Creativity At Play

Warmest thanks for your help with them. They all had a great time and you got rave reviews every time

They really enjoy it and the feedback has been fantastic from the boys too

The Think Robotics series of workshop serve to empower children of schooling age to think creatively as part of their lifelong education.

Keywords: robotics, competency-based learning, datalogging, VBA programming

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Sun Sand and Sea

Birth of a paradise. Where would you designate your getaway - from the stress, the crowd to enjoy some quiet, really, really good food, excellent hospitality and just a short 1 hour and a half away. Welcome to this place I would call my paradise. It is still work-in-progress. However with great food, steamed piping hot otak wrapped in banana leaves that was so fragrant and succulent that melts in your mouth, and the tautway cheong ( pomfret ) brought in by trawler in the morning - the freshest I have ever tasted, and the lobsters steamed to perfection, how can we not take notice of the invitation. At the spot where we were standing with coniferous trees dotting the coastline, the calm blue clear Andaman water beckons at us, a perfect place to be my Shangri-La!

Our perfect hosts took us to the jetty that overlooked the James Bond island, just before dusk with a glorious sunset providing a warmth illumination. We stood on the jetty and took in the sea breeze and the feeling was exhilarating. We proceeded to a nearby hilltop to have to view of the bay below us and feasted majestically.

Keywords: resorts and hotels, vacations, luxury villas, spa services, kids' club, golfing, dining

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Robotics - Design, Build And Execute

We have mapped out a project that adhered to the competency based learning standards.
i.e. statement of learning standard, description of the learning tasks and assessment matrix.

The objectives were to design a device that can be programmed to
1. switch on / run the motors,
2. pause at pre-determined intervals,
3. activate the sensors,
4. record the readings,
5. proceed to the next station,
6. repeat the tasks, and
7. download the data eventually to the computer for analysis.

The first step was to work out the gear ratio so that we can slow down the speed.


We utilised 2 sets of gears ( 8 and 40 teeth ) and arranged them so that we can reduce the speed to 1/25th of the original motor speed. See diagram.

Next ,we selected a set of wheels with the appropriate diameter, and we worked out how fast the wheel was turning ( revolution per second ). We attached the angle sensor to one of the wheels, and we recorded a reading of 5 secconds for a complete turn. The wheel had a diameter of 49.6 mm, and the circumference ( product of diameter and pi ) worked out to be 15.6 cm. As a result, we spaced the workstation at an interval of 15.6 cm, as we intended to move the device for 5 seconds and pause.

Light and temperature sensors were attached to take readings from each of the 5 workstations.


We wrote a program to handle this. Upon completion of the datalogging, we proceeded to download the data to the computer for further analysis. The results were presented graphically for ease of visualisation.

The kids were then required to analyse the results and draw on the necessary conclusions. They were successful in interpreting the data and gave correct answers to the light and temperature readings.

Next: Lessons Learned


Keywords: robotics, competency-based learning, datalogging, VBA programming

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What Is Your Idea of a Robot?

We posed this question to a group of children at the start of a pilot program held recently.

Listed below are answers given by the kids:
1. artificial intelligence
2. help to stir coffee
3. control by people
4. enable me to work more for less
5. help to clean the house
6. perform task where it is too difficult to be performed by a person
7. explore inhabitable places
8. explore the unknown
9. unravel mystery
10. sensing danger, set off alarms

A good wish list. How many of these are reality or mere fantasy?

We started off with the coffee stirrer and the kids had no problem in assembling a device to make coffee. It had a motor and attached to it was a shaft with paddle at the other end. A coffee cup was placed and the motor was switched on, and the coffee was stirred but not shaken.

The kids became more adventurous, and they began to attach sensors like angle/rotation and temperature to the device. They wanted to make the best coffee by stirring it so that it can form a good head and the temperature will be just right for a sip. With this we kick started our pilot program.

Next: Design & Build - Selecting a Project To Work With

Keywords: robotics, competency-based learning, datalogging, VBA programming

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Think Robotics - Learning It The Fun Way

For this holiday season, we have rolled-out a workshop that is fun for the kids to chill out after a hectic year in school.

It is the Think Robotics workshop and we kicked off with Phase 1 which took place from 21 - 30 November 2005. Project scoping and objectives were set, and the logistics have been secured. Collaborators ( mentors ) were briefed and roped in to help in selection of project theme(s).

The kids were encouraged to design and build robots. They came out with a coffee stirrer and the sketch is the result of their labour of joy.

The idea behind the project is to empower children with the requisite skills / competencies to compete in a knowledge-intensive environment in a fun and creative way. We have identified the essential competencies to include mastery ( fusion ) of domain knowledge, technology and networking (DTN). This competency-based learning approach allows us to adopt an outside-inside approach to better appreciate and identify unmet needs out there ( customer-centric ) and remain relevant in an increasingly globalised marketplace.

Next: Find out how the kids are doing in the program...

Keywords: robotics, competency-based learning, datalogging, VBA programming

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Mumbai - First Impression

The ride down from Grand Hyatt to downtown was an eye opener. The road leading to the city centre parallels the metro. Along the way, we passed through shanty towns. Living quarter was little more than 3 feet deep and typically houses a family of 5 or 6. Family members would do their chores outside their homes and spilling onto the roads. Yet there is dignity in the way they go about their tasks and get on with their lives. The challenge is really when the unexpected occurs wiping out whatever possession they may have - and this will make it very difficult for them to get up on their feet and start all over again.

The downtown is filled with historical buildings and sites. We reached the Gateway of India and stepped into the Taj Hotel. It was a grand building and the interiors were well appointed, exuded a charm of an era gone past. Even for a first time visitor, one cannot fail to sense the magnificent and colourful past of India.

We proceeded along the Back Bay, also known as the Queen's Necklace, perhaps because of the brilliance from the street lights that dote along the bay as night fall. We stopped by the Oberoi Hotel for refreshment before proceeding towards the Raj Bhavan, the governor's mansion, located at the tip of the Mumbai coastline. It has a commanding view over Mumbai, and right behind it is the Malabar Hill, residences to the rich and famous.

The next day, we headed to the Bandra Kurla district, an up-and-coming new financial centre host to many MNCs. We then proceeded to JW Marriot, located along the Juhu Tara Road and next to the Juhu Beach. As we entered the foyer, we had a breathtaking view of the Arabian Sea. The hotel is very impressive, and the shopping boutiques boast of all the famous brands from the world over.

In the afternoon we headed to Hiranandani, Powai to visit a call centre complex. Call centres are housed in gleaming glass towers and is a growing phenomenon that powers India to the world scene as one of the key players in quality business process outsourcing (BPO). Presently, the Indian BPO industry employs 350,000 workers. The call centre we visited had a superior work environment, deploying state-of-the-art technologies. However the attrition rate in the industry is said to be high, and challenges include providing attractive pay scales with incentives, competency-based training, handling work stresses and healthcare, flexi-hours and career path for the workers.

Keywords: call centre, BPO, Bandra Kurla, Malabar Hill

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Mumbai - Did Not Disappoint!

Attended the 10th anniversary of Sony Entertainment Television held at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai ( GHM )on 22nd October.
The evening was electrifying with many Bollywood celebrities as well as personalities from the media world. We were treated to a night of highly charged performances by the Indian idols, like Sawant, Qazai, Ruprekha and Rex, mermerising all and sundry including Mr Stringer Chairman and CEO of Sony Inc. The hospitality was exquisite, and we were treated to a potpouri of Indian cuisine. The party was said to end in the early morning. Some party animals Mumbaikhas have been!

GHM is a five-star deluxe lifestyle complex that includes luxurious hotel accommodation and amenities built on 10 acres of prime land in Santacruz, the centre of Mumbai. It is a short drive from Mumbai's domestic airport, 20 minutes from the international airport and 5 minutes from Mumbai's rapidly developing financial district Bandra-Kurla, with two of Mumbai's best-known international schools, the American School of Mumbai and Dhirubhai Ambani International School.

It offers culinary delights for the discerning visitors, ranges from exciting and innovative Indian and international dining options in the hotel's four speciality restaurants that include Grand Café - the all-day dining café, M - the market-style grill with a Martini bar and wine libraries, Soma - the Indian restaurant with tandoor specialities and Celini - for truly home-style Italian cooking.

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Repartee

A premier club with world class facilites
No thanks... a place to call home will do

He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home ~ Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe

Healthy Lifestyle and Habits

Cultivate only the habits that you are willing should master you ~ Elbert Hubbard

No clapping please......

Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men ~ Douglas Bader

On investing

The first rule is not to lose. The second rule is not to forget the first rule ~
Warren Buffett

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