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Interviews with author Beverly Akerman and 9 year old go-kart racer Ricky Springer. Professor Joe Winston talked about beauty and education of children. blinkBL-NK event on motion comics, origami and international history.
Citation preview
“NO ONE should suffer and
live in pain like I did!”
Ricky Springer
May 2011
for curious artists
and scientists
Contents 5 The Meaning of Children
Interview with author Beverly Akerman
10 Racing For A Cause
Interview with Ricky Springer
21 Don't rely on just the average!
A discussion on statistics without too much maths
24 Beauty, Education and the Well-being of Children
A talk by professor Joe Winston
46 Graffiti love messages
Ah young love...
49 blinkBL-NK April 2011
Motion comics, origami and international history
5 10
21
24 46
49
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 3 _\
The suggested way to enjoy this magazine is
to have it as a PDF file on your desktop or
laptop computer, and then read it with a PDF
reader. I recommend using the Adobe Reader
to do so. Also, tea (to drink, not splash it on
your computer screen. Why would you do
that?!?).
If you read this magazine directly with a
browser, then clicking on any links in the
magazine will bring you to the link page. And
basically close the magazine. Which isn't fun
when you want to come back to the
magazine.
Speaking of links, they will be in blue and
underlined, like so (<-- don't click, that's not a
link!). In cases where the background colour
isn't cooperative, the links will be in a lighter
shade of blue, like so (you're not supposed to
see that clearly. Unless you're Superman. In
which case, OMG Krispy Kryptonite, I've got
Superman reading Singularity! *jumps
around room*).
If you're reading this on a mobile device or
tablet, let me know (yes, that's a real email
link) how I can make it better for you to enjoy
the magazine.
In miscellaneous information, the title text
"Singularity" is set in the font Perpetua. I
found out about the font when I read the
copyright page of a book. Yes, the physical
kind. And now, I'll leave you to your reading...
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 4 _\
From the editor So we happen to have a small theme for this issue. Children. We have an
interview with molecular genetics researcher turned author, Beverly
Akerman, with her book, The Meaning of Children.
Next, we have an interview with 9 year old Ricky Springer, who suffers from
Eosinophilic Colitis, and generally can't eat "normal" food. Are you ever
grateful that you can eat? Ricky is. Now he races in his go-kart (soon to be a
champ kart, which is safer) to increase awareness about Eosinophil
Associated Disorders.
I also attended a talk by professor Joe Winston, with the general focus on
the education of children. It was conducted at the Esplanade in Singapore,
and I'll show you some photos I took there.
Children are our future. What you do now, will be what they experience in
the future. Choose your actions accordingly.
In exciting magazine news, we have a Facebook page! I finally set it up on a
friend's suggestion. "Like" the page, share your comments and articles, and
talk with other Singularity readers.
Vincent Tan
Cover image used with permission
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 5 _\
The Meaning of Children
A book by Beverly Akerman
I got to know Beverly through Twitter. There
aren't many molecular genetics researchers who
sequenced their own DNA and wrote a book.
Read on to find out more.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 6 _\
Vincent: Before we talk about your book, The
Meaning of Children, tell us more about your work
in molecular genetics research.
Beverly: I did my McGill University MSc with Charles
Scriver at the Debelle Laboratory for Biochemical
Research, which is a department in The Montreal
Childrens’ Hospital. The title of my thesis was Alpha
Globin Genes in Quebec Populations. Adult
hemoglobin is made of two chains, so-called alpha
and beta (two of each, actually). Hereditary
anemias—like thalassemia and sickle cell anemia—
are caused by mutations (which can be point
mutations or deletions) in either gene. Because the
normal person actually has 4 copies of the alpha
gene (two from each parent), most alpha mutations
are due to deletions. So basically I used Southern
blotting to analyze how many alpha globin genes
there were in people from Quebec groups at varying
risk for hereditary anemia.
My thesis was deposited in 1987, before PCR
(polymerase chain reaction) technology became
widely used. My first job was in Nahum Sonenberg’s
lab in McGill’s biochemistry department. He focused
on translation initiation; that’s where I became really
proficient in DNA cloning and sequencing. From
there, I worked with Roy Gravel (who had just come
from University of Toronto to head up the MCH’s
Research Institute; ’90-’96). He worked on
gangliosidoses—I published work on Tay-Sachs
disease mutations in non-Jewish populations. And
from there, it was back to work with Charles and
also Dr. Eileen Treacy (’96-’99). I spent 10 months in
the lab of Andrea Leblanc at the Lady Davis
Institute—working on enzymes involved in
programmed cell death, called caspases. From
there, I headed off to the private sector, to a now-
merged biotech company called Ecopia. They were
looking for new antibiotics by scanning bacterial
genomes. After three years there, molecular biology
and I called it quits.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 7 _\
V: You sequenced your own DNA. What made you do
it? More importantly, how did you go about doing it?
Can everyone do it too?
B: I needed a control for a Tay-Sachs disease patient
whose DNA I was sequencing, so I used my own
(probably not a good idea but people do that all the
time, or at least did so back then). I don’t think you
could do this at home: for one thing, in those days, you
needed to use radioactive material. So ordering it and
using it safely meant doing it in a laboratory. And it was
only short segments of my DNA, not all of it. But it is a
true quirky fact that I’ve done it, so it amuses me to
include it as part of my biography.
[Ed: You can find out more about Tay-Sachs disease
here. It's a terrible and fatal disease. Fortunately, it's
also rare.]
V: Moving from molecular genetics to fiction writing
seems like a big jump. What's the story behind it?
B: Well, I think I had been moving beyond science for a
decade, but gradually. Then something really acute
happened: my father-in-law, Gerry Copeman, died of
lung cancer in 2003. Gerry and I didn’t get along that
well, though we’d made our peace. But when he died, I
was plunged into a sort of crisis: I understood—
emotionally, as opposed to rationally or intellectually—
that my time on this earth was finite, and that I’d better
use it doing something I’d always dreamed of doing—
which was writing fiction. So I quit working in science
and started writing. I have a wonderfully supportive
family.
“My time on this earth was finite, and
that I’d better use it doing something
I’d always dreamed of doing”
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 8 _\
V: The short stories in your book all revolve around
children. What's the significance?
B: I didn’t start out to write stories on any particular theme,
beyond that they were about issues that I was interested in,
felt strongly about, was moved by. Then, after four or five
years, I had written all these stories and I had to find a way
to unite them, to put them into a package in some way that
made sense other than that they were written by me. I
ended up with a book that has three parts—Beginning
(which features first-person point of view stories of
children), Middle (stories of people in the child-bearing
years), and End (which features older people, or stories that
take the long view of life).
I’ve also been thinking a lot lately of where my two careers
intersect. In biology and genetics, evolution by natural
selection is as close to written in stone as any concept. But
the point of evolution—and selective advantage via sexual
reproduction—is to produce a ‘better’ next generation, one
more suited to the prevailing circumstances. In other words,
it’s about doing your best for your offspring, albeit in an
unconscious or extra-conscious way. So children are very
central to all of this, or offspring, anyway. I also had three
children with my husband while I was doing all that lab
work. I’ve been intrigued to experience all those parental
feelings on a personal level.
V: Of all the 14 short stories, which one did you find the
hardest to write? Why is that?
B: The hardest ones are the ones that aren’t published yet.
Probably because I have yet to get them right!
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 9 _\
V: If you had to write a children's book, instead of a book revolving around
children, what is the first idea and storyline you think of?
B: I’d love to write more funny stuff, so I’d want to write something about
misunderstandings or kids getting into mischief. Science mischief, maybe, I hadn’t
thought of that before, so thanks for this. I feel that I may have written too many sad
or dark stories. Maybe I just had to get them out of my system, though.
V: Where can we get more information about you and your book?
B: You can read about my triumphs and tribulations by finding me on Facebook,
‘liking’ my book’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheMeaningofChildren),
or at my blog http://beverlyakermanmscwriter.blogspot.com/.
[Ed: You can also follow Beverly on Twitter. Also, The Meaning of Children appears to
be available only in Canadian bookstores (but there's shipping from Amazon.ca).
Hmm... pity.]
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 10 _\
Racing For A Cause:
An interview with [_ Ricky Springer _\
We first connected on Twitter. I am amazed at how a 9 year old
boy is racing go-karts to increase awareness about Eosinophil
Associated Disorders.
Ricky Springer, this 9 year old boy, generally cannot eat normal
food.
Find out more in the interview on the next page.
All images used with permission.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 11 _\
Vincent: Can you tell us about Eosinophil associated disorders? (this is answered by Julie Springer, Ricky's mom)
Julie: Eosinophil Associated Disorders are a group of illnesses that are rapidly emerging as a healthcare problem worldwide. Many
patients suffering from these disorders go undiagnosed for years due to the lack of information or awareness of these disease s.
Eosinophil Associated Disorders occur when high numbers of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, accumulate in body tissue s
causing inflammation and damage. They are classified by the body tissue where the eosinophils accumulate. These disorders can
only be diagnosed by tissue biopsies and are chronic diseases requiring long term treatment, with no known cure.
Most common, Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) occurs when the eosinophils mass in the esophagus and cause inflammation and
damage, affecting the ability to eat. It is estimated that more than 1 in 2000 people live with EoE.
Other classifications include:
Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EGE) and Eosinophilic Gastritis (EG), affecting the stomach and/or small intestine
Eosinophilic Colitis (EC), affecting the large intestine
Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES), affecting the organs in the body (heart, lungs, gut, skin)
Churg-Strauss Syndrome (CSS), affecting the small to medium blood vessels (vascultitis)
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 12 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 13 _\
Vincent: What is a typical day for you like?
Ricky: I am lucky that I don't live in pain anymore and I can eat
a variety of foods now. Traveling is difficult for me. Anywhere
we go we have to bring food with us because I can't eat at any
fast food restaurants. When traveling overnight, where we stay
depends on if there is an Outback Steakhouse. That is the only
restaurant where I can get a full meal and not get sick. Another
major issue we have is the water. My body reacts to both
spring and well water. We recently took a trip to Los Angeles,
CA and we couldn't even find water in the airport or on the
plane that I could drink.
Still, I am very grateful that I can EAT! For over 2 years I wasn't
able to eat any food and received all of my nutrition from a
special elemental formula. It has taken years of food trials to
get to where I am now and have the variety of foods I do have. I
still have to drink the elemental formula each day to
supplement my diet, but I no longer need to rely on it for my
sole nutrition.
V: How did you get into go-kart racing?
R: My parents took me to a NASCAR truck race in Atlanta when
I was 5 and I fell in love with racing. I got my first chance to
drive a go-kart when I was 5 and from then on I was hooked! I
kept asking my dad if I could race go-karts and when I was six
he finally said yes and bought me my first go-kart. For the last
three years I have raced go-karts. This season I will begin
racing another type of kart, called a Champ Kart. It is safer
than the go-karts I have been racing because it has a roll cage
and seat belts. I am very excited to move into this new class of
racing.
“I am very grateful that I can EAT!”
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 14 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 15 _\
V: What made you decide to use racing as a platform to
increase awareness about Eosinophilic Disorders?
R: I was born with Eosinophilic Colitis and started showing signs
at 4 days old that something was wrong with my digestive
system. My parents took me to 14 pediatricians, 2 GIs and 2
Allergists and no one could figure out what was wrong with me.
Some of those doctors actually told my mom that there was
nothing wrong. But my mom didn't give up. She spent months
doing research on the Internet and found an organization called
APFED (American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders) They
helped her find a doctor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Ohio
who was willing to test me to see if I had an Eosinophilic
Disorder. After 21 months of living in pain and suffering I was
finally diagnosed correctly. Within a few days of removing all
food from my diet, I was totally pain free and happy.
After I was finally diagnosed my mom started volunteering for
APFED. Over the years I have heard her on the phone with so
many parents who were going through the same thing we went
through. In my second year of racing go-karts, I decided to put
Racing for a Cause (RFAC) and APFED on my kart. It started out
that I would ask family and friends to make a donation to APFED
every time I would win a race and create some awareness of the
diseases at my local track. From there it has grown into an
international campaign. I never thought it would be this big, but
I am so excited about it. Since I started RFAC, we have educated
well over 2.7 million people about these diseases and raised over
$4000.00 to support APFED in the education of the general
public and medical community about Eosinophilic Disorders.
I plan on hosting the RFAC campaign until every person knows
what an eosinophil associated disorder is and every doctor
knows how to recognize the symptoms and treat these diseases.
If that takes forever, then I will do this forever!
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 16 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 17 _\
V: What are you currently working on for Racing For A Cause?
R: We have a LOT of exciting things planned for the 2011
Season. We are currently working on having the Racing for a
Cause logo on the hood of Jeremy Clements No 51 car in
NASCAR Nationwide Series car at the race on September 3rd in
Atlanta. Jeremy Clements is a member of the RFAC Team. That
has always been my dream...to see the RFAC logo on a hood of a
car in the NASCAR series. We will be able to reach SO many
people, not only at the track, but through the TV coverage as
well!!!
We are also working on adding race car drivers to the RFAC
Team. We currently have 13 drivers and two race teams,
representing 3 countries, all who race with the RFAC logo on
their cars or karts and help create awareness of eosinophilic
disorders. I hope to have at least 25 members on the Team by
the end of 2011.
I am also working on ways to raise enough money to fund the
new eLearning Center that APFED is putting together. The
eLearning Center will make information available to patients and
their families living with these diseases, as well as help to
educate doctors. I have always wanted to find a way to educate
doctors, so that others don't have to suffer like I did, where their
doctors can't determine what is wrong. This eLearning Center
will make that possible.
[Ed: You can find out more about Jeremy Clements here.]
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 18 _\
V: Any last comments?
R: I have one passionate goal with the RFAC Campaign... That
NO ONE should suffer and live in pain like I did! I hope that
people will take the time to learn more about Eosinophilic
Disorders. So many people, adults and kids, live with these
diseases and are misdiagnosed, still suffering. By learning more,
they may be able to share that knowledge with someone who is
suffering and help them to find the right treatment. They can
learn more about eosinophil associated disorders on the RFAC
website at www.racingforacause.com or by visiting APFED at
www.apfed.org.
[Ed: You can also find Ricky on Facebook, on Twitter, and also at
www.springerracing.com]
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 19 _\
I was walking home in the evening with a slight
drizzle. In front of me was a young couple with
their son. The little boy pointed at the sky and
cried, "Rainbow!". I looked up and saw the multi-
coloured arc too.
Moving quickly to a spot where I could get a
better view, I took out my iPhone and snapped
this. Interestingly, a young man, after
overhearing the little boy, also took out his
(proper) camera and took photos.
Sometimes, it takes a child to point out the
beauty that's right in front of us...
If you look closely, there's a second rainbow to
the left.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 21 _\
Don't rely on just the average!
You may encounter many statistical reports in your life. Population
demographics, the size of a family, the number of road accidents and so
on. With a large amount of data presented to you, a convenient way of
summarising that information is to give you important measurements.
The average is a typical measurement.
You should beware of any hidden information if the average is the only
measurement given to you. Click on the picture on the left to see a
video where I explain a simple example to illustrate this (or click here).
Some numbers to take note are the average, the median, the mode, the
sample size (if it's too small, it might not be accurate enough), the
maximum and minimum (so you know the range of the data). For
example, you might be depressed to know the average height was 190
cm (slightly less than 6 feet 3 inches). Until you know the minimum
height in the sample was 185 cm. And the fact that all the samples were
of basketball players.
The average is a convenient way of distilling statistical information, but
it may also hide a lot of the nuances if you're not careful.
Numbers are simply numbers, and it's up to you to make sense of them.
Don't simply accept the meaning given to you. Someone once said,
"Nothing has meaning, except the meaning you give it."
Click the picture above for a YouTube video
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 22 _\
Random picture: Abandoned barriers
Be part of a tribe This magazine exists because of you. If
you find anything interesting, give me a
holler and I'll take a look. Or share on the
magazine's Facebook page here.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 24 _\
There was a talk on the concept of beauty with regards to
children. It was presented by professor Joe Winston, and held at
the library@esplanade.
Here's the description of the talk:
“So why is beauty so ignored as an educational concept? How
could schools help children flourish spiritually and emotionally as
well as cognitively if teachers were to give beauty the attention it
deserves?”
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 25 _\
The talk was held in a glass-encased room,
which looked like a space usually used for
dance practices and performances. Here's
me from outside the glass room because
it's already full.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 26 _\
Here's a quote from Joe:
“Philosophers may argue and disagree
about the meaning of beauty. But ordinary
people know what they mean when they
call something beautiful.”
He also mentioned a person called Platinus (I can't be sure of the spelling).
That person said:
“Our soul is part of the Divine. And our
deepest desire is to reunite with the
Divine.”
Without going into comparative theology or whether the central focus of
religions (that is, God(s)) exist(s), the Divine can be generally regarded as the
Ultimate/Universal Consciousness where souls or human consciousness
originate. This is hard to state without inadvertently stepping on your toes, so
please keep an open mind for now.
Let's call it a theory. So the theory goes that there's this giant ball of
consciousness. When a human is born, a tiny bit of this consciousness forms
with the body. Or vice versa, a teeny bit of this consciousness forms a human
body around it. I'm not sure on the process (depending on the belief system
you take on). The giant ball of consciousness is beautiful, and in our quest to
rejoin the consciousness, we naturally look for beauty.
This isn't part of the talk, but here's my interpretation. Buddhists believe in
the reincarnation of souls. I interpret this reincarnation as the cyclic joining
and then detaching from the Universal Consciousness. You stop the cycle
when you attain Nirvana. For Christians, the reuniting with the Divine can be
thought of as returning to Heaven. I don't know enough about other religions
to make an observation, but religion has always been an easy topic to get
defensive about, so I ask that you keep an open mind on this. Challenge a
man's beliefs, and you challenge his very existence.
I believe Joe mentioned a book by Elaine Scarry, On Beauty and Being Just
(Amazon link). In the book, Elaine mentioned Immanuel Kant (a Prussian
philosopher born in the 18th century). Now Immanuel made a distinction for
males and females.
Sublime is male and beauty is female.
My notes start getting a little blurry here...
For discipline is sublime, and compassion is beauty.
I'm not sure if I got that correct. Hey, I was juggling between listening to the
talk, looking at the slides, taking notes on my iPhone and taking photos with
the iPhone where appropriate. Cut me a little slack...
You can read more about Immanuel's thoughts on the sublime and beauty
here.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 27 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 28 _\
Joe then mentioned 2 children's books: The Secret Garden and The Selfish
Giant (Amazon links). The general theme was:
Adults make the problems. Children solve
them.
Now those 2 statements are too sweeping of a generalisation for me to
swallow. But I can understand where they come from.
There was a TED (ted.com) talk where an economist was comparing the
world's problems (I can't remember the title nor the name of the economist.
Sorry...). In summary, the economist said that it's monetarily prohibitive to
solve global climate problems now, therefore it's better to focus on treating
malaria instead. That's because treating malaria saves lives, many of them
being children. And when those children grow up, they might find a cheaper
solution to solving global climate problems together with the advent of better
technology. So solving one problem helps solve another problem.
The point being, our children is our future.
Joe also mentioned the Foucault Pendulum. I will admit to you now that
though I've heard the name "Foucault" mentioned before, I've never thought
it's spelt that way. I thought it's "Fukow". Oh French and their silent O's and
L's and T's...
As you view the pendulum swinging back and forth, you will notice that the
line the bob traces on the ground tilts slightly. The pendulum isn't moving (at
least the tilting part isn't due to the pendulum). The Earth is. It's proof that the
Earth actually rotates.
Joe brought up the pendulum because the search for beauty isn't restricted to
the "conventional" artists.
The search for beauty grips us deeply.
That's how scientists are born.
He related the story of a teacher showing her students a bottle of water. She
placed a hat over the opening, and then squeezed the bottle. Water flowed
out of the bottle and the hat promptly became wet.
Then the teacher showed her students another bottle, this time empty. She
asked them what would happen. They said nothing would happen. She
squeezed the empty bottle. Imagine the children's surprise when the hat flew
up as the air whooshed out of the bottle! The children then had fun playing
with whooshing the hat up.
That's how you teach children that air takes up space.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 29 _\
I managed to find a seat!
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 30 _\
Continuing in the same vein as the hat experiment, Joe talked about how
education shouldn't be the "This is our objective. This is what we're going to
learn." approach. Rote learning of theories and applications has robbed us of
the surprise and sense of wonder in discovery and learning.
It turns out that there's quite a number of teachers in the audience. In the Q&A
session, the questions generally revolved around Singapore's rigid method of
teaching. Joe said good teachers inherently know the best way of teaching, but
are restrained by unyielding school policies and systems. Joe himself said he
had to fill out a form on how he planned his curriculum, with strict instructions
on filling the individual sections. You still need to plan the learning curriculum,
but a form unnecessarily restricts the different ways of doing it.
I leave you with a few questions and quotes to think about.
Can schools aspire to be beautiful?
Can teachers aspire to be beautiful?
Can the curriculum aspire to be beautiful?
Beauty is charm.
Beauty is something we love by instinct.
Beauty is uncertain.
Beauty is to be noticed...
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 31 _\
After the talk by Professor Joe Winston, I left the library,
and had time to look around. I found these interesting.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 32 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 33 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 34 _\
It turns out they were "wind walls".
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 35 _\
I also found coloured ones.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 36 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 37 _\
I wandered out to the Esplanade
main hall. On the way, I looked up
and saw this. This is known as an
oculus (which is Latin for "eye").
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 38 _\
It turns out there's a huge exhibit in
the middle of the entrance hall.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 39 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 40 _\
I surmised that it's an art
piece of Buddhist nature.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 41 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 42 _\
Then I left the Esplanade itself and went outside. The
Esplanade has been called a "durian" due to the spiked
exterior of the dome. The durian is a tropical fruit that
has a spiked husk.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 43 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 44 _\
You can see the Marina Bay Sands in the background.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 45 _\
A Project Polymath Junto
A junto is a group of people joined by a common purpose. Project Polymath is an interdisciplinary
university, and they've offered a way for like-minded polymaths to connect with each other.
If you're interested, check out their web page here:
http://www.projectpolymath.org/junto.shtml
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 46 _\
I'm stuck in the moment with you. And it feel [sic] just so right.
You're like a drug for the heart. I'll only keep coming back for
more and more of your love. You're an addiction no one can
stop me from [indecipherable]
I love you dear.
Graffiti love messages
*pixelated to protect
the innocent...
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 47 _\
That's succinct... This was spray-painted on the floor.
Drive safe. Subscribe!
http://polymathprogrammer.com/singularity/
Racing for a cause
wherever go-karts are
found.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 50 _\
This isn't really magazine news,
but I made a little progress in my
entrepreneurial efforts. So I
bought myself a hot chocolate
to celebrate. Sort of. The only
drinks I would order on the
Brewerkz menu were hot
chocolate and tea. The rest were
beer and wine, and I don't drink
alcohol...
As for the main courses, let's
just say that as a bootstrapping
entrepreneur, it would be
unwise to order food here...
This time, I was early at the
event. So I chose a table
strategically positioned (or so I
thought) for photo-taking.
Also, this cup of hot chocolate
would be my only companion at
the table. I'm not joking... More
details after you read about the
event.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 51 _\
This was the best shot I had of
Michael Lim, the first speaker. He's
the founder of the Singapore
Visual Effects and Animation
Group. It turns out that there was
an official event photographer, and
she happened to set up shop
directly between me and where
the speakers would stand. *sigh*
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 52 _\
Motion comics are basically normal comics but with animation typically in
the comic panel. For example, a close-up of a person's face and the eyes are
twitching in fear. Or water running from a tap.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 53 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 54 _\
Michael said that the current motion
comics are still fairly primitive. They're like
sophisticated PDFs.
In the consumer world, it's best realised as
existing graphic novels on the iPad.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 55 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 56 _\
On the lower left corner is a graphic novel, Gone Case,
written by a friend Dave Chua.
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 57 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 58 _\
An Animatic is a flowing (?) storyboard used in pre-production in films & commercials. Sorry for the blurry words...
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 59 _\
Singularity • May 2011 [_ 60 _\
Michael also mentioned a Finnish project called Dr Professor's Thesis of Evil. It's slightly different from a motion comic in that it's completely
written from the ground up to take advantage of the animation portion. The creators call it a motion novel.
In the Q&A, someone asked what's the difference between a motion comic and animation. A motion comic incorporates animation, but not too
much, otherwise it becomes a video game.
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Next up was Ben Ball, who would be
talking about origami.
On the table in front of him, were
some of his origami creations. One of
them was a lizard.
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Digression:
So 2-colourability means you need at most 2 colours to colour
the regions. A simple example is the fan.
If you fold the paper in
alternating directions
along the colour borders,
you get a simple fan. Of
course, adding more folds
creates a more pleasing
look. Note that the faces
with the same colour will
all face the same direction
in this case.
I want to let you know there's actually a 4-colourability
problem. It's about colouring planar maps. It's long been
observed that for colouring geographical maps, only at most 4
colours were needed. However, no one could prove it
(mathematically).
It was finally proved in 1976. A computer was used to help
exhaust all the possibilities, proving that only at most 4 colours
were needed. Hmm... a computer program was written to help
prove a maths theorem. Interesting.
Why is this important?
Well, you can now rest assured that only 4 colours are needed
for colouring maps. Therefore you can choose 4 colours that
are pleasing to the eye, yet provide enough contrast to
distinguish boundary areas.
I studied graph theory in university, ok? My professor told me
about 4-colourability problem and the story of its solution. It
made the night lesson a bit more bearable... Alright, moving
on...
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Ben then proceeded to skip several slides with mathematical equations on them,
much to the joy of the audience and to my chagrin. I'm a mathematician! I might not
understand the equations, but it might be interesting to look at them.
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I think the event organisers set up this
lighting station. This means the speakers
were kind of stuck near the lights.
Like I said before, I don't have a good view
of the speakers for photo taking.
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That's the Singapore Merlion.
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That's the katakana for Ancient Dragon (エンシェント ドラゴン)
It goes like eh-n-shi(e)-n-to do-ra-go-ng.
I wrote about how you can read some Japanese based on just your knowledge of katakana. Read the
September 2010 and October 2010 issues for more details.
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This dragon origami apparently took 3 months to fold.
The paper used was 3 metres by 3 metres.
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Some last words about origami:
Origami pieces with 2 colours on them make use of the other side of the paper. That is, the main colour is on one
side, and the secondary colour is on the other side. It takes some planning to work the other side of the paper into
your folding.
To make what is known as flaps (such as wings, legs and other protruding items), you make "circles". Basically you
make a series of folds such that the creases are adjacent to each other and they share one point (the centre of the
circle). Imagine an umbrella. Open the umbrella and you see the "creases" (the spines that support the water-
resistant material). Close the umbrella, and you get a "protruding item".
"Rivers" are the gaps in between the circles.
Rectangular pieces of paper allow greater choices of creations. But there's the symmetry of the square as a limit as
well.
There's a software that helps you plan your origami creation: TreeMaker.
If you're mathematically inclined, you might find the Huzita–Hatori axioms interesting.
You can contact Ben Ball on his email address: ben (dot) t (dot) ball (at) gmail (dot) com
Replace the (dot) and (at) with the appropriate symbols (I'm preventing spam).
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“Don't Know Much About History. Why academic History needs a rethink.”
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The last speaker was Ross Dillon,
who just arrived in Singapore to
teach international history (at an
undisclosed junior college).
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“We're
geographically
bound, so history
gets involved in
culture.”
Or was it the other way? I can't
remember...
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History is a record of
human experience.
History is a series of
stories, dictated by
national historians.
This reminds me of a saying. History is
written by winners. Specifically, winners
of war.
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That's Eric Donald Hirsch, Jr.
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A clear shot!!! I mean, uh, I can see Ross
clearly now...
“History is about questions,
not facts.”
If we're teaching history
based on facts, it makes
sense to just put them on
the Internet instead of a
book because of the storage
capacity.
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Historical Preenactment Society
“Because the best history has yet to happen”
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Some last words about Ross' talk:
“When you start learning everyone's history, you start
to lose the details.”
In the Q&A session, someone asked how should junior colleges deal with the fact that students and
teachers needed to cram a lot of history into just 2 years.
Ross' answer? Get rid of the exam.
On a somewhat related note, John D. Cook wrote a blog post quoting Patrick Allitt:
History is strange, it’s alien, and it won’t give us what we would like to have. If you hear a historical story
and at the end you feel thoroughly satisfied by it and find that it perfectly coincides with your political
inclinations, it probably means that you’re actually listening to ideology or mythology. History won’t oblige
us, and much of its challenge and interest comes from its immovable differentness from us and our own
world.
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Isaac Souweine, one of the event
organisers, quizzing the audience
about the talks. There are prizes,
you see...
One of the Brewerkz staff holding
up a beer keg (empty?) as the
grand prize.
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So here's an interesting observation: Humans are afraid of
being alone.
I wasn't kidding about the hot chocolate being my only
companion. My table was the only table with just 1 person.
There was a friend who sat down briefly. Then he went to
look for a better position. He didn't invite me along. Ok, I can
take a hint... (downgrade to "acquaintance" in progress...).
There was another man who sat down, but he joined another
table in less than 5 minutes.
Now I was a little tired and not in the mood to get too
friendly. So I decided to just watch and study human
behaviour. I noticed that people would rather join another
group of people (possibly strangers), even peripherally, if only
they won't have to sit alone at a table. Perhaps they were
really friendly and I misjudged them.
I noticed that some tables just got bigger and bigger, with
people pulling chairs from my table. I also noticed me feeling
weird for being alone at a table. Calming myself, I took it as a
lesson in training to be comfortable in feeling uncomfortable,
in feeling different, in possibly feeling embarrassed in sitting
alone at a table. It turned out ok.
Let's just say I drained my iPhone's full battery in that one
evening on writing notes, taking photos and doing Facebook/
Twitter updates...
As an aside, here's an interesting article by Joel Spolsky who
talked about having lunch (with other people).
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Question of the month:
Should we pursue a
broad-based education?
Why?
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