Turmaculus awake!

Hahaha.. finally managed to wake this lazy guy up. If this doesn't make any sense to you... have you ever heard of Neopets?

Swarm bots!

Ever since I read Michael Crichton's novel "Prey" about nanobot swarms four years ago, I've been fascinated by the idea that programmed 'agents' can work together and build collective intelligence just like the amazing termite colonies. I even wanted to do my NUS honors year project on swarm simulations! I ended up switching to real-time simulation of dynamic clouds, but look at what these guys managed to do with their cute little bots! It's amazing. :)



The robots were developed by Marco Dorigo at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, along with colleagues at the Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology in Italy and the Autonomous Systems Laboratory and Dalle Molle Institute for the Study of Artificial Intelligence, both in Switzerland.

Check out the full NewScientist story here.

Body builders: a word of caution from the dung beetles?

Dung beetle research may be about to boost the cliché about men with flashy sports cars. According to new study, male beetles with the most dramatic and ostentatious sets of horns apparently pay for that with smaller testicles...

Full NewScientist article here.

Panda sneeze shocker

I got a big LOL out of this one. Watch out for the sneeze! wahahahaha~~~~

Things u can learn from ur dog

When loved ones come, always run to greet them.
Run, romp, and play daily. Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
No matter how often you are criticized, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout.
Run right back and make friends.

-- from a mighty minds poster I just bought

Super chocolatey chocolate muffin

I had the sweetest dream last night! I was invited to a promotional all-you-can-eat-and-stay-as-long-as-you-like session at a chic new bakery in a futuristic luxury mall in a city I've never seen before. There were lots of beautiful little fountains surrounded by black granite tiles.

So I went to the bakery and saw this huge selection of yummy treats!!! Should I try the apple pie first, or the cheesecake? YUM~~~~~ my favourite was the super dark chocolate muffin; I can still taste the wonderful bittersweet sensation after I woke up in the morning. Well... almost, anyway.

Moral of the story: if your product is GREAT, marketing is easy~~ word-of-mouth comes naturally! I was telling everybody about the superb bakery shop after a taste of the chocolatey chocolate muffin, even in my dreams.

Call me crazy, but that is one sweet dream I sure love to have more of! :)

All plant lovers club

It's up, with wonderful photos! For all the plant lovers out there. Share your favourite or specialty plants, recent experiments, blooms and harvest, or any other random events from your garden! Also a great place to swap plants, share tips and ask questions. Check it out: http://allplantlovers.blogspot.com/ .