Nerd Jokes

Q: How many software engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None, it is a hardware problem!

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin Pi!

Q: Did you hear about the software coder that got stuck in his shower for a week?
A: The instructions on his shampoo said: Lather, rinse, repeat.

Q: When do astronauts eat?
A: At launch time!

Q: Why do you rarely find mathematicians spending time at the beach?
A: Because they have sine and cosine to get a tan and don’t need the sun!

Q: Why was 6 scared of 7?
A: Because seven eight nine! (Seven ate nine!)

Q: A tree, algae, and mushroom all said that they would build a robot, which one ended up
doing it?
A: The tree because he said that he wood.

Q: Where does bad light end up?
A: In a prism!

Q: Why did the incandescent ask more questions than the compact fluorescent?
A: He had more watts!

Pi and the square root of -1 (i) were having an argument, finally it got so heated i said to pi, “Why can’t you just be rational?” To which pi replied, “Get real!”

A physicist, an engineer and a mathematician agree to take part in a psychology experiment. Each person is locked in a room with nothing but a single can of beans. After three days the researchers open each door in turn. In the first room they find the physicist happily scrawling equations across a wall, and the can of beans neatly popped open. They ask him how he opened the can and he says “Oh, it was quite elementary. I did all this (motioning to the equations on the wall) mathematics to find the weakest point. Then, I applied pressure to the these points.” They take their notes and move on to the next room, where the engineer is snoring in a corner. The can is lying beside him, a smashed pile of metal. They wake him and ask him how he opened the can, to which he replies “I battered it to its failure point.” Finally, they open the third door. There they find the mathematician holding the can, pacing back and forth, and muttering, “Assume the can is open. Assume the can is open…”

Mathematics is the first sine of madness!!!

There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t.

I’m so cool you have to measure me in kelvin.

A mathematician and a physicist are sitting in a street cafe watching people going in and coming out of the house on the other side of the street. First they see two people going into the house. Time passes. After a while they notice three people coming out of the house. The physicist says, “The measurement wasn’t accurate,” and the mathematician replies, “If exactly one person enters the house then it will be empty again.”

I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code!

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.

Professor: What is the area of a circle?
Student: Pi R squared.
Professor: Pis are not square, pies are round!

Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar.
One says, “I think I’ve lost an electron.”
The other says, “Are you sure?”
The first replies, “Yes, I’m positive…”

Hydrogen and Oxygen were bonding in a bath,
Gold walked in and say “Hey You” (Au),
Lets ring up Sodium and Potassium and have a party!
Sodium said “Na” and Potassium said “K”

GEORGE BOOLE (1815–1864)

George Boole, the son of a cobbler, was born in Lincoln, England, in November 1815. Because of his family’s difficult financial situation, Boole struggled to educate himself while supporting his family. Nevertheless, he became one of the most important mathematicians of the 1800s. Although he considered a career as a clergyman, he decided instead to go into teaching, and soon afterward opened a school of his own. In his preparation for teaching mathematics, Boole—unsatisfied with textbooks of his day— decided to read the works of the great mathematicians. While reading papers of the great French mathematician Lagrange, Boole made discoveries in the calculus of variations, the branch of analysis dealing with finding curves and surfaces by optimizing certain parameters.

In 1848 Boole published The Mathematical Analysis of Logic, the first of his contributions to symbolic logic. In 1849 he was appointed professor of mathematics at Queen’s Collegein Cork, Ireland. In 1854 he published The Laws of Thought, his most famous work. In this book, Boole introduced what is now called Boolean algebra in his honor. Boole wrote textbooks on differential equations and on difference equations that were used in Great Britain until the end of the nineteenth century. Boole married in 1855; his wife was the niece of the professor of Greek at Queen’s College. In 1864 Boole died from pneumonia, which he contracted as a result of keeping a lecture engagement even though he was soaking wet from a rainstorm.

ARISTOTLE (384b.c.e.–322b.c.e.)

Aristotle was born in Stagirus (Stagira) in northern Greece. His father was the personal physician of the King of Macedonia. Because his father died when Aristotle was young, Aristotle could not follow the custom of following his father’s profession. Aristotle became an orphan at a young age when his mother also died. His guardian who raised him taught him poetry, rhetoric, and Greek.

At the age of 17, his guardian sent him to Athens to further his education. Aristotle joined Plato’s Academy, where for 20 years he attended Plato’s lectures, later presenting his own lectures on rhetoric. When Plato died in 347 B.C.E., Aristotle was not chosen to succeed him because his views differed too much from those of Plato. Instead, Aristotle joined the court of King Hermeas where he remained for three years, and married the niece of the King. When the Persians defeated Hermeas, Aristotle moved to Mytilene and, at the invitation of King Philip of Macedonia, he tutored Alexander, Philip’s son, who later becameAlexander the Great. Aristotle tutored Alexander for five years and after the death of King Philip, he returned to Athens and set up his own school, called the Lyceum. Aristotle’s followers were called the peripatetics, which means “to walk about,” because Aristotle often walked around as he discussed philosophical questions. Aristotle taught at the Lyceum for 13 years where he lectured to his advanced students in the morning and gave popular lectures to a broad audience in the evening. When Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C.E., a backlash against anything related to Alexander led to trumped-up charges of impiety against Aristotle. Aristotle fled to Chalcis to avoid prosecution. He only lived one year in Chalcis, dying of a stomach ailment in 322 B.C.E. Aristotle wrote three types of works: those written for a popular audience, compilations of scientific facts, and systematic treatises. The systematic treatises included works on logic, philosophy, psychology, physics, and natural history. Aristotle’s writings were preserved by a student and were hidden in a vault where a wealthy book collector discovered them about 200 years later. They were taken to Rome, where they were studied by scholars and issued in new editions, preserving them for posterity.

Emotional Intelligence: The Social Skills You Weren't Taught in School

Emotional intelligence is a shorthand that psychological researchers use to describe how well individuals can manage their own emotions and react to the emotions of others. People who exhibit emotional intelligence have the less obvious skills necessary to get ahead in life, such as managing conflict resolution, reading and responding to the needs of others, and keeping their own emotions from overflowing and disrupting their lives. In this guide, we’ll look at what emotional intelligence is, and how to develop your own.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Measuring emotional intelligence is relatively new in the field of psychology, only first being explored in the mid-80s. Several models are currently being developed, but for our purposes, we’ll examine what’s known as the “mixed model,” developed by psychologist Daniel Goleman. The mixed model has five key areas:

• Self-awareness: Self-awareness involves knowing your own feelings. This includes having an accurate assessment of what you’re capable of, when you need help, and what your emotional triggers are.

• Self-management: This involves being able to keep your emotions in check when they become disruptive. Self-management involves being able to control outbursts, calmly discussing disagreements, and avoiding activities that undermine you like extended self-pity or panic.

• Motivation: Everyone is motivated to action by rewards like money or status. Goleman’s model, however, refers to motivation for the sake of personal joy, curiosity, or the satisfaction of being productive.

• Empathy: While the three previous categories refer to a person’s internal emotions, this one deals with the emotions of others. Empathy is the skill and practice of reading the emotions of others and responding appropriately.

• Social skills: This category involves the application of empathy as well as negotiating the needs of others with your own. This can include finding common ground with others, managing others in a work environment, and being persuasive.

The order of these emotional competencies isn’t all that relevant, as we all learn many of these skills simultaneously as we grow. It’s also important to note that, for our purposes, we’ll only be using this as a guide. Emotional intelligence isn’t an area that most people receive formal training in. We’ll let psychologists argue over the jargon and models, but for now let’s explore what each of these mean and how to improve them in your own life.

Self-Awareness

Before you can do anything else here, you have to know what your emotions are. Improving your self-awareness is the first step to identifying any problem area you’re facing. Here are some ways to improve your self-awareness:

• Keep a journal: Career skill blog recommends starting by keeping a journal of your emotions . At the end of every day, write down what happened to you, how you felt, and how you dealt with it. Periodically, look back over your journal and take note of any trends, or anytime you overreacted to something.

• Ask for input from others: As we’ve talked about before when dealing with your self-perception, input from others can be invaluable . Try to ask multiple people who know you well where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Write down what they say, compare what they say to each other and, again, look for patterns. Most importantly, don’t argue with them. They don’t have to be correct. You’re just trying to gauge your perception from another’s point of view.

• Slow down (or meditate): Emotions have a habit of getting the most out of control when we don’t have time to slow down or process them. The next time you have an emotional reaction to something, try to pause before you react (something the internet makes easier than ever, if you’re communicating online). You can also try meditating to slow your brain down and give your emotional state room to breathe.

If you’ve never practiced intentional self-awareness, these tips should give you a practical head start. One strategy I personally use is to go on long walks or have conversations with myself discussing what’s bothering me. Often, I’ll find that the things I say to the imaginary other end of the conversation can give me some insight into what’s really bugging me. The important aspect is to look inwards, rather than focusing solely on external factors.

Self-Management

Once you know how your emotions work, you can start figuring out how to handle them. Proper self-management means controlling your outbursts, distinguishing between external triggers and internal over-reactions, and doing what’s best for your needs.

One key way to manage your emotions is to change your sensory input. You’ve probably heard the old advice to count to ten and breathe when you’re angry. Speaking as someone who’s had plenty of overwhelming issues with depression and anger, this advice is usually crap (though if it works for you, more power to you). However, giving your physical body a jolt can break the cycle. If you’re feeling lethargic, do some exercise. If you’re stuck in an emotional loop, give yourself a “snap out of it” slap. Anything that can give a slight shock to your system or break the existing routine can help.

Lifehacker alum Adam Dachis also recommends funneling emotional energy into something productive. It’s alright to let overwhelming emotions stew inside you for a moment, if it’s not an appropriate time to let them out. However, when you do, rather than vent it on something futile, turn it into motivation instead:

"I recently started playing tennis for fun, knowing that I’d never become exceptional because I began too late in life. I’ve become better and have a very minor talent for the game, so when I play poorly I now know and I get down on myself. When up against an opponent with far more skill I find it hard to do much else than get angry. Rather than let that anger out, I take note of it and use it to fuel my desire to practice more. Whether in sports, work, or everyday life, we can get complacent with our skill and forget that we always have some room for improvement. When you start to get mad, get better instead."

You can’t always control what makes you feel a certain way, but you can always control how you react. If you have some impulse control problems, find ways to get help when you’re feeling calm. Not all emotions can be vented away. My struggle with depression taught me that some emotions persist long after the overflow. However, there’s always a moment when those feelings feel a little less intense. Use those moments to seek help.

Motivation

We talk about motivation a lot . When we’re talking about motivation as it relates to emotional intelligence, however, we don’t just mean getting up the energy to go to work. We’re talking about your inner drive to accomplish something. That drive isn’t just some feel-goody nonsense, either. As Psychology today explains, there’s a section of your prefrontal cortex that lights up at the mere thought of achieving a meaningful goal.

Whether your goal is building a career, raising a family, or creating some kind of art, everyone has something they want to do with their life.When your motivation is working for you, it connects with reality in tangible ways. Want to start a family? Motivated people will start dating. Want to improve your career? Motivated people will educate themselves, apply for new jobs, or angle for a promotion.

Daniel Goleman suggests that in order to start making use of that motivation, you first need to identify your own values. Many of us are so busy that we don’t take the time to examine what our values really are. Or worse, we’ll do work that directly contradicts what we value for so long that we lose that motivation entirely.

Unfortunately, we can’t give you the answer for what it is you want in life, but there are lots of strategies you can try . Use your journal to find times when you’ve felt fulfilled. Create a list of things you value. Most of all,accept the uncertainty in life and just build something. Fitness instructor Michael Mantell, Ph.D suggests that using lesser successes you know you can accomplish. Remember, everyone who’s accomplished something you want to achieve did it slowly, over time.

Empathy

Your emotions are only one-half of all your relationships. It’s the half you focus on the most, sure, but that’s only because you hang out with yourself every day. All the other people that matter to you have their own set of feelings, desires, triggers, and fears. Empathy is your most important skill for navigating your relationships . Empathy is a life-long skill, but here are some tips you can use to practice empathy:

• Shut up and listen: We’re gonna start with the hardest one here, because it’s the most important. You can’t experience everyone else’s lives to fully understand them, but you can listen. Listening involves letting someone else talk and then not countering what they say. It means putting aside your preconceptions or skepticism for a bit and allowing the person you’re talking to a chance to explain how they feel. Empathy is hard, but virtually every relationship you have can be improved at least marginally by waiting at least an extra ten seconds before you retake the conversation.

• Take up a contrary position to your own: One of the quickest ways to solidify an opinion in your mind is to argue in favor of it. To counter this, take up a contrary position. If you think your boss is being unreasonable, try defending their actions in your head. Would you find their actions reasonable if you were in their shoes? Even asking the questions of yourself can be enough to start empathizing with another’s point of view (though, of course, getting real answers from others can always help).

• Don’t just know, try to understand: Understanding is key to having empathy. As we’ve discussed before, understanding is the difference between knowing something and truly empathizing with it. If you catch yourself saying, “I know, but,” a lot, take that as an indicator that you should pause a bit more. When someone tells you about an experience that’s not your own, take some time to mull over how your life might be different if you experienced that on a daily basis. Read about it until it clicks. It’s okay if you don’t spend all your time devoted to someone else’s life, but putting in just some time—even if it’s idle thought time while you work—can be beneficial.

By definition , empathy means getting in the emotional dirt with someone else. Allowing their experiences to resonate with your own and responding appropriately. It’s okay to offer advice or optimism, but empathy also requires that you wait for the right space to do that. If someone’s on the verge of tears, or sharing some deep pain, don’t make light of it and don’t try to minimize the hurt. Be mindful of how they must feel and allow them space to feel it.

Social Skills

Summing up all social skills in one section of an article would do about as much justice to the topic as if we snuck in a brief explainer on astrophysics. However, the tools you develop in the other four areas will help you resolve a lot of social problems that many adults still wrestle with. As Goleman explains, your social skills affect everything from your work performance to your romantic life:
Social competence takes many forms – it’s more than just being chatty. These abilities range from being able to tune into another person’s feelings and understand how they think about things, to being a great collaborator and team player, to expertise at negotiation. All these skills are learned in life. We can improve on any of them we care about, but it takes time, effort, and perseverance. It helps to have a model, someone who embodies the skill we want to improve. But we also need to practice whenever a naturally occurring opportunity arises – and it may be listening to a teenager, not just a moment at work.

You can start with the most common form of social problems: resolving a disagreement. This is where you get to put all your skills to the test in a real-world environment. We’ve gone into this subject in-depth here , but we can summarize the basic steps:

• Identify and deal with your emotions: Whenever you have an argument with someone else, things can get heated. If someone involved is emotionally worked up, deal with that problem first. Take time apart to vent, blow off steam on your own, then return to the problem. In a work environment, this may just mean complaining to a friend before you email your boss back. In a romantic relationship, remind your partner that you care about them before criticizing.

• Address legitimate problems once you’re both calm: Once you’re in your right headspace, identify what the conflict is. Before you jump to solutions, make sure you and the other person agree on what the problems really are . Propose solutions that are mutually beneficial and be sympathetic to any concessions the other person may be unwilling to make (but be sure to stand firm on your own).

• End on a cooperative note: Whether in business or pleasure, relationships work best when everyone involved knows that they’re on the same page. Even if you can’t end on a positive note, make sure that the last intention you communicate is a cooperative one. Let your boss/coworker/significant other know that you want to work towards the same goal, even if you have different views.

Not every type of interaction with another person will be a conflict, of course. Some social skills just involve meeting new people , socializing with people of different mindsets , or just playing games . However, resolving conflict can be one of the best ways to learn how to apply your emotional skills. Disputes are best resolved when you know what you want, can communicate it clearly, understand what someone else wants, and come to favorable terms for everyone. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that this involves every other area of the emotional intelligence model.

Extracted from: HERE

Innovation

Types of innovation

• Product 

When we think about innovation we often consider the innovation of products. We are all familiar with new electronic devices, such as the iPad - this is a typical type of product innovation.

• Process 

We consider less often how a product has been produced: for example, the manufacturing technology behind the production of the iPad. This is called process innovation. 

• Service 

Service companies provide innovative services to their customers instead of products. Credit cards and internet banking are familiar examples of service types of innovation. 

• Business model 

Business model innovation involves making changes to the ways a company creates value for its customers and how the company captures the value from the innovation. Examples of this are Amazon, the internet bookstore, and ‘no-frills’ airlines. 

• Organisational 

Organisational innovation is also referred to as managerial innovation. This involves fundamental changes in practices, processes, and the structure of how the activities within the business are managed. Examples are lean manufacturing, total quality management, outsourcing, and the supply chain. 

Levels of innovation 

• Incremental 

Incremental innovation could be described as taking a successful product/service/process and improving it incrementally. An example could be the different generations of iPads designed by Apple: each subsequent generation of iPad is improved, with better resolution and a more streamlined casing. 

• Radical 

Radical innovation happens less frequently but has a huge impact. An obvious example is the invention of internet, which has had an impact on people worldwide. 

• Disruptive 

When we consider disruptive innovation, we are focusing on the consequences of change. Digital imaging, for example, was a technological change which for some had a disruptive effect: this innovation impacted on Kodak’s core capability, in they didn’t manage to switch successfully from film to digital imaging. It is not only technology, however, which can be disruptive: a business model can also be disruptive, requiring companies to adapt. 

© University of Leeds

Course: Innovation: the Fashion Industry

History of robotics timeline Pt.2

1927- Metropolis (Fritz Lang).
This influential science-fiction film presents a highly stylized futuristic city where a beautiful and cultured utopia exists above a bleak underworld populated by mistreated workers. When the privileged youth Freder discovers this, he befriends the teacher Maria, and tries to help the workers. Click for more


1929- Gakutensoku - Japan’s first robot.
Gakutensoku (which comes from the Japanese for “learning from the laws of nature”) was the first robot to be built in Japan in 1928, and was designed and manufactured by biologist and botanist Makoto Nishimura. It could change its facial expression (using springs and gears in its head), puff its cheeks (to imitate breathing) and move its head, hands and body. Click for more


1932- Lilliput, created in Japan, was the first robot toy to be produced for mass consumption.

1937- Elektro robot built by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Ohio
ELEKTRO was a 7ft high robot made from aluminium over a steel frame weighing 260 lb. It was built for New York’s World’s Fair in 1939 by J M Barrnett of Westinghouse. Its ‘brain’ includes an electric eye, 48 relays and signal lights. Walking was achieved using rollers under each foot driven by chains connected to motors in its torso. It also had 9 motors to operate its fingers, arms, head and the mouth – for simple speech.

Elektro the Moto-Man and his Little Dog Sparko

1939- Isaac Asimov writes his robot stories.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was a chemist and prolific author famous for his Foundation Universe as well as his books on robots with ‘positronic’ brains. His first robot story was written in 1939, and I, Robot, published in 1950 was his first collection of robot stories, which influenced the 2004 Will Smith film of the same name. He also wrote a series of books featuring his detective Elijah Baley and his robot partner R Daneel Olivaw. Key to these stories were his three laws of robotics, which relate to how robots interact with one another and with humans: - A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. - A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws. To which were added in a later novel, the zeroth law - A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.


1940- Mechanically coupled ’master-slave’ manipulators created by German engineer Goertz.
In 1949, Ray Goertz started developing master-slave manipulators which led to various devices, such as electronically remote manipulators for the nuclear industry and teleoperator configurations for the Lunar space program.

1949- Grey Walter's robots (Elmer and Elsie).
In the late 1940s, Grey Walter built his first two turtle robots called Elmer and Elsie. He wanted to prove that complex behaviour could be achieved by suitable connection between brain cells. His work inspired later generations, including Rodney Brooks. We’ll have a closer look at Grey Walter’s Machina Speculatrix in week four.


1952- Astro boy.
Between 1952 and 1968, Osamu Tezuka from Japan wrote a series of adventures for a robot named Astro Boy. Astro Boy (or the Mighty Atom) lives in a futuristic world where Robots and humans coexist. He has seven powers which he uses to fight crime, evil and injustice. Click for more


1954- First patent for the first industrial robot.
George C Devol Jr, applied for patent on the first industrial robot, Unimation.


1960- General Electric Handyman/Hardyman.
Ralph S Mosher created a cybernetic anthropomorphous machine. The movement of a human operator’s arms is detected using a mechanical system, which is connected to the actual robot, whose arms move just like the human’s arms. Click for more


1961- MH-1.
The MH-1 was a computer operated mechanical hand, developed by Heinrich Ernst, as part of his work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

1966- Shakey - the first mobile robot which could reason its actions.
Shakey (so called because of its jerky actions) was created in 1966 by the Stanford Research Institute. It was the first mobile robot which could reason its actions, because it had a bump detector, TV Camera and Range Finder. It could take general instructions and work out how to achieve them, rather than being given explicit commands. For example, if commanded to ‘move blocks around a room’ it would work out how it would need to move in order to achieve this.


1969- General Electric Walking Truck.
Designed by Ralph Mosher to help soldiers carry equipment over difficult terrain. The walking truck used feedback to give the operator a better idea of what was happening.

1969- Unimation Inc. introduce first industrial robot.
In 1959, George Devol and Joseph Engelberger formed their company, Unimation, which produced the first industrial robot. It used hydraulic actuators and was controlled by a program on a magnetic drum, which specified the angles of each joint, accurate to 1/10,000 of an inch.


1969- Stanford Arm - Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
In 1969, Victor Scheinman invented the Stanford arm. This was a pioneering robot, which made precise movements under a computer’s control, which was a significant development for future robot applications such as; assembly in the manufacturing industry. The design was sold to Unimation in 1977. Click for more

1977- First Star Wars Movie
Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) was released. The film featured robots R2-D2 and C-3PO.


1983- NASA Canadarm
A robotic arm was needed for Space Shuttle missions to allow payloads to be deployed, manoeuvred and captured in space. The Shuttle Remote Manipulator system was designed by Canadians for the purpose – hence the term Canadarm. The original arm was capable of moving objects weighting 332.5 kg in space, later versions could cope with items weighing 3293kg in space (on Earth the arm cannot lift itself!). Click for more

1994- Dante ll
Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante ll, successfully descends into Mt Spurr to collect volcanic gas samples.


1997- Mars Pathfinder
This comprised a lander, named the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and the associated rover called Sojourner. Between landing on July 4th 1997 and its final transmission on Sept 27, 1997, 550 images from the rover were sent back to Earth, together with data from chemical analysis of rocks and soils and information on Mars’ weather. Click for more


1999- AIBOSony releases the first version of AIBO, a robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain and communicate with its owner.

2000-ASIMO
Honda debuts ASIMO, the next generation in its series of humanoid robots. Click for more


2002- First cyborg?
There is ongoing research into cyborgs. Professor Kevin Warwick, now Visiting Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, claims to be the first cyborg because he has implanted a microchip into his nervous system as part of ‘Project Cyborg’.


2004- Second Mars rover
After leaving in July 2003 NASA’s, twin robot geologists (the Mars Exploration Rovers), finally landed on Mars in January 2004. This was part of a long term robotic exploration of the red planet, to search for and characterize rocks. The rovers also took panoramic images which provide scientists with the information they need for further research.

2005- DARPA Grand Challenge 

2005- Self-replicating robot
Researchers at Cornell University build the first self-replicating robot. Each ‘robot’ is made up of a small tower of computerized cubes which link together through the use of magnets. Click for more


2008- MOD Grand Challenge
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) Grand Challenge is a competition designed to find solutions to a comprehensive range of military threats in an urban environment. Two teams from the University of Reading reached the final of the competition, where each team was given an hour to search 150m2 of Copehill in order to identify different types of threat. These could include improvised explosive devices, snipers, military vehicles and armoured soldiers, with the number of correct identifications being used to rank the teams. The entrants’ vehicles needed to move autonomously from a forward operating base and communicate the identity and position of threats back to base. Click for more

2012- DARPA robotics challenge/ Curiosity lands on Mars
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Grand Challenge is a competition for American autonomous vehicles and to facilitate robotic development. The first challenge was held in a desert in California in 2004, however there was no winner as none of the robots finished the route. 2012 was also the year that the Curiosity Rover landed on Mars.

History of robotics timeline Pt.1

The concept of creating life, or at least a mechanical machine that can replicate the actions of humans and animals, (as well doing the housework) has been a popular concept in science, literature, and the arts. Have a look at the timeline below for important events:

Unknown date- Talos mythical golden robot built by Hephaistos was fabled to roam the island of Crete.


350 B.C. — NaN- The Pigeon.
The Greek mathematician, Archytas of Tarentum builds a mechanical bird dubbed "the Pigeon". The device was a bird-shaped model, propelled by steam. Click for more


222 B.C. - Ktesibios/Tesibius. Water clocks and regulators.
Water clocks and regulators Whilst at first sight, water clocks don’t sound robotic, they are relevant to robotics for two reasons. Firstly, they are examples of feedback systems, and secondly some early intricate robotic devices acted as water clocks. It is worth pointing out that a bucket full of water with a hole in it is a feedback system. The flow of water that comes out through the hole is determined by the pressure exerted by the water, which is the water weight divided by the area of the hole. So, as water comes out, the weight of water and hence the pressure is reduced so the water comes out less quickly. This is relevant to perhaps the first man-made feedback system: the water clock of Ktesibios in around 250 BC. The aim was to have a measure of the time since the sun rose and this was achieved by having a bucket which was emptied initially and into which water flowed at a constant rate – the height of water in the bucket indicating the time. The difficulty was to ensure the water flowed in at a constant rate, for which a second bucket was provided, with a hole in the bottom. But as noted above, the flow from such a bucket varies with the amount of water in it. The solution: to keep the top bucket full. Then, assuming atmospheric pressure variations were small enough, a constant flow of water left this bucket. So as to ensure the second bucket was always full, a float valve was used: if the water level dropped the float dropped thereby opening a valve to let water into the vessel. Water flowed until the bucket was full again.


10- Hero of Alexandria. Self opening temple doors, theatrical robots.
Hero of Alexandria was a Greek Mathematician and Engineer who devised ‘automata’ and theatrical robots. ‘Automata’ can be used to describe devices which use mechanics or pneumatics, for example, the automatic opening and closing temple door. He also constructed a three-wheeled cart powered by a falling weight which pulled string wrapped around the cart’s axle. The strings were wrapped in different directions which then determined the way the cart (robot) moved. This string-based control is equivalent to a modern day programming language. Click for more


1200- Al-Jazarī. Elephant water clock.
al-Jazarī was a scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, craftsman, artist and mathematician who lived during the Islamic Golden Age. He made an Elephant Water Clock for the King of Diyarbakr in present-day Turkey in about 1200 CE, i.e. over 800 years ago! It’s not only a clock that tells the time but also a pioneering robotic machine. Click for more

The elephant clock from Al-Jazari's manuscript.

1495- Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot.


1515- Leonardo da Vinci’s Lion (Codex Atlanticus).
Leonardo Da Vinci’s mechanical lion was presented as the star gift in a pageant in honour of François, the new king of France in 1515. Da Vinci also designed a mechanical knight, able to bend its legs, move its arms and hands, turn its head and open its mouth. It could also ‘talk’ by using an internal automatic drum roll and is often claimed to be the first ‘programmable’ computer. Click for more


1739- Vaucanson’s Duck.
Jacques de Vaucanson (1709 - 1782) was a French engineer credited with creating fine automata that some regard as the world’s first robots. His defecating duck ‘ate’ food out of the exhibitor’s hand, swallowed it, digested it, and excreted it, all before an audience. He is also credited with creating the first completely automated loom.

Vaucanson duck automaton

1770- Jaquet-Droz ’scribe’. Clockwork automata: writing, drawing and playing music.
The most complex of three automata by Pierre Jaquet-Droz, Henri-Louis Jaquet-Droz and Jean-Frédéric Leschot. It is able to write up to 40 letters of text which is coded on a wheel. The actual writing is done by a goose feather which the scribe dips in ink. Click for more


1770- The Turk.
Wolfgang von Kempelen constructed The Turk, supposedly an automaton which could play chess. The Turk played several games during demonstrations across Europe and often won! In fact there was space under for a man to recline inside the machine to make it work - Certainly a good example of telemanipulation.

An engraving of the Turk from Karl Gottlieb von Windisch's 1784 book Inanimate Reason

1817- Frankenstein published. 
Frankenstein (or The Modern Prometheus), written by Mary Shelley and published in 1818, is often considered the first true science fiction story. It tells the tale of scientist Victor Frankenstein who is horrified when he creates life in the form a grotesque creature. The story has been adapted into many films (the first in 1910) and TV shows.


1864- US patent with the word "Android" issued.
This was patented in reference to miniature human-like toy automatons.


1898- Remote controlled robot boat.
Nikola Tesla builds and demonstrates a remote-controlled robot boat at Madison Square Garden. Click for more

1913- First conveyer belt assembly line.
Henry T Ford installs the first conveyor belt based assembly line, allowing Model T Fords to be assembled in 93 minutes

Ford Assembly line

1920- Rossum’s Universal Robots published which introduced the word ‘robot’ to the English Language.Rossum’s Universal Robots (RUR) is a science fiction play by Karel Čapek. The play is about a young idealist Helena Glory, who goes to the remote island where Rossum’s Universal Robots are made, aiming to liberate the robots, which are ‘stripped down’ versions of humanity designed as inexpensive workers. The play introduced the word robot to the English Language. Robot comes from robota meaning ‘drudgery’ and robotnik meaning peasant or serf.

Information extracted from Future Learn Robotic course

Lime Part 3

By-Products Of Lime
Some known by-products of lime are as follows:

• Lime Oil
• Perfumes
• Cleaning Agents
• Skin Care Products
• Candies
• Chemicals e.g. Calcium Hydroxide

How to Plant a Lime Tree

The Steps when planting a lime tree are as follows:

• Dig a hole.
• Place the lime seed and cover with the soil.
• Observe and then wait for the lime tree to grow.
• Water the plant and ensure it get the required sunlight.
• If necessary, apply the required fertiliser to the plant.
• Remove any unwanted weed around or next to the plant.
• Then finally after the tree grows, the fruit can be harvested when it is fully ripe. 

How to Care for a Lime Tree

Some ways to care for a lime tree are as follows:

• Water the plant daily for healthy growth.
• Pull out the weeds or unwanted grasses around the plant.
• Ensure the plant gets the required sunlight for a healthy growth.
• Apply manure to fertilise the soil when needed. 

Taking Care of a Lime Tree

Picture showing the application of fertiliser onto a lime plant

Picture showing the pruning of a lime plant

NOTE: Pruning is the act of trimming or cutting down the dead branches and stems of a tree.

Mammals: SQUIRRELS

Squirrels

Squirrels are nimble, bushy tailed rodents found all over the world. They belong to the Sciuridae family which includes ground squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs, tree squirrels and marmots. There are more than 200 species of squirrels and they are categorized into three types. These three types are tree squirrels, ground squirrels and flying squirrels. A group of squirrels is called a scurry or dray.

Since there are so many types of squirrels, they range greatly in size. The smallest squirrel is the African pygmy squirrel. It grows to 2.8 to 5 inches (7 to 13 centimeters) in length and weighs just 0.35 ounces (10 grams). The Indian giant squirrel is the world's largest known squirrel. It grows to 36 inches (1 meter) long and weighs up to 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms).

A Squirrel's Characteristics

Squirrels are generally small animals that vary in size. This mammal has slender bodies with very bushy tails and large eyes. A squirrel’s fur is soft and silky and most are thick. They have four of five toes on their paws. Unlike most mammals, squirrels can descend a tree head first. They do so by rotating their ankles 180 degrees so the hind paws are backward-pointing and can grip the tree bark. Squirrels have an excellent sense of vision and sturdy claws for climbing.


A Squirrel's diet

Many people think that squirrels only eat nuts, but this isn't true. Squirrels are known as omnivores. A squirrel’s diet consist primarily of a wide variety of plants, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi, and green vegetation. Some squirrels, however, do consume meat. To prepare for cold months, squirrels will bury their food. In the winter months they have a store of food they can eat when supplies are scarce.


A Squirrel's Habitat

Tree squirrels typically live in wooded areas, since they prefer to live in trees. Ground squirrels dig burrows, a system of tunnels underground, to live in. Some squirrels also hibernate in burrows during the winter to keep warm. Flying squirrels make their homes in tree holes or nests that are built into the crooks of branches.

Baby Squirrels

Fun Facts about Squirrels

• Squirrels communicate with each other through various vocalisations and scent marking. They also use their tails as a signalling device, twitching it when uneasy to alert other squirrels of potential danger.
• When a squirrel is scared and feels that it is in danger, it will at first remain motionless.
• Squirrels are extremely intelligent creatures.
• Squirrels are born blind.
• Squirrels are very trusting animals and are of the very few wild animal species which will eat out of a person's hand. 
• Flying squirrels can’t fly like birds but they can glide between trees.

20 misused English words

English grammar can be tricky, and, a lot of times, the words that sound right are actually wrong.

Accept vs. Except

These two words sound similar but have very different meanings. Accept means to receive something willingly: “His mom accepted his explanation” or “She accepted the gift graciously.” Except signifies exclusion: “I can attend every meeting except the one next week.” To help you remember, note that both except and exclusion begin with ex.


Affect vs. Effect

To make these words even more confusing than they already are, both can be used as either a noun or a verb. Let’s start with the verbs. Affect means to influence something or someone; effect means to accomplish something. “Your job was affected by the organizational restructuring” but “These changes will be effected on Monday.” As a noun, an effect is the result of something: “The sunny weather had a huge effect on sales.” It’s almost always the right choice because the noun affect refers to an emotional state and is rarely used outside of psychological circles: “The patient’s affect was flat.”

Lie vs. Lay

We’re all pretty clear on the lie that means an untruth. It’s the other usage that trips us up. Lie also means to recline: “Why don’t you liedown and rest?” Lay requires an object: “Lay the book on the table.” Lie is something you can do by yourself, but you need an object to lay. It’s more confusing in the past tense. The past tense of lie is—you guessed it—lay: “I lay down for an hour last night.” And the past tense of lay is laid: “I laid the book on the table.”


Bring vs. Take

Bring and take both describe transporting something or someone from one place to another, but the correct usage depends on the speaker’s point of view. Somebody brings something to you, but you take it to somewhere else: “Bring me the mail, then take your shoes to your room.” Just remember, if the movement is toward you, use bring; if the movement is away from you, use take.


Ironic vs. Coincidental

A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic—it’s coincidental (and bad luck). Ironic has several meanings, all of which include some type of reversal of what was expected. Verbal irony is when a person says one thing but clearly means another. Situational irony is when a result is the opposite of what was expected. O. Henry was a master of situational irony. In his famous short story The Gift of the Magi, Jim sells his watch to buy combs for his wife’s hair, and she sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim’s watch. Each character sold something precious to buy a gift for the other, but those gifts were intended for what the other person sold. That is true irony. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s coincidental.If you drive up to the mountains to ski, and there was more snow back at your house, that’s ironic.


Imply vs. Infer

To imply means to suggest something without saying it outright. To infer means to draw a conclusion from what someone else implies. As a general rule, the speaker/writer implies, and the listener/reader infers.


Nauseous vs. Nauseated

Nauseous has been misused so often that the incorrect usage is accepted in some circles. Still, it’s important to note the difference. Nauseous means causing nausea; nauseated means experiencing nausea. So, if your circle includes ultra-particular grammar sticklers, never say “I 'm nauseous” unless you want them to be snickering behind your back.


Comprise vs. Compose

These are two of the most commonly misused words in the English language.Comprise means to include; compose means to make up. It all comes down to parts versus the whole. When you use comprise, you put the whole first: “A soccer game comprises (includes) two halves.” When you use compose, you put the pieces first: “Fifty states compose (make up) the United States of America.”


Farther vs. Further

Farther refers to physical distance, while further describes the degree or extent of an action or situation. “I can’t run any farther,” but “I have nothing further to say.” If you can substitute “more” or “additional,” use further.


Fewer vs. Less

Use fewer when you’re referring to separate items that can be counted; use less when referring to a whole: “You have fewer dollars, but less money.”


Original Post from LinkedIn Author- Dr. Travis Bradberry

Spanish class 101

Day 1: Lesson 1

1. Learning Greetings
2. Ask someone his/her name and say my name
3. Ask someone how he/she is and how you are
4. Say Goodbye

Hola - Hello
Buenos Dias - Good Morning
Buenas Tardes - Good Afternoon
Buenas Noches - Good Night/Evening

Hola is an informal way of greeting someone.

Como estas - How are you? (Informal)
Que Tal? - What's up or how are you? (Informal)
Como estas VD. / usted - How are you? (Formal- when addressing someone elderly)

Como te llamas or Cual es tu nombre - What is your name? (pronunciation ll-[y] )
Me llamo ... or Mi nombre es... - My name is
Y tu? - And you?

mucho gusto/ encantado/a - pleased to meet you

bien - well or good
muy bien - very well
bastante bien - quite well
no muy bien- not very well

gracias - thank you
adios - goodbye
hasta pronto - see you soon
hasta luego/ hasta la vista - see you later
hasta manana - see you tomorrow
el amigo/ la amiga - friend

23 New Words for Emotions That We All Feel, but Can’t Explain

Here are 23 Examples of Koeing’s genius that we can all identify with.

Sonder: (n) The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own

Opia: (n) The ambiguous intensity of Looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable

Monachopsis: (n) The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

Énouement: (n) The bittersweetness of having arrived in the future, seeing how things turn out, but not being able to tell your past self.

Vellichor: (n) The strange wistfulness of used bookshops. 

Rubatosis: (n) The unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat.

Kenopsia: (n) The eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that is usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet. 

Mauerbauertraurigkeit: (n) The inexplicable urge to push people away, even close friends who you really like. 

Jouska: (n) A hypothetical conversation that you compulsively play out in your head.

Chrysalism: (n) the amniotic tranquility of being indoors during a thunderstorm. 

Vemödalen: (n) The frustration of photographic something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist.

Anecdoche: (n) A conversation in which everyone is talking, but nobody is listening 

Ellipsism: (n) A sadness that you’ll never be able to know how history will turn out. 

Kuebiko (n) A state of exhaustion inspired by acts of senseless violence.

Lachesism: The desire to be struck by disaster – to survive a plane crash, or to lose everything in a fire. 

Exulansis: (n) The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it. 

Adronitis: (n) Frustration with how long it takes to get to know someone. 

Rückkehrunruhe: (n) The feeling of returning home after an immersive trip only to find it fading rapidly from your awareness. 

Nodus Tollens (n) The realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore. 

Onism (n) The frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time. 

Liberosis: (n) The desire to care less about things. 

Altschmerz: (n) Weariness with the same old issues that you’ve always had – the same boring flaws and anxieties that you’ve been gnawing on for years.

Occhiolism: (n) The awareness of the smallness of your perspective. 

More from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. - See more at: http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/

50 Ways to Reduce your Waste

1.  Compost kitchen scraps and yard waste.
2. Leave grass clippings on the lawn. They retain moisture, nourish the grass, kill weeds and discourage insects.
3. Add coffee grounds and tea bags to your compost heap.
4. Take your own shopping bag to the grocery store.
5. Write school or business notes on the back of scrap paper.
6. Choose cloth diapers over the disposable type.
7. Support an environmental group, not only financially, but offer your skills as well.
8. Form an environmental club in your school or organization.
9. Plant a tree & look after it. Trees clean the air. 
10. Draft letters and reports directly onto the computer; skip the paper step. 
11. Photocopy on both sides of the paper.
12. Keep some scrap paper by your printer to print out draft copies.
13. Buy goods in bulk when possible. This saves on packaging, reducing the use of paper and plastic. 
14. Reuse egg cartons and plastic bags at the market.
15. Repair appliances rather than buy new ones.
16. Dry cleaning fluids are toxic- buy washable clothes.
17. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables; they are less often pre-packaged in the grocery store.
18. Wrap gifts in newspaper, magazines (ads are great- very colourful) or old posters, they are not as expensive as wrapping paper.
19. Use cloth napkins, not papers ones; it's cheaper and more elegant.
20. Clean out your store room and have a yard sale or donate items to a community group sale.
21. Use rags for clean-up, not paper towels.
22. Recycle paper products including carton boxes.
23. Ask your gas station what they do with used motor oil. (If they throw it in a gully as many do, know that one litre of oil will contaminate up to two million litres of water.)
24. Reuse envelopes by putting labels over the old address.
25. Reuse file folders by putting labels over the old labels.
26. Keep a couple of bags in your car or purse for those unplanned purchases.
27. Keep sweets and other wrappers on you until you can dispose of it properly.
28. Save used wrapping paper and reuse.
29. Buy rechargeable batteries.
30. University and school students can sell or donate old textbooks to new students.
31. Take a lunch box instead of bags.
32. Donate unwanted clothes and household goods to charity.
33. At the office, circulate memos instead of duplicating them.
34. Buy sodas and liquids in glass refillable bottles.
35. Use containers to store food in your fridge rather than saran wrap or aluminium foil.
36. Reuse old thin cloth (pantyhose) in the bottom of flower pots for drainage. 
37. Avoid buying aerosol cans, they can't be reused or recycled.
38. Share magazines with friends or donate them to hospital or doctor's office.
39. Re-upholster an old sofa rather than buy a new one.
40. Purchase reusable razors instead of disposals.
41. Buy products in recyclable, or better yet, refillable containers.
42. Never throw garbage into a drain; it can block the drain and eventually ends up polluting the sea.
43. Get your children to make Christmas cards out of box boards and colourful magazine pictures. It reduces waste and gives a much more personal touch to your season's greetings.
44. Use reusable plastic containers when you go on picnics or road trips and bring your garbage home for composting. 
45. Eat an ice cream cone rather than an ice cream in a plastic cup.
46. Patronize fast food restaurants that do not use disposable crockery and cutlery. 
47. When organizing a large function, rent tableware from a service rather than use paper plates.
48. Keep Christmas cards sent to you, cut them up & use them for gift tags next year.
49. Be vocal. Say you don't want a Styrofoam container. Even if the restaurant has no alternative at the moment, if enough people ask they will seek alternatives.
50. Start an organic kitchen garden & rely less on bought vegetables, which may be packaged.

Extracted from the Environmental Protection Agency Guyana Brochure.

Click here for Brochure

Please comment your views below

Language of Flowers, Herbs & Trees

There is a language, little known,
Lovers claim it as their own.
Its symbols smile upon the land,
Wrought by nature's wondrous hand;
And in their silent beauty speak,
Of life and joy, to those who seek
For Love Divine and sunny hours
In the language of the flowers.
–The Language of Flowers, London, 1875

Plants and their meaning:

Aloe: Healing, protection, affection

Angelica: Inspiration

Arborvitae: Unchanging friendship

Bachelor's button: Single blessedness

Basil: Good wishes

Bay: Glory

Black-eyed Susan: Justice

Carnation: Alas for my poor heart

Chamomile: Patience

Chives: Usefulness

Chrysanthemum: Cheerfulness

Clover, white: Think of me

Coriander: Hidden worth

Cumin: Fidelity

Crocus, spring: Youthful gladness

Daffodil: Regard

Daisy: Innocence, hope

Dill: Powerful against evil

Edelweiss: Courage, devotion

Fennel: Flattery

Fern: Sincerity

Forget-me-not: Forget-me-not

Geranium, oak-leaved: True friendship

Goldenrod: Encouragement

Heliotrope: Eternal love

Holly: Hope

Hollyhock: Ambition

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love

Horehound: Health

Hyacinth: Constancy of love, fertility

Hyssop: Sacrifice, cleanliness

Iris: A message

Ivy: Friendship, continuity

Jasmine, white: Sweet love

Lady's-mantle: Comfort

Lavender: Devotion, virtue

Lemon balm: Sympathy

Lilac: Joy of youth

Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness

Marjoram: Joy and happiness

Mint: Virtue

Morning glory: Affection

Myrtle: The emblem of marriage, true love

Nasturtium: Patriotism

Oak: Strength

Oregano: Substance

Pansy: Thoughts

Parsley: Festivity

Pine: Humility

Poppy, red: Consolation

Rose, red: Love, desire

Rosemary: Remembrance

Rue: Grace, clear vision

Sage: Wisdom, immortality

Salvia, blue: I think of you

Salvia, red: Forever mine

Savory: Spice, interest

Sorrel: Affection

Southernwood: Constancy, jest

Sweet pea: Pleasures

Sweet William: Gallantry

Sweet woodruff: Humility

Tansy: Hostile thoughts

Tarragon: Lasting interest

Thyme: Courage, strength

Tulip, red: Declaration of love

Valerian: Readiness

Violet: Loyalty, devotion, faithfulness

Willow: Sadness

Yarrow: Everlasting love

Zinnia: Thoughts of absent friends

Source: http://www.almanac.com/content/meaning-flowers

Comment below on which is your favourite :)