ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related genetically; independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches.  Another way of putting it: In Nature, similar problems will generate similar solutions, which are robust and optimal for the species. Whether it be shape or coloration or special features. The accompanying photos of examples of convergent evolution each have a description.   The Shark's ancestor was a fish. But the ancestors of the (now extinct) Ichthyosaur was a reptile. And the porpoise's ancestor was a land mammal. But they evolved to have fish-like shapes in order to live in the water. But still the porpoise is warm- blooded and does not breathe the way fishes do-with gills.   The East African lakes of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, although physically separated have similar environmental conditions. So you see that some spe...

Common quotes of FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE- the philosopher who may have spawned Nazism, Fascism and Anti-Semitism that you may recognize.. " Without music, Life would be a mistake." " That which does not kill make us stronger." "God is dead" " Love is blind." " Woman was God's second mistake." On Democracy: " the counting of noses." On the English people and their Mercantilism " Shopkeepers, women, cows, Christians, and democrats belong together." Nietzsche's philosophy has had a profound influence on Western philosophy in being an antithesis to the philosophy of rationalism and logic of Kant and Hegel who came before him, and a refinement of the romantic pessimism of Schopenhauer. He was not only a thinker but also a poet (the epic "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"), and a composer of music. Even if you have never read Nietzsche you may recognize some of his famous quotes above: The cont...

As Singapore faces a possible economic technical recession, many are hoping that the government will unleash a slew of measures that will stimulate the economy, and hopefully keep it from falling into a recession. But like medicine, economic stimuli only treat the symptoms and effect a temporary cure. Also, like medicine, economic stimuli (especially of the loose monetary policy kind) will have side-effects. China's bold economic stimulus in 2008 is an example of what can happen with loose monetary easing, which the Americans euphemistically call 'quantitative easing'.  In 2008, the world faced a financial crisis as the fall-out from the US sub-prime mortgage crisis caused a liquidity crunch in the global credit markets. Over the years the world, and all financial markets- debt, equities, forex, commodities- had become increasingly intertwined due to the instantaneous flow of information made possible by advances in communications technology. At the onset of th...

The statistical distribution known as the Pareto Power Law is a probability distribution that manifests itself in many human economic and social phenomena, as well as many geophysical phenomena. It is characterized by a few large values and a long tail of many smaller values. Some of the phenomena with evidence of being Pareto-like are: * The size of cities and towns * Income distribution in a capitalist economic system * Returns on the stock market * Sizes of sand particles * Numbers of Species in a Genus of animals * Internet traffic and demand on servers * Earthquakes and other natural disasters. Here I plot the number of page views on my blog by country. As you can see, it follows a Pareto distribution.  This shape still exists despite the fact that I know for sure, Ukraine in 2nd place cannot be due to humans visiting my site, but Bots. And Israel looks suspicious too. The rest of the results are logical. US has the largest English Internet po...

The Lord's Prayer in Scottish I am starting to fall in love with the Scottish language.  A Scottish friend just said to me: "Lang may yer lumb reek" . At first I thought he was using vulgar language on me. But now, I know it means " Long may your chimney smoke" which is like saying " I wish you a long and healthy life". What a nice way to put it.

Teleology= function by design. The purpose of something is reflected in its design. Teleological argument for existence of a Grand Designer.That the design is so wonderful as to argue convincingly for the existence of a Grand Designer. Aposematism: Using vivid colors to warn predators of toxicity. The Rainbow Grasshopper: One of the best examples of Aposematism  and one of the most vivid examples of Teleogical evolution. Not the Bible, nor the Koran-BUT THIS leads me to the conclusion that there is a good probability that there is a Grand Designer who created our world. But this does not mean I think we should have a relationship with It. It is Man's self-vanity to think that It wants to have a relationship with us. These photos show several sub-species. Or even some that are  not Dactylotum Variegatus but equally colorful like the Leichhardt Grasshopper of Australia's Kakadu region (Black and Orange one below) or the one with horny growths at the back of its head; Phy...

Everytime we see a photo of Kim Jong-Un, there are people around him taking notes. I wish I could see what are they writing down in their little notebooks? Or perhaps surreptitiously doodling while looking earnest ? [although if caught they will be executed]. Reminds me of the ubiquitous 555 Notebooks used by horse-racing bookies, taxi drivers, shopkeepers, pimps, and other small-time businessmen in Singapore in the 1950's I think they are still s old in the shops in Little India. I think Kim should at least give all his generals and bureaucrats more presentable-looking note books for them to take down his treasured advice on his 'guidance' tours. *** Note: 555 Notebooks is (or should be) a SG50 [Singapore's 50th Anniversary 2015] heritage item.

The Balestier area is famed for its tau sar piah, chicken rice, bak kut the, fish head steamboat. But there are other sides of Balestier not known to many.  Every day, as I sit in the coffee shop eating my lunch (not this dingy coffee shop, another one), I see a microcosm of the whole Balestier Road area. I see them all- the four categories of the non-resident population of the Balestier area; centered around the various activities in the area. 1.       The Novena Medical Center, Gynaecology and other specialist clinics ·         So in the coffee shop, I see lots of pregnant women and their husbands/boyfriends some of whom look very worried- the men occasionally going to the toilet to make furtive phone calls. ·          Indonesians, Indians, Thai and Malaysians who have come here to seek medical treatment combined with shopping. On the whole, they don’t look sick, but ar...

TAKE A PICK [no pun intended]- Your missing variable in the equation of Guitar Tone. You have: $4000.00 guitar $3000.00 amp $400 hand-wound pickups $100 cable $30 Titanium strings 50 CENTS PICK? OMG! Its time you try out and buy my luxury picks for that killer tone: Price range: 5.00 to 100.00. V-Picks, Gravity, SuperBite, Blue-Chip, Wegen, Huffschmid, Dunlop PrimeTone etc. Many sizes, shapes, and thickness. (Diamonds, Screamers, Pachellis, Farleys, Ghost Rims, Gypsy, Jazz III shapes etc) Selling those I don't use (picks must suit your style, guitar, music) The other photo is of my prize 3mm Huffschmid Glow-In-The-Dark Aqua Blue with special beveling. [30 Euros]

In the past, global economic recessions were Made-In-The-USA. The next one will be Made-In-China. That is something I am willing to bet on. The reason: China's credit growth, including off-balance-sheet credit, and shadow banking has grown way out of proportion compared with the growth of its real economy.  Ruchir  Sharma, author of 2012 non-fiction bestseller "Breakout Nations"and now Head of Global Macro at Morgan Stanley Investment Manager says that every time a nation goes on a credit binge in excess of its real economic growth, an economic slowdown inevitably follows. He cites historical instances ranging from the Tulip Mania and South Seas Bubble of the 19th century, to the 1994 Asian Financial crisis, and Japan's decades-long recession as well as the 2008 US sub-prime mortgage crisis. .  What is "excessive" to him? He say's if credit as a proportion of GDP grows 14 % over 5-years, that is one standard deviation above the...

ULAM [MALAY SALAD] THE SUPERFOOD YOU NEVER KNEW. Try eating these 2-3 times a week, and within a month or so, you will feel the difference. The most visible change is in your complexion, and your friends will notice it and tell you. Other changes include higher energy level, mental alertness, more strength, stamina and faster recovery from exercise, better digestion and sleep.  A serving of Ulam costs $1.00-2.00. So why spend lots of $ on chemically manufactured health supple ments that are not as effective as these grasses and leaves gathered from the wild. Here are the nutritional properties of the labelled photos of Malay salad leaves. For more details of their health benefits “Google” and you will find plenty of documented studies of their medicinal properties, 1. Pegaga [scientific name: centella asiatica] (common name: Pennywort or Gotu Kola]. Gotu kola is used for fatigue, anxiety, depression, psychiatric disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and improving memory and...

100 Pounds Silver pick for Jazz guitar players 5000 Pounds Platinum guitar picks 1700 Pounds 18K Gold guitar pick A selection of picks available from www.timber-tones.com  A luminous pick from Huffschmid WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF BOUTIQUE GUITAR PICKS. Beyond the $1.00 plastic guitar pick is the world of boutique guitar picks. In all shapes and sizes, made of material from wood to carbon fiber to acryclics, stone, metals, or bone, they can cost up to US$75 a pick. Many are just gimmicks, and cater more to pick collectors but a few really do improve your playing and your tone. This list of boutique guitar picks is from my new FB Friend,  Jacob Garcia  whose review of 3 0 picks on YouTube is good introduction to high-end guitar picks. See https://www.youtube.com/playlist… Enjoy! I'm going to get myself a Huffschmid Glow-In-The-Dark! ( www.plectrum.ch ) www.v-picks.com www.gravitypicks.com www.superbitepicks.com www.wegenpic...

WHEN YOUR CHAUFFEUR IS YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW:NEPOTISM IN CHINESE COMPANIES WHEN YOUR CHAUFFEUR IS YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW: NEPOTISM IN CHINESE COMPANIES. Many Exchanges make it a legal requirement for listed companies to provide details of employees who are related to top management.. Many Chinese-owned companies employ relatives in their business. See attached. Having in-laws in the company seems to be especially prevalent. This company employs the boss' 3 brother-in-laws (BIL) and 1 sister-in-law. His wife is must be delighted.  1. Having a BIL in charge of the Purchasing Dept keeps a watchful eye out for staff taking kickbacks from suppliers. 2. Having a sex-pot sister-in-law as Customer Service Executive can only be good for the business. 3. Wife as Assistant to CEO: In this company, the CEO had two mistresses and the wife tipped off the authorities on the company's tax evasion, and half-destroyed the company. 4. Brother-in-law as chauffeur: The CEO was kidnapped and rans...

I INDIA TO OVERTAKE CHINA IN ECONOMIC GROWTH - Not useful and slightly misleading information. The IMF's 2015 forecast is that India's GDP growth  will be 7.5 % while China's will drop to 6.8%. And the media has made headlines out of this. If such news is meant to convey the image that India is making great overall progress in its economy, it is misleading. You cannot really compare India with China: 1. 7.5% is from a low base compared to China. India's GDP is about US$ 2 trillion while China has a GDP of US$9 trillion. To grow 7.5 % from a lower base is much easier. South Sudan has GDP growth of 23% while Mongolia grows at 11%. 2. As an economy develops it is natural for growth to slow down. Singapore used to grow at 7-9% and now the new normal is 2-3%. 3. Good infrastructure is required for growth, and India lacks far behind China in roads, ports, railways, airports, telecommunication. Especially power generation infrastructure (electricity). 4. India...

B= Bimbo B: Hi Brainiac, I see that you are doing research on diseases now. Is Kurtosis an infectious tropical disease? Me: Kurtosis is not a disease. but a term used in statistics for describing the shape of the distribution of a collection of data viz the fatness of its tails B: Data has tails? That's nice. B: Oh, I see. Anyway, that part you said about Augmented Dickey-Fuller fascinates me. I love Augmented Dicky. Me: Huh? You know about the Dickey-Fuller test? B: Oh, I thought it was something else. Dicky sounds very friendly Me: You make the Augmented Dickey-Fuller sound pornographic B: Well anyway, research fascinates me. When I was a child I dreamed of becoming a scientist. Me: Well, if you fly me over I will show you my Augmented Dickey-Fuller hahaha

Fender Made-in-Mexico 2011 Road-Worn 60's Stratocaster $100.00 name-engraved hand-made specially-beveled pick  A Fender Custom Shop Relic easily costs $3000.00 now. I bought this used made-in-mexico Fender Road-Worn 60's Stratocaster for $600. The tone is terrific. The big-sky sound of a good Strat. I think its because of the nitro-cellulose thin finish. This really makes a big difference. Glossy finishes strangle the guitar's sound. Second picture shows my name-engraved BlueChip pick from Knoxville Tennessee. Including delivery charges to Singapore this pick cost me $100.00 But its worth it. The specially beveled edges gives attack and yet is noiseless. 

# Thanks to Victor Venema of the University of Bonn for the image depicting an evolutionary search algorithm Current-day so-called Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) are more about Mendelian selective breeding than about Darwinian evolution. Nature has no preconceived objectives. Evolution is open-ended, and is more about adaptation to the ever-evolving environment than about survival of the fittest. Although the “fittest” can be defined as those that have adapted in the best to the changing environment. Using Evolutionary Algorithms such as Genetic Algorithms to find optimal solutions to decision-making is just directing the algorithm to a static goal.  We cannot model the richness, complexity and dynamism of Nature’s meandering adaptive walks. The road of evolution knows not its final destination. It twists and winds its way; the direction of the next step is the net sum of the interaction (actions and reactions) between all participants at that point in time plu...

Hand-made customized guitar picks. V-Pick, Jim Dunlop, Gravity. and the black super-thick Princeton specially beveled with ribbed center grip. These picks cost from S$6.00 to S$20.00. Just ordered one BlueChip pick with my name engraved on it. From Blue Chip Machining Company in Tennesse, USA. Cost US$75.00. Oh well, I can't afford a Porsche but I can afford guitar picks. And its little indulgences like this that adds zest to my life. But seriously, the transparent and Blue Gravity picks make a big difference to the speed, ease and tone of your playing. On account of the unique composite materials used in making the picks and their beveled edges. These picks cost a lot because the edges are specially beveled by hand and not machine. Only a fellow guitar player and craftsman can make the perfect pick.