Rolled Up Concrete

Not exactly new, but I have just came across this, Concrete Cloth, via Think Defence. It is basically canvas infused with cement. The material is stored and transported conveniently in rolls. When needed, it is simply unrolled, cut, nailed or stapled into shape, and sprayed with water. The concrete hardens to 80 percent strength in twenty-four hours.

The material is particularly very useful when you want to build and reinforce very quickly, like in emergency or disaster situations. The video above shows in passing Concrete Cloth used to reinforce a slope. There are also shelters that can be put up by just two people in one hour.

Of course, given the source I got it from, the flexibility of Concrete Cloth opens up some interesting military applications too.

__________
LINK: Concrete Canvas on YouTube.

Ringgit

I like the new designs for the ringgit launched today. I think they are cleaner and more modern looking. Only thing is the new coin designs remind me a bit of the embattled euro.

By the way, the Malaysian currency is called ringgit and the sign for the ringgit is RM. Therefore, RM28 reads “twenty eight ringgit”, not “R-M twenty eight”, “R-M twenty eight ringgit”, “Ringgit Malaysia twenty eight” or worst of all “Ringgit Malaysia twenty eight ringgit”.

Honey

We thought of giving Omar honey but the labels all say “unsuitable for infants under 12 months”. Odd, I think, as it is tradition in many cultures to give newborns a taste of honey. So I did a quick Google search and found three reasons it is recommended to give honey to young babies.

The first is it may damage a baby’s emerging teeth. The second is to avoid the baby developing a sweet tooth. The third reason is the real big one: to avoid the risk of infant botulism, a form of food poisoning.

It was only in 1978 that honey became a forbidden food for infants. Two years earlier, a very rare syndrome called infant botulism had been diagnosed for the first time, after some sick babies in California were found to have traces of botulism spores in their stools. Then, in 1978, an epidemiological study was done by the California Department of Health Services, which tested more than 550 samples of food, drugs and miscellaneous environmental substances for botulism. They found botulism organisms in five samples of soil, one of dust from a vacuum cleaner and nine of honey. Immediately, honey became an official danger for infants, because it was the only variable in infant botulism that could be controlled. You can't put a label on soil saying “do not eat”; but with honey, you can.

Bee Wilson, Honey, I poison the kids, The Guardian, 25 August 2005

As I understand it, the risk of contracting infant botulism is very small. It is caused by toxins produced by the bacterium (plural bacteria) Clostridium botulinum commonly found in soil, as do many other dangerous microorganisms. By the way, the same bacterium produces the toxin used in Botox treatment. Millions of babies have been fed, or at least given taste of, honey over the ages with no ill effects.

Still, seeing the official warning on the labels does make you pause.

Knuffle Bunny

We read that it is good to read to Omar from early on so we try to read to him everyday.

My favourite book to read to him so far is Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.

Willems is an award-winning author and illustrator who used to work on Sesame Street.

Knuffle Bunny is about a girl who lost her favourite toy bunny while on a trip to the laundromat with her father. The story is engaging, funny and highly relatable. I also love the book’s illustrations, which feature cartoon characters drawn on photographs of an actual Brooklyn, NY neighbourhood.

There are two follow up titles to the book so far, both of which are on my wishlist.

Read: The Clone Redemption

The Clone Redemption may be the last of the Clone series, and after seven books it has been quite a ride.

In the future, humanity has spread across the galaxy, occupying exactly 180 planets. To protect the peace, or rather to preserve its power, the Unified Authority (UA) government relies on clones as soldiers. Officers in the military are natural-borns while the enlisted men are all clones.

Protagonist Wayson Harris is a clone in the UA Marines. He is however not a standard-issue clone. He is the last of a special class of clones called Liberators deemed so dangerous they are outlawed. At the beginning of the series, Harris starts out assigned on a special mission to flush out a rebellion. Soon, he realizes that clones are really being used as pawns in various power struggles between personalities in both the government and the military. So though he retains an innate loyalty to the government he grows to hate the UA at the same time.

The turning point of the series is when a virtually unstoppable alien race invades. The Avatari manages to capture 178 out of 180 UA planets before the clones turn the tide around. Down to just two planets, the UA blames the clones for failing to defend the empire and decides that they are redundant. The clones are to used one last time as live targets.

Harris leads the clones to fight back. In The Clone Redemption, while holding off the UA on one side, the clones of the newly established Enlisted Men Empire have to race to evacuate whole planets as the Avatari returns. Now instead of capturing a planet, the Avatari raises the atmospheric temperature to 9,000 degrees killing and burning everyone and everything. As the situation grows desperate, Harris decides to invade Earth.

I really enjoyed the series from the beginning. Author Steven L Kent developed the characters in the books well, even secondary ones. Apart from our hero, I particularly love the SEAL clones, both feared and misunderstood by others, quietly ever ready to serve. I definitely look forward to any follow up to the series.

Yearbook

Our 2011 yearbook arrived earlier than expected last Wednesday. It was waiting by the door when we arrived home. YAY!

Having expected the pictures to come out of print darker I adjusted most of them to make them lighter, but I still find the print a bit dark. Then, Afi found that I made one spelling mistake, AAARGH! I cannot believe I missed it; I went through each and every page before submitting them to print. It is just a small mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.

Still, overall we are very happy with the result.

Earlier in the day, we went out to town to try the scones at the Vaults & Garden Café. Someone recently told us that the scones there are better than the ones at The Rose, which in our opinion are the best in Oxford. The Vaults & Garden Café is located inside the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, which means that technically I have now visited the university church. I still hope to one day climb the tower, though. Back to scones, we still think that The Rose’s are number one. Next, before we leave for home we hope to drop by the Old Parsonage hotel to try the scones there too.

After that, we went to the Oxford University Press Bookshop on High Street. There was a 3-for-2 offer for select books, so Afi bought three picture books for Omar. She then asked me to pick three titles from the Very Short Introduction series. I wish we can buy the whole series, but for now I have three more books added to my reading pile.

Thought

Here are a series of six videos by The Open University called 60-Second Adventures in Thought.

Of the six, I am most familiar with the Grandfather Paradox, which a common science fiction theme. I had never before came across the Chinese Room and the Infinite Hotel. I am not even sure that I get the latter.

Archilles and the Tortoise

The Grandfather Paradox

The Chinese Room

Hilbert’s Infinite Hotel

The Twin Paradox

Schrödinger’s Cat

You can find more similar short educational videos at The Open University’s YouTube channel. Have fun!

Reward Shop

Last year we flew home on Etihad for Kakak’s wedding and earned some thousands of guest miles. We finally redeemed the miles recently.

We finished all our miles (almost) with the following four items: a Samsonite Sammies Dreams kids backpack, a Deuter Schmusebär kids backpack, a Joseph Joseph Nest of 8 preparation bowl set, and a Koziol Kasimir cheese grater.

The backpacks are for Omar, obviously, although it will be a while before he will actually use them. While we both love backpacks we will not otherwise buy a Samsonite or a Deuter for Omar to take to nursery. We showed them both to Omar and he seemed to prefer the blue Samsonite elephant bag.

Afi had been eyeing the Joseph Joseph bowl set for a while now and it was on our Amazon wishlist. We were only waiting for the price to come down this winter shopping season so she was really excited to see it offered.

Finally, the cheese grater. I don’t remember exactly how we got to picking the cheese grater. Perhaps it was just to finish what was left of the miles and the hedgehog-shaped cheese grater looked rather cute.

Photobook 100

It is 10 December. Yes, I have finished the 100-page photobook and submitted it to print last night (9 December), YAY! If everything goes well we will receive it soon, currently estimated on 17 December.

Lots of thanks to Arshad for helping us snap our family picture for the cover yesterday morning. That was the last picture to go into the photobook.

We can now return to our regular broadcast.
:D

Geometry

Hi! Can you believe I am still now working on the photobook? The deadline is looming, AAARGH!

In the meantime, how about some cool art works by Liam Brazier. I really like the style and could definitely picture them on my wall.

Man Up

Cave Man

Odyssey

Dark Lord

Bounty Hunter

__________
via Flylyf