Star Shaped Stars?

Ever wondered why when we look at stars or a bright point light source it has pointy edges? Read on to find out.

Insects: The Future of Food?

Insects have been known to be more nutritious than any livestock that is being produced and consumed. In addition, insects are much more efficient to be produced and consume less resources. Besides, they are consumed in various countries in Southeast Asia. If so, why is it that it is not widely consumed?

Women/Females are Stripey!

No, I am not being sexist here. This is a fact. This short video by Veritasium explains it.

Astronomers Discovers Sun's 'Sibling'

Astronomers from the University of Texas announced that they have discovered the 'sibling' of our star. The team lead by Ivan Ramirez has identified the 'sibling' star is most likely formed from the same gas and dust cloud as our sun from 30 candidate stars. The identified star is HD162826, located in the constellation of Hercules at a distance of ~34 parsec (~110 light years) from us. It is an F-type dwarf star about 15% more massive than our sun and it can be observed using small/medium sized telescopes. They have also ruled out any possibility of hot-Jupiter planets, a high chance (2/3) that there are no Jupiter sized planets but could not rule out any smaller size planets.

Would you like a dimpled car?

I was watching the latest episode of Mythbusters with a myth that "A dirty car is much more fuel efficient than a clean car". The theory behind the myth was that a dirty car will have a golf ball like effect (i.e. dimpled golf balls will travel further than smooth ones).

Why do dimpled golf balls travel further?
They travel further because there is less drag to overcome due to a turbulent boundary layer caused by the dimples. (Refer pic below)

Larger drag is experienced by the smooth ball because of a larger wake produced behind it.

Small scale test of the car in the water tunnel using fluorescent dye

Their dimpled car using clay

Take note that it does not take the overall efficiency during the dimpled car test. (i.e. the extra weight does not effect the efficiency)

They did a control test for the undimpled car before dimpling and testing the dimpled one.

The verdict?
Clean car (no clay) = about 26 miles per gallon (mpg)
Dirty car (no clay) = about 24 mpg
Clay + undimpled = about 26 mpg
Clay + dimples = about 29 mpg

So a clean car is definitely better than a dirty car. However, a dimpled car is even better!

Maybe we will see more dimpled transportation or even buildings in the future.

So, would you like one or design one now?

Men's Brains vs Women's Brain

Someone posted a link to a video on Facebook regarding the topic. Here is the video just in case you guys missed my post on Facebook.



Another similar one by another comedian




Funny and true at the same time. Enjoy =)

The Brain

What weighs about 3 lbs and uses about 20% of your body's energy??
Your brain of course.

Definitely the most complex part/organ of the human body. It controls the whole body consciously and unconsciously. The main part of the brain, which is the largest, is called the cerebrum. It is split into two hemispheres: left and right.

Left hemisphere:
uses logic,detail oriented, facts rule, words and language, present and past, math and science, can comprehend, knowing, acknowledges, order/pattern perception, knows object name, reality based, forms strategies, practical, safe and controls the right side of the body.

Right hemisphere:
uses feeling, “big picture” oriented, imagination rules, symbols and images, present and future, philosophy & religion, can “get it” (i.e. meaning), believes, appreciates, spatial perception, knows object function, fantasy based, presents possibilities, impetuous, risk taking and controls the left side of the body.

The two halves of the brain "communicates" via the corpus callosum. It is sort of a highway for the brain signals. Females have larger corpus callosum compared to men.

I am writing this because I Googled "brain usage" today and found out that the information I have was WRONG. The information was from the TV series Heroes(TV shows cant be trusted these days...sigh..). The information was that the human brain only utilises 10% of the brain. However, the fact is that the human brain uses more than that(close to 100% I believe).

With the results of the search I "played" with my brain a little bit. Testing whether which side of it is more dominant. Look at the image below(got from here):

If you see it spinning clockwise means you use more of your right brain. If it is anti-clockwise means left brain. The first time I looked at it it was spinning clockwise but I sort of made it spin the opposite direction as well. Next test was from this website.

My results:

Your Brain Usage Profile:

Auditory : 28%
Visual : 71%
Left : 52%
Right : 47%

You exhibit an even balance between left- and right- hemisphere dominance and a slight preference for visual over auditory processing. With a score this balanced, it is likely that you would have slightly different results each time you complete this self-assessment quiz.

You are a well-rounded person, distinctly individualistic and artistic, an active and multidimensional learner. At the same time, you are logical and disciplined, can operate well within an organization, and are sensitive towards others without losing objectivity. You are organized and goal-directed. Although a "thinking" individual, you "take in" entire situations readily and can act on intuition.

You sometimes tend to vacillate in your learning styles. Learning might take you longer than someone of equal intellect, but you will tend to be more thorough and retain the material longer than those other individuals. You will alternate between logic and impulse. This vacillation will not normally be intentional or deliberate, so you may experience anxiety in situations where you are not certain which aspect of yourself will be called on.

With a slight preference for visual processing, you tend to be encompassing in your perceptions, process along multidimensional paths and be active in your attacking of situations or learning.

Overall, you should feel content with your life and yourself. You are, perhaps, a little too critical of yourself -- and of others -- while maintaining an "openness" which tempers that tendency. Indecisiveness is a problem and your creativity may not be in keeping with your potential. Being a pragmatist, you downplay this aspect of yourself and focus on the more immediate, obvious and the more functional

I guess I use both sides equally?? More brain facts here.