavy" structure. In quantum physics, determinism is replaced by randomness and particles are replaced by wavefunctions.Apparently Einstein disliked the random aspect of the wavefunction so much that he uttered his famous "God doesn't play dice" quote.Wavefunctions may sound like mere mathematical constructs, but Prof. Haroche showed us that modern instruments can produce real images of wavefunctions.Once again, he emphasized that quantum theory is a probabilistic theory.The essence of quantum strangeness is exemplified by the bizarre phenomenon of quantum interference, which is often demonstrated using Young's double-slit experiment.When individual particles (eg. electrons) are fired one-by-one through the setup, they hit the target screen at random positions.As more and more particles pass through, a predictable interference pattern builds up progressively.But how can there be "interference" if there was only one particle passing through at any one time?In quantum physics, the wave equation accurately predicts the appearance of the interference pattern.But Prof. Haroche remarked that classical physicists are not satisfied with that sort of "explanation"...... they want to know exactly what happened to the particle...... but the very act of observing the particle disrupts the interference pattern on the target screen!To me, the easiest way of bending my brainz around this is to think of "observation" here as an active process that can perturb the behaviour of the particle.Something like how people look away when you shine a bright light in their faces!More on this later.Quantum interferences don't just occur spatially, but temporally as well. Interference patterns that appear in time are called "quantum beats".I'm not going to pretend that I understand the maths behind quantum entanglement.Suffice to say that once again Einstein didn't like this, calling it "spooky action at a distance", but John Bell found a way to experimentally test it and prove him wrong.Another strange feature of quantum mechanics has to do with particle identity.At macroscopic scales, "identical" particles can still be differentiated from one another.But in quantum systems, identical particles cannot be distinguished from each other. They have no "colours".Particles can be divided into two categories, based on their interactions with one another: Fermions and Bosons.Here's a quick overview of the differences between fermions and bosons.Particle constituents of matter are fermions while intervening particles (such as photons) are bosons.Got it.But atoms that are made up of an even number of fermions behave like bosons.Er... I'm getting a little lost here.So, depending on the total number of particles in an isotope (including electrons), an atom can behave either as a fermion or as a boson, thus producing a different interference pattern.I think I understand this.Now, to me this is the most important slide in the entire talk, because it addresses a key public misunderstanding of quantum physics that is often exploited by New Age woo-meisters.Can quantum strangeness occur to macroscopic objects?Erwin Schrödinger once posed this question as a thought experiment: the infamous Schrödinger's Cat (referenced in the lolcat slide earlier) which has become sort of a mascot for quantum strangeness.Schrödinger was thinking of a way to transform a superposition inside an atom to a large-scale superposition of a live and dead cat by coupling the cat and atom using a specially constructed device.He wanted to critique the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics by illustrating the absurdity of its consequences.Wikipedia describes this concisely:A cat, along with a flask containing a poison, is placed in a sealed box shielded against environmentally induced quantum decoherence. If an internal Geiger counter detects radiation then the flask is shattered, releasing the poison which kills the cat. Quantum mechanics suggests that after a while the cat is simultaneously alive and dead. Yet, when we look in the box, we see the cat either alive or dead, not a mixture of alive and dead.Prof. Haroche explained that quantum strangeness usually does not happen to macroscopic objects precisely because of decoherence: the environment gets entangled with the system and destroys quantum superpositions.He said that you can consider it as the environment "spying" on the cat.Decoherence becomes faster as the system size increases, thus macroscopic objects behave in a more intuitive, classical manner.Schrödinger did not expect anyone to actually test his thought experiment, but today physicists have the tools to fight decoherence and it is now possible to do the imaging of isolated trapped atoms...... see microwave photons...... and even set up a photonic version of the Schrödinger's Cat experiment.Here, the purple feature under the disk corresponds to the "cat state" quantum coherence.As decoherence effects set in, you can see the purple feature gradually disappear from the field diagram as the quantum system is transformed into a classical system (towards upper right).Prof. Haroche then proceeded to talk about new quantum technologies on the horizon.An exciting new field of quantum computing is emerging and has the potential to be much faster than current technology.However, he cautioned that building a large practical quantum computer is very difficult because of decoherence.A simpler application of quantum entanglement is in cryptography - used for the purposes of secure communications. This technology is already available on the market.In his last slide, Prof. Haroche turned to his attention to the question of whether a second "quantum revolution" is approaching.He speculated that we might see new applications in the future that we can't even dream about today.As a concluding message, he encouraged young scientists to let their curiosity drive their research and not to be obsessed with the quantum computer, but quickly added "as long as the funding agencies permit it".He joked: "That is our tragic position in life."With that, he ended his talk and it was time for the Q&A session!I asked the first question of the evening, and not surprisingly it was:"What popular misconception of quantum physics in the public annoys you the most?"Prof. Haroche replied that he especially disliked the abuse of quantum physics in discussions of consciousness or free will, because those processes operate at an "overwhelmingly classical" level.Later, a member of the audience stood up and commented: "I'm just a layman but now I know where the term 'quantum leap' comes from!"Then there was a question about quantum tunneling, and Prof. Haroche proceeded to give a quick overview of that effect.I think the best question of the evening came from a young man who asked:"There are now numerous interpretations of quantum mechanics. Which interpretation do you prefer?"Prof. Haroche conceded that it was a good question - he was aware of physicists who were adamant that quantum mechanics does not "need" interpretations and that the mathematics was all that you needed.He used to subscribe to that view, but confessed that as he got older, he appreciated interpretations more. Still, he thought that it could be an "endless game" since our intuition is simply unable to understand quantum mechanics.After all that heavy intellectual "food" it was time to stuff my face with some real "classical" stuff!It was Thai food, and you can see that there was a good spread.As I munched on my dinner, I was thinking about decoherence due to environmental entanglement and how it vastly simplifies the behaviour of macroscopic objects, which fits nicely into my FAMILIAR model.Maybe I'm really on to something...Would you like to know more?Other lectures by prominent academics:- Bruce Alberts At The Biopolis- Embryonic Stem Cell Lecture (Prof. Martin Evans)- Early Detection Is Your Best Bet (Prof. Lee Hartwell) The Same Thing We Do Every Night, Pinky One of the most chilling scenes I've ever seen in a movie is this part when the Titanic hits the iceberg:It's not the frantic action and the utter devastation below decks that gets me, but what happens up at the passenger levels.Where... nothing much happens really.Rose and Jack just see some chunks of ice drop onto the deck, while other passengers look on sheepishly at what they thought was a near collision.It all seems very boring.But yet, at that exact moment, the Titanic was already doomed to sink "with mathematical certainty".In hindsight, these boring scenes at the passenger levels give an eerie sense of forboding.Today, I got a similar feeling when I read this news (pipette tip to Lucky Tan):Unknowns knock out veterans at Aware pollsCaught off-guard by big turnout, longtime members lose to fresh facesBy Wong Kim HohSINGAPORE'S best-known women's group, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), has seen a dramatic changing of the guard - which some members are describing as nothing short of a leadership grab.When Aware held its annual general meeting on March 28, everyone expected the usual: No more than 30 or 40 members would turn up at its Dover Crescent centre, and a prepared slate of candidates would be voted into office easily.Instead, more than 100 people came, the majority of whom had joined Aware only in recent months.And when the election of office bearers began, almost every position was challenged by new faces, who won by wide majorities.In the end, nine out of 12 executive committee spots went to the newcomers.One older member who won without a contest was Mrs Claire Nazar, a former corporate counsel nominated to be president by outgoing Aware chief Constance Singam.But barely a week into her new term, and before making her first statement as president, Mrs Nazar quit suddenly this week.She confirmed that she had resigned, but declined to say any more when reached by The Straits Times.It is not known who will now become president.Longtime members took two other positions: Chew I-Jin as assistant honorary treasurer and Caris Lim Chai Leng was elected a committee member.The election results have left longtime Aware members in shock.Former president Tan Joo Hymn, 38, told The Straits Times the big turnout at the AGM surprised her.'I arrived at the meeting late and found out that I was No. 100 on the attendance list. I've been a member for 10 years, and never before has there been such a turnout,' said the former lawyer who is now a full-time mother.Another former president, writer Dana Lam, 57, said: 'There were many faces I had not seen before, and I found that very strange.'In previous years, even if there were new members, they would be known to one or more of the older members.'The first indication that something was afoot came when Ms Chew, an Aware veteran, was challenged and defeated handsomely by new member Charlotte Wong Hock Soon for the post of vice-president.Ms Chew was later elected unopposed as assistant honorary treasurer.'It was alarming,' said Ms Lam. 'How could a new member who had just joined for a couple of months, and whom we knew nothing about, be picked over someone who has been with Aware for more than 15 years?'Some of the older members immediately began checking the attendance list.Ms Tan said: 'We found that about 80 of the 102 who turned up were new members who joined between January and March this year.'Aware, a feminist group that has prided itself on being 'all inclusive', has never vetted the people who apply to be members.Men can join too, as associate members.As it dawned on them that a leadership grab was imminent, some older members at the AGM tried asking the newcomers who they were, what they stood for, and why they wanted to be in charge.They got only the briefest answers, they said.Ms Lam said she tried suggesting that new members serve a stint on Aware's various sub-committees before standing for election to leadership positions.But such suggestions went unheeded as the election proceeded, with more newcomers winning executive committee positions by landslide margins.Ironically, the old guard at Aware had been working towards changing their Constitution to make it a rule that only those who have been members for at least a year would be eligible to join the ex-co.There is currently no rule to bar a brand new member from seeking office, and that was what happened at the AGM.Ms Tan said: 'We were simply outnumbered. Technically, they got in legitimately.'She added that the way the election proceeded was so unusual, it was hard to imagine that the takeover was not a planned effort.'It could not be pure coincidence,' she said.But little is known of Aware's new leaders, aside from the fact that they include women from the corporate sector, lawyers, company directors and academics.Older members said the newcomers spoke well but would not elaborate on their plans for Aware.'When asked if they believed in equality, they kept repeating they were there to support women and to make sure they got ahead and got all the opportunities given to them,' Ms Lam said.Older members were keen to know if the newcomers shared Aware's vision and values, including equality for all regardless of race, religion or sexuality.But one outspoken new member from the floor, who identified herself as Angela Thiang, said questions about the new office bearers' religion and their stand on homosexuality were not relevant.Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Braema Mathi, a two-term president of Aware, told The Straits Times that she, like many other members, was concerned.'If you are keen to serve, you don't challenge every position. We do not know who they are,' said the former journalist who is now in Bangkok doing consultancy work for international women's group Unifem.'It is very troubling, more so because I've heard the new president has resigned.'Almost a fortnight into their new roles, the new leaders of Aware were not entertaining calls from the media this week.New honorary secretary Jenica Chua Chor Ping told The Straits Times a press release would be issued 'in a few days' and added that until then, the committee would not answer any questions.A check showed that some of those at the AGM and on the new committee have appeared in The Straits Times Forum Page.Ms Chua, Ms Thiang and Dr Alan Chin, a male member of Aware who attended the AGM and supported the newcomers, all wrote letters to this newspaper between August and October 2007.In a letter on Oct 17 that year, Ms Chua said NMP Siew Kum Hong had overstepped his non-partisan role and advanced the homosexual cause by tabling a petition in Parliament to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises homosexual sex between consenting men.In another letter on Oct 25, she took issue with a Straits Times report which said NMP Thio Li-Ann had been 'visibly distraught' when she opposed Mr Siew's petition vigorously.Ms Chua said Ms Thio had dealt with several points succinctly, with humour and passion.Dr Chin and Ms Thiang both wrote letters to caution against the risks of promoting the homosexual lifestyle.Meanwhile, news of Aware's AGM has spread among older members who did not attend the meeting, as well as civil society groups.The most frequently-asked questions: Who are the new women in charge, why do they want the leadership, and what are their plans for Aware?Ms Mathi said: 'The building of an institution takes many years; building its value system is even harder.'Why can't they come in and be part of the process, and build it together and in a more evolutionary manner? That way, the comfort level will be high for everyone.'Former newspaper editor and media consultant Peter Lim, a longtime associate member of Aware, said he was very surprised to learn what had taken place.Asked why he thought a group of newcomers would want to take control, he said he did not know if it was an orchestrated effort.But he thought Aware would be attractive to those seeking to be in charge of an established institution. Setting up a new outfit would take too much time and trouble.'Aware has built up its credentials over the years and achieved more than a few things,' he said.Three former Aware presidents - Ms Claire Chiang, Dr Kanwaljit Soin and Ms Mathi - have served as NMPs.'Aware is a brand name and most people regard it as the leading voice of the feminists and modern women in Singapore,' said Mr Lim.kimhoh@sph.com.sg**********A number of bloggers have voiced their opinions on this issue (Sam Ho has a good compendium of their responses).Some of them suspect a conspiracy and are concerned about the possibility of an anti-homosexual agenda by the new Exco members and their supporters.I should say that I'm surprised that Dr. Alan Chin (who is no stranger to us at Clearthought Singapore; check out his views on homosexuality here, here and here) is a member of AWARE.Nevertheless, here at Fresh Brainz we are obsessed with systems science and thus are more interested in the plausible strategy of the takeover. From this perspective, all those discussions about homosexuality are just "chunks of ice falling on the passengers' deck".What is more significant is the fact that a group of total newcomers have swiftly taken over the reins of leadership from a core of established veterans!Incumbent leaders of other organizations who have been looking on sheepishly should sit up now and pay attention.Assuming that the events depicted by the Straits Times is factually true, this is the approximate timeline of key events:Jan - March 2009- Spike in AWARE's membership.28 March 2009- Unusually large turnout during AGM, about 3 times bigger than normal, nearly 80% are newcomers.- 9 of 12 Exco positions goes to newcomers, so new that they have no subcommittee experience.Early April 2009- President Ms. Claire Nazar resigns.- Media blackout regarding the new Exco.Here are three plausible system-level weaknesses:1. Lack of defence mechanism- no vetting process for membership.- no consensus standards for evaluating eligibility of Exco candidates (whether they publicly support AWARE's vision and values, eg. equality for all regardless of race, religion or sexuality).- no subcommittee experience, or minimal membership time required for Exco candidates.2. Voter apathy- low turnout on regular AGMs permitting a takeover via manageable number of supporters (~100).3. Lack of rapport/schism between veteran core and ordinary members?- May explain low voter turnout.- May explain why some members are not alarmed by the sudden takeover.Would you like to know more?- Are you aware of AWARE? (Sam's thoughts)- The AWARE AGM 2009 — my personal take: beware of ST (Mathia Lee) You Don't Have An Inbox...Yet??? I just tried to log in to my Hotmail account, but instead of the usual inbox I see this message:I don't know what's going on - my account was working perfectly fine this morning.If you click on the link provided and try to sign up for Windows Live Hotmail, you will get an online form to create a Windows Live ID (which you already have!).If you try to fill the form using your own Hotmail address, it tells you that " ???@hotmail.com isn't available".But if you try to sign in using the "Already using Hotmail, Messenger, or Xbox LIVE?" option, you get bounced back to the above screen!I've been using Hotmail for over ten years now and have never seen this before.It appears that many other users are facing the same problem as well; a Yahoo!Answers page on this topic is flooded with complaints (over 350 responses as of 1.05pm Singapore time).Does anyone have any insight into this problem, or any suggestions to work around it?I sure hope that this is a temporary problem.Would you like to know more?- My Hotmail Account is saying I don't have an Inbox when I already do??? help? (Yahoo!Answers) *Update 2.37pm: Hotmail is now back. Apparently it was some kind of site maintenance. Pffft... Spain. Think you're having a bad Monday?Spare a thought for this poor lady who is about to learn a shocking revelation about her ex-boyfriend..."No... he... is... an accountant.""Is he?"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAR!Which reminds me to reveal to you that I'm actually...*radio static*Pipette tip to Balderdash.Would you like to know more?- About Man Stroke Woman- About Palacio Real de Madrid Ausgezeichnet! Upcoming Science Buskers 2009 Friends, countrymen, 各位乡亲父老，lend me your ears!The next Science Buskers Festival will be opening for registration soon, from 13 April to 5 June 2009.Contestants stand to win attractive prizes, such as cash prizes, and a 1-year renewable Science Centre Contract for the top three teams.Are you interested in joining the competition?To give you an idea of the presentation quality that you should be able to produce, here's the finals performance of the previous champion, the Three Buskateers:If you think you've got what it takes to be the next great Science Busker Extraordinaire (especially if you're a maestro with the LOX donut), why not sign up?Today - the Singapore Science Centre.Tomorrow - Las Vegas!*Would you like to know more?- Science Buskers Festival 2009 official website- Science Buskers Festival (2008)*Not actually part of the competition; I'm just saying that many bigshot entertainers today have an uncanny tendency to start from humble beginnings. What? You expect top government scholars to become big in Vegas? In your dreams pal! Earth Hour In Singapore 2009 Just came back from the city centre after the Earth Hour event and I've got a couple of nice photos for you.It's like one of those "Spot The Differences" games minus the sudden appearance of a screaming zombie jumping at you.Can you spot the differences?8.55pm (During Earth Hour)The lights didn't all go out exactly at 8.30pm - they went off one by one, so I had to wait a while longer to take this photo. Notably the side lighting of The Sail @ Marina Bay was partially lit until around 8.50pm.9.51pm (After Earth Hour)Again the lighting came back on one by one, with the Merlion leading the way. By 9.51pm most of the company logos and facade lighting had returned.While the timing of the lights off could be better coordinated, I am glad to see that so many companies are participating in this event. Of course, this is only a symbolic reminder to take better care of our environment and be mindful of energy conservation and waste reduction in our daily lives.Oh... there is one more interesting difference between the above two photos.Look at them carefully (click on them to view large size).Teck should be able to spot it instantly; how about you?*Would you like to know more?- Earth Hour website*Hint: It's something that's not of this world, but it isn't anything spooky... Anatomy Of A Myth With Earth Hour fast approaching, I think it's a good idea to look beyond the symbolic gestures and review the core issues behind the topic of climate change.Here's an excellent video that investigates some of the claims made by global warming denialists:One major shortcoming of the mainstream media is that they generally do not reference original research articles, such that their readers can't easily check if the supposed quotations or conclusions were actually there. As a result, you have to get on the Interboobs to find out crucial details about any scientific or technological matter.Whatever their reasons (political or otherwise) for not linking to primary references, this practice will slowly erode the credibility of the mainstream media and drive more and more discerning readers to the science'o sphere where they can discuss the issues at hand candidly and directly with the researchers involved in the field.Would you like to know more?About another misinterpretation of research data by the press:- Science journalists? Don't make me laugh (by Ben Goldacre)About another global warming denialist:- An Anti-Scientific Mind