how to make a 737

I just saw this awesome video from Boeing on the making of this 737 jetliner named Florida One. From the fuselage parts transported by train to the cabin to the cockpit, and finally the paintjob then to the sky, all squeezed into this 2 and half minute video.

I also discover that the workers there don't have to wear uniform. Some were wearing berms too. Contrast this to our local factory environment...

quote of the day

(at the canteen, the sound of jet flying overhead in the background)
me: I can't hear the calling!
That's why in hokkien then say bo calling (impossible)

call·ing [kaw-ling]
–noun
1. the act of a person or thing that calls.
2. vocation, profession, or trade: What is your calling?
3. a call or summons: He had a calling to join the church.
4. a strong impulse or inclination: She did it in response to an inner calling.
5. a convocation: the calling of Congress.

pay by displacement

Recently the Land Transport Authority has announced the "Distance Fares" for public transport, in which commuters will be paying the fare by distance. Sounds weird, makes me feel like all this while I have been paying something other than by distance.

Not really a new invention, since some other cities in the world have something like free transfer on buses. For example in Hong Kong, especially when you are taking long haul bus services (and yeah, here in Singapore we are talking about eliminating long routes), you can transfer free to other connecting routes at bus stops at tunnels. Personally I found it very convenient while I was in Hong Kong, you don't have to worry about not having a bus heading to your destination.

Now, I am reminded of a physics chapter on vectors and scalars. Should we pay by distance, or pay by displacement? Now our rails are pretty much in loops, if we want to travel from Bishan to Bradell we can either travel 1 stop, or we can go all the way North to Woodlands then Jurong East then Raffles Place then up North again. If I'm not wrong, we will still pay for 1 stop's fare if the travelling falls within a certain period of time. How about on buses? For example, if I want to travel from Ang Mo Kio to City Hall by bus, there are so many options, but some take the longer way. When the "distance fare" is implemented, will we be charged the same for going from point A to B, or will we be charged for the path taken by the tyres?

Sounds like pay by diesel burned.

material science in a can

The other day I decided to be lazy and unhealthy and so I went to fix myself some canned food. What I saw inside the can, other than the food, were the patches on the internal wall.

On lamp post, yes. But I had never seen such patches inside a can before. Those are actually grains of polycrystalline material, such as steel. Anyway I don't really like material science.

Next time when you are waiting for the green man at the road crossing, don't hug the pole but instead take a look at the light pole/post. You will see similar patches.

handing in on time

I wonder if you have experienced this kind of situation at work.

Your boss gives you a task early in the morning to be completed by the following morning. You being the efficient worker, completes the task by mid-day. Now you are at a crossroad. Do you (A) hand in the work immediately? Or do you (B) submit the work only the next morning?

Let's say you choose (A). Your boss takes a look at it and realizes that there are some mistakes, not by you though. He recognises that it is not your fault by any means, but still, you have to rectify it. So you rush through the rectification, working way past office hour and into the night. You manage to get it right by the following morning. Just nice.

Now, had you chosen (B), you submit the work the next morning, and the boss finds out about the mistakes way into the next phrase + other consequences. The project may get screwed up, but at least you went home on time the previous evening.

*shrug* Guess it's all about task ownership.

ikea instructions

Saw this funny illustration in IKEA's latest newsletter. It was drawn by the same person who did all the assembly instructions for IKEA's products.

If you have assembled IKEA's stuff before, you may have noticed that the assembly instructions have no words in it! You see, their products are sold all over the world, by having one instruction for all they can save on some communication problem.

I find user manuals / assembly instructions the most entertaining reading materials. Sometimes you just wonder what they are trying to say, sometimes you would skip some steps, sometimes you just can't wait to reach to the last step. And how often do you do hands-on side by side while reading?

helping people with nuts

I saw this school girl trip and fall and breaking this little trophy in her hand. Seeing that she seemed a bit helpless, I asked if I could take a look at the broken up pieces of the trophy.

I fiddled around a bit with the acorn nut, the hexagonal nut and the threaded rod. I handed the assembled trophy back to the girl, adding that "it is not perfect though..." since I had no handy tools with me. Could see the look of relief and joy on her face.

It always feels good to have assembled something.
To make someone happy, +1.

the stamp that goes ( ´ ▽ ` )

The girlfriend just shared with me this cute little piece of stationery - Kaoiro, a Japanese emoticon stamp in disguise as a date stamp.

CUTE!

At 2700yen a piece (and by the way, the white version is sold out), I wonder if this handmade little stationery will find its way to the office desk.

Sometimes you just have to give it to Japanese designers.

diStress at work

I have this new colleague who has been with us for about 3 weeks already. Before joining the company she had been with a few other agencies and had quite a bit of exposures under her sleeves. She sits opposite me in the office.

One day, after the department head had talked to her, I saw her sitting at her desk and staring blankly at the documents in front of her. Me being the busybody asked her if she was ok. With a distressed look on her face she claimed that she felt very lost about everything at work. Been there, done that, so I asked if she had the syndrome of her mind thinking about work 24/7, even after work. Yes, and she admitted that ever since the day she joined the company, she hasn't been able to sleep. The only times when she could sleep were when her body couldn't take the fatigue anymore. She looked like she could break down any moment.

Now here is the story. She is actually taking over the workload of an experienced staff who is suffering from depression and currently on extended medical leave. Get the idea?

Work can get stressful, so do look out for your co-workers. You will be surprised by how some nonsensical jokes or a chat over coffee can help with the stress.

on chopping board

I cook everyday and I use the chopping board daily. The chopping board at home is literally a block of wood, typical Chinese style for use with a chopping knife. The other day I was at this Japanese supermarket and saw 2 interesting designs of chopping board on sale. It is kind of surprising to know that nowadays chopping board can multi-task.

One is the Chop2Pot, a design which I have seen somewhere before. Basically you can use it as a chopping board (duh) and also when you fold it up, you can use it to pour stuff into the pot. I've never used it in a kitchen, but when I did a little hands-on, I found that the the board can somehow fold/flap backwards (not intentionally) and then all the contents will drop everywhere.

The other design is called Rinse&Chop. Again you can use it as a chopping board, also when you fold it up it doubles up as a colander/strainer. The folding is less complicated then origami, but neither is it very intuitive.

Innovative designs that can save on kitchen space and make cooking more convenient, but I am not really comfortable with the folds. Guess I'll stick to my block of wood.

Quest for Immortality

Went for the Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt exhibition at National Museum of Singapore last Sunday. It was also the last day of the exhibition.

Like some of the other special exhibitions at National Heritage Board museums, the exhibition proved to be educational and eye-opening. On display were 200 odd artefacts from Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, some over 6000 years old. The printed descriptions were very informative, telling the history and culture at every section and stories behind each artefact. An exhibition on ancient Egypt wouldn't be complete without mummies, so yes there were mummies on display.



Isn't it fascinating that we can see things that are so far away from us in both time and space?

Related:
Keropok Man
xinyun
Walk like an Egyptian

kopi with train maker

This afternoon I had a nice coffee session with mechanical engineering coursemate hj who is now working at a train manufacturer in Germany and now back in Singapore for Easter holiday. Glad to see that he hasn't changed much (in terms of height :P)

So over sips of teh C, I listened to him talk about his job and the industry, the rail market in Asia, etc, and some stories about the management culture there.

I don't know if it is just me, but I always find that other people's jobs are so exciting compared to my job, especially engineering jobs. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence? But of course they have their problems and we usually don't pay much attention on, in hj's case things like living alone, cost of living, weather, job prospect...

I have ridden on some of the high speed trains built by his company. Now you know why I find his job exciting.

Pixar: 20 Years of Animation

Went to the Pixar: 20 Years of Animation at the Singapore Science Centre on the very first day of the exhibition.

Just like the Da Vinci exhibition, photography is not allowed, so don't expect to see any sneak shots from me. It makes me wonder if all exhibitions held at the Science Centre Annexe disallow photography. Not a very big deal, but sure takes away some fun.

The exhibition shows the history of Pixar, showcasing works dating back as early as when I was still drinking from a milk bottle. I must say some of the old 3D animations are quite scary, such as baby with freckles and wrinkles. Eek. Then along the way you see more familiar faces like Woody and Buzz Lightyear, The Incredibles, etc etc. On display are sketches and conceptual designs and cast urethane models. I was amazed by the different versions of many of the characters. One exhibit I like is the Toy Story Zoetrope, which makes use of 150 figures on a rotating platform to form some optical illusion.

The Girl Friend got us the early bird discount for the tickets, but I am still not very sure if it is worth the price. Feels like something is lacking...

EDIT: They have since added the souvenir booth and other stuffs to the exhibition. Seems like early bird got the worst worm.

Kki

I first came across Kki when I was exploring Ann Siang Hill area and walked past the cafe. Seeing how cosy it looked, I told myself one day I must come back and check out what's inside (the fridge). I returned one rainy afternoon, but the place was full. My wrong kind of perseverance brought me back to the cafe on this April Fools' Day.

I really like the decor. You don't have to be an archi major to tell if you feel comfortable inside. We headed to the fridge and were having tough time deciding which cake to choose. The lady boss was very helpful in recommending the cakes combination and we picked the kinabaru and cafe dumo, with earl grey served in a bodum pot. I am not a food blogger so I am not going to disgrace myself here. Let's say I become a happier person.


The price-tag is a bit higher than most other cafe chains, but I'll say the feel is very different.