K's Learning Diary

The idea of implanted technology like RFID tags makes me squeamish and reminds me too much of dystopian fiction like the Hunger Games. However, many biohackers and transhumanists believe that implanted devices can genuinely improve our daily lives in practical ways. Though it may sound like science fiction, here are a few examples of how implanted tech could aid humans - look away now if you're faint of heart! Some active biohackers have implanted RFID chips under their skin, usually between the thumb and forefinger, that can be scanned to unlock doors, log into computers, share contact information, and more. While remembering passwords and keys can be a hassle, having an implanted chip may take convenience to the next level. Proponents argue that RFID implants aren't tracking devices, but simply access tools voluntarily chosen. Magnets implanted in fingertips provide a "sixth sense" of feeling magnetic and electromagnetic fields around you. Biohackers claim this allo...

A very inspiring story of a dreamer not unlike you and me. Life is definitely full of surprises. When the time does come, just make sure that you are readily prepared for the opportunity. There is a lot of passion when he sings this song (you will probably understand the frustration if you feel trapped living in a big city like London), I quite like this catchy song.

You may have heard about renting a date, but do you know that these days you can also rent a granny? This rather creative babysitting service has proven quite popular in Europe, by pairing up busy parents and retired "grannies" with more spare time on their hands.  And in some cases, the grandparents get more involved in the child's live over longer periods of time, acting perhaps more like the child's real grandparents. This type of arrangements have said to enrich the lives of the elderlies who may not have grandchildren of their own, by bringing a child into their lives.  I have to applaud the ingenuity of the entrepreneur that came up with this win-win idea for all participating parties. Although how do you ensure the safety of the child under such arrangements may be a tricky issue.

This has to be one of the coolest jobs, and how extremely specialised! (only 10 of them in the US? Talk about skill scarcity!). It is a lot of fun, and thanks to these artists, film characters get all sorts of different eye designs. Are you thinking about a different artistic/ creative career?

Someone just sent me this video where a poor old lady was screaming in fear as a young lad lifted and started to "spin" her, whilst the guy's friends watched and laughed at her. Something is really wrong with our society if people think picking on an old lady is "funny".  I just hope that the old granny doesn't have a revengeful family. Although it is probably too late now. The guy is now a common target worldwide. I don't even want to imagine what people will do to him. ********* Do you use wifi in public places or travel abroad often? Do you worry about cyber security? Get added security with a reliable VPN.   Get a reliable VPN  today for less than £3/$5 a month. 

I am sure most of us did not go to bed one evening and think that when we wake up there will be a coffee shop called the "Dumb Starbucks" in our high street. Well, it happened. It's kind of a clever marketing trick, and actually funny. It will be interesting to see how this story continues in the next few months. What is also noteworthy is that there is actually a very long queue with people waiting for hours to get their coffee at Dumb Starbucks. LOL, I will say no more. haha, thanks for this, I had a fun morning.

This is not a post about daring to dream or think of the absurd in order to drive innovative breakthroughs. This really is simply admiring what would be described as "impossible" in the usual sense. These are taking illusions to another level. Go on BBC iplayer and search Dynamo if you want to see the whole video. But what really bothers me out of all the tricks is this one - the I am going to put your mobile phone into a glass bottle trick. This time I really have no idea. Enjoy

This is an interesting BBC article suggesting that films and games adapted from books can help to encourage children (and I think for adults also) to read the original books - even if the books are challenging to read for their age group.  This is certainly the way that I prefer to do it - watch the films first, then the books. With good stories, often the film has to cut back on a lot of the details, leaving viewers wanting more. The books help to fill these details and let the reader relive the story, and more closely savor the experience. Doing it the other way round however, then the viewer is often disappointed as the films often comes out different to the world they have imagined whilst  reading the books.  Another problem with books is that often it's difficult to tell beforehand which books are worthwhile reading. Some stories can start-off very interesting, but fail to live up to expectation as the storyline continues. I like to be surprised with a g...

Do you know what Curly Fu and Peanut are? According to online reports, these are the nicknames given to Sherlock Holmes and Watson in China. I was taken aback when I read this. Sometimes, our Chinese friends can really make me go "huh??" (with a puzzled expression). It just goes to show how the market can be vastly different across cultures and regions around the world. If the BBC had marketed the Sherlock Holmes series as "Peanuts," it would have conveyed an entirely different meaning altogether. However, in China, the witty wordplay involving the characters' names' pronunciations has gone viral, and so has the show itself.   It's wonderful to witness this cultural exchange taking place. A decade ago, BBC dramas would only be known to those living in the UK. Fast forward to 2014, and you have Chinese audiences staying up through the night to watch new BBC TV releases. Through Sherlock Holmes, the world feels a little more connected. I wonder how lo...

Walking down the streets of Tokyo and you will soon begin to wonder where the Japanese keep their children. Babies and prams is a rare sight, the number of singles seems to out number couples and there seems to be more males than females. According to the BBC, the Japanese population is expected to shrink by 1/3 by 2060 if the birth rate does not increase. Japan's aging population issue seems more critical even compared to western countries that are going down the same path.  More young people prefer to stay single, remain financially independent and live out their desired life style to the full. This trend is portrayed in the most recent Japanese soap the "Dokushin Kizoku" (affluent singles) that seems to resonate well with many of Japan's working young professionals.  In addition to less marriages, there are also claims that some Japanese prefer to go "virtual" when choosing their dates, reducing the chance of creating babies even more. Ot...

This is a rather interesting article. I wonder if this is why I have trouble sleeping. I tend to watch silly Youtube vlogs before going to bed.. " One cause is believed to be the bright light-emitting diodes; light exposure can interfere with melatonin, a hormone that helps control the natural sleep-wake cycle."   Read the whole article here .

I am temporarily rendered speechless by the ingenuity of this device... with sore eyes of course. People have wild imaginations! Before you go off and attach your eyes to the electric sockets, have a look at another video here:

I guess this counts as a new skill- splitting apples using your bare hands. The fact that this guy is Russian has got nothing to do with it. Even if you are a scarecrow skinny girl you should still be able to do it. I picked this video simply because his accent made the demonstration even more entertaining. Enjoy (the fun and the apple)!

Just what the title says really, wish I knew this back in the student days but this could still be a rather cool party trick. On the other hand, someone must have been quite desperate to come up with this idea. Remember to drink responsibly, Enjoy! Amazon.com Widgets

Brilliant simple trick, it's all in your head! The human mind is complex and wonderful but it can also deceit you and let you see what you want to believe but the truth :)

Saw this on a friend's wall on facebook. Just imagine how many sleepless parents this will save if it actually works haha. Never thought this would be one of the things that I would learn this year. Well, life is quite unpredictable lol.  The clip is in Japanese, but it's quite easy to guess what's being said. Try this if you ever find a baby that would not stop crying. Would love to hear from you if this actually works!

This next post I am about to write is still shocking my brain (as I think about it). The simplicity and powerfulness of this idea is probably going to sweep the rest of the world off the feet.  Global Internet usage has been growing quite dramatically around the world (click on the map below to see the video on the BBC website). Our everyday life has changed quite a lot in the past few decades. From emails to blogs, twitter and facebook, online news to dropbox, the Internet plays a very significant part of our day to day life and we spend a lot of time on these applications, whether using our laptop, desktops, tablets or mobile phones. You may have just checked your facebook a few minutes ago, created a tweet to tell the world an exciting news you wanted to share, sent out a work email to your boss or a greeting card to a friend, uploaded some files to dropbox as backup... That is a lot of activities, no wonder your company is complaining you spend too much time procrastinatin...

I first heard of the term "Regenrative Medicine" several years ago. A project was proposed to further develop and contribute towards this effort. At the time I was intrigued by what I was hearing (which sounded like science fiction) and thought it was perhaps overly ambitious given the proposed time frame. Today, although the technology is still nowhere near ready for more complex organs or body parts, massive progress has been made. Here I share with you a video by National Geographic on this remarkable technology that has the potential to truely transform lives of millions.

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night, blaming it on the cats next door/ the mad dogs barking outside/ the crickets/ early birds singing..etc or just on your own accord and hating the fact that you can't fall asleep again? Actually, this may be natural (well, the cats/ dogs/ crickets/ birds are obviously natural.. still annoying nonetheless when they wake you up). Our ancestors are believed to have a different sleeping pattern than the 8 a day that we have been taught to do. In the old days, people would sleep, get up and do all sorts, then go back to sleep again. It does make you wonder if the commonly accepted 8 hours continuous sleep is suitable for everyone or if it's even "natural" for human beings. Or may be we should all be taking small naps during the day like the Japanese to boost our efficiency at work - I really like that idea. You can read the whole story by clicking on the above BBC news article snap shot. Zzzzz.... ...

This is a news article about a 66 years old South Korean man who got lost in a blizzard for two days on Mount Rainier in Washington state. He burned his dollar bills to stay alive. This reminds me of the film 128 Hours, a guy who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah in April 2003 ; a story about survival and some gruesome decisions had to be made. What about you? Would you burn your money to stay alive? This is probably a no brainer, afterall, what is the point if you are dead. But then what does "living" mean to you? It isn't just simply to keep the heart beating is it?; it's all the other things that matters to us: family, friends, our partner(s), dreams and desires...etc. So, whilst striving for a better job, better future, safegurding our finance..etc, we ought to consider also, what it is that really matters to us.