Flawless- Britains got talent 2009

Ultrasound Imaging Now Possible With Smartphone- ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2009)

Computer engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are bringing the minimalist approach to medical care and computing by coupling USB-based ultrasound probe technology with a smartphone, enabling a compact, mobile computational platform and a medical imaging device that fits in the palm of a hand.

Rita Levi Montalcini, Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist Turns 100, Still Works

The Huffington Post 23/4/2009

ROME — Rita Levi Montalcini, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, said that even though she is about to turn 100, her mind is sharper than it was she when she was 20.

Levi Montalcini, who also serves as a senator for life in Italy, celebrates her 100th birthday on Wednesday, and she spoke at a ceremony held in her honor by the European Brain Research Institute.

She shared the 1986 Nobel Prize for Medicine with American Stanley Cohen for discovering mechanisms that regulate the growth of cells and organs.

"At 100, I have a mind that is superior _ thanks to experience _ than when I was 20," she told the party, complete with a large cake for her.

The Turin-born Levi Montalcini recounted how the anti-Jewish laws of the 1930s under Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime forced her to quit university and do research in an improvised laboratory in her bedroom at home.

"Above all, don't fear difficult moments," she said. "The best comes from them."

"I should thank Mussolini for having declared me to be of an inferior race. This led me to the joy of working, not any more unfortunately, in university institutes but in a bedroom," the scientist said

Budget 2009- UK

Alistair Darling has said the UK will have to borrow a record £175bn as he admitted the economy faces its worst year since the Second World War.

The chancellor tore up a key New Labour election pledge by unveiling a new 50% tax rate for earnings over £150,000.

He also cut future spending plans in a Budget which added 2% on fuel, 1% on a pint of beer and 7% on cigarettes.

Talent + Luck = Success

This was what happened to Paul Potts.

Handphone salesman in UK.

Stunned the judges and subsequently won the 2007 Britains got talent contest.

It all about usual people with normal occupation but has undiscovered talent.

Miss England 2009 Cambridge, UK

Aiya..

Will be missing this event on the 25th April 2009.
Should be a good place to practice portrait photography.

Susan Boyle- greatest ever youtube hit in a week

Everyone here in UK is just talking about this lady.
The number of youtube hits has now been > 100million
That's five times more than President Obama's first presidential speech!


When Susan Boyle walked on Britain’s Got Talent’s stage on Saturday 11th April, the judges and the audience thought that she was going to be rubbish and just laughed at her. Her appearance made everyone snigger, making them think she was going to be an instant failure. It was basically a case of judging a book by it’s cover.

However, when she opened her mouth to sing “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables, everyone was shocked: her beautiful voice surprised everyone. The judges were so impressed with her performance, they gave her the “biggest yes in three seasons” and even brought tears to Amanda’s eye.

Susan is the baby of nine children and lives in West Lothian with her cat named Pebbles. She’s unemployed, and gave up singing to look after her sick mother who died at the age of 91 in 2007. She apparently has learning disabilities as well.

And she claims that she has never gone out on a date or kissed by a man before.

Websites have been dedicated to her..
Souvenirs are now available as well..
She is also now in Wikipedia
She has been dubbed "The Woman Who Shut Up Simon Cowell"
This competition is only in its first round this year and Cowell is reported to be setting up a contract with Boyle with his Syco Music company.

Lobster dinner

Managed to buy 3 average size lobsters from ASDA at 7 pounds each.

Cooked it the following way:-

Lobster head- cooked in a Japanese broth (consisting of Konbu kelp, Wakame seaweed, apples, spring onions, mushrooms, rice wine, onions)
Served with soba noodles


Lobster body- Grilled with olive oil, white wine, spring onions and salt.

Photos taken by my housemate using Canon EOS 450D with kit lens.

Britains got talent

Nikon D5000

This would be the Canon EOS 500D contender?

The 12.3Mp D5000 will sit between the Nikon D60 and D90 in the Nikon range, and is designed to appeal to those upgrading from a compact camera or less advanced DSLR.

Main features:-
* Sensor: 12.3 megapixel CMOS
* Autofocus: Multi Cam 1000 (11-AF points)
* Flash Sync: 1/200s
* Frame Rate: Up to 4fps
* ISO Range: 200-3200 (base) plus 100 to 6400 (extended)
* Built-in flash supports CLS
* Live View with Face-detection mode
* Movie Mode (1280x720@ 24 fps)
* LCD: 2.7 inch on swivel mount
* Battery: En-EL9a; can support AA batteries
* Dimensions: 5x4.1x3.1 inches
* Weight: 560g (1lb., 4 oz)

More about some of the features:-

Vari-angle LCD

The live view LCD on the Nikon D5000 measures 2.7 inches.
Apparently, it is twistable to many different angles, helping you compose pictures over a crowd above your head, at ground level or even all the way round to help you take self-portraits.
It can also be turned round to face into the camera body for protection when not in use.



HD movie recording

Like its slightly bigger brother the Nikon D90, the D5000 can record movies in HD format - in this case 720p. There's an HD connection for viewing at best quality on a high-definition-ready TV.

Price: approx. 600 pounds

Should I be waiting?

New Canon DSLRs?


Canon has 5 main lines of DSLR cameras:

* Studio
* Photojournalist / Sports
* Prosumer
* 5D Full Frame / Small Body
* Beginner / Entry Level

Rumours.....

Studio

* Sep 2002 - 1Ds
* Sep 2004 - 1Ds Mark II
* Aug 2007 - 1Ds Mark III

2009--> 1Ds Mark IV


Photojournalist / Sports

* Sep 2001 - 1D
* Jan 2004 - 1D Mark II
* Aug 2005 - 1D Mark IIn
* Feb 2007 - 1D Mark III


2009--> 1D Mark IV


5D Full Frame / Small Body

* Aug 2005 - 5D
* Sep 2008 - 5D Mark II

2010 --> 5D Mark III


Prosumer / Advanced Amateur

* Feb 2003 - 10D
* Aug 2004 - 20D
* Feb 2006 - 30D
* Aug 2007 - 40D
* Aug 2008 - 50D

2009 --> 60D


Beginner / Entry Level

* Aug 2003 - 300D
* Feb 2005 - 350D
* Aug 2006 - 400D
* Jan 2008 - 450D
* Jun 2008 - 1000D

2009 --> 500D, 2000D


Should we be waiting....???

Canon 500D

Just 14 months after the launch of the EOS 450D, Canon has unveiled its latest model, the 500D.

It's basically a 50D stuffed into a 450D

Here's what you get:-
* 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
* Full HD movie recording with HDMI connection for viewing and playback on an HDTV
* ISO 100-3200 (expandable to 12800)
* 3.4 frames per second continuous shooting
* Max. 170 large JPEG images in a single burst
* 3.0” ClearView LCD with Live View mode
* 9-point wide area AF with cross type centre point
* High speed DIGIC 4 performance and superb image quality
* EOS Integrated Cleaning System
* Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites, including new Speedlite 270EX, TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II


Uses SD card.

Price- USD800/= Body only

Pasta recipe

Here's the most basic recipe.
There are many variations to the recipe.


5eggs
500gm (4 cups) flour
1 egg to 7/8cup(100gm) of all purpose flour.
1/2 tsp salt.

That's it.

Add all ingredients and mix it into a smooth dough (Knead for at least 15 min).
Shape into a ball and wrap in a plastic wrap/kitchen foil.
Leave it for 1 hour before making your pasta (hand made/machine).

Pasta secca= pasta made from durum semolina (rarely made at home).

Pasta fresca= made from wheat flour.

Wildlife photographer of the year

On Saturday, I visited London again specifically to attend the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in Natural History museum in London. The museum is free but this exhibition is £6.9o.

So was it worth it?

It was absolutely superb, truly inspirational photography and contentious enough to keep us all (my housemates) arguing about which shots should have won. Entries were from over 80 different countries and more than 130,000 photos (30,000+ photgraphers took part). Therefore, chosen pics were really of high quality.

Go to the Natural History Museum UK website if you want to have a peek at the winning pics.

Winner's camera
75%- Shot with canon DSLR
Of these- 70%- 1 series
25%- 5D
5%- 20D, 30D, 40D etc
2 pics taken from Canon 400D (kids category)
20%- Shot with Nikon DSLR
Mostly D700

5%- other DSLR (and 3-4 pics from compact cameras)



Adult categories

You can enter up to three digital images or scans of transparencies in each of the following categories.
1. Animals in Their Environment
2. Behaviour: Birds
3. Behaviour: Mammals
4. Behaviour: All Other Animals
5. The Underwater World
6. Animal Portraits
7. In Praise of Plants
8. Urban and Garden Wildlife
9. Nature in Black and White
10. Creative Visions of Nature
11. Wild Places



Prizes

The title Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year is given to the single image judged to be the most striking and memorable of all the entries. The winning photographer will receive £10,000, which is presented at an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London in October. Each category winner receives £500 and each runner-up £250. Special award winners receive £1,000.

Winning and commended images are displayed in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, then tour around the UK and internationally. The pictures will also be published in a hardback portfolio book.

By the way the 2009 entry is closed.

And the exhibition ends on the 24th April 2009.

Catch it if you happen to be in London.

Ian Tomlinson- a mirror image

The police officer suspended following the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter after a second postmortem examination showed the newspaper vendor did not die of a heart attack.

The findings released today show Tomlinson, who was thrown to the ground by a Met officer during the protests, died from an abdominal haemorrhage.

The dramatic shift led the Independent Police Complaints Commission to confirm that the officer under investigation in connection with the alleged assault had been questioned about manslaughter.

Tomlinson's family believe today's findings make a manslaughter charge against the officer more likely. His son Paul King said: "First we were told that there had been no contact with the police, then we were told that he died of a heart attack; now we know that he was violently assaulted by a police officer and died from internal bleeding. As time goes on we hope that the full truth about how Ian died will be made known."

Tomlinson, 47, collapsed and died moments after being attacked from behind by a Metropolitan police territorial support group (TSG) officer on 1 April at about 7.20pm. The constable, whose identifying badge number was not on display, has not been identified.

He had been trying to make his way home from work when he was confronted by police, hit with a baton and thrown to the ground. Initially, police said he had previously had no contact with the police, and alleged that medics were impeded from helping him as "a number of missiles – believed to be bottles – were being thrown at them".

A couple of days later, the Guardian published a photograph of him lying at the feet of police officers, along with the testimony of three witnesses who described him being hit with a baton or thrown to the ground by police. The IPCC criticised the Guardian for upsetting Tomlinson's family and briefed other journalists that there was "nothing in the story" that he had been assaulted by an officer.

It was only when video footage emerged that the officer responsible was suspended and a criminal inquiry launched.

An initial postmortem, by the Home Office pathologist Dr Freddy Patel, found that Tomlinson died after suffering a heart attack. But Dr Nat Cary, the pathologist who carried out a second postmortem at the request of the IPCC and Tomlinson's family, concluded that while there was evidence Tomlinson suffered hardening of the arteries in his heart, it was not serious enough to kill him.

Jules Carey, of Tuckers, the solicitor representing Tomlinson's family, said today that "the video footage of the unprovoked and vicious assault on Ian by the police officer would easily justify charges of assault being brought against the officer. The findings of Dr Nat Cary significantly increase the likelihood that the officer will now face the more serious charge of manslaughter."

He said the family had been aware of the findings of the second pathology report for a week and had been forced to endure "continuing reports in the press that Ian died of a heart attack".

Carey added: "The IPCC opposed the disclosure of Dr Cary's findings until they satisfied themselves that it would not prejudice their investigation of the officer. It is of some comfort to the family that the record is now being put straight, but they hope that the IPCC investigation will be expedited and thorough, and that there will be a prompt referral to the CPS for charge."

A statement from the City of London coroners court said: "Dr Cary's opinion is that the cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage. The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained. Dr Cary accepts that there is evidence of coronary atherosclerosis but states that in his opinion its nature and extent is unlikely to have contributed to the cause of death."

The IPCC has previously said CCTV footage showed Tomlinson walking up King William Street after 7pm and approaching one of several police cordons opposite the Bank of England.

Denis O'Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary, who will carry out the review, said this week he would examine all aspects of the Met's public order policing, including techniques such as kettling – the containment of thousands of protesters inside police cordons for hours at a time.

O'Connor has been called in by the Met commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, who said the move had been prompted by concern over policing of the G20 protests. The Met will scour its own surveillance footage of the demonstrations in the City of London to search for further evidence of police misconduct.

Susan Boyle- A wake-up call (must see for everyone)

Stream completely before watching.
It's worth the trouble.

Jurong Bird Park- next mission

Jurong Bird Park is a 20.2 hectare open-concept park.
It is the largest in the Asia Pacific and the best in the world.
Its has more than 8,000 birds from 600 species and is among the largest in the world.

The Park has four walk-in aviaries, among which is the world’s largest walk-in aviary with the tallest man-made waterfall for visitors to enjoy a close-up view of free-flying birds from Africa.

The Bird Park’s exhibits and aviaries are specially designed to closely resemble the natural habitats of the birds.

Admission: SGD 18/= (Less than 10 pounds....)


Anyone interested?

Engtong has Manfrotto spare parts

Below is reply email from Engtong


Thank you for your inquiry. The spare part is is in stock 2 pcs.

R488.10 = RM29.00

Shipping = RM 8.00

Payment to:
EngTong Systems Sdn Bhd
MBB Bank a/c no: 012231403165

Have a pleasant day.

Sincerely,
Ronnie Koh, General Manager

www.engtong.com

Missing Manfrotto Ball Head Lock

Only now I know what it's like to be without my manfrotto tripod.

I lost the ball lock (R488.10)! (The knob which we turn to lock the ball head)

It must have dropped off during my cycling trip to Cambridge City 1 week ago.

Tried to email EngTong but no reply (as usual- Malaysian service. Only interested in selling the tripod and could be bothered to help you out with a screw!).

Hope to get the replacement parts while in UK.

Hasbean Coffee

As they do not send coffee to Malaysia, I had no choice but to buy and carry it all the way back.

Bought 6 varieties from all 3 continents- Africa, South America, Asia

These are all 5 star coffee..

Just can't wait to taste them.

How to photograph birds in flight!

From my previous postings, you would have known that I had a recent weekend outing in the London Zoo.
My main aim was bird photography as they are difficult creatures to shoot.
So I thought shooting birds in a zoo would be easier.
But I was wrong!
It is easier (as they are tame) but I have yet to get the pics that I expect.
I tried the following strategies:-

Equipments: Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS USM L
Canon 350D


Focus
I put my Canon 350D into AI Servo mode.
These modes let the cameras track moving subjects.
I then set the camera to use all the focus sensors (Unfortunately, there's only 5 in the 350D).
This mode let the camera use different AF sensors as the bird flies around in your frame.

It's tough to get into focus if it's flying in front of a background, and even tougher if the bird is flying in between trees.

I am going to the Wildlife photography exhibition next week in London to find out more.

But is it the limitation of the camera?
Would a 5DII or 1 series help??
Or is it just pure lack of skills?
What's the best shutter speed to use?

ZSL London Zoo, UK

To start, here are the following facts:-

1. It is over 180 years old
2. World's first scientific zoo
3. Founded by Sir Stamford Raffles
4. Houses 750 species
5. Numerous categories to explore:-
Into Africa
Butterfly paradise
Gorilla Kingdom
Meet the Monkeys
Aquarium
Reptile house

Any good?

Great place for kids- they will love it for sure!
Lots of activities just for them as they have a recently created 2.3 million pounds children zoo (Superb!)

Downside:-

Not very impressive animal collection.

Many animals are still enclosed (compared to the other open concept zoos).


Expensive (18.50 pounds for adult entry, 13.50pounds for children)

Of course they have the family package ..etc but it's going to hurt the pocket if you are bringing the entire family.



Verdict: 7/10

Advice:
1.You can skip this zoo if you have visited other zoos listed in the top 10 list
(Unless you are going there mainly for the kids to have a good time)
2. Bring your own food
3. Expect spending at least 4-6 hours there
4. Make sure your children was their hands after petting the animals (to avoid contracting HSP)


Here is a list of the top ten zoos in the world:

1. Tiergarten Schönbrunn (Vienna Zoo), Vienna, Austria
2. Bronx Zoo, New York City, U.S.A.
3. Berlin Zoo, Berlin, Germany
4. Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem, Israel
5. Singapore Zoological Gardens, Singapore, Singapore (Entrance SGD 18/=)
6. Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Flatts Village, Bermuda
7. London Zoo, London, England
8. Johannesburg Zoo, Johannesburg, South Africa
9. Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China
10. Belize Zoo, Belize City, Belize

Bridge holding Antarctic ice shelf shatters

Monday, April 06, 2009

By Alister Doyle, Oslo

AN ice bridge which had apparently held a vast Antarctic ice shelf in place during recorded history has shattered and could herald a wider collapse linked to global warming, a leading scientist said.

"It’s amazing how the ice has ruptured. Two days ago it was intact," David Vaughan, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey, said of a satellite image of the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. The satellite picture, from the European Space Agency (ESA), showed that a 40km long strip of ice believed to pin the Wilkins Ice Shelf in place had splintered at its narrowest point, about 500 meters wide.


The Wilkins, now the size of Jamaica or the state of Connecticut, is one of 10 shelves to have shrunk or collapsed in recent years on the Antarctic Peninsula, where temperatures have risen apparently because of global warming.



Separate research shows that when ice shelves are removed, the glaciers and landed ice behind them start to move towards the ocean more rapidly. It is this ice which can raise sea levels, but by how much is a matter of ongoing scientific debate.

Tea drinking habits and oesophageal cancer in a high risk area in northern Iran: population based case-control study.

BMJ. 2009 Mar 26;338:b929. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b929.


Islami F, Pourshams A, Nasrollahzadeh D, Kamangar F, Fahimi S, Shakeri R, Abedi-Ardekani B, Merat S, Vahedi H, Semnani S, Abnet CC, Brennan P, Møller H, Saidi F, Dawsey SM, Malekzadeh R, Boffetta P.

Digestive Disease Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 14117 Tehran, Iran.

RESULTS:
Nearly all (98%) of the cohort participants drank black tea regularly, with a mean volume consumed of over one litre a day. 39.0% of participants drank their tea at temperatures less than 60 degrees C, 38.9% at 60-64 degrees C, and 22.0% at 65 degrees C or higher. A moderate agreement was found between reported tea drinking temperature and actual temperature measurements (weighted kappa 0.49).

The results of the case-control study showed that compared with drinking lukewarm or warm tea, drinking hot tea (odds ratio 2.07, 95% confidence interval 1.28 to 3.35) or very hot tea (8.16, 3.93 to 16.9) was associated with an increased risk of oesophageal cancer.

Likewise, compared with drinking tea four or more minutes after being poured, drinking tea 2-3 minutes after pouring (2.49, 1.62 to 3.83) or less than two minutes after pouring (5.41, 2.63 to 11.1) was associated with a significantly increased risk.

A strong agreement was found between responses to the questions on temperature at which tea was drunk and interval from tea being poured to being drunk (weighted kappa 0.68).

CONCLUSION: Drinking hot tea, a habit common in Golestan province, was strongly associated with a higher risk of oesophageal cancer.

Renal Pathology Tutorial

The entire power point slides on renal pathology is now available in myvasc.blogspot.com and slideshare.net/edwinchowyw/slideshows

Quote of the day

When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing : either the car is new or his wife is new.

Best Tiramisu Recipe

Tiramisu basically includes Mascarpone cheese, raw eggs, sugar, espresso coffee, ladyfingers, liqueur and cocoa. Heavy cream is an optional ingredient. The richness and "mouth experience" depends on the quantity of each ingredient, and the care of preparation.

I made some Tiramisu yesterday having had Tia Maria (Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Liqour) with me for almost 2 weeks now.

The result was just fabulous.

All my friends genuinely loved the Tiramisu.
Calories: Censored....
(I only took 2 tablespoons of it and let the others feast on the rest. ha ha..)

It's really nice.

Time required for preparation- about 1 hour.
The entire process was performed manually (Whisking) and without a weighing machine.

Here's the recipe (that doesn't require a weighing scale):-

Makes 4-6 servings

16-20 lady fingers (Google it if you don't know what lady fingers are. Could use pound cake if lady fingers are not immediately available)

5 tablespoons of coffee liqueur (Any coffee liqueur would do but I used the ever popular Tia Maria. You could even use Irish Cream if you can't get hold of Tia maria/Kahlua).

3/4 cup espresso coffee (I used Jamaican Blue Coffee to brew the espresso using a stovetop. You could use a french press if you do not have a stovetop espresso maker)

1 cup mascarpone cheese
3 eggs- separate the yolks and whites
6 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream/ whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
cocoa powder
powdered sugar

Would need quite a few bowls to make this Tiramisu!

Bowl 1: Put the mascarpone cheese into a bowl and use a spatula to mix it till smooth.

Bowl 2: Add the espresso and Tia Maria and set aside.

Bowl 3 (Use a bowl suitable to be used in a hot water bath): Add 3 egg yolks and 2 tablespoon of sugar and whisk till smooth for about 3-5 minutes. Then, set over a hot water bath and beat for another 3-5 minutes until light and foamy.
When ready, pour the entire solution into the mascarpone cheese. Whisk it till a smooth batter if formed. Then set aside.
If you like, you could add 2 tablespoon of Tia Maria while whisking the batter to further enhance the flavour.

Bowl 4: Whip the cream until it holds a firm shape. (Meaning- you could make a 'mountain' peak with the whipped cream and it remains firm ie it does not melt away. But do not over whip the cream or else it will turn to butter!)
Add in the vanilla while whipping the cream.

Bowl 5: Whisk the 3 egg whites with 3 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of salt till if foams and holds a firm shape like what you did to the whip cream (remember- don't over-whisk or else it will turn into liquid).
Then FOLD it with a spatula into the mascarpone batter.


Now,

FOLD with a spatula 1/2 of the mascaporne batter into the whipped cream.

When it has been well mixed, fold in the remaining half. Set aside.


Final steps,

Dip each lady finger quickly but entirely in the espresso and liqueur mixture.

Line up in a single layer using half of the lady fingers.

Now, pour about half of the final batter/mixture on top of the lady fingers.

Spread out evenly.

Dust cocoa powder to the top.

Then put another layer of the lady fingers and the top it up with the remaining 1/2 of the batter/mixture.

Dust cocoa powder to the top.

Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Really easy stuff.
Enjoy and let me know the result.

Spring in Cambridge

Spring is just wonderful here.
Flowers everywhere...
Comfortable temperature.
Took over 1,000 pics over the past 2 weeks in Cambridge, London, Oxford and Scotland. (That was the reason for the blog inactivity).

Taking the pics were the easy part.
Now come the difficult part- editing.
Not sure how long I would take to do the editing.
Will probably do it during the easter holidays.
Meanwhile, photo taking continues.

Postgraduate course at Wellcome Hinxton Genome Centre, Cambridge

Had an excellent 1 day crash course in nephrology (Held every 3 months).
Following topics discussed:-

1. Polycystic kidney diseases
2. Histology of FSGS and MCGN
3. Tissue typing
4. Clinico-pathological cases
5. Transplantation
6. HUS-TTP
7. Biologics in immune mediated renal disease

Great discussion..

and

Great dinner

Menu:-

1. Griddled Asparagus, Glazed goats cheese with dressed leaves and fresh herb oil.

2. Pan fried rump of lamb with roasted provence vegetables, chateau potatoes, rosemary and garlic juice

3. Glazed lemon tart with bluebery compote and brandy snap cigar

4. Coffee/Tea

5. Petit Fours

Next course will be at Norwich (June 2009).