The green race

Siavash forwarded me an interesting article by Greenpeace  and this diagram is kinda cool:

Well, this article as well as a conversation with Dr Tate yesterday made me appreciate the wider aspect of engineering. It is not only about the functionality of the product, but also the design, the eco-friendliness, the cost of producing and the packaging. Various thoughts have to be put into a single product.

Now we know why Nintendo is cheaper than Microsoft as it is at the other end of the green spectrum! If more consumers are willing to pay a higher price, I am sure Nintendo would be willing to invest in their R&D to make it more eco-friendly. Now, the choice is up to the consumers and as rational consumers, we always got for the fun and cheaper product, without thinking of the repercussions.

To be a more ‘green-conscious’ consumer, we can now buy products that is endorsed by the energy saving logo:

A smart consumer will not only think of short term(capital cost of the good), but also long term(energy bills), especially nowadays when electricity prices are going up and the frequency of raise is higher.

Positive effects of rise in oil prices

Increase in oil prices causes a lot of chain reaction, which can be good and bad. As negative impacts of this is apparent, I will explore the positive effects(especially points linked to the UK and Malaysia).

1. Governments are putting more money in R&D for alternative energy sources – in terms of technology, efficiency and delivery. More efficient closed cycle gas turbine power plants(although more expensive), is more viable now. Hence, for the same amount of gas, more electricity is produced.

2. Governments and people have a more positive attitude towards nuclear power. Costs are high, but more justifiable now. Nuclear is clean, reliable and safe(if right measures are taken). However, proper disposal of waste is necessary.

3. Carbon storage technologies are being developed.

4. Less driving(as fuel cost more) – less congestion and less pollution. Also, people are encouraged to car-pull(a campaign that the Malaysian government aspired to achieve long time ago, but is kicking off as petrol prices went up).

5. With more people using public transport, more revenue generated can be used to improvise the system. Besides that, carbon footprint of individuals using public transport is less.

6. Emissions trading scheme can kick off – more interest from many parties. This should be extended to other parts of the world.

7. Locally produced goods consumed locally – better than transporting from other countries as transportation cost increase(reducing carbon footprint) – encouraging more self-produced good which leads to self sustainability.

8. More efficient planning of trips/journeys – to avoid unnecessary fuel usage.

9. More time spent at home with family-better family bond. Also, more time to do things like reading, rather than going out and ‘lepaking’ in mamak shops(as prices of everything has gone up) – cheaper to eat at home.

10. More cyclist are encouraged to hit the road with their bicycles. The UK government has shown a good example by creating cycling lanes in Bristol and making it more cyclist-friendly.

11. Demand for more energy efficient appliances has driven more innovation in electronic goods.

12. People are encouraged to save more these days – even interest rates are more attractive now.

13. The cheaper option of electric cars in the UK(exempt from congestion charges and parking) might increase the demand for them. Although, this defeats the purpose of congestion relief, it also encourages people to plan their routes and travel smartly because the batteries do not last long.

Safari Trip-Woburn Park

The crew(below) set out on Saturday morning for a 90 minutes drive to Woburn Safari Park(near Kent). Having had only 3 hours sleep(after salsa-ing the night before), I still managed to wake up and be ready at 7.00am for the long awaited journey. Going to a Safari has always been my dream – too bad can’t afford to go to Africa yet, so we settled for somewhere near London. This cost us GBP16 for the Safari drive through and safari footpath(with sea lion show, birds in action and birds of prey show, small birds, lemur, penguins, wallabies and monkeys).

After a hearty English breakfast meal, we were set for the day. The drive through begin with the prey(zebras, giraffe, ankole somalian wild ass etc). Also, here there were rhinocerous(lazy ones though).

Then we entered a gate into the carnivour’s den. The tigers were in the fence(a bit disappointed) – but we got excited seeing the wolfs, bears walking past our car and a pride of lions. It just seems like a safari – only greener(unlike the brown image we have of a typical safari) and no predator or prey action(a bit sad la). We were just so amused by the lions – how mighty they were and excited when a few passed by the cars(they are huge). The male lion was a bit passive and unimpressive(did not act like a king).

The lynx below reminded Fei of his ancestors. Check out the eyes!

The sea lion show was good – well trained animals. They also explained the difference between sea lions and seals(we were confused at first).

The birds of prey show was really impressive. The guy(in green below) had so much passion about the birds, giving us facts about them- their eating habits, how he trained them etc. I was glad to be given the chance to get the owl on my hand. She was heavy(with a wing span of 6 feet!) and her grip on my hand was so firm! The owls and eagle really do fly smoothly and noiseless. The falcon, however impressed us with the speed(reached 100mph, apparently) – these birds are simple impressive.

Overall, I found the place well managed and taken care of. The caretakers were passionate about their job in looking after the animals, making them look healthier. We did not really feel sorry for these animals(as they had plenty of room to roam about and well taken care of). Drawing on that, wouldnt it be cost efficient and animal friendly to eliminate the concept of a zoo and have a massive safari in every country? This will not only give the management more funding to run this place, but also enable people to appreciate animals in their close to natural habitats.

Education in Malaysia/Asia vs the West

I was introduced to the existence of the famous Spanish novelist, poet and playwriter, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Having had a conversation with Maria and Rodrigo, I realised that we Asians are not exposed to other than Asian cultural stuff. The focus of the Malaysian education system is more academic/exam orientated, rather than being taught lessons of life. Even Maria’s husband who is from Pakistan has the same thinking as I do. We were streamed to Science and Arts classes when we are 15 years old! After that, our education is very focused on producing doctors, engineers, lawyers, accountants and many other traditional professions.

We were less exposed to English Literature such as the works of William Shakespear(at least in my time-up to SPM 2000). Hence, we lack the cultural exposure needed in order to appreciate things. Of course many of us don’t even know about classic books such as the famous french Les Miserables(I only came to know of it when I watched the musical and became a fan since then). Of course we can brag that we do well in A levels, compared to local British students by achieving strings of As. But is that sufficient? Does that make us whole? Well, to an extend, it gets us in the door of famous and prestigious universities, but to develop as a whole, culture is vital. Culture teaches us about history – when we know this, it helps us learn from mistakes people made in the past and also be more open to other cultures and creating more learning opportunities.

In order to change the way our Malaysian youths develop, it is important to first change our mind-set. Asians are too focused on Maths/Science based things that we fail to realise there are other things that can be interesting and potentially be a profession for us to explore.

Fuel subsidy and public transport

It is good to remove the fuel subsidy, as the people were relying too much on it for years. As Syamsul put it, during my conversation with him(mostly in his words):

The government should have improved public transportations over the years. We were riding on oil subsidy and buying cars. Malaysians are now suffering from backlash of decades of oil subsidy.

There is truth in what he says. If the government had a proper vision for the people, I am sure they could have included improvement in public transportation systems in one of their Malaysian Plans(Rancangan Malaysia). Instead, they focused on building tall towers and highways(which makes our transportation good) – well, they get to collect money for years even after breaking even!

Well, the government might have made the right decision by reducing the subsidy but they have to channel that money towards improving public transportation systems so that people will have the option of not driving. It goes in a circle – when fuel price goes up, people drive less, roads become less congested – it becomes viable to use public transport – but as more people use it, it becomes packed; hence increasing fleets of buses and frequency of the lrt schedule would be necessary.

It takes years before improvement can be noticed. If you tell someone who is in poverty that the goverment made the right decision and ask him to sabar, he’s gonna ask “Who’s going to feed my kids?” Well, this is a dilema the government has to overcome.

Another potential problem is that the oposition party is planning on increasing subsidies, if they are in power. At this point, doesn’t that proposal seem very attractive? At this point, I hope the government can come up with their strategy on how to dissipate the effect on increase in fuel price – something that is sustainable and not too beaurocratic.

Gender bias issues in Engineering Industry/Academia

Engineering has always been a male-dominated field. However, various efforts are done to increase female involvement in this field. Looking at undergraduate ratio of students(taking Imperial College’s electrical engineering 2003-2007 batch), there were about 15% of girls in the class. This varies across departments, universities and countries. When we look at the number of females in the industry, the percentage is way below that of a university. Do girls shy away from being an engineer or they are not given a chance to work alongside their male colleagues in a fair environment?

Having had a chat with a post-doc researcher, she mentioned her concerns in getting a lectureship position. She has been actively applying, but received rejections not because of her qualification, but they gave silly reasons such as no publication in an inferior magazine/journal, visa problems, and positions are filled up. Well, things are not that difficult with the male lecturers – some get it even after finishing their PhD(without any post-doc experience).

It makes me wonder how the situation is in Malaysia. In the UK, most companies are striving to eliminate biasness by promoting equality(gender, race and sexual orientation). And yet, situations like this arise. But Malaysian companies like to hire foreign graduates(or Malaysians who studied abroad) – there is always the perception that they are better. Well, foreign educated students can be more open minded and think differently, but in terms of work(quantity of things studied), Malaysian universities do better(correct me if im wrong, Waq).

In academia, there are a lot of politics and I am getting exposed to this as days go by. Well, 2-3 years more here, and I will learn a lot more about academia before I can decide whether it is for me or not.

Being a research student : perceptions

I do not regret being a research student; however I still have doubts on my ability to produce a good thesis or even pass my transfer to begin with. Well, that’s to do with my low self-confidence(which some people do not believe I have) and also the happy-go-lucky attitude(where I say yes to anything linked to playing games or doing fun stuff, neglecting my work).

Apart from that, I am thankful to have been blessed with an opportunity to continue my studies and being supervised by someone I look up to(who has time to explain things to me or even arrange a meeting with me to begin with). Being a research student has it’s ups and downs. Motivating myself, I find can be difficult at times. Sometimes I feel happy, just to be able to complete a simple thing – other times I get frustrated as I have an idea, and there are papers out there with similar ones already laid out!

One thing I do not like is people’s perception towards research student. Common expressions and myths explained:

“You have a lot of time. Don’t worry, you will definitely succeed – you have three years.” - The fact is, I am nearing the end of my first year, and most people here finish in 4!

“So, you are having holidays now in summer? What’s your plans?” - The fact is, we have to work all year. it is not like an undergraduate student. In my case, I can take up to 4 weeks, why should I waste it in summer, when the weather is so good here(well, not soo good, but ok).

“Being a student is soo good, no office politics.” - So far, not for me. But, I can sense how things work in academia – office or ‘university’ politics do exist(some form of it, at least).

For me, the first year of anything is always not as good as the coming years. I guess I need time to get used to how things are done and get into the mood. Hopefully things will turn around. i really enjoy my field – but can I make a contribution? That remains the £80,000 question.

Homo Nerdus

This is meant to be a summary from an article in IEEE Spectrum(June 2008 issue).

Nerds are the ones who don’t go to the party so they can stay home and do homework; geeks bring their homework to the party. – David Anderegg -

This article basically gives a holistic view of nerdness. Homo Nerdus, as the title suggests refers to people(Homo Sapiens) who are nerds. If in the past, people get insulted being called a nerd, in the current generation, people referred to as nerds are those who are “single-minded enthusiasts who are excessively interested in a subject or activity that is regarded as too technical or scientific” – rather than engaging in more social or popular activities. Some people are embracing the word, and some even jokingly(and knowingly) refer to themselves as nerds – showing that society is finally accepting of it. Below are the lists of words that come form the basic word nerd:

Nerdom : Population of nerds taken as a whole

Nerdity : A person’s nerdy traits and characteristics

Nerd Chic : Nerd-is-cool term

Nerdathon : A long and nerd-oriented activity

Nerdstorm : LAN party where players play against each other via local area network

Nerdcore : Artists who specialises in a form of rap music with lyrics relating to computers, technology and engineering

Nerdistan : ANy upscale and largely self-contained suburb or town with a sizable population of high-tech workers employed in nearby office parks that are dominated by high tech industries

Millionerds : Employees with vested stock options in successful tech start-ups

Entreprenerds : Started a company

Nerdvana : A state of total computer bliss (Updated after being informed by Wata)

For non-nerds/non-geeks out there, this work ‘nerd’ can be very insulting. However, the nerds out there should be proud of being good at something they have excessive interest and passion in -as they are bound to be good at it. I am still hoping that someday, I too can achieve this nerd status, as I aspire to be master of my field. The problem is I was/am jack of most trades and master of none.

Government and their priorities

The latest edition of the Engineering and Technology(E&T) magazine(a bit techy yeah I know-must keep up to date with technology these days) highlighted America’s expenditure on clean energy. Clean energy comprises mostly of renewable energy and is defined as non-polluting(or with the ability to offset pollution i.e.biomass) sources of energy. They are trying to increase their ‘green’ energy portfolio. In light of this, the shocking discovery is that they spend 55 times more in the war in Iraq compared to R&D in clean technologies!!! I was appalled by this figure. To be fair, America must have a higher budget for this sector compared to developing nations like Malaysia. So imagine 55 times of that just going to waste! It boils down to the government’s policies and what they think is necessary to implement at a certain point in time. This in turn is influenced by how can they make the people(i.e. voters) happy.

Looking at Malaysia, I wonder what are the government’s priorities now? Increase in standards of living will not do justice to the popularity of the current government. Is it possible that they can patch things up, like they always do before the next election – would people forget, 5 years down the road that as soon as 3 months after the elections, petrol prices went up. Would they forgive the government and re-elect them? Well, the coming months might have a twist in the system – we just have to wait and see. How do we know whether this move(increasing petrol price) is necessary? And if anyone else were to be making the decision would come up with the same conclusion? We will never know since we never had any decisions made by alternative people…

I also wonder what is the budget for clean energy technology(R&D, support etc) in Malaysia. Do we have what it takes to rise up to the climate change challenge and produce cutting edge technology, systems and procedures to ensure we have stable source of energy? Cutting back on usage is the first step….but we also need improvement in regulation, infrastructure and overall system.

Drastic measures in Malaysia

Since the general election in March, there have been several ‘drastic’ incidents. First was regarding JPA increasing quota of non-bumis from the current 10% to 45%. Being a non-bumi myself, I should be happy. But on the contrary, I think this move is a bit drastic and not proportional to the population. Having a quota system to ensure every ethnicity gets the same rights must be based on the population, which this rule ‘tries to achieve’. However, given the situation that 10% has been around for a long time, maybe it’s reasonable for the government to impose gradual increase, maybe 5% increase to begin with. This will not only give more non-bumis opportunities(making them happy), but the bumis would not feel the pinch; hence creating a harmonious relatonship. However, if the government wants to use merit system, it has to be totally fair. For the system to be fair, everyone has to be accepting that only those who qualify will be rewarded a scholarship – even if that means 60% no-bumis or even 5% non-bumis. However, since the system has been very supportive of the bumis over the years, taking it off completely would definitely sting.

What I think the government should do is a mix between a quota and a meritocracy system. Let students get scholarships based on merit, but set a constraint on the quota. For example, set a quota of minimum 50% bumis and minimum 20% non-bumis. The balance is based on merit. Hence, if the non-bumis manage to get 60% out of merit, only 50%(or 5/6 of the top most from the decided list) would be rewarded a scholarship whereas the 40% of the bumis and 10% more from the top most non-qualifying list would be rewarded. On the other hand, if the bumis achieve 85% based on merit, only 80%(16/17 of the top most) would be granted a scholarship and for the non-bumis, extra 5% from the non-qualifying list would get it. It all seems good, but different assessment have different credibility. I do not know how matriculation and compare to STPM; hence I think there should be an external assessment of the system to put a ratio or comparison so that both these assessments are on par.

Moving on from scholarships to petrol prices. The recent petrol price increase was drastic-afecting people from almost all walks of life! I just can’t imagine the standard of living and how much people have to ‘ikat perut’ and squeeze their budget in order to make ends meet. It is a hard impact on everyone. The government should have increased the prices gradually. Two problems may arise here: 1) government have to subsidise for a longer time(increasing their expenditure) 2) the administration cost of changing the subsidy tier every time the price changes. However, this is a major issue and something that affects everyone – maybe the government should cut on political expenditure(like campaigning for elections), traveling overseas, using luxury stuff, building extravagant things in Malaysia, trying to get into the world record for so many things – and channel that money int petrol(a commodity that affects every single citizen). It is sad to see that people have to cut bac on things they enjoy or in some cases, necessities just to survive! How do we achieve a developed nation status by 2020 remains a question. One thing for sure is that this move has definitely ‘added oil to fire’ in the political turmoil in Malaysia.