New Year Resolution 2012

It's time for New Year Resolution again~~
Oh btw I hate the fact that I'm living here amidst all the construction sites, and they work even on Saturday. This is so WTF.
By the way these are what I'd wished for last year:

The Incredible Naked Mole Rat

The naked mole rat is an awesome little creature despite its ugly look. Underneath the wrinkled skin lies one of the toughest operating systems of the animal kingdom--it's the Superman of the rodent's world.

Size wise, there's not much difference between a naked mole rat and a house mouse. A naked mole rat is typically 3 to 4 inches in length and weighs around 35 grams. A queen, meanwhile, can be as heavy as 80 grams.

圣诞节 2011

今天是圣诞节。
再过五天就是鬼佬新年咯。
时间过得可真快呀。。

What Can We Buy With Human Lives?

Stanford economists estimate that the average value of a year of quality human life is close to about $129,000.
But for the people of Mosquito Coast in Cocobila, Honduras, a lobster is priced at 352 lives.

The Miskitos are a native American ethnic group in Central America, and most of them dive for lobsters to earn a living. These lobsters are no ordinary lobsters--they are considered luxury food for the European and American market, and the Miskitos literally risk their lives catching these sea critters for the rich and famous.

The Challenger Deep Revised

The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth. It is located to the east of Mariana Islands, running for about 2550 kilometers but has a mean width of only 69 kilometers.

The deepest point, known as the Challenger Deep, which had hitherto been measured at 10919 meters, is now estimated to be 10994 meters.

It's Not Easy To Be A Guy

Who Really Invented The Computer?

No, it wasn't Steve Jobs.

Some people might say Alan Turing, the guy who, in the 1930s, laid the foundation for computational science.

Do We Need Lynas?

The Fukushima disaster brought Japan, the third largest economy in the world to her knees. What about us? With our meager GDP of US$ 247.7 billion (2010 est.) are we able to handle the clout and the massive compensation in the event of accident? Or should we turn a blind eye on safety and contamination issue, and focus on profit instead? 

Before I begin, I have a few questions regarding rare earth.
What exactly are rarely earth elements?

A Brief History Of Academic Dress

I was stalking my friend's facebook page this morning when I saw his graduation pictures. And, as always, a question popped up and I started googling on the history of academic dress, who designed it, and why is it designed that way.

University of Malaya Academic Dress. No the elephant is not part of it. Image: Tan Chin Seng.

According to students' best friend, Wikipedia, an academic dress is

Who's Smart And Who's Not?

Is the recently deceased Steve Jobs smart?

Most of us do not know Jobs personally, though we're constantly told of Jobs' accomplishment, his temperament, and his brilliance. He sold me my iPod, presented me with the ever sophisticated iTunes, tempted me with iPhones, and fascinated me with his death.

This Blog Is TWO Years Old Today

Yaay, two years old now.
I just realized how much I resemble my brother--love traveling, googling information, knowing new things, new culture, and writing.
Err... writing as in... typing.

Image: waitingfornextyear.com

Oh by the way I kinda like it when this blog reaches a milestone, like achieving 150th post, but it's not special anymore because I've written well over 300 posts now. Ed Yong, the science blogger that inspired me two years ago is still writing and I think he has written well over 800 posts already.

Climate Change Skeptic Confirms Climate Data

Climate change, a term we all seem to be pretty familiar with. But how many of us actually understand global warming? 

Most of us, I believe, can rephrase what Al-Gore famously said in 2006: global warming is REAL. But not a lot of us could come up with reliable data to back up the claim, apart from quoting bits and pieces of scientists-say-so newspaper quotes. That, my friend, is a seriously flawed method to convince climate skeptics.

Penang Bridge International Marathon

How could anyone spend up to 4 hours running in a competition 99% of us would not win (not forgetting the involuntary leg cramp and severe dehydration)?

Well, marathon is more than just a run--it's about the spirit of Marathon.

It came from the story of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. Legend has that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens (approximately 40 kilometers) to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought). He allegedly ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsed and died.

Tilapia Fin—Shark Fin?

The number is dropping fast. We kill 100 million sharks annually for the lucrative Chinese market; that’s 3 sharks getting killed every second. You don’t need to be a Nobel Laureate to realize the unsustainable nature of this massacre.

Unlike most bony fish, sharks reproduce and grow relatively slowly. Sharks have relatively few (zero to around 100) offspring each year, and the mother invests much energy in each to increase the chance that it will survive. Some female sharks put so much energy into a litter that they must take two years to recover their strength before breeding again. 

Where Does Your E-Waste Go?

When our old laptop, mouse, pendrives and handphones stop functioning, we dump them into the rubbish bin and the rest is history and most of us probably have no idea where they'd go next.

Well, like organic waste, these e-waste will be sent to landfills, i.e. local electronic graveyards, if your town or municipal happens to have one. Unfortunately, e-waste site is fairly rare due to its toxic nature, and hence most of them, if not all, will be exported to China.

Five Reasons Why Capello Shouldn't Make John Terry His Captain

To be given the captain's armband is a huge honor for any player. 

Parody - Ong Kim Swee Turned Down Request From Christiano Ronaldo

KUALA LUMPUR- Head coach of Malaysia Under-23 football team, Ong Kim Swee had turned down the request from the 2008 Ballon d'Or Winner Christiano Ronaldo to play for the side.

Ronaldo had earlier said in an interview with the Portuguese media of his admiration for the team, and how he wishes to play for the Malaysian national team.

移民，做模？

你有钱了吗？

中国近年来发展迅速，人民逐渐富有了起来。而中国也在去年正式取代日本成为世界第二大经济国。
最近一个由中国中央银行和胡润百富（一个位于上海的财富研究机构）进行的研究指出，在现今中国的九百八十名百万富翁中，有超过一半的人考虑移民。其中就有十五巴仙已移民或已开始移民程序。移民到的国家则是美国，加拿大和新加坡。

Publicity Stunt Over Laughable Matters Is Just Plain Stupid.

I guess most of us fans of the English Premier League have seen players and managers with poppies embroidered on their shirt around this time every year.

Peeing Your Pants

Have you ever peed in your pants? Why do people pee in their pants when frightened?

Mobile Phones Do Not Cause Cancer

This is the third time I blog about mobile phone and its connection to cancer.
A new Danish study of over 350,000 people, published recently, has found no link between using mobile phones and an increased risk of cancers of the brain and central nervous system.--- bmj.com

Image: b4tea.com

This is by far the best evidence yet to repudiate the claim. Unlike previous studies which was criticized heavily for exhibiting "recall bias"--relied on people who had already been diagnosed with brain cancers to remember how frequent they used their mobile in the past, the researchers for this study followed a group of mobile phone subscribers over a mean period of 10 years, and recorded new cases of cancer in the group and then compared this to cancer rates in the general population.

Why Do We Cry When We Cut Onions?

I hate cutting onions. 

But it is one of the most essential ingredients for good food, so I rarely let my eyes stop crying.

Palestine's Bid For Statehood

The long wait is over.
1.11.11, a date that will be forever remembered by all Palestinians, for this is the day the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approves Palestine as its 195th full member.

Cheers filled the hall at UNESCO's headquarters here after the vote, with one delegate shouting, "Long live Palestine!" in French. The Palestinian foreign minister, Riad al-Malki, praised the organisation, saying that "this vote will help erase a tiny part of the injustice done to the Palestinian people" and will help protect world heritage sites in Israeli-occupied territory. - smh.com.au

Like A Girl? Don't Let Her Know

Let her know that you love her.

That's what we were taught to do by our mom, right guys? We all know that people like others who like them. But when it comes to attracting the opposite sex, it doesn't necessarily work that way.
A paper published by Erin R. Whitchurch et al. recently shows that ladies are attracted to men who play hard to get.

How Do Pandas Survive On Bamboo?

The Giant Panda belongs to the order Carnivora, i.e. meat-eating animals. However, 99% of their diet consists of bamboo, and birds, rodents, fish and eggs make up the remaining 1%. Unlike plant-eating animals, carnivores lack the enzymes, bacterias, and the long intestine required to digest fibrous material. Moreover, bamboo has notoriously poor nutritional value.

Do You Believe In 2012 Doomsday?

How To Kill A Cockroach

Cockroaches.
Filthy.
Apart from acting as an indicator of hygiene, the presence of this six-legged creature often prompt nerve-breaking shrieks and wails from ladies.

Scientists are from mars

Add caption

Let's face it.
That's why they could invent the atomic bomb.



Malcolm
info: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/19/scientists-are-from-mars-the-public-is-from-earth/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+BadAstronomyBlog+(Bad+Astronomy)

Discrimination

I really don't understand why Malaysian Chinese love to migrate to western countries just to be abused like fugitives.

Our politicians are egregious. But in fact every other politician on this planet is just as bad. At least in Malaysia I don't get mocked when I walk down the streets of PJ/KL.

How To Hide A Nobel Medal (A True Story)

Imagine you have a medal made of 23-karat gold. No, imagine you have TWO medals made of 23-karat gold. And they belong to your friends. Possessing them is like signing your own death warrant. What would you do? Would you even think of dissolving them?

That's what a Hungarian chemist did to his friend's medal.

The Less Intelligent More Likely To Accept Astrology As Scientific

Finally, a comprehensive study to prove that.....er.... I'd rather let the data speaks for itself.

Seven Myths Alcohol Manufacturers Want You To Believe

I ain't no proponent of the alcohol industry (many thanks to my allergy), and I know that it has done more harm than good to our body ever since its conception in ancient Iraq in the 6th millennium BC.

毕业咯

好久没写华语料。
也没画画，讲笑话。
也没踢球。。。

What Should We Do If An Asteroid Heads For Us?

2012? Armageddon?

In the movie Armageddon, for instant, a team of oil drillers were sent up to land on the surface of the asteroid to blow it off. Hey wait! There could be valuable minerals up on that rock!

Singapore Expands At Other Nations Environmental Expense.

Singapore has been reclaiming land from the sea since the mid-1960s, and it's still growing.

But the Singapore government doesn't disclose any information whatsoever on where exactly they get their material, i.e. sand from. It's strictly classified and Singaporean themselves don't really care anyway, as long as they are kept happy with more and more land.

The End Is Near

This post is written to MOCK all of those who tried, try, and will be trying to invoke confusion and fear about how and when the world is going to end.

Humans have been contemplating of their own extinction ever since they knew Death. The mystery and enigma of death prompted the inception of religion to serve as an answer to what happens after death.
The bible also predicts the end of the world, and that has been systematically utilized by medieval churches as a propaganda tool to instill fear in the mind of the people.

But as the internet propels our intelligence forward, idiots find it useful for spreading rumors and fictitious ideas. Superstitious self-proclaimed gurus emerge by the thousands and preach about the end of the world.

海笑

People Who Doodle Learn Faster

New research published recently shows that doodling helps you learn. In fact, say scientists, students should be encouraged to doodle while they take notes in class.


"A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple drawings that can have concrete representational meaning or may just be abstract shapes."

Cheating Neutrinos Jumped The Starting Gun: Physics Ref Failed To Notice

Reuters reported on Friday night that a team of Italian scientists had detected some neutrinos travelling faster than the speed of light.

As a physics student myself, my first reaction was: Hell NO. Freaking impossible.

In fact I was soon joined by many professional physicists who'd also expressed their reservations on the matter. It simply doesn't make sense.

Arthur's Day 2011

Departed to PJ at 6pm, Shaun came fetched me at 7pm. After dinner we hit the road and the traffic was so WTFFFFF we arrived at Selangor Turf Club at 10pm. 

Btw I couldn't help but notice the extremely bad Malaysian culture of not carpool-ing. Are we Malaysian made up of extremely shy or socially awkward people? There were so many cars on the road but almost every car contained only one person, or at most two. Our car contained four so I'm practising my right to blast all shitheads who'd made TRAFFIC JAM possible.

Sperm Whale Facts

1)The Sperm whale is the biggest predator in the world.

2)The brain of the sperm whale is the biggest on earth, and perhaps the biggest brain of any animal that has ever lived.

How To Make Antivenom?

Snake bite kills 100,000 people every year. Despite the fact that we started producing antivenom 100 years ago, the supply is still very limited due to the painstaking process.

To make antivenom, we would need to milk the venom first. The snake must be quarantined and monitored for weeks to months to ensure their good health.

Our Politicians--Are They Good Enough?

Americans love checking on their leaders.

Last April President Obama was forced to release his birth certificate to prove that he is indeed a born-and-bred American. Today I saw another news; Rick Perry, the current Governor of Texas who intends to run for president in 2012 got his academic transcript examined by the media, and guess what? Rick Perry is not really smart.

911: Ten Years On

It happened ten years ago and I didn't understand the significance then. Pardon my ignorance, I was just a 14 year-old boy back then. All I knew was that something terrible had happened and it's all happening in the distant land of New York, so I didn't care.

And the event led to the invasion of Afghanistan, and made Osama bin Laden the most famous Arabian to ever walked the Earth. His name resonated fear in the minds of those who feared him, and people dubbed him "The Devil Himself" for inflicting such wound upon the United States of America.

Dear God, I Know What You Did To Adam's Penis

Why God chose to create Eve out of Adam's rib instead of dust, as he made Adam, nobody knows. 
The Holy Bible says that God created Eve out of Adam's rib, and hence every male lacks a rib bone. There are people reasoned that subsequently a woman must join with a man in marriage, just as the rib returns to its place in the torso to form a perfectly symmetrical torso.

Malaysian Cameraman Killed in Humanitarian Mission to Somalia

Noramfaizul Mohamad Nor, 39, who worked as a television cameraman for the national news agency Bernama was shot dead last Friday while covering a Malaysian humanitarian aid mission in famine-hit Somalia.

I waited for three days to see whether any of my friends, the so-called future leaders of this country who seem to care so much about politics and the corrupted government and BERSIH rally and calling out to oust the current government, talk or even post the news on Facebook.

Nobody did.

Seremban Trip

Why Seremban?

Firstly: Siew Pau

Secondly: I skipped Seremban during my round-Peninsular-trip last May, so I'm making up for it.

Bankruptcy? Not So Soon

Haters of the Malaysian government(made up mostly of Her own people) said that we are bound for bankruptcy in 2019.

These are their arguments: in June 2011, the Ministry of Tourism allegedly spent RM 1.8 million to promote the tourism industry via a facebook page and several other promotional campaigns. The petroleum reserve is fast shrinking, its price unable to keep up with the flow of money into politicians' pocket.

阿森纳，我等你

昨晚去看球。原本以为这会是一场硬战。为什么呢？
万万不可小看阿森纳啊。

Image: dipmore.com

当年利物逋低落时，每当遇到强悍的曼联还是能打个平手。还有托顿汉，曼城等。所以我以为经过上一战不幸战败利物逋之后阿森纳会争气点，不过我被吓到了。我的情绪从期待，到紧张，到开心，到惊讶，到最后...怜悯。阿森纳被轰入八球，我看阿森纳球迷简直想把温格杀了。不过这也不能怪温格。真的。

iChips

Apple CEO Steve Jobs resigned yesterday. So I came up with an idea to do a parody. It's a simple one though, didn't put much thought into it.

Second Hand Smoke Goes After Your SPERM

Smoking, smoking, smoking.

Image: quit-smoking-central.com

How many of our friends smoke? And fathers, brothers, uncles, and of course, some female members of the family too.

动物情趣

哇！马没有手，怎样自慰哦？？

其实呢，在动物世界里人类不是唯一会自慰的动物。一些动物，比如马，猴子，牛，大象都会自慰。猴子不用说，因为它们像人类一样有灵活的手指。那，大象，牛和马呢？别着急，好戏在后头。

Money, Money, Money

The latest trend of picking up girls?

Well back in the old days we heard our parents talked about studying hard to earn as much cash as you can because that's the easiest access to ladies.

Image: mylot.com

In high school, we'd thought "Ah, fuck that. I'm talented. I have good look. I'm athletic. I have killer abs. I have all the criteria of a good man except cash. And my manhood is bulging in my pants. Girls opt for guys like me!"

Yeah right. Take a look at this picture:

加油？

有时候我看到一些人在面子书上留言很令人冒汗。。

A：“生活起居都不如意，真是生不如死”

B：“加油！你可以！”

结论：不如你不要留言的好

A：“今天的雨令我想起当时的你。。。”

B：“加油哟 =D”

结论：你到底 get 到我在讲什么吗？

A：“哇！今天天气非常好~喜欢！^^”

B：“嘻嘻~加油~！”

结论：你每天都在叫人加油，不如去跳楼啦。

以前的我以为“加油”，是拿来鼓励人的话。在人家睡不好、吃不饱、考试不好、便秘不少的情况下才用的，比如：

“你要专心读书，加油哟~”

“加油！跑快一些！”

“加油！继续努力往前冲！”

现在我真的对“加油”的用意模糊了。人家孤单也叫人加油，加油zomok？加油孤单？加油追女？人家没说要追女wor。。
hmmm。。=.=

Cutting Ties

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

Random

How Does A Ball Pen Work?

Ball pen, or ballpoint pen, is something so insignificant it could be found lying around your office, kitchen, study room or even bathroom (I find it handy when wanting to write some important notes which would otherwise be forgotten).

The Ball Pen has a metallic ball at the tip, and hence its name.

I hope that the simple diagram above would be enough to explain the working mechanism of the humble ball pen.



Malcolm

International Students Take Note: No Handphones Allowed In The Library

International students of the University of Malaya, it seems, are a bunch of ludicrous fools.

The library is supposed to be an edifice of serenity and peace, where knowledge nestles between the books, waiting for us to uncover our moment of Eureka. This library has given birth to several prolific intellects of our nation, most notably the Royal Professor Dr. Ungku Abdul Aziz.

Image: pepcoymedia.blogspot.com

But there exist a legion of demons whose primary intention is to disrupt and upend the calming atmosphere in the library and inundate it with chaos: the international students. I'm not targeting any particular nationality, but most of them come from the middle east.

Tennis Players Have Asymmetric Butt

Today, people, we are going to study butt. Some very athletic butts.

How Many Balloons Does It Take To Lift A House?

Is that possible?

The answer is YES. But it is pretty impractical.

Image: wildaboutmovies.com

A team of researchers from the University of Leicester investigated the possibility of lifting a house shown in the film “Up” and for a common house in the United Kingdom.

Dancing Squid

Ed Yong tweeted a video last week on twitter, and the video went viral. A little surfing brought me another video, this time the entire process of decimating the poor cephalopod, from fishing to killing and finally, consumed.

Image: theawesomer.com

Yeah it freaked me out too.

A little while later someone posted an explanation for the phenomenon:

Why I Hate Signing Up A New Number

Malcolm

纯文艺恋爱

最近有点忧郁。

想念屁街旧家。。。就拿起久违的吉他和口琴，配上 FLUTE 乱乱来一番。

不管那么多，谁叫这是我的 blog~~。



Malcolm

Puffer Fish Toxin Is 1,200 Times More Potent Than Cyanide

And yet the Japanese love devouring them.

The Puffer fish is considered the second deadliest vertebrate in the world, after the Golden Poison Frog. The common image we have of this creature is that it inflates when threatened. I had a pet Fugu a few years ago but it didn't inflate at all. It died four hours after the transaction.

What makes Fugu so popular is the lethal toxin in its liver, skin and the ovaries, and the fact that the Japanese treat it as a delicacy. Pretty ironic I guess? By the way it is extremely expensive and prepared only by trained, licensed chefs who, like all humans, occasionally make mistakes =P.

The World's Biggest Armed Forces (Year 2010)

Image: The Economist Online

In absolute numbers, rich and populous countries such as America, China and India keep the biggest militaries. Countries that have seen war (Iran, Vietnam) or are situated in strife-torn regions such as the Middle East also feature prominently. The most heavily militarised country of all is North Korea, where there are 49 military personnel for every 1,000 of its people.--The Economist

Image: Wikipedia.org

Malaysia has a slightly larger army than Jordan, so we're ranked somewhere around 42nd or 43rd in the world. Not bad for a country of 28.3 million(2010).

Among ASEAN countries, Vietnam tops the chart with almost half a million active soldiers, followed by Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, and the Philippines. Malaysia is ranked 7th, Singapore 8th, Laos 9th, and finally Brunei, with only 7000 active troops.



Malcolm
info:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/07/armed-forces?fsrc=scn/tw/te/dc/armiedtothehilt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_troops#endnote_MYS

Heating A Pot Noodles By Using A Laser

It is claimed in the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory that it is possible to heat up a pot of instant noodles with the laser that they have in a laboratory.

Fortunately for scientists in the real world, the show also provided details of the type of laser(oxygen iodine laser) and its power(500kW). So what are you waiting for? =)

How Radioactive Is A Banana?

I stumbled upon a number of VERY INTERESTING papers recently, which are in fact genuine scientific investigations into matters we often take for granted, for eg. the radiation level of bananas.

Image: dvice.com

I've read about radioactive bananas(oh by the way, all bananas are radioactive) in my nuclear physics class, and yet I never got bothered by it.

UM Library Comic

In Belarus, A One-Armed Man Was Arrested For Clapping...

Like Malaysia, the leaders of Belarus are also under intense pressure.

Unlike Malaysia though, the people aren't seeking electoral reform, instead they are pressuring the government over a collapsing economy that's gutted living standards and left hundreds of thousands out of work since January in the little post-Soviet country of 10 million.

Science Knows No Boundaries

The World Conference of Science Journalists(WCSJ) held in Doha, Qatar last month was by all account a successful one. 724 renown science journalists across the globe attended the conference, which also included some 120 Arab science journalists.

Image: nationalscience.org

In spite of the success, the conference was unable to break free from the never-ending Palestine-Israel political struggle.

大便有难

大便有难。

此话和解?

臭屁常识

自己放屁，让我们舒服。
别人放屁，让我们抓狂。

奇怪，大家放的都是气体，为什么我们对别人的屁特别有偏见？每个人都会放屁，我，你，他，美女，帅哥，老师，学生，歌手，演员，国王，总统，只要是活物，并且拥有肠胃及消化系统的通通都必须放屁。就连刚刚过世的人也会放屁。

低落

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

Crow Remembers

We all know that some birds are smart, and Corvidae, the cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks and magpies are especially so. The birds have excelled in mirror tests--demonstrating high cognitive ability, and they also possess tool-making ability.

A recent study shows that crows remember the faces of threatening humans, and would subsequently react by scolding and prompting other crows to mock the threatening humans. Given that crows have impressive memories, people who ruffle the feathers of these birds could experience years of retribution.

Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp.
Ah... In cantonese we call it 攋尿蝦(pissing shrimp). Why pissing? Because they tend to shoot a jet of water when picked up.

Image: trekearth.com

Anyway, this seemingly harmless crustacean is actually one of the wonders of nature. Mantis shrimp is neither mantis nor shrimp, and the name was given simply because of their resemblance to praying mantis and shrimp.

Parody-Lakers sign Obama to two-year, $38 million deal

LOS ANGELES -- The President of the United States, a former ball player himself, has apparently grown tired of Lakers' inability to contend for the NBA title in recent years, and hence the lucrative deal.

Gay Marriage Legalized in New York

Sometime last week, New York became the sixth and most populous state in America to legalize gay marriage. The opposition(yes, all those church-goers) wept and screamed and shouted words-fit-for-infidels in their attempts to prevent this from happening.

A sweet victory for gays in New York, and I suspect gay couples from all corners of New York would flock to register themselves before the archbishops, pastors and church-runners of New York force Mayor Bloomberg to change his mind.

搞笑日报-“一个大麻”高楼男子因氧气不足窒息而死

（獨家報導：刘性福.吉隆波26日訊）高居“一个大麻”摩天楼顶楼的一名中年華裔男子因住得太高，今早由于氧气不足而窒息。

图: wallcoo.com

死者為27歲的范建，來自笨珍，初步調查相信死者自窒息而斃命，案件無刑事成份。

柔佛中央警區副主任阿里巴巴警監受詢時指出，死者被發現時衣著完整，身上并没有任何伤痕，但脸部表情似乎要向警方说些什么似的。

“初步調查显示，公寓屬死者所有，公寓第一百层的高度大慨有五百六十米，此高度的氧气非常少，相信死者或因獨自生活，缺氧时没有人伸出援手。”

“好彩在低楼建了停尸房。你知道啦，栋楼建的酱高，分分钟都会有人跳楼啦，窒息啦。”

“一个大麻”摩天楼（1Marijuana Mega Tower）是马来西亚联邦政府于2010年大笔挥霍国库资金所建立的。价值五十亿零吉以及高达一百层的摩天楼包含了最先进的保安系统，露天游泳池，高级公寓，购物广场，有机厕所，火箭发射基地，斗牛场，动物园，赛车场，还有停尸房以及牢房（最低层）。

死者遺體已於今日清晨送往低层的停尸房等待家属领取。不过工作效率极低的医务人员导致剖驗工作直至下午3時仍未結束。

首相纳吉在得知“一个大麻”摩天楼命案后向死者家屬致哀，并劝民众在购买公寓之前必须先确保本身的肺活量以避免惨剧的发生。



Malcolm

Developed Economy Generates More Jobs, Or Less?

Forgive my ignorance.

Evidently, the relationship between technological advancement and employment is complicated.

People have always said that a developed country equals to plenty of job opportunities. Because a developed economy requires a plethora of man power to feed its insatiable appetite for resources. China, for example, relies heavily upon her 1.3 billion underlings to run the coal-mining industry, agriculture and oil fields.

Lost People Wander in Circle: Truth or Fiction?

Well, we've seen it all in the Lord of The Ring, and they didn't seem to go off-course did they?

No-Fathers Day

The Mosuo (摩梭) culture of the Chinese Himalaya thrives in a matrilineal society, which means men don't playing any significant role in the family. Here, women head the households, make business decisions, and own property, which they pass on to their matrilineal heirs, very much like our own Adat Pepatih in Negeri Sembilan.

And most importantly, they shun marriage.
Yes. No marriage at all. So where do the kids come from?
I guess some of you may be processing your sordid imagination by now but no, there is no incest involved.

Saving 7 Million Tons of Juvenile Fish A Year

40% of the world's population relies on fish for food. But every year, 7 million tons of dead fish are tossed back into the ocean because they were too young (i.e., small) to be marketable, or simply because they weren't the species the fishermen were after.

David Watson, a student in the Innovation Design Engineering joint course between the Royal College of Art and Imperial College, London, has designed SafetyNet to counter this problem.

How Fireflies Produce Their Glow?

The simplest answer would be bioluminescence. But that alone doesn't explain the mechanism and the rationale of exposing your whereabouts to potential predators at night.

Defining Our Mentality

How do we define a decent person?
I think a lot of us would suggestively say that a decent person would not be judged based on the outside, but how many of us actually judge a person based on the inside?

Cancer In Animals

Yes, animals do get cancer. I just got to know that by the way.

Prominent biologist and blogger Carl Zimmer wrote that the mere existence of the largest of all animals, the Blue Whale, suggests that it is possible to suppress cancer many-fold better than what is currently done in humans.

Blue whales can weigh over a thousand times more than a human being. That’s a lot of extra cells, and as those cells grow and divide, there’s a small chance that each one will mutate. A mutation can be harmless, or it can be the first step towards cancer. As the descendants of a precancerous cell continue to divide, they run a risk of taking a further step towards a full-blown tumor. To some extent, cancer is a lottery, and a 100-foot blue whale has a lot more tickets than we do.

该怎么擦？

大多数的人应该都忘了是谁教他们擦屁股的（99%是他们的父母），或为什么浆擦屁股。而且我们一旦习惯了我们所用的方式我们就不会改变我们擦屁股的模式。对吧？

Parody: Donald Trump Proved He's A Pestering Pile Of Excrement

WASHINGTON--Real estate mogul and reality show star Donald Trump has provided documentation to prove that he is indeed an obnoxious piece of human excrement.

环游大马半岛：回到屁街

过去的十四天是我一生中最难忘的日子。

从森美兰州到柔佛，一路直冲东海两州，跨越东西大道，让后从玻璃市是一路南下，经过吉打，槟城，霹雳，让后回到屁街。。

路程非常辛苦，无可否认。
摩多非常痛苦，无可否认。如果它会讲话的话，它肯定写部落格料。
风景非常漂亮。真的很漂亮。

在从柔佛往彭亨州的路程中我经过了油棕园，风景美到不行。我一边骑一边观赏美景。到了关丹找朋友，让后去登嘉楼。登嘉楼的Nasi Dagang 非常特别。嘻嘻。

到吉兰丹遇到皇族成员。还带我到都市一游。

到巴林（BALING）生病了。

玻璃市到吉打的路程经过稻田，令我想起阿牛的歌：喔我背着吉它浪迹天涯来唱歌给你听，什么时候我们才能对这世界没有怨言哪？

到了槟岛，吃到最纯正的炒果条。偷偷进入科技大学，到了蛇庙，也跨越了槟城大桥（开心到！）。

到霹雳州，终于看到了活生生的海龟。我在彭亨和登嘉楼的海龟保护区都没看到海龟。终于在霹雳如愿以偿。

也去了实兆湾，品尝了当地的干盘面。有点失望咯~

这次的旅程花了一些钱，遇到山猪（东西大道），蟒蛇（太平），过了山路还爆胎（巴林），被水蛭咬（天孟莪湖），看到车滚进水沟（皇城北根），第一次到温泉（吉兰丹），摸到龙鱼（利民达），山路上有浓雾，浓到看不到前方的路（昔加末），吃到了Nasi Dagang （登家楼），到了著名的拉者巫达街（北海），跨越槟城大桥（滨城），到了太平湖，第一次去夜间动物园（太平），还有许多许多。。

吉打遇到爱娣

摸到龙鱼

车冲进水沟

关丹

登嘉楼唐人街

好大只的蜘蛛

温泉很热

水蛭

凯文

我是福州闽清人。

这次的旅程，我的摩多辛苦了。还有我的手机，因为我不时不时就把它掏出来用 GPS。还有我的行李，跑步鞋，都要陪我走天涯，经历日晒雨淋。谢谢你们。

当然，在起初前往森美兰的路程我还想要打退堂鼓。可是如果我现在不做，几时才有机会呢？一拖再拖时间就不等我们了。况且这是我儿时的梦想，机会来了不把握以后就会后悔。我不要像我一些朋友现在工作了，就被工作绑着，有钱也不能去旅行。

还有，我最喜欢到达一个地点后打电话给当地的朋友，然后听他们半信半疑的声音。

“真的吗？你在哪里？”
“妈的，不要开玩笑好噢！你到底怎样来的？”
“你在这里？哦（根本就不信我）。”
“你骑摩多？有没有噢？”

真的，一个人旅行很爽。麻烦也少了一半。要去哪里就去哪里，要做什么就做什么，淋雨自己淋，晒太阳自己晒。

下一站会去哪里，我也不知道。我一直想去德国一趟，看看人们口中所说的“工程王国”

或者再度背起旅行包，跨越越南-寮国-柬埔寨。

Malcolm