Tuesday, November 16, 2010

nanoArt: beauty that cannot be seen by your eyes

nanotechnology is the technology dealing with everything in nano-scale (10^-9 m, or part per billion of one meter).  Now can you imagine how small it is?

If not, think about your hair. Do you see the cross sectional area of your hair?  I would wonder if you can see it. Anyway, nanometer is thousands times smaller than your hair's diameter so maybe you can see nano-thing only in your imagination (or with super high magnifier device).


The reason I'm talking about nanotechnology is, first, I'm studying nano-engineering major (doing some engineer with nano-material), and second, recently I just found some super cool image of things that people make it into "nano-scale".


for example:

Nano-Toilet by Takashi Kaito


Super cool, huh?  If you still don't know how this clay-like tolet looks cool in my view, let lood at the scale at the bottom of the picture, that bar is scaling into 1 um, just part per thousands of your hair's diameter.

At this level, surely you can't look at this nano-toilet by your necked eyes, no magnifier lens, maybe some high resolution optical microscope can do that, but in general at this level we need to use super special expensive microscope to image.

Necked eyes cannot see them, but using special type of microscopes called "electron microscope" would be able to see this bird-flu virus and also nano-thing


Even you can't see by your eyes, but people still put all effort to fabricate things in nano-world (and me too, laugh).  One of the well-known method is to used laser write the pattern into soft substrate such as plastic (PMMA), and then use it as micro-mold to fabricate nano-things in hard material (silicon), namely "laser direct patterning".

Anyway, in order not to make this blog seems like lecture, I would stop explanation now and move to the gallery of wonderful "nanoArts".

Nanobama by John Hart & other Nanobliss folks


Nano-Chess by A. Linden & S. Bauerdick

Nano-Yoga by Chiaki Minari & Shinji Matsui


Nano-Playboy by John Hart & other Nanobliss folk

Actually, one could says the 3D patterning is much harder to fabricate comparing with 2D stuffs. So I can say Japan (nano-toilet, nano-yoga) do much better in nano-patterning comparing with America (nanobama, nano-playboy).


And when two students from Cornell university feels like they want to play music in nano-world.


nano-guitar from Cornell

If you want to listen to its song, check this link. In my opinion, I prefer song in normal world, laugh.

Be frankly, those images I've shown you above are made in micron scale (part per million of meter), you could say it is...kind of...nano-thing (part per billion of meter).  So let move to smaller scale, to the actual nanoArts.



This is very first nano-image from IBM.  Notice that one dot is just one atom, around ten thousands times smaller than the nano-toilet stuff!

Smiley faces made from DNA origami by Pothemund, Caltech


DNA origami for the smallest America

Gold nano-Jasmine from Nanotechnology Center, Chulalongkorn University

For "Thailand can do", this is gold nano-particle which looks like Jasmin flower, the symbol of the queen of Thailand, so my university (Chulalongkorn University) just gives it to our queen as her birthday present (anyway, I don't think she can see this present).


Finally, I want to conclude this blog with this, so called "The Thinker: Le Penseur" to remind you that all of these nanoArts come from the people who spend more than half of their life being "Le Penseur". 

Even original Le Penseur lives in French, but this nano-Thinker is developed by Dong-Yol Yang, Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Laser direct patterning on Sculpture.

Okey, now do you think it is wonderful?

Nano-Vodka by John Hart & other folk at Nanobliss


Absolutely, huh?

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thing to do in Bangkok, Thailand [1]

I promise my friends that I would show him the places that you must go when you visit Thailand. Suppose you have only 3 days in the weekend and you want to spend your time efficiency. I think this blog might be useful guide for travel and "touch" the life of Bangkokian.



1. College's life: Siam Square

I'm so proud to present my university, Chulalongkorn, and the U zone, Siam Square. Located at the center of Bangkok, this place is very famous, not only for university's life, but also the place for teens and twenties to hang out. Up-to-date fashion and trendy stuffs could be easily found here (but not friendly prices, xx).

Siam is very close to other shopping center such as MBK (must go), Siam Paragon, or Central World. I'd review this place later.

Different from another university zone in other country, night life in Siam Square is not kinds of alcohol and music, but instead the trendy stuffs and handy crafts.

Thai name: สยาม สแควร์

transportation: Use BTS (sky train) to "Siam Station"




2. Shopping: MBK-Paragon-CTW-Platinum-Pantip

Actually these famous shopping located around Siam Square and you can even walk through there places, but maybe you would spend almost one day in each! MBK, stands for Ma Bon Krong, is the old and cheap shopping which is very famous for foreigners. I go there to buy very cheap mobiles (trustworsty!), iPod touch, or other mobile accessories. MBK also has good deal for whole-sale surviniors from Thailand.


Paragon is high-class department store where you can enjoy brand name shopping and the aquarium at underground floor named "Siam Ocean World". Actually, I'm not that crazy on that aquarium but you could try! (http://www.siamoceanworld.co.th/)


Or other place which sounds more interested is Central World or CTW. This is the BIGGEST department store in Thailand. Very high-class and brandddd name shops would be found here. But I prefer to have nice all-you-cal eat Japanese style lunch at the uppest floor than shopping, it's depend. (^_^)

Walk across the CTW in crazy burning sunshine, the next place to shopping is Platinum Fashion Mall. This place is my paradise of fashion! The cloths are super cheap, and if you buy 3 or more, the prices would drop to half! Check this place out! One thing to reminder, whatever you want, then buy it. Since you won't be able to find that shops anymore. They locate like a labyrinth!

One block apart from Platinum Fashion Mall is Pantip Electronic Center.  If Platinum is paradise for Lady. This place is paradise for guy!  We go there for computer and other electronic offices such as USB drive or web camera.

Thai name:  MBK "มาบุญครอง"
Siam Paragon "สยาม พารากอน"
CTW "เซนทรัล เวิลด์"
platinum "แพลตินัม" @Pratunum
Pantip "พันทิป"
transportation: BTS "Siam Station" for MBK, Saim Paragon
BTS "Chit Lom" for Central World
walk/taxi from Siam to Platinum, Pantip



Notice: have you heard about the political crisis in Thailand recently? (about red shirt, yellow shirt and other color)  Maybe you want to go to Siam Square and CTW to sightseeing what's remaining there...so bad :(



Tomorrow I have midterm exam, so I would be update later. See you!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Daily's affirmation

According to this clip







This little lady inspired me to do "daily affirmation" for every single morning. Yeah...I can say I'm woman type "too emotional" and "too sensitive" so I'm very easy to feel bad. I hope this affirmation would reminds me how precious the world I live.








Start with:


"I love my dad. I love my mom.": thank you for every good thing around me. Without your support, I don't think I would have great day and night like this moment!




"I love my sister"


I haven't talked to her for so long! I have tooooo many thing to update to her, including how fun I have here. ^_^



"I love my family": you know, Family is. Abbreviation for "Father And Mother, I Love You" but my family include other people such as my aunts and uncles too.





"I love my nice friends back in Thailand"


I do miss you guys and really want to have great time together again! Dear Book, Kwan, Pat, Ak, Alyin, Aim (in Thailand?--um...she is in Dartmonth), Por Kwang and other deer's family, and who I didn't mention here.  Keep in touch!



"I love my sweet friends here" :


As Helen said "I have a big family, and our family members come from around the world", I am so glad that I have another family in Hong Kong.  I laugh and smile million times greater than ever.  Thank you (upper row, left to right) Anhang, Carson, Stephan, Vinny, Adam, (middle) ChanChan, Helen, Lisa, me, (lowest) Nima, and Mel, Amy, Jurius, Ien, and Korean guys and Singaporian guys and local students.




"I love everything around me": specially, meals...and such a cold weather here. Even I feel so cold when I walk to school but I still enjoy cooling time than raining.  Oh! I forget to say love to my bed too.





"I love the most beautiful living creature in the world"  ^_^



 "I love myself" ^_^



"I love my hair": recently, my hair fails a lot and I'm so afraid that I would be bald soon.




"I love my (short) height"
Actually I have no reason to love my height. By the way, I don't want to get more height or be any taller...maybe because I'm too lazy to work out or drink more milk.



"I love my "What???" ": This one I have no reason to love it too. (-_-'')  I can say I feel annoying myself when I don't know what my friends are talking about.  Most of them come from US (half world apart from my hometown!) so we have different culture and...even I read a lot of textbooks, I still have a problem to understand some words such as "suck(v)", "sexting", "da fei ji", or "dick".



" I love my stupid": I feel like I'm 1000x more stupid than when I'm back in Thailand (maybe I am but I don't realize it).  When I study here, I need to learn programing (such as Matlab, PSPICE), some of them I don't even heard before.  Be it's kind of fun and I love it!  (Thanks Adam for your kind advise).



"I love my clever": Only thing that I'm so proud since I was young.



"I love my acnes": even I love them a lot, but I prefer to get rid of them out of my face....dammmmmmmmmmn





So so so, NOW I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!




Sunday, October 24, 2010

Introduction to the world of me


Actually English is not my mother tongue and my learning skill on language "sucks", but as my friend, Helen, told me to write blog to improve my writing skill so I decide to start this blog.

I was born in very nice and beautiful place called "Thailand", 8305 km from Los Angeles--half the world away!  So in this blog would show something common in my life but might be totally weird for you. Hope me and you can share the experiences together and---besides all--have fun!

My name is "Bell".  My full name, which is ridiculous long, is "Nitinun Varongchayakul".  Even I'm Thais, but now I live in Hong Kong, China and I'm going to spend this semester here as exchange student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

So so so, give me three words which best describe Hong Kong?  For me, those are:

1. "Cloudy"  Since I was here, today is the forth day that there is sunshine!  I'm not kidding. The sky is blurrrrrrr and I can't even see my shadow when I walk to school.  However, the night in Hong Kong is so luminous!  Every buildings are decorated by lights.  Every night, the buildings near TST bay would open/close light following the orchestra song, as the "Symphony of Light".  That's one event that you MUST do in Hong Kong!



2. "Eastern version of USA" Since Hong Kong was historically belong to England, but now it belongs to China, so everything here is mixed up between western and eastern in very sweet proportion.  The Chinese style glossary stores can hide itself under the roof of mega-department store and lady could wear Chinese dress to work.  So interested!

3. "Delicious"  Yeah...I used to think that Hong Kong is the paradise of food!  But I can say, after 2 months living here, I found that HK dish is sooooooo oily and now I'm so sick of food here. I enjoy "Yum Cha" (super awesome dimsum breakfast), love eating HK noodle, and going out have big meal in buffet hot pot, but please DON'T PUT A BOTTLE OF OIL INTO MY MEAL!  (; f)


Share you idea about "Hong Kong" on my blog.  Wish I would see you later and later!

Keep in touch,
Bell



PS, thank you BlogSpot that provide vocabulary checking. You should add plug-in on grammar check too!

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