This is the second part of the series on the science of car window films. Read Part 1 of this series. The first part of this series discussed about how the car cabin warms up due to trapped heat from the Sun, and the various methods that we could use to cool our car cabin…
This is the first part of the series on the science of car window films. Read Part 2 of this series. On a warm day, the cabin temperature inside of our parked cars can quickly reach scorching levels. A study by Levinson and associates in 2011 measured that the cabin air temperature in a black…
A recent survey by Education First, a Singapore-based English school, found that Malaysia’s competency level in English was the highest in Asia (beating even Singapore), and Malaysia was ranked an impressive 11th-position out of 60 countries. A similar excellent result for Malaysia was also obtained in the first survey in 2011. The problem is, few…
Let’s begin by stating the obvious: schools must be fun, and schools must be lively and dynamic. Heaven forbid that schools should become boring. This is because we believe boring schools means inefficient use of school time and resources and that learning has failed. We believe boredom is bad because it brings mental stagnation, and…
I was very fortunate to be invited to appear on Bella, a TV programme by ntv7, on my opinions about ways to encourage a reading habit in children, the importance of reading, and about reluctant book readers. So, on Oct 13, 2013, 2:30 pm, my family and I made our way to the ntv7 studio…
Many Malaysians are concern about the rising crime in the country. Difficulty in accessing the latest crime statistics has made it difficult to gauge exactly the crime levels in the country or to understand the reasons behind these criminal activities. Newspapers and other mass media frequently report about violent and petty crime acts. This has…
Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Act of Killing” is the most unsettling documentary I have ever watched. This documentary focused on a group of men in North Sumatra who were involved in Indonesia’s purge of communists in 1965-66. Like Malaysia, Indonesia has a history of violence in dealing with communists in the country. But unlike Malaysia, Indonesia’s…
What is it about zombies that fascinate people? The latest zombie movie, “World War Z” (WWZ), opened to nearly USD 112 million in total ticket sales worldwide. WWZ is another addition to the long list of zombie movies that includes the first zombie movie in 1919. What is a common feature in perhaps all zombie…
Evgeny Morozov’s “The Net Delusions: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom” is one of the most important books I have read. Having read it two years ago, I now often treat web news, in particular those coming from social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter), with plenty pinches of salt. Recently, another important book “Trust Me,…
Two international assessments paint a disturbing picture on Malaysia’s level of science literacy. In 2009, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) revealed that Malaysia’s science literacy among 15-16 year old students ranked 52 out of 74 countries. Malaysia scored 422 points, which was below the international average of 463. At this score, Malaysia was ranked…
Some say ignorance is bliss. But that is not true. Ignorance makes us stupid, and stupid people make wrong decisions. But in the coming General Election 2013, I am afraid we Malaysians are voting out of ignorance. Those voting for the opposition vote more out of blind optimism, based on a dangerous assumption that that…
Update (Dec. 11, 2013): I wrote a series of two articles on the science of car window films: Part 1 discusses why our car cabin warms up so rapidly and what methods we can use to cool the car cabin temperature. Part 2 discusses how window films work and how to choose the right window…
Update (15 May 2013): I was interviewed by Samantha Joseph from the New Straits Times newspaper on my views on postgraduate studies in Malaysia. “The realities of postgraduate education” was published today in NST Postgraduate Supplement issue (pg. 2). Some students go through a self-inflicted torrid time during their Masters or PhD programme in local…
My son, Zachary, just completed his first term of Year 1 at Tanarata International School about a week ago. Zachary is only five years old when he entered Year 1, and I did worry whether he would be able to cope with the more academic setting of a school versus his more playtime setting at…
Recently I was working in S. Seifullin Kazakh Agro Technical University (KATU) in Astana, Kazakhstan from Oct 14-31, 2012. I was invited to give a two-week lecture on “Soil Conservation” to KATU’s undergraduates and postgraduate students. This was a unique invitation too valuable of an experience to pass up. Rarely are foreign guest lecturers invited…